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Kent look set to go down after visitors rack up 393 for 6

ECB Reporters Network17-Sep-2024

Nottinghamshire took a hefty stride towards safety in Division One of the Vitality County Championship by reaching 393 for 6 at stumps after a dominant first day against Kent at Canterbury.Openers Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed demoralised the division’s basement side with a stand of 196 for the first wicket: Slater made 160 from 217 balls, with 22 fours, while Hameed made a more pedestrian 56 from 142.Jack Haynes then inflicted further punishment with 62 and Nottinghamshire, who began the day in eighth, were aided by a total of 37 extras, 30 of which came from no-balls.Games at the Spitfire Ground have followed a pattern for Kent fans this season: a slow erosion of hope during the first innings before despair sets in during the second; there’s admirable but futile resistance in the third and then defeat in the fourth, if it goes that far.Last week’s trend-bucking draw with Hampshire at least allowed members a micro-measure of optimism going into this “48-pointer”, but even that had gone within the first half hour. In a pivotal game for both sides’ chances of staying in the division, Kent chose to bowl, only for Notts to race to 50 in just 53 balls.Kent handed a home debut to Akeem Jordan, but his first three overs went for 36 and he was replaced at the Pavilion End by Nathan Gilchrist.Slater was on 41 when he slashed at George Garrett, only for Jack Leaning to drop him at second slip and his 50 came after a misfield from Jordan. It was 134 for 0 at lunch, and the afternoon was only slightly less lopsided. Slater cracked Gilchrist through point for four to reach three figures and Hameed steered Jordan through third man to bring up his 50, before their stand was finally ended when Joey Evison bowled the latter.Freddie McCann then walked after he edged Gilchrist to Leaning for 8, although replays suggested it may not have carried, and Joe Clarke went for 18 when he pulled George Garrett to Gilchrist at deep fine leg, leaving Notts on 271 for 3 at tea.Leaning had Slater caught at first slip by Tawanda Muyeye but Haynes and Lyndon James responded with a partnership of 60 before Haynes was caught off a bottom edge by Muyeye off Gilchrist.James then fell to Jordan for 34 in the penultimate over, given out caught by Muyeye after a lengthy consultation by the umpires, leaving Luke Fletcher and Dane Schadendorf to bat through to stumps on 10 and 8 respectively.

يشهد اليوم الإثنين 8-9-2025، أجندة كروية قوية على الصعيدين الإفريقي والأوروبي، ضمن التصفيات المؤهلة لبطولة كأس العالم 2026، إضافة إلى مجموعة من اللقاءات الودية.

البداية ستكون من القارة الإفريقية، حيث يخوض منتخب تونس مواجهة صعبة خارج أرضه أمام غينيا الاستوائية، في لقاء يسعى خلاله “نسور قرطاج” لتعزيز موقعهم في صدارة المجموعة الثامنة والاقتراب أكثر من حلم المونديال.

وفي نفس التوقيت، يواجه منتخب المغرب نظيره الزامبي في لوساكا، أما المنتخب الجزائري، فسيكون على موعد مع مواجهة قوية أمام منتخب غينيا، حيث يدخل محاربو الصحراء اللقاء بهدف حسم النقاط الثلاث والاستمرار في الصدارة.

كذلك، يترقب الجمهور العربي مباراة منتخب ليبيا ضد إيسواتيني على ملعب بنغازي، وهي مواجهة لا تحتمل التفريط بعد تعثرات سابقة، في المقابل، تخوض غانا اختبارًا مثيرًا أمام مالي في قمة كروية إفريقية منتظرة مساء اليوم.

وعلى الصعيد الأوروبي، تتواصل الإثارة في التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس العالم، حيث يواجه منتخب اليونان نظيره الدنمارك، ومواجهة أخرى قوية تجمع كرواتيا والجبل الأسود، بينما يلتقي منتخب السويد مع كوسوفو في مواجهة متوازنة.

أما على صعيد المباريات الودية، فيبرز اللقاء العربي بين الكويت وسوريا ظهر اليوم، قبل أن يلتقي منتخب فلسطين مع ماليزيا ومنتخب لبنان مع إندونيسيا عصرًا.

