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Individually and as a pair, Kohli and Rohit continue to rack up astonishing numbers

Bharath Seervi29-Oct-20177 – Number of consecutive bilateral ODI series wins for India – their longest such streak. Since losing 4-1 to Australia in Australia at start of last year, India have won each of the seven bilateral series they have played. Their previous longest win streak was of six series on two occasions: in 2007, and then between 2007 and 2009.668 – Runs scored in this match – the most ever in an ODI at Green Park. The previous highest was 601 in the previous game here between India and South Africa.28 – Number of matches taken by Jasprit Bumrah to reach 50 ODI wickets. Among India bowlers, only Ajit Agarkar got there quicker – in 23 matches. Since his debut in 2016, Bumrah has 21 wickets more than the second-highest wicket-taker for India, Hardik Pandya (31).194 – Number of innings taken by Virat Kohli to complete 9000 ODI runs. He’s the fastest to get there. AB de Villiers, the fastest to the landmark, got there in his 205th innings. Kohli is the sixth Indian and 19th overall to pass 9000 ODI runs.4 – Number of double-century partnerships between Kohli and Rohit, the most by any pair in ODI history. This was their 12th century stand, the third-most among India pairs and the second-most for any pair this decade.15 – ODI centuries for Rohit, who has drawn level with Virender Sehwag. Only three Indians – Sachin Tendulkar (49), Kohli (32) and Sourav Ganguly (22) – have more ODI tons. This was his 13th hundred since 2013, third only behind Kohli (19) and Hashim Amla (16).150 – Number of sixes hit by Rohit in ODIs. He got there in 165 innings. Only Shahid Afridi completed 150 sixes in fewer innings (160) than Rohit. Overall, Rohit is the 12th batsman to hit 150 sixes in ODIs and the fifth among Indians. He’s hit 127 sixes since he began opening in 2013. No other player has hit more sixes in this period.2 – Successive hundreds for Rohit in Kanpur. He had hit 150 against South Africa in 2015. He’s the only one with more than one century at the Green Park. This is the third venue where has hit multiple centuries; MCG and Queens’ Sports Club in Bulawayo being the others.ESPNcricinfo Ltd230 – Partnership between Kohli and Rohit – the second-highest for India against New Zealand, only behind the 331-run stand between Tendulkar and Dravid in Hyderabad in 1999.1460 – Runs by Kohli in ODIs this year – the most for any captain in a calendar year. He surpassed Ricky Ponting’s record of 1424 runs in 2007. He also became the first captain to hit six hundreds in a year. His runs tally is the second-most for any batsman in a year in last 10 years.3 – Centuries by Kohli when batting first this year – the most by him in any year. This is also the first time he’s scored hundreds in first innings in successive games. He hit 121 in the first game of this series. This was his fourth century and 10th fifty-plus score in 15 innings when batting first since 2016. He averages 77.53 in first innings in this period.20 – Centuries for Kohli as captain across all formats, in only 93 innings. He’s the third after Ponting (41) and Graeme Smith (33) to score 20 or more centuries as captain. Ponting took 164 innings and Smith 227 to score 20 centuries as captain. Kohli also became the fastest to reach 5000 runs as captain across all formats, in 93 innings, beating Michael Clarke’s 109.

Stats highlights from the fourth day’s play in Antigua where Ashwin’s maiden five-wicket haul outside Asia bowled India to an innings victory

Bharath Seervi25-Jul-20160 Bigger Test wins for India outside Asia. Their previous biggest win outside Asia was by an innings-and-90 runs against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 2005-06. The innings-and-92-run win in Antigua was only their fourth innings-victory outside Asia and the first in West Indies.0 Number of times West Indies have lost by a bigger margin at home. Their previous biggest loss at home was by an innings-and-86 runs against South Africa in Barbados in 2005. This was their fifth loss by an innings at home.2 Wins for India in their last 24 Tests outside Asia since their win in Jamaica in 2011. Their only other win in this period had come against England at Lord’s in 2014.7/83 R Ashwin’s figures in the second innings, which are the best by an Indian bowler in West Indies. He bettered Subhash Gupte’s figures of 7 for 162 at Port of Spain in 1952-53. Ashwin’s is the first seven-wicket haul for India in an away Test when the opposition were asked to follow-on. His figures are the third-best by an India spinner in Tests outside Asia.3 Number of players, including Ashwin, to have scored a century and taken a seven-wicket haul in the same Test. Jack Gregory against England at MCG in 1920-21 and Ian Botham against Pakistan at Lord’s in 1978 and against India at Wankhede in 1979-80 were the first two to achieve this feat. Ashwin is the first Indian to score a century and take a five-wicket haul in the same Test twice.5 Number of Man of the Match awards for Ashwin in Tests, which are the most by any Indian since his debut in November 2011. This was his first such award in Tests outside Asia. Only two other Indians have got a Man of the Match award in Tests outside Asia since his debut.17 Number of five-wicket hauls for Ashwin in 33 Tests so far – the most by a spinner at this point in career. Australia’s Clarrie Grimmett had taken 16 such hauls in his first 33 Tests. Among fast bowlers, only Waqar Younis has taken more five-wicket hauls (19) in the same number of matches. Ashwin’s 183 wickets at this point of time are second only to Waqar’s 190. He needs 17 wickets in next three Tests to equal Grimmett’s record of fastest to 200 Test wickets in 36 matches.2 Number of away Tests for India where there have been an double-century and a seven-wicket haul. The only such instance for India prior to Antigua 2016 came at Sydney in 2004 where Sachin Tendulkar scored 241 not out and Anil Kumble took 8 for 141.95 Runs added by Devendra Bishoo and Carlos Brathwaite for the ninth-wicket, which is the second-highest partnership for that wicket for a team when following-on. This was also West Indies’ highest partnership of the match.

