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Kuldeep Yadav, who idolised Wasim Akram and wanted to bowl fast, talks about his journey, from his coach convincing him to bowl spin to Anil Kumble advising him about the art of bowling long spells

Arun Venugopal12-Oct-2016When Kuldeep Yadav bowled chinaman for the first time, he had no idea what it was called. Left to him, he wouldn’t have bowled spin, or even turned up at a cricket net. As with many Indian kids, Kuldeep found himself chasing unfulfilled dreams of the previous generation. Kuldeep’s father Ram Singh, a brick-field businessman in Kanpur, had wanted his younger brother, Janardhan Singh, to succeed as a professional cricketer. Janardhan played district-level cricket, but couldn’t graduate to the next level.Ramsingh was disappointed his brother’s career didn’t take off, but he wasn’t going to accept defeat; instead, he decided to invest in his son. When Kuldeep was 11, he was sent to a cricket academy to train alongside his uncle. Kuldeep remembers being a “timepass” cricketer initially; he played a lot of table tennis, but it wasn’t as if he wanted to make a career of it either. “I was too young to decide what to do, so I just studied, played and generally had fun for about a year,” he says.Kuldeep’s coach Kapil Pandey, however, thought he had enough talent for serious cricket, but insisted he switch to spin bowling. Kuldeep wasn’t happy about it: he idolised Wasim Akram and was obsessed with fast bowling. “Even my dad isn’t very tall, so my coach thought I wouldn’t shoot up enough to become a fast bowler,” Kuldeep says. Pandey was proved right as Kuldeep grew no taller than five feet eight inches.When Kuldeep gave spin bowling a shot, he didn’t tweak the ball like a fingerspinner would and instead bowled it from the back of his hand. Kuldeep says he doesn’t know why he did it, but Pandey liked what he saw. “He was impressed with the way my hand opened up at the time of release. He thought I had a rare talent and I should continue bowling that way.”Kuldeep is glad he heeded his coach’s advice. “If I had remained a fast bowler, I would have probably never got to meet Wasim sir,” he says with a chuckle. “When I told Wasim about it [years later, at Kolkata Knight Riders], he was happy that I stuck to spin bowling.”Thereon, Kuldeep never slacked off, packing in two practice sessions every day in the morning and evening. That there was no reference point – there weren’t any chinaman bowlers around him to emulate – wasn’t a hindrance to learning. Kuldeep would try to copy the action of Ravindra Singh Chauhan, a legspinner in his academy. He would also watch videos of his idol Shane Warne and observe his action and rhythm closely. Even now, Kuldeep goes back to Warne’s videos, particularly from the 2005 Ashes, whenever he feels he has a problem with his bowling.When he was 14 or 15, Kuldeep was considered too young to play for Uttar Pradesh’s Under-17s. In a year or two, Kuldeep was a regular in the India under-19 side, but didn’t make the squad for the 2012 World Cup. Kuldeep, then only 17, wasn’t perturbed; he knew his time would come. Two years later, he went on to take a hat-trick against Scotland in the Under-19 World Cup and also became the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, along with Kagiso Rabada and Namibia’s Bredell Wessels.In 2012, Kuldeep’s first IPL experience was little more than a brief flirtation with Mumbai Indians. A more purposeful, career-defining relationship was forged with Kolkata Knight Riders, who signed him up two years later. While he didn’t get a game in the 2014 IPL season, Kuldeep finished as Knight Riders’ second-highest wicket-taker in the Champions League T20 later that year, as the team finished runners-up. A little over a fortnight later he made his first-class debut.Kuldeep remembers making an impression on his first day at the Knight Riders camp by dismissing Gautam Gambhir in the nets. He is grateful to Gambhir for playing him in the first XI despite the presence of senior spinners such as Sunil Narine, Brad Hogg, Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla. More reassuring was how Gambhir never fretted over Kuldeep going for runs.”He would just say, ‘it doesn’t matter, he scored off a good ball,'” Kuldeep says. “When I was playing CLT20, Shoaib Malik took 18 [21] runs off me in an over. So, I went up to Gauti and said I wanted to bowl from the other side because the end I was bowling from had shorter boundaries. Gauti bhai insisted I bowl from the same end. I thought to myself, (what has he done).”The game he’s referring to is the semifinal against Hobart Hurricanes. It proved an important, even if