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The latest snippets from around the English game including Dom Bess’ best friend who played for England in another sport and how Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s dad joined him at Yorkshire

Paul Bolton22-May-2018The return of county cricket to outgrounds could prove to be one of the unexpected, but welcome, benefits of next year’s World Cup and the ECB’s planned 100-ball competition from 2020.The introduction of a full programme of four-day matches and the reduction in the number of County Championship matches has seen the number of outgrounds halved to just 21 over the last 25 years.But the combination of the World Cup and the new franchise tournament will put the major international venues out of bounds to county cricket for significant periods of the next four summers forcing the host counties to seek alternative venues.Nottinghamshire, who have already made a success of staging Royal London One Day Cup cricket at Welbeck near Mansfield, are now considering taking a match over the border to Grantham in Lincolnshire. Their last foray into England’s second-largest county came at Cleethorpes in 2004.Warwickshire have already confirmed that a return to Portland Road in Edgbaston, where first-class cricket was last staged in 1961, is likely in 2020. The ground, originally the Mitchell’s & Butler’s Sports Ground, lay derelict for more than a quarter off a century, before being resurrected as the Edgbaston Community Foundation Sports Ground which is used extensively by Warwickshire for 2nd XI and county age group matches.Yorkshire are also considering taking county cricket back to Park Avenue in Bradford and Abbeydale Park in Sheffield, which have both seen investment to upgrade facilities since they dropped off the outground roster in 1996***Increasing the number of outgrounds will give Chris Nash, the Nottinghamshire and former Sussex batsman, the opportunity to add to his encyclopaedic knowledge of motorway service stations.If you want to know which services serve the best all day breakfast or flat white or which have the cleanest toilets, Nash, a man who has spent 17 years travelling the motorway system on the county grind, is your man.Nash even runs a weekly ‘Guess the Services’ (#countygrind) quiz for his 7,500 Twitter followers with photos of Hopwood Park (M42), Cobham (M25), Toddington (M1) and Knutsford (M6) among his early-season ‘highlights’.

Here we go….. #guesstheservices #countygrind pic.twitter.com/BfxgmlTdGA

— Chris Nash (@chrisnash23) May 18, 2018

***Somerset offspinner Dom Bess will emulate his best friend Jack Maunder if he makes his Test debut for England against Pakistan at Lord’s this week.Bess and Maunder played cricket and rugby together at Blundell’s School before their sporting careers took different paths.Maunder, a wicketkeeper who played alongside Bess for Devon in the 2011 Under-14 County Cup final, concentrated on rugby with Exeter Chiefs.Maunder was the first of the bosom buddies to win an England cap in Argentina last summer. He will be preparing to face Saracens in Saturday’s Aviva Premiership final at Twickenham while Bess gets ready for his potential Test debut.***Yorkshire knew they were signing a talented batsman when they recruited Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who flayed 164 in their opening RLODC match against Durham, what they didn’t expect was to get a new dressing room attendant into the bargain.Kohler-Cadmore’s father Mick, a former prison officer, spent two years as Worcestershire’s dressing room attendant but he left New Road at the end of last season and has now followed his son, who joined Yorkshire midway through last season, to Headingley.Kohler-Cadmore Jnr has taken a circuitous route from his hometown of Hornsea into Yorkshire’s first team via Malvern College where he was awarded a scholarship after he was recommended to Worcestershire by former Yorkshire batsman and coach Kevin Sharp, who is now head coach at New Road.***Luke Fletcher’s heartening return to action after suffering severe concussion last season has been mirrored by the early-season form of Sam Hain, the batsman whose fierce return drive inflicted the injury, during a T20 match at Edgbaston.Having recovered from the trauma of seeing Fletcher felled, Hain has made a scintillating start to the Royal London One Day Cup with successive centuries in the defeat by Derbyshire – watched by England selector Mick Newell – and victory over Yorkshire.Hain, born in Hong Kong, raised in Australia but now qualified to play for England, marked his England Lions debut with a century against West Indies A in March.***Manchester artist Fanny Gogh has swapped knickers for nickers.Gogh, whose real name is Sian Doherty, was given the pseudonym after she persuaded celebrities to donate their underwear which she then used to create artwork in the shape of Knickerbocker Glory ice creams.The Salford-based artist has since produced abstract paintings of Manchester United footballers but has now turned her attention to the other Old Trafford, with excellent results.Prints of Gogh’s striking portraits – all paint, no jockstraps – of Andrew Flintoff, James Anderson, Haseeb Hameed, Liam Livingstone and Kumar Sangakkara are available at: @fannycricket***James Taylor has turned down a request to appear in a new video to promote the PCA Benevolent Fund.The former England batsman was surprised to be asked to promote the charity because he has received no assistance from it since his career was cut short by a heart condition – arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy – two years ago.Taylor has also criticised the players’ union and the ECB for the inadequate insurance cover they provided which meant that he left the game with a pay-out of GBP £300,000, which in his case represented barely a year’s earnings.”When it came to the crunch, the combined value of the PCA and the ECB’s insurance policies bore no relation to the modern game: it added up to little or no more than my previous year’s earnings,” writes Taylor in his new book .***Boyd Rankin has taken to social media in an attempt to track down the car belonging to his girlfriend, Anna Hawkins, which was stolen the night after he returned to Birmingham after playing in Ireland’s inaugural Test.Rankin has posted photos of the white Fiat 500 with Italian stripes, registration number HY11 WLH, on Twitter and Facebook. Rankin has asked anyone with information about the car, which was stolen between 10pm on May 16 and 8am on May 17 to contact @WMPolice or @CMPG

