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Jordan Thompson claims four as Derbyshire are routed for 76 on 15-wicket day

ECB Reporters Network30-Jun-2024Sri Lankan pace bowler Vishwa Fernando spearheaded a ruthless Yorkshire bowling performance to skittle Derbyshire for 76 on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship match at Chesterfield.On a challenging Queen’s Park pitch, Fernando took 5 for 30 and Jordan Thompson claimed 4 for 31 as Derbyshire subsided in less than 28 overs.It was the third lowest score against Yorkshire in the championship this century and the visitors turned the screw with James Wharton racing to a maiden first-class hundred from only 101 balls.When bad light ended play, Wharton was 116 not out and Johnny Tattersall unbeaten on 41 with Yorkshire 283 for 5, a commanding lead of 207.Derbyshire’s decision to bat first on a green pitch under cloud cover was questionable and the hosts soon had reason to regret it as Yorkshire’s seamers ran through them.Ben Coad celebrated his return from a back injury by removing Mitch Wagstaff lbw with a full length ball in his first over and there were signs of what was to come as he and Fernando repeatedly beat the bat.Luis Reece and Brooke Guest managed to survive for the best part of 14 overs but once Reece edged Fernando low to first slip, Derbyshire fell apart.Although there was enough in the pitch for Fernando and Thompson to exploit, it was a feeble batting display with only four players making double figures.Thompson beat Guest’s defensive push, Fernando removed Wayme Madsen with an inswinging yorker and then trapped Aneurin Donald on the crease with his next ball.Ross Whiteley survived the hat-trick but when David Lloyd was lbw playing across the line at Thompson, Derbyshire had lost five wickets for 10 runs in 23 balls.Rain provided Derbyshire with some respite but after lunch was taken early, the procession continued.Whiteley was brilliantly caught one handed at gully by Thompson who then had Alex Thomson taken low down at third slip before Fernando plucked out Sam Conners middle stump with another inswinging yorker.Zak Chappell struck some defiant blows, including a straight driven six off Thompson who had the last word by having him caught at second slip.Derbyshire’s total was the lowest at Chesterfield since they were bowled out for 57 by Leicestershire in 1989 and to have any chance of staying in the game, they needed early wickets.Yorkshire’s attack had reaped the benefits of maintaining a consistent,probing line but Derbyshire lacked the same discipline, bowling too short or too full.By the time Reece had Fin Bean lbw, Yorkshire had reached 61 in the 13th over and although Adam Lyth drove back a return catch to Reece, the visitors steadily pressed home their advantage.Shan Masood produced some elegant strokes before he played across the line at Daryn Dupavillon and after George Hill and Matthew Revis went cheaply, Wharton grew in confidence to dominate the bowling.After reaching 50 off 63 balls, he pulled Dupavillon for six and launched Thomson over wide long on for another before driving Reece for his 18th four to reach three figures.With Tattersall, he took the game further away from Derbyshire as the pair shared an unbroken stand of 118 on a day of total Yorkshire dominance.

Nottingham Forest are now making enquiries over a summer deal for an “underrated” forward, who is expected to have an asking price of around £20m, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest gearing up for European adventure

Having managed to qualify for a European competition for the first time since 1996, Forest may need to improve their squad depth in the upcoming transfer window, and they have now started to identify potential targets in a range of different positions.

Despite missing out on Champions League due to the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea on the final day, the Tricky Trees may still be in a strong position to attract quality players from some top clubs, courtesy of securing qualification for the Europa Conference League.

With Morgan Gibbs-White being heavily linked with a move away from the City Ground, however, it may be particularly important to bring in new attacking options, who are capable of providing goals and assists on a regular basis.

According to a report from GiveMeSport, Nottingham Forest have a new target in mind who could fit the bill in that regard, having now started to make enquiries about a potential summer deal for SC Freiburg forward Ritsu Doan.

Forest are now stepping up their pursuit of Doan, but there could be competition for his signature from Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, with the Bundesliga sides known to be admirers.

Frankfurt are currently preparing an offer for the Freiburg star, so the Tricky Trees may have to move quickly if they are to secure his signature, with an offer in the region of £20m likely to be deemed acceptable by the forward’s current employers.

