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Also, the oldest IPL player, the first Test triple-century by a captain, Test caps in the 90s, and keepers with no wickets

Steven Lynch27-May-2014Is Muttiah Muralitharan the oldest player in the IPL? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada

Muttiah Muralitharan was 42 last month – he was born in April 1972 – but he’s not the oldest swinger in town at IPL 7. Pravin Tambe, the surprise-packet legspinner unearthed by Rajasthan Royals last year, was born in October 1971, so turns 43 later this year. Tambe had never played a first-class match when called up by Rajasthan in 2013, although he did play a couple for Mumbai after that. Earlier this month Tambe took a hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders – an unusual one in that the first victim, Manish Pandey, was stumped off a wide – so the hat-trick actually came from two legal deliveries.Is it true that Jack the Ripper was a cricketer? asked Paul Wheldon from England

The identity of Jack the Ripper, who specialised in gory murders in London’s East End in the 1880s, has never been discovered. It’s true to say, however, that one of the names often mentioned as a suspect was a cricketer – Montague Druitt, an old boy of Winchester College who played several matches for MCC, and took 7 for 18 for Dorset against Wiltshire at Trowbridge in August 1883. Druitt’s body was found in the River Thames in December 1888 – shortly after the last of the Ripper murders – in an apparent case of suicide. A 2004 book, Montague Druitt: Portrait of a Contender examined the possibilities of Druitt being the Ripper, but the author, DJ Leighton, concluded that it was unlikely.Who was the first Test captain to score a triple-century? Was it Don Bradman? asked Keith Powell from England

Don Bradman’s two Test triple-centuries – both at Headingley, in 1930 and 1934 – came while he was still in the ranks: he did not take over as Australia’s captain until 1936-37. The first skipper to score 300 in a Test was another Australian, Bob Simpson, who amassed 311 at Old Trafford in 1964. Since then there have been seven further triples by Test captains: Graham Gooch’s 333 for England v India at Lord’s in 1990; Mark Taylor’s 334 not out for Australia v Pakistan in Peshawar in 1998-99; Brian Lara’s 400 not out for West Indies v England in St John’s in 2003-04; Mahela Jayawardene’s 374 for Sri Lanka v South Africa in Colombo in 2006; Younis Khan’s 313 for Pakistan v Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2008-09; Michael Clarke’s 329 not out for Australia v India in Sydney in 2011-12; and Brendon McCullum’s 302 for New Zealand v India in Wellington earlier this year.How many people have won 90 or more Test caps without making it to 100? asked Suresh Maneckji from India

Fifteen players have finished their careers with between 90 and 99 Test caps. The closest to three figures was Mohammad Azharuddin, whose career ended under a cloud with him stuck on 99. Curtly Ambrose played 98 Tests, Adam Gilchrist, Nasser Hussain and Rod Marsh 96, Alan Knott 95, Aravinda de Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga and Garry Sobers 93, Godfrey Evans and Gundappa Viswanath 91, and Marvan Atapattu, Herschelle Gibbs, Mohammad Yousuf and Bob Willis 90. This excludes five current players who should yet make it out of the nineties: Chris Gayle (currently 99 caps), Ian Bell (98), James Anderson, AB de Villiers and Zaheer Khan (all 92).How many times have both captains scored fifties in each innings of a Test? asked Siddhartha from India

There have been a total of 171 instances of a captain reaching 50 in both innings of a Test – but of those, only four have involved both skippers in the same match. The first time it happened was in Georgetown in 1967-68, when Colin Cowdrey scored 59 and 82 for England, and Garry Sobers 152 and 95 not out for West Indies. Sobers was involved again in Adelaide in 1968-69, hitting 110 and 52 while Bill Lawry made 62 and 89 for Australia. In Melbourne in 2008-09 Australia’s Ricky Ponting scored 101 and 99 while Graeme Smith made 62 and 75 for South Africa. And finally there was a Taylor-fest in Bulawayo in November 2011 – Brendan hit 50 and 117 for Zimbabwe, and Ross 76 and 76 for New Zealand.Alec Stewart figured in 133 Tests without ever taking a wicket. Who holds the corresponding record in one-day internationals? asked Juan Castro from Argentina