He was out of Test cricket for three years before he became Zimbabwe’s captain. He had a batting average of 10.75 before he made a century

Tristan Holme in Harare31-Oct-2016Graeme Cremer does not tend to attract much attention, but there is a story about Zimbabwe’s captain that provides some insight into his character.He had been rested for a warm-up match against West Indies in Sharjah in March ahead of the World T20 but after Neville Madziva injured a finger while fielding, Cremer had no problem stepping in. He took a good catch on the boundary and then insisted on batting when Zimbabwe collapsed. “That’s Graeme – always wanting to improve his game,” Kenyon Ziehl, who was there as Zimbabwe’s selection convenor, said.Cremer took on a short ball from Dwayne Bravo and fractured his left forearm. The X-rays showed numerous splinters, but “he wanted to put the arm in a cast and get on the plane to India for the World T20”, Ziehl said. “He was even willing to sign an indemnity form. In the end we had to make a call based on his health, because the medical advice was that one of the shards of bone could have got into his nervous system or his blood stream.”Such determination has not been been evident in Zimbabwe’s cricket of late. As a team they often deserve sympathy for the conditions they are expected to operate in, but at the same time there is also the feeling that they are all too happy to fall back on those excuses – at least in their own minds – when things invariably get tough in the middle.

The irony is that while he saves Zimbabwe from humiliation, Cremer often leaves the batsmen that preceded him red in the face

Since taking over as captain in June, Cremer has shown – through actions rather than words – that he is not one to utilise the get-out clause. As a result he has often been the difference between heavy defeat and abject humiliation.Cremer began his first Test as captain – against New Zealand in July – having not played the format in over three years. He could have easily hidden himself but he bowled 53 out of 166.5 overs and contributed 33 runs as well, occupying the crease for three hours and helping Sean Williams drag Zimbabwe up from 17 for 4 in the second innings.In Harare against Sri Lanka, Cremer had bowled 42 overs, most of them during the toughest phases of the innings, for four hard-earned wickets. Then, when Zimbabwe were 139 for 6, trailing by 398 runs with only four wickets in hand, Cremer responded with an innings few thought possible of a batsman averaging 10.75 in Test cricket.It began innocently enough, with him holding an end up as Peter Moor counterattacked, hitting two clean sixes down the ground. “I think we bat quite well together because he plays some big shots and keeps the scoreboard ticking, and I know that I can block out a maiden if I need to and just get off strike,” Cremer said.The irony is that while he saves Zimbabwe from humiliation, Cremer often leaves the batsmen that preceded him red in the face. There’s nothing flash about a player who often batted last in his school teams – he has an elegant forward push that brought seven of his 10 fours through cover, but otherwise he remains compact, picks up the length well and, crucially, doesn’t do anything stupid.Graeme Cremer and wicketkeeper Peter Moor were a good combination while batting too•Associated PressBy the evening, Moor had fallen for 79 but Cremer was still there, pinching singles with the tail to get a maiden Test century, before celebrating in a manner that suggested he was also pinching himself. “It’s very special – I hadn’t got fifty before in Test cricket and I don’t even have a five-for yet,” he said. “When I got to 75, I started thinking, ‘There’s a chance here.’ Then I thought I might run out of partners. It was an awesome feeling to get that one run to get to a hundred.”Cremer’s influence appears to be rubbing off on some of the newer members of his side, notably Moor and seamer Donald Tiripano. Moor’s attitude has been evident since the ODI series against India in June. When a journalist commiserated with him over a marginal lbw decision, he brushed the comment off and instead took responsibility for his actions. “I should have hit it,” he said.That no-excuses approach has been drilled into Zimbabwe since Heath Streak, who also scored his Test century as a No. 8 and captain, was appointed as head coach.”We spoke about that as soon as Streaky came in,” said Cremer. “We can carry on whining about things that happen to us and we just keep going backwards, or we try and turn it around and be a lot more positive as a unit, and show what we can do out there. Whatever happens then is out of our control. There’s a good positive attitude in the changing room and it’s good to see for a change.”The Zimbabwe side that Streak was a part of was widely respected not because they won very match, but for an attitude that helped them punch above their weight. When Hamilton Masakadza was axed as captain earlier this year, with Zimbabwe at a particularly low ebb, one wondered what kind of leader might serve them best, especially given few available options. By embodying the sort of grit that has so often been lacking, Cremer has answered the question in his own quiet style – and notched an unlikely Test hundred while he was at it.