"Underrated" Doan impressing in the Bundesliga

The Japanese winger enjoyed an impressive 2024-25 campaign in Germany, picking up a combined 19 goals and assists in 36 matches in all competitions, during which time he also received praise from football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Not only that, but the 26-year-old is also willing and able to pitch in defensively, ranking in the 92nd percentile for tackles per 90, and the 95th percentile for clearances over the past year, when compared to other wingers and attacking midfielders.

Nottingham Forest now "want to do" deal for "amazing" £50m Liverpool player

The Tricky Trees are eager to sign a Premier League gem, as they prepare for a European campaign next season.

By
Dominic Lund

May 26, 2025

As such, Doan could be a bargain signing for Nottingham Forest at just £20m this summer, at which point Nuno Espirito Santo may have to bring in at least one new winger, amid recent reports that Manchester United are now considering a move for Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Fulham are now set to open talks over a deal for a “beautiful footballer” this summer, who is set to be available on a free transfer, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Cottagers stepping up summer transfer plans

The Cottagers have been showing signs of year-on-year development under the helm of Marco Silva, and they are in a good position to record a top-half finish in the Premier League, which should put them in a good position to attract some quality players this summer.

Silva’s side have managed to progress despite losing some key figures in recent windows, with Joao Palhinha among them, but the midfielder’s move to Bayern Munich hasn’t gone exactly to plan, which means a return to Craven Cottage could now be on the cards.

The west Londoners are keen on strengthening in the middle of the park, and they are also looking to upgrade their defence, with contact being made to discuss a deal for versatile Juventus defender Nicolo Savona, who has impressed in the Serie A this season.

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Savona’s main position is right-back, but the Italian is not the only target in that area of the pitch, with Sky Sports reporter Sheth recently taking to X to reveal Fulham are now interested in signing Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters.

Walker-Peters’ contract is set to expire at the end of the season, which means he will be available on a free transfer this summer, and the Cottagers are expected to open talks with his representatives when the campaign comes to a close.

Sheth states there will be “competition” for the defender, with London rivals West Ham United being named as potential suitors last month.

"Beautiful footballer" Walker-Peters could thrive in better side

It has been a season to forget for Southampton, who have recorded just two victories in the Premier League all season, which indicates it could be a gamble for Fulham to sign a player who has been a key part of such a poor side.

However, the 28-year-old has impressed in the Premier League in the past, chalking up 147 appearances in the competition, while also earning two caps for his national side.

Not only that, but the London-born defender has also received very high praise from former manager Russell Martin in the past, with the ex-Saints boss lauding him as a “beautiful footballer” after scoring in a 1-0 victory against Bristol City, before adding: “He can score more and assist more. It’s a brilliant, brilliant goal.”

As such, there are signs that Walker-Peters could thrive in a better side, and his availability on a free transfer is an added bonus for Fulham, making him a low-risk addition to Silva’s squad.

In a move that would see them get one over on Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United are now reportedly plotting a last-ditch hijack to sign an England international this summer.

Full focus on Bilbao for Man Utd

Although there are still three Premier League games left to play, they are likely to be seen as opportunities to rest key players at Manchester United. The Red Devils’ domestic campaign has long been over and they could yet finish as low as 17th to increase their embarrassment to beyond simple failure. But, in quite the twist, they could still qualify for the Champions League.

After smashing Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate, Manchester United will square off against fellow strugglers Tottenham in a game between two sides desperate to change the narrative of their seasons.

Like those at Old Trafford, there’s still every chance that Spurs finish as low as 17th in the Premier League. But, just like United, they could do the unthinkable by securing Champions League football through the Europa League.

Given just how much both sides have struggled this season, that qualification wouldn’t be without its controversy and many have already had their say, including Arsene Wenger.

The legendary ex-Arsenal manager recently told reporters: “No – they should qualify automatically for the Europa League again but not necessarily for the Champions League.

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“Especially when you’re in the Premier League where already five teams qualify. I think it’s something [for Uefa] to think about and to review. On the other hand, people will tell you that to keep the Europa League focused, interesting and motivated you need to give them that prize (of qualifying for the Champions League).”