chastening, lesson on second-guessing the batsman’s motives. Kuldeep had started well, conceding only 10 runs in three overs and taking the wicket of Ben Dunk. The first ball of his fourth over to Malik was a dot. Then Malik smashed him for two sixes and two fours.Gambhir’s faith in Yadav has been career-defining for the spinner•BCCI”[Malik] told me after the match I was bowling very well, and that he was reading my mind during my first three overs,” Kuldeep says. “He knew exactly when I would flight the ball or push it faster. When you come up against a big player, he is always one step ahead of you.”A key figure in Kuldeep’s development has been fellow left-arm wristspinner Hogg. Apart from teaching him how to bowl the flipper – Kuldeep admits he needs to become stronger to bowl it as well as his senior partner – Hogg has hand-held Kuldeep through match situations. During a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2016 IPL season, Kuldeep, after a tight over, was anxious to attack in the quest for wickets.With Sunrisers chasing 172, Hogg knew the batsmen themselves would be under pressure to go after the bowling, and advised Kuldeep just to keep things tight. Kuldeep duly dismissed Shikhar Dhawan in his next over.Hogg has also endeared himself to Kuldeep by being a sounding board. “He has asked me to Skype him if there is any problem I want to discuss with him,” Kuldeep says. “That’s a big deal for a youngster when someone you look up to takes a keen interest in you.”Kuldeep went through a traumatic period during the Ranji Trophy last year. While his numbers – 13 wickets from five games for Uttar Pradesh at an average of nearly 47 – were middling at best, he believes he could have done with a few more opportunities. “I was struggling so much to play for my state, but I don’t know why I wasn’t being picked,” he says. “I had come back after having picked wickets playing for India A, but I would be dropped here. I felt like I was being ignored.”One of the reasons he doesn’t find a regular place in the UP team is the presence of Piyush Chawla as the lead spinner, especially on pitches that don’t require more than one spinner. It’s also possible his success in the shorter formats has led to him being typecast as a limited-overs bowler. Kuldeep, however, insists he is a classical spinner whose heart lies in the longer format.”If you are a spinner, you should turn and flight the ball. I can’t fire it in fast; that is beyond me,” he says. “I love Test cricket the best. I get a lot of enjoyment playing four-day cricket, and my bowling style suits four-day cricket because I flight the ball.”Help, though, was forthcoming from two senior members of the side – Chawla and Suresh Raina. “PC supported me a lot, and asked me to keep working hard,” he says. “Raina is very caring. He always calls and keeps tabs on what is happening with me. I worked very hard on my bowling during that phase. Such phases are part and parcel of life – sometimes you do well and sometimes you don’t.”By the time the Duleep Trophy began – a day-night affair that trialled the pink ball for the first time in India’s first-class cricket – Kuldeep was more at peace with himself and finished as the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in three matches. With India’s head coach Anil Kumble and then selectors Vikram Rathore and Saba Karim in attendance, Kuldeep picked up four wickets in the final. Yuvraj Singh, his captain at India Red, called him (magician).Kuldeep’s performances in the tournament didn’t earn him a place in either the Test or the ODI sides against New Zealand, but they didn’t go unnoticed, as he was invited to train with the Indian team. Only once before had he been part of the senior squad when he was picked for the ODI series against West Indies in 2014.”When you are with the team and training with them, you feel that you are a part of the team,” he says. “I had some good conversations with Anil this time. He spoke to me about how I should bowl when the body starts tiring and what I should do while bowling long spells. He would stand next to me while I was bowling and took very good care of me.”The more I am used to bowling to batsmen like Virat [Kohli] or Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane] and Puji [Cheteshwar Pujara] , it’s easier to understand where I stand and how I can improve when I go back to Ranji Trophy. They tell me what’s the right pace to bowl and what variations I could bowl.”Kuldeep didn’t have to wait too long to put some of that wisdom into practice, as he was picked for UP’s season-opener against Madhya Pradesh. But he would know from experience that getting there is only half the job done.

