The legspinner will miss the remainder of England’s tour after landing heavily in the field

ESPNcricinfo staffUpdated on 02-Apr-2024

England legspinner Sarah Glenn has been released from the ODI squad for the remainder of their tour of New Zealand after suffering a concussion during the T20I leg.Glenn picked up the concussion when she landed heavily after dropping a catch in the third T20I in Nelson. She did not immediately leave the field and came on to bowl the next over but then went off. At the change of innings she was subbed out for Holly Armitage.Glenn missed the final two T20Is of England’s 4-1 series win, and could only have been available for the third and final ODI in Hamilton on April 7 after following the ECB Graded Return to Play Protocols.Now, however, it has been confirmed that she will return home early, after it was decided that she would not be fit to feature at any stage of the series. No replacement has been called up.England were able to replace Glenn with leading spinner Sophie Ecclestone in Wellington after the players who had featured in the WPL became available. Alongside Ecclestone, that included Danni Wyatt, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Alice Capsey, who all played the fourth T20I which saw England wrap up the series with a commanding 47-run victory.Offspinner Charlie Dean claimed four wickets in the fourth T20I, and followed that with an impressive allround display in the first ODI in Wellington, where she and Amy Jones combined in an unbeaten 130-run stand for the seventh wicket to seal a tight four-wicket win.When everyone is available England could field a strong spin attack of Dean, Ecclestone and Glenn, supplemented by captain Heather Knight, which bodes well for their prospects at the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.Meanwhile, New Zealand have an injury concern of their own after captain Sophie Devine sustained a quad strain in Wellington which has so far ruled her out of the final T20I and the first ODI as well.This story was updated on April 2, following confirmation of Glenn’s release from England’s squad

“My body won’t allow me to continue bowling fast in red-ball cricket, so I have decided to quit”

Rajan Raj16-Feb-2024Varun Aaron has decided to make Jharkhand’s ongoing Ranji Trophy fixture against Rajasthan his final red-ball game. Aaron, 34, will continue playing white-ball cricket for the time being and will take a call on his future in those formats ahead of the next domestic season. For Jharkhand, who are out of the running for a spot in the quarter-finals, this will be the last game of the Ranji season.Aaron, one of India’s fastest bowlers at his prime, told ESPNcricinfo, “I have been playing red-ball cricket since 2008. Since I bowled fast, I picked up a number of injuries. I understand now that my body won’t allow me to continue bowling fast in red-ball cricket, so I have decided to quit.”This might be my last game in front of my family and the people of Jamshedpur, because we don’t often play white-ball games here [Keenan Stadium]. I had started my career here, so this is quite emotional for me.”He made his first-class debut in 2008 in a Ranji Trophy Plate League game against Jammu and Kashmir at home in Ranchi, and picked up two wickets in each innings. His pace attracted attention, and he soon made his international debut, in an ODI against England at the Wankhede Stadium in 2011. A month later, he made his Test debut too, against West Indies at the same venue.Overall, he played nine Tests (18 wickets at 52.61) and nine ODIs (11 wickets at 38.09) in an India career that ended in 2015. Injuries didn’t help Aaron, as he pointed out, with a series of stress fractures in the back and the legs putting him out of action periodically. In all, he played 65 first-class games, and picked up 168 wickets at 33.74.Internationally, he is perhaps best remembered – especially by Stuart Broad – for the bouncer he bowled to the England allrounder in the Old Trafford Test in 2014, which snuck through the grille of Broad’s helmet and fractured his nose. Not long after, Aaron got a chance to play for Durham in the English county circuit.”Pace is my favourite thing while bowling,” Aaron said. “Whenever I bowl, my only focus is to bowl as fast as I can. But you need to understand your body too.”Aaron, a product of the MRF Pace Foundation, is expected to return there and helm a project that will scout for fast bowlers around the country and work with them to bowl fast.”I am part of a project called ‘Pace bowler talent hunt’ at MRF. We will be working with young fast bowlers from around India,” Aaron said. “Approximately 1500 bowlers have taken part in this. We are travelling around the country looking for talent and 20 boys will be chosen for further training. I am also working at the high-performance centre at MRF. I hope to give India their next fast bowler from these programmes.”

