With some luck in the form of Hales’ self-inflicted absence and Morgan’s backing, Roy has manufactured England’s magic formula

George Dobell at Lord's 13-Jul-2019It tells you something about Jason Roy’s confidence right now that his ears prick up when he hears nobody has hit a six over the Lord’s Pavilion since 1899. “Oh, really?” he asks. “Let’s try to get an opportunity tomorrow (Sunday).”While England cricketers of an earlier vintage might have viewed a World Cup final with stifling trepidation – Phil Defreitas, for example, admitted “the occasion got to me” in the 1987 final – Roy talks of “excited energy” and eyes an opportunity to star on the biggest stage of all.And why wouldn’t he be confident? He is averaging 75.27 in ODI cricket this year. Perhaps even more remarkably, his strike-rate in that period is 119.13. He has made three centuries and six half-centuries from the 11 innings he has played.It’s no coincidence that England have won eight of the last nine ODIs in which Roy has batted. He has passed 50 in all eight of those victories and scored two centuries. Equally, it is telling that England lost both the World Cup matches that he missed through injury – against Australia and Sri Lanka – and that they lost the only game in which he has failed this summer; he made eight in the defeat against Pakistan.Only four times in his career – and not at all since January 2017 – have England failed to win once he has made 50. And he has passed that landmark 27 times. He is fast developing a reputation as one of the most dangerous batsmen in a team studded with them.

“I didn’t realise Bairstow’s dismissal wasn’t umpire’s call. I didn’t realise it was absolutely dead. That’s where the first conversation started. To get out like that was slightly disappointing and I probably showed it more than I should have.”Roy explains his semi-final anger

Just ask Australia. His assault on their bowlers – and on Steve Smith, in particular, who was plundered for three successive sixes – was brutal and served to “deflate” their entire side, as Roy sees it. He thought, for a moment, one of the sixes he hit off Smith was going to sail over the Edgbaston Pavilion – nobody has done that since the ground was redeveloped.”It was a case of staking a claim,” he says. “One big over at that stage was going to deflate them. I said to myself before the start of the game if a spinner comes on from that end and it’s full, it’s got to go. I thought it was going over. Can I hit a bigger six? Absolutely not.”That ‘staking a claim’ was perhaps more relevant in his batting against Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. If Australia were to defend their total of 223, they surely needed that pair to dominate. But whereas an earlier generation of England openers would have reacted with anxiety inducing caution in such a situation, Roy decided to ensure it was the bowlers feeling the anxiety.Twice in Starc’s second over he thrashed him through the covers; in his third he flicked him off his legs for six. By the time he had bowled five overs, he had conceded 50. When Lyon came on, his first ball was driven back over his head. He was given no time to settle and no chance build any pressure.Roy’s success is all the remarkable for the contrast with his form in England’s previous global ODI campaign. After a grim run of form that saw him endured six single-figure scores in eight ODIs innings (and fail to pass 20 in nine), he was dropped during the 2017 Champions Trophy. Had it not been for Alex Hales’ self-inflicted absence, it is not impossible he may have struggled for a recall.”It does feel like another world,” Roy says of his change of fortune. “I feel like a completely different person; a completely different player. I had played some good cricket leading up to that tournament, but I got dropped, came back stronger and now I’m in a World Cup final. I couldn’t have asked for any more.”And what has he done differently?”I think I’ve just trusted my training a bit more,” he says. “I’ve not worried too much about the outcome. I’ve just got my processes in order. I’ve started well and played some good cricket.”Getty ImagesThere’s no doubt that playing with Jonny Bairstow has helped. As Eoin Morgan has pointed out previously, they manage to take the pressure off one another by scoring at a rate that allows the other to go through fallow periods. And, so destructive have they been, they can make bowling attacks wilt under the onslaught. They have made century stands in the last four ODIs in which they have opened together with strike-rates in stark contrast to England’s openers in the 1979 final: Geoff Boycott and Mike Brearley put on 129, which sounds great, but they took 38 overs to do it, which doesn’t.”It’s about playing off each other,” Roy explains. “So one guy might be struggling or we both might be going guns blazing. But it’s a case of telling him, ‘mate, it’s alright.’ Like that India game at Edgbaston, where Jonny made that hundred: he felt terrible for the first 20 balls. I told him, ‘mate, relax, you’re a gun, you’ll come out the other side. Keep that intensity to the spinners and don’t go internal.’ And he ended up banging it out of the park.”The influence of his captain is important, too. Morgan has backed Roy, on good days and bad, and encouraged him to continue to take the aggressive approach. So even after barren runs of form – not least in his debut series against New Zealand where he failed to reach 40 in five innings – Morgan made it clear he was part of England’s future plans.”He’s unbelievable,” Roy says of Morgan. “As you’ve seen on the pitch, he’s a very cool customer, very methodical and very good with his emotions. It doesn’t matter what the state of the game is. It doesn’t matter what someone’s done to him. He’s able to look forward and look past that. He looks for the best in everyone. He’s a great man-manager and a good friend of mine as well. He’s a good guy.”He admits his reaction to his dismissal in Edgbaston was over the top, but insist there were extenuating circumstances. In short, he thought Bairstow’s leg before dismissal had only been given on the basis of ‘umpire’s call’ so believed England had retained their review; a belief reinforced when the umpire, Kumar Dharmasena, incorrectly signalled for that review. As it was, there was no review and, once Dharmasena’s finger had gone up, he had to go. Even though he knew he was nowhere near the ball.”I actually got it wrong,” he says, “I spoke to Kumar and said I thought we had the review – I didn’t realise Bairstow’s dismissal wasn’t umpire’s call. I didn’t realise it was absolutely dead. That’s where the first conversation started. To get out like that was slightly disappointing and I probably showed it more than I should have. But it’s professional sport. I was on course for a century. Emotions run high.”England will need to control those emotions on Sunday. They will have to find the balance between allowing their natural positivity to flow without becoming over excited and reckless. It is, arguably at least, the biggest games in the careers of all involved. It is, arguably, the biggest match in which England have been involved for many, many years. Cricket in England needs this.”We’re dealing with it pretty well,” he says. “We went into the tournament as No. 1 and with a lot of expectation on our shoulders but it doesn’t affect any of us in the changing-room. It doesn’t matter what the outside noise is saying, the white noise as we call it. We’ve just got to go out and perform. We’re weirdly pretty relaxed. We’re in a very good place with our cricket.”Indeed they are. New Zealand are a fine side and can certainly win this match. But if they are to do so, they will surely have to dismiss Roy early.

