Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma welcome their second child on February 15

After missing the ongoing Test series against England for personal reasons, Virat Kohli has revealed that his wife Anushka Sharma has given birth to their second child. Kohli mentioned in an Instagram post that their son, whom the pair have named Akaay, was born on February 15.Kohli, who had been in Hyderabad ahead of the first Test of the ongoing series against England, left to be with his family and eventually expressed his unavailability for the entire series. Initially, he had made himself unavailable only for the first two games. India, who lead the five-match series 2-1, announced their squad for the final three Tests just over a week ago.

When Kohli and Anushka were due to have their first child, he had pulled out of the last three of the four Tests on the tour of Australia in 2020-21. With Kohli being India’s captain at the time, Ajinkya Rahane had stood in for the remaining three Tests.Kohli’s last played for India in mid-January when he was brought back into the T20 fold for a series against Afghanistan keeping in mind the World Cup that’s coming up on June 1.India also announced, on Tuesday, that they were resting Jasprit Bumrah for the fourth Test against England and that KL Rahul, who had initially stepped in for Kohli at the No. 4 spot in the batting order, is yet to regain full fitness.

Steven Smith now 'comfortable' opening for Australia in Tests

He carried his beat for 91 at the Gabba as West Indies pulled off a famous victory and will now captain the ODI side

AAP31-Jan-20241:34

Finch: They’re not great numbers for a middle order

Steven Smith had the perfect response to critics who declared he shouldn’t be opening for Australia in Tests.After a lean first three innings as David Warner’s replacement up top with Usman Khawaja, the 34-year-old almost hauled Australia over the line to avoid the monumental eight-run upset by West Indies at the Gabba.Smith, who has scored 27 of his 32 Test centuries at No.3 or No.4, insists he didn’t overthink his approach to opening.Related

  • If not Steven Smith, then who? Australia's opening debate

  • Takeaways: Batting under scrutiny, Green's evolution and masterful bowling quartet

  • Shamar Joseph ruled out of ILT20 with toe injury

  • Finch puts spotlight on Australia middle order: 'They're not great numbers'

After scores of 12, 11 not out and six, the star batter belted an unbeaten 91 in Australia’s second innings on Sunday and feels “comfortable” as an opener.”There was a lot of commentary around I’d failed in two or three innings – I had a not out and two low scores,” Smith said at the MCG on Wednesday. “Now I’m averaging 60 as an opener.”It was just another position; I’ve battled against the new ball numerous times, coming in early. I’ve enjoyed the first couple of weeks of it…if they see fit to move me back down, I’ll do whatever the team needs.”Smith, who became the first Australian to carry his bat since Warner in 2011, was the only player to handle West Indies’ newest pace sensation Shamar Joseph. The 24-year-old tore through Australia with 7 for 68 to spearhead the tourists to an extraordinary first Test victory down under since 1997.Shai Hope and Steven Smith are the captains for the ODI series•Getty Images

Adding to the legend, Joseph, in his second Test, bowled in the second innings with a painful toe injury that has forced him to head home to the Caribbean and miss the ILT20 with Warner’s Dubai Capitals.”I overheard a conversation, I think we were seven down just before lunch and I overheard him speaking to [West Indies captain] Kraigg [Brathwaite]… he’s [Joseph] like, ‘I’m bowling to the end, man’,” Smith said.”He’s a rare talent and I think it’s great for cricket what he was able to do and see the West Indies competing like they did. He just kept coming in, and actually probably bowled faster at the end rather than the start.”Smith also defended his decision to give No.11 Josh Hazlewood two balls to face Joseph in what ended up being the last over of the match.Hazlewood was Joseph’s final victim, sparking wild and joyful West Indies celebrations as they completed arguably the biggest upset in Test history.”I’ve thought about it, whether we could do different things,” Smith admitted. “Maybe I could have taken five balls against Shamar; he was on fire obviously. But then I run the risk of not getting a run off the last ball and ‘Hoff’ [Hazlewood] having to take all six from Alzarri.”Smith will lead Australia in the three-match ODI series which starts at the MCG on Friday.