Virat Kohli has pulled out of India’s first two Tests against England for personal reasons, the BCCI said on Monday, adding that a replacement for Kohli would be named soon.”Virat has spoken to captain Rohit Sharma, the team management and the selectors and has emphasized that while representing the country has always been his top priority, certain personal situations demand his presence and undivided attention,” the board said in a statement.Kohli reached Hyderabad, the venue of the first of five Tests, on Sunday, but did not attend India’s optional training session on Monday.Related

• Rajat Patidar added to India Test squad as Kohli's replacement

• Bumrah: Bazball could get me 'heaps of wickets'

• Will India be the next coming of Joe Root, offspinner?

• India's wicked keepers debate: Rahul vs Bharat vs Jurel

• Harry Brook pulls out of England tour of India

Kohli played India’s last Test series – the 1-1 draw in South Africa – and then missed the first T20I at home against Afghanistan for personal reasons before returning for the last two matches of the series.While Kohli was rested for the white-ball games in South Africa, he had returned to India and missed the preparatory three-day intra-squad match ahead of the two Tests there.The BCCI is yet to name a replacement, but the frontrunners include Cheteshwar Pujara, Rajat Patidar, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sarfaraz Khan.Pujara last played for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final last year, but started this year’s Ranji Trophy with an unbeaten double-century against Jharkhand before hitting three scores in the 40s and a half-century in his next two games.Patidar and Sarfaraz both played and impressed for India A against the touring England Lions. Patidar blazed centuries in both the tour game against them and the first unofficial Test, while Sarfaraz scored half-centuries in both games, including 96 in the tour game.Shubman Gill and KL Rahul are among the middle-order batters in the India squad•AFP/Getty Images

Abhimanyu had replaced the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad as India’s reserve opener for the Tests in South Africa and is currently captaining India A.Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill are the other middle-order batters in India’s squad, while KL Rahul is also available to play as a pure batter if needed – Rahul, KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel are the contenders for the wicketkeeper’s spot.Kohli became the second player in as many days to opt out of part or all of the series, after Harry Brook withdrew from the entire tour on Sunday, also because of personal reasons. It is, however, understood that he can rejoin the England touring party on a later date.The five-match series against England will begin in Hyderabad on January 25 and will be part of the WTC. India are currently second on the WTC points table, behind defending champions Australia.

New footage has emerged of Joao Felix training with Al-Nassr, despite still technically being a Chelsea player.

Felix filmed at Al-Nassr training campTransfer from Chelsea not yet confirmedRonaldo among forward's new teammatesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Felix's permanent move to the Saudi Pro League side hasn't actually been formally announced, even though the player has already linked up with his new teammates during their pre-season training camp in Austria.

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After a disastrous second spell at Chelsea morphed into a mid-season loan to AC Milan, Felix was originally thought to be keen on heading back to boyhood team Benfica. But joining Al-Nassr at least comes with an enormous financial incentive that promises to more than double his annual salary to the equivalent of €17.5 million (£15m/$20m). Chelsea will pocket up to €50m (£44m/$58m) on the deal, including €30m (£26m/$35m) guaranteed. If all add-ons are triggered, the Blues will more or less break even on their highly questionable decision to re-sign Felix for big money last summer.

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Al-Nassr haven't been Saudi Arabian champions since 2018-19, which is something the club is desperate to address, not least because Cristiano Ronaldo has been persuaded to extend his career with the club in pursuit of silverware they are yet to deliver. Felix, for his problems making a consistent impact in Europe over the past few seasons, should help with that.

Manchester United and Chelsea have reportedly stepped up their interest in RB Leipzig star Xaxi Simons but a sizeable hurdle could scupper a transfer.

• Man Utd & Chelsea eye Simons
• Bayern Munich also interested
• Big hurdle putting them off

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Sport, via Sport Witness, United and Chelsea have recently held meetings with Simons' entourage to discuss a possible move, with the attacking midfielder eager to exit Leipzig this summer. Another option for the Dutchman is reportedly Bayern Munich, too.

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  However, the Spanish publication adds that United, Chelsea, and Bayern are not keen on paying Simons' high price tag, which is rumoured to be around €70 million (£60m). That is said to have put off Barcelona, who cannot afford the 22-year-old.

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  Simons, who only signed for Leipzig permanently earlier this year after repeated loan spells from Paris Saint-Germain, seems unlikely to join Chelsea and United as the former have a lot of attacking options and the latter are pursuing Bryan Mbeumo after signing Matheus Cunha.

