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The fast bowling son of a labourer whose “spark” has been noticed by the likes of Rahul Dravid, Nathu Singh will get his chance on a bigger stage against the touring South Africans in a week’s time

Sidharth Monga in Jaipur23-Oct-2015The day the court appointed an ad hoc committee to run Rajasthan cricket, its convenor, Amrit Mathur, received a call from Rahul Dravid. The gist of the conversation was: “this boy” is good, please keep an eye out for him.After the end of the first match, against Delhi, their coach Vijay Dahiya, who joined only from the second match onwards, called Mathur. He had been told about “this boy” by Gautam Gambhir. The gist of this conversation: “we were talking, Gautam mentioned this boy and said that after a long time he has seen new India material, please make sure he is not ruined by over-bowling.”Chairman of national selectors Sandeep Patil happened to watch this boy. Rajinder Hans, another national selector appointed by the court to make sure the Rajasthan Ranji team was selected fairly, obviously saw this boy. And now, this boy, Nathu Singh, son of a labourer in a wire factory, is going to play for the Board President’s XI against the touring South Africans based on “the spark” Patil and team have seen. He has played only three first-class matches.Sometimes a name can evoke the person. Nathu is almost like you know him. Short, endearing. Not quite the immortal “” from the Hindi movie . His pronunciation is different. It’s Naa-thu. The thu is softer too. Until three years ago he used to bowl with a soft ball in the [neighbourhood]. Then a told him he should try a cricket ball because he was too fast for everybody.The first thing you notice about Nathu is the tattoo on his arm. “Mom dad,” it says. His mother and father gambled it all for him. When he took the advice to actually start playing with the cricket ball, he needed to play at an academy. He went to Surana Academy, where the fees was Rs 10,000 for the year. The father had no savings to spare, but he told Nathu: “Whatever I have I will put in. Let’s see for two months how you go.”

A sign of how sick cricket at grassroots levels is in India is that Nathu couldn’t find a place in the Jaipur district side, and had to play for Sikkar, hardly known for its cricket

Two months later the coaches at the academy and Nathu’s [mother’s brother] suggested he be given time because they saw that “spark”. The academy subsidised the fee looking at his family background, and by the end of that year he was in the Rajasthan Under-19 side. The MRF Pace Academy happened too, where he impressed Glenn McGrath. Boots and spikes? “I used to arrange from the seniors,” Nathu says. “Deepak [Chahar] and Aniket [Choudhury] helped me a lot.” Two years ago, when Nathu drew his first match fee, he gave it all to his parents. He still does.A sign of how sick cricket at grassroots levels is in India is that he couldn’t find a place in the Jaipur district side, and had to go and play for Sikkar, hardly known for its cricket. The rest of the machinery, though, has been remarkable in fast-tracking him into playing against a quality opposition.The word around is that he has pace, but more than pace his speciality is that he bowls quick when he bowls at a length. Every coach has told him that. The explanation is this: when you strive to bowl fast, when the pace is not natural but through extra effort, you tend to drag the ball down. Nathu doesn’t need to. “The coaches have also told me I am god-gifted,” Nathu says. “There is no need to work on me.”Time to watch him then. There is a Munaf Patel-like lumber to his walk and his batting. He is lbw first ball against Maharashtra. He looks a mug. His turn to bowl against Maharashtra comes after the new-ball bowlers, Chahar and Choudhury, have had a go. They are 21 for 1 when Nathu begins to meticulously mark his run-up to begin the ninth over of the innings. Four steps from the crease, toe next to the heel, and he marks a line there. Then a long leap to scratch another mark, audibly enough for those outside the fence. Then he goes to the top of his mark.Nathu walks four steps, then skips – not as extravagantly as Junaid Khan or Mohit Sharma – and then takes 10 brisk but comfortable steps into his delivery stride. The leap is high, the action is easy and smooth, and then he puts a big effort into the ball. There is pace. It repeatedly thuds into the gloves of wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik. He looks front-on – he calls himself an inswing bowler – and it will need closer analysis to see if he looks over his front arm just before letting the ball go. This puts stress on the back, but also puts action on the ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar does that.In a week’s time, Nathu Singh will have the chance to meet his hero, Dale Steyn, who always has time for young fast bowlers•Associated PressAs of now, though, despite being green, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium has not provided any lateral movement to the quicks on either side. Nathu gets late-cut for three consecutive boundaries by Maharashtra captain Rohit Motwani. He is not bowling his speciality: quick length balls. Probably because this is not quite a seaming surface and you have to hit the deck hard. He creates an opportunity with the other batsman Harshad Khadiwale, but sees a catch dropped. That has for long been the fate of the other India player from Rajasthan, Pankaj Singh. Ordinary slip catching has been the bane of Rajasthan quicks.Nathu bowls four wicketless overs before lunch and goes for four fours. He comes back after lunch and bowls a six-over spell that lasts until the afternoon drinks. Easy there, captain. Remember what Dahiya said. But then again, Chahar is off the field with an injury, and Nathu has had his man, Motwani. Motwani tries to back-cut again, but this time Nathu has bowled the quick length ball, which bounces to take the edge.It will be harsh to draw verdicts on his general accuracy or ability to work batsmen out based on just one day’s play, but the spark that everybody has seen is there. There is pace, natural pace, pace even at the end of the day when bowling his 18th over with a 70-over-old ball. Yet another cricketer from India has come up despite, and not because of, the system. The way people have rallied around him is heart-warming. In a week’s time in Mumbai he will meet another good Samaritan, his hero, Dale Steyn, who is never stingy with time or advice for young fast bowlers.The spark has somehow been given the fuel. It is up to him now to burn bright.