Injured Conway out of IPL, CSK add Richard Gleeson to squad

Conway had fractured his thumb during a T20I against Australia at home in February

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2024New Zealand and Chennai Super Kings wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway has been ruled out of the entire IPL 2024 with injury. CSK have added England fast bowler Richard Gleeson to their squad as his replacement.Conway had suffered a fracture in the joint of his left thumb during the second T20I against Australia in Auckland in February. He subsequently underwent surgery and CSK were originally hopeful of having Conway back in May for the second half of the IPL, but he has now been sidelined from the whole season.Conway was central to CSK winning the IPL title in 2023, scoring 672 runs in 15 innings at an average of 51.69 and strike rate of just under 140. Forty-seven of those runs came in a rain-hit three-day T20 final against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, where Conway also won the Player-of-the-Match award.Conway’s injury-enforced absence leaves Aravelly Avanish, the India Under-19 wicketkeeper, as the only back-up to MS Dhoni at CSK.

Gleeson’s addition, though, might help CSK fill the void that Mustafizur Rahman’s absence would create. The Bangladesh, left-arm seamer, who is currently CSK’s highest wicket-taker, with ten strikes, has been granted NOC by the BCB to play the IPL till May 1.Gleeson, 36, is a late bloomer, who made his first professional appearance aged 27 at Northamptonshire. He then emerged as Northamptonshire’s second-highest wicket-taker in the T20 Blast in 2016, with 14 strikes in ten games at an economy rate of under six.Gleeson made his international debut for England aged 34 in 2022, when he dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant within his first eight balls in a T20I at Edgbaston. He is set to call the ground home this summer.Gleeson hasn’t played in the IPL before but has had stints in the Hundred (Manchester Originals), BPL (Rangpur Riders), BBL (Melbourne Renegades), SA20 (Durban’s Super Giants), and ILT20 (Gulf Giants).In all, Gleeson has played 90 T20s so far, picking up 101 wickets at an economy rate of 8.18.

Everton spring surprise by stealing march on rivals Liverpool & Bayern Munich to close in on Lyon wonderkid Malick Fofana

Everton have reportedly stolen a march on rivals Liverpool and Bayern Munich as they close in on Lyon wonderkid Malick Fofana. The Merseyside club has submitted an official bid and entered direct negotiations with the French club, while also engaging in advanced discussions with the 20-year-old’s representatives, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano.

  • The Toffees are targeting Fofana
  • Have also got in touch with his agents
  • Several European giants are also eyeing him
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    While Everton have taken decisive steps, they are not the only suitors vying for Fofana’s signature. Liverpool have shown considerable interest in recent weeks, particularly as speculation grows over Luis Díaz’s potential switch to Bayern Munich. Should the Colombian winger complete a move to the Bundesliga, Liverpool would almost certainly accelerate their efforts to secure a replacement, placing Fofana high on their list, who is valued at £51.5 million (€60m/$71m).

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    Barring the two Merseyside clubs, several other European giants have shown keen interest in Fofana. Bayern Munich have been keeping close tabs on the youngster, viewing him as a potential alternative to Liverpool's Diaz. Meanwhile, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain have also reportedly been monitoring his development.

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    Fofana enjoyed a stellar 2023–24 campaign with Lyon as he recorded 11 goals and five assists across 41 matches, showcasing his ability to contribute consistently both in terms of finishing and chance creation. Hence, it is no surprise that David Moyes is eager to get him on board as they look to break into the top half of the Premier League table.

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    While Fofana remains a key focus, he is far from the only name on Everton’s shortlist. The club has also shown concrete interest in Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo, with a formal bid reportedly in the works for the Japanese international. Additionally, Everton are believed to be readying an improved offer for Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz as they continue to strengthen their squad.