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  Simons is still likely to leave Leipzig ahead of next season as the German team failed to secure European football for the 2025/26 campaign. But it remains to be seen where the Netherlands international will head to next.

The middle-order batter has enjoyed a standout Sheffield Shield season when runs have been hard to come by

AAP14-Mar-2024Emerging New South Wales star Ollie Davies has been compared to greats including Steve Smith and David Warner after playing a key role in his team’s five-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland.Chasing 130 for victory, NSW sealed victory on Thursday in 28.2 overs courtesy of a blazing knock from Daniel Hughes. Davies contributed a handy 25 after NSW had suck to 91 for 4.Related

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Bartlett, Peirson hold up NSW after Davies' attacking century

But it was Davies’ first-innings score of 131 off 147 balls that proved the difference – helping lift NSW to 316 and earning him player-of-the-match honours. Davies finished his Shield campaign with 670 runs at an average of 67 – the fourth-highest run tally of the season.Beau Webster (914), Cameron Bancroft (778) and Nathan McSweeney (762) finished above him, but they all played 10 matches compared to Davies’s seven.NSW captain Moises Henriques is tipping a bright future for Davies.”I’ve been playing cricket professionally for 19, 20 years, and I’ve been lucky enough to see a lot of young, special batters come through the NSW ranks,” Henriques said. “Ollie seems to be another one of those guys. He’s very hard to stop. He’s always moving the scoreboard forward.”He reminds me a lot of a mix between Steve Smith, David Warner and even Phil Hughes – they’re always looking to score runs. They’re able to score runs in areas that other batters maybe can’t.”For him to come out and score three hundreds in seven games this season in bowler-friendly conditions – it just shows that mindset of always scoring runs and putting the bowlers under pressure.”NSW started their season with two losses and a draw – extending their winless run in the red-ball format to 15 matches. But a 10-wicket win over Western Australia in November sparked a charge up the table, with NSW ending the season in third spot with four wins, three draws and three losses.For Queensland, it’s a case of back to the drawing board after finishing last on the ladder with just two wins and two draws from 10 matches.They started the final day against NSW at 287 for 8, and were bowled out for 301 despite the best efforts of Xavier Bartlett.NSW wanted to make light work of the run chase, and Hughes went into T20 mode as he cracked six fours and two sixes on the way to a 29-ball half-century.His departure a short time later left NSW at 75 for 3, and there were some nerves at 91 for 4 after Matthew Gilkes was dismissed for 6. But steady knocks from Henriques and Davies eased NSW to victory. Kurtis Patterson had batted at No. 3 after being called in as a concussion sub for Sam Konstas who was injured on the third day.Debutant Queensland bowler Callum Vidler snared 3 for 38, following on from 2 for 50 in NSW’s first innings.”It’s not the result you want on debut, but it was cool to be out there,” Vidler said.

ESPNcricinfo commentary of the final moments of their incredible game against Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2024

17.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Short and wide outside off. Stops in the surface a little and Rashid cuts it towards deep cover point17.4 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 1 run Slower bumper on middle and off. Tewatia waits an eternity for it before dragging it towards deep square leg17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Short and too wide outside off. Rashid swishes and misses, and the umpire has no qualms in stretching out his arms17.5 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Well beyond the tramlines again, and some more exercise for the umpire17.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run What a save! Slower ball dug into the track outside off. Rashid stands up tall and slaps it flat towards long on. Buttler puts in a dive to his left and somehow manages to stop it on the half-volley. He went at it reverse-cupped and got the job done!18.1 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Sizzling yorker, honing into the pads. Rashid whips at it and squirts it away towards short fine leg. Might have nutmegged himself too but the important detail is that it is just a single. By the way, had Avesh hit the stumps at the batter’s end, Tewatia was well out of his ground18.2 Sen to Tewatia, 1 wide, Full and angled across the batter well outside off. Beyond the tramlines too, and called a wide18.2 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Gets it over! Rank wide full toss and Tewatia makes the most of it. Does not middle it but gets enough to clear extra cover. Buttler gives chase from mid off but cannot rein it in!18.3 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 run Back of a length outside off. Tewatia sits deep in his crease and swings it away towards deep mid wicket 18.4 Sen to Rashid Khan, (no ball) FOUR runs, Shot! Goes for the wide yorker but errs on the fuller side. Rashid, sitting deep in his crease, gets under it and scythes it over extra cover. And, it gets worse for the Royals because Sen has overstepped…18.4 Sen to Tewatia, 2 runs Taken at deep square leg but it will not count! Banged into the track just outside off. Gets up very high and Rashid cannot control his pull. Skies it and deep square leg takes it running in. A brace to Rashid18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 wide Slower ball that goes wrong and slides well down leg. Another wide, and Sen might just be feeling the pressure now18.5 Sen to Rashid Khan, 1 leg bye Follows the batter well outside leg. Bowls it on a length and Rashid cannot connect with his swipe. The ball pings off the pads into the on side. Rashid livid with himselfRashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia were Gujarat Titans’ heroes•Getty Images