However, if Manchester United end their season lifting the Europa League, the words of Wenger will simply become an afterthought, and their summer transfer window could suddenly come to life.

Man Utd plotting late Angel Gomes move

According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are now plotting a last-ditch hijack to sign Angel Gomes ahead of Tottenham this summer. Squaring off both on and off the pitch, the two Premier League sides are chasing the England international as his LOSC Lille contract comes to an end and he becomes a free agent at the end of June.

Whilst it is reportedly Spurs who lead the race, Manchester United should hold the advantage that Gomes came through their academy not so long ago. Having left as an attacking midfielder in 2020, the 24-year-old has since reinvented himself as a No.6 in France and could now make quite the return to Old Trafford this summer.

Dubbed “always impressive” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Gomes looks set to have quite the decision to make between his boyhood club that let him go and a Premier League rival this summer.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly made an approach to sign a new £30m+ striker who has been compared to Man City star Omar Marmoush.

Nottingham Forest take one step closer to Champions League football

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took another step closer to qualifying for the Champions League on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at the City Ground.

Former Red Devils winger Anthony Elanga scored the winning goal to take Forest to an incredible 57 points in the Premier League with eight games remaining.

Centre-back Murillo was also the hero in the final stage with a goal-line clearance to deny Harry Maguire. Talking after the win, Nuno said: “Over the moon. We are delighted, realising how the game went. We could not be more proud than we are, because it was very tough.

“The fans played their part. We were against the ropes. In this moment, we were against the ropes, and it was about heart and belief because the legs weren’t there anymore.”

Related Nottingham Forest now racing to sign £33m defender wanted by Real Madrid

He’s a man in-demand…

Posts ByTom Cunningham Apr 2, 2025

With European football on the cards in 2025/26 for Forest, attention is already turning to the transfer market and a new signing in attack is on the to-do list.

Evangelos Marinakis is ready to break the bank and spend big, with the likes of Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, Wolves star Matheus Cunha and Brentford forward Yoane Wissa three forwards linked with moves to Forest. Now, another name has emerged on the radar from the Bundesliga.

Nottingham Forest make contact to sign Mohamed Amoura

According to reports in France, relayed by Sport Witness, Nottingham Forest have been in contact over a move to sign Mohamed Amoura who is under contract at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

It isn’t said whether or not Forest have made an approach to Amoura’s camp or the club, however, Arsenal and Liverpool have also been in touch as all three eye a deal.

The 24-year-old is currently on loan at VfL Wolfsburg, who have the option to make a move permanent for around €14m plus €4m bonuses in the summer. They look likely to do that and could then sell the Algeria international for up to €40m (£33.3m) to make a quick profit.

Forwards Amoura has been compared to

Club

Julian Alvarez

Atletico Madrid

Omar Marmoush

Man City

Kai Havertz

Arsenal

Charles De Ketelaere

Atalanta

Antoine Griezmann

Atletico Madrid

Amoura has been impressing in Germany for Wolfsburg, netting 10 goals and providing eight assists from 24 Bundesliga games in 2024/25, and by the looks of things, he could be seen as a real rival to Chris Wood at the City Ground.

Amoura, dubbed a player with “exceptional” pace, has been likened to City star Marmoush and other high-quality forwards, so a move to Forest could be one to keep an eye on.

And which bowler has the most fourth-innings wickets?