وفي مواجهة خليجية مرتقبة، يواجه المنتخب الإماراتي نظيره البحريني في أبوظبي، بينما يلتقي المنتخب السعودي مع جمهورية التشيك في مواجهة قوية ضمن استعداداته للمنافسات القادمة.

طالع أيضًا | دي لا فوينتي بعد السداسية ضد تركيا: لدينا لاعب عبقري.. وإصابة ويليامز مؤسفة مواعيد مباريات اليوم الإثنين 8-9-2025 والقنوات الناقلةمواعيد مباريات تصفيات إفريقيا لكأس العالم اليوم

غينيا الاستوائية ضد تونس، الساعة 4:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “SSC 2”.

موزمبيق ضد بوتسوانا، الساعة 4:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “SSC 3”.

زامبيا ضد المغرب، الساعة 4:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “Arryadia TNT”.

مالاوي ضد ليبيريا، الساعة 7:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “SSC 2”.

أوغندا ضد الصومال، الساعة 7:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “SSC Extra 1”.

غينيا ضد الجزائر، الساعة 7:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “SSC 1”.

غينيا بيساو ضد جيبوتي، الساعة 7:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

مدغشقر ضد تشاد، الساعة 7:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

ليبيا ضد إسواتيني، الساعة 10:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

غانا ضد مالي، الساعة 10:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “SSC 2”. مواعيد مباريات تصفيات أوروبا لكأس العالم

كوسوفو ضد السويد، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sport  6”.

سويسرا ضد سلوفينيا، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sports 6”.

اليونان ضد الدنمارك، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sports 4”.

بيلاروسيا ضد إسكتلندا، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sports 3”.

كرواتيا ضد الجبل الأسود، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sports 2”.

جبل طارق ضد جزر الفارو، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sports 7”.

الكيان الصهيوني ضد إيطاليا، الساعة 9:45 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sports XTRA 3”. مواعيد المباريات الودية اليوم

الكويت ضد سوريا، الساعة 1:00 ظهرًا بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

ماليزيا ضد فلسطين، الساعة 4:00 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

إندونيسيا ضد لبنان، الساعة 4:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

الإمارات ضد البحرين، الساعة 7:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “Abu Dhabi Sports 1”.

جمهورية التشيك ضد السعودية، الساعة 8:15 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “STC”.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــا

Also says he is not a fan of pre-seeding teams, which could potentially now force three table-toppers in one Super Eight group

Matt Roller16-Jun-20243:00

Starc on Hazlewood’s comment: ‘A throwaway line blown out of proportion’

Mitchell Starc accused the media of blowing “a throwaway line” from Josh Hazlewood “right out of proportion” after Australia’s win over Scotland ensured rivals England progress to the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup 2024.Hazlewood suggested earlier this week that it would be in Australia’s “best interests” to eliminate England at the group stage, speculating about a scenario where they could “drag out” their game against Scotland. The Australian camp has since played the comments down, insisting Hazlewood joking comment was taken out of context.Related