The county’s rich lineage of wicketkeepers has welcomed its latest sensation. And his batting is giving the national selectors another explosive option to ponder

Jack Wilson25-Sep-2014It is not often that Marcus Trescothick is made to look stupid. The man was one of the finest opening batsmen to play for England. He scored over 10,000 runs for his country, hit 26 centuries and helped win one of the greatest Ashes series of all time. Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath tried for years to get the better of him. Often even they failed. But on a July day in Taunton, Trescothick had his nose rubbed in the dirt by a kid from Kent.Kent whizz-kid Sam Billings stops to listen as I read out Trescothick’s post-mortem verdict. “Now I know what it was like for an opposing captain when Jos Buttler was blasting bowlers all over the County Ground,” the Somerset captain said. “Sam Billings may turn out to be a rival for Jos’ England place in the future because he absolutely annihilated us. It didn’t matter how I adjusted the field, Billings would find a gap and the boundary. A feeling of helplessness overtook me as he basically took the mickey whatever I did.”Billings had just blasted a 46-ball hundred featuring ramps, sweeps and a switch-hit pull for six off Alfonso Thomas. He ended up on 135 not out off just 58 balls.The words, coming from a man Billings had watched on television growing up, left him flattered.”He’s been there and done it on the big stage. Tres is a phenomenal cricketer and it’s one of those huge compliments, isn’t it?” he says. “To be mentioned in the same bracket as Jos is a massive compliment too. I’ve grown up playing against him and with him and I’ve seen first hand what he can do from the other end.”The knock is set to earn the Loughborough University graduate a share of the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the season’s quickest century. Australia’s bruising hitter Dan Christian, against Kent, also chalked up a 46-ball effort. The accolade, at least, will be a long-serving pointer to an innings he “can’t even remember”. “It was one of those days where I thought I could hit every ball for four or six,” he says. “It was just a complete blur.”Billings and Buttler share many characteristics. Both are hard-hitting, aggressive and innovative wicketkeeper-batsmen, born out of the T20 era. In Buttler-esque style, Billings wound up with 458 runs at an average of 114.5 in the Royal London One-Day Cup. He faced just 297 balls, hit 17 of them for six – more than anyone else – and had a strike rate of 154.21. Not that Kent’s shining star, whose side fell at the semi-final stage to Warwickshire, needs telling. I make a mistake when recounting the figures. He politely interrupts: “The average was 114.5, actually. I was top of the national averages. Don’t do me out of the runs!”They were stats that made the selectors take notice. They ordered Billings to link up with the England Lions camp, as cover for Jason Roy, towards the end of the triangular A team series with New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Billings didn’t get his go this time but their interest in a young man with huge talent was heartening. “A great compliment,” Billings says – but national honours are no new thing.

“I used to play a bit of racquets and enjoyed it. The double-handed backhand is a bit similar to the switch hit, but it’s great for hand-eye co-ordination”