Instead of determination, we had destruction. Instead of patience, we had passion. And instead of percentage cricket we had bull’s-eyes and jackpots

George Dobell at Lord's25-May-2015It was the sort of day you could believe that anything was possible in English cricket. We had a packed Lord’s, a fine fast bowler in Mark Wood, an explosive allrounder in Ben Stokes and two teams who wanted to slug it out rather than look for points advantages. It was probably overcast, but it felt as if the sun shone throughout. This was the way Test cricket – five-day Test cricket – was meant to be.It has become customary to explain away England’s successes, but it is worth reflecting on a few facts from this match. The pertinent ones are these: in a game against the world’s No. 3 side, England found themselves at 30 for 4 and then found their opposition on 403 for 3. Yet they bounced back to claim victory deep inside the last hour.It was all so typically un-English. Instead of determination, we had destruction. Instead of patience, we had passion. And instead of percentage cricket we had bull’s-eyes and jackpots. You have to go back a long way to recall a more entertaining performance from an England side rather than an England individual. If this is to be the way of things from now on, the disenfranchised will soon be won over once more.Two contributions stand out. Stokes, the man of the match, scored 193 runs in 186 balls – the highest strike-rate in Test history for an England batsman to have scored more than 150 in a match – as well as claiming three important second-innings wickets, while Alastair Cook played one of his finest Test innings and had the best match of his career as captain since India in 2012. Suddenly the Ashes don’t seem so daunting. Indeed, Australia, for all their bravado, may be a little more uneasy than they let on against an England side with minimal expectations, little to lose and a hell of a punch.Cook had an almost perfect final day. It started with him unbeaten on 150 and ended with him posting a third man moments before Trent Boult carved the ball in that direction. It included bowling changes that brought immediate rewards – Moeen Ali dismissed Tim Southee with his first ball back in the attack; Joe Root took the key wicket of Corey Anderson in his second over and Ben Stokes bowled Mark Craig almost as soon as he was brought back on – and fielding changes that proved inspired. Everything Cook touched seemed to turn to gold. If he scratched a spot on his face today, he would probably win a car.

It is premature to talk of Stokes as a great allrounder but to see him dismiss Brendon McCullum with a searing inswinger and thrash the fastest Lord’s Test century was to see a special talent start to bloom