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With their Super Eight seeding predetermined and no points carried forward, Australia had nothing to play for in St Lucia except gaining playing time. But England hammered Oman on Thursday to overtake Scotland’s net run rate and then beat Namibia convincingly in a rain-shortened game on Saturday afternoon, which meant that Scotland needed to win to qualify.Australia rested Pat Cummins and Hazlewood and were a long way short of their best in the field, dropping six catches as Scotland set them a target of 181. They started slowly in the chase, showing limited intent, and at one stage needed 87 off 39 balls with England watching on nervously from Antigua.But Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis and Tim David took them home with two balls to spare and put to bed any questions about their approach to bed. Mitchell Marsh, their captain, laughed at the post-match presentation when he was asked how much England’s fate had been discussed: “I think more externally than internally, but we won today and that’s all that matters.”Starc ‘not a fan’ of pre-seedingThe situation exposed the shortcoming of the tournament’s structure, with teams’ Super Eight opponents predetermined by seedings rather than their first-round finishing positions. Australia will progress as ‘B2’ despite winning all four group games.Depending on the result of Afghanistan’s game against West Indies on Monday night, three group winners could be drawn in the same Super Eight pool as a result.There is also information asymmetry in every group, with some teams advantaged by playing last and therefore knowing exactly what they need to qualify. “I think there’s a question to be asked about pre-seeding. I’m not sure I’m a fan of that.” Starc said, when asked if the ICC should schedule the final round of games within each group simultaneously to avoid potential integrity issues.But he also insisted that the comments Hazlewood made, directly responding to questions about possible scenarios, had nothing to them. “I think a throwaway line has been blown right out of proportion by you lot,” he said, referring to the media attending his post-match press conference.”You don’t stuff around with mother cricket and trying to worry about other results. We’re here to win games. It’s international cricket. England now are on the other side of the draw, so it really doesn’t make that much difference for the next three games. So yeah, I think that was blown right out of proportion by you guys.”Brandon McMullen, who top-scored for Scotland with 60 off 34 balls, said they had never questioned Australia’s intentions. “They’re always going to put up a good fight,” he said. “They’re never just going to roll over and let you win. I’m glad that it was a close game today. We showed that we can compete at this high level against the best players in the world.”Ashton Agar celebrates dismissing Michael Jones•AFP/Getty Images

Starc described Australia’s catching as “terrible” but played down the fact they had nothing riding on the result. “[It was about] trying different options for us, but still trying to be very competitive with ball and with bat,” he said. “We certainly dropped the mark in the field… It didn’t feel different. It’s still a World Cup game, you’re still playing for Australia and you still try to take wickets and win games.”Australia expect spin to play a major role in the latter stages of this tournament and bowled 12 overs of spin in total, including four from Ashton Agar in his first appearance of the World Cup. “We were in a position where we had plenty of options on the table,” Starc said. “We had a chance to rest the two big boys [Hazlewood and Pat Cummins] and get some gametime into Ash.”We have another game here [against India] in the Super Eight, so [it was about] getting accustomed to or having a look at conditions here as well… having some batting time into our middle order and some of our spinners obviously getting some time in different situations in the bowling innings, it was a good hit out. That was all we wanted and then we push onto the Super Eights.”Starc also played down concerns about his calf, having been rested for Australia’s win over Oman. “I had a scan, it was all clear, and I had the extra few days with the Namibia game and [came] back in today. It was all good to go. It was better off doing it in the first half of the tournament than when it gets busy in the second half.”

As Manchester City’s summer clear-out commences, Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid could reportedly come calling in pursuit of one particular player in the coming months.

Man City set for summer clear-out

It’s been a season to forget for Manchester City, who will be desperate to secure Champions League qualification this Sunday and finally put the current campaign behind them. For the first time in Pep Guardiola’s time at The Etihad, the Citizens have it all to do in the summer transfer window.

No longer are they the dominant champions capable of dispatching 19 other Premier League sides with ease. That’s an era which is ruthlessly and rapidly coming to an end. Instead, the Manchester club need to write a new chapter with new heroes and fresh characters, starting with a number of emotional farewells to several players who will be deemed undeniable legends.

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Already, of course, Kevin De Bruyne has said his goodbyes. The Belgian – one of the best to ever play for Manchester City – bid an emotional farewell to The Etihad last week to begin a summer of departures for the Citizens.

The midfielder told the fans after waving goodbye: “I wanted to play with creativity, I wanted to play with passion. I wanted to enjoy football and I hope everyone enjoyed it.

“Everybody has pushed me so hard inside and outside the club to be the best version of myself and these guys in front of me have made me better than I was before. It’s an honour to play with these guys. I’ve made so many friends for life.”

In the coming months, it will be a question as to who joins De Bruyne out the exit door at Manchester City. There are certainly a few candidates who are coming to the end of their peaks, whilst another name has also reportedly been targeted by Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid now targeting Grealish

According to reports in Spain, Simeone and Atletico Madrid are now targeting a summer move to sign Jack Grealish, who could leave Manchester City this summer in a bid to gain a starting place elsewhere. The England international has often been forced to watch on from the bench this season and desperately needs a fresh start.