The holder of this esoteric record in one-day internationals is Kumar Sangakkara, who has so far (as at May 22) played 370 one-day internationals without taking a wicket (indeed, he has never bowled). Next come Mark Boucher (295 matches) and Adam Gilchrist (287), before the first non-wicketkeeper, Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka, who played 268 ODIs without taking a wicket. The current leader in T20 internationals is Brendon McCullum (68 matches, no wickets), ahead of his New Zealand team-mate Ross Taylor (59 matches). Alec Stewart (133) does hold the record for Tests, although he’s only just ahead of the first non-wicketkeeper, Brian Lara, who failed to take a wicket in 131 Test appearances. Sangakkara has now played 548 international matches across all three formats without taking a wicket, ahead of Gilchrist (396), McCullum (381), and Herschelle Gibbs – the first non-keeper – with 361.

Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk says Jose Mourinho can "keep crying" after the Fenerbahce manager complained to the officials following their 0-0 draw.

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Galatasaray draw 0-0 with FenerbahceMourinho complains to referee afterwardsGalatasaray boss savages PortugueseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After the feisty goalless draw at Galatasaray in this Turkish league top-of-the-table clash on Monday, Fenerbahce boss Mourinho was spotted heading into referee Slavko Vincic's room. That promoted Buruk to say the Portuguese is not 'The Special One, merely "The Crying One".

AdvertisementWHAT OKAN BURUK SAID

He told reporters after the game: "Mourinho took a long time to cry! The Crying One… He is famous for crying. He went into the referee's room and cried! Let him keep crying!"

Getty/GOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Buruk's comments refer to Galatasaray's ongoing trolling of Mourinho, who has repeatedly fired shots at their players. While the ex-Chelsea boss did not like the officiating in the draw, his side are six points behind league leaders Galatasaray as they missed a big opportunity to close the gap on their rivals.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Mourinho's side take a break from the Super Lig when they travel to Gaziantep on Thursday in the Turkish Cup.

England opener Zak Crawley scored a second half-century of this LV= Insurance County Championship match against Northamptonshire, providing a much-needed boost ahead of the first Test against New Zealand.While the intensity and pace of the bowling did not match what Crawley can expect to face at Lord’s next month, Crawley’s form will still be welcome news for the new England management.With little riding on the day as the game drifted towards a draw, Crawley settled for some time in the middle, sharing a 149-run opening stand with Ben Compton. He struck the ball cleanly and crisply and accumulated seven boundaries and a six on his way to 84, It followed his first innings of 62 and marks a return to form for the opener after a string of low scores saw many questioning his England selection.Finally the two sides shook hands on the draw with Kent at 170 for 1.Northamptonshire started the day needing 23 more runs to avoid the threat of the follow-on. Matt Quinn and Darren Stevens kept things tight early on during a tense opening 20 minutes which saw Tom Taylor fall, caught at second slip, without a run being added in five overs.Gareth Berg opted for the attacking option, taking the Steelbacks to the brink of safety by smiting George Linde for six over long-on while Lewis McManus, batting with an injured finger, posted a hugely valuable undefeated fifty, his second since joining Northamptonshire on loan this season.Ben Sanderson freed his arms, unfurling a string of crunching cover drives in a last-wicket stand with McManus worth 54 before Daniel Bell-Drummond ended the fun by knocking back Sanderson’s off-stump just before lunch.After the interval, Crawley showed intent from the outset with a straight driven boundary off Sanderson. Northamptonshire’s opening bowlers though kept things tight and Crawley and Ben Curran were content to play the ball on merit and leave well alone outside off.Northamptonshire fluffed the chance of an early wicket when there was a mix-up between the batters, leaving Compton scrabbling to regain his ground, but both Luke Procter’s throw in from mid-on and sub keeper Harry Gouldstone’s shy at the stumps were both slightly wide.Crawley got into the groove with two late cuts off Sanderson and Taylor and he played some pleasant cover drives for three. He also displayed some aggression with a clubbed four over mid-off to Rob Keogh and a crunching extra cover drive off Emilio Gay. He used his feet to come down the track and hit Curran’s slow bowling over long-on for six. One rare miss-hit came via an inside edge down to fine leg off Procter on 40 but he otherwise located the middle of the bat with ease and timed the ball sweetly.At the other end Compton continued in the typically sedate fashion that has proved so productive for him this season before accelerating on his way to 68. He cut and drove handsomely, surviving one moment of danger when a thick outside edge off a ball from Keogh flew away for four.After tea, Northamptonshire turned to their part-time bowlers to see out the remaining overs. Crawley’s innings ended finally after 138 balls when he hit Curran straight to long-on.