18.6 Sen to Tewatia, FOUR runs Four to finish the over! Shortish outside off and this sits up nicely to be hit. Tewatia opens up his stance and boshes it over mid off!19.1 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Four off the first ball, oh my! Low full toss outside off. Rashid steps across his stumps and then shovels it over square leg. Deep mid wicket cannot get there either!19.2 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 2 runs Almost a yorker, just outside off. Rashid sits deep in his crease and tugs it towards long on. They hare back for two and RR are lucky there was someone backing up at the keeper’s end. That throw was wild19.3 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs An outside edge but they all count! Oh my days, the drama in Jaipur! Nails the wide yorker but Rashid somehow gets this away. He swishes hard at it and squirts it off the outside edge past the keeper!19.4 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, 1 run Low full toss, following the batter on leg stump. Rashid can only dig it out towards extra cover for a single19.5 Avesh Khan to Tewatia, 2 runs, OUT Tewatia gets it over mid off, but it does not go for four! And there is a run out too! Short and wide outside off. Tewatia holds his nerve and slaps it over mid off. Buttler puts on his skates and pulls it back into play. The batters get across for two runs comfortably and then they decide to go for the third. Tewatia is always struggling to get there. The throw is accurate enough, and Avesh does the rest, with Tewatia well short. In the middle of all of that, there was a check for a short run. That has been sorted now, and GT need 2 off the last ball!Rahul Tewatia run out (Buttler/Avesh Khan) 22 (11b 3×4 0x6 42m) SR: 20019.6 Avesh Khan to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs Rashid wins it for the Gujarat Titans off the final ball! Oh my, this is some finish, and the Afghan Titan has come up trumps just when they needed him to! And the Royals, who looked so good for so much of the game, are no longer invincible! Short, wide and that is just begging to be hit. Not the best ball to bowl at this stage. Rashid lays back deep in his crease, brings those fast hands into play and thumps it over point. Speeds away to the fence and Rashid wheels away in celebration. He gestures to the dugout to not worry while he is there, and today, he has proven it!

The pitch trays will be shipped from Australia to Florida then transported to the pop-up venue

Alex Malcolm19-Jan-2024Adelaide Oval head groundsman Damien Hough says the drop-in pitches that will be used at Eisenhower Park in New York for the Men’s T20 World Cup are a world first in terms of how they are prepared with some of the trays being built in Adelaide before being shipped to Florida and then transported to the new venue ahead of the tournament.Hough and his team at Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions have been hired by the ICC to oversee the delivery and preparation of the drop-in pitches at the pop-up stadium in New York given their expertise in growing and preparing drop-in pitches over the last decade.Related

• T20 World Cup 2024: India vs Pakistan on June 9 in New York

• CWI and T20 World Cup CEO: 'Growing the sport in our time zone crucial to our long-term survival'

• ICC confirms New York's Eisenhower Park will not host international games before T20 WC