Of course, Grealish wouldn’t be the first English player to complete a move to the Spanish club either. Just last summer, Conor Gallagher decided to leave Chelsea in favour of the Metropolitano and has thrived ever since. Now, a year on, it could be Grealish’s turn to join Simeone in La Liga.

Despite a difficult spell at The Etihad, the £300,000-a-week midfielder has still found himself at the centre of praise from Guardiola, who told reporters following Grealish’s performance against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup earlier this season: “I’m happy for him. I know it’s not easy when you don’t play regularly. In the last game in the FA Cup he played very good, much better than today.”

Whether that praise is enough to keep hold of Grealish seems unlikely at this stage, but only time will tell if Atletico Madrid come calling this summer.

History has a funny way of repeating itself with Sheffield United now failing to win promotion via the Championship playoffs despite reaching a grand 90-point total, much like their foes Leeds United before them.

However, there would be no chuckles at the full-time whistle when the Blades’ fate was confirmed, with Black Cats hotshot Tommy Watson the player to unfortunately stick the dagger in when scoring late on to gift Regis Le Bris’ men a dramatic 2-1 win.

The United players all stood around stunned as Watson wheeled away in celebration, considering the Blades had been leading the crunch game for all of 76 minutes, before Eliezer Mayenda initially began the triumphant Sunderland turnaround.

Now, it’s back to the drawing board for Chris Wilder and Co. after this staggering tenth playoff heartbreak, with a number of underperformers letting their passionate manager down and the expectant United masses watching on.

Sheffield United underperformers vs Sunderland

Of course, United will hope they can emulate Daniel Farke’s Whites further by going on to win the title next season.

But, in the here and now, it’s time to watch over the display and pinpoint what went wrong, with United’s wastefulness costing them dear when looking at the numbers.

Only Tyrese Campbell would be able to beat Anthony Patterson, but Wilder’s men would boast a heftier xG of 1.46 at the full-time whistle next to Sunderland’s 0.71, which highlights just how much their lack of a clinical edge was their undoing.

Rhian Brewster wouldn’t even register a single shot at Patterson’s net during his lacklustre 65-minute run-out, whilst Sydie Peck also looked out-of-sorts as a midfield battler – away from United’s stunted attacking might – when uncharacteristically losing out on three of his four ground duels.

But, away from those mentioned, there was one attacker who struggled in every aspect of his individual game at Wembley, meaning he could now be sold this summer as Wilder’s men attempt to quickly patch up their wounds.

The 6/10 United star who must never play again

During such a high-stakes affair, moments of madness can occur.

With the clock ticking over into extra time, Kieffer Moore unfortunately experienced one of those erratic instances as his miscued pass fell straight to the feet of Watson to hammer home a 95th-minute decider.

Ultimately, this moment would kindly hand Sunderland a path up to the Premier League, but Moore struggled throughout the game, away from just inexplicably setting up the Black Cats’ last-gasp winner.

Indeed, the towering Welshman would frustratingly fail to get on the scoresheet early on as one of his two efforts on the day was heroically saved by Patterson, on top of further displaying his rash approach on the ball across the full 90 minutes when he only completed nine accurate passes in total.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

37

Accurate passes

9/24 (38%)

Possession lost

20x

Shots

2

Big chances missed

1

Successful dribbles

0/1

Accurate crosses

0/1

Accurate long balls

0/1

Total duels won

12/22

To add insult to injury, the table above doesn’t make for pretty reading either, with Moore also squandering possession 20 times alongside failing to complete a single successful dribble during what was an extremely bad day at the office for the Welshman.

With only six goals scored across the entire season, it could be time now for United to reassess whether the 6/10 dud – as he was rated post-match by journalist Leon Wobschall – is the best possible option in the centre-forward areas moving forward or whether a fresh face up top is now needed.

On the evidence of Saturday’s display, it looks like his time could be up in a Blades shirt, ahead of the looming summer window.

Whatever does take place, it’s going to be a bumpy summer for all those with connections to Bramall Lane as another season in the unforgiving Championship is depressingly on the cards.

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Royal Challengers blasted their highest powerplay total, after having consigned Titans to their worst showing in the phase

Sampath Bandarupalli04-May-20241 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 92 runs in the powerplay against Gujarat Titans were by far the most by the franchise in this phase in any IPL game. The previous highest was 79 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 and against Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this year. The 92 runs today also ranked joint-fifth among the highest totals in the powerplay in IPL.69 – Difference in runs between the powerplay totals of RCB (92 for 1) and Gujarat Titans (23 for 3). It is the biggest difference in powerplay totals in an IPL match, surpassing the 65-run difference for Kolkata Knight Riders (105 for 0) against RCB (40 for 3) in 2017.18 – Balls Faf du Plessis needed for his fifty. It is now the second-fastest fifty for the RCB, behind the 17-ball fifty by Chris Gayle against Pune Warriors in 2013.Related

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64 – Runs scored by du Plessis before his dismissal in the sixth over. These are the most runs scored by a batter for RCB in the powerplay in an IPL match. The previous highest was by Gayle, who scored exactly 50 runs in the powerplay on three occasions. The 64 runs by du Plessis are the sixth-most by any batter in powerplay overs in an IPL match.23 for 3 – GT’s total in the powerplay on Saturday is their lowest in the IPL. Their previous lowest was 30 for 4 against Delhi Capitals earlier this year when they were bundled out for 89. Gujarat’s 23 for 3 is also the lowest powerplay total by any team in this year’s IPL.38 – Balls remaining when RCB reached their target. It is the biggest win for any team in terms of balls to spare in the IPL when having lost six or more wickets. The previous biggest in such a case was by 34 balls for KKR, who chased down a 161-run target against Sunrisers in 14.2 overs despite losing six wickets.8 – Runs aggregated by RCB’s Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the chase. These are the second-fewest runs by a team’s Nos. 3-6 in an IPL innings. Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s 3, 4, 5 and 6 bagged ducks against Deccan Chargers in 2011.8 – Eight out of the 11 wickets taken by pacers today came off short and short-of-a-good-length deliveries – four in the GT innings and four in the RCB chase.

Domestic cricket is not providing the grounding for batters to step up at Test level

Firdose Moonda25-Aug-2022We’ve been here before, haven’t we? South Africa’s attack have just about kept them in the contest after a batting implosion that is among the worst we’ve seen. The 151 made at Old Trafford is South Africa’s third-lowest score batting first since readmission, and it continued a concerning trend of a lack of big scores, individually and in partnerships.South Africa have long argued that their lack of runs comes from difficult home conditions but that’s not entirely true. Two of South Africa’s lowest first-innings scores since readmission have come in 2022 alone, and three of their lowest 10 since 2021. All of those blowouts happened away from home, where South Africa’s batting records have taken an alarming about-turn.In the last three years, South Africa’s top six have the worst record on the road among all Test teams. In 11 away Tests, South Africa average 26.49, having scored five hundreds and 12 fifties. The lows of the last three years look even worse against the backdrop of the highs of the past. Between 2012 and 2014, with Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers in their line-up, South Africa had the best top six on the road. They averaged 47.91 across 14 away Tests and scored 21 hundreds and 22 fifties.Related

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Before we get into the forensic examination of how and why the line-up is faring as poorly as it is, let’s address the obvious issue that emerged from Old Trafford: why did Dean Elgar choose to bat first in bowler-friendly conditions – overhead and underfoot? The answer lies more in team selection than Elgar’s giving in to his instinctive bat-first nature. With two specialist spinners, South Africa were eyeing bowling last, so… they had to bat first.They also had to leave out one of the four quicks that did the job at Lord’s and chose to bench lanky left-armer Marco Jansen, which looked like a mistake. Jansen swung the ball at an average of 1.9 degrees at pace in the first Test. Imagine what he would have been able to do here. Perhaps even imagine what he may have been able to do with the bat, after he was South Africa’s fourth-highest run-scorer at Lord’s, but don’t imagine it too much because lower-order runs cannot continuously bail the top order out.The decline in South Africa’s batting stems from the drop in quality of the domestic first-class game, which has seen batters scoring more runs more easily, against bowling that is producing fewer quality quicks than before. Between 2006 and 2010, there were only four batters in South Africa’s top-tier first-class system who averaged over 50 (minimum 1000 runs): JP Duminy, Neil McKenzie, Ashwell Prince and Albie Morkel, who scored 33 Test hundreds between them. In the last five years, there have been nine batters with averages over 50: Aiden Markram, Kyle Verreynne, Rassie van der Dussen, Pieter Malan, David Bedingham, Colin Ackermann, Raynard van Tonder, Ryan Rickelton and Keegan Petersen. All but Bedingham, Ackermann, and van Tonder have played Tests. Between them, they’ve only scored two centuries since 2018.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the same period, the number of pace bowlers who average 25 and under (having bowled at least 1000 deliveries) has come down from 12 to five. What that tells us is that South African first-class batters are not facing enough bowling that can properly prepare them for Test cricket. Nobody expects domestic attacks to be at the same level as James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson, but when South Africa’s line-up were truly tested by them, they looked out of their depth. South Africa were beaten off 43% of the balls they faced in the first hour. Sarel Erwee and Petersen (two of the batters who were selected for the Test side on the promise of recent first-class runs) were uncertain in their footwork. Erwee was only half-forward when he inside-edged Anderson to Ben Foakes; Petersen was stuck on his back foot when he was squared up by Broad.But it is Markram who is the best example of the massive step up needed when South Africa’s domestic batters make it as internationals. Since 2018, Markram averages 67.53 from 10 domestic first-class matches, with five centuries, but in 18 home Tests in the same period, he averages just over half that: 34.69, with only two hundreds. Markram has struggled in Tests over the last two years and was dropped as opener earlier in the year, only to find himself back and also struggling in the middle-order. The sensible solution would be to send him back to the first-class system to rediscover his touch but there’s every chance he won’t be adequately challenged.Why? Because South Africa’s outstanding players put their feet up when domestic red-ball cricket is being played, or occasionally, head to play in franchise leagues. Since 2018, Rabada has played one first-class match, Ngidi two, Nortje 12, and Jansen 17. As a comparison, 105 other players have played at least 24 first-class matches, which is twice as many as Nortje, and 16 others have played at least 34, twice as many as Jansen.ESPNcricinfo LtdSouth Africa are not the only team who face this issue, as T20 leagues encroach on the calendar and inevitably swallow up the domestic schedule. With CSA’s new T20 league to be played in the prime summer window in January-February, the first-class competition will be pushed further into the margins. We know all the reasons (money, money and money) that CSA has had to go down this route and we may even sympathise with it, but it won’t make performances like this any easier to stomach.”Our batters know what they have to go and do,” Kagiso Rabada said, after top-scoring with 36. “None of them are getting out on purpose. We know we have quality, it is a young batting line-up. It’s just about gaining the experience, I do think they know what they’ve done wrong. We’re backing them to do their best. If it doesn’t come off, it is what it is. They are taking responsibility. I know they are trying their best, We can’t go around pointing fingers, that’s energy sapping. We have to look forward and apply ourselves and hope to score some runs as a unit.”South Africa’s line-up sans superstars has so far relied on smaller, grittier contributions and has achieved some amazing things, including two venue-record chases against India in Johannesburg and Cape Town. They have regularly shown they are more than the sum of their parts. But when they are only that, it’s not enough and South Africa will have to ask some serious questions of their system to get better.

Wides, lbw calls, swing – plenty of things were different in white-ball cricket back then

Sidharth Monga30-Mar-2020 #RetroLive Last week, we at ESPNcricinfo did something we have been thinking of doing for eight years now: pretend-live ball-by-ball commentary for a classic cricket match. We knew the result, yes, but we tried our best to go in as ignorant about the actual match as possible, so as to react “naturally” to what was happening. The odd joke aside, we stayed in character and didn’t let our knowledge of cricket’s evolution since then inform our commentary.However, we can break kayfabe now and talk about what we learnt from how cricket was back then, which in this case is the World Cup final of the year 1992.Are we not calling wides?
Wide calls back then seemed to be based more on the umpires’ judgement of the bowlers’ intent than on how wide the ball was of the batsman’s stumps. There were no tramlines for starters (yes, it is easy to forget such a time existed in limited-overs cricket). Quite regularly balls outside leg were not wided: be they wrong’uns starting from within the stumps, inswingers gone wrong, or full tosses outside leg from a left-arm spinner. Just as regularly, the umpires were too harsh on wides outside off.The only explanation for this – other than it being a residue from amateur limited-overs cricket where umpires were lenient in order to complete matches before it got dark – is that they saw it as being the same as in Tests: nobody would intentionally bowl down the leg side, which would be bad bowling, but they might intentionally bowl wide outside off to restrict scoring. As a result, the bowlers had a much bigger margin for error if they bowled straight, but on the flip side, they couldn’t use the space outside off tactically.Wide calls are much less subjective today, except when the batsman has moved around in the crease or changed his stance before the ball has been delivered. The tramlines, introduced just as a guide, have now become an objective parameter in most cases. Going down leg is a strict no-no, but those tramline yorkers are fascinating to watch.Who do I have to kill to get an lbw?

Yes, pitches have got flat, bats heavier, and rules are loaded in their favour, but to really appreciate modern batsmen, you have to watch a rerun – not highlights – of a 1992 World Cup game. Let alone getting a positive reaction from the umpires, the bowlers were so conditioned to receiving apathy that they didn’t even appeal for lbws that were so plumb that even Virat Kohli might not have reviewed them. Batsmen back then hardly ever got out if they so much as got onto the front foot, and often they just pretended to play a shot if they were in trouble. Mad respect for modern batsmen.ALSO READ: Twenty-five things from 1993 that are no longer aroundWhite doesn’t swing? Says who?
It is hard to believe but that was a time when the white ball swung more than the red one. This is not a view based on watching just one rerun; it is based on the first-hand experience of commentators and cricketers.To make it worse for batsmen – and bowlers who struggled to control their swing – one new ball was used at each end in the 1992 World Cup. This is why teams, especially the winners, Pakistan, developed a strategy of batting the first 30 overs almost as if in a Test match. Imran Khan promoted himself to perform just that role. Bowlers struggled too: over the course of the tournament Wasim Akram, for example, went from being a quick bowler to trying to bowl within himself, to once more going all out when cutting the pace didn’t have any impact on the wides.It is amazing how we have a reached a stage where the same manufacturers are struggling to manufacture a ball that will swing.The wrist is history: Mushtaq Ahmed’s success in the 1992 World Cup heralded the age of the wristspinners•Getty ImagesNon-strikers stole ground then too

In the 24th over of the chase, Aamer Sohail pulled out of his delivery to warn Allan Lamb – who had just taken a quick couple the previous ball – against stealing ground before the ball was delivered. Boos punctuated the confused hush that fell over the MCG. Umpire Steve Bucknor called it a dead ball. Sohail ran in again, saw Lamb moving again and pulled out again. This time Bucknor had to intervene and break off a conversation between the two.After the over, the transmission cut to the studio in Hong Kong. Sunil Gavaskar was the expert in the studio, weighing in with analysis and comments between overs and during drinks breaks. The anchor said, “Running a batsman out who has left the bowler’s end is not considered cricket. You’d normally expect a warning first.” Not in limited-overs cricket, where every run is vital, said Gavaskar, whose tone suggested annoyance at Sohail being questioned.The lines were being drawn already: Asian sides were much more serious about limited-overs cricket, and wanted the law enforced over the spirit. Later in the year, Kapil Dev would go on to run Peter Kirsten out after warnings, only for ugly scenes to play out thanks to South Africa’s righteous indignation.ALSO READ: Retroreport: The 1992 World Cup finalImagine Gavaskar’s and Dev’s annoyance then, when 27 years later, exactly on the same day as that 1992 final, R Ashwin ran Jos Buttler out without a warning, only to be lambasted and ridiculed the world over. However, it is not a losing battle anymore, and people are beginning to realise the batsman is gaining an unfair advantage and needs to live with the consequences. Without a warning.Wrist and reward

Pakistan were a horribly balanced side. They had a specialist batsman, Ijaz Ahmed, playing at No. 9, with his utility being only part-time seam-up overs. Sohail was called upon to bowl his full quota. Imran Khan was injured, so he played mainly as a batsman whose job was to fast-forward the game to the 30th over without losing wickets. If other sides had slightly more urgency, they would have punished the bowling lightweights in the Pakistan side, but in one respect, Khan’s team was also ahead of its time.There was only one specialist wristspinner, and he wore the iconic light-green jersey. There was only one spinner in the top 19 wicket-takers in the tournament, and it was the same man, Mushtaq Ahmed. Khan insisted he wanted a legspinner in his side as Abdul Qadir reached the end of his career. Ahmed’s impact was clear not just from his numbers but visibly too, with batsmen finding him as illegible as modern batsmen do left-arm wristspinners. Ahmed, the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament, was, as is known these days, the point of difference between others and the champion side.The time was ripe for Shane Warne and Anil Kumble to rule the world.Other lessons

• Imran Khan could come to the toss wearing what looked like an undershirt and not be fined.
• The world still didn’t know much about reverse swing. The stage was set for a testy summer in England.
• A bouncer above the head was a no-ball even if you touched it. Nowadays it is called a wide, and if you happen to play it, it becomes a legal delivery.

RetroLive

Braves manager Brian Snitker will be moving into an advisory role in the front office and will not manage the club moving forward, the franchise announced on Wednesday morning.

"The Atlanta Braves and Brian Snitker today announced that the long-time manager will transition into an advisory role within the organization for the 2026 season, and will be inducted into the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame prior to a game next year. …He exits his managerial post with the third-most wins by any skipper in the history of the franchise. Snitker completed his 49th season in the Braves organization in 2025, and his ninth full campaign as the Braves manager. [Snitker] joined the organization as a non-drafted free agent in 1977," the release said in part.

Snitker, who turns 70 later this month, just concluded his 10th season as manager after taking over in the middle of the 2016 season, and has gone 811-668 with two 100-plus win seasons and a 2021 World Series title to his resume.

The Braves went 76-86 this season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Pundit Jamie Carragher has switched sides when asked for his favourite Scottish club out of Celtic and Rangers.

A Liverpool legend, Carragher made 737 appearances for the Reds across 17 years and has since been a regular for Sky Sports alongside former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville.

As a player, Carragher won numerous domestic cup competitions but never lifted the Premier League title. In Europe, the defender won the UEFA Cup in 2001 and the Champions League in 2005, featuring in the historic final against AC Milan in Istanbul.

Interestingly, the former Reds defender never played against Rangers in his career but did feature on three occasions against Celtic.

In 1997/98, Carragher was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw at Celtic Park in the UEFA Cup First Round first leg. In the return fixture, Carragher started as the Reds qualified on away goals with a 0-0 draw at Anfield.

When the two sides met again in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2002/03, Carragher played every minute of action as the Hoops famously won 3-1 on aggregate.

Martin O’Neill’s side would go on to reach the final at the Estadio Olimpico in a historic European run before losing to Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto 3-2 in extra time.

Carragher chooses between Celtic and Rangers

Players and managers who aren’t associated with either Celtic or Rangers are often asked who they prefer, and Carragher is no different.

Sir Alex Ferguson chooses between Celtic and Rangers for best stadium atmosphere

The iconic manager grew up supporting the Gers.

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By
Charlie Smith

Aug 17, 2025

Talking on American network CBS Sports as he covered the Champions League in 2024, Carragher was asked to pick out of Celtic and Rangers by fellow pundit Micah Richards. The former England defender simply said:

However, back in 2020, Carragher was asked the same question on an Instagram Q&A, and replied at the time: “Right now it’s Rangers because of Steven Gerrard but as soon as Steven leaves it’ll be Celtic.”

Steven Gerrard, a long-term teammate of Carragher’s at Anfield, left his role as Rangers manager back in 2021, which has resulted in Carragher swapping back to green and white.

Winning the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox, Gerrard had a successful spell in charge of the Gers but departed for Aston Villa.

His stint in charge at Villa Park wasn’t as positive as he’d have hoped, which led to Gerrard moving to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq until 2025.