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Perhaps looking to add crucial squad depth in an attempt to balance both domestic and European action, Aston Villa could now reportedly join a six-team Premier League race to sign a £40m midfielder.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans have almost been the victims of their own success at times in the current campaign, with any inconsistencies occurring in the face of a packed fixture schedule thanks to Champions League commitments. Those inconsistencies couldn’t have been summed up better last week either when Unai Emery’s side defeated RB Leipzig before suffering a late defeat against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

In usual circumstances, the visit of Manchester City up next would signal further concern, but this isn’t the Manchester City of the last four seasons. This is a wounded champion – champions who have picked up just one win in 11 games. In fact, rather than suffering the feeling of growing concern, Villa should see this weekend’s clash as the perfect chance to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.

Aston Villa interested in signing £30m player with same agent as Barkley

Aston Villa are in the race to sign a player who is struggling for regular minutes.

ByBrett Worthington Dec 19, 2024

It’s not just on the pitch that those in the Midlands could defeat England’s top sides either. According to Caught Offside, Aston Villa could now join a six-team Premier League race to sign Charles De Ketelaere in 2025.

The attacking midfielder – worth a reported £40m – has also attracted the interest of Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester City, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in what hands Atalanta quite the decision to make.

Having struggled to make an impact at AC Milan, De Ketelaere has since redeemed himself at Atalanta to get back on track towards his highly-rated potential. Whether that results in a second chance on the big stage – and this time in the Premier League – remains to be seen.

"Excellent" De Ketelaere is on the rise again

De Ketelaere deserves great credit for how he’s responded to a difficult AC Milan spell, as do Atalanta for how they’ve transformed the young attacking midfielder once more. Now, however, it could be time for the 23-year-old to earn redemption under the spotlight.

Emery’s Aston Villa side represent a safe option to continue his Atalanta form onto the bigger stage too. It’s seen the likes of Morgan Rodgers swap the Championship for the Premier League and thrive, as well as helping Emiliano Martinez on his way to becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Now, for just £40m, the Midlands club could have a similar impact on De Ketelaere.

De Ketelaere midfielder has found himself at the centre of praise in the current campaign, with Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig dubbing the Belgian “an excellent signing” for Atalanta.

In a move that would beat a number of Premier League sides, Aston Villa could make yet another statement of intent on the transfer front in 2025.

Stats highlights from a day when England’s two fast bowlers showed, yet again, why they are among the best in the world

S Rajesh04-Nov-20152 Number of times England have scored 284 or more in the fourth innings of a Test in Asia: they made 285 for 7 in a drawn game in Kandy in 2003, and 312 in Dubai in the previous Test.4 Number of 150-plus scores for Mohammad Hafeez in Tests, out of his nine Test hundreds. His last three centuries have all been 150-plus – 197 against New Zealand in Sharjah last year, 224 against Bangladesh in April 2015, and 151 here. It’s also his highest second-innings score, comfortably beating his previous-best of 104.2 Number of Test hundreds for Hafeez in Sharjah; it’s the only venue where he has more than one Test century.31 Wickets taken by England’s fast bowlers in the series, at an average of 24.58 and economy rate of 2.29 runs per over. England’s spinners took 20 wickets, at an average of 59.85 and an economy rate of 4.06.1.87 James Anderson’s economy rate in the series – he bowled 108.1 overs and conceded just 203 runs. It’s the first time he has gone at under two an over in a series, while Stuart Broad’s economy rate of 2.07 is also his best in a series.10 Wickets for Shoaib Malik in this series so far, at an average of 20.60. His wickets tally twice as many as his previous-highest in a series. His match haul of six wickets so far is also his best in a Test – he had never previously taken more than four in a match.9 Number of times Ian Bell has been dismissed for 0 or 1 in 24 Test innings in 2015. It’s the joint second-highest by any player in a calendar year, next only to Mervyn Dillon’s ten such dismissals in 2002. In Dillon’s case, all ten such dismissals were for ducks, while Bell has six ones and three ducks. In 181 previous innings before 2015, Bell only had 17 such dismissals.325 Runs added by Pakistan’s first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth wickets in their second innings; the even-numbered wickets contributed exactly 30 runs.