Billings represented ECB Under-16s against Australia Schools U-16s back in 2007. England won every game, he proudly tells me. Joe Root was also part of that team. A year later Billings turned out for the U-17s against New Zealand. Buttler also played – but it was the Kent lad who took the gloves. In the U-18s and 19s, Billings was joined by Root, allrounder Ben Stokes, and left-arm spinner Danny Briggs. All three have gone on to play for England.Billings doesn’t deny that England is on his mind, but he is realistic. “I’m nowhere near the level of Jos but it’s great to see him doing well. I use that as a kind of encouragement,” he says. “I played with Joe Root and Ben Stokes growing up. They are two great blokes – and two serious, serious cricketers. Vincey [James Vince] and Danny Briggs are my age too. It shows what’s possible. Hopefully I can get in the Lions programme over winter. It’s just a case of putting in the performances and hoping they’ll be rewarded. That’s what I’ve got to do.”Wicketkeeping is in the blood in the Garden of England. Les Ames played 47 Tests for his country before World War I. He has a stand at St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury named after him. Godfrey Evans played 91 Tests in a 13-year period after World War II, and then there’s Alan Knott, arguably the greatest wicketkeeper to have played for England and perhaps the best ever in the world. “It’s impossible to ignore these guys,” Billings says. “Their names and pictures are plastered all around the place. You can’t really hide from it. I don’t know why Kent produces so many good keepers but it just happens.”More recently Geraint Jones played 34 Tests and was part of the Ashes-winning team in 2005. Such has been Billings’ rise, Jones was sent on loan to Gloucestershire and has now been released into the wilderness.The situation was “far from ideal” for the two, Billings admits, but he purrs with warm appreciation of the man he replaced. “He’s a really good bloke who I can’t speak highly enough of,” he says. “He had the same position with Paul Nixon, and when the time comes in 15 years or so, maybe it’ll be the same for me. I’ve learnt so much from him, everything.”He’s 38 now and he’s kept in great physical shape. He’s still one of the fittest blokes at Kent. With the glovework and batting side of things, he’s just told me to back the way I play and don’t try and change things. We’re similar in that we’re both very natural keepers and batters.”Billings’ rapid rise was enough to get Geraint Jones to move another county•PA PhotosSince 2006, Jones had taken the gloves for Kent for 115 consecutive County Championship games. But the county – whose array of young stars are beginning to shine – has confidence in youth. They threw Billings into two dead rubbers at the end of the last season. He scored 8, 13 and 24 and had experienced enough to want more. “I finished last year and my aim was to become the first-choice wicketkeeper,” he says. “So I jetted off to Sydney over the winter and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”It was a brave move. The previous winter was a harrowing one down under. Billings was granted an ECB scholarship to the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy in Adelaide – Root and Roy are two of their previous graduates – but “it just wasn’t for me”, he says. An intense schedule left Billings with a stress fracture of the foot. The momentum had gone back then but his thirst to return to the country had not.”I’d worked out exactly what I needed to do in Australia,” Billings continues. “I needed to be fitter and improve on the mental side of my game. I was getting up at 5.30am every morning to work with Glenn McGrath’s personal trainer. I was getting beasted. He pushed me to the limits and made me so much fitter. I played club cricket for Penrith, too. They don’t take any prisoners. They think all the Poms are rubbish and tell you that too – it toughens you up.” The hard graft paid off. Billings returned a better keeper and a better batsman – and Kent’s No. 1 gloveman. Jones was to never play for the county again.It was only by chance that Billings, knee-high to a grasshopper as a kid, ever took the gloves. He jokes he used to bowl “rapid thunderbolts” before a chance injury to Christian Marsh – the son of ex-Kent captain Steve – created an opportunity for a keen 12-year-old. “The coaches asked if anyone had ever kept,” Billings recalls, “so I thought I’d just give it a go. I dived around a lot and there were no byes.”Before then, his skills had been honed at the New Beacon prep school in Sevenoaks, and on the landing at the Billings family home. A young Sam got his first bat when he was three, and had a daily dose of cricket from his dad. “He used to throw balls to me after he’d had a shower before school and it all went from there,” he says.Billings stepped up from his landing to progress into the Kent system aged eight. He was welcomed into the academy when he was 14 and to the England set-up at 16. But cricket wasn’t the only sport on the agenda. By that time Billings had moved to the now £7500-a-year Haileybury school near Hertford, where a new hobby had come calling. The teenager had become a racquets protege.”I used to play a bit of racquets and enjoyed it. It’s a fantastic game – very elitist, there are like 20 courts in the country – but it’s brilliant. It probably doesn’t help the cricket directly. Maybe the double-handed backhand is a bit similar to the switch hit, but it’s great for hand-eye co-ordination,” he explains. “We played it a few weeks ago in a rain break at Rugby School. Myself, Fabian Cowdrey and Sam Northeast went down there and some of the boys came to watch. There were a lot of posh-boy jibes from the lads. Sam, especially, is sensational.”The racquet-wielding trio are Kent’s future. All three have progressed through the county’s academy system – a victory for youth development. Billings now wants the “youngster” tag to be replaced with a “winners” one: “We’re a relatively young side and we’re learning – but we don’t want to be known as youngsters now. We need to make match-winning contributions and we feel we can do something special. We want next year to be our year.”

Dale Steyn at the top of a run up is like staring into the eyes of a man with a knife in his pocket and a snarl in his voice in a dark alley late at night; it’s just not pleasant and Steyn knows it, and he knows when to use that attitude