Cricket South Africa made a major faux pas at the launch of a new Twenty20 tournament called the Africa T20 Cup – mis-spelling the name of the competition itself. Cue jokes on Twitter

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Apr-2015Spelling the tournament’s name wrongly in the logo – Arfica instead of Africa – is a mistake that is hard to defend. Perhaps the most generous explanation came from @Maloosa.

Maybe #Arfica is a play on Our Africa and it will become the new "it word" for the T20 Cup!? @OfficialCSA

— Melissa Bailey (@Maloosa) April 21, 2015

Others were more sarcastic.

Ingore teh htaers @OfficialCSA. Presonally I cna't see aynthing worng wtih yuor lgoo. #ArficaT20Cup

— Warren Robertson (@WarrenRcomedian) April 21, 2015

It's only a spelling mistake but has got everyone talking and the tournament trending in certain areas no doubt. Clever marketing #ARFICA

— Chris Cornelis (@onlyfoolsgamble) April 21, 2015

Fair play to Cricket SA, it's not easy to rebrand a whole continent #arfica

— Steve (@stevo1270) April 21, 2015

Many took to reworking songs and sayings about Africa.

This time for Arfica.

— Antoinette Muller (@mspr1nt) April 21, 2015

I always loved that song #Arfica by #Otot

— Simon (@Badgercricket) April 21, 2015

#TIA – this is Arfica

— Adriaan Jonker (@aikmanjonker) April 21, 2015

Some people enjoyed the goof-up.

Proteas could bowl England out for 0 in the first test, but the Arfica T20 Cup launch will still be my cricketing highlight of the year.

— Sean Wilson (@SimplySean_) April 21, 2015

Cricket South Africa later apologised for the mistake, managing to throw in a joke as well.

We apologize for the oversight on the #AfricaT20Cup logo. We’re glad we could provide you with a good (l)arf though…

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) April 21, 2015

An anthology and a celebration of great players – both from the stable – allow us to experience a soothing sense of constancy