Hough explained that it has been a complicated process to prepare the pitches for the World Cup with a lot of logistical challenges involved.”It’s a bit tricky, we basically built six of the 10 trays here in Adelaide,” Hough told . “We made them modular. We’re really proud of them. We’ve got a couple out of the back that will probably come out here [on Adelaide Oval] next year.”We put them in a shipping container and send them really wherever we want around the world. But they’ve gone over to Florida. And I’ve just come back from a month of work over there putting the trays together, putting the soil in, compacting them and putting the grass on. So we’re in the grow-in phase.”We’ve got a business, a company over there called LandTek that are helping us with the grow-in phase. Then there’s a couple more strategic trips throughout the next six months to do some work on them and then transport them from Florida all the way up to New York where we’ll put them in and prepare them.”It’s a lot of work that’s gone into it so far. But the real work starts around the start of May. It’ll take two days to transport them up which is quite incredible. Never done that before. So there’s a lot of firsts. And then there’s getting them in the ground.”Four go into that venue, that pop-up stadium, 34,000-seat stadium. Eight games in 10 days. One of them is Pakistan and India which will be amazing. And then there’s six that go into the warm-up venue with so many teams rotating through and so much training.”Hough, who has also been dividing his time while also working on the Adelaide Oval pitch for the Test match between Australia and West Indies and Adelaide’s BBL pitches, said there is only likely to be one warm-up game at Eisenhower Park before the World Cup starts.”The first game is early June,” Hough said. “There’s probably going to be a warm-up game just to test the venue out in late May. But yeah, I pinch myself sometimes. For us, Adelaide Oval Turf Solutions, to have a little bit of involvement and assist with something that is quite historic in a World Cup in America for the first time.”

Defending champions Western Australia lifted to second on the ladder with one round of the Sheffield Shield remaining after a pivotal 146-run victory over Queensland at the WACA.After having Queensland 81 for 4 early on day four, WA were made to work with Jack Wildermuth and Ben McDermott notching half-centuries before wrapping up the win early in the final session.Offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli and quick Cameron Gannon combined for seven wickets in what was almost certainly the last day of cricket played on the WACA this season.WA jumped past Victoria, who fell to third on the standings after losing to Tasmania in a thriller in a result that has the Tigers firmly in the box seat to host the Shield final starting on March 21.It means WA and Victoria will fight for a spot in the final when they square off in what is effectively a semi-final starting on March 11 at the Junction Oval.WA may tweak their line-up with allrounder Aaron Hardie in with a chance to return from a calf injury that ruled him out of the T20I series against New Zealand, although he could be picked as a specialist batter.Experienced left-arm quick Joel Paris might be rested, given his injury issues over the years, which may open the door for spinning allrounder Ashton Agar to play his first Shield match of the season.Agar has been unable to force his way into the side with Rocchiccioli having excelled in recent years, but WA will likely ponder playing two spinners in their frontline attack. Agar and Rocchiccioli have never played with one another for WA, but are club cricket teammates and close friends.”I hope so,” Rocchiccioli said when asked about the prospect of Agar playing against Victoria. “I hope me and Ash can spin a web and that would be a lot of fun. We’ve got a good connection and we’re always talking offspin.”I’m just really excited to hopefully get the chance to play a first-class match with him.”Queensland, who were out of final’s calculations, resumed at 56 for 1 and hopeful of being able to bat through for a draw after Angus Lovell and Jack Clayton impressively dug in late on day three as the surface appeared to not have any demons.But they were confronted by overcast and humid conditions as Paris and Gannon menaced to crush Queensland’s hopes quickly. Lovell and Clayton both fell within the opening 15 minutes of a prolonged opening session with Max Bryant succumbing lbw shortly after to a Gannon yorker in a decision he wasn’t pleased with.Continuing his terrific season, Paris threatened on almost every delivery with prodigious swing as he bowled mostly around the wicket to the right-handed batters.He also surprised with the occasional rearing short-pitched delivery and struck McDermott on the body.The towering Gannon, who holds an American passport and plays in Major League Cricket, has continued to be a reliable option for WA when given an opportunity.He used his height to devastating effect as it appeared Queensland might not make it through the session. An early finish was on the cards when captain Jimmy Peirson was bowled by Rocchiccioli, but McDermott and Wildermuth held firm as the sun emerged.McDermott was in aggressive form and used his feet superbly to club Rocchiccioli down the ground for six and into the construction site amid the ground’s redevelopment.It caused a brief stoppage, but when play resumed McDermott seemed unruffled by Queensland’s predicament until he nicked off a gem of a delivery by seamer Charlie Stobo early in the second session.But Queensland again didn’t roll over as Wildermuth and Xavier Bartlett combined for a half-century partnership to frustrate WA. Bartlett fell, but the pitch seemed to be flattening under the sun with Wildermuth relishing counterattacking the second new ball.His rearguard knock ended on 91 when he edged Rocchiccioli to slip on the stroke of tea to effectively end Queensland’s resistance.It was the final day of Australian cricket for retiring umpires Paul Wilson and Bruce Oxenford, who received a guard of honour from the teams and a strong ovation from the sprinkling of fans before play.