We dug through the archives to put together a collection of some of our best features on the Sri Lankan maestro

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2015The individualist (December 2004)
Charlie Austin: A tough-talking, sharp-thinking, ball-bashing man with a planUnrewarded brilliance (November 2007)
Peter English: Whenever Sri Lankans look back to 2007 they will always wonder what would have happened if Kumar Sangakkara did not tear his hamstring in the tour game in AdelaideWhen Sanga took on Australia (December 2012)
In an interview with Andrew Fidel Fernando, Sangakkara looks back on his epic 192 in HobartPractice makes perfect (December 2007)
The secret of a purple patch: practice, and keeping things simpleSangakkara’s sensational 2007 (December 2007)
S Rajesh: A statistical look at one of Sangakkara’s most prolific years’I felt a bullet fizz past my ear’ (March 2009)
A day after the Lahore terror attack on the Sri Lankan team, Sangakkara talks about the harrowing incident’I want to score 30 Test hundreds’ (March 2010)
Sangakkara talks to Harsha Bhogle about his ambitions, captaincy, the roles he juggles in the team, the future of Test cricket, and what he plans to do after retirementSangakkara’s challenge to cricket (July 2011)
Peter Roebuck: His speech at Lord’s should serve as a wake-up call to administrators to use the game to serve people, and not for selfish gains’There’s nothing that comes close to Test cricket’ (September 2011)
On the eve of his 100th Test, Sangakkara looks back on 11 years in international cricket in an interview with Dan Brettig’Mental strength is about not being afraid to make mistakes’ (February 2013)
A year before Sri Lanka won the World Twenty20, Sangakkara talks about the side’s problems performing in finals of big tournamentsMy father, my critic (December 2013)
Andrew Fidel Fernando meets the Sangakkara family, including Kumar’s father, who wants him to strive for a standard of consistency only matched by Don BradmanThe case for Sangakkara’s all-time greatness (February 2014)
Andrew Fidel Fernando: Sangakkara does not usually feature in discussions of modern batting greats. His numbers demand for that to change’A lot has gone out of the game with two new balls’ (March 2015)
After topping the run-charts in the 2015 World Cup, Sangakkara talks about one-day batting: technique, mindset, risk calculation, touch v power, and innovationThe cult of Sanga (August 2015)
Andrew Fidel Fernando: Few Sri Lankans have been as widely adored. None has so painstakingly chiselled his way to greatness

Pep Guardiola was asked about Kevin De Bruyne's future and Erling Haaland's fitness ahead of Manchester City's Premier League clash at Tottenham.

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Coach says Belgian can still deliverHaaland feeling better after knee injuryHe rates Tottenham despite poor seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

De Bruyne's future has been thrown into doubt following his dismal performance in Sunday's defeat at home to Liverpool although there has been a suggestion that the mercurial Belgian, who is into the last year of his contract with City, could stay for at least another year at the Etihad Stadium and accept playing a peripheral role in the squad.

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"He's an exceptional player. He was and is and hopefully he will be," Guardiola told a press conference. "Whatever happens will belong to him and the club."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Haaland missed the Liverpool game and the Champions League knockout play-off second leg at Real Madrid with a knee injury although the coach is optimistic that his striker could be back to face Tottenham. Guardiola said: "[He] feels better, the last two games didn't feel okay, we'll see tomorrow."

DID YOU KNOW?

City lost their first five matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but turned the tie by winning in the FA Cup fourth-round tie last season and grabbing a crucial win in the penultimate game of the Premier League season which put them on the path to winning a fourth consecutive league title. However, City's record against Spurs has haunted them again this campaign as they were beaten 2-1 in the Carabao Cup and were then thrashed 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium in November.

Tottenham Hotspur are now set to allow one of their wantaway players to depart in the January transfer window, according to a report.

Latest Tottenham transfer news

Tottenham are on the lookout for new additions to their squad this January, with it recently emerging they have touched base with the agents of Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, who retains a good relationship with sporting director Johan Lange.

Grealish is not the only attacking option in Ange Postecoglou’s sights this winter, with the Lilywhites being named as potential suitors for Real Madrid’s Arda Guler, while FC Midtjylland’s Dario Osorio is also on the radar.

Tottenham and Lange make approach to agents of £100m British star

Spurs have made their interest clear…

2 ByDominic Lund Nov 9, 2024

As ever, Spurs are also likely to receive interest in some of their star players this winter, with The Boot Room recently revealing that Son Heung-min is emerging as a player of interest in the Saudi Pro League, given that he is not in line for a new contract in north London.