Plus: oldest debut centurions, youngest to 9000 Test runs, and the highest completed innings without extras

Steven Lynch23-Jun-2015What is the smallest amount of play on any day in a Test match – maybe owing to bad weather, or because the match finished? asked Sreeram from India

The one that came to my mind first was the final Test of the 1936-37 Ashes series in Melbourne, when the fifth day started with England 165 for 8, still 200 short of avoiding an innings defeat. Australia wrapped up the match – and a unique come-from-behind 3-2 series win – when the left-arm spinner Chuck Fleetwood-Smith took the final two wickets with the first two deliveries of the day, in front of a crowd of around 12,000, admitted free.There are, however, two other instances of a day’s play lasting only two balls. In Georgetown in 1964-65, Lance Gibbs completed West Indies’ 212-run victory over Australia by dismissing Graham McKenzie second ball. And at Edgbaston in 1992 only two deliveries were possible on the second day of England’s Test against Pakistan because of rain (the first day had been completely washed out too). Pakistan’s opener Aamer Sohail did manage to score three runs in that time.There is one other instance of no runs being scored on a day in a Test where there was some play – at Adelaide in 1972-73, when it took Australia 14 deliveries to take the last Pakistan wicket to complete an innings victory in the first Test of the series.And there are two cases of a day’s play containing just one run. In Sydney in 1932-33, in the first Test of the Bodyline series, Australia – 164 for 9 in their second innings overnight, having just drawn level overall – lost their last wicket without addition, which left England needing one to win, which they scored off the first ball bowled. And at Old Trafford in 1976 England started the final day at 125 for 9, needing just 427 more for victory: they managed one before Mike Selvey was out.In the Test in Fatullah India had scored 259 runs – and Bangladesh had bowled 62.4 overs – before there was an extra – was this a record? asked Hemant Kher from the United States

I knew it wasn’t a record, as the highest completed innings without any extras at all was Pakistan’s 328 in 187.5 overs against India in Lahore in 1954-55. I wasn’t sure, however, about the highest total reached before an extra was recorded, so am indebted to Charles Davis, the Melbourne statistician, who tells me it came during India’s recent series in Australia. In their first innings in the third Test in Melbourne in December 2014, India had reached 402 before the first extra – a leg-bye off the fourth ball of the 106th over. In terms of overs bowled, in Johannesburg in 1957-58 Australia had faced around 149 eight-ball overs – the equivalent of 198.4 of six balls – before South Africa conceded the only extra of the innings, a leg-bye which took the score to 400 of the eventual 401. That innings included two no-balls, but as they were scored from they did not, under the regulations of the time, register as extras as they would now.I read that Adam Voges was the oldest man to score a century on Test debut. Who held the previous record? asked Mohammed Majendie from Pakistan

That’s right, Australia’s Adam Voges was 35 years eight months old when he completed his Test-debut century against West Indies at Roseau earlier this month. The previous record was held by Dave Houghton, who was about four months younger when he made 121 in Zimbabwe’s inaugural Test, against India in Harare in 1992-93. Before that the record had been held for around 45 years by Sussex’s Billy Griffith, who scored 140 for England after being pressed into service as an opener against West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 1947-48. Legend has it that Griffith, who later became MCC’s secretary, ran out his opening partner early on, and thought he’d better hang around to make up for it. He made only 17 runs in his other four Test innings. Australia’s Bert Collins (in 1920-21), Aminul Islam of Bangladesh (2000-01) and the English legend WG Grace (1880) were all 32 when they made a century in their first Test. Another England opener, Arthur Milton, was 30 when he did it in 1958.Now that Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s international career seems to have ended, who are the longest-serving current players in Tests and ODIs? asked Subramanian from Singapore