Steven Lynch19-Nov-2024Which bowler has taken the most wickets in the fourth innings of Tests? Is it Jimmy Anderson? asked David Wilkinson from England
Jimmy Anderson is in the top ten here with 91 fourth-innings wickets, one more than his old sparring partner Stuart Broad. But leading the way, with 138 fourth-innings victims, is Shane Warne.There is some danger of a change at the top, however: in second place at the moment with 119 is another prolific Australian spinner, Nathan Lyon. Three others took more than 100 fourth-innings wickets: Rangana Herath (115), Muthiah Muralidaran (106) and Glenn McGrath (103). R Ashwin currently has 99, so should join them soon.If you restrict the qualification to fourth-innings wickets in Test victories, Warne still leads the way with 106, ahead of Herath (98), Lyon (94), Ashwin (86) and McGrath (84).Goa’s innings in the Ranji Trophy the other day included two triple-centuries. Has this happened before in a first-class match? asked Ashwini K Patel from India
In something of mismatch in last week’s Ranji Trophy Plate group, Goa ran up 727 for 2 declared in Porvorim, either side of bowling Arunachal Pradesh out for 84 and 92. Kashyap Bakle (300 not out) and Snehal Kauthankar (314 not out) both scored their maiden triple-centuries, and shared an unbeaten third-wicket partnership of 606, which has been beaten in all first-class cricket only by the 624 of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene for Sri Lanka against South Africa in Colombo in July 2006.There has been only one other innings that contained two triple-centuries – also in the Ranji Trophy, although oddly enough it was against Goa, who did it this time. Back in January 1989, in Panaji, Tamil Nadu’s 912 for 6 declared included 313 from WV Raman and 302 not out from Arjan Kripal Singh.Has a T20I innings ever contained two centuries, before last week? asked Taral Khasiya via Twitter/X
The match last week was in Johannesburg, where Sanju Samson hit 109 not out and Tilak Varma 120 not out as India piled up 283 for 1 against South Africa. They shared an unbroken stand of 210, and hit 19 sixes between them.There have been two other T20I innings that contained two individual centuries. One of them happened earlier this year, in Mong Kok (Hong Kong) in February, when Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake scored 134 not out and Kendal Kadowaki-Fleming 109 not out for Japan against China. But the first such instance in a men’s T20I took place in 2022, when Sabawoon Davizi and Dylan Steyn scored hundreds for Czech Republic against Bulgaria in Malta.*It’s a rare achievement in all men’s T20 cricket: there have been only six other instances in senior matches, three of them in the IPL.There have been five cases in women’s T20Is, including two in three days by Argentina against Chile in October 2023.Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma’s twin hundreds in Johannesburg was only the second instance of two battters scoring hundreds in the same T20I innings•AFP/Getty ImagesI noticed that Lee Germon top-scored in both innings of his debut Test, and was also the captain. Has anyone else done this? asked Prasenjit Chatterjee from India
The New Zealand wicketkeeper Lee Germon achieved this unusual feat on his Test debut, with 48 and 41 against India in Bengaluru in October 1995. He’s actually the only one to top-score in both innings of his debut while also being captain, which is a pretty rare achievement in itself.Eighteen other players have top-scored in both innings of their Test debut, but were not captain. The most recent instance was by Alick Athanaze, for West Indies against India in Roseau (Dominica) in July 2023, and before that Shreyas Iyer did it for India vs New Zealand in Kanpur in November 2021 .The famed 1948 Australian team scored 774 against Gloucestershire, and there were five hundred partnerships in the innings. Was this a record? asked Tony Mountford from England
The 1948 Australian “Invincibles”, captained by Don Bradman, went through that long tour without being defeated. In the match against Gloucestershire in Bristol, even though Bradman himself didn’t play, the Aussies’ 774 for 7 declared included successive partnerships of 102, 66, 136, 162, 63, 140 and 105. Opener Arthur Morris made 290, and Sam Loxton 159 not out from No. 6.At the time, that was the fourth instance of five hundred partnerships in a first-class innings (the Australians had also done it in England in 1938, against Oxford University), and there have been two more cases since: by Sialkot (666 for 7) against Hyderabad in Sialkot in November 2007, and Sri Lanka A (749 for 5 declared) vs South Africa A in Potchefstroom in 2008.But there’s a runaway leader in this category. There has never been a first-class innings with six hundred partnerships, but there has been one with seven: when Holkar ran up 912 for 8 declared against Mysore in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Indore in March 1946, they had successive stands of 184, 4, 111, 172, 110, 125, 106 and 100.And there’s an update to last week’s question about Mominul Haque being out twice in the same session of a Test, from Charles Davis in Australia
“On the subject of two dismissals in a short interval, if we widen the search to include any score, the fastest appears to be by Percy Sherwell for South Africa against Australia in Sydney in March 1911. Sherwell was the last man out in the first innings, and when the follow-on was enforced he kept the pads on and opened, only to be first out for 14 in the fourth over. There were 11 minutes’ playing time and 27 minutes’ elapsed time between the two dismissals.”Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Perhaps the true miracle of Crawley is that he’s willing to keep driving into the abyss