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket

Steven Lynch25-Sep-2005The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

Marcus Trescothick reached 5000 Test runs at Old Trafford, just over five years after his debut. Has anyone done it quicker? asked Adam Pushkin from England
You’re right, Marcus Trescothick reached 5000 runs during the second innings of the third Ashes Test at Old Trafford on August 14. He made his Test debut on August 3, 2000, against West Indies, also at Old Trafford. In terms of time taken, Trescothick was more than a year quicker than the next-fastest man to 5000, Rahul Dravid of India, who did it in about six years two months, a month quicker than Mark Taylor of Australia. Trescothick reached 5000 runs in his 121st innings in his 64th Test – a long way away from the record which, almost inevitably, is held by Australia’s Don Bradman. He reached 5000 in just 56 innings and 36 Tests.As a rather stunned Nottinghamshire supporter trying to celebrate our Championship victory I’ve just sat at the Rose Bowl and watched Hampshire score 714 against us. Is it their highest total ever? asked Ray Johnson from Radcliffe-on-Trent
I’m afraid it is! Hampshire’s previous-highest total came as long ago as 1899, when they made 672 for 7 declared against Somerset at Taunton. Their previous-best against Notts was much more recent, though – 641 for 4 declared at Trent Bridge in 2004 (maybe you had to sit through that one too!). John Crawley scored 301 not out in that game, and 311 not out this time. There have only been two other triple-centuries for Hampshire in first-class matches – Major Robert Poore’s 304 not out in that Taunton match in 1899, and the county-record 316 by Dick Moore against Warwickshire at Bournemouth in 1937.In last week’s Test against Zimbabwe India dropped a hat-trick of catches off successive balls from Zaheer Khan. Has this happened before in a Test? asked Ghulam Mohammad from Indore
That happened in the 31st over of Zimbabwe’s second innings at Harare last week, when Dhiraj Jadhav (a substitute), Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik managed to grass chances off successive balls from Zaheer Khan to Andy Blignaut. This sort of thing isn’t accurately recorded, especially for long-ago Tests, but something similar did happen in the first Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford in 1972, when the Aussie opener Keith Stackpole was dropped twice off successive balls from Geoff Arnold, by Tony Greig and John Snow in the slips. They pinched a single after the second drop, and the next ball was snicked by Bruce Francis to Snow, who dropped it again (some charitable observers thought it fell just short of him, but Wisden says he should have caught it). Tony Greig remembered that Ray Illingworth, England’s captain, grumbled about the spilled catches almost all day, until he dropped one himself and started talking about what a terrible “seeing ground” Old Trafford was for the fieldsmen …Which Test cricketer was nicknamed “Kipper”? asked Brian Houghton from Carlisle
There may have been more than one, but the most famous “Kipper” was Colin Cowdrey, the former England captain who was the first man to appear in 100 Test matches. I’m not quite sure where the nickname came from, but it probably had something to do with an ability to drop off to sleep (for a quick “kip”) in the dressing-room during matches.Who is the most economical bowler in ODIs, over a substantial career? asked Dhani Singh from Trinidad
Given a qualification of 1000 balls bowled, the most economical bowler, by quite a margin, is the West Indian giant Joel Garner, who conceded only 3.09 runs per over in 98 matches, during which he took 146 wickets. Next is Australia’s Max Walker (3.25 runs per over), just ahead of Mike Hendrick of England (3.27). Modern fielding restrictions and the new “powerplays” have handicapped present-day bowlers a little, and the leading current performer is Shaun Pollock (3.76 runs per over), just ahead of Muttiah Muralitharan (3.77). For a full list of the most miserly one-day bowlers, click here.I recently saw on your list of unusual dismissals that Len Hutton was once dismissed “obstructing the field” in a Test. What actually happened? asked Tim Horpinitch from Australia
That was in the final Test between England and South Africa at The Oval in 1951. He top-edged a sweep at Athol Rowan, the South African offspinner, and the ball looped upwards. Worried that the ball would bounce onto his stumps, Hutton knocked it away, but in doing so prevented Russell Endean, the wicketkeeper, from making a catch, and was given out on appeal. In a weird coincidence Endean, who was making his Test debut at The Oval, was also involved in Test cricket’s next peculiar dismissal: he was out “handled the ball” against England at Cape Town in 1956-57.