Cook self-deprecatingly put much of his success down to luck. But it is not fortunate if you spend months working in the nets and reap much-improved form with the bat any more than it is fortune if you gain rewards for shuffling your bowlers and posting thoughtful fields. He may never be a great captain, but that is no reason to withhold the credit he deserves for this success. He had a very good game and England had their best win, perhaps also since the India tour of 2012.But in years to come this match be remembered for the emergence of Stokes. It is a development that could yet have huge ramifications for Cook’s captaincy career. Or even Joe Root’s.Great allrounders change everything. It was Andrew Flintoff’s period of excellence that helped Michael Vaughan lead England to the Ashes in 2005. And it was Sir Ian Botham’s excellence that helped cement Mike Brearley’s reputation as one of the great captains. If Cook can count on Stokes, he can count on a player that balances the side, bowls and bats with pace and fields with athleticism. He has a game-changer.It is, of course, premature to talk of Stokes as a great allrounder. But to see him dismiss Brendon McCullum with a searing inswinger of which Imran Khan would have been proud, to see him thrash the fastest Test century Lord’s has seen, to see him help England rebuild in the first innings, was to see a special talent start to bloom. He may be crushed by the schedule, the expectation or the criticism – there will be days when those hook shots find hands rather than stands – but English cricket has a gem in Stokes. It will have performed horrifically if it manages to ruin him.Cook, at least, knows what he has in Stokes. While he was, along with everyone else, impressed by the second-innings century, it was the first innings rebuilding job against a fine attack, in tricky conditions and with the side at 30 for 4, that really stood out. “All the plaudits will be for that second-innings hundred,” Cook said. “But for me the 92 off 94 balls – when we were 30 for 4 – was just brilliant. The ball was swinging round corners and the bowlers were fresh. It was fantastic, unbelievable batting.”In some ways, it is harsh to pick out two players for England’s success. Joe Root, with 182 runs in the match, enjoyed a fine game, as did Mark Wood, whose pace and enthusiasm have added an edge to this side. Stuart Broad also bowled splendidly from the start of the third day.New Zealand, too, leave Lord’s having made many friends. Brendon McCullum’s captaincy might leave his side exposed in some areas – their positivity is relentless more than it is sensible – but nobody could deny its entertainment value. At a time when the health of the game is a concern, the Test loving world owes McCullum’s New Zealand plenty.There are, as ever, some caveats for England. Not every side will play the obliging brand of cricket New Zealand have made their characteristic, Moeen Ali did not look entirely comfortable in the fourth innings and Wood, for all his brilliance, looks fragile. He will require careful management – he has barely played two-dozen games in his first-class career – if he is to have a longer international career than Simon Jones.But this is not the time to be taking the negatives. This is the time to revel in a fine game and look to the future with cautious excitement. It is often – and quite truthfully – stated that the world needs a strong West Indies and strong Pakistan. It needs a strong England, too. And, in the next few years, it might just have one.

Steve Harmison on memorable Ashes contests, sharing a gym with the Magpies, and consoling Brett Lee after the Edgbaston win

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi07-Jul-2013Can you tell us of a sporting feat that gave you goosebumps as a kid and still does?
I was brought up in football. I never really took to cricket till I was 15. I had never been to a first-class fixture till I joined Durham, because I came from Northumberland. I never really watched cricket. I loved watching football. I love watching Newcastle United. The early days of watching Kevin Keegan. Of being at St James Park, watching Faustiono Asprilla scoring a hat-trick against Barcelona [Champions League, 1997]. Probably one of the best nights you will get at Newcastle. Them were the exciting days when I was growing up.You have shared the gymnasium at St James Park with some of Newcastle’s players. What is the one thing that footballers have that cricketers do not have?
Money. That is probably the biggest one, the financial reward you get from being a footballer. They are decent human beings who are very good at the sport they love playing. They get criticism for the money they earn, but if someone is prepared to pay you for your expertise you’re not going to knock ’em back.For me it was great to be just around experienced players like Alan Shearer, Shay Given, Gary Speed. All these people were top professionals, great role models, fantastic international footballers, arguably global stars. I got an insight from seeing them work hard day to day to realise you have got to put in the hard yards that nobody else sees to succeed.The image of Andrew Flintoff consoling a dejected Brett Lee at Edgbaston during the 2005 Ashes is a classic. But apparently you spoke to Lee before Flintoff got to him?
I had got Michael Kasprowicz out [the final Australian wicket]. I walked to Lee and consoled him before Fred came over. It was a “bad luck” handshake. I had so much admiration for Lee, for what he did. We hit him everywhere. I don’t think there was any part of his body me and Andrew did not hit on that morning. But he still stood up and stood up for long. It just shows what it means to play for your country. When you play against somebody who has that much courage and fight and passion to play for their country, it is well to shake their hand and say, ‘Hard luck, and well played.’ Brett Lee was colossal through that whole series, and to certain extent, Shane Warne was exactly the same. The Australians have always been known for their fighting qualities.Do you remember the fastest ball you’ve ever bowled?
It was in the dark in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy final. It went for four. It proved the point that the faster you are, the quicker the ball travels through the field for a four. Accuracy has to come with pace. Batsmen are not frightened for pace now. They are quite happy with pace on the ball.Andy Flower or Duncan Fletcher: who’d win a shouting match?
There is a temper in both of them. They are different characters who bring a helluva lot to the game. I won’t say I got on greatly with Duncan Fletcher, because we did not have a lot in common. But the one thing he did have was my respect for him as a coach. Duncan and Nasser Hussain, to an extent, laid a massive foundation for England cricket. [Fletcher] got the right template in place and made sure players were well looked after. Both of them brought the selfishness in the old guard to a halt and moved English cricket to a new era. Andy Flower, too, has helped rebuild England through the Andrew Strauss years.What is the best field a captain has set for you in Tests?