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers02-Feb-2013Dale Steyn woke up far earlier than usual this morning. His girlfriend is pursuing her acting career in Los Angeles and he needed to Skype call her before she went to sleep.After they chatted, he prepared for a day’s Test cricket. When he got to the Wanderers, he “dominated” the warm-up football match, which left him feeling pretty good about the day ahead. Not 6 for 8 good, not 49 all out good, just good. But, that’s how good it turned out to be.With a high-quality, sustained assault of swing bowling, Steyn led the South Africa attack in one of their most skillful displays yet. His performance was that of an alpha-male, commanding a pack of hounds that came at the opposition like it had not eaten for months.Dale Steyn’s intent has been described in many ways in recent months. Most commonly it is said to be reflected in his “angry eyes” but in reality it is on show in everything from the spring in his stride to the vein-popping in his arms. Steyn at the top of a run up is like staring into the eyes of a man with a knife in his pocket and a snarl in his voice in a dark alley late at night. It’s just not pleasant and Steyn knows it and he knows when to use that attitude.Apart from having the ability to crank it up when the team needs him to, like he did at The Oval against England and in Perth against Australia, it seems Steyn can also sense weakness and it spurs him on. An example of that was seen as recently as last month. With New Zealand standing on one leg at 47 for 6 in Port Elizabeth, Steyn returned on the third morning to take three wickets in three overs and completely cripple them.With Pakistan it was different. “It’s not like they were jumping and darting around like lower-order New Zealand players,” Steyn said. And it was not only their tail that Steyn trimmed. “It was the first time in a long time that I got wickets upfront. Getting the tail out is what is expected of the strike bowlers but I was pretty chuffed with being able to get wickets at the top as well.”Because conditions suited him from the get-go, Steyn could charge in at Pakistan right away. With humidity in the air, swing was going to be a factor and he found it easily. Swing at pace is difficult for the best batsmen and when dealing with it in foreign conditions, it is only more challenging.Dav Whatmore acknowledged that his team was simply undone by bowlers with greater ability than their batsmen could match up to. “I have never seen two hours of relentless pace bowling like I did today,” Whatmore said. “They just never took the pressure off. It was a combination of a difficult pitch and incredible bowling.Faf du Plessis at the end of play one day one said the South Africa batsmen could not identify which of the Pakistan bowlers to target. The same can be said of opposition line-ups every time they come up against South Africa; Steyn does not go about his work alone. While he was impossible to take a run off today and bowled 46 dot balls out of 49, Philander was equally difficult to get away. Morne Morkel has been the same; his economy rate has shrunk from 3.66 runs per over in 2006 to 3.18 in 2012. That may sound marginal but it means that if he bowls 20 overs in an innings he would concede 64 runs instead of 73.Then, when Jacques Kallis comes on, it’s not to offer relief. He still bowls quickly, often touching 140, and finds swing. The same caution needs to be applied when facing him as compared to anyone else in the attack. Today, that was evident. That leaves the spinner as the one to score runs off and in this innings, Robin Peterson didn’t even bowl.The level of competition within is so high that it can sometimes seem as though they are not taking on the batsmen but each other and Steyn alluded to it. “King Kallis bowled very well; Morne, even though he did not take any wickets was hitting the gloves all the time,” he said. “Everybody wants to do well.”One minute you’re out there and then you’re back in the changeroom watching the batters bat again. The moment goes by pretty quickly and that’s why we really want to enjoy our cricket now, enjoy the moments.”Maybe that sense has been developed because they know tough moments will also spring up, as they did yesterday. Apparently subsequently, this morning was the first time in the past few months that Graeme Smith addressed his team them before play.”There is maturity in the group and we don’t need to be told when someone has done the wrong thing, but today Graeme asked to talk to us for two minutes,” Steyn said. “He told us that he wants a 100% day from all of us and that if we do that, we could dominate the day.”We saw that if we give 100%, we can take the game away from the opposition. When this team puts its forces together, we are tough to beat.” And today, Pakistan learnt that.

Australia’s vice-captain made a tough start to the Ashes series, but dug deep when his team really needed it only to fall with the job half done