da dobrowin： A “clinical” player now wants to leave Chelsea and has a “desire for a change of scenery”, with an elite club looking set to knock on his door in the January transfer window.

Players linked with Chelsea exits in January

da heads bet： Manager Enzo Maresca has showcased a real ruthlessness in axing players he deems unfit for his long-term plans, with his treatment of stars like Raheem Sterling in the summer highlighting that big-name players are no exception.

Related Chelsea in direct contact with £161k-per-week star ahead of potential move

The west Londoners have reached out to him.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Oct 12, 2024

Alongside Sterling, Maresca and Chelsea offloaded Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall, Romelu Lukaku, Omari Hutchinson, Angelo Gabriel, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr, Tino Anjorin, Thiago Silva, Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Djordje Petrovic, Trevoh Chalobah, Kepa Arrizabalaga, David Datro Fofana, Aflie Gilchrist and Bashir Humphreys – either on loan or permanently – and a few more players could follow them out of the door this winter.

Indeed, it is believed Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk could be allowed to leave on loan, as the Ukraine international winger has been reduced to cup appearances under Maresca thus far.

Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures

Date

Liverpool (away)

October 20

Newcastle (home)

October 27

Man United (away)

November 3

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Chiefs are keen for Mudryk to justify his potential £89 million price tag, and may well green-light a temporary exit so he can accumulate much-needed minutes.

Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile could also be sold by Chelsea, with the French defensive duo not exactly standing out as key players in Maresca’s matchday squad so far in the Premier League.

Left-back Ben Chilwell is most likely to leave Chelsea. According to Maresca, the £200,000-per-week defender was meant to leave in the summer, and it is believed that Chilwell is attracting serious interest from Manchester United ahead of January.

“I think so. Hopefully we can give him some minutes tomorrow,” said Maresca before Chilwell played 45 minutes against Barrow in the EFL Cup.

“The idea for him was to leave. In the moment that he’s here, he’s one of the squad, he’s training. He will be in the squad tomorrow, and hopefully we can give him some minutes.”

Carney Chukwuemeka wants to leave Chelsea

Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who has joined Chilwell in struggling for chances under Maresca, has also been linked with the Stamford Bridge exit door.

The £100,000-per-week ace is attracting interest from Serie A as Milan plan their own January transfer window, and the Rossoneri have shortlisted the player who they believe could seriously strengthen Paulo Fonseca’s ranks.

According to Calciomercato, Chukwuemeka is ready to leave Chelsea, and has a “desire for a change of scenery”. It is believed Milan are planning a loan bid for the 20-year-old when the transfer window reopens as they look to “take advantage” of Chukwuemeka’s eagerness to quit the Blues.

Chelsea signed the player from Aston Villa for around £22 million, right at the start of Clearlake Capital’s takeover in 2022, but things haven’t exactly taken off for him since then, despite some praise from the likes of Marcel Desailly.