It is possible that New Zealand are not punching above their weight but that their punch perfectly matches their weight and that is why they are in this final

Osman Samiuddin at Lord's 13-Jul-2019It is possible that this Lord’s surface stays as green, or even slightly less green than it was a day before the final, and that it behaves as green surfaces are usually meant to.It is possible that Williamson calls correctly at the toss and that he has read the pitch as well as he usually does – the Pakistan game apart. It is possible – but not necessary – that New Zealand choose to bowl first, as they have done four times out of the six times they have won the toss.ALSO READ: Boult, Henry, Ferguson – Brutal, Hellish, FastIt is possible that Trent Boult has first use of a new white ball, cloudy above, green below, and, at the least, one of the two elements in his favour.It is possible that Boult does not balk at the first few boundaries either of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow drive off him, like slaps on a bleary-eyed face first thing in the morning. It is possible that Boult resolves to keep going full, in order to squeeze out whatever swing there may be, little or a lot. As he did against Quinton de Kock earlier in a memorable first over when it looked as if the fuller he went the more firmly and cleanly de Kock hit him until he hit de Kock’s stumps. It is possible that he curls that white Kookaburra through either, even both, or finds a shin, firmly placed and set to drive.

It is possible that Williamson does come out with his side in trouble and plays to type – that type being genius. It is possible that after such an innings he is the first name you take when talking about the Big Four, not the last (fine, this one’s a stretch).

It is possible that Lord’s plays up to its tournament trend in which left-arm fast bowlers average less than 14 runs a wicket and less than 17 balls a wicket. It is possible that England’s top five play to type against left-arm pace, against which they average between 29.6 and 34.6 (other than Joe Root, who has 44.2).It is possible that Matt Henry backs Boult up, as he has done so often over the last couple of years. It is possible that he recreates the delivery that ended Rohit Sharma’s love letter to this tournament, that he angles one in and then straightens it just enough to catch an edge.ALSO READ: Dot-ball devil Santner is up for the Lord’s challengeIt is possible that England are not entirely familiar about the threat Lockie Ferguson poses, simply because they have only played him once in an ODI and didn’t face him in Durham. It is possible that in those middle overs, he lets go of a bouncer, maybe touching 150kph, radars into Eoin Morgan’s right armpit and hurries him into a top-edged pull.It is possible that Ben Stokes has a bad day with the bat.It is possible that Mitchell Santner slips by unnoticed, having quietly bowled through those middle overs and tied up one end. It is possible that he doesn’t control as much as 6-2-7-2 against India but that he controls nonetheless.It is possible that New Zealand do what they do day in and day out in the field, make the impossible possible, like no other side in world cricket.Kane Williamson’s side can be the nicest bunch in the game and the world champions•Getty ImagesIt is even possible that Williamson himself doesn’t come out to bat in the first five overs.It is possible that Martin Guptill somehow defies a tournament average of 20.87 and 94 runs in his last eight innings. It is possible that Guptill ends up being remembered for what he does with the bat in this final rather than for the two most electrifying pieces of fielding this tournament has seen.It is possible that Williamson does come out with his side in trouble and plays to type – that type being genius. It is possible that after such an innings he is the first name you take when talking about the Big Four, not the last (fine, this one’s a stretch).It is possible that his genius finds an accomplice in Ross Taylor, the resident genius before this genius arrived.It is possible that Jimmy Neesham plays as he has been playing this tournament – 12 wickets at 20.75 and averaging 35.50 with the bat – and it is possible that he plays as well as he tweets.It is possible that losing in 2015 has no impact on what New Zealand do in 2019. It is possible that the six other semi-finals they have lost mean nothing.It is possible that this game means just as much to New Zealand and New Zealand cricket as it does to England and English cricket.It is possible that New Zealand are not punching above their weight but that their punch perfectly matches their weight and that that is why they are in this final. It is possible that New Zealand are not scrapping. It is possible that New Zealand don’t play the underdog. It is possible that they are not pooping any party on Sunday but merely hosting a massive one of their own.It is possible that a nation of less than five million can produce 15 world champions in one sport because five million is still a lot of people from which to find 15. It is possible that they can be the nicest team in cricket as well as the world champion team in cricket.It is possible that when Williamson says anything is possible, he really means anything is possible.