Peter English at Adelaide06-Dec-2010Michael Clarke passed his latest audition to be Australia’s next Test captain, but he couldn’t turn his return to form into a match-saving vigil. After Ricky Ponting failed again, taking his series tally to 70 runs in four innings, Clarke steadied the side with an 80 that mixed bouts of flair with determined defence and risk.But just as he was preparing for stumps he was given a final assignment of overcoming six balls from Kevin Pietersen. He glanced the second straight to short leg and Alastair Cook, a regular target throughout his innings. There was no walking and the replay showed he had struck it clearly, forcing him to depart with many of the hopes of his team.The edge provided another trying episode in a difficult year for Clarke, who has been groomed for the A-list and the Australian leadership since he first emerged as a precocious teen. He has already proven himself as a very good batsman at five-day level, but on the verge of becoming a great he has stumbled. The past two series against Pakistan and India were uncharacteristically lean and this one started the same way with 9 in Brisbane and 2 in the first innings here.Questions were starting to alter from “Is Clarke the next captain?” to “Is Clarke’s spot in danger?” Clarke will be the next Test leader, a title he could assume as early as the conclusion of this series. Unless Ponting can avoid a third Ashes defeat, Clarke will be the man to build the next generation around.His run drought was always a temporary trough, but the issue was compounded by a persistent back injury that flared in the lead-up to the opening Test. With every low score and uncertain step, in the nets or in the middle, Clarke’s batting wobbles were highlighted.So it was crucial that when he entered after Ponting’s edge he showed he was the man to steer through a crisis. With the team in its current state, there are likely to be many setbacks to deal with when he takes over full-time. Australia began their second innings 375 behind and had to survive on a pitch providing significant turn as well as conditions that were encouraging for reverse swing.Simon Katich had edged Graeme Swann behind and Ponting’s bright start burned when he was tricked by one not spinning as much as he had calculated. Australia were 2 for 98 and England were closing in like the storm to the north of the city.Clarke’s first ball, from Swann, was glanced for a confident single, and he followed up with a fierce straight drive on the up for four off Stuart Broad. When he hit a three through cover for his next effort there was a fear he was following the same shooting-star path as his captain. Having gained the early confidence an out-of-form player craves, he settled back to get himself in.England think he has a weakness against the short ball so he was required to deal with that threat at one end. At the other he danced forward or leaned back to Swann. A Broad short ball was pulled, almost off the front foot in his usual style, but the next danger was a 136kph bouncer that was ducked in awkward fashion.One of the reasons Mitchell Johnson was dropped was because he couldn’t fix his technique in the middle, but for a batsman the remedy has to arrive with real runs. Shortly before the rain break after tea, Clarke was in good enough touch to cut James Anderson through two men at gully.To the spin his feet are light, and his first instinct is to skip down the wicket. This gives him a chance to drive full-tosses or half-volleys, while taking the catching men almost out of play. In India in October, his judgment to the slow men disappeared, so starting against Swann was a severe challenge, especially with four close-in fielders pegged around him.The suffocating attention didn’t stir him and when necessary he was content to wait on Swann to get off strike. He played one crisp cover drive to the boundary but was more mouse than cat. That scene was reversed after he spent almost an hour off the ground while the storm passed.Clarke returned with slightly too much energy, gliding Anderson for a boundary to bring up his half-century and then pulling the next delivery for four. Swann was taken for seven in two attempts in a repeat of Clarke’s initial burst, but this ride was scarier. He survived one referral after being given out caught-behind on 67, and quickly swept one hard into the back of Cook.Late in the day Cook was hit on the knee on the full from another swipe, although it was too mean to call it a chance. The locals were now wishing their man to survive until stumps, but he couldn’t quite get there. His dismissal changed the nature of the contest in the moments it took to confirm his dismissal.Despite Clarke’s status as a highly accomplished Test run-maker, he is derided as an upstart who has forgotten his roots and drowns himself in bling and tattoos. He’s also the one with the poor Twenty20 strike-rate. The relationship with the public is so delicate that he apologised on twitter as soon as he was allowed to use his phone. Even in Clarke’s preferred format people don’t remember his fine 136 in the second innings at Lord’s, which delayed the first loss in the 2009 Ashes, as much as his double failure at The Oval in the decider.Saving such a critical home Test would have elevated Clarke’s status significantly as a batsman and a future leader, but he left with his mission half-finished. What he has done is give Australia a chance. What happens next depends as much on the weather as the remaining batsmen.

Cricinfo and Wisden writers select their best and worst moments from 2005

28-Dec-2005

Sambit Bal

Two great sportsmen © Getty Images
Best
The Ashes was full of glorious moments, but the one that will stay with me took place minutes after the best match of the series was over. Chasing 282 to win at Edgbaston, Australia had looked dead at 175 for 8, but Brett Lee forged two stirring partnerships with Shane Warne and Michael Kasprowicz, getting his team within two runs, when Steve Harmison got Kasprowicz to glove to the wicketkeeper. After a soul-sapping session, it was a euphoric moment. But while England gathered in wild celebration, Flintoff turned to the vanquished who had fought as fiercely and as valiantly as him. The sight of Flintoff besides Lee, who sat hunched on the pitch, wrecked by that moment, added the perfect finishing touch to a match which was already classic.Worst
What can be worse than a man who has earned the right to be considered a sporting icon in his country to be forced in to hiding? Tatenda Taibu is a remarkable cricketer whose dignity and courage has kept Zimbabwe cricket alive in the face of unthinkable adversity. That he felt compelled to give up his international career robbed the Zimbabwe Cricket Union of the last trace of credibility. That he should have feared for his life should shame the world cricket community in to action.

Jamie Alter

At last for Sachin Tendulkar, century No. 35 © Getty Images
Best
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar raising his eyes to the heavens – in respect to his deceased father – after breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test centuries. That Tendulkar seized the record from a his and a fellow , that the knock came after a six-month delay in action, that it set India up for a critical 188-run win over the touring Sri Lankans was secondary. The moment was the most humane seen on a cricket field this year; a compelling, emotional, and a pure moment of respect so often forgotten on the battle field that is cricket these days. Tendulkar had reached a pinnacle and to see that his thoughts were with the man who guided him brought a tear to the eye.Worst
New coach, new players, new season, new hope – same damning story. India’s loss to New Zealand in the final of the Videocon Cup at Harare in September left a bad aftertaste in the mouth for the way in which the age-old chokers stuck to the same script. Sure, they scored 276, a total which can guarantee a side a win in most cases. But did anyone see how the many runs the last 10 overs produced? Yes, Nathan Astle played a gem of an innings, one that would make most batsmen proud. But there was little fight, less bite, and zero class in the way India bowled.