The one that gets wickets. Sabina Park, 2004, was an ego field. That was like sending a message to West Indies for the rest of the series: we are here to really beat you and take you on in your own back garden. It is not a great field having eight slips, but it is a great feeling when you see all them people as a bowler running in. The best field is something like even moving a fielder five yards left or right or back or forward – a move that will help make a stop, take a catch, or to keep the pressure on that leads to a wicket.An example was the Ricky Ponting wicket at Lord’s in the 2005 Ashes. We would always have a second slip for Ponting. We had a short leg also in place, with a man catching around the corner to sort of intimidate and push him back, push him back. And then the ball that eventually got him was a forward ball that he was not sure of coming forward or going back to. He was hesitant. He nicked it back to second slip. That is a good field.How did you react to Steve Waugh calling you “Nasser Hussain’s white West Indian”?
It did not bother me. Steve Waugh, fantastic career, great captain for Australia. But at the end of the day he was just another man in white we were trying to beat. Another Australian.Talk is cheap. You had to perform. I never really saw the point of having a go at somebody.

“We hit him everywhere. But he still stood up and stood up for long. When you play against somebody who has that much fight and passion for play for their country, it is well to shake their hand and say, ‘Hard luck, and well played'”On Brett Lee’s innings in Edgbaston 2005

Can you define aggression?
Intimidation, aggression, is all about imposing yourself on the batsman. If balls are flying down at a decent pace and a good mile an hour, putting people under pressure, then that is aggression. Having the ability to put the opposition under pressure is aggression. Aggression is not shouting from the rooftop, pumping your chest out, having a go at the batsman. Some of that is bravado. Some people need that. I was never really one for that. Bowling a good ball and to see somebody 22 yards away struggling was aggression for me.The Michael Clarke wicket at Edgbaston in 2005 is widely regarded as one of your best. Which is your favourite?
I enjoyed the Ricky Ponting one at Lord’s, because I had done well what I had to do. He got hit in the face, which was unfortunate. We did not really understand how badly injured he was. But within the 15-ball period, we got him where we wanted him to be: we wanted to push him back, we wanted to be aggressive, we wanted to show Australia we were not just going to lie down in that initial burst in the Test match. And we had a plan to get him out and it was a perfect fast bowler’s dismissal. It would have been more sweet if he had not been injured in the process.What has been your most embarrassing moment on a cricket field?

Has to be Brisbane, isn’t it? [Bowling a huge wide off the first ball of the Ashes in 2006-07]. People have asked if that does bother me still. Yes, it does. It was an embarrassing moment, but it was one moment. People say you set the tone in 2005 and now you might have set the tone in 2006-07. But that did not lose us the Ashes. Andrew Flintoff being the captain did not lose us the Ashes. We lost the Ashes in Australia because Australia had a far better team than England and they played far better cricket. I am not detracting from the fact that the ball was a wide. That over became a seven-ball over. But it still gets talked about.Do you roll your eyes each time a commentator says “He’s done a Harmy” when a fast bowler pitches a big wide?
I have said it myself on commentary on TV a few times if it is wider than a wide. “It is a bit like one of mine.” You have to make a joke about it. I have always believed what does not kill you makes you stronger.What is the one thing you miss about not being on the field and playing for England?
I do not miss being on the field playing for England. The thing I will miss when I finish playing, full stop, which will probably be at the end of this year, is the dressing room. It is such a unique place. It is like a family. You have the camaraderie, the bus trips, the team hotels, all that is part of a professional cricketer’s life is what I will miss. What I played for was the dressing room: to be around people, to see other people’s success, for other people to be involved in your success, to have memories.Steve Harmison was speaking from a Sport England and StreetChance, supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports project, which uses cricket to engage young people living in areas affected by youth crime and anti-social behaviour

A new survey of seven northern England cricketers is also an exploration of British culture, history and manners in the 20th and 21st centuries