Andrew Miller01-Jun-2023Bazball, Schmazball, call it what you will. England’s new team philosophy is based on the premise that, contrary to everything you have ever been brought up to believe, Test cricket really doesn’t matter. Instead of allowing its infinite possibilities to overwhelm you, your truest route to success is to channel that inner child that grew up thumping tennis balls in the back garden, and treat it all as one big jape.Which is all well and good, but how does such a fascinating thought-experiment survive contact with a contest that even the opposition has intimated is a bit of a waste of their time? Does that double-dose of nihilism end up cooking those newly liberated minds, as if they were Timothy Leary’s psychedelic disciples of the 1960s, many of whom soon discovered that their LSD-fuelled quest for true meaning merely hastened their recognition of the dark futility of existence?Too heavy (man…) for the first day of an Ashes summer? Probably. But as Ireland rest their weary limbs after an opening day that lived down to several of their most deep-seated fears, there may be one or two players in that away dressing room who are already thinking that Test cricket is not the drug for them. “It was not our best day,” as Heinrich Malan, Ireland’s understated coach, put it. “We didn’t necessarily cover ourselves in glory.”There’ll be no such unpleasant flashbacks for England’s Ashes-bound entertainers, however. For within their ranks there was, is, and seemingly always will be, an antidote to the dangers of over-think.Zak Crawley doesn’t care what you think. He doesn’t care about the match situation. He doesn’t care for the suspicion – right from his second-ball spank through the covers – that this particular contest might be a little too easy, even for a man whose Test average of 27.60 gives off an implication of vulnerability.Crawley frees his arms to try and access the off side•PA Photos/Getty ImagesInstead, he simply bats like a boy thumping balls in his back garden. Specifically, a boy who’s been brought up on bucket-loads of driveable half-volleys on a personal bowling machine, which is more or less the life story of an undeniably well-heeled alumnus of Tonbridge School, whose old flat in Canterbury quite literally backs onto Kent’s St Lawrence Ground itself.As he once told The Times, the inspiration for that particular career move came from reading about Johan Cruyff living on site at Ajax. “Practice is so easy,” he said. “You just walk down, whereas others have to drive in or get a lift.”Related