Alan Gardner29-Dec-2013At this time of year, we tend to look back. Newspapers will create “best of 2013” lists, while regular Joes might concern themselves more with where it all went wrong. The statistics in question – pints, pounds, personal shortcomings – will be addressed in the New Year, though such resolutions may fall quickly under the revolutions of time’s wheel. This will all take place in distracted fashion, recorded in Facebook status updates, and hazy declarations down the local hostelry. Almost without exception, it is a good thing that isn’t taking notes.For 150 years, cricket has had an assiduous biographer. The game’s changes have been manifold – fatter bats and slimmer, more muscular participants; technology and its discontents; the rise of India as its global centre – but so much remains familiar. To flick through the pages of is to experience a soothing sense of constancy. Cricket has always been in foment, bogged down in picayune disputes, and assailed by match-fixers; there have always been great players and fantastic feats to chronicle; and there will always be unusual occurrences.Does reading an anthology of an almanack make one a confirmed anorak? Probably. But then disciples of the “Little Wonder” – the nickname of John Wisden, who first compiled his eponymous tome in 1864 – have always worn such labels comfortably. At the same time, provides perfect introductory material for the neophyte. Many who pick up their annual yellow brick will only read a fraction of the content but the editors, John Stern and Marcus Williams, have taken a hammer to 133,491 pages worth of cricketing history (largely as viewed through English eyes) to sift the dust for diamonds.Beginning with a choice selection of Notes by the Editor – in which complaints about England selection, county finances, and the problem of throwing echo down the century, from Sydney Pardon (almost always from Sydney Pardon) to the modern day – the anthology devotes sections to players, records, obituaries and oddities, as well as the counties, which takes up the most space and reflects the centrality of the English summer to ‘s method. The features section, though mostly just excerpts, shows the depths beneath its surface of scorecards and statistics. In the 1948 edition, to take one example, the Essex bowler Charles Kortright – considered one of the fastest to have played the game – noted: “There is no magic in fast bowling; but, on the contrary, much hard work, coupled with intelligent methods, is the key to success.” Mitchell Johnson would doubtless agree.The editor’s job of further illuminating cricket’s brightest stars has long provided an anchor for the almanack in public consciousness. Since 1889 – when Charles Pardon (Sydney’s brother) chose “Six Great Bowlers of the Year” – has anointed the game’s superstars; strictly only once, according to the rules, though with a couple of exceptions. For the full, 570-strong list, you should look beyond the anthology, however, to the glossier charms of . Edited by Simon Wilde, cricket correspondent of the , and also released to coincide with the 150th anniversary, this would probably be termed a coffee-table book – in the sense that it is about the same size as a coffee table.Like itself, gets away with being a little unwieldy. As Wilde explains, the initial purpose of the award, based upon performance in the preceding English season, was to provide “medallion portraits” of the players, photographs rather than the colourful written sketches we expect today, with the player whose picture occupied the middle of the page considered to have the grandest stature. The book lives up to this original aim and the carefully produced images that go back to the 19th century – particularly those of impassive young (and not so young) men in flannels and moustaches – are fascinating.Initial winners were often only accompanied by a few words of description and Wilde, too, skips nimbly through these corridors of fame. Eventually the format became standardised at the familiar “Five Cricketers of the Year” but it was subject to editorial whim in the early years: in 1896, WG Grace bestrode cricket’s narrow world by himself; in 1901 the awards went to “Mr RE Foster and Four Yorkshiremen”; in 1921 and 1926, the page was given over to photographs of Pelham Warner and Jack Hobbs respectively, both former winners. Such curiosities – including the story of Harry Calder, a “Schoolboy Bowler of the Year” during World War I, who never played first-class cricket and only discovered about his award at the age of 94 – provide the special interest in an otherwise straightforward study of greatness.These two collections, lovingly compiled and slickly produced, may be the publishing equivalent of flaying a tiring attack with an old ball. But, given the season, in this year of amplified worship, it seems okay to overindulge.The Essential Wisden: An Anthology of 150 years of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack
Edited by John Stern and Marcus Williams
Bloomsbury
1104 pages, £50
Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket’s Greatest Players
Edited by Simon Wilde
408 pages, £40

In Bangalore, the visitors showed pluck and glimpses of the skills in their possession. Now, they must sustain their desire to do well in Test cricket

Andrew Alderson04-Sep-2012Five losses out of the last seven Tests makes poor reading for New Zealand, but there remains a feeling of respite in the aftermath of the Bangalore defeat. Despite a winning margin of five wickets, with Indian partnerships of 77 and 96 in the final innings, there was a sense of fight in the New Zealand ranks; something the first Test shambles lacked.The Hyderabad loss left a taste of insipid apathy; the Bangalore loss reinvigorated the Test appetite. Losing in a decent contest earns respect. New Zealand demonstrated pluck through the batting of captain Ross Taylor, the bowling of a youthful pace attack and the guile of offspinner Jeetan Patel. Even at 32, Patel showed he is an alternative coming out from Daniel Vettori’s shadow. In the second innings, Patel was treated lightly by Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina before bowling them, while Cheteshwar Pujara was hesitant before flicking a catch. Patel deserved his three wickets in challenging circumstances.Unlike December’s victory over Australia, New Zealand could not drag the Test their way. In that match in Hobart – also minus Vettori – they were assisted by a strip with bite. Bangalore provided more of a contest for bat and ball, where the will of India captain MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli proved unbreakable.Yet, until the last few balls, the pair had to work hard. The contest made for an absorbing evening’s viewing in New Zealand. Fans could afford to shelve channel-surfing contingency plans.Ross Taylor’s first-innings century and aggressive captaincy – placing a regular three slips in the cordon for Southee and a short leg and silly point for Patel in the fourth innings – showed a maturity and a quiet fury to propel his team into a better era. He was rewarded with tight bowling for moderate periods. Taylor backed his hunches; like refusing Patel the right to put a man back after Sehwag blasted him for a six over long-off. Sehwag was bowled three balls later.Sadly for New Zealand, Taylor was given little top order batting support in the first innings as he eased to his seventh test century. Fifty to 100 more runs could have taken New Zealand out of danger. Likewise, in the second innings, no New Zealand batsman could fully dominate the spinners, with seven batsmen scoring between 22 and 41. The hosts faced a manageable 261 to haul in, despite it being a record fourth-innings chase on that ground.