Shamim Hossain’s enterprising half-century gave Bangladesh a chance in the dead rubber, but they fell well short in the end

Mohammad Isam31-Mar-2023

Ireland finally notched a win on their tour of Bangladesh by scoring a seven-wicket win in the final T20I in Chattogram on Friday. Mark Adair led the bowling charge with three wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 124, and Paul Stirling, later named Player of the Match, was at his inventive best as he struck a 41-ball 77 to headline the chase. It was Ireland’s first T20I win over Bangladesh since 2009 and their first win in any format in the country.Bangladesh had already taken the series after winning the first two games earlier in the week, and made two changes, perhaps to try out alternatives. Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman went out; Rishad Hossain was handed a debut and Shoriful Islam made a comeback. It was the batting that came unstuck, though.After opting to bat, Bangladesh were 61 for 7 in nine-and-a-half overs. Shamim Hossain, however, scored his first international half-century, making 51 off 42 balls with five fours and two sixes to give them a competitive 124. One of those sixes was a particularly eye-catching shot, when he reverse-whipped Curtis Campher hit over backward point for six.But with Stirling in blistering form, and playing a few inventive shots of his own, the chase was done and dusted in 14 overs.Big hitting gone awry
Bangladesh’s slide started in the second over. Litton Das’ slash towards deep point against a wide Adair delivery landed in George Dockrell’s lap. It was the first time Bangladesh had lost a wicket in the powerplay after three matches.Najmul Hossain Shanto was next to go, hitting a slog-sweep off Harry Tector straight to deep midwicket. Campher juggled the catch but clung on. In the next over, Campher himself got a wicket, when Rony Talukdar holed out at deep midwicket.Towhid Hridoy and Shakib Al Hasan, however, went for their shots in keeping with Bangladesh’s new approach, and hit a couple of big ones, but both were gone in the space of three balls. Shakib was caught at short midwicket mistiming a pull off Adair, while Hridoy holed out off Ben White in the seventh over.Humphreys starts with a bang
Matthew Humphreys had two wicketless ODIs in Sylhet, but the left-arm spinner had a better start to his T20I career. He took a wicket off his first ball when he yorked Rishad for 8.That made him the first Ireland bowler to take a wicket with his first ball in T20Is. This was, however, not the first time a debutant had done this against Bangladesh. Previously, Rory Kleinveldt, Pragyan Ojha, Lockie Ferguson and Cole McConchie have all achieved the feat.Humphreys added his second off his third ball, when Taskin Ahmed was caught at deep midwicket for a duck.Shamim and Nasum Ahmed added 33 runs for the eighth wicket before Nasum was caught in the covers off Gareth Delany’s legspin. Adair took his third when he removed Shoriful, before Fionn Hand took Shamim’s wicket in the final over.Stirling turns chase into a canter
Stirling didn’t get going at the start, as there were two early wickets, of Ross Adair and Lorcan Tucker, but once he was set, there was no stopping him. He cut and swept Shakib for fours to kickstart the chase, and then deposited Hasan Mahmud’s half-tracker for his first six next over. No bowler escaped his wrath, or his inventiveness, as he hit ten fours and four sixes in his 41-ball innings.Many of those came in one Shoriful over, the 11th of the innings, when he pulled a six and hit three fours to take 20 runs. Rishad put an end to the mayhem when he had Stirling caught at long-on in the 13th over – it was Stirling’s 22nd half-century in T20Is and Rishad’s first international wicket – but Campher closed out the chase with a four and a six off Taskin.

Lothar Matthaus believes Jobe Bellingham’s parents’ frustration is 'understandable' after midfielder's early substitution in their Bundesliga opener.

Bellingham was subbed off at half-time in Dortmund’s openerParents confronted Sebastian Kehl after the gameGerman legend says parents' frustration is 'understandable'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 19-year-old midfielder, who arrived from Sunderland this summer on a five-year deal, was taken off at half-time as they started the Bundesliga season with a 3-3 draw at St. Pauli. His parents, Mark and Denise, were unhappy with the decision and confronted sporting director Sebastian Kehl after the game. Dortmund responded the following day, with managing director Lars Ricken stressing that they will ensure only "players, coaches, and any officials have access to the locker room area."

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Bellingham’s move to Dortmund was one of the most talked-about signings of the summer. Much like his older brother Jude, who became a star at Dortmund before heading to Real Madrid, the teenager is expected to shine in the midfield under Niko Kovac. He arrived after a standout year at Sunderland, where he scored four goals, added three assists, and won the Championship Young Player of the Year award while helping the club earn promotion to the Premier League. 