Les Smith07-Apr-2012A boy growing up in the south-east of England during the ’60s and ’70s had to rely on the media and sport to enable the formation of a mental image of the north in general and Yorkshire specifically. The “Four Yorkshiremen” TV sketch was written and performed by three Oxbridge graduates and a man who began his working life at the funfair in Margate when he was fifteen. There were and .Then there were, among many others, Brian Close, Fred Trueman, Norman Hunter, and Geoffrey bloody Boycott. All of this to a soundtrack of brass bands and Eddie Waring. They weren’t like us up there. They were tough, stoical, industrious in both work and play, and at least 50% of them were absolutely, categorically manly. Alan Knott v David Bairstow in a fight? No contest.One of the several joys of is that it is simultaneously a cricket book and not a cricket book. Its overarching theme is what Max Davidson repeatedly refers to as “manliness”: what the word means, how the concept has changed over a century and more, and how it has been lived and exemplified in Yorkshire, which just happens to be one of the world’s great cricket territories.Davidson’s method is brilliantly simple: a chronological survey of seven Yorkshire cricketers forms a framework within which his mind and pen range far and wide across British culture, history and manners in the 20th and 21st centuries. If this sounds like serious stuff, it is, but the writing is unfailingly entertaining and there are frequent flashes of humour. For the cricket lover there are also insights into the seven main subjects and then many others, with anecdotes both familiar and, to this reader, newly discovered.The touchstone figure is George Hirst. The first main chapter of the book is about him, and Davidson’s warm reverence for the man and the cricketer pervades the book. Quite apart from his prodigious cricketing talents, Hirst was “yeoman”, “salt of the earth” and “unpretentious”. “He was virility made flesh,” writes Davidson. That a boy who grew up above a pub near Huddersfield and left school aged ten went on to coach at Eton for 20 years elicits admiration in both author and reader.Herbert Sutcliffe comes across as an early Denis Compton in his personal grooming and enjoyment of female company, though certainly not in his batting method. Davidson admires Trueman and Boycott, while drawing acute comparisons between their respective personalities: Trueman a more nuanced character than his public persona, Boycott even more brutally honest (especially in his private life) but complex with it.Inevitably, in a book which largely covers the 20th century, war looms large. The chapter on Hedley Verity rehearses the familiar story of his death in Sicily, but provides insights new to this reader. Verity foresaw the war at least two years before it came, and prepared himself for it as studiously as he did for his cricket. Davidson speculates on what Verity might have done had he survived the war, and sees him, intriguingly, going into politics, representing his constituents as loyally as he did his county and country.The last two chapters concern Darren Gough and Michael Vaughan, who for Davidson represent how notions of manliness have developed over the last 20 years. Davidson’s grasp of history, politics and culture enables him to make some fascinating links. In June 1967, for example, Boycott scored 246 not out off 555 balls against India at Headingley, and was unceremoniously dropped for the next Test. Davidson draws a contrast between the speed of Boycott’s batting and the pace of events 200 miles south. A month later Parliament was “sweeping away centuries of discrimination against homosexuals as if swatting long-hops over square leg for six”. The velocity with which the bill passed through the Houses “was the parliamentary equivalent of a Twenty20 match”.Davidson would appear to be as complex a thinker as some of the men who populate his pages. He embraces, even relishes, the progressive developments in notions of manliness and Yorkshireness, while harbouring conservative views about aspects of social circumstances in the 21st century. In one remarkable passage he paints a scathing picture of the centre of Verity’s home village of Rawdon in 2012, “such a shrine to 21st century life at its most girlishly vacuous that a man of Verity’s generation would run screaming down the road to Leeds”.The same passage contains a sentence that demonstrates one of the aspects of Davidson’s writing that gives so much pleasure: “There are three hairdressers so close to each other that they resemble a cordon of Yorkshire slip fielders.”The title and cover design of this book do it a disservice. The first half of the title refers, of course, to Hirst’s apocryphal declaration of intent to Wilfred Rhodes at The Oval in 1902. The last word refers to Gough’s appearances on . A casual bookshop browser might assume that this is another of that plethora of books, many of them very entertaining, that have used cricket as a vehicle for humour or wry autobiography over the last 15 years. is considerably more substantial than that in both intention and accomplishment, at the same time as being a compelling read.Twenty five years ago I left the south-east to live and work in Yorkshire. I soon discovered that the stereotypes formed in my impressionable years were just that: stereotypes. I’ve known some Yorkshiremen (and they are men) who have sought to perpetuate the image, nearly all of them Leeds United supporters. But by and large, the range of men and cricketers can be found anywhere and everywhere. Davidson, in his chapter on Gough, quotes JB Priestley: “As a lover, the Yorkshireman cuts no great figure, but he shapes well as a husband and, best of all, as a father”.Nonsense. There are good men and fathers everywhere, and bad men and fathers everywhere. It’s just that, generally speaking, the bad ones tend not to love cricket.We’ll Get ‘Em in Sequins
by Max Davidson
Wisden Cricket Writing
£18.99

After a tumultuous year out on the fringes, Herschelle Gibbs is back – but for how long?