The Hyderabad loss left a taste of insipid apathy; the Bangalore loss reinvigorated the Test appetite. Losing in a decent contest earns respect

Tim Southee, backed by like-minded aggression from Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell, produced a gifted spell to knock India back. His 7 for 64 that places him sixth on the list of all-time best New Zealand bowling performances. His ability to trouble India’s line-up by moving the ball to and fro was a credit to his mental aptitude after he earned inclusion at the expense of veteran Chris Martin.Inspirational moments peppered the fielding performance too, like Daniel Flynn scampering crab-like from short leg to take a one-handed catch off the in-form Pujara.Hopefully, though, New Zealand fans can resist reverting to apologist-speak like “rebuilding” and “moving forward” to describe the current team. Those excuses tire quickly in an era where there is more exposure to the international game than ever before from age-group level up. There is plenty of talent but more consistency is required. On the bowling front the India batsmen worked too many loose balls to the boundary with their wrists or “on-the-up” limited-overs style. The batting top order remains more miss than hit with porous defence.Taylor said afterwards they were disappointed with how they played in Hyderabad and wanted to show some fight and courage. They did so, but the onus is now on the players to avoid losing that desire to apply themselves in the longer form. For several of the team, patience is about to be replaced with premeditation at the World Twenty20. The Sri Lanka Test series is shortly afterwards and New Zealand need to further demonstrate that they have serious aspirations in the Test game to keep the public with them.

Now that the IPL is done and dusted, Cricinfo picks its IPL XI, and it’s a Chennai-Mumbai-Bangalore oligopoly

Cricinfo staff26-Apr-20101 Jacques Kallis (Bangalore)Stats: 572 runs, 115.78 strike-rate; 13 wickets, economy-rate 8.35.
Best performance: 89 off 55 balls v Punjab.
Key role: Kallis was consistent and aggressive in the first half of the season. He was unbeaten until his fifth innings and played a crucial role in Bangalore’s four-match winning streak. His ability to bowl the heavy bouncer helped Bangalore target batsmen with short deliveries on the quick Chinnaswamy pitch.2 Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai)Stats: 618 runs, 132.61 strike rate.
Best performance: 89 off 59 balls v Rajasthan.
Key role: Tendulkar’s isn’t the first name on the team sheet only because he doesn’t take strike. His calming consistency while opening the innings helped Mumbai become the first semi-finalist and top the league stage. He did not have to change his approach to score the most runs in the season, and at one stage had a strike-rate of 155.75 after four matches despite not having hit a single six. 3 Suresh Raina (Chennai)Stats: 520 runs, 142.85 strike-rate, 6 wickets, economy-rate 7.46
Best performance: 83 off 52 balls v Mumbai
Key role: In IPLs past, Raina had the luxury of coming in after Matthew Hayden had given Chennai a powerful start. Not this time. Hayden’s miserable form meant Raina had to shoulder much of the burden, and he did. His fielding was among the best in the IPL, he was the Man of the Final, and a strong contender for the Player of the Tournament. 4 Ambati Rayudu (Mumbai)Stats: 356 runs, 144.71 strike-rate
Best performance: 55 off 29 balls v Deccan
Key role: Rayudu was the best of the former ICL players and played a vital role in the middle order. He provided a seamless link between Tendulkar’s strong starts and Pollard’s brutal finishes and could revive the innings when needed as well. Rayudu’s not a wicketkeeper but he performed the role competently in the interests of team balance.5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk) (Chennai)Stats: 287 runs, 136.66 strike-rate
Best performance: 54 off 29 balls v Punjab
Key role: Dhoni was average with the bat until Chennai couldn’t afford it anymore. In a must-win game against Punjab, he pulled off an improbable chase with the most brutal hitting Dharamsala is likely to see. He contributed on a difficult pitch to ease Chennai through the semi-final and kickstarted the acceleration in the final too. No other wicketkeeper came close to surpassing his form, and few captains matched his leadership skills either.6 Robin Uthappa (Bangalore)Stats: 374 runs, strike-rate 171.55
Best performance: 51 off 21 balls v Punjab
Key role: Cries of “” (Hit it, hit it, Uthappa) rang round the Chinnaswamy when Robin Uthappa strode out busily to bat. He was Bangalore’s game-changer, tearing into the bowling attack at pivotal moments, and finished the tournament’s highest six-hitter, with 27.7 Kieron Pollard (Mumbai)Stats: 273 runs, strike-rate 185.71; 15 wickets, economy-rate 7.40
Best performance: 33 off 13 balls and 3 for 17 v Bangalore, first semi-final
Key role: Pollard is a near-perfect Twenty20 cricketer. Mumbai relied on him to boost totals by 30-odd runs in the last two overs of the innings, and Pollard delivered strike rates of 200-plus often. His medium-pace bowling fetched wickets and he covered ground faster than most with his long strides on the boundary line and between the wickets.Doug Bollinger claimed 2 for 15 and took this catch to dismiss Yusuf Pathan in his first game for Chennai.•Indian Premier League8 R Ashwin (Chennai)Stats: 13 wickets, economy-rate 6.10
Best performance: 3 for 17 v Kolkata
Key role: His ability to bowl with discipline with the new ball, during the fielding restrictions, was instrumental in Chennai’s resurgence in the latter half of the league. Ashwin gave his team the perfect start to their defence of 168 in the final – bowling a maiden over to Shikhar Dhawan.9 Anil Kumble (Bangalore)Stats: 17 wickets, economy-rate 6.42
Best performance: 4 for 16 v Deccan, third place playoff
Key role: Kumble bowled himself in tough situations, during the Powerplay and in the last six overs, and exercised control on the run rate, conceding fewer than six an over during these periods. His performance in the third-place match was crucial in Bangalore securing a berth in the Champions League Twenty20.10 Lasith Malinga (Mumbai)Stats: 15 wickets, economy-rate 7.02
Best performance: 2 for 22 v Rajasthan
Key role: Malinga was a death bowler par excellence, unleashing a flurry of accurate yorkers towards the end of an innings. In the Mumbai-Rajasthan match, where over 400 runs were scored, Malinga was the only bowler to concede fewer than six an over.11 Doug BollingerStats: 12 wickets in eight games, economy-rate 6.67
Best performance: 4 for 13 v Deccan, second semi-final
Key role: The turnaround in Chennai’s campaign, which saw them rise from No. 6 and 7 to champions, was largely due to Bollinger – his bluster and his exceptional left-arm seam bowling. Before he joined the side, Chennai didn’t have a new-ball attack worth mentioning, and after he arrived, they needed to win most of their games to reach the semis. In his first match, against Rajasthan, Bollinger took 2 for 15 and caught Yusuf Pathan superbly on the boundary. The revival had begun.