“I like Carney Chukwuemeka because he is like an artist who comes onto the stage,” said Desailly.

“He has got the ball. Now is my moment. Shine. You see the dribbling. He is sure about what he is going to do and he is clinical. I love it.”

Two dropped catches can’t dent pride as Trent Boult record competes for top billing

Osman Samiuddin11-Jun-2022

With apologies to Rudyard Kipling, if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same, then your name is Daryl Mitchell.That is the only reasonable conclusion to come to about Mitchell’s reaction to a day on which he made his highest first-class score and dropped two catches at first slip late in the day.The highest first-class score was primarily a triumph of course. But missing out on a maiden double-hundred by just ten runs may have soured the taste a touch perhaps?Not a bit.”To be honest, a double-hundred personally doesn’t mean a hell of a lot, it was just nice to contribute to a score that can help win us a Test match,” he said. “Anything over a hundred’s pretty good, so I was just trying to do a good job for the team, and it’s always good fun batting with [Trent] Boulty at the end there, he always provides a bit of entertainment.”We’ll get to that entertainment but, first, the two dropped chances – surely they would have stung a bit. Alex Lees was on 12 when Mitchell shelled a fairly regulation edge off Tim Southee. Towards the end of play, he then dropped Ollie Pope – then on 41 – off the bowling of Boult.England could’ve ended the day three down, with less than 90 on the board, and a massive deficit to think about overnight. Nope.”I think that’s the nature of the game, anyone who’s played cricket has dropped a catch in their life,” he reasoned. “For me, I can’t control what happens now but it’s just concentrating on the next one and taking the next one.”It’s just the game of cricket. The first one I probably catch nine times out of 10, and the second one’s a reaction catch that either sticks or it doesn’t. For me, I’ve trained to play Test cricket and play five days and do this job, so it’s just the nature of the game that we play.”We created some chances tonight which is really promising heading into tomorrow. If we can keep building pressure, keep backing up spells and keep asking questions of the English batters around that off stump, we’re going to give ourselves the best chance to take ten wickets this innings and hopefully another ten the next. For us it’s exciting, we’re looking forward to it, and we know if we can do the right thing for long enough we’ll get the rewards.”That level-headedness held Mitchell in good stead through another day of near flawless batting. A fast outfield and a good pitch has helped, but for two Tests in a row England have struggled to work out ways to not just get him out, but to keep his scoring rate in check: his 311 runs in the series so far have come at a strike-rate a touch under 56.They tried today, testing his patience in the morning with a conventional off-stump line. Later in the afternoon they tried bowling short to him, though there’s been enough evidence to suggest that neither will it dismiss him often, nor will it stop him scoring.Related

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“It’s the nature of Test cricket, there’s always little moments you’ve got to keep trying to get through and whether it’s trying to cash in to put pressure on them or absorbing them bowling good spells and trying to dry the run rate up,” he said.”But that’s the wonders of Test cricket, and that’s why we love the game, it’s the little games within a game. It was cool to get through a couple of those moments and do a job, and nice for us to get a big total on the board that allows us to be aggressive with the ball.”The innings ended with the Boult sub-plot. The talk at that point was of the lower-order keeping Mitchell company to get him to his double. But, it turns out, a far more significant milestone was at stake: Boult began his innings today with 607 Test runs at No. 11, needing 17 to go past Muthiah Muralidaran as the most prolific No.11 in Test history.Four impeccable boundaries brought Boult level before Mitchell chased and edged a wide one, to not only miss his double but to leave Boult level. It was a record Boult was very much aware of when he went out. And it turns out, so too was Mitchell”I’ve spent the last two months with Trent at the IPL and I reckon he’s mentioned it every day, that he wants that record.”I think it’s an amazing achievement. Even though he probably carries on, I think he’s a really good batsman and I love the energy he brings, it’s awesome fun batting with him. But it’s something we definitely discussed over many a coffee at the IPL for the last two months. Maybe he’ll go for the No. 10 record now, who knows?”