Firdose Moonda27-Nov-2009This is how most volatile relationships work: a series of mishaps results in one party deciding they’ve had enough and calling it quits. Then, after a few weeks and perhaps a few other partners, the banished one gets recalled, only for them make the same mistakes again. Those dalliances never seem to die, just like the relationship between Herschelle Gibbs and the South African cricket team.The bad boy of the side has been relegated and recalled more often than Mike Tyson has been arrested. But just like the champion boxer, as much as he may yo-yo in and out of favour with the administrators and fans, and on occasion the law, Gibbs’ aura doesn’t seem to fade.”We’ve always known what a quality player he is and we’ve never denied that. When he was dropped, it was never a case of him no longer being a quality player,” said Craig Matthews, one of the South African selectors.Matthews insists that Gibbs was recalled to “bring experience” to the side in the absence of Jacques Kallis, and not to replace Hashim Amla at the top of the order, or because the administrators panicked after the losing the second one-day international in the five-match series against England.”We have incredibly good players in the middle order, but they are still all quite young. AB de Villiers is among the more experienced players and he hasn’t even played 100 ODIs. JP Duminy and Alviro Petersen are the other two guys in there and between them, they’ve only played 60 ODIs,” explained Matthews. Gibbs has played more than all three combined, with an impressive 245 games.”We’ve identified the number five position as the key place in the middle order and we want the person who bats there to assume responsibility,” said Matthews.Does that mean that one of Duminy or Petersen will lose their place to make room for Gibbs, or is Gibbs just around so that if his experience is needed, it will be called upon?”I can’t say for 100% that he is in as cover only or if he will play,” said Matthews. A source close to the team, though, confirmed that Gibbs will not feature in the starting XI for the third match in Cape Town.

Gibbs’ year

• 6 November 2008 Dropped from the ODI side to face Bangladesh after breaking a team curfew. Required to attend a month-long alcohol rehabilitation programme.

• 10 December 2008 Mike Procter says selecting Gibbs for the ODI series in Australia would be “very difficult”, following the batsman’s rehab.

• 22 December 2008 Recalled to ODI squad to face Australia.

• December-March 2008-09 Scores 150 runs in five matches at an average of 30 in the ODIs in Australia. In the return series in South Africa, scores 253 runs five matches at an average of 50.60.

• 24 March 2009 Escapes drunk-driving charges. Instead, accepts 100 hours of community service as punishment for having been arrested a year earlier for drinking and driving.

• 19 September 2009 Misses first South Africa’s first two matches in the Champions Trophy with an abdominal strain. Scores 22 off 26 balls against England.

• 24 October Left out of squad to face Zimbabwe and England, with the selectors saying they had “lost patience” with his inconsistency.

• 14 November 2009 Selected for South Africa A side to face England. Scores 24 off 36 balls.

• 22 November Recalled to the ODI side to replace Jacques Kallis.

Whether Gibbs is in as cover or not, one thing is certain: he is back in favour with the team management. “From a physical point of view, there are few people that look after their bodies as well as he does,” said team manager Mohammed Moosajee. “He is very particular about his physique and his spends hours in the gym conditioning.”Moosajee also said that Gibbs had successfully overcome his problems with alcohol. “I’m not saying that he is not drinking at all, but he has the situation well under control and he doesn’t binge anymore.”The new, improved Gibbs has become hungrier, Moosajee said. “He has spent a long time doing introspection and he is more motivated than he was before. Whether he can translate that into good performances remains to be seen.”Both Matthews and Moosajee also agreed that if Gibbs does succeed in cementing his spot in the batting line-up once again, he will be a serious contender for the 2011 World Cup squad. “As selectors, we have pushed the point that we are building for that World Cup and if you ask me, Gibbs will definitely be in the mix come that tournament,” said Matthews.”Look at Sanath Jayasuriya, he is still playing at 40,” Moosajee said. “I don’t see why Gibbs won’t be around for that long as well. There’s no doubt that he is talented. As long as he can keep his consistency up and his body in good shape, he will be around in 2011.”It seems most South Africans wouldn’t be displeased with that. A local newspaper group conducted a survey asking if Gibbs’ inclusion would make a difference to the side. Of the 592 people who voted, 63% said they believed he would.

Freeman's father was named to the Pro Bowl after leading the NFL in receiving yards in 1998 with Green Bay

• Freeman believes MLS All-Star has the edge
• His father, Antonio, played in one Pro Bowl
• Freeman also reflected on first All-Star experience

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  AUSTIN, Texas – Orlando City SC All-Star Alex Freeman's father Antonio played in the NFL for almost a decade, and was named to the Pro Bowl after leading the league in receiving yards in 1998 for the Green Bay Packers.

  Growing up, Alex Freeman got to attend multiple Pro Bowls. And While the NFL is still king in the American sports landscape, Freeman believes MLS's midsummer classic might have a slight edge over the NFL's All-Star event.

  "I think almost All-Star, just participating in it. I think its an honor," Freeman said following the Skills Challenge. "You know Pro Bowls, I've been obviously because of my dad. MLS All-Stars [and the Skills Challenge] is a new thing. I think it is really creative. I think it's really fun to watch your boys do what they want and you're also doing stuff, too."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Freeman, 20, is in the midst of a breakout campaign for both club and country. He has scored four goals and added one assist from the right back position at Orlando and started in all six of the USMNT's Gold Cup matches en route to the tournament's final against Mexico – a 2-1 loss. He acknowledged he's trying to enjoy his meteoric rise over the past year.