The recent recall of Harbhajan Singh, for India’s one-off Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah, gives him the longest span of any current player if you exclude Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Harbhajan made his debut against Australia in Bangalore in March 1998, so has lasted more than 17 years so far (and he’s still only 34). Chanderpaul’s Test career stretched just over 21 years from his debut in March 1994. Only 11 men have enjoyed longer Test careers; for the list, click here.The longest one-day international career of any current player appears to be nearly 16 years by Chris Gayle, who made his debut back in September 1999. Next comes Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik (debut October 1999). Three players who have appeared in ODIs in 2015 had longer careers, but announced their retirements from the format after the World Cup: Shahid Afridi (well over 18 years), Daniel Vettori (18 years four days), and Mahela Jayawardene (17 years 53 days). For that list, click here.Sydney Barnes has taken twin five-fors in a Test six times – a record•Getty ImagesAlastair Cook reached 9000 runs in the second Test against New Zealand. Is he the youngest player to reach this mark? asked Joel Pojas from the Philippines

Alastair Cook scored his 9000th Test run in the second innings against New Zealand at Headingley – and was then immediately out, giving him a nice round career figure to take into the Ashes series. He was 30 years 159 days old, 94 days younger than Sachin Tendulkar was when he reached the 9000 mark in January 2004. Ricky Ponting was 31 when he got there, and Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene and Graeme Smith all 32.Which bowler took two five-wicket hauls in a Test the most times? asked Amit Kumar from India

It’s no great surprise to find Muttiah Muralitharan on top of this list: after all he took 67 separate five-wicket hauls in his long Test career, nearly twice as many as the next man (Shane Warne, with 37). Murali took at least five in both innings on 11 occasions, his biggest haul being 16 for 220 (7 for 155 and 9 for 65) against England at The Oval in 1998. Warne took twin five-fors on five occasions, the same as Clarrie Grimmett and Richard Hadlee. But this illustrious trio are all shaded by the legendary England bowler Sydney Barnes, who did it six times – in just 27 Tests, in which he took 189 wickets at 16.43.

Plays of the day from the first day of the first Test between Pakistan and South Africa in Abu Dhabi

Firdose Moonda in Abu Dhabi14-Oct-2013The birthday gift
Shan Masood received a present anyone would want on their birthday – a first Test cap. As the more junior of Pakistan’s two debutants – Masood is a decade younger than Zulfiqur Babar – he was stationed at short leg. He, however, was soon called into action soon when Alviro Petersen was surprised by the extra bounce generated by Mohammad Irfan. Masood juggled the offering initially before holding on to a second take. It look a lengthy referral to adjudge whether the catch had been taken clearly, and once that was confirmed, Petersen was sent on his way. It provided a birthday gift the youngster would not forget in a hurry.The no-ball
A man the size of Irfan is bound to be too big for some things, and his oversized feet are occasionally guilty of creeping over the line. After lunch, the frequency of the error became greater, but umpire Paul Reiffel did not seem to take notice. Television cameras caught Irfan overstepping at least three times before Reiffel spotted one himself. As he held his arm out to signal the no-ball, Graeme Smith stood up to applaud sarcastically, a display the broadcasters were quick to capture.The blunder
The searing heat in the post-lunch session may have made some people dozy, but not Younis Khan and Adnan Akmal. AB de Villiers strode forward to defend a Babar delivery but inside-edged on to his pad, and the ball ended up rolling to first slip. He thought that was the end of things for the moment and held his pose, leaving his back foot on the crease. Akmal, however, was quick to notice the indiscretion and signalled to Younis to return the ball to him. Younis did, and Akmal stealthily took off the bails. Replays showed de Villiers’ foot was on the line, and he was sent packing to give Pakistan a timely breakthrough.The catch that wasn’t
Dale Steyn may not have fancied a bowl late in the day, but he also did not want to hang around without contributing with the bat. He took a liking to Babar, and after defending one ball that was tossed up, waltzed down the pitch to loft the next inside-out and down the ground. When Steyn hit it, he seemed to have top-edged it to long-off, but the ball went high and long, just carrying over the rope for six. He tried it again three balls later, and this time Khurram Manzoor got his hands to it, but when he realised the shot would carry the ball over the boundary with his momentum, Manzoor was able to release the ball back onto the field in the nick of time.