His short Bundesliga debut left much to be desired, though, and ex-Germany and Bayern Munich star Matthaus says much of the blame lies with Dortmund and Kovac as he sympathised with the player's parents.

WHAT LOTHAR MATTHAUS SAID

Matthaus, in his column for Sky, said that he was confused by Kovac's changes and wonders if the German side know how to fit Bellingham into the midfield, but stressed such confrontations should be kept away from the stadium corridors.

"Jobe Bellingham's parents caused a stir in the catacombs at BVB," he wrote. "Sebastian Kehl responded with strong words. I understand both sides. Bellingham didn't start in Essen; he's the star signing. I was already asking myself at Dortmund: 'Where are the regulars?'

"I don't know about Bellingham after the first two competitive matches. Does he have a regular starting place or not? Bellingham himself doesn't know: 'Is the coach counting on me?' Niko Kovac started with Marcel Sabitzer, Pascal Gross and Bellingham in the center at St. Pauli. But then there's Felix Nmecha. For me, those four players are sixes or eights. You can play with one six and two eights, or use [Julian] Brandt at number 10. Bellingham isn't a number 10.

"His parents manage him and are dissatisfied with his playing time. I understand their point of view. There's some anger, but not where it happened. That shouldn't happen in the catacombs, but rather the next day or the day after in Dortmund behind closed doors in an office belonging to Lars Ricken, Kehl, or Kovac. Nevertheless, Kovac shouldn't constantly make too many substitutions in midfield and attack; he should make a commitment and then put his trust in these players."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?

Dortmund face Union Berlin on Sunday, with eyes on whether Bellingham gets the chance to show why he was signed as a star for the future.

Captain’s cool 64 not out sees Sunrisers home against Diamonds

ECB Reporters Network02-Jun-2024

Grace Scrivens played a captain’s knock of 64 not out to power Sunrisers to a final-ball victory over Northern Diamonds in this Charlotte Edwards Cup clash at Wantage Road.Chasing just 124 to win on a slow surface, Sunrisers were behind the run rate from the start, losing six wickets along the way, leaving Scrivens to play a lone hand.She went into the final over, bowled by Erin Burns, needing 11 to win and took two boundaries off the first five deliveries, one a reverse sweep and the other a heave through backward square leg. It left Sunrisers needing two off the last ball to win which Scrivens cooly smashed down the ground for four.Diamonds skipper Hollie Armitage had struck 39 to give her team a platform in a second-wicket stand of 39 in 5.2 overs with former England opener Lauren Winfield-Hill (26).But the visitors found it increasingly difficult to accelerate on a slow pitch against some disciplined bowling and fielding from Sunrisers, they collapsed in the final 5.2 overs, losing six wickets for 34 to finish on 123 for 8. Mady Villiers and Australian overseas Nicola Hancock shared two wickets a piece.Armitage was also Diamond’s most successful bowler with three late wickets for 16.This was Diamond’s fifth straight defeat in five games in this tournament so far this season, while Sunrisers chalked up their second victory.Earlier, Winfield Hill took two fours off a wayward opening over from Villiers but Sunrisers almost made an early breakthrough when Leah Dobson top-edged to short third where Lissy Macleod put down an easy chance. But with Dobson becalmed, she tried to force the pace by coming down the pitch to Hancock and was bowled soon after.Winfield-Hill swung Eva Gray over midwicket for four, but Diamonds finished the powerplay on a disappointing 27 for 1.Incoming batter Armitage attempted to accelerate, sweeping Jo Gardner for four and dispatching Sophie Munro in the same area next over in a busy stand with Winfield-Hill.The former England opener’s downfall came when she made room to drive Jodi Grewcock and picked out Scrivens at mid-off.Burns (11) was next to go when she attempted to sweep Villiers and was caught by Flo Miller running in from deep midwicket with Diamonds 89 for 3 in the 15th over.Diamonds lost Armitage in the next over when she played on, attempting to ramp Hancock.With Diamonds’ innings stalling, Bess Heath forced the pace, slashing Hancock through cover for four and then top-edging a pull shot for six off the next delivery.Wickets continued to fall as Villiers and keeper Amara Carr combined to run out Sterre Kalis after the batter ended up as the same end as Heath. Emma Marlow then moved outside off stump to sweep Villiers and was caught behind square by MacLeod. In the final over, Gray bowled a brilliant inswinging yorker to bowl Katherine Fraser before Heath was run out by Carr off the final ball for 18.When Sunrisers batted, Scrivens pulled Rachel Slater over long-off for four and Jo Gardner also went the aerial route hitting the same bowler over long-on to the ropes, but Sunrisers’ pace was even more pedestrian than their opponents, reaching just 22 without loss at the end of the powerplay.The dangerous, in-form Gardner struck Grace Hall down the pitch for a huge six to try to regain the momentum, but the bowler made the crucial breakthrough when she had her caught at wide mid-off by Marlow with the score 41 for 1 at the end of the ninth over. Marlow then took a second catch as MacLeod fell to Fraser.With the required run rate escalating rapidly past nine an over, Villiers pulled Armitage hard to deep midwicket where Heath took a good juggling catch. Sunrisers lost a further wicket in the next over when Burns tossed one up, deceiving Cordelia Griffiths as she came down the pitch and was bowled.Scrivens pushed on striking the scoreboard as she hit Slater down the ground for six, before Grewcock ended the 15th over by sweeping for four.Armitage was on a hat-trick when Grewcock chipped her back for an easy caught and bowled with the score 99 for 5 in the 18th over before Hancock was bowled without scoring.Scrivens then smashed Katie Levick through the covers for four to set up an exciting final over.