Former umpire Simon Taufel on the role of technology in umpiring, penalising player misbehaviour, and giving umpires access to support and resources the way players are

Interview by Shashank Kishore26-Nov-20194:49

I’m in full support of the umpire’s call – Taufel

“Umpiring, like cricket, is a team game, so I feel embarrassed when people bring this up,” Simon Taufel says when you ask him about being the ICC Umpire of the Year five years in a row from 2004 to 2008. After a stellar career at the top level, which he turned to after multiple back injuries put paid to his fast-bowling aspirations, Taufel branched out to being an umpiring performance consultant with the ICC and Cricket Australia.While in India to launch his new book, , he spoke to ESPNcricinfo about modern-day umpiring, use of technology, player behaviour, and the need for support systems for umpires, among other things.The ICC is trialling having a match official dedicated to detecting no-balls to remove the burden on the on-field umpires. Are you in favour of this?
We have been trialling this since the 2004 Champions Trophy. I have not seen the detail of what the current trial involves. In 2016 we carried out a trial when England hosted Pakistan in an ODI series, with the third umpire doing that [looking at no balls]. I would be interested to find out what makes this trial different to what we have already looked at.What we do know is that it is very difficult for an umpire to stand where they do and get every one of those calls right. I think it is important to look at data on how many deliveries have been bowled over a certain period of time, and how many [no-ball calls] we’re getting right and wrong, which umpires does that involve, are we able to help the umpires upskill initially before having to rely on technology? So there are a number of factors there to be reviewed.As a young umpire, how did you juggle the challenge of watching for the front-foot no-ball and then immediately having to look up for the next part of your decision-making?
I still do (). Umpires need to make decisions and we shouldn’t be de-skilling where possible. But it’s not just about the front-foot no-ball. There are other decisions where it’s important to know where the ball is delivered from, such as an lbw, that are still part of that routine. I think it is narrow in the view that it’s all about the no-ball. As an umpire, you need to know whether the ball is delivered close to the stumps or far away, and the only way you can do that is by knowing where the foot is landing.

“It’s easy to sit back in our lounge chairs and make objective judgements – if we get something wrong, there’s no accountability for that”

Do you think players still don’t completely understand the DRS, considering a healthy proportion of the reviews are usually unsuccessful?
I was reading Tim Paine’s comments with interest after the last Ashes series. It was interesting to see him acknowledge that umpiring is difficult, and perhaps he now appreciates how tough umpiring is from a decision perspective. I think they [Australia] got six right out of 23, which is an accuracy of 26%.It would be nice to see more captains and players do an umpire’s course and stand and see what it is like to be an umpire, because we do think differently, and I respect the fact that players think differently as well. If you are going to step into the shoes of making decisions – decide whether it’s right or wrong – it’s important to start engaging with umpires and the officiating community about why we make decisions that we do, what goes into a decision, and how they can look at those rationally than emotionally.What about the umpires’ call – has it actually helped? Do you think it has been exploited in any way?
I think umpires’ call is exactly the right thing to do, because umpires should be making decisions. So when they have a fair-catch scenario or obstructing the field, and the umpire makes a soft signal, that’s a decision. The second thing is, they’re then not sending the decision upstairs to give the benefit of the doubt to the batsman. They’re actually saying, “The umpire has made a decision on the field. Can you conclusively prove and demonstrate that the on-field decision is not right?”When there’s no conclusive evidence to the contrary, the umpire’s call stands. So that’s a good thing for the game, because what happens if the cameraman doesn’t get the shot, if the replay is inconclusive? We just automatically give the benefit of the doubt to the batsman, whereas the benefit of the doubt should go to the umpire’s decision that they’ve made.Are umpires trained to deal with the public scrutiny or backlash that comes with decision-making?
We are getting better in that space, but there’s always room for improvement. Our game is a mental game; most of our work is between the ears. I think there’s always an opportunity to build resilience and coping mechanisms. The game will continue to test you in those areas and you’ve got to work out strategies.More resources need to be given to match officials in the same way they do with the players. We need support-mechanism programmes to be able to cope with the challenges of elite sport in very public environments.”I started out as a third umpire with no training, no preparation. I was told, ‘Here’s the equipment, just do it.’ We’ve come a long way 15 years later”•AFPYou’re talking about mental health, an aspect that has gained as much importance in cricket as physical conditioning.
Yeah, absolutely. We’ve seen some of our colleagues in the past needing extra support. Guys like Mark Benson come to mind. It’s really important that we have those programmes and resources in place to deal with that from a preventive point of view, but also a responding perspective that when they do happen, we’re able to deal with them.You must have evolved as an umpire under a system that didn’t provide such access. How did you cope?
There were lots of things that needed to be improved by the time I hit international cricket. I started out as a third umpire with no training at all. No one knew if I was a good third umpire. I had no training, no preparation. I was told, “Here’s the equipment, just do it.” We’ve come a long way 15 years later, where we do simulated activities. Basically we do a third-umpire’s net session before every game by going through videos, Skype sessions with coaches. That shows the evolution in training and development. But not every country has an umpire’s coach, umpire’s trainer or a development programme. Those are the things we try to continually advocate for to actually help match officials deliver the best, to make sure they’re ready and to benchmark what they can do and make sure they deliver a minimum level of excellence to the game.ALSO READ: ‘Umpires are not soft targets, they’re participants in the game’What do you look to get out of a net session as an umpire?
There are a number of things we encourage umpires to look at. Things like front-foot no-ball judgments and looking at the pace and bounce of the practice nets. In India, for example, a lot of practice nets are at the ground, so you get that simulated experience of what the pitch might play like. Also, you try and build relationships with the players, particularly the bowlers, or look at styles and strategies of batting with some new batsmen who might come into the team to get a feel for how they play. Or just meeting new players and building some familiarity. There’s a wide range of things you can do at the nets from a preparation point of view that’s important for that game.Can you recall a game where you needed the kind of support mechanism you’ve talked about?
In terms of preparation, resilience and coping with pressure, a couple of games stand out. The India-Pakistan 2011 World Cup semi-final in Mohali is one where I tried some strategies to block out external pressure and focus on team success with other umpires and referees, because team success is really important.At Headingley between England and New Zealand in 2004, I made a number of mistakes and got into a vicious circle of self-criticism and self-doubt. My coach put me onto a book called by Brad Gilbert. I didn’t read that on the plane across to England. But feeling in a very negative space on the flight home, I started reading it and the penny started to drop straightaway when Brad talked about beating yourself up, getting into a negative headspace and not talking to yourself in a very supportive way. I realised I was doing all those things I shouldn’t be doing, and things I should’ve addressed at the time. I’d encourage people to read and get familiar with it.