A special Christmas version of our regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of
cricket

Steven Lynch26-Dec-2005A special Christmas version of our regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of
cricket:

Who is the most famous cricketer to have been born on Christmas
Day? asked Jenny Sturridge from Liverpool
The most famous Christmas Day baby in cricket terms is Clarrie Grimmett, the
great Australian legspinner, who was actually born in New Zealand on December 25 in 1891. Although Grimmett was 33 before he made his Test debut, against England in 1924-25, he nonetheless became the first bowler ever to take 200 Test wickets, and by the time he retired he had 216 at 24.21, in only 37 matches. Someone who might one day knock
Grimmett off this perch is Marcus
Trescothick, the current England opener, who was born on Christmas Day 1975. Coincidentally Trescothick’s England team-mate Simon Jones was also
born on Christmas Day, in 1978, while Alastair Cook, the exciting Essex batsman who was part of the recent England tour of Pakistan, was born on Christmas Day in 1984. Other prominent Test players born on the big day include Hedley Howarth of New Zealand and Pakistan’s Mansoor Akhtar. (For a full list see the All Today’s
Yesterdays of Dec 25.)Has Test cricket ever been played on Christmas Day? asked John Canning from London
The first time it happened was in 1951, when the third Test between Australia and West Indies at Adelaide finished on Christmas Day (the third day of the match). Actually West Indies completed their six-wicket win midway through the day, so the players might have been able to scoff some turkey after all. Sixteen years later, in 1967-68, it happened at Adelaide again – the second day of the first Australia-India Test. Farokh Engineer narrowly failed to score a
festive century: he was out for 89. Two years later India met Australia on Christmas Day again, this time at Madras (Chennai). At Delhi in 1972 England completed a six-wicket win over India shortly after lunch on Dec 25. And in 1979, the fourth Test between India and Pakistan started on Christmas Day at Kanpur. Actually it was supposed to happen this year (2004) too – the original itinerary for India’s tour of Bangladesh included a Test match from Dec 23-27, but the dates were changed.Did Colin Cowdrey really make his highest Test score on his birthday? asked Dave Jackson
It wasn’t his highest Test score, but it was his highest score in first-class cricket, and it came during England’s 1962-63 tour of Australia. Colin Cowdrey scored 307 against South Australia at Adelaide, the last 63 of them on Christmas Eve (Dec 24, 1962), which was his 30th birthday. For many years after that Cowdrey drove round in a car sporting the number-plate MCC 307, representing his initials (his little-used first name was Michael) and that highest score.My favourite batsman when I was growing up was Rohan Kanhai, who I think was born on Boxing Day. Did he ever score a Test century on his birthday? asked Evander Sargent from Jamaica
Yes, Rohan Kanhai was a lovely batsman to watch, and he was indeed born on Boxing Day (in 1935). He never quite managed a Test hundred on his birthday, though – he did play in the Boxing Day Test against Australia at Melbourne in 1968-69, but only managed scores of 5 and 4. The nearest he came was actually in the course of his first Test century, against India at Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1958-59. That match started on December 31, 1958 – and by the end of the first day Kanhai had made 203 of his eventual 256, which remained his highest Test score.How long has there been a Boxing Day Test at Melbourne? asked Andy Simpson from Australia
As far as I can see the first one to start on Boxing Day at the MCG was
in 1968-69, when Australia beat West Indies by an innings in the match referred to above. Bill Lawry, a local man, enjoyed the idea so much he scored 205. The next one was in 1974-75, when England drew a close match, but it wasn’t until 1981-82 that the tradition really took off, after a thrilling Test between Australia and West Indies – one in which a rampaging Dennis Lillee reduced the Windies to 10 for 4 by the close on Boxing Day after Australia had been bowled out for 198. Since then, with a few exceptions, there has usually been a Test starting on Boxing Day
at Melbourne. In 1995-96 the traditional huge crowd saw Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan no-balled for throwing by the Australian umpire Darrell Hair.Why is it called Boxing Day anyway? asked Vishal from Mumbai
This one’s a bit out of my specialist area, but I’ll have a go anyway! Apparently it is so named after the custom of putting money in church boxes during the Christmas period, to be distributed on December 26 to the poor and needy. The “Did You Know” website adds: “It is thought that Boxing Day was first observed in the Middle Ages. It found renewed
popularity in the 19th Century, when the lords and ladies of England presented gifts in boxes to their servants on December 26 in appreciation of the work they had done over the Christmas celebrations.”

