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How far ahead of the average batsman of his era is Steven Smith?

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Comparing the top batsmen of each era against the average player of that period

Himanish Ganjoo16-Jun-2020The year 2018 saw remarkably tough conditions for batting in Test cricket, with West Indies, South Africa and England hosting teams on devilish pitches that aided fast bowlers. Batsmen playing in the top seven averaged a measly 31.46 in 2018. Since 1946, only three other years have returned a lower average. This rose to 34.68 in 2019 and then to 36 in the ten Tests played in 2020, but Test-match batting in general has been difficult in the past few years. Apart from adverse conditions for batting, the idea that shorter formats have made batsmen less disciplined has been proposed as an explanation for this.Investigating the exact reasons for this noticeable fall in batting numbers requires nuanced analysis of multiple factors, which is beyond the scope of this piece. Here, I will look to break Test batting up into different phases, and analyse which players have outperformed the average batsman and by how much. After all, Steven Smith averaging over 60 in an era where batting is hard should be put in context, vis a vis someone averaging the same in batting-friendly times.We will go backwards from 2020, looking over 16 eras of four years each, ending with 1957. Four years make one touring cycle in Test cricket, so a player’s performance over that period is likely to consider a variety of conditions over a big enough sample size. Also, before 1957, there are not enough players with decent sample sizes over any four-year period after the Second World War.We will consider players batting in the top seven batting positions only. To begin, let us look at the averages by phase:

Averages have fluctuated around the 30-run mark through modern Test history, but the 2017-2020 number, at 34.07 is the third lowest since 1957. Before that, conditions were batting-friendly in the 2000s, with averages hovering in the late 30s.Although the performance of the average batsman has diminished recently, how do the top players compare to him in each era? Have the elite players maintained their high averages in difficult batting eras? I consider all batsmen with more than 20 innings in an era, and take the top five by batting average, comparing them with the average of all players in that era.

The most prominent takeaway: the top batsmen in the last 20 years have mostly averaged over 60, although the average player’s performance has not risen past the high 30s. The modern standard for an elite player is a 60 average over a four-year cycle, as opposed to a figure that was in the mid-50s earlier.Looking at the last two bars, the overall batting average has gone down from 38 to 34 between the last two eras, and the average of the top five has fallen almost in parallel: from 61 to 58.Since the 2009-12 period, batting averages have fallen for the average player as well as for the elite batsman.How far are the top players in each era from the average batsman of that period? To quantify this rigorously, I will use a number called the z-score, which tells us exactly this.Consider the distribution of averages in the last era (2017-2020) below, which takes into account batsmen who have played at least 20 innings. This “distribution” of averages effectively shows the probability of a player’s average falling in a given bracket. For instance, high averages, which are naturally less probable have very low counts, whereas it’s highly probable that a player averages in the 35-40 run region.This distribution can be talked about in terms of the “mean”: the mean batting average of all the players who have batted 20 or more times, and the “width”: the standard deviation of the collection of all these batting averages. Note that the “mean” here is 35.7 (as opposed to 34.07, which was the average of all innings), because now we only consider players with enough innings under their belts. This mean of 35.7 is the average of the averages of the 69 batsmen who make the cut (and not the average calculated by adding all the runs and dividing by their total dismissals).Himanish GanjooNotice that this distribution of averages makes the shape of a bell curve (which is plotted in blue). The peak of the curve is at 35.7. In this era, the short bar (representing one player) in the 65-70 average bracket is Smith, with an average of 67.3. He is (67.3 – 35.7) = 31.5 runs ahead of the average player in this era.However, the width of the distribution matters as well. Consider the two distributions in the graph below, from two different eras, which show the chances of a player having a given batting average.Himanish GanjooAlthough they both peak at 40 runs, the grey curve is wider. Consider two players, one averaging 60 in the blue era, and the other averaging the same in the grey era. Both are 20 runs higher than the average, but the feat of achieving a 60 average is much rarer in the blue era. The z-score rewards this by factoring in the width of the distribution of averages in an era. (For the mathematically inclined, the “width” is the standard deviation of the bell curve.)The z-score is defined as
Going back to Smith in 2017-2020, he is 31.5 runs ahead of the average batsman, and the width of that distribution is 9.7 runs, so his z-score for this era is 31.5 / 9.7 = 3.25.The z-score tells us the distance of a player from the average batsman, factoring in the difficulty of scoring high averages in a given era.Who are the top scorers in each era considering this metric?