“It would be nice to see more captains and players do an umpire’s course and stand and see what it is like to be an umpire”

Player behaviour is something the ICC and even the member boards have agreed needs to be policed closely. Rohit Sharma escaped a fine and punishment for using profanity against a team-mate – albeit without intending any malice – last month. Is there a case to caution or penalise players in such cases, since it sets the wrong example for young fans?
There are rules, there’s a policy, and it’s pretty clear what the code talks about. It’s up to the umpires to decide if someone has breached the code or not. A lot of it can be subjective, but I would encourage people to think about the questions we pose when we sit down to lay a charge as umpires. What does the game expect us to do? Do they expect us to lay a charge or not? And two, what happens if we don’t do something here? Is that standard of behaviour acceptable? Would that be acceptable every game, every day?When we answer that question, it leads us to what comes next, because in a team environment, we get caught up with who is right and who is wrong, what is chargeable and what isn’t. You have to take the person out of the equation and look into the issue, which here is behaviour. Is it acceptable or not acceptable?What we encouraged at the international level is to share information. There are some tools and resources the ICC has to share – video, charges and reports – among all umpires in international and first-class cricket to help deliver consistency. It’s a wonderful thing, consistency. It’s an ideal, but we also have context. Every example is slightly different and that’s why the umpires are there to make a judgement call on laying a charge.Where were you during the World Cup final, and what were your first thoughts when you saw Kumar Dharmasena adjudge the overthrows?
I was sitting at home and watching. It’s easy to sit back in our lounge chairs and make judgements without other things going on around us. If we get something wrong, there’s no accountability for that. We can say whatever we like. But when you’re on the cricket field or in the third-umpire’s box and have a pressure moment and you know you’re accountable for whatever you do or don’t do, that’s the difference. Having been there and done that, I know what those guys [Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus] must have gone through.Overall, the standard of umpiring at the World Cup was very good. I don’t think in a game of 600-plus balls to say one decision or one delivery was the deciding factor is fair. Two elements of the game were tied.”Umpires need support-mechanism programmes to be able to cope with the challenges of elite sport in very public environments”•ICC/GettyHave you had a chance to speak to Dharmasena after the incident?
Not Kumar specifically, but Marais has been in touch and we’ve had conversations about that. Kumar, from reading his comments about not regretting his decision to award overthrows to England, is owning his performance. That’s a great quality. For him to acknowledge it takes courage. He’s a very good umpire and will continue to be so because of his attributes of hard work and commitment. I expect nothing less from ICC Elite Panel umpires.ALSO READ: Umpires made ‘error of judgement’ with overthrows – TaufelRecently, there has been talk about helmets for umpires. Do you think they should be made mandatory?
I’m aware of John Ward’s incident in India when he was on an exchange programme from Cricket Australia, and a few incidents in the IPL. Deflections off a bowler’s hands or when they pull away from a catch – it can get hard.Safety is a personal thing. I know as a batsman I couldn’t get used to batting in a helmet, so I didn’t. But these days it is mandatory to wear helmets. From an umpire’s perspective, we need a lot of peripheral vision, and helmets do impact that, so I’m not sure helmets in their current form would be ideal. But it’s certainly true that a lot of umpires are starting to think of chest guards, arm shields. That’s a matter of personal choice. If you feel comfortable and safer, that’s great, but for me it’s more about having to look straight, down and sideways and not have any of the vision impacted. That will make me uncomfortable, so there’s always a bit of a trade-off there.When did you decide to write a book about your experiences as an umpire?
When I stopped working for Cricket Australia, about a year ago, I had a bit of time on my hands. I started up a company called Integrity Values Leadership with two partners, and a part of that process was to try and spread what I’d learnt from my experience in cricket umpiring and pass it on to corporates, young parents, boys and girls, other sports officials, and players.I sat down with a blank whiteboard, brainstormed on various different issues, incidents and experiences, and came up with 17 chapters around various personal experiences -such as the Lahore terrorist incident, what we learnt from that, what it was to go through. Then I looked at those transferrable skills that many people ask me about, like what it takes to get to the top of elite sport in your chosen field and how you stay there. What I have learnt, what worked for me and what did not. It took a couple of months to write. Took me longer to find a publisher! And here we are launching it across India. It has been fantastic.