  “It's kind of hard to reflect on that when so much stuff is happening,” Freeman said at MLS's All-Star media day. “Right after I finish Gold Cup, I go right into [MLS] games again. So the time to reflect was limited. But I always do think about it, of how grateful I am and what a great journey it was, to be able to come out the scene so quick."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Having made it as an MLS All-Star and having made it to USMNT, Freeman's goals have changed. Can he make the most of it? Can he then turn this summer into an even bigger leap with the 2026 World Cup less than a year away?

  "It's one of those things where everything's going good for you," he told GOAL, "but there's so much more that you can do, you know? There's so much more to push for. It's not even about being humble, but it's about not overreacting to stuff like this. Obviously, when you do well, all of this stuff is going to happen, but I feel like it's about being able to continue to want more when you're in these types of moments."

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• WHAT NEXT FOR FREEMAN?

  Freeman is set to play in Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game against the Liga MX All-Stars.

Kieron Pollard will return to the Pakistan Super League for the first time since 2019 after he was picked by Multan Sultans in the replacement draft. The draft, which took place over a conference call on Wednesday, allowed each of the PSL sides to add two more supplementary players, as well as to name partial replacements for those whose availability was limited. Each side was allowed a maximum of one foreign player among the two supplementary picks.Haris Sohail, who recently returned to the Pakistan ODI side for the first time since 2020, was picked by his former side Peshawar Zalmi. Saud Shakeel, who recently made his mark in Pakistan’s home Test series against England and New Zealand, will play for Quetta Gladiators.All the movements at the PSL replacement draft•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There were a number of replacement picks owing to availability issues for the duration of the PSL, primarily due to a bilateral series between West Indies and South Africa, as well as potential international commitments for Afghanistan. A white-ball series between England and Bangladesh spanning much of the length of the PSL means several England players also needed to be partially replaced, with Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Jason Roy potentially unavailable.Related

• Qalandars rebuild around Afridi; Sultans retain successful core

• Karachi Kings lack batting firepower; Peshawar Zalmi missing premium fast bowlers

• PCB invites department teams to return to domestic cricket

• PSL 2023 to kick off with Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars in repeat of last season's final

• PCB postpones women's T20 league to September

In the Platinum category, Lahore Qalandars picked Sam Billings for Rashid Khan; Peshawar Zalmi replaced Rovman Powell with Richard Gleeson; Islamabad United picked Gus Atkinson and Tymal Mills for Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Alex Hales. Multan Sultans replaced David Miller with Izharulhaq Naveed. Quetta reserved their pick for Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga, who will depart the tournament on March 3, meaning he will be available for Quetta’s first six games.In the Diamond category, Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi reserved their picks for Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb ur Rehman; Quetta Gladiators picked Dwaine Pretorius and Will Jacks for Odean Smith and Jason Roy.The PSL begins on 13 February in Multan, with the final taking place in Lahore on 19 March.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly set their sights on Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers, with Spurs ready to pounce should financial headaches force a sale in the West Midlands. The 23-year-old has become one of the most talked about young attackers in England.

• Spurs circle for Rogers
• Emery battling to hold on to stars
• Financial rules threaten Villa’s ambitions

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rogers, currently in contention for the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2024-25, has enjoyed a meteoric rise under Emery’s guidance, cementing his reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting talents. According to the Tottenham have been monitoring him closely, viewing him as a potential game-changer in Thomas Frank’s rebuild.

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  Despite mounting speculation, Villa remain defiant. Club chiefs insist key figures like Rogers, along with skipper John McGinn, are not for sale at any price this summer. They are preparing to reward Rogers with a lucrative contract extension, aiming to keep him at Villa Park for at least another season. Tottenham are believed to be weighing up whether to make an official bid, even if initial signals from Villa are far from encouraging.

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  Villa are wrestling with complex financial challenges. The club only narrowly avoided breaching Premier League spending limits last year by selling Douglas Luiz to Juventus. Just as that issue was resolved, UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules delivered another blow. In July, Villa were slapped with a £9.5 million fine for exceeding UEFA’s spending cap. The punishment came with a stark warning that failing to comply in future seasons could lead to exclusion from European competitions.

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  To meet UEFA’s demands, Villa must either slash their wage bill or significantly increase revenue. The sale of a top player would immediately ease the pressure, but Emery knows losing Rogers or McGinn could derail his push for another European qualification campaign. The Spaniard is already working with fine margins after Villa missed out on Champions League football to Newcastle last season on goal difference. They are set to sell Jacob Ramsey to the Magpies before the end of the week.