Cramped for room

Sriram Veera06-Apr-2006

Virender Sehwag: cramped for room and in trouble © Getty Images
The ball pitched short, reared up, and headed straight at the batsman, causing a hurried hop. Eyes left the ball and the bat, an ungainly face shield, popped the ball up to waiting palms. Virender Sehwag had fallen to a bouncer, again.The failing has been always there. “There are chinks in the youngster’s defences that can be sorted out by thinking bowlers,” wrote Viv Richards during India’s one-dayers against West Indies in 2002 after Sehwag fell to Vasbert Drakes’s well-directed bouncer. The West Indians tasted some success against him throughout the series, digging a few into the ribs for Sehwag to push out weak swivel-pulls.In 2003, I watched Sachin Tendulkar pit his wits against Sehwag in the Irani Trophy game at Chennai. Tendulkar, captaining Mumbai against Rest of India, placed a leg slip, a short leg, a square leg and a long leg and instructed Ajit Agarkar to operate round the wicket and pitch it short at Sehwag’s ribs. Agarkar couldn’t quite find his radar but when he did, Sehwag jumped up, thrust his bat out and popped up chances just short of the waiting men.Interestingly, and therein lies the strength and weakness of his technique, he is not troubled with bouncers outside his body, on or outside off stump. His footwork, or the lack of it, is a key element of Sehwag’s technique. His head is absolutely still and there is no feet movement till the ball has been delivered. Then he swiftly gauges the length of the ball. If it’s short, he goes back; his back foot usually moves almost straight back as opposed to the conventional back-and-across. That leaves him beside the line of the ball – some batsmen prefer getting behind the line – and his position creates room for even when a ball is directed at the stumps. If it bounces, he just sways back, transferring his weight to his right foot, and uses his wrists and the bottom-handed grip for his dashing fierce upper-cuts and slashes.

“The standout shot was off Rana Naved, when he hit a perfect good length ball for a straight-drive. It went like a bullet to the fence and nobody, including Sehwag, moved”- Imran Khan on Sehwag’s 254 at Lahore.

It was quite a sight. Even as the ball rose after pitching, Sehwag’s backlift had reached its apogee and his right foot made a slight backward movement. The flashing blade came down smoothly, and met the ball flush in the middle. All the while, his head was still. Absolutely still.

When there’s width, Sehwag can be lethal © Getty Images
Greg Chappell credits Sehwag’s brilliance to an uncluttered mind and its product – an uncomplicated technique. Although he modelled his game on Tendulkar, his game depends more on hand-eye coordination. The backlift is higher; there is more of the wrist-cock which results in high bat speed that brings it down in a flurry and imparts momentum to the ball at the point of contact. The judicious movement of the feet, allied of course to his quick eye, allows him even to hit the good-length balls on the up.Unlike Tendulkar, Sehwag doesn’t reach out towards the ball with a huge forward stride. Rather, he waits on the crease, with a little movement back. Since he never gets his left foot across, his downwards backswing comes down unimpeded and smoothly like a golf swing. This generates tremendous bat speed and transfers furious kinetic energy to the ball. Uncluttered footwork also helps him negotiate the reverse swing adeptly. The front foot doesn’t comes across, so he is seldom troubled by the late inswing. Rather, he waits for the swing before launching into his fluent drives.Sehwag’s troubles start when the projectile rears straight at him; he is cramped for room. As Mike Atherton noted, “batsmen with a strong bottom-handed grip will struggle against bounce.” Sehwag prefers to be beside the line and work the ball towards off. When the bouncer darts into his body, he is cramped and a weak shot results. He has, however, worked on it with Ian Fraser. Although he still doesn’t possess a conventional pull, his swivel shots are not as weak as they once were, and he manages to use his wrists to get the ball down, even if the execution is a bit ungainly.The English bowlers have troubled him this series, and it should be fascinating to watch Sehwag attempt to tackle this in the future. Many times your strengths can be your weakness and Sehwag obviously knows this. How he copes with the irritants should make for compulsive watching.