Plus, is Steven Smith now Yasir’s Test-match bunny?

Gaurav Sundararaman23-Nov-2019185 – Marcus Labuschagne’s highest first-class score and his maiden Test century. In his last eight Test innings, Labuschagne has five scores of fifty or more. Only five batsmen from Australia have made bigger Test scores against Pakistan. Labuschagne’s 185 is also the third-highest score at No. 3 for Australia since Ricky Ponting’s retirement.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 – Test innings in which Yasir Shah has conceded 200 runs or more. He is the only bowler to concede 200 on more than two occasions. Two of the three innings have been in Australia, while the other was in Manchester. Saqlain Mushtaq and Vinoo Mankad are the other two bowlers who have conceded 200-plus runs on two occasions. The 205 runs conceded by Yasir are the most by a bowler at the Gabba, going past the 194 by Mushtaq Ahmed in 1999.436 – Runs scored by Australia’s top three, their second-most in a home Test and sixth-highest ever. Unfortunately, both David Warner and Labuschagne missed out on double-centuries.4 – Bigger totals conceded by Pakistan against Australia in Tests than the 580 at the Gabba. In the six Tests Pakistan have played at the Gabba, they have conceded 512, 509, 463, 575, 429 and 580 in the first innings.2006 – The last time Pakistan bowled more than 157 overs in an innings outside Asia. This was against England at Lord’s. In their last four Tests in Australia, Pakistan have bowled an average of 141 overs in the first innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd7 Dismissals for Steven Smith against Yasir Shah in six Tests. Only Stuart Broad has dismissed Smith on more occasions (eight times) than Yasir. In nine innings against Yasir, Smith has scored 191 runs from 382 balls at an average of 27.28.296 – Balls faced by David Warner, the most in an innings in his Test career so far. His previous highest was 286 balls, while scoring 253 against New Zealand in Perth.22 – Balls bowled by Pakistan’s fast bowlers from around the wicket on day three to Warner. Warner scored one run and was dismissed. In all of day two, Pakistan’s quicks only bowled 25 balls to him from that angle.

Also: Have more than six bowlers taken a wicket in a Test innings before?

Steven Lynch14-Jan-2020In the BBL the other day, Marcus Stoinis received 79 balls to make his 147 – was that a record number of deliveries faced by one batsman in a T20 match? asked Allan Alexander from the United States
Marcus Stoinis’s rampaging unbeaten 147 for Melbourne Stars against Sydney Sixers at the MCG the other night was a new record for the Big Bash, beating D’Arcy Short’s 122 not out for Hobart Hurricanes against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba in January 2018. There have been only 12 higher innings in all T20 cricket, as this list shows.Stoinis faced 79 balls out of a possible 121 (there was one no-ball, which Stoinis smashed for one of his eight sixes). It was the most faced during a BBL innings (previously 70, as this list shows), and equalled the record for any T20 innings – Aaron Finch also faced 79 while making 131 not out for Surrey against Sussex at Hove in July 2018.There were two other major BBL records set during this innings: Stoinis and his opening partner, Hilton Cartwright, put on 207, a competition-best for any wicket, beating the 172 of Rob Quiney and Englishman Luke Wright, also for the first, for the Stars against the Hurricanes in Hobart in January 2012, while the unfortunate Ben Dwarshuis conceded 61 runs from his four overs, surpassing the old mark of 60, which had happened twice.Alzarri Joseph had identical figures in West Indies’ first two ODIs against Ireland. Was this unique? asked Suhaib Siddiqui from India
The West Indian fast bowler Alzarri Joseph took 4 for 32 in the first one-day international against Ireland in Bridgetown last week, and followed that with 4 for 32 in the second match, which was also in Barbados.I was saved a lot of rummaging around by Aslam Siddiqui (no relation as far as I know) on the Ask Steven Facebook page, for which many thanks. He discovered that Joseph’s performances were the best repeat figures in successive ODIs, just shading Steven Finn’s two returns of 4 for 34 for England against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in February 2012.This seems to be a fast-bowling speciality: Brett Lee took 3 for 32 twice running for Australia in South Africa in 1999-2000, while New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson collected 3 for 59 in successive matches in the 2019 World Cup, against South Africa at Edgbaston and against West Indies at Old Trafford.Six England bowlers took a wicket in the second innings at Newlands. Was this a record? asked Tim from England
England actually used seven bowlers in the second innings in Cape Town, and if Joe Root had managed to take a wicket as well it would have equalled the Test record. There have been four instances of seven different bowlers taking a wicket in a Test innings – by England against Australia in Melbourne in 1897-98, South Africa v England in Durban in 1922-23, Australia v South Africa in Johannesburg in 1966-67, and New Zealand v South Africa in Centurion in 2005-06.Six English bowlers took wickets in an innings in Cape Town. The Test record is seven•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesAs it’s also my second name, I was intrigued to note that the England team in the second Test in South Africa contained two players whose first name was Dominic. Has anyone else called Dominic ever played Test cricket? asked John Lynch (also no relation) from Vanuatu
England’s side in the recent Test in Cape Town was the first to contain two Dominics, in the shape of Dom Bess and maiden centurion Dom Sibley. The only other player known as Dominic to have appeared in Tests is Dominic Cork, who won 37 caps between 1995 and 2002.In ODIs there’s Dominic Wesonga (Kenya) and Dom Joyce (Ireland), while in T20Is, Dominic Blampied made his debut for Jersey in May 2019, and the former Hobart Hurricanes player Dom Michael for Samoa in July.Glenn Phillips, who made his Test debut for New Zealand against Australia in Sydney recently, has the middle name Dominic, as does the Bermudian ODI player Josclyn Pitcher.Which Gibraltarian international cricketer scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup? asked Matt Behan from England
I’m painfully aware of the answer to this one, as I once bowled at the man concerned in a club game. I can’t remember exactly what happened, but I don’t think I got him out! It was Tim Buzaglo, whose FA Cup hat-trick came for non-league Woking, in the third round in 1990-91, when they upset West Bromwich Albion, who were in the Second Division (the English Football League’s second tier) at the time. Although Woking were playing away and trailing 1-0 at half-time, Buzaglo’s hat-trick inspired them to a 4-2 victory. Woking lost 1-0 to Everton in the next round.Buzaglo – and several members of his family – played club cricket for Byfleet, in Surrey. And he took part in five separate ICC Trophy competitions for Gibraltar, where his father was born, between 1982 and 2001, scoring 98 against Singapore in Nairobi in 1993-94.Use our feedback form or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