Plays of the Day from the third day of the Galle Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan

Kanishkaa Balachandran in Galle24-Jun-2012Akmal lashes out
Pakistan might have been at the wrong end of an umpiring error or two in the morning session, but there was one wicket they couldn’t blame on external factors. Adnan Akmal swept to fine leg, ran hard for the first run and then called for the second and set off, but his partner Mohammad Ayub wasn’t so sure. Ayub obliged rather late but hesitated and then headed back to his crease. By then it was too late for Akmal to head back as he was already more than halfway down. A peeved Akmal gestured to Ayub and gave him an earful as he walked back. The stump microphones picked up: My call, my call, I said ‘yes’. Not the warmest welcome to Test cricket for Ayub.No-DRS moment of the day I
If Pakistan thought they had seen the worst of the umpiring on the second evening, they were mistaken. A struggling Younis Khan was trying to play himself into form and resurrect the innings. His knock was cut short when he faced Rangana Herath. The flighted delivery drew him forward, the ball went straight through but Younis played for the turn, and the umpire failed to notice an inside edge onto the pads and gave him lbw. A stunned Younis stood his ground for a few seconds, but the decision was made. Pakistan had lost their most experienced batsman. Just another argument in favour of the DRS.No-DRS moment of the day II
This one went against Pakistan in the field. With Tillakaratne Dilshan racing away at nearly a run-a-ball, and the lead swelling, Pakistan were finding it hard to contain the hosts. Saeed Ajmal tossed one up from round the wicket, down the leg side and Dilshan, attemping to sweep fine, got a glove to it. Akmal and Ajmal knew they had had him, but the umpire wasn’t so sure. The following ball, Dilshan added further insult to injury by glancing it to third man for four. The coach Dav Whatmore took off his cap in frustration, Ajmal kicked the turf in disgust and Mohammad Hafeez came over and put an arm on his shoulder.Akmal rides piggyback
It was a day of contrasting moods for Akmal. When Thilan Samaraweera slashed Junaid Khan towards slip, the ball dipped to Younis’ left, where he took a sharp low catch. Akmal too could have gone for it but he wisely left it for the experienced Younis. Akmal went out of his way to extend his gratitude by clambering onto the prone Younis’ back – he refused to budge even after Younis had got to his feet and started walking. His mood a world apart from the morning then, when he lashed out at Ayub.

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

Andrew Miller20-Jun-2009

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

Sophia Dunkley helps seal last-over win after stuttering batting display by reigning champions