Considering the impact Son has made at N17 over the years, his potential departure may be a worry for the Tottenham faithful. However, one player they may be less concerned about is Sergio Reguilon.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League games

Date

Ipswich Town (home)

November 10

Manchester City (away)

November 23

Fulham (home)

December 1

AFC Bournemouth (away)

December 5

Chelsea (home)

December 8

It was recently reported that Reguilon could completely terminate his contract this January in order to force a move, as he is not deemed to be a part of Postecoglou’s plans going forward.

According to the latest update from CaughtOffside, the 27-year-old wants to leave Tottenham this winter, and the club, and by extension chairman Daniel Levy, are all too happy to grant his wish, given that Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies are now ahead of him in the pecking order at left-back.

The Spaniard could be set for a return to his home country, with Sevilla and Getafe keen to take him to La Liga, and both clubs are now ready to start negotiations with Spurs and his representatives.

Reguilon set to leave Spurs

News of the left-back’s departure is unlikely to be a concern to a great number of Spurs fans, given that he is yet to make an appearance for the club in any competition this season.

The former Sevilla man has also spent time on loan at Manchester United and Brentford over the past two seasons, having fallen out of favour at N17, in light of Udogie’s emergence as a first-team regular under Postecoglou.

During his time at Brentford, the £53k per-week defender was lauded as “superb” by journalist Sam Tabuteau, indicating that he could still make an impact for a club lower down the Premier League table, but it is clear he is surplus to requirements in north London.

With any luck, Postecoglou will be able to get Reguilon off the books in the upcoming transfer window, freeing up vital funds which can be used to reinforce other areas of the squad.

Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, as a stoppage-time equaliser from Evanilson cost the home side two points.

Ross Barkley had put Unai Emery’s side ahead with 14 minutes to play but the Cherries striker got on the end of a set-piece to head the ball past Emi Martinez deep into stoppage time.

The Villans did not get a second goal to finish the game off and, therefore, gave Bournemouth a chance to steal a point in the dying embers of the match.

What Villa could have done with a mercurial talent like Jack Grealish, who left the club to sign for Manchester City in 2021, to win them a tight game.

Jack Grealish's Aston Villa career

The attacking midfielder came through the academy system at Villa and produced six goals and nine assists in 43 U21 matches before his first-team breakthrough.

He then emerged as a key player for the senior team and racked up 32 goals and 41 assists in 213 appearances for Villa’s first-team before his move to the Cityzens.

After helping Villa to secure promotion in the 2018/19 campaign, scoring six goals and providing eight assists, Grealish scored 14 goals and assisted 16 in two Premier League seasons.

His form convinced Manchester City to splash a then-record British transfer fee of £100m to sign him at the end of the 2020/21 campaign – a year after they had released a player who could have been their next Grealish, Callum O’Hare.

Callum O'Hare could have been the next Jack Grealish

Aston Villa once thought that they had their next version of Jack Grealish on their hands when the attacking midfielder was coming up through the ranks in the academy.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

He has been compared to the now-Manchester City and England star in the past, due to the fact that they are both diminutive playmakers who are excellent with the ball at their feet, both came through the academy at Villa, and both once sported the same slicked back hairstyle.

Appearances

43

61

Goals

6

15

Assists

9

10

As you can see in the table above, they performed to a similar level in the U21 set-up with the Villans, as they both provided quality by scoring and assisting goals as versatile attacking midfielders, but only Grealish was able to translate that over to the senior side.

O’Hare was never convincing enough on the pitch when given a chance in the first-team, providing zero goals and one assist in nine appearances, and was released on a free transfer in the summer of 2020.

He then racked up 22 goals and 30 assists in 182 appearances for Coventry City in all competitions during a four-year spell with the Sky Blues, before his move to Sheffield United on a free transfer earlier this year.

The next Grealish: Aston Villa have found a new £100m star in the making

Aston Villa might be in for more huge profit with this Unai Emery signing.

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 28, 2024

The fact that O’Hare spent four years in the Championship with Coventry and sealed a move to another Championship team this year suggests that Villa have not missed out too much with the attacking midfielder, who is now 26 and yet to make his Premier League debut.

Batsmen who have made the most ducks in cricket’s biggest tournament

09-Jan-2015Nathan Astle
Innings: 22
Ducks: 5
Astle got the 1996 World Cup going with a century in the opening match, before his form deserted him on cricket’s biggest stage. Two blobs sandwiched scores of 1, 2, 6, 1, 4, 4 and 2 over two World Cups. In 2003, he had an unbeaten century against Zimbabwe, but that was promptly followed by two more zeroes in the Super Sixes.Outside the World Cup, Ijaz had nine ducks in 206 innings•AFPIjaz Ahmed
Innings: 26
Ducks: 5
Ijaz scored five zeroes in four World Cups. The first of those was in perhaps the most significant washed-out ODI of all – against England in 1992, when Pakistan escaped with a point despite being bowled out for 74 and earned a point that helped them make the semi-finals. The last was in another significant game – the defeat in 1999 to Bangladesh, which speeded up their entry into the Test club.Kyle McCallan at the World Cup: 0, 0, 20*, 5, 3, 0, 5, 0•AFPKyle McCallan
Innnings:8
Ducks: 4
Offspinning allrounder McCallan took 10 wickets at 23.30 to finish as one of Ireland’s most effective bowlers in the 2007 World Cup. He was less effective with the bat: starting with two zeroes and finishing with another. McCallan had only five ducks in his three-year ODI career, but four of them came in just over a month in the West Indies.Keith Arthurton had little to smile about during the 1996 World Cup•Getty ImagesKeith Arthurton
Innings: 13
Ducks: 4
Whenever the conversation veers to woeful batting performances at the World Cup, West Indian batsman Arthurton’s name pops up. His 1996 double dose of a batting average of 0.40 and bowling average of 106.00 will be tough to top.Two more zeroes will take AB de Villiers to the top of the pile•Jewel Samad/AFPAB de Villiers
Innings: 15
Ducks: 4
He may well be the world’s best all-format batsman, but de Villiers could end up with an unwanted record. His feast-and-famine 2007 World Cup included four zeroes and a couple of masterclasses – an audacious 92 in pursuit of Australia’s 377, and a brutal 146 against West Indies. He faced few problems in 2011, though, with two more hundreds, and looked a class apart in the quarter-final before his run-out precipitated another early South Africa exit.Honourable mention:
Kenya’s Shem Ngoche: three balls faced in the World Cup, three ducks.

The Frenchman found the net three times to salvage an otherwise middling performance from Carlo Ancelotti's side

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick to save an otherwise lacking Real Madrid, as they relied on three separate moments of class from their big summer signing to beat La Liga's 20th-placed team 3-0. Los Blancos were poor throughout, but tidy enough and reliant on a superstar to pick up a win that keeps them top of the table.

The Frenchman broke the deadlock after a slow Madrid start. A quick interchange with Jude Bellingham gave the forward space in the box and he comfortably found the bottom corner. Los Blancos were otherwise in a state of control against a Real Valladolid side that offered admittedly little. Rodrygo fired high and wide, while Bellingham saw a shot deflected away.

Another bit of magic opened the game up for good when Rodrygo fed Mbappe, who simply passed the ball across the goalkeeper to give Madrid daylight early in the second half.

He then completed his hat-trick in the 91st minute. Bellingham was brought down in the box, and after a lengthy VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot. Mbappe made no mistake to round off a convincing victory.

This was far from a signature performance. Madrid played down to the level of a side at the basement of La Liga. But three bits of quality killed things off. That might just end up being the story of Madrid's season.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio Jose Zorrilla…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (7/10):

Had a save to make inside five minutes. Was otherwise probably bored.

Raul Asencio (7/10):

A well-deserved start, albeit at an unfamiliar position. Tidy and deserved 90 minutes.

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

Another run out at centre-back, where he still looks pretty uncomfortable.

Antonio Rudiger (8/10):

One excellent defensive recovery prevented a Valladolid break. Otherwise commanding at the back.

Fran Garcia (6/10):

A bit quiet, all said. Didn't offer much going forward at all.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Dani Ceballos (7/10):

Completed 98 percent of his passes, even if most of them were sideways and 10-15 yards.

Federico Valverde (6/10):

Played centre midfield, then right-back. Not his most involved game, but a decent scrappy showing.

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

A delightful little flick set up Mbappe's opener. Never stopped running, and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions.

AFPAttack

Brahim Diaz (6/10):

Struggled to get involved in the game. He seems to function better in a more central role.

Kylian Mbappe (9/10):

Automatic with his goals. It's absolutely zero coincidence that he is so much better when Vinicius isn't playing.

Rodrygo (5/10):

Deployed on the left with Vinicius Jr suspended. A few nice moments, but was also lacking at times – putting the odd shot wide.

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Luka Modric (6/10):

Floated around a bit. Should have scored late on.

David Alaba (6/10):

A solid run out.

Arda Guler (6/10):

Showed some creativity. Could have started ahead of Diaz.

Endrick (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Lorenzo Aguado (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):

He won't be happy with his team's performance here. Madrid were sloppy throughout, and relied on individual quality to pick up three points. Still, not every week can be spellbinding.

Pune Warriors have been listless with the bat and on the field, but where does the franchise go from here?

Abhishek Purohit11-May-2013This is what some weak sides do in an ODI chase, when they know they have been batted out of the game and have no hope of winning. They try and bat out their 50 overs, without showing too much intent to go after the target. This may sound incongruous in the times of Twenty20, it is still not easy to throw your bat around for 50 overs at a stretch.Is this approach possible in a T20 chase, when say, you have been batted into oblivion by Chris Gayle? Maybe you can be forgiven for backing off if the opposition opener makes 175 off 66 and you go into the break knowing, as does everyone present at the ground, that chasing 264 in 20 overs is just not happening.But taking the same approach when batting first in a T20? At your home ground? With absolutely nothing to lose, having already lost 11 of 13 games in the season? In their three years of existence, Pune Warriors have done their best to show that the concept of Twenty20 as fast-paced entertainment was sold to the world without watching them bat. When Warriors bat, there is little entertainment, unless your idea of it is to watch some quality batsmen and some not-so-good ones block, nudge, and mistime, all in slow motion.The IPL is only into its sixth season, but fans have come to expect something different from every franchise. Chennai Super Kings have made go-slow-and-explode into something of a mantra. You know you have to watch out for Gayle, Kohli and AB to do their respective acts when Royal Challengers Bangalore bat, and more often than not, they don’t disappoint. Mumbai Indians have big guns all the way from No. 1 to No 6, and invariably, a couple of them fire and post big totals.What do you get with Warriors? Change as many captains as you will, you get the same brand of directionless batting, as if all they want to do is play out the 20 overs and get off the park. One can’t blame them too much, at least not at this stage of another season that has gone nowhere.Losing streaks can grow on a side, and especially when it has been guilty of putting together multiple ones, a team can easily get into another rut, where every game seems like a chore. The regulars might think, ‘Oh well, this looks like that time last season, the good part is that seasons come to an end.’ The fringe ones might go, ‘Here comes my chance after four matches. Do I bat for my place in the side? I’ll take my cue from the regulars.’You would expect a line-up that looks so competent on paper to translate at least some of it onto the field. You would think the pressure of playing in a billion-dollar league and being owned by a billionaire would at least goad them to go down blazing. What you get instead, game after game, is tepid, mediocre stuff.Equally disappointing is that most of the personnel are no way close to being mediocre. People still remember that Robin Uthappa used to hit sixes on the walk. His strike-rate this season is 116.66. Yuvraj Singh is arguably a limited-overs great. He’s hit a couple of outstanding shots here and there to average 20-odd for the season, which is not saying much for someone around whom the line-up was supposed to be built. One-time captain Angelo Mathews has cut a confused, helpless figure. Current captain Aaron Finch has increasingly done the same.Allan Donald will have us believe there is some class in the bowling attack in the form of Ashok Dinda, who’s leaked close to ten runs an over. If there is class there, it is playing the wrong format. Mitchell Marsh isn’t far behind on the economy front. Abhishek Nayar’s batting average is the same as the number of games he’s played – 11. His strike-rate is an apologetic 90.41.As sorry as these figures look, their collective effect on the field is worse on the typical Warriors’ fan. Bombarded as he is by the notion that T20 is all explosive, thrilling hitting, he has had to endure exactly the opposite for most of three seasons now. Against Mumbai Indians, Warriors did not hit a single boundary for the last 57 deliveries – almost half of their innings. You have to feel for those who made the journey in the afternoon heat to the Sahara Stadium from both sides of the Pune-Mumbai expressway.

Who showed us he was as decent a mountaineer as he was a batsman

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013Greetings, Confectionery Stallers, to the first Confectionery Stall of the post-Strauss era. I have been on holiday in France for the last week and a half. Coverage of the England captain’s resignation after a distinguished and predominantly successful reign was bafflingly minimal in the French media (particularly given that it is a nation which seems to have designed the shape of its bread explicitly to facilitate games of breakfast cricket) (and not forgetting that France are reigning Olympic silver medallists at cricket, dating back to the Paris Games of 1900) (although most French people under the age of 112 modestly tend not to bang on about it too much) (it is also fair to say that England’s Strauss have emerged from his resignation with rather more dignity that France’s ex-IMF boss Strauss-Kahn did from his).The year 2012 has been strangely and unexpectedly turbulent for the England team. The first three years of the Strauss-Flower regime brought increasing and carefully managed stability and success in the Test arena, culminating in a record-shattering 2011 of phenomenal dominance. This year, like a dessert trolley laden with battered rodents after a Michelin-starred meal, has brought five defeats out of six in their two major series of the year, sub-soap-opera squabblageddon with their most influential batsman, and now the exit of the captain who had helped power the England juggernaut along that impressive upward curve.The juggernaut reached the end of that curve, crashed into a roof it had not seen coming, and started rolling back down what has now become a downward curve. At least they are not plummeting down a downward cliff, and the vehicle retains most of the engine that had driven it upwards in the first place, but new skipper Cook will be anxious to crank the handbrake on as quickly as possible. His team is not in meltdown, but he is certainly holding a much runnier ice cream than he would have been a year ago. With a giant elephant in the room. Or at least, a giant elephant in the Surrey dressing room.Perhaps the team had their celebratory New Year’s Eve energy shakes spiked with a particularly jaunty consignment of rogue absinthe. Perhaps the coach and captain had signed a pact with the Devil to ensure success, and had not seen the three-year break clause in the small print ‒ and Dr FlowStrauss began to suffer the consequences as soon as they set foot in the UAE in January. Perhaps it was merely a result of the team having made the grave error of having too many players peaking from late 2010 to summer 2011, rather than spreading out their purple patches more wisely to cover a longer period of time. Something for the ECB backroom science wonks to apply their abacuses, test tubes, and wind tunnels to, perhaps.Given that Strauss was not (yet) under serious pressure for his place as captain or opening batsman, it is not right to say that he jumped before he was pushed. Instead, he departed with a controlled abseil before the jump-or-push issue came to a head. He departs into the history books with the goodwill and gratitude of the entire English cricketing public, but after three years of moderate, if seldom disastrous, run-scoring. His failures have been increasingly characterised by a repeated failure to convert good starts into substantial scores, and minimal contributions in major series – since the 2009 Ashes, he has been a significant factor with the bat only in the 2010-11 Ashes and against West Indies this summer (he made more than one 50 in only three of his final ten series dating back to the 2009-10 tour of South Africa, one of which was by virtue of taking a pair of 80s off a less-than Krakatoan Bangladesh attack at Lord’s in 2010).Statistically, he was inconsistent for most of his Test batting career, but his peaks included some of England’s most important and best innings of recent years. He hit centuries at crucial moments of three Ashes series, scored three hundreds in South Africa to aid one of England’s best away series victories, and two magnificent hundreds in defeat in the Chennai Test of 2008-09.Graeme “The Hit Man” Smith has thus seen off three England captains in his three Test tours as South Africa’s skipper. He is young enough to be back in 2017 – perhaps to curtail Kevin Pietersen’s second stint as England captain? No. No, even an entire crate of rogue absinthe forced down the gullets of the ECB could make that happen. Not even if it’s from the same crate that made them appoint him in the 2008. But Cook’s journey as captain will be made significantly easier if everyone involved can reach an agreement that whatever Pietersen wrote and meant in those text messages was not personal insults or tactical double-crossing, but cryptic crossword clues, coded recipes for boerewors, or mistranslated haikus about the art of basket-weaving.Some stats
Whilst in France, I had hoped to become the first person to compose an article devoted entirely to Test cricket statistics that had been written entirely on a campsite in Brittany. Sadly, baguettes and batting averages did not co-exist harmoniously. Croissants and cricket were not compatible. And the internet wasn’t working. And my wife and kids wanted to aller à la piscine rather than parler avec Monsieur Statsguru. Not unreasonably. However, I can now tell you that:● The Lord’s Test was the first Test match since March 2001, and just the 18th of all time, in which the openers of both sides had all been out for less than 25 in both innings.● England’s first wicket has fallen in single figures in 13 of their 30 innings since the 2010-11 Ashes. They have reached 50 for 0 in only five of those 30 stands. Cook and Strauss ended up averaging 40 per partnership. Strauss and Trescothick averaged 52 together. When Strauss opened with Trescothick, he averaged 47. When he opened with Cook, he has averaged 37. Is this because he played with Trescothick when at his peak as a batsman, or because the more aggressive Trescothick suited him better as a partner? Or a bit of both? Or neither?● This was only the second series of three or more Tests since 1986 in which England’s openers have passed 50 only once.