For starters, they need a new opening pair, fresh bowling attack and a rejuvenated approach

Tristan Lavalette17-Dec-2019The Perth Scorchers were supposed to celebrate their new shiny stadium in style last season. Instead, it was a nightmare campaign for the the three-time champions, under new coach Adam Voges, who fell to rock bottom. Until then, the Scorchers had made every finals.In the wake of collecting the dreaded wooden spoon, there has been a lot of soul searching for the proud Perth-franchise who had firmly established themselves as the hottest ticket locally amid a crowded summer market.But there are many unknowns for the new-look Scorchers, who have lost a slew of regulars and been bitten by injury. As they prepare to open their season against Sydney Sixers, let us breakdown the main talking points as they strive for a swift rise back up the ladder.New look top order

One of the Scorchers’ main pillars during the Justin Langer era was continuity. The key plank was top-order stability led by reliable openers Michael Klinger and Shaun Marsh – two of the most prolific BBL players ever. However, with Marsh largely absent and Klinger struggling in his final season, the Scorchers’ top-order was unsettled, underlined by the seven different opening combinations they used.After Marsh’s shock exit to Melbourne Renegades, the Scorchers need to unlock a new combination. Cameron Bancroft has often been used in the middle-order, but appears a suitable replacement for Klinger at the top. Emerging batsman Josh Inglis is in line to also start as an opener after impressing for Western Australia in the Shield, where he recently fell short of a maiden century.Voges could opt to pair the aggressive Inglis with English recruit Liam Livingstone in what would go against the Scorchers’ traditional tactics at the top. Recruit Kurtis Patterson will also be eyeing a top-order berth but is set to miss the opening few weeks of the season due to a quadricep injury.Mitchell Marsh needs to fire

If he hadn’t punched a wall during a moment of madness in a Shield match, Mitchell Marsh might well be playing for Australia. Instead, his prospects of an imminent recall appear remote after being left out of the ODI squad for India next month.It’s been a miserable time for Marsh but the silver lining for the Scorchers is that he should be available for the entirety of the BBL. Marsh will play against Sydney Sixers, although a return to bowling is a way off as his wrist recovers.Even so, a firing Marsh with the bat is exactly what the Scorchers need after they had the lowest run rate last season at just over seven-an-over and were overly reliant on Ashton Turner, who has been selected to tour India.Marsh, Turner and explosive youngster Cameron Green could form a potentially damaging middle-order – something the Scorchers severely lacked last season with departed allrounder Hilton Cartwright completely out of sorts.Getty ImagesShaky attack

For so long, the Scorchers’ attack was the backbone of the team. They seemingly could defend any total through their eclectic quicks and accurate spinners such as Brad Hogg and Ashton Agar.As has been a bane for some time in the West, injuries have struck spearhead Jason Behrendorff and death overs specialist Andrew Tye. Western Australian cricket has been blessed with a rotating line of quicks over the years but depth will be tested with Nathan Coulter-Nile having left for Melbourne Stars.The Scorchers were able to trial youngsters last season with Matthew Kelly being a notable beneficiary. He unveiled a lethal yorker on several occasions making him a potential option to replace Tye’s trickery in the latter overs.A pace attack of Kelly, English recruit Chris Jordan, Jhye Richardson and Joel Paris – the forgotten left-armer who played two ODIs against India in 2016 – has the potential to measure up against previous menacing Scorchers pace arsenals.The spin department, however, looms as a weakness much like last season. Agar has been selected to tour India putting pressure on veteran recruit Fawad Ahmed to perform.Pressure on Adam Voges

After a poor start to his stint, where the side won only four games, Voges has a chance to rejuvenate the Scorchers’ methodology which did look rather stale last season.There are a couple of areas, however, he should take from the Justin Langer play book. Undoubtedly, he would have spent a fair bit of time sharpening the team’s fielding – an aspect where they were almost peerless in before last season’s standard dipped.Internal expectations will continue to be high for the Scorchers ensuring Voges will be feeling the pinch. Externally, however, the Scorchers have been somewhat written off in an opportunity for Voges to tap into a hallmark of the Langer era and instill a backs against the wall mentality.Establishing Perth Stadium as a fortress