Not a time for spin

Spinners have only taken 6% of wickets in Lord’s Tests in May

S Rajesh11-May-2006

Muttiah Muralitharan warms up at Lord’s. Spinners have only taken ten wickets in six Tests at the venue in May © Getty Images
May in England normally means wet weather, seaming pitches, low scores, and little assistance for spinners. The weather in London has been unusually clear this time around, and though that and Sri Lanka’s performance here last time around should encourage them, some of the other stats here certainly won’t.In all, Lord’s has hosted just six Tests in May, of which England have won five, four of them by an innings. (That stat, though, needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, for three of those four innings wins were against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.) However, Pakistan and New Zealand have struggled to cope with the seam and swing in the early English season as well. The only team that did manage a draw was Sri Lanka, in 2002, in a game they thoroughly dominated. On that occasion, though, a gigantic first-innings total of 555 for 8 declared was set up largely by Marvan Atapattu’s monumental 185. With Atapattu not around here, one of the others will have to take the lead.England in May isn’t a time for spinners, and that is borne out by the table below: in six Lord’s Tests in May, spin has accounted for just 6% of the wickets, at an exorbitant average, and at a strike rate of 157 deliveries per wicket. In fact, spinners haven’t had that much to do at Lord’s in all Tests played here since 2000. Perhaps a wizard called Muttiah Muralitharan can alter those numbers significantly over the next five days.

Pace and spin at Lord’s in Tests in May

Wickets Average Strike rate

Pace 154 31.86 59.14 Spin 10 72.00 157.20

Pace and spin in all Lord’s Tests since 2000

Wickets Average Strike rate

Pace 318 30.22 54.64 Spin 47 49.68 92.60England’s domination at Lord’s early in the season is further illustrated by the partnership stats for them and the opposition. And while England have a 42-27 win-loss statistic at the ground, their recent track record is even more impressive – eight wins and three defeats since 2000.

Average top-order stands at Lord’s since 2000

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

England 37.97 36.75 49.9731.10 Other teams 27.40 36.96 20.9731.30For Sri Lanka to do well this time, they will need substantial contributions from their seniors, and at least two of whom will be keen to wipe out the disappointments of their previous tour to England: Chaminda Vaas managed four wickets in three matches at an exorbitant 108 per wicket, while Kumar Sangakkara had a top-score of 40, and an aggregate of 105, from six innings. England’s current captain will want to improve his figures too: when he last played Sri Lanka at home, Andrew Flintoff averaged 14 with the bat and 52 with the ball – he’ll be mighty satisfied if at the end of this series those averages are interchanged.

Losing sight of a childhood dream

Simon Lister reviews by Tim Heald

Simon Lister27-Jul-2006


Buy now

A fragment from my childhood. We are on a family holiday and it is too wet to go to the beach. So I am with my father in a secondhand bookshop, waiting for the clouds to clear. He pulls a sports book off the shelf, opens it up and shows me a black and white picture. “Look”, he says. “Denis Compton”. A man with dark hair is playing a cricket shot. I don’t recognise him. “Who’s Denis Compton?” I ask.The answer is that he was my father’s hero, and hero to a million other schoolboys born just before or during the Second World War. Say `3816′ to any of them now and they will tell you the number refers to the record total of first-class runs Compton scored in that glorious summer of 1947. How many of these men, I wonder, use `3816′ as the pin code on their bank cards?Compton was worshipped almost wherever he went. Even in the years before he died he caused grown men to be weak and silly. The actor Sir Anthony Hopkins
once introduced himself to the old cricketer at the Garrick Club with the words “I think you’ve given me more pleasure than any man alive”. Why did Denis Compton inspire such devotion? Well, for starters he played cricket brilliantly for Middlesex and England. He was a full-of tricks winger for Arsenal. He was handsome and gave the impression of being the gayest of entertainers in a grey world.This is Tim Heald’s second bash at Compton. The original biography, published in 1994, has been tinkered with and material has been added. The most useful
information is the account of Compton’s death and the reaction to it by his friends and family. Other additions, such as what Compton might have thought of Andrew Flintoff or the 2005 Ashes series, are too speculative to be of much use.For the generation that – like the boy in the bookshop – knew nothing of Compton but would like to, this biography will be useful. It is thoroughly researched and contains many pleasant anecdotes. Plenty of room is given to Compton’s early years and the experiences that shape a man; his time spent as a
teenager sweeping the terraces at Highbury and helping roll the square at Lord’s.Much less satisfactory is the author’s explanation for Compton’s defence of apartheid in South Africa, a defence which seems to be based on little more than not wanting to offend the friends he made while playing cricket there. Perhaps Heald became too fond of his subject to recognise fully Compton’s ignorance and lack of inquiry when confronted with the reality of egregious state racism.There is not enough sparkle in this account of one of England’s most effervescent cricketers. A book about Denis Compton should fizz and pop like one of his chinamen on an uncovered wicket. It should tingle with the same excitement that Compton’s batting brought to a generation battered by the war. It should be a rollicking reward for those who invested so much daydream time in the Brylcreem Boy.Buy now from Cricshop