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Tash Farrant made a fairytale return to cricket as South East Stars beat reigning champions Southern Vipers by four wickets in a thriller on the opening day of the 2024 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham.England star Farrant, after missing almost two years of cricket with stress fractures of the back, struck a career-best 94, sharing a stand of 165 with skipper Bryony Smith – a record for any wicket for Stars – as the hosts got home with three balls to spare.Australian Charli Knott kept Vipers in it until the final over with a tidy spell of 2 for 35, but England batter Sophia Dunkley’s composed unbeaten 48 saw Stars home amid rising tension.Earlier, Freya Kemp, a day short of her 19th birthday made a maiden List A 50 with Georgia Elwiss 44 and Knott 41 propelling the visitors to a competitive total, Ryana MacDonald-Gay returning figures of 3 for 46.Ella McCaughan and Knott survived some early fishing outside off stump to post an 80-run opening stand after Vipers were put in. Knott impressively drove MacDonald-Gay for successive fours, one square of the wicket and another straight. However, Macdonald-Gay would have her revenge, thanks to a stunning catch by Phoebe Franklin, diving full length to grab a ball dropping over her shoulder.McCaughan soon followed, trapped lbw by Danielle Gregory, but it proved the high point for the Stars spinner, later banished from the attack for a second head-high full toss, the first despatched by Vipers’ skipper Georgia Adams for the day’s first six.Adams became the first of two lbw victims for slow left-armer Bethan Miles just as she looked set to dominate but the visitors were well placed at 190 for 3 with 13 overs remaining. Miles though struck again, ending Elwiss’ polished innings after which wickets fell at regular intervals, Dunkley picking up two with her legbreaks.That Vipers posted 273 was down to Kemp, mixing aggression with good running to reach 50 at better than a run a ball. Alice Monaghan also hoisted MacDonald-Gay for a huge six before falling to another wonderful catch from wicketkeeper Chloe Hill.Farrant was promoted to open with skipper Smith and gave the hosts early impetus with five boundaries in the powerplay. Smith then clicked through the gears, taking two fours in an over off Mary Taylor.Farrant won the race to 50 from 56 balls while Smith took 13 balls longer, before upping the pace, drilling Linsey Smith for two fours in an over to take Stars to 131 for 0 at the halfway mark.History was made when the stand reached 156, eclipsing the 154 posted by Dunkley and Alice-Davidson Richards against Western Storm at The Oval in 2021 before the fun ended when Linsey Smith struck Adams into the hands of Monaghan at cover.Knott quickly removed Paige Scholfield, but Farrant responded by lifting Freya Davies for a straight six as she moved into the 90s. But there would though be no maiden hundred as the excellent Knott struck again to pin the allrounder in front for 94 with 78 needed.As the tension mounted, Adam damaged her left hand failing to cling onto a caught-and-bowled chance offered by Alice Davidson-Richards, but the drop wasn’t costly as the England allrounder was castled by Linsey Smith for just 8.Franklin struck three fours in a rapid 19 before being run out with 14 needed from 15 but Stars got home with a scrambled leg bye in the last over.

Ben Duckett says England “could have easily had five or six [wickets] tonight”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2023

Ben Stokes made the second-earliest first-innings declaration in Test history on the first day in Mount Maunganui, a decision vindicated when England reduced New Zealand to 37 for 3 under floodlights.England were 325 for 9 after only 58.2 overs when Stokes called time on their innings, a move that his team-mates explained owed to the challenge of facing a new pink ball under lights in a day-night Test.The move was not without precedent: South Africa have twice declared nine-down on the first day of a day-night Test to enable them to bowl under floodlights, against Australia in 2016 and against Zimbabwe in 2017.Related

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“I haven’t played many pink-ball games, but by the looks of it, it’s the hardest time to bat when it’s under lights, and obviously we had the new ball as well,” Harry Brook told talkSPORT. “I think it was a great declaration. To get three wickets there is vital and hopefully we can force a few more early tomorrow.”Speaking at the end-of-day press conference, Brook added: “The best time to bowl is under these lights. You can extract the most amount of swing and seam so why not try and expose their top order to that? It’s the hardest time to bat and we’ve got three of the best bowlers to ever play the game. And thankfully we got three wickets.”It just happened like that, to be honest. There was no plan at dinner to declare. Me and Foakesy [Ben Foakes] were still batting together and if I hadn’t got out, the plan would’ve been the same. But because I got out the plan changed, and Stokesy said if there’re two bowlers in at the same time, give them a couple of overs and we’ll try and utilise the lights.”Ben Duckett, England’s other half-centurion, told talkSPORT: “We knew the conditions under lights tonight were going to suit us with the ball and that was the reason for the declaration.”We could have easily had five or six [wickets] tonight. Stick two on that in the morning and suddenly they’re a long way behind the game and we’re in a very good position.”Wagner – New Zealand ‘expected’ declarationNeil Wagner, who took 4 for 82 and then saw out the day as nightwatch, said that New Zealand had “sort of expected” England to declare.”After that dinner break we thought they might come out a little harder, get to the point where they were really trying to up the ante, score as quick as they can and just get us in there,” he said.”We tried to stem the run rate a little bit and eliminate them getting too far ahead of us. We kept trying to take wickets, which brought it back for us at the back end.”

Federico Chiesa dedicated his dramatic goal in Liverpool's 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on the opening day of the Premier League season to the late Diogo Jota.