Before last season, playing the Scorchers in Perth was the most feared prospect in the BBL. At the WACA, appropriately dubbed as ‘The Furnace’, capacity crowds intimidated opponents and, simultaneously, spurred the Scorchers.The Scorchers won 25 of 36 matches at the WACA before moving across the opposite bank of the Swan River. The home edge hasn’t been the same since for the Scorchers who have won just three of eight matches at Perth Stadium.It’s hard to exactly pinpoint the struggles. There has been a purposeful push for the Perth Stadium pitch to mirror the fast-paced WACA and, accordingly, it did play quickly last season. Perhaps the Scorchers just weren’t good enough.Yet there are differences with the Burswood ground featuring massive square boundaries. Particularly in batting, the Scorchers simply weren’t able to exploit them but maybe it’s just a matter of time before they master the nuances. After all, they started slowly at the WACA by winning just six of 11 across the opening two BBL seasons.The harder challenge might be replicating the WACA’s intimate atmosphere, where almost every game was sold out. Perth Stadium has been criticised for being sterile and – whether you agree with that sentiment or not – big crowds are needed for the massive stadia to come alive.Huge home crowds fuelled a surprising AFL premiership run for West Coast Eagles in 2018. The Scorchers are unlikely to get the 50,000-plus numbers West Coast attracted but would be hoping for something around the 40,000 mark – which is what they started with last season before the wheels fell off.By the end of their miserable campaign, the Scorchers were attracting a lowly crowd of barely over 16,000 – which just won’t frighten any visiting team.

Essex seamer will be hoping to seize his chance after lengthy wait for recognition

Andrew Miller02-May-2025It’s worth noting that Sam Cook is only 27, because – given the narrative that has pursued him throughout his remarkable county career – you’d be forgiven for assuming he was at least four years older.Cook has been worthy of an England call-up since at least 2019, when – aged 22 – his 32 wickets at 21.03 helped propel Essex to their second County Championship title in three years. And with every season since, his skill has been honed like his focus on the top of off stump, to the extent that when he claimed his 300th first-class wicket for Essex against Nottinghamshire last month, he did so with an average of less than 19.And yet, the more those wickets piled up, the further from the Test conversation Cook seemed to get. It was as if his success, achieved without express pace or cloud-snagging height, doomed him to membership of that sub-genre of county seamers dominated by David Masters and Alan Richardson, rather than earning him the sort of plaudits reserved for Chris “Wizard” Woakes, the man whose absence has finally created the conditions for his call-up.Related

• Jordan Cox recalled to England Test squad for Zimbabwe

• Cook rested by Essex as prospect of England Test debut grows

• Stone ruled out for 14 weeks after undergoing knee surgery

The nadir was arguably reached after the 2021-22 Ashes, when the folly of taking a platoon of English right-arm medium-pacers to Australia – Mark Wood being the honourable exception – was exposed by a second 4-0 series thumping in as many trips. Pace in abundance, and failing that, genuine points of difference, such as Josh Hull’s left-arm angle and beanpole release point, became the requisites for selection.But, as Luke Wright, the national selector, explained on Friday after Cook’s maiden call-up to the Test squad, genuine skill can be a point of difference in itself, when it comes to creating the sort of “complementary attack” that England will need to compete across ten defining Tests against India and Australia this year.”He’s performed outstandingly well, consistently,” Wright said. “We’ve obviously made no bones about looking to add some pace into the attack and, yes, at 85-86mph, he’s not up there which is fine. What he has got is incredible skill.”The thing I like about Cooky is he’s not just a swing bowler. He swings and seams the ball as well, and he’s actually a bigger lad than some people realize. He gets bounce. He’s obviously known for his accuracy, but you speak to any top-order batters around county cricket, he’s the one that everyone fears the most.”And so now, unless Brendon McCullum has other ideas for his final XI, that chance will now come against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, the venue where Cook produced arguably the defining performance of his career to date.Against Nottinghamshire in early April last year, in the same round of Championship fixtures in which Sam Northeast made 334 not out at Lord’s, Cook manipulated the Kookaburra ball with an aplomb that no other bowler in the country could match. He served up a decisive 10-wicket haul, including 6 for 14 in a crushing second-innings display, at which point the pigeonholing ceased.

“He’s non-stop done everything that’s been asked of him, including with the Kookaburra ball when he’s gone to Sri Lanka or Australia on the A tour. He’s kept getting performances and knocking that door down. He’s been outstanding”Luke Wright on Sam Cook