Enter the tadpole

West Indies’ new spin hope in focus

Kanishkaa Balachandran01-Jun-2006


The Spin Doctor from Princes Town – Dave Mohammed proved his worth with a profitable season for Trinidad and Tobago
© Trinidad & Tobago Express

Watching Dave Mohammed go one-up against the Indians in the fifth ODI at Trinidad must have been especially pleasing for the locals and old-timers who lived through the era of Lance Gibbs and Sonny Ramadhin, better known as the halcyon days of West Indian spin bowling. But then 20 years ago, Clive Lloyd decided that he had had enough – ironically against India – and brought in the transition from spin to raw pace. In the years that followed, the rebirth of spin was reduced to a mere apparition.Spinners have only had brief moments in the sun since, with the likes of Roger Harper, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Neil McGarrell and Omari Banks, to name a few. But rising through the ranks all the while was a young left-armer from south Trinidad, nicknamed Tadpole by his team-mates, pegging away on the slow pitches in the domestic competitions.A bagful of wickets in the 2005-06 Carib Beer Cup was enough to convince Brian Lara to throw the ball to Mohammed – not at the eleventh hour – but in the eleventh over of India’s chase. The gamble started paying off when Mohammed kept beating the bat with almost fidgety regularity, disguising his googlies intelligently. Reputations against spin took a beating when Yuvraj Singh was squared up by another Mohammed special. His prowess as a fielder too has been well documented over the years, justified by his crucial one-handed fling at the stumps to send Rahul Dravid packing.The youngest of ten siblings, Mohammed endured a lot of hardship in his early years, hailing from a humble background. Cricket was his saviour, and his first crack at first-class cricket in 2001 was a sensational one. He sent the commentators into raptures with four wickets in his first 16 balls, rattling a bemused West Indies B lineup. A crucial 42 batting at No.4 and another four-wicket haul was enough to shut the opposition out of the match, and he deservedly bagged the Player-of-the-Match Award.Two games later, he got a feel of the West Indies dressing room atmosphere, fast-tracked into the squad for the third Test against the touring South Africans though he missed out on the final eleven. Two years later against the same opposition, an injury to Jerome Taylor paved the way for his Test debut at Cape Town. Lara sought out Mohammed midway through the tour to exploit South Africa’s weaknesses against spin, but his success at the domestic level didn’t translate into international success instantly.Back in the wilderness with Trinidad and Tobago, Mohammed announced his second coming with a roaring season in the 2005-06 Carib Beer Cup, and was instrumental in helping a resurgent T&T clinch the title. His selection for the one-dayers against Zimbabwe was expected and he used his strengths to good effect on debut, taking three wickets. However, the local media was still circumspect about his chances of succeeding against superior teams like India, but that spell at Trinidad was no fluke.With West Indies in search of a world-class spinner, a pre-requisite for every side, they can take the example of Daniel Vettori and nurture Mohammed as their next hope.TimelineFebruary 2001
First-class debut – Trinidad and Tobago v West Indies B
in the Busta CupMarch 2001
Plays for West Indies Board President’s XI
vs South AfricansAugust 2001
Tours Kenya
with West Indies. Plays in both warm-up matchesOctober 2001
List A debut
– vs Rest of Leeward Islands in the Red Stripe BowlJanuary 2004
Test debut –
vs South Africa at Cape Town. Takes 3 for 112July 2004
Tours England with West Indies. Selected for the Old Trafford TestJanuary – March 2005
Takes 25 wickets from eight matches in the Carib Beer CupJune – July 2005
Tours Sri Lanka
with West Indies A side. Emerges highest wicket-taker in the five limited-overs games with 11 wickets.May 2006
ODI debut –
vs Zimbabwe at St Lucia. Takes 3 for 37. At Trinidad
against India, he dismisses Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid as West Indies romp home to a 4-1 series win.Vital Stat
Mohammed finished as the highest wicket-taker in the 2005-06 Carib Beer Cup with 45 wickets from seven games. This included four five-wicket hauls and a ten-wicket haul. His best effort was the 7 for 48 which sealed T&T a berth in the finals.What he says
“Since I came in to the Trinidad and Tobago side, I have been playing tough. I just take it on myself to play normal and be confident all the time. The run-up was long and I knew I had to change a few things to make it to a higher grade.”What you may not know
Mohammed is the first player from Princes Town in south Trinidad to play for West Indies. Another former resident, Robin Singh, could have done so but he decided to represent another country – India.