Shastri also tells ESPNcricinfo that he did not attend a single selection meeting during his stint as India head coach

Shashank Kishore28-Apr-20233:50

Shastri: You need Rahane’s experience for the WTC final

Ravi Shastri, the former India coach, is “glad” the selectors have valued Ajinkya Rahane’s experience in picking him for the WTC final against Australia at The Oval from June 7-11. He underlined Rahane’s desire to play first-class cricket and the runs he made there as one of the key differentiators.Rahane captained Mumbai during the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, where they narrowly missed qualifying for the knockouts. He made 634 runs in 11 innings at an average of 57.64, including two centuries.A night prior to the BCCI announcing the Indian squad via a media release, Rahane impressed with a 29-ball 71 in a Player-of-the-match winning effort for Chennai Super Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders. Overall, Rahane’s powerplay game and his six-hitting in the season has come in for appreciation.”I’m so glad he’s made it to the side,” Shastri told ESPNcricinfo on the . “He batted beautifully in these two-three games he’s played in the IPL, has looked in great touch. And let’s not forget the experience he has. The moment Shreyas Iyer was injured, you had to look in that direction.”Related

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“People think he’s just played three IPL games and that’s why he’s in the side. They must have been on holiday for six months when he was playing first-class cricket. They must’ve been somewhere in the jungle where there’s no contact with anyone in the world. When you go six months into a holiday, you miss those 600 runs.”Rahane’s spot had been under scrutiny after runs dried up post his heroics on the Australia tour in 2020-21, where he led India to their second-straight Test series win amid several challenges posed by injuries and Covid protocols.His previous Test hundred had come on that second Test of that tour as a stand-in captain, on Boxing Day in Melbourne, to help India level the series after they had slumped to 36 all out in an embarrassing loss in Adelaide.Since being left out, Rahane battled a wrist injury that limited his IPL participation last year. Once he returned, he touched upon playing with freedom and without worrying about a comeback. Shastri compared Rahane’s comeback to Cheteshwar Pujara’s.Pujara too found himself out along with Rahane after the South Africa tour last year, but prolific returns in county cricket fueled his return. He made eight hundreds – including three doubles – for Sussex across formats, last year.”Absolutely, it’s a one-off big game, like the Super Bowl, and you need your experienced player,” Shastri said of Rahane’s inclusion. “Don’t forget just two-and-a-half years ago, the man won a Test series in Australia. He was the captain when Virat [Kohli] went [on paternity leave] and did a sterling job.”People forget that hundred at the MCG, the way he played, and the fact that he’s gone back to the grind. You saw what it did with Pujara, he went back to the grind playing domestic cricket, playing county cricket, just got the number of runs under his belt, then came back into Test cricket and performed. It’s the same thing with Rahane, let’s hope that experience comes handy.”Shastri didn’t mince words when asked if chatter around Rahane’s good form and his ball-striking may have been a factor in his eventual selection. “Oh, a lot, because the memory is fresh,” he responded. “Domestic cricket was over two months ago. People might tend to forget it, even the selectors. Suddenly you come in and play that kind of innings where you look at ease, the timing is good, the footwork is good, the confidence is good, it would’ve definitely helped.””People think Rahane just played three IPL games and that’s why he’s in the side. They must have been on holiday for six months when he was playing first-class cricket”•Getty Images