Lancashire will look to Hartley and Lyon after succumbing to visitors’ spin pairing

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Apr-2024The emergence of Tom Hartley on the Test tour of India months after the acquisition of Nathan Lyon gave us a new slant on a timeless conversation about the domestic game’s duty to English spin. As everyone had their go – while Hartley and Lyon maintained sensibility – all eyes were fixed on Lancashire’s teamsheet for the 2024 county season. Fingers on triggers, hot takes in the chamber.Just over 26 hours later than anticipated, an XI landed with Hartley and Lyon alongside one another, as head coach Dale Benkenstein had indicated on Tuesday, particularly with the Kookaburra ball in use. They ended the first day of County Championship cricket at Emirates Old Trafford bowling in tandem. See? Nothing to worry about.Unless, at this juncture, you are a Lancashire fan. That spell “in tandem” was merely an over each to close out a day’s play that began at 1.10 pm. Surrey had already dismissed Lancashire for 202, with skipper Rory Burns and Dom Sibley seeing out five overs to go in at 11 for no loss. Despite rain scuppering the opening day and first session of day two, the two-time defending champions have wrestled time back. And the irony of ironies was they did so with their own pair of complementary twirlers.Cameron Steel bagged a maiden five-wicket haul of 5 for 25, blazing through Lancashire’s lower order like legspinners are supposed to, but few would expect of him. Dan Lawrence’s offspin exposed the tail, marking his Surrey debut with career-best figures of 4 for 91 from 28 overs delivered at the James Anderson End. The unlikely duo was responsible for the cascade that saw the hosts’ last seven wickets fall for just 42, vindicating Burns’ decision to bowl first.Lawrence triggered that collapse with the vital wicket of Josh Bohannon, surprising the 2023 Division One top-scorer with a bit more turn and bounce than anticipated. The fend to short leg, as straightforward as it was, required two grasps from Jamie Smith under the helmet. Bohannon’s slow departure was of a man dismayed about falling 16 short of a 12th first-class century and irked at succumbing to a bowler who he had struck down the ground with ease for his two sixes.That irritation was compounded when Matthew Hurst was lbw without playing a shot off the next delivery, underestimating the turn to make it 150 for 6. Hartley had to face Lawrence’s hat-trick ball – which he defended soundly – and it was hard not to consider the peculiarity of their respective England careers as they faced off in that moment. They are both, in their own ways, embarking on similar journeys.You could argue Lawrence’s quest in India to add to the 11 caps amassed over the last three years was the collateral for Hartley’s performances. Once the left-arm spinner had shown enough aptitude with the bat while picking up 22 wickets, what compulsion Ben Stokes’ had to pick Lawrence, who has three Test dismissals, dulled.Surrey head coach Gareth Batty made a point of talking up Lawrence’s all-round skills, partly out of necessity with Will Jacks at the IPL. Lawrence’s introduction in the 10th over showed that was not an empty sentiment.With his 10th delivery, he had a maiden dismissal for the club since moving from Essex; a smart return catch diving to his left to remove Keaton Jennings, which got Surrey up and running. He was in the scorecard once more when Luke Wells flicked Tom Lawes lazily out to deep square leg. But it was only when Steel spun a beauty through the bat and pad of left-hander George Balderson from over the wicket that, at 150 for 3 in the 55th over, Surrey really turned the screw.A sharp delivery taking the inside edge of Kiwi Tom Bruce’s bat – cooly pouched by Ben Foakes – was Lawrence’s classiest dismissal of the day. It also paved the way for Steel to remove the final four, all caught by Jamie Overton at first slip except for Tom Bailey, who scuffed high to cover.Though Steel had the honour of leading the team off and keeping the ball, Lawrence would have been nourished by the quality and scale of his work. This was the most he has bowled in an innings, beating a previous high of 24.3 overs – the only other time he has bowled more than 20 – in April 2022 for Essex against Kent, which produced his previous best of 3 for 98. This was only the sixth time he has bowled in 42 red-ball innings since.Steel, while acknowledging “one of his best days”, reserved special praise for his partner’s workload “into a gale-force wind”. At times they seemed to exaggerate Lawrence’s windmilling action to resemble the chaotic flailing arms of those inflatable men found in front of American used car lots.A 15-minute delay when the makeshift tarpaulin sightscreen hung on the pavilion blew off and umpire Peter Hartley’s hat flying off most of the way to the boundary were reminders conditions might have the final say in this encounter. That being said, a tacky pitch has already shown enough for the spinners in its first 76 overs.At the very least, Hartley and Lyon should get the chance over the next two days to construct their own riposte to Steel and Lawrence, as well as the discourse.