Shamar Joseph has been ruled out of his ILT20 stint with Dubai Capitals due to the toe injury he picked up during the Gabba Test.Although scans showed no fracture after he was clattered on the boot by a Mitchell Starc yorker, Joseph battled pain on the fourth day to produce one of the greatest spells in Test history as he claimed 7 for 68 to inspire West Indies to a famous eight-run win – their first victory in Australia since 1997. At the start of the start of the day, he had not expected to feature before he was dosed up on painkillers by the team physio.Once introduced into the attack, Joseph bowled unchanged to rip through Australia’s batting line and was still nudging 150kph late in the spell. “I’m not putting down this ball until the last wicket falls,” he told his captain Kraigg Brathwaite.Related

• 'He's created a good headache' – Sammy puts Joseph in T20 World Cup frame

• Steven Smith now 'comfortable' opening for Australia in Tests

• A fairy-tale day in the life of Shamar Joseph

• Cummins: Shamar was right up for it and we weren't good enough

• Shamar Joseph lands PSL deal with Peshawar Zalmi

He had been due to head straight to the ILT20 having signed with Capitals before the Australia tour but will now return home to recover before travelling to the PSL where he was signed as a replacement player by Peshawar Zalmi overnight.Joseph is unlikely to be short of offers from T20 leagues around the world after the stunning start to his career where he claimed Steven Smith with his first delivery and claimed two five-wicket hauls.However, in the aftermath of his Gabba heroics, Joseph committed to always being available for West Indies duty.”I will always be here to play Test cricket for the West Indies,” he said. “I am not afraid to say this live. There will be times when T20 might come around and Test cricket will be there … but I will always be available to play for the West Indies no matter how much money comes towards me.”It was a busy 24 hours for Joseph after the Test as he fielded various media requests while he was lauded back in the Caribbean with newspapers leading the front pages with the cricket result. Numerous leaders from around the region also posted their praise and congratulations on social media.Managing Joseph will now need to be at the forefront of West Indies’ selectors’ thoughts and balancing the offers he gets from overseas. During the spell in Brisbane, Ian Bishop expressed how he hoped money could be found to protect Joseph.”Important for the board, Guyana govt & cooperate bodies to find a way to allocate funds to compensate Shamar Joseph & 1 or 2 other fast bowlers to keep them in the Caribbean & control how much cricket they play,” Bishop posted on X. “Their pace is everything. Don’t allow burnout.”Although Joseph was never due to feature in the white-ball leg of the Australia tour, he could yet come into contention for the T20 World Cup in June which will be hosted in the Caribbean and West Indies. His next opportunity in Test cricket will come on the tour of England in July where West Indies will play three Tests.The ODI series against Australia begins in Melbourne on Friday. West Indies will be captained by Shai Hope and coached by Daren Sammy. Three T20Is follow, for which Rovman Powell will take over as captain.

Manuel Neuer says Gianluigi Donnarumma's collision with Jamal Musiala was "reckless" after the Bayern Munich star appeared to suffer a serious injury.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Donnarumma collides with Musiala
• Bayern star goes off injured
• Neuer slams "reckless" PSG keeper

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Musiala was stretchered off in the first half of Bayern's 2-0 Club World Cup quarter-final loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday following a coming together with Donnarumma. After the defeat, Bayern stopper Neuer criticised the Italian's actions, both in terms of the challenge and his reaction to the incident.

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  WHAT NEUER SAID

  He told reporters: "A situation where you don't have to go in like that! That's reckless. He accepts the risk of injuring his opponent.

  "I went to him and said, 'Don't you want to go to our player?' It's a matter of respect to go over and wish the guy all the best. He did it afterward. (…) Fairness is always important. I would have reacted differently."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Neuer's remarks echoed ones made by Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, who said his "blood was boiling" over the Musiala injury, and sporting director Max Eberl said Donnarumma wasn't being "considerate" with his actions. The 22-year-old is arguably Bayern's best player, and if he is out for a long time, that is a massive blow for the German giants.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  It remains to be seen how long German international Musiala, who was taken to a nearby hospital in Atlanta on Saturday, will be out for. But going by his reaction to the challenge, it seems this could be a serious injury.