Symonds in the spotlight

The second day of the Boxing day Test at Melbourne was all about Andrew Symonds’s maiden Test hundred and his stand with Matthew Hayden. Cricinfo looks at the stat highlights of the day

George Binoy27-Dec-2006

Andrew Symonds gave his average a significant boost © Getty Images
279 – The partnership between Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds was the second highest for the sixth wicket in Australia. The highest is 346 between Don Bradman and Jack Fingleton against England at the MCG in 1937. This stand between Hayden and Symonds is the sixth highest sixth-wicket partnership overall.75.08 – Hayden’s average at the MCG after 15 innings. His 153 today was his fifth century at Melbourne – the most he’s scored at any venue. His last seven scores at the MCG have been 136, 53*, 9, 56*, 65, 137, 153.3 – the number of times Michael Hussey has been dismissed for less than 20 in 25 Test innings. His 6 today broke a sequence of six consecutive fifty-plus scores (including two hundreds). The first time he was dismissed for below 20 was on debut, when he made 1 against West Indies at Brisbane.9 – the number of hundreds scored by Australian batsmen this series. Seven different Australians have scored hundreds while England’s batsmen have scored just three so far.103.70 -Symonds’s strike-rate against Matthew Hoggard. Hoggard bowled 27 balls to Symonds and conceded 28 runs with five boundaries.18.47 – Symonds’s Test average before the Boxing Day Test. After his unbeaten 154 on the second day – his maiden Test hundred – his average has risen to 27.52.

Greedy fielders, and trouble with numbers

The best tag teams, Michael Slater’s tattoo, and Mike Brearley’s scheme

Steven Lynch10-Sep-2007The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:


c Jayawardene b Muralitharan: the leading fielder-bowler combination in Tests
© AFP