Chiesa scores late goal for LiverpoolItaly international pays tribute to JotaLiverpool fans form mosaics before matchFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Powerful tributes were paid before, during and after the game to Jota, 28, who tragically died alongside his brother Andre Silva, 25, in a car accident in the province of Zamora in July.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

With Jota's family in attendance on Friday evening, fans in both the Kop and the Sir Kenny Dalglish stands came together to form huge mosaics which read 'DJ20' and 'AS30'.

WHAT CHIESA SAID

And speaking after scoring Liverpool's third goal on the night he described as "Diogo's day", Chiesa told BBC Sport: "[The goal] was a great moment for me, but my thoughts go to Diogo. I think for what we have seen, it was his day.

"The feeling the fans gave me, chanting his song all the way through the match, it was very emotional, very emotional for me. I have to say that after the goal my thoughts went to his family, his brother Andre. That's the only thing I could say."

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Liverpool, who were initially 2-0 up thanks to efforts from Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo, had their lead snuffed out with a second-half double from Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, before late goals from Chiesa and Mohamed Salah ensured the three points went to Arne Slot's men.

Real Madrid superstar Arda Guler has showed off his insane accuracy as he sunk a cross-court basket with an impressive trick-shot. Los Blancos are yet to properly begin their pre-season training for the upcoming season, and the midfielder has been enjoying some time away in Turkey with his girlfriend Duru Nayman, who is a professional basketball player.

• Guler sinks insane basketball trick shot
• Currently holidaying in Turkey with girlfriend
• Real Madrid return to pre-season this week

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Guler showed Nayman that she is not the only one who knows her way on the basketball court, as the Turkey international sunk a bouncing ball into the net without hitting the backboard. He is known for his precise passing on the football pitch, and he showed that his technique is good enough for any kind of ball.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Guler's future at Real Madrid was in doubt heading into the summer, as he had not been receiving much playing time. However, following Luka Modric's departure, it has been reported that Xabi Alonso may stick with Guler as the Croat's replacement.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GULER?

  Real Madrid will begin their pre-season training on Monday, August 4, and will have just 15 days to prepare for the start of the upcoming campaign. They begin their La Liga season at home to Osasuna on August 19, despite their protestations to have the match postponed.

أصدر نادي إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، بيانًا رسميًا بشأن إصابة نجم الفريق ليونيل ميسي، التي تعرض لها مؤخرًا، موضحًا حجم وطبيعة الإصابة.

وشارك ميسي في مباراة أمام نيكاسكا المكسيكي بكأس الدوري الأمريكي، وفي الدقيقة 11 من اللقاء، تعرض الأرجنتيني لإصابة في أوتار الركبة وتوجه مباشرة إلى غرفة الملابس.

وبحسب ما أفاد إنتر ميامي في بيانه صباح اليوم، خضع ميسي لفحوصات طبية لتقييم مدى الألم العضلي الذي عانى منه خلال مباراة كأس الدوري ضد نيكاكسا، والتي أجبرته على مغادرة الملعب.

وأكدت النتائج إصابته بإصابة عضلية طفيفة في ساقه اليمنى، وسيعتمد حصوله على الموافقة الطبية للمشاركة بصورة طبيعية على تطور حالته الصحية واستجابته للعلاج.

جاءت إصابة ميسي بعدما اصطدم بثنائي الخصم راؤول سانشيز وأليكسيس بينيا، أثناء مراوغتهما داخل منطقة الجزاء، ثم سقط واصطدم بالأرض بقوة.

وكانت شبكة “ESPN”، أفادت في تقرير سابق أن مدة غياب ميسي قد تتراوح بين 3 أو 4 أسابيع عن الملاعب.

وجاءت مباراة إنتر ميامي ونيكاكسا المكسيكي على ملعب “لوكهارت”، وانتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي 2-2 في الوقت الأصلي ولجأ الفريقان إلى ركلات الترجيح وانتهت بفوز الفريق الأمريكي بنتيجة 5-4.