‘Wasn’t invited to a single selection meeting’Shastri also opened up about his seven-year tenure with the Indian team across two stints between 2014-2021, first as team director and then as head coach. His last assignment was the T20 World Cup in 2021, before Rahul Dravid took over in November 2021.Shastri categorically stated not having sat in a single selection meeting in this period, while also elaborating on why a coach needed to be there even if it wasn’t in a voting capacity.”I have zero first-hand experience [of attending selection meetings],” he said. “Seven years I was part of the team, I never went near a selection meeting. I wasn’t invited either. I think in the long run, yes [a coach should be invited].”You spend a lot of time with the boys, it’s important, even if not in voting capacity, but to hear what the selectors are thinking, what is their train of thoughts are. And then to decide what could be the right thing for the side. I have zero idea how it starts, how it finishes, who are there in the meeting. From what I gather, there were a lot of people [in the meetings], over the last three-four years, inside selection meetings, not supposed to be there, against the constitution but pitched up.”However, Shastri did acknowledge that he had reservations attending such meetings for the possibility of players not opening up to him if they knew he had a say in selection.”I needed the trust of the player,” Shastri explained. “if a player knew I was a selector or I could influence a selector/chairman of the committee, then will he open up to me? Will he have the same trust in me? There could be a certain people who will come and still be open and upfront, there could be a certain people who might not want to, and I don’t blame them because they may have some reservations.”From my point of view, that’s why I thought it’s best to stay away, but in the long run, especially when a team is in the rebuilding stage, it’s extremely important that a coach who spends a lot of time with the players within the confines of the dressing room can give some valuable inputs.”

Como have joined Wolves and West Ham in the race for Marc Casado, after Barcelona warned the midfielder he won’t get minutes despite wanting to stay.

• Barcelona told Casado he won’t see much game time
• West Ham United and Como also showing strong interest
• Wolves tabled a €30m bid

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Barcelona have told Casado that regular minutes will be hard to come by this season, despite the midfielder wanting to stay. Wolves, West Ham and Serie A side Como are among the clubs pushing for his signature, with the Premier League outfit already lodging a €30 million (£25m/$33m) offer.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 21-year-old was one of Barca’s breakout players last year, impressing in midfield and even earning a call-up for Spain. But the return of Marc Bernal from his ACL injury, along with the presence of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Gavi, has pushed him down the pecking order. The Catalan giants are now open to cashing in if the player agrees, though he has not requested a move himself.

• TELL ME MORE…

  Cesc Fabregas’ Como have emerged as surprise contenders, willing to compete with English sides Wolves and West Ham. Barcelona’s willingness to sell stems less from Financial Fair Play issues and more from squad depth, with Casado struggling to find a pathway to minutes. The Spaniard remains determined to fight for his place, showing no signs of pushing for an exit himself. For now, Barca’s stance is that they would only sanction a move if the player decides he wants out, leaving the ball firmly in Casado’s court.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CASADO AND BARCELONA?

  Casado continues training with Barcelona while awaiting further updates on his role. With two weeks left in the window, clubs across Europe are expected to step up their efforts, leaving the final decision in the player’s hands. The Catalan giants opened their La Liga campaign with a 3-0 win over Mallorca and now turn their attention to Levante this weekend.

رد أبو زيد المستشار القانوني لنادي بيراميدز، على ما يتردد بشأن وجود أي مديونيات أو قضايا متداولة في فيفا ضد النادي.

وترددت أنباء في الفترة الماضية بشأن وجود أزمة بين ناديي هدرسفيلد الإنجليزي وبيراميدز، بشأن انتقال رمضان صبحي إلى بيراميدز عقب نهاية إعارته مع الأهلي.

وقال أبو زيد في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “لا صحة للأخبار الخاصة بوجود أي مديونيات أو قضايا متداولة في الفيفا أو أي مستوى بين بيراميدز وهدرسفيلد الإنجليزي”.

طالع أيضاً.. قائمة الأهلي لمباراة بيراميدز في الدوري.. ظهور أحمد عابدين وموقف بن رمضان

وتابع: “تم تسوية وسداد كافة مستحقات نادي هيدرسفيلد طبقًا للعقود واتفاقية التسوية بين الطرفين، والتي التزم بها نادي بيراميدز، والموضوع مغلق بشكل نهائي”.

ويستعد بيراميدز لمواجهة الأهلي مساء غد السبت، على أرضية استاد السلام، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الخامسة من عمر بطولة الدوري المصري.