What are the top bowler-fielder combinations in Tests and ODIs, in terms of catches (excluding wicketkeepers)? asked Vasu from India
The leading fielder-bowler combination in Test matches is caught Mahela Jayawardene bowled Muttiah Muralitharan, with 62 catches in 76 matches so far. They took over from the previous record-holders – c Mark Taylor b Shane Warne, with 51 – a couple of years ago. If you include wicketkeepers, then c Rod Marsh b Dennis Lillee still leads the way with 95. In one-day internationals there’s a rather surprising combination at the top of the list: caught Shaun Pollock bowled Jacques Kallis, with 26 – and next comes c Kallis b Pollock, with 22! This excludes two people who have taken 29 caught-and-bowleds – Murali again and the New Zealander Chris Harris. For a full list for ODIs, click here.Is it true that Michael Slater exchanged the number that he should use on his shirt with someone, and if so what was the reason? asked Mohammad Imthinal from Sri Lanka
What happened was that Michael Slater knew that 355 men had played for Australia before him, so he purchased personalised number-plates for his Ferrari and had himself tattooed with the number 356. Only later did he find out that he was actually No. 357, as Brendon Julian also made his Test debut against England at Old Trafford in 1993, and beat him alphabetically, which is the way these things are normally decided if more than one player makes his debut in the same game (Slater had thought it had to do with the batting order, which would have meant he was first). Fortunately for Slater and his medical bills, the Australian board and Julian agreed that they could exchange numbers.Who has taken most wickets in ODIs against Australia, and who has the best bowling average against them? asked Danny Raymond from New Zealand
The man with the most wickets in ODIs against Australia is Wasim Akram, with 67, six ahead of Curtly Ambrose. The leading current bowler, with 57, is Shaun Pollock. The best bowling average against them, given a minimum of 10 wickets taken, is 13.88 by New Zealand’s Shane Bond (34 wickets), although the West Indian Pedro Collins has taken eight wickets for 51 in two matches against the Aussies at the startling average of 6.37. I heard that Mike Brearley, frustrated by Middlesex’s inability to break a stubborn partnership, put the spare fielding helmet in front of the wicket to try to tempt the batsmen to hit it and score five easy runs. Is this true or is it an urban myth? asked Mike Shearing from China
No, it’s not an urban myth, it did happen, and I was there! (I was working at Lord’s at the time.) Mike Brearley mentions it in his excellent book The Art of Captaincy, saying it was in a match against Yorkshire, “who were batting without much sense of adventure”. I remember him calling to the bowler, Phil Edmonds, “Let’s try The Ploy”: they placed a spare fielding helmet on the ground at short midwicket, to try to tempt the batsmen to play across the line to Edmonds’s left-arm spin in order to collect the five penalty runs they would have received if the ball hit the helmet. Brearley doesn’t mention the year, but I think it must have been this match in 1980. If that is the one, the ploy doesn’t seem to have worked, although Edmonds did take three wickets, and shortly afterwards the regulations were amended so you could only park the spare helmet behind the wicketkeeper.


Kyle Hogg: played for three counties in 2007
© Getty Images

I see that Kyle Hogg has played for three different counties this season. Is that unique? asked Nicky Jones from Cambridge
During the 2007 season Kyle Hogg has played for Lancashire (his usual county) but has also been out on loan to Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire. He has played for all three in the County Championship (including against Warwickshire for both Lancashire and Worcestershire), which as far as I can see is unique – the only other person I can find who has played for three first-class counties in the same year is James Southerton (the oldest Test debutant at 49), who played for Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire in 1867 – but not in the Championship, and at a time when qualification rules for county cricket were much less stringent. Kyle Hogg is the grandson of the former West Indian “mystery spinner” Sonny Ramadhin, which leads us nicely into the next question …I was looking at an old book and saw Sonny Ramadhin given the initials “K.T.” But these don’t show up in Wisden or on Cricinfo. What did they stand for? asked Maurice Beale from Kidderminster
Vijay Kumar’s book , about the 1950 tour, reproduces a copy of Sonny Ramadhin’s birth certificate: the only name shown on it is “Ramdin”. He also quotes an interview with Ramadhin from 1999: “My birth certificate said my name was Ramdin. My father’s name was Boodhai. However, in those early days the British clerks did not correctly record our names. So instead of being Ramdin Boodhai my name was legally just Ramdin. Everyone called me Sonny. The reporters in England wrote K. T. Ramadhin. I don’t know why. It just stuck and went down in the cricket books as that.”

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