Plays of the Day from the game between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils in Jaipur

Andrew Fidel Fernando07-May-2013The list
Having been virtually knocked out of contention for the playoffs in their last match, changes to Delhi Daredevils’ XI were not unexpected, but the visitors changed more than half their team, leaving the captain Mahela Jayawardene with the difficult task of naming each one of them at the toss. It was not a job he shirked from though, as many captains are wont to do. When prompted by presenter Simon Doull, Jayawardene not only supplied the names of the players who came into the side, but those who were making way as well – 12 players in all. His recital earned immediate praise from Doull, and admiration from opposition captain Rahul Dravid, who applauded the effort.The dive
Though Sachin Baby’s dive at short cover to dismiss David Warner was impressive for its anticipation, it was not a player who provided the most remarkable dive of the evening. Rahul Dravid produced a lofted drive of rare power in the sixth over, when he struck an overpitched delivery from Ajit Agarkar straight back at the bowler. Agarkar attempted to complete a catch, but could do nothing more than deflect the ball, still traveling quickly, towards umpire Aleem Dar. Quick as a snake, Dar spotted the incoming missile, and dropped low, turning his body away from the ball, and ended up on the turf as the ball whistled past, all the way to the boundary.The slower ball
Sehwag has had only one good outing so far in the IPL, but when he struck two fours either side of the wicket in the second over, he may have hoped his lean trot was coming to an end. He was undone, however, by a slower ball – a good one, but the sort that he regularly blasts to the fence when in good form. Faulkner delivered his fourth ball out of the back of the hand, and Sehwag, being too quick on a heave across the leg side, as well as failing to account for the grip that the leg cutter achieved on the pitch, was beaten by a distance, and his off stump rattled.The drop
With a sub-par total on the board, Daredevils could afford few mistakes in the field, but when they did have the chance to arrest a forceful Royals start, they shelled the opportunity and allowed the opposition’s openers to effectively make the game safe. Morne Morkel induced a thick edge from Ajinkya Rahane in the fifth over, but despite Pawan Negi having ample time to get under the chance, going back from cover, he could not get his hands around the ball, and ended up parrying it towards the ropes. Warner and Agarkar combined to save the boundary, but enough damage had already been done, and Rahane was a fixture at the crease until the winning run was hit.

England (88 points) have dropped to their lowest rating in Test cricket since 1995

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2022Australia have consolidated their top position in the ICC men’s Test team rankings, while India and New Zealand remain the No.1 teams in the T20I and ODI rankings, respectively.The ICC’s annual update reflects all completed series since May 2019. The series played before May 2021 are now weighted at 50 per cent and subsequent ones at 100 per cent.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

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Australia extended their lead to nine points over second-placed India in the Test rankings, following a 4-0 thrashing of England in the home Ashes series at the turn of the year, and a 1-0 win in Pakistan. They now have 128 points.Pakistan have moved above England to fourth place in the Test rankings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India have gained a point to move to 119, and, with England’s 4-1 series win over India in 2018 now dropped from the rankings, they are at 88 points, their lowest since 1995. England’s home series against India, which began in 2021, will be included in the rankings post the completion of the fifth and final Test scheduled for July.India remained second following their home series wins against New Zealand, West Indies, and Sri Lanka, with tight competition for third between New Zealand (111) and South Africa (110). Pakistan (93) are fifth ahead of England.The gap between the top two ODI teams is down to just one point•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Meanwhile, in the ODI rankings, England have done well to close their gap from three points to one below leaders New Zealand (125 points) after overcoming Sri Lanka 2-0 and Pakistan 3-0 – both series at home – in the World Cup Super League, collecting 55 points.This has widened the gap between England and third-placed Australia (107) from seven to 17 points after the latter dropped five points. Though Australia produced two wins in three matches against West Indies, they dropped two matches on their tour of Pakistan. It also meant Pakistan (105) jumped one spot to fifth, replacing South Africa and reducing their gap from India (102) to three points.New Zealand have slipped two places to No. 6 in the T20I rankings•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In T20Is, India have extended their lead over second-placed England from one to five points. Pakistan occupy the third spot. South Africa and Australia have jumped one spot each to fourth and fifth, respectively. New Zealand lost two places to drop to No.6 while West Indies remained in seventh.Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have both gained one position to be placed eighth and ninth, respectively. Afghanistan, who lost two places, occupy the tenth spot.Overall, the number of ranked teams has come down to 72 from 91, with each team being required to play a minimum of six rated matches since May 2019. Fiji, Costa Rica, Japan, South Korea, St Helena, China, Indonesia, and Myanmar have not played since May 2019 and have lost their rating.

After much chopping and changing, Sri Lanka have finally announced their 17-man squad for the upcoming home ODI series against Zimbabwe, with eight changes from their last outing against South Africa – though even more had originally been slated.Kusal Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva are the biggest names to miss out – the first two are nursing injuries, the third tested positive for Covid-19, and Dhananjaya is on paternity leave following the birth of his first child. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, meanwhile, ruled himself out of contention following his decision to retire – a decision he has now rescinded. Lahiru Kumara was named in the squad but failed Sri Lanka’s newly beefed-up fitness tests. Pace bowler Binura Fernando and spinner Akila Dananjaya are the other two to miss the cut.Related

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In their place come Kusal Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay and the uncapped trio of Nuwan Thushara, Shiran Fernando and Chamika Gunasekara; Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Pradeep and Kamindu Mendis meanwhile have been recalled, having been dropped from the initial squad.Indeed, Sri Lanka’s selectors had originally planned to go with an even more fresh-faced unit with the uncapped trio of Kalana Perera, Kamil Mishara and Janith Liyanage also included, but the latter two tested positive for Covid-19 while the former fell short of fitness requirements. Of the three, Liyanage will likely be the most disappointed, following a breakout LPL campaign with the Dambulla Giants.The dropouts meant room opened up for some familiar faces to return with the biggest beneficiaries from the rejigged squad undoubtedly Chandimal and Mendis, both of whom had outstanding LPL campaigns and would have been forgiven for feeling a little hard done to have been omitted in the first place.While his LPL season brought just the sole half century – an unbeaten 65 in a narrow defeat – only twice in nine LPL innings did Chandimal fail to score less than 25, making him undoubtedly the most consistent force in the tournament. Mendis, meanwhile, ended as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, including a match-winning 53-ball 85 against eventual champions Jaffna Kings in the first Qualifier.The pair supplement a batting line-up that boasts quite a bit of potential if not international experience, led by the promising young duo of Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka. Lower down, allrounders Chamika Karunaratne, Dasun Shanaka and Ramesh Mendis offer big-hitting prowess, while Minod Bhanuka will likely vie with Chandimal for wicketkeeping duties.On the bowling front, the pace contingent will be led by the ever-improving Dushmantha Chameera, who finished 2021 as the year’s leading ODI wicket-taker, albeit with the necessary caveat of having played the most matches and the lack of ODI involvement by other Test-playing nations. The veteran Pradeep and uncapped trio of Thushara, Shiran Fernando and Chamika Gunasekera are the other seamers in the squad – though the likes of Shanaka and Karunaratne also offer alternatives.Pradeep had a decent LPL picking up 10 wickets in largely unfavourable conditions, while Thushara, whose slingy action has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons to Lasith Malinga, showcased his potential in the shortest format, going wicketless just twice in eight games, including a career-best 5 for 13 in the crucial first Qualifier against the Jaffna Kings – he will be keen to test his skills in the 50-over game. Both Fernando and Gunasekera meanwhile have had modest domestic returns but seem to have been picked largely on potential.It’s in the spin bowling department though that Sri Lanka will feel most light, with the still green Maheesh Theekshana likely to lead the line alongside left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and the returning Vandersay. Legspinner Vandersay though is in the midst of a career renaissance, set for his first ODI since 2019 following an impressive LPL; having had to wait till halfway through to tournament to get any game time for the Colombo Stars he ended it with 11 wickets in four games, including a career-best haul of 6 for 25. There are also the part-time options afforded by Ramesh and Kamindu Mendis, with the former having showed signs of taking his game up a notch in the recently concluded Test series against the West Indies.Ashen Bandara, Pulina Tharanga, Nimesh Vimukthi, Ashian Daniel, Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando have been named as standby players.Full squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Minod Bhanuka, Charith Asalanka, Chamika Karunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Thushara, Chamika Gunasekera, Shiran Fernando

Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach Rangana Herath, currently on tour in New Zealand with the Test squad, has tested Covid-19 positive on Wednesday, but is believed to have only “mild symptoms.”Eight other Bangladesh players have been sent into isolation after another person on their Christchurch-bound aircraft also tested positive.The rest of the squad went into training Lincoln on Thursday, but were are all asked to mandatorily complete a three-day room quarantine once again by the New Zealand health authorities because of their proximity to Herath on the flight.It’s the second time they will have to quarantine since arriving on December 10. The entire contingent was supposed to be in managed isolation, which included gym sessions from December 14. But that isn’t the case anymore.”We’re maintaining the existing protocol,” BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury told the Dhaka-based . “We will get a clear picture tomorrow (December 17) as they have taken a few samples today and the results are due. Since the players are isolated, hopefully no other complications will arise. This is part of the new reality.”There was reportedly concern within the Bangladesh team but they were feeling better after all but Herath tested negative again on Thursday. But the latest directive from the local health authority means that the visitors’ preparation will be delayed by another three days.Bangladesh are scheduled to play two practice matches before the first Test in Tauranga that starts on January 1.

An interest in film-making has seen James Anderson get involved with a Massai warriors team, hoping cricket can improve their lives

George Dobell30-Nov-2012Plenty of sportsmen end their careers with a trunk load of anecdotes about their adventures and exploits. Plenty have glamorous tales about exotic lands and far-flung destinations. Plenty come, play and depart without leaving a trace on the lands they have visited. Not many take the time to look around. Even fewer bother to lend a hand to those less fortunate.It is easy for the top players to become insulated from real life. It easy to live inside a bubble: surrounded by acolytes; staying in the finest hotels – this interview was conducted in the resplendent Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai – travelling in style and blessed with a team of support staff who cater for every whim. If the England squad were to add a spot welder and balloon animal maker to their travelling entourage it would hardly raise an eyebrow. It would be easy to lose touch with reality. It would, in short, be easy to become spoiled.But James Anderson is not that sort. He winces when he sees the police beating a path through crowds of spectators just so the players’ bus is not delayed. He winces at the crowd of beggars who sleep in the streets around the hotel. And, like most well-meaning travellers, his winces at his own impotence in the face of such inequality. It is easy to scoff at celebrities – and, for the sake of argument, let us call cricketers celebrities – who involve themselves in charitable causes in a somewhat clumsy but well-intentioned way. But it is surely better than the alternative. Being well-intentioned isn’t such a bad quality.Anderson hopes that his involvement with a new project – a film named about Maasai people in Kenya who are using cricket as a tool to educate, inform and unite – can, in a small way, make a positive contribution in the world. He hopes that it can, in a small way, even remind people of the virtues of cricket.”We are so lucky,” Anderson said. “We get presidential treatment wherever we go. When we go to and from the ground, you see the police hitting people to get them out of our way. We’re so privileged. It’s difficult to know how to react when you see these things. We’ve done some charity stuff on the last couple of tours. In Bangladesh, for example, we went to see a burns unit. It’s not that we think we can change people’s lives but maybe we can help in a small way.”The image of the game of cricket has been tarnished over the last couple of years. We’ve had the betting scandals and it seems there are always questions about the future of Test cricket.”So it would nice to try and help someone through cricket and show people that there are positive things that cricket can do. If we can send a strong message that might, in a tiny way, reach a small village, or a small tribe, that can only be good.”Anderson is, in many ways, an unlikely spokesman. He is a modest fellow; shy and softly spoken. He is about as unlike Bono as a man can be. But, partly thanks to the influence of his good friend Barney Douglas, the ECB’s video producer, he has grown increasingly keen on an intriguing project and knows he can use his public profile to help attract some attention to a worthy cause. Douglas is the director of while Anderson is the executive producer.

Whatever the future of the Maasai and their cricket team, it is surely admirable that Anderson is using his position with the game to shine a light upon those less fortunate than himself.

The pair first worked together on the Ashes diaries that were an unexpected delight of the 2010-11 series. Often a video that has been through the mangle of any official body has every drop of originality and humour squeezed out of it but, on this occasion, the good-natured wit of Anderson, Graeme Swann and, crucially, Douglas, who was very much the unsung hero of the videos, shone through. The process of coming up with ideas for the videos and the process of filming and editing the scenes planted a seed in Anderson that just might grow into a second career at some point.”I’m excited by it,” Anderson said. “I think I’ve a little bit of a creative side to me. If I enjoy and if it goes well, it maybe something I do in the future. I’m past 30 now so I have to think about these things. It’s great to do something a bit more fun and relaxed.”Getting on well with Barney has helped. We have worked quite closely together over the last couple of years. That was part of it. But then when I heard the story and saw what the film was trying to achieve, I was drawn to it. Now I’m trying to get the message out there and help promote the film. If there’s anything I do to help with the cricket sequences then I’d be happy to and, if time allows, I’d love to go to Kenya at some stage.”The film follows the fortunes of a group of Maasai individuals who have, rather wonderfully, formed a cricket team on the plains of Kenya. Not only that, but they have started to use the team and the sport of cricket as a tool to unite and teach their communities. So people who previously fought as rivals are now working together. And, in teaching the values of teamwork and personal responsibility, the team also hope to instil important messages about safe sex, female rights and community values.The Maasai cricket team hopes to tour the UK next year•warriorsfilmIt is a remarkable, and a remarkably brave, ambition. The Maasai community is male-dominated. Women have few rights – even to their own bodies – and HIV is both rife and stigmatised. In some cases children are married off in return for livestock or alcohol and female genital mutilation remains prevalent. These “cricket warriors”, as the film refers to them, feel education and change is the only way to secure a long-term positive future for their people.Cricket has given the team status in their community. Their peers are beginning to listen to them; schoolchildren, boys and girls, are looking up to them. But, in a hierarchical, patriarchal society, there is a real and sometimes fierce conflict between the traditional and the modern. There are no guarantees of a happy ending.”There are so many messages the game can give,” Anderson said. “Getting 11 random guys and getting them to work together, even though they might not get on and may be from very different walks of life, just shows how you can work with different people.”Douglas interrupts: “People in this team used to raid each other for livestock. They used to fight. But now they’ve come together. They want to be unified as a team.””Cricket has always been tagged as the gentleman’s sport,” Anderson continued. “That’s definitely still there. The game has changed and has probably become more competitive. Maybe there isn’t as much camaraderie between opposition teams any more. But the respect all players from all countries still have for the game is still there and it is never going to die out.”Anderson and Douglas hope the film will be ready for release in September 2013, but are still in the process of securing the necessary funding. For more information on the film visit the film’s facebook page or follow them on twitter. Click here for the trailer.Whatever the future of the Maasai and their cricket team – and they have hopes of touring the UK in 2013 – it is surely admirable that Anderson is using his position with the game to shine a light upon those less fortunate than himself.