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It’s fair to surmise, therefore, that Crawley has long since waltzed past Malcolm Gladwell’s benchmark of 10,000 hours of practice making perfect. And when, in Fionn Hand’s second over of his debut spell, he unfurled his exquisitely honed levers through a brace of off-side boundaries – the first off the front foot, the second pinged off the back – it was plain to see why England’s faith in his methods remains entirely unshakeable.Yet for all the purity of those high notes, there were plenty of duff moments too from a player who, perhaps crucially, doesn’t care where he gets his runs either. Four times in nine balls, he survived an inside-edge, three of which skittered away to the fine-leg rope. A fourth of his 11 boundaries zipped off the outside edge, too, past the cordon to deepen the gloom of the toiling Mark Adair.The upshot was a 39-ball half-century, the sort of tempo that might once have left MCC’s members feeling giddier than their gin, but on this occasion, it wasn’t even the fastest half-century Crawley’s made in his last two Test innings in England. At the Kia Oval last September, he once again rose above the doubters to pass his landmark in a mere 36 balls as South Africa were hustled to defeat in a total of 909 balls, for the shortest completed Test in England since 1912. (This one, incidentally, is 488 and counting …)”Baz just wants batters who have got that X-factor and that sort of innings in them,” Stuart Broad said at the close, “because two or three will come off on a day when you need them. Zak showed that again today. He hit some eye-catching shots, got a brilliant fifty, and got us off to the perfect start.”And by the close, it was three from three that had romped along at that Baz-prescribed tempo, with Ollie Pope easing into his work on 29 from 35 and Ben Duckett alongside him on 60 from 71.Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope walk off at stumps•PA Images/GettyIn more ways than just his superior and undefeated total, Duckett’s was the better and calmer of the two innings – and it was remarkable too for being his very first for England in England, after 26 previous matches across formats, dating back to 2016. While the pair were clattering along to an opening stand of 109 in 99 balls, it was as if they were reliving their perfectly dovetailed alliance on that crazy day in Rawalpindi in December – their very first as a partnership – in which they both made centuries in a first-day total of 506 for 4.Duckett ducked and dived while Crawley stretched and eased, the former using his lack of reach to lever length deliveries on the up through point, or haul the shorter ones in front of midwicket, finding angles that his taller, right-handed, team-mate seldom needs to use. It’s a chalk-and-cheese alliance that has and will mess with more experienced attacks than Ireland, a point which Broad acknowledged with reference to a segment on the Sky Sports broadcast from Mike Atherton.”I love that dynamic with Ducky and Creeps up the top,” he said. “Athers did a piece showing the use of the crease [for bowling angles] and that is really difficult for any bowler to bowl that when the same ball you bowl can go in different areas.”Duckett’s drug of choice, incidentally, would appear to be endorphins – “Benbuzz”, maybe, to use Mike Brearley’s accidental phrase in a recent Guardian interview – given how good he’s been made to feel in every England set-up since his recall in October. For the Test team, he’s now made 568 runs at 63.11, with a strike-rate of 94 and rising, and a clear shot now at a second hundred in his last six Tests. And though his opportunities with the white-ball have been more limited, his peerless prowess on the sweep in Asian conditions surely makes him a World Cup bolter in Matthew Mott’s eyes.He, for one, could not be better placed going into a Bazball Ashes summer. But riding the crest of a wave is the easy part for this team of thrill-seekers. The miracle of Crawley, on the other hand – and something that is perhaps a touch easier to see after this latest romp – is that he’s willing to keep driving into the abyss that the rest of the team are encouraged not to notice, and maybe in the process serve as a bridge to those good times beyond.

We might not understand his methods, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give him chances to succeed or fail before writing him off

Aakash Chopra22-Dec-2020I distinctly remember the conversation I had with one of my fellow commentators about the chances of Prithvi Shaw doing well (or not) on the morning of the India-West Indies Test match held in Rajkot in 2018. Shaw had risen to prominence after a successful India Under-19 campaign, and while there was more talk about his team-mate Shubman Gill’s skills, it was Shaw who got a proper break in the IPL first, for the Delhi franchise. He impressed one and all in his debut IPL season, and now here he was, opening along with KL Rahul for India ahead of Mayank Agarwal, who had scored truckloads of first-class runs. Shaw’s sheer talent and flair had forced the selectors to fast-track him to the highest level of cricket.His batting style was unconventional, for his back leg would move towards square leg as a trigger movement, and his high backlift was coupled with no foot movement. Conventional cricketing wisdom told us that there was a lot that was not right with his technique, and that if he were to succeed, it would make for a compelling outlier story. Shaw did succeed, and how.His century on Test debut was filled with attractive strokeplay, and since there was a lot of Virender Sehwag in his batting style, parallels were immediately drawn between the two. Shaw followed it up with another impressive half century in his second Test. West Indies aren’t the strongest Test bowling unit, and Rajkot and Hyderabad aren’t the hardest pitches to bat on, but the way this young kid, not yet 20, dominated the proceedings left an impression. His partner, Rahul, far more experienced and much more acclaimed for his skills, struggled against the same bowling unit.Related

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It was understood that Shaw’s technique made him susceptible to incoming deliveries for the lbw dismissal, and his outside edge was always threatened because of the lack of foot movement and because of how he used only his hands if the ball left him off the pitch or in the air. Now these are glaring issues but quite remarkably Shaw was hardly beaten outside off in that Test series against West Indies and not more than a small handful of balls struck his legs during the course of it. That’s a staggering amount of control in a Test innings, which even the best seldom manage. Shaw on debut was India’s best batsman across those two Tests, from a team that had Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in it.India’s 2018-19 tour to Australia was right after that series and there was excitement about what Shaw might do on his maiden voyage outside India as a Test opener. Unfortunately he twisted his ankle in a warm-up game and was subsequently ruled out of the tour. He was later embroiled in a doping offence, which, if it had been handled by the book, ought to have ruled him out of the IPL season that followed too. In short, his cricket career saw many twists and turns after that twisted ankle on the boundary rope in Australia.Since he was out of the reckoning for India for a while, Shaw went back to playing domestic cricket and scored heavily again. And it wasn’t just the weight of runs but the manner in which he decimated attacks that left watchers in awe. That he was a cut above the rest was there for everyone to see.

The weaknesses in Shaw’s technical armour were exposed, but let’s not forget, those flaws were present all along, when he scored and when he failed.

An injury to Rohit Sharma opened the doors for Shaw’s next opportunity to play for India, on the tour to New Zealand early this year. Gill was also a part of that Test squad but the team preferred Shaw. His returns of 16, 14, 54 and 14 weren’t significant by any stretch of imagination but one must remember that both Tests were played on overly seamer-friendly pitches and both finished inside four days. It was a Test tour where Rahane and Kohli didn’t score a single fifty between them and the entire Indian batting unit managed a total of four 50-plus scores in four innings.Was that enough proof that Shaw’s technique was faulty and that he would not survive at the top? Definitely not. Was it enough to suggest that he could thrive at the highest level in challenging conditions? Perhaps not.Shaw is a player who is putting fans in an awkward position, for he does not fit our understanding of what a successful Test player ought to be. When people fail to understand a phenomenon and find themselves conflicted, they try to find examples that are closest to the prototype in front of them. Therefore the endless comparisons to Sehwag – but as it happens, just the Sehwag who scored big, not the one who failed often too.Shaw has already scored a fifty in New Zealand (in only two Tests there); Sehwag didn’t score a fifty in five Tests in New Zealand. Sehwag’s average in England and South Africa (two extremely challenging countries for an opener from the subcontinent to play in) is 27 and 25. respectively. Sehwag has stellar numbers in Australia but that’s only one of the four countries that are considered the hardest for a batsman from the subcontinent to succeed in.We conveniently highlight or overlook stats to suit our narratives. And let’s also acknowledge and not downplay the fact that Sehwag was part of India’s strongest batting order ever. Having briefly been a part of it myself, I can tell you that that takes away some of the pressure of failure. This is something a modern Indian opener will know only when he’s playing in the subcontinent, and not in South Africa, New Zealand, England or Australia.3:26

Moody – Prithvi Shaw hasn’t failed, the selectors have

The second thing about the comparisons with Sehwag are that pitches overall were flat in Sehwag’s era. The quality of batting coupled with better pitches globally invariably produced numbers to match. And lest you think that I’m undermining Sehwag’s greatness or effectiveness, I am simply trying to highlight that comparisons between him and Shaw are flawed. Sehwag failed too, and he looked woefully out of sorts on occasion, but the knives were not out against him every time he nicked the ball or got bowled. (Admittedly Sehwag’s front foot moved a lot more than Shaw’s, and he didn’t have a huge gap between bat and pad too.)The other problem with anyone who doesn’t match our profiling is that subconsciously we wait for them to fail, for that vindicates our original belief. Shaw is going through that phase right now. His lack of runs in the IPL this year, and more importantly, the mode of his dismissals (the ball sneaked through his defences quite often) got everyone talking again.Finally, Shaw was proving us right – after all, there were many glaring flaws in his batting style. We didn’t look at his middling IPL numbers as a matter of form but as the result of a glaring technical issue, for that suited our preconceptions more. Admittedly, the weaknesses in Shaw’s technical armour were exposed, but let’s not forget, those flaws were present all along, when he scored and when he failed. What if it’s indeed a form issue with Shaw, like with Joe Burns, who averaged 7 in the ongoing first-class season till he scored a fifty in the second innings of the first Test? Are we willing to even admit that could be a possibility?Have we seen Shaw make any attempts to address his technical issues? Yes, he is now moving back and across instead of backwards towards square leg. This should put him in a slightly better position to get closer to the ball too. But these are early days with his new technical adjustment. Given the quality of this Australian attack, even openers with the tightest techniques are likely to struggle. If there’s indeed a glaring flaw, it will be exposed and exploited.Since Gill fits our profile of a Test batsman better and has scored a little more than Shaw in the warm-up games, are we justified in jumping the gun on him? I’m neither averse to change nor am I convinced by Shaw’s technique but I am willing to give him a chance to prove me right or wrong. If people gave up on Sehwag in his early days, when his results were a mixed bag (with a fair amount of failure outside Asia), Indian cricket would never have seen the full impact of his brilliance.Though it might feel like I’m building a case for Shaw to be picked for the second Test and beyond, I am only saying that we need to give his case a patient hearing. Because you and I don’t understand his methods doesn’t mean that he can’t succeed or shouldn’t be given a shot at least. A century on Test debut and a first-class average of 51, with nine centuries in just 25 games, indicates a prodigy, not a fluke. And even if he were to end up being the latter, allow him to be proved as one in due course.

DETROIT – “What are the odds?”

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh shook his head at the improbability. He was talking about the absurd truth that his 61st home run of the year was caught in a crowd of 41,525 people by a Mariners fan wearing a homemade “Dump 61 Here” shirt. A fan who grew up in Washington rooting for the Mariners and now works at—wait for it—a Las Vegas casino. A fan sitting 391 feet away in the opposite field, a distance the other way Raleigh had reached only three times all year.

“That,” Raleigh said, “is crazy.”

Raleigh might well have wondered “What are the odds” that Seattle, the only franchise never to make the World Series, is one win away from playing for a spot in the Fall Classic. (To be specific, at the start of the year the odds of such a thing happening were +1,100, worse than at +900 in 2024 and 2023, when they failed to make the playoffs.)

And what were the odds Raleigh would join Yankee sluggers Aaron Judge, Roger Maris and Babe Ruth as the only players to homer in the postseason after hitting 60 homers in the regular season?

And what were the odds the Mariners would win three games in one year against All-Planet pitcher Tarik Skubal, including a pivotal American League division series Game 2 on Sunday?

Mariners’ secret sauce is the oldest formula for success

It turns out, all the good karma around the Mariners these days has little to do with long odds and everything to do with one of the oldest, surest tenets of winning baseball: pitching. In a game gone crazy over spin and pitch shapes, Mariners pitchers throw more strikes (65.3%), more fastballs (55.5%) and more pitches when ahead in the count (31.2%) than any staff in the American League.

They are flat-out dominating a Detroit Tigers team that doesn’t have nearly the lineup depth or bat-to-ball skills to take on the fury of Seattle’s here-it-is-try-to-hit-it pitchers.

Seattle Game 3 starter Logan Gilbert took the baton from Luis Castillo, who took the baton from George Kirby. In an 8-4 win made close only in garbage time, Gilbert struck out seven batters over six solid innings, tying a Mariners postseason record for most strikeouts without a walk, joining Castillo and Randy Johnson.

In three games the Mariners have held the Tigers to a .165 batting average while striking out 35 batters in 29 innings. Ever since Kerry Carpenter homered in the fifth inning of Game 1, the Tigers have gone homerless in 95 consecutive plate appearances, getting outhomered 5–0. All that with the Mariners’ best starter this year, Bryan Woo, not even on the roster because of injury.

“The most impressive thing about this staff is how crazy-a– tight they are,” said Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez. “I mean, they share information together, they eat together, they train together, they do everything together. Listen, they’ve got good [stuff]. Start there. But the way they compete every day and push each other is what helps them to be great.”

Said Raleigh, “I know every team talks about being aggressive and controlling counts. But these guys take it to another level. It makes my job a lot easier.”

Thursday's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles was delayed after pitcher Hunter Bigge was hit in the head by a foul ball while watching from the dugout. Bigge received medical care and gave a thumbs-up as he left the field on a stretcher.

The scary moment happened in the top of the 7th with Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman at the plate. During a nine pitch at-bat, Rutschman fouled off three straight pitches before earning a walk. One of those foul balls was pulled hard into the Tampa Bay dugout down the third baseline and hit Bigge.

You can see the foul ball that hit Bigge here.

Bigge has not pitched since May 1 and was recently on the 15-day IL in May.