His selection for this winter’s Lions tour of Australia was a case in point. Four years earlier, and despite a season’s haul of 58 wickets at 14.43, including a stunning 10 for 41 as Northamptonshire were beaten in barely more than a day at Chelmsford, Cook had been a notable absentee from that trip Down Under, and even when he was belatedly sent an invite, he alone of the uncapped seamers in England’s shadow Ashes squad was omitted from the unofficial Test against Australia A.This time, on the other hand, he was front and centre of the action, claiming a creditable 3 for 58 in 21 overs of a match that was ultimately ruined by the Lions’ first-innings batting. Before that, however, he trapped Australia A’s opener, Tim Ward, lbw for 0 with the fifth ball of the match, thereby proving instantly that his wicket-to-wicket methods could yet have a role beyond this home summer.”He’s non-stop done everything that’s been asked of him,” Wright said, “including with the Kookaburra ball when he’s gone to Sri Lanka or Australia on the A tour. He’s kept getting performances and knocking that door down. He’s been outstanding. So yes, he’s had to be patient, but there’ve been some fine bowlers ahead of him as well. So I’m delighted for him, and I’m sure he’s hoping to get the opportunity in that XI and take it with both hands.”It is true that circumstances have stacked up to offer Cook this opportunity. The enforced retirement of James Anderson was one aspect, given that his lock on the role of low-80s mph skill merchant had allowed no room for others to take on that mantle. And that, to a certain extent, included Woakes – himself now 36 – whose wiles would have been called upon to lead the line this summer had he not been missing from action since the SA20 in January.But there’s been loyalty and perseverance at play from Cook himself too. He could have taken the franchise shilling this winter gone, with offers on the table from at least three competitions around the world. But instead, with his lines of communication with the England hierarchy open – including with Wright and Rob Key the managing director – he committed himself to Lions availability and is now reaping the rewards of that faith.Cook has had to bide his time despite his county success•Getty Images”From my point of view, it’s been two years of working with Cooky that we’ve spoken regularly,” Wright said. “He reached out as soon as any other bowler got picked, and we’ve kept that dialogue going, explaining what our thinking was.”I know Rob Key’s spoken a lot at length about having a complementary attack. Before him, we had Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad there. Then he’s had Woakesy and then Pottsy [Matthew Potts].”But we spoke to him at the end of the summer, because we knew we had that Lions trip to Australia. I said to him, I’d love him to go and keep pushing his case, but it was a tough decision for anyone.”He’d already lined up some franchise cricket but, fair play to him, he rang me back a few days later and said, ‘Look, England’s my number one. I’ll give up the franchise, and I want to try and do everything I can’. He came away to that Australia trip and performed well again, and I’m delighted for him that he’s going to get an opportunity.”His selection will also be a boost for the often-beleaguered county circuit, especially in light of England’s recent left-field thinking, most specifically the fast-tracking of Shoaib Bashir and Hull on the strength of their “high ceilings”.He will approach the crease from a significantly lower trajectory than either, but as the likes of Vernon Philander and Mohammad Abbas have amply shown in recent years, there can always be a role for relentless accuracy, allied to high skill and a perfect seam presentation.And even if Cook will hear the thunder in the distance, as England’s absentee 90mph fast bowlers begin to be drip-fed back into narrative ahead of Australia – among them Wood, Brydon Carse and maybe even Jofra Archer during the Lions matches against India in June – there’s the small matter of five Tests against India on home soil to factor in first.This, after all, was perhaps the key mistake made by England in the lead-up to the last Ashes in 2021-22. The failure to focus on the contest at hand back then bled directly into their shortcomings Down Under. Winning the here-and-now will suffice for Cook. He’s waited long enough to be given that chance to do so.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly setting aside over £100 million to sign a Brazil international and his teammate this summer, amid criticism surrounding Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy’s transfer policy.

Levy defends Tottenham spending amid ENIC protests

Earlier this week, the Lilywhites released their latest set of financial results.

Levy "working hard" to appoint 52-year-old with Tottenham talks held

The Spurs chairman has been negotiating.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 1, 2025

The club announced a four per cent drop in revenue overall, with matchday income falling to £106 million and UEFA prize money down from £56 million to just over £1 million, due to their lack of European participation last season (Standard Sport).

Chelsea (away)

April 3rd

Southampton (home)

April 6th

Wolves (away)

April 13th

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

Following these numbers released from Tottenham’s last financial year, amid fierce criticism surrounding the club’s transfer policy, Levy has moved to defend the north Londoners’ squad investment.

“Since opening our new stadium in April 2019, we have invested over £700 million net in player acquisitions,” said Levy in an official statement.

“Recruitment remains a key focus, and we must ensure that we make smart purchases within our financial means. We cannot spend what we do not have, and we will not compromise the financial stability of this club – indeed, our off-pitch revenues have significantly supplemented the lower football revenues this year, testament to our diversified income strategy.”

Ange Postecoglou is under mounting pressure in the dugout after a dismal 2024/2025 season, with reports heavily linking Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola with the potential Spurs job.

Levy also commented on the team’s league position, urging supporters to get behind the side ahead of a crucial next few weeks.

“We currently find ourselves in 14th position in the Premier League, navigating what has been a highly challenging season on the pitch,” said Levy.

“We are, however, in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Winning this competition would see welcome silverware and mean qualification for the UEFA Champions League. We must do everything we can to support the team in these final key stages.”

“I want to thank everyone who supports us through good times and bad. We are resilient and passionate about our Club. We shall aim to finish this season as strongly as we can and continue to build for success on the pitch.”

Tottenham plan to spend over £100m on Matheus Cunha and Joao Gomes

Interestingly, despite Levy’s caution when it comes to spending, a new report has now claimed Spurs are ready to seriously invest in the signings of Wolves duo Matheus Cunha and Joao Gomes.

CaughtOffside write that Tottenham are planning to spend over £100m on Gomes and Cunha, which would surely be a huge chunk of their transfer budget.

Postecoglou’s side pose a serious threat to Arsenal’s pursuit of Cunha as a result, with the Brazil internationals firmly on technical director Johan Lange’s radar heading into this summer window.

Cunha has starred for Wolves in a variety of attacking roles this term, scoring 15 goals and racking up four assists, and his contract will include a tantalising £62.5 million release clause.

Gomes, meanwhile, is a mainstay under Vitor Pereira. The 24-year-old has started 27 out of 29 Premier League matches for Wolves this term, averaging a very impressive 3.1 tackles per 90 at Molineux in that time (WhoScored).