Remarkably, the two players most frequently in contention for the title of the best Test allrounder feature twice each on this list. Garry Sobers averaged 71 in two distinct four-year cycles, with z-scores of 2.53 and 2.35. Jacques Kallis averaged slightly lower but with high z-scores of 2.2 in both eras he topped.Imran Khan is the other allrounder on the list, just making the cut with 20 innings from 1989 to the end of his career, a period in which he scored two hundreds and seven fifties.A z-score of 3 has been breached just four times: by Dilip Vengsarkar (who has the highest z-score, of 3.33), Steve Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar, and most recently Smith since 2017.Looking at the table of the top three players by z-score in each phase below, we see the toppers are usually a fair distance ahead of the second-ranked batsman in most cases. The exceptions are Sobers and Graeme Pollock close together in the four years from 1965, Zaheer Abbas and Clive Lloyd almost neck-to-neck from 1981 to 1984, and Smith hot on the heels of Kumar Sangakkara from 2013 to 2016.Elite batsmen are mostly at a z-score of 2 – 2.5 in any era, with a score of three or greater being a rarity.

Top three players by z-score in each phase
Phase Player Z-Score Average Inns
1957 – 1960 GS Sobers 2.53 71.71 43
1957 – 1960 Hanif Mohammad 2.18 67.15 23
1957 – 1960 NCL O’Neill 1.80 62.39 23
1961 – 1964 KF Barrington 2.50 64.27 60
1961 – 1964 RB Kanhai 2.08 60.76 21
1961 – 1964 ER Dexter 1.17 53.07 61
1965 – 1968 GS Sobers 2.35 71.90 36
1965 – 1968 RG Pollock 2.32 71.47 21
1965 – 1968 KF Barrington 1.43 60.29 46
1969 – 1972 CA Davis 2.90 68.35 21
1969 – 1972 G Boycott 1.69 55.28 30
1969 – 1972 GM Turner 1.44 52.58 29
1973 – 1976 IVA Richards 2.02 64.15 36
1973 – 1976 GS Chappell 1.66 60.37 51
1973 – 1976 DL Amiss 1.63 59.96 55
1977 – 1980 SM Gavaskar 2.56 61.11 60
1977 – 1980 IVA Richards 2.02 55.69 27
1977 – 1980 G Boycott 1.73 52.83 55
1981 – 1984 Zaheer Abbas 2.30 60.92 43
1981 – 1984 CH Lloyd 2.25 60.43 42
1981 – 1984 CG Greenidge 1.75 55.71 50
1985 – 1988 DB Vengsarkar 3.33 73.87 41
1985 – 1988 AR Border 1.83 57.55 59
1985 – 1988 MD Crowe 1.66 55.69 44
1989 – 1992 Imran Khan 2.47 72.85 20
1989 – 1992 Shoaib Mohammad 1.94 66.13 28
1989 – 1992 Saleem Malik 1.47 60.17 30
1993 – 1996 SR Waugh 3.07 71.26 59
1993 – 1996 JC Adams 2.27 62.41 39
1993 – 1996 SR Tendulkar 2.00 59.44 39
1997 – 2000 SR Tendulkar 3.20 67.55 55
1997 – 2000 A Flower 2.31 58.85 49
1997 – 2000 PA de Silva 2.10 56.84 51
2001 – 2004 JH Kallis 2.21 66.88 72
2001 – 2004 BC Lara 1.78 61.69 67
2001 – 2004 ML Hayden 1.76 61.56 90
2005 – 2008 Mohammad Yousuf 2.68 71.10 43
2005 – 2008 S Chanderpaul 1.99 62.73 61
2005 – 2008 KC Sangakkara 1.98 62.57 54
2009 – 2012 JH Kallis 2.20 64.67 53
2009 – 2012 AB de Villiers 1.90 61.33 53
2009 – 2012 HM Amla 1.89 61.18 56
2013 – 2016 KC Sangakkara 2.50 65.42 37
2013 – 2016 SPD Smith 2.45 64.85 80
2013 – 2016 AC Voges 2.16 61.88 31
2017 – 2020 SPD Smith 3.26 67.32 41
2017 – 2020 M Labuschagne 2.86 63.43 23
2017 – 2020 V Kohli 2.44 59.43 55

We can use these z-scores to evaluate long careers by considering the ease of batting in each four-year phase a player has played in, since the z-score inherently accounts for the run-scoring probabilities of each era. For instance, Tendulkar has played in six different phases, and had a very positive z-score in five out of those six, showing remarkable consistency in performance over a very long career.

We can average these z-scores over all phases to get a career z-score for Tendulkar. This will accomplish the task of scaling his run-scoring by the difficulty of run-scoring in those eras to present how far ahead he was of his peers overall.We will average the z-scores proportionally, considering the number of innings played in each era. So, if Tendulkar has played 40 innings in a phase where he has a z-score of 2.0, and 60 innings in the next phase, with a z-score of 1.0, his overall z-score will be ( 2 * 40 + 1 * 60 ) / 100 = 1.40. We can do this for all batsmen over their careers. Here is the table of the best z-scores over entire careers. We consider players who have played in two or more phases, to ensure we consider sufficiently long careers.

Career z-scores (Min 2 phases)
Player z-score Phases
SPD Smith 2.72 2
GS Sobers 1.83 4
KF Barrington 1.80 3
KC Sangakkara 1.65 4
JH Kallis 1.64 4
V Kohli 1.54 3
GS Chappell 1.48 4
SR Tendulkar 1.43 6
A Flower 1.42 3
Javed Miandad 1.41 4
BC Lara 1.38 4
SR Waugh 1.33 5
Younis Khan 1.30 4
R Dravid 1.27 4
KS Williamson 1.26 3
ML Hayden 1.23 2
RT Ponting 1.20 4
Mohammad Yousuf 1.18 4
S Chanderpaul 1.16 6
SM Gavaskar 1.15 4
AR Border 1.14 5
IVA Richards 1.08 5
AB de Villiers 1.08 3
Inzamam-ul-Haq 1.05 4
MEK Hussey 1.02 2
Saeed Anwar 1.02 2
JE Root 1.02 2
DA Warner 1.02 3
CA Pujara 0.98 2
DPMD Jayawardene 0.93 5

When we look at the z-scores of batsmen with long careers – of four phases or more – this is how they are ranked.

Career z-scores (Min 4 phases)
Player Score Phases
GS Sobers 1.83 4
KC Sangakkara 1.65 4
JH Kallis 1.64 4
GS Chappell 1.48 4
SR Tendulkar 1.43 6
Javed Miandad 1.41 4
BC Lara 1.38 4
SR Waugh 1.33 5
Younis Khan 1.30 4
R Dravid 1.27 4
RT Ponting 1.20 4
Mohammad Yousuf 1.18 4
S Chanderpaul 1.16 6
SM Gavaskar 1.15 4
AR Border 1.14 5
IVA Richards 1.08 5
Inzamam-ul-Haq 1.05 4
DPMD Jayawardene 0.93 5
G Boycott 0.86 5
HM Amla 0.81 4

Apagão na Copa do Brasil acende alerta no Vasco para semifinais do Carioca

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O Vasco recebe o Nova Iguaçu no Maracanã, em duelo válido pelo primeiro jogo das semifinais do Campeonato Carioca, no domingo (10). O Gigante da Colina chega com a moral em alta após a classificação à terceira fase da Copa do Brasil e irá contar um grande apoio da massa vascaína que vai lotar o Maracanã, mas ao mesmo tempo ligou alerta para não repetir erros do confronto contra o Água Santa.

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No jogo de quinta-feira (7), contra a equipe de Diadema, o Vasco fazia uma de suas melhores atuações em 2024. Até os 30 minutos do primeiro tempo, o clube de São Januário dominava as ações e parecia que teria uma noite tranquila.

Porém, o que aconteceu foi um roteiro digno de cinema, com direito à virada do adversário, empate no apagar das luzes e classificação heróica nos pênaltis.

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A frustração que tomou conta da torcida no momento do gol de Luan Dias se transformou em alívio com a classificação. Apesar disso, o susto acendeu um alerta na torcida vascaína, que espera uma postura diferente diante do Nova Iguaçu. O “Carrossel da Baixada” foi a única equipe a conseguir derrotar o Gigante da Colina neste ano, em jogo que ficou marcado por polêmicas de arbitragem.

O Nova Iguaçu foi a grande surpresa do Carioca, dificultando para os grandes. Além da vitória sobre o Vasco, a equipe conseguiu empates diante de Flamengo e Botafogo.

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Para o jogo deste domingo, Ramón Díaz e seu auxiliar (e filho), Emiliano, têm a missão de colocar um Vasco em campo que jogue com tranquