Stats highlights from fourth day’s play at Old Trafford where England sealed a huge win against Pakistan to draw level in the series.

Shiva Jayaraman25-Jul-2016330 Runs by which England won this Test – their second-biggest win by margin of runs against Pakistan. Their record margin against the visitors came at Trent Bridge, in 2010, when they won by 354 runs. This is also the second-biggest win for a team, by runs, at Old Trafford. The hosts had lost to West Indies in 1976 by 425 runs, which is the biggest at this venue.289 Wickets taken by Glenn McGrath in Tests in Australia, which were the previous most taken by a fast bowler at home. James Anderson passed this tally with the dismissal of Azhar Ali in Pakistan’s second innings. Anderson has now taken 291 wickets at an average of 25.51 in Tests in England. Click here for a list of bowlers who have taken the most wickets in Tests at home.325 Runs scored by Joe Root in this Test – the fifth-highest by an England batsman in a Test and the second-highest ever by an England batsman in the last 50 years. Graham Gooch’s 456 runs against India in the 1990 Lord’s Test remains the record.6 Number of Man-of-the-match awards won by Joe Root. Among England players, only Ian Botham had won more such awards by the age of 26. Botham won nine such awards before he turned 27. Stuart Broad is third on this list with five such awards before turning 27. Click here for a list of most Man-of-the-match awards won by England players.24.50 Chris Woakes’ bowling strike-rate in this series – the best for any England bowler to take at least 15 wickets in a series in Tests since 1950. Overall, in this period, there have been only seven other instances in which a bowler from any team with at least 15 wickets in a series has struck more frequently. Woakes’ 18 wickets are also the joint-most wickets taken by an England bowler in the first two Tests of a series in the last fifty years. Ashley Giles took 18 wickets in the first two Tests of the series against West Indies in 2004. James Anderson also took 18 wickets in the first two Tests of England’s previous series, against Sri Lanka.Only once have England beaten Pakistan by a bigger margin in Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd540 Runs scored by England’s top three batsmen in this Test – the fourth-highest they have made in a Test. While Alastair Cook added 181 to Root’s 325 runs, Alex Hales contributed 34. The highest England’s top three have made in a match came at Lord’s in 1990 against India, when Gooch alone contributed 456 runs to the tally of 608 by the top three.13 Number of times Cook has made two fifty-plus scores in a Test. Cook followed up his first-innings century with an unbeaten 76 in England’s second innings. Only Ricky Ponting (15) and Jacques Kallis (14) have made two fifty-plus scores on more occasions. Kumar Sangakkara is next in this list with 12 such instances.1 Number of higher fourth-innings targets that Pakistan have been set in Tests than the one set by England in this match. West Indies had set a target of 573 runs for them in the Bridgetown Test in 2005, which remains the highest. The 565-run target is also the fifth highest ever set by England.266 Runs conceded by Yasir Shah in this match – the third highest by a bowler with one or no wickets in a Test. Australia’s Chuck Fleetwood-Smith conceded 298 runs for one wicket at The Oval in the Ashes Test in 1938. Relatively recently, India’s Rajesh Chauhan conceded 276 runs in exchange for one wicket, against Sri Lanka in 1997.21 Tests won by Cook as captain – the third-highest by an England captain. He passed Peter May’s 20 Test wins with this latest win against Pakistan. Only Michael Vaughan (26) and Andrew Strauss (24) have won more Tests as captain of England.2001 The last time England were beaten in a Test at Old Trafford, which was against the current visitors Pakistan. Since then, however, they have remained unbeaten in ten Tests at this venue and won eight of them. In Tests since 2002, only Australia’s 11-0 record at the Gabba is better than England’s at Old Trafford. This win for England’s is their first in eight Tests against Pakistan. They had previously won at Lord’s in 2010 by an innings and 225 runs.

David Moyes led Everton to their second consecutive Premier League win, having beaten Tottenham last week 3-2 at Goodison Park, and now beating Brighton 1-0 at the Amex Stadium.

A goal from the spot for Iliman Ndiaye secured all three points for the Toffees, taking them seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Despite having just 31% possession in the game, Everton manufactured the only big chance, taking three shots and scoring their one goal to give them the advantage. Brighton had 69% of the ball, took 16 shots in the game, but only generated 0.73 xG.

Ndiaye has been the shining light for Everton this season, signing from Marseille in the summer for a fee of around £16.9m, making 25 appearances so far, scoring seven goals and totalling 2,027 minutes played.

The Senegal international could use some help, however, and Everton could give him and Moyes that during this window.

Everton targeting Premier League midfielder

According to reports from The Guardian, Everton are interested in a loan move for Chelsea attacking midfielder, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who despite joining the Blues this summer for around £30m, has struggled for minutes this season.

In order to make a deal happen though, Chelsea would have to take Armando Broja back from Everton, which the Blues are reluctant to do without compensation from the Toffees.

Dewsbury-Hall – who is on Moyes’ personal wishlist – has made 16 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions this season, scoring two goals, providing two assists and totalling 934 minutes.

The 26-year-old could prove to be an astute move for Everton, giving him the platform to perform again and prove himself.

Why Dewsbury-Hall would be a good signing for Everton

Often playing in attacking midfield for Everton this season has been Abdoulaye Doucoure, who has made 22 appearances. That said, his lack of impact in the final third has been rather apparent having scored just one goal and provided no assists.

Whilst the 32-year-old is in there to be a duel-winning presence, the Toffees have lacked creativity behind the striker apart from Ndiaye, and a change here could help Moyes in the second half of the season.

An addition such as Dewsbury-Hall could allow Everton to keep their off-ball principles, as the midfielder has already been labelled “industrious” by his ex-boss, Brendan Rogers, whilst also adding some extra attacking threat and creativity to the front line.

When comparing the two players’ metrics this season, you can see Doucoure only ranks above Dewsbury-Hall for tackles and interceptions. That being said, Dewsbury-Hall still averages 1.50 per 90 for this metric, which is still strong for an attacking midfielder.

However, alongside this, he also brings extra creativity, making 1.33 key passes and averaging two shot-creating actions per 90. Not only this, but he is also capable in the build-up, dropping deep to help progress play via passing and carries, also arriving in the box to provide the team with output, showing how well-rounded he is as a midfielder.

As a result of this, signing Dewsbury-Hall would allow Moyes to plug a hard-working attacking midfielder into the system, gaining other attributes around him and bringing more dynamism to the side. In turn, this could help star man Ndiaye become even more menacing in the final third.

Moyes' next Arteta: Everton plotting move for exciting £15m talent

Everton are looking to strengthen David Moyes’ squad this winter.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jan 23, 2025

Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant has told Football FanCast he believes there are three Premier League players who would be capable of replacing Andy Robertson.

Robertson struggling this season

Robertson has received his fair share of criticism this season, having not managed to reach his usual high standards, and there were even calls for the Scottish left-back to be replaced during the January transfer window.

Jamie Carragher urged Arne Slot to bring in a new left-back, with the 30-year-old club “legend” said to be “hanging on in every game”, and there has been no major turnaround in form over the past couple of months.

The Reds have been assessing potential targets for the summer, and they have identified a number of options from abroad, with Slot said to admire Girona’s Miguel Gutierrez, while Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies was also of interest prior to the Canadian signing a new contract.

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However, speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Pennant has stated he believes there are also three Premier League left-backs who could replace Robertson in the summer.

When asked where Liverpool need to strengthen in the summer, Pennant said:“This is probably one of the most important spots that Liverpool need to fill in and that’s left back.

“No disrespect to Andy Robertson, absolutely fantastic player, fantastic servant to the club, a left-back legend, probably one of the best left-backs Liverpool have ever had.

“But I think now he’s coming to the end of the tether, still can be a great Liverpool player and part of the team, but to be a top left-back at the moment, he’s coming to the end of that cliff.

“Out there now to replace him, Kerkez from Bournemouth, Robinson from Fulham or even the likes of Ait-Nouri from Wolves, he had a good game (on Sunday) and I think he’d suit Liverpool well.”

Slot must sign a replacement this summer

A good case can be made for all three of the players suggested by Pennant, with the trio perhaps like-for-like replacements in many ways due to their ability going forward.

Kerkez has picked up two goals and three assists in the Premier League this season, while Robinson has ten assists in 25 games, having emerged as one of Fulham’s best players, and Rayan Ait-Nouri has been a shining light in a poor Wolves side.

Robertson is no doubt a Liverpool legend, having helped the Reds win almost every major honour at club level, but there is no denying his performances have gone downhill, averaging his lowest average match rating in the Premier League since arriving at Anfield.

Season

Robertson Whoscored rating

2017-18

7.02 per game

2018-19

7.12 per game

2019-20

7.11 per game

2020-21

6.88 per game

2021-22

7.23 per game

2022-23

6.78 per game

2023-24

7.12 per game

2024-25

6.63 per game

The Scotland international has insisted he has what it takes to fight for his place, regardless of who Slot brings in this summer, but until then he still has an important role to play in helping the Merseyside club win a 20th English league title.

James Anderson admits that England fell short of the standards they set for themselves, as doubts about the consistency of the Test team surfaced again

Alan Gardner at Headingley26-Aug-2017England went into the second Investec Test hoping to confirm they had shaken off the up-and-down form that has held them back over the last couple of years. After two days at Headingley, however, it was clear that their capacity for inconsistency had struck again, with James Anderson admitting that the players had not lived up to “the standard we set ourselves”.On the back of resilient hundreds from Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope, West Indies had built a 71-run lead over England by the close, with five wickets still in hand. Not only do England have plenty of work to do if they are to turn this match around, their ongoing fragility is becoming a cause for concern as the winter’s Ashes commitments in Australia edge closer.”As a team we know we have got to play a lot better than we have over the first two days. This is not the standard we set ourselves,” Anderson said. “From this Test team’s point of view, we have created a lot of good things over the last few months, played some really good cricket and I don’t think this last couple of days is a fair reflection of where we are.”I thought we had started to resolve that [problem], with the two wins against South Africa and then winning the first Test here. We are still evolving as a side, trying to improve and ironing out those inconsistencies is a really big thing for this team going forward.”Obviously, we have got a big tour of Australia coming up in the winter, and we really need to turn things round. We can’t go over there, be inconsistent, and expect to win a series – or any series, to be honest.”The partnership between Brathwaite and Hope was the most substantial against England this summer and it gave Joe Root plenty to ponder in his sixth Test as captain – and first on his home ground. Headingley twice rose to give generous applause to the West Indies centurions but there was less to be happy about from an England perspective, certainly after a morning session in which Anderson gave the opposition a thorough frisking under cloudy skies.Ben Stokes endured a frustrating morning•Getty ImagesAnderson’s initial burst of 6-3-5-2 was identical to his foray on Friday evening, other than it yielded an extra wicket. But while Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes saw edges fall short of the cordon and Brathwaite twice overturned lbw decisions given on the field – against Broad and Moeen Ali – the fourth-wicket pair refused to buckle.While Anderson praised Brathwaite and Hope for their application – something he said England could learn from in their second innings – he was clear that the bowlers had not been up to the mark as conditions for batting eased.”It was really helpful conditions this morning, cloud cover and the floodlights on,” he said. “But when the sun came out, the pitch seemed a lot slower, it seemed easier to bat and didn’t do as much, and they batted very well. We didn’t bowl very well.”We didn’t bowl enough balls in the right area. You have still got to create pressure even if you are bowling on a pitch with life in it, and we didn’t do it often enough.”We talk a lot about bowling in partnerships and we didn’t do that as well as we could have done. There was always a release. If someone was bowling well from one end there was always a release at the other end. We bowled quite a lot of bad balls and that’s something we don’t usually do.”They played the conditions very well, got through the tough period and as the day went on they cashed in. Our batsmen could have learned from the way they applied themselves.”Having plugged away with a fairly orthodox seam attack during the morning, Root tinkered with his options as the day wore on. Ben Stokes went on a short-ball offensive during an energetic spell of eight overs from the Kirkstall Lane End, with a leg slip and two men back, during which he hit Hope on the helmet; Anderson made a rare switch to round the wicket against the right-handed Brathwaite, to no avail.During the afternoon session, while England experimented with a leg-side trap for Hope, he edged Broad through a gap in the slips. Root had been standing at silly mid-on but shuffled back into the cordon a few balls later.Getting funky in the field had not worked and there was perhaps a lingering question over selection, too. Before the Test, England couched the decision to bring Woakes back ahead of Toby Roland-Jones as one of picking their strongest XI. On the form he was in – and bearing in mind Woakes has only played one other first-class game in 2017, due to injury and his involvement at the IPL – Roland-Jones may have felt he had valid reason to quibble. While Woakes began well, finding swing and beating the bat regularly, he appeared to be down on pace: his average speed fell below even Anderson’s over the course of the day.After several stellar performances with the ball this summer, Moeen was not quite as effective in a holding role. He only bowled four overs out of the first 52, despite almost taking a wicket with his fourth ball and seeing Hope edge on the bounce to slip with the last delivery before lunch. When Hope turned a sharp chance to short leg on 72, the ball hit Mark Stoneman on the body and went to ground.Root was not tempted to bowl himself, though Tom Westley’s offbreaks were given their first airing in Tests; in keeping with England’s day, when he did find the outside edge of Hope’s bat, it again fell short of slip.There were also shortcomings with their application of the DRS, as three hopeful reviews were knocked back, but if it appeared that England’s bad juju at Headingley – they have lost four of their last seven Tests on the ground – may be about to manifest itself again, Anderson was not about to concede matters. He suggested that if they could keep West Indies’ first-innings advantage below 150, England would still be in the game.”We have played many games in which we have had a first-innings deficit and turned things round,” he said. “Obviously, we don’t want to be in this position but we have the character, we know we have to bat a lot better in the second innings, and there is still a lot of work to do in the morning.”Anything over 150 would be a tough ask to try to turn it around, and give ourselves something to bowl at in the second innings. So restricting them to anything under that and we are still in the game.”England’s mounting frustrations after their initial success had been evident early on, when Broad turned and scuffed the turf after changing to the Football Stand End only to see his first ball cut for four by Brathwaite. Although he eventually removed the opener with the second new ball, the sight of Jermaine Blackwood slapping a Moeen half-tracker to the rope to signal the close pretty much summed up England’s day in the dirt.

After turning down Arsenal’s shock late bid to sign Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa are now reportedly facing a fresh fight to keep hold of another one of Unai Emery’s top talents.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans came out of the January transfer window on the winning side. Despite losing Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in a big-money move, Emery was able to welcome as many as five fresh faces in the form of Donyell Malen, Andres Garcia, Marcus Rashford, Axel Disasi and Marco Asensio.

Rashford and Asensio are particularly exciting additions given their pedigree at the top of European football and represent just how far Aston Villa have come in recent years. From relegation troubles, those in the Midlands have just won the race to sign a serial Champions League winner in Asensio.

On the exit front, things could have been far worse for the Villans too following Arsenal’s reported bid to sign Watkins, which was turned down and left those at Villa Park furious late in the window.

That fury doesn’t seem to have scared the Gunners off, however. According to Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are now plotting a move to sign Jacob Ramsey this summer to hand Aston Villa a fresh battle to keep hold of a key man.

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He’s a man in demand…

ByTom Cunningham Feb 6, 2025

Whilst injuries have held the midfielder back at times, he remains a talented academy graduate and someone that Villa should look to keep, especially amid interest from a top four rival and a club they weren’t best pleased with not so long ago.

"Terrific" Ramsey still important at Aston Villa

Still just 23 years old, early injury concerns throughout his career should not stand in the way of Ramsey’s clear talent. After missing almost the entirety of December, the academy graduate has bounced back and even broke his goalscoring drought in a recent draw against West Ham United. Now, if he can remain fit, Ramsey could become a key man under Emery as the fixtures come thick and fast.

Of course, it wasn’t so long ago that Premier League legend Steven Gerrard was full of praise for Ramsey, with the former Villa manager telling reporters in 2022: “He’s not following in anyone’s footsteps. Jacob Ramsey is Jacob Ramsey. He will be a terrific player. It won’t be long before the whole country is watching him I’m sure. He is right up there, let me tell you.”

It’s a level that the 23-year-old will want to get back to and should want to do so at his boyhood club rather than at Premier League rivals Arsenal. Whether those in the Midlands can win another battle against the Gunners on the transfer front remains to be seen, but it certainly looks likely to be an interesting summer window.

The first Test has not produced great drama over its first three days, but it has given both South Africa and Bangladesh reasons to feel good about themselves

Firdose Moonda30-Sep-2017It may not look like it but there is a lot to get excited about in Potchefstroom, whether you’re South African or Bangladeshi. Though the first Test is hardly the stuff great dramas are made of, it is providing both sides with positives mostly because of the pitch. Yes, it’s placid. No, it’s not deteriorating. But still, it is serving as a stage to satisfy some demands, even though the hosts would not originally have thought it would.Pre-match, Faf du Plessis admitted South Africa requested something with some pace and bounce. That’s a tough ask here, where it is traditionally flat, made tougher by the fact that it’s the early season and there wouldn’t have been much rain. In hindsight, South Africa shouldn’t be too displeased. Though their hearts may be telling them to make it as green and mean against subcontinental sides as possible, their heads know it is not always sensible.South Africa’s batting has been their weakness in the last year and they don’t want to subject themselves to the same torrid conditions as they try to rebuild. A pitch like this would have helped their batsmen gain confidence they will need later in the summer, when India arrive and they may have to bat on spicier surfaces.Aiden Markram got an easing into international cricket, Dean Elgar took the leap into the newly established elite in the country, Hashim Amla became Hashim Amla again and though Temba Bavuma and Faf du Plessis did not have enough time and Quinton de Kock did not even get the chance to bat (yet), suddenly things look a lot more solid than they did two months ago. And unless something completely unexpected happens in the next two days, they are likely to win the match.But Bangladesh also win. Their 320 was their highest in South Africa by some distance, and only six short of their highest-ever score against South Africa. The only other time they have managed over 250 was the first time they played here, following on in the second-innings in East London in 2002. That pitch was flat; this one may be flatter.The surface should not take away from the way Bangladesh approached their innings. The marked difference from the Bangladesh now and the Bangladesh that South Africans may have in their memory from 2008 is that the class of 2017 is confident and attacking. They believe in their abilities and they’re not afraid to say it – Sabbir Rahman confidently said even if South Africa scored 1,000 runs Bangladesh would back themselves to get it – or to show it. Against the short ball, Mominul Haque, the new holder of the highest score by a Bangladesh batsman in South Africa – took on the short ball. That alone should say how much Bangladesh have changed.In the four Tests, Bangladesh have played in South Africa before this tour, they have lost all by an innings. They might lose this match as well but not by that much of a margin.Perhaps South Africa shouldn’t really be surprised. The last time they saw Bangladesh in whites, just over two years ago, Bangladesh took a first-innings lead in the first Test and were performing impressively in the second. Since then, Bangladesh have beaten England and Australia at home, scored over 500 against New Zealand in Wellington, were competitive in patches in India and won a Test in Sri Lanka. They wanted this tour to illustrate that they could transfer that overseas. The early evidence is that they are succeeding, to some degree, especially when it comes to their mental approach.Rather than enjoy all the things mentioned above, Bangladesh are understandably upset with themselves for not doing more. “I don’t think we are happy scoring just 300 runs in this type of wicket,” Mominul said. “They got almost 500 runs so we should have scored at least 400, or even closer to their total. I don’t think anyone is happy with this score.”Mominul was also not entirely happy with his own score, not because he was eyeing a century but because he may have something of a point to prove. He was dropped for the Australia series and a public outcry resulted in him being recalled within 24 hours. This is first significant score since and while he has not changed much about his batting style, he has changed his mindset. “I don’t think I changed my batting style. I changed my mentality. In these situations, if you get stuck in your mentality, you will suffer. If you have to survive in this level, you have to be mentally strong,” he said.Collectively, the whole Bangladesh side has become stronger. For now, it may not make for the most intriguing cricket but it is an important stage in their continued evolution as a Test team and that is a small victory.

The South African ace has frequently been forced to score tough runs in recent times, through injury or circumstances. Against Daredevils, he seemed to shed all that weight off his shoulders

Nikhil Kalro22-Apr-2018In January 2017, AB de Villiers said he “felt like the world is on top of my shoulders”. An elbow injury and a focus on prioritising his limited-overs career forced him to take a break from Tests for the most of 2017. This was about the time he was seen as a fading threat. Through a combination of his health, a transitioning South African team and a sub-par IPL season – he scored 216 runs in nine games – in 2017, de Villiers was shackled.Frequently forced to score tough runs, de Villiers has had to embrace a new role recently: not to sweep fast bowlers or hit 31-ball ODI hundreds, but to primarily rebuild faltering innings. For a spectator, it seemed the quality was there but the fun had gone away from de Villiers’ batting.In the recently-concluded series against Australia, bowlers attempted to throw de Villiers’ rhythm off by sledging. Then Nathan Lyon dropped a ball near him after he was run out in Durban. Australia won that match by 118 runs. De Villiers responded with one of his finest Test innings ever, an unbeaten 126 in Port Elizabeth that turned that series around.Still, there was no freedom. There was a 23-ball 44 against Kolkata Knight Riders in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s first game of the season. There was also a 40-ball 57, another innings of tough, scrappy runs against Kings XI Punjab. But finally there was a complete release against Delhi Daredevils in Bengaluru on Saturday.Batting with the knowledge that there was Virat Kohli as a failsafe at the other end, de Villiers’ batting was fun again: sweeping spinners into gaps early in his innings, hitting sixes onto the roof, scooping fast bowlers over fine leg and then improvising forehand swats over cover when he couldn’t sweep quicks bowling over 130 kmph. It was the complete range, the 360-degrees of modern T20 batting, invented by de Villiers himself.Interestingly, it began because he was intimidated. “I felt a bit threatened by the left-arm spinner [Shahbaz Nadeem] because he got a wicket, the ball was gripping a bit in the deck,” de Villiers said in a post-match interview. “I felt I had to apply pressure on him, otherwise he was going to get me out. It was a counterattack in a way.”Much of de Villiers’ batting is down to his hand-eye coordination and his history with other sports, like tennis and rugby. Much more of his batting is down to the speed of his decision-making. Currently, there are few batsmen who make decisions quicker than de Villiers. And, very often, his judgement is right.It’s a case of mind and body being in unison. Such as when he flicked Nadeem between long-on and deep midwicket, aware of a gap in that region and relying on placement instead of power, with a fast outfield. Or when he picked the length of a short ball from Rahul Tewatia, rocked back and pulled a six onto the roof.His reactions to these decisions are also responsible for his superior timing. De Villiers is almost never hurried into a shot he doesn’t want to play. That extra time allows him to get his hands in position to meet the ball when he has to. When he is late, his athleticism bails him out. On Saturday, there were several one-bounce fours from shots he didn’t intend to hit for six.”It’s a matter of seeing the ball well,” de Villiers said. “It doesn’t happen every night, like my last knock in Mumbai. I wasn’t seeing it well. If you pick up that information, the first metre or two, the ball coming out of the hand, you can analyse what’s coming. You have that extra time to make the right decision. Then it comes down to experience, preparation and backing your ability to clear the boundary when that does happen.”De Villiers finished with 90 off 39 balls, while the rest of the batsmen on Saturday scored at an average strike rate of 129. In smart strike-rate terms – ESPNcricinfo’s new metric to make sense of numbers in the shortest format – he struck at 332.52. Mandeep Singh, in a post-match press conference, said it was de Villiers’ best T20 innings ever.Considering several factors around him, as per the smart runs index, de Villiers’ innings was worth 40 more runs, equating to a 39-ball 130. That’s the kind of fun de Villiers likes to have while batting. On Saturday, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders.

Despite the stellar start to his career, Peter Handscomb is quick to dispel the notion that Test cricket is easy for him and readily acknowledges the benefit of playing the first few games at home

Brydon Coverdale in Sydney04-Jan-2017Loudly, and with much fanfare, David Warner created history on the first morning in Sydney by becoming the only man to score a hundred before lunch on the first day of a Test in Australia. His ovation was standing and his celebration electric.Quietly, and with little ceremony, Peter Handscomb created history on the second morning by becoming the only specialist batsman in history to progress through his first six Test innings without being dismissed for less than 50. When he tickled a single to fine leg, his ovation was seated and his celebration muted.By stumps, Handscomb had made his second century, and his Test innings so far make for impressive reading: 54, 1*, 105, 35*, 54, 110. The only others to have gone through six innings without a sub-50 dismissal have been tail-enders whose figures are skewed by not-outs: James Anderson in modern times and Jimmy Blackenberg, a South African of the golden age of cricket.Handscomb also equalled an Australian record set by Herbie Collins in 1920-21 – they are the only two Australians to make a 50-plus score in each of their first four Tests. This is all by way of highlighting that Handscomb has been unflustered at Test level, and his cool head is a welcome addition to the middle order.When later he worked a single through midwicket to bring up a century from his 195th delivery, Handscomb did not sprint and leap or pump his fists. He simply walked a few steps after completing the run, removed his helmet and calmly raised his bat, then received a handshake and a quick pat on the back from his partner Matthew Wade.But if Handscomb’s numbers suggest that he has found Test cricket easy, he is quick to dispel that misconception. He is also well aware that he has entered Test cricket at a good time, on familiar pitches, and that he has had his strokes of luck along the way. The first ball that Handscomb faced in Test cricket was a pearler from Vernon Philander that swung away and whizzed past the outside edge.Handscomb was one of three debutants in that Adelaide Test against South Africa and one, Nic Maddinson, has already been dropped from the side. Unlike Handscomb, Maddinson came in for his first Test innings during the difficult time under lights in the pink-ball Test, and struggled to bounce back from the duck that he made that evening.Peter Handscomb’s footwork – both advancing down the pitch and playing deep in the crease – stifles a bowler’s rhythm•Getty Images”I’ve been very lucky in the way that I’ve come in, in my own conditions, in my own country, I have a good understanding of what was going to be coming at me,” Handscomb said. “Also, in Shield cricket, the wickets aren’t as good as they are in Test cricket, so you take that next step you’re getting flatter wickets as well, which is awesome from a batting point of view. Had I debuted somewhere else it might have been a different story.”It is a game where timing is almost everything and to throw a cliché in there, it’s a game of millimetres. I nick that first ball off Philander in Adelaide, I’m out for a golden duck in my first Test. What could have been? It hasn’t, which has been really lucky for me, I’ve just been happy to have taken those chances and made the scores that I have.”A far greater challenge for Handscomb will come when Australia embark on a four-Test tour of India next month, although the early signs for his ability to handle spin are encouraging. In his Sydney century, Handscomb scored 38 off 56 balls that he faced against Yasir Shah, and his footwork – both advancing down the pitch and moving back deep in his crease – keeps the bowler from developing a rhythm.Against the fast men, Handscomb bats so deep in his crease that he appears a prime candidate for a hit-wicket dismissal, and in fact that was how his innings ended here, when he played back against Wahab Riaz and dislodged the leg bail. However, it was the first time in 183 innings at first-class, List A and Twenty20 level that Handscomb had been out hit wicket.”I heard something as I played the shot, I didn’t actually feel anything on my bat, but when I turned around and saw the bail dislodged I was a little bit worried that I had hit it,” he said. “First time, even though I bat so deep, so there you go.”Handscomb was on 110 at the time, and he finished the day with 304 runs at 101.33 in this series. Pakistan’s coach, Mickey Arthur, said Handscomb was the kind of batsman who made bowlers feel they had a chance, yet the Pakistan bowlers were yet to emerge victorious from a battle with him.”It’s an interesting technique, but it’s one that he seems very confident with, it’s one that he plays very well with,” Arthur said. “He hits the ball very late, he hits the ball under his eyes. You always feel you’ve got a chance coming around the wicket at him, but he generally scores very well through the leg side. We’ve tried all sorts. We’ve analysed him to the nth degree and he just keeps coming up trumps.”

The last time Australia toured South Africa, Dale Steyn’s old-ball skills decided the second Test in Port Elizabeth. Similarly slow and abrasive conditions can be expected this time around, but it is the visitors who now have the best exponents of reverse

Daniel Brettig in Durban06-Mar-2018Mitchell Starc’s reverse-swing will likely remain the most potent bowling weapon on either side in Port Elizabeth, as Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann declared he had no problem with seeing the ball reverse inside 20 overs on a slow and abrasive surface in Durban.Debates over how reverse-swing had been obtained and whether it was done legally had dominated the previous Australian visit to South Africa in 2014. They resulted in a fine for David Warner for accusing AB de Villiers of roughing up the ball with his wicketkeeping gloves to help Dale Steyn bend the ball dangerously in a Proteas win at St George’s Park, the same venue for the second Test this time around.Another slow, low and abrasive surface is expected to help rough the ball up ideally for the form of bowling that comes most naturally to the left-armer Starc, and Lehmann said the spectacle of the late-swerving ball was one of the most arresting sights in Test cricket. “I expect it to happen again,” said Lehmann, who is also a member of the ICC’s cricket committee. “Both sides are very good exponents of it. Very rarely do you see it happen day one, first session. That means the wicket is really dry.”Obviously, there are techniques used by both sides to get the ball reverse and that’s just the way the game goes. I have no problems with it, simple. You’d have to ask the umpires and ICC about that one [whether it is legal]. I don’t mind the ball moving, I have no problems with it at all.”It makes great viewing as a fan of the game. It’s challenging for batters and challenging for bowlers to get it in the right position. If you don’t get it in the right position, you saw [on day four] we didn’t bowl very well for about two or three hours. It reversed and we couldn’t get it right. They scored very heavily, so you’ve still got to bowl well.”Throughout his career, Starc has worked assiduously on maintaining an upright wrist position behind the ball to encourage conventional swing with the new ball – with devastating effect when he can get it right – but has always had the fallback of reversing the ball with a lower arm from around the wicket to right-hand batsmen.At Kingsmead in Durban he was able to use this part of his game to shattering effect, taking three wickets in eight balls to help round up South Africa’s last five first-innings wickets for 12, and then three wickets in a single over in the second innings to hasten the end of the match after Aiden Markram’s admirable resistance.

“Reverse swing is a more natural wrist position for me – it tends to be in the position I get when I get quite lazy and tired at the crease.”Mitchell Starc

“The reversing ball is going all right this season,” Starc told . “There’s may be a little bit of work to do with the new ball and getting a few more early wickets. As a bowling unit, we’ve done really well. It’s nice to put a few in the right spot. To finish off a Test match like that over four and a bit days was pretty pleasing for the group.”I’ve done it for a while now so I don’t find it too difficult. [Reverse swing] is a more natural wrist position for me – it tends to be in the position I get when I get quite lazy and tired at the crease. When it is reversing, it’s pretty natural for me. It’s more trying to keep it [wrist] upright when the ball is new and trying to swing it naturally. It [cleaning up the tail] is a good habit to have, hopefully it continues for another three Test matches.”One advantage for the Australians at present is that while the South Africans lack Steyn’s reverse-swing expertise – thus leaning heavily on Kagiso Rabada to provide that option – the Australians have three pacemen all adept at reversing the ball, largely due to their background in New South Wales, where many of the pitches are slow and abrasive.In addition to this, the allround option provided by Mitchell Marsh allows Steven Smith to bring a different bowler into play, and with some help from Tim Paine up to the stumps he was able to secure Markram’s wicket on day four – arguably the most vital of the whole match.”He’s been fantastic, hasn’t he? He played really well this game,” Lehmann said of Marsh. “He got the key wicket yesterday for us, obviously a great catch from Paine. You need that, especially if you’re going to play on wickets that reverse. We think Port Elizabeth will be very similar, it was last time. I think that will be the opposite the last two Test matches. You need that extra firepower in a four-Test series when it’s so close together.”He’s worked really hard, we saw a lot in his ability early on to give him a really good run at it. He looks more relaxed at the crease as a batsman. He believes he belongs, that’s the biggest thing in Test match cricket, to believe you belong at the level. and I thought he played beautifully. He looks more relaxed, ready to go and play a brand of cricket that’s going to change games when you need to.”Given the back-to-back schedule of the first two Tests, Lehmann said it was significant that the Australian attack only had to deliver 152 overs against South Africa’s 185. “They keep getting 20 wickets and that’s what you need to do to win games of cricket. For us, to get 20 here, especially away from home, I was very pleased with the way they went about it,” he said.”They didn’t bowl a heap of overs as such, half a day and a day. That’s good leading into a short turnaround.” espn.in

Abdul Qadir talks about the art of legspin, his one frustrating tour of Australia, and how he thrived as a spinner in an era of fast bowlers

Interview by Umar Farooq11-Dec-2016Your Australia tour wasn’t as successful as your overall Test career. What do you recall of the Test series from 1983?
I had just one tour to Australia, and I can safely say it was a failure for me. There are many reasons for that.One of them was the sandy outfields in all the Australian grounds. I used to apply dry mud from the outfield to my fingers and use saliva to tighten my grip on the ball. But due to the sandy soil, I wasn’t able to grip it. I didn’t find that out until my last Test. I was actually never in control with the ball. It was really very frustrating, and my entire tour was a chaotic one.I took five wickets at the MCG, but there’s a background involved. I was surprised, frustrated and worried about my bowling and was always thinking about it. One day, just to clear my mind, refresh my thoughts, I went to the dance floor in my hotel in Melbourne. I was standing next to a pillar, lost in my thoughts, when someone came up behind me and covered my eyes. I thought it was Immy [Imran Khan] – no other Pakistan player would dare to do that to me – but then I realised it was the great Dennis Lillee.He’s a charming man with beautiful thoughts. He said to me: “Abdul, I can understand what you are feeling. A bowler like you when you are not performing, how it feels. You looked depressed to me, and why not, when a great bowler is not performing, he must be upset. I have gone through this as well. You are still a great bowler and we admire you.”I was touched because a bowler like Lillee was praising me regardless of the fact that I was bowling badly all tour. This really lifted my spirits and I went on to take five wickets.You conceded 166 runs for those five wickets.
Yes, the problem was still there. I wasn’t really up to my own standard. It was like Yasir Shah or Danish Kaneria, not Qadir at his best. I remained dissatisfied despite the crowd standing on their feet and clapping for my fifer. I looked happy but I was hollow inside.Also, maybe I was missing bowling with Imran. We had such a great time bowling together. I had a good bunch of bowlers [in that series], but it didn’t go well.Commentators like Bill Lawry, Ashley Mallett and Clarrie Grimmett were arguing that I should be bowling from over the wicket, but my problem was the grip. I didn’t bother which side I was bowling from. The main worry was that I was wasting my deliveries, as I was not able to concentrate.Because Qadir was a bowler with killer instincts, I would have gone all out for the kill. But something was missing.I spoke to Nazar Junior [Mudassar Nazar] about the problem with the mud not staying on my fingers. I actually used to spin the ball with my last three fingers, but the ball wasn’t gripping. Nazar told me that the outfield was made of sand. When I realised the problem, the series was over.In the ODI series, I used the soil and made it wet with saliva, and I made the headlines after that – “Abdul takes revenge”. I still have those newspaper clippings with me.

“In an era of fast bowlers, I took more than 200 wickets as a spinner. Other spinners came, got hammered and faded away, but I hung around and did well”

So legspin in Australia is all about how you grip the ball?
In my case it was.Why do you think you were so popular in Australia?
Australians are naturally aggressive cricketers and they have always had a great regard for the art [of legspin]. They always came to me and told me that one thing they liked about me was that I was a spin bowler with the attitude of a fast bowler.See, in cricket legspin is the most difficult art because the mechanics involved in it aren’t easy to master. I am satisfied with my overall career – in an era of fast bowlers, I took more than 200 wickets as a spinner. Other spinners came, got hammered and faded away, but I hung around and did well in that era.You returned to Australia to play club cricket. What was your experience?
Oh yes, it was a learning curve for me. Only by the end of that ’83 tour had I realised how to bowl in those conditions, but I never returned to Australia for Pakistan again. I did return some eight years after the ’83 tour to play club cricket in Melbourne for Carlton. Being older and much more experienced, I managed to take 72 wickets and won the Ryder Medal at a time when Shane Warne was also playing. I don’t remember, but I think it was a record and it earned great praise.Richie Benaud always rated you highly. Did you ever get a chance to meet him?
He came to Lahore once and we had a chat for two or three hours sitting in the Holiday Inn hotel. He asked a lot of questions, and we had a long discussion on how many types of deliveries a legspinner can bowl. We were surprised that I had more ways of delivering and spinning the ball, while he, despite being a legendary spinner, knew only a few, traditional ways of doing legspin bowling.I told him that, unlike other legspinners, I used my last three fingers, with the middle finger generating most power. I would use a combination of my last three fingers in such a way as to manage the workload of my fingers. I used to flick with my middle finger to make the ball turn, and would hide the ball from the batsman to prevent him from reading it early. The index and ring fingers were my triggers for the googly, and that was the main art.Benaud appreciated me and praised me, and I was humbled that I had won his praise. You can’t bullshit with a guy like Richie. He was a legend and his knowledge of the game was immense. We both walked away with more respect for each other. I am glad that I was able to add something to his knowledge.”Many bowlers have come to me [for advice] – Shane, Kumble, Afridi, MacGill – but it is up to them to give credit if they are willing to”•AFPCaptaincy didn’t sit well with you?
I played in an era with Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, so I never even thought about the captaincy. But it did fall in my lap when Javed got injured. So I was lucky to have got it somehow, and the matches I lost as captain were close ones. I can also tell you that I was offered the captaincy in the presence of Javed Miandad, but I refused. I told Haseeb Ahsan [PCB secretary at the time] that I wouldn’t accept the offer. I stood by that principle and never accepted the captaincy, except for that one series when Javed was injured. He was my captain at HBL and it wouldn’t have been proper to promote me while bypassing him.What do you think of Yasir Shah’s progress?
He is a good bowler and he was always in our plans when I was chief selector in 2009. He was among 20 players I had told the PCB to keep an eye on and select as soon as possible. But, without a googly and a flipper, a legbreak bowler will struggle at some point, and I have seen his form fluctuating. I think he tries to bowl the googly but it goes too flat. For his flipper, he might not really be gripping the ball well.Has he ever come to you to talk about his bowling?
No, never. And I am not surprised at all. Because he probably sees Shane Warne as his idol and he is more tempted to approach him []. There were so many bowlers who came to me, and that is the blessing of Allah. Shane, Kumble, Afridi, MacGill [all approached me] but it is up to them to give back the credit if they are willing to.Mushtaq [Ahmed] replaced me in the team in the early ’90s and – you can ask him – he came to me and I told him why I had struggled in Australia and what he needed to do to get wickets there. He was really good, bowling long spells and had good control over his line and length. He needed to bring variation in his bowling, but I liked his spirit and ambition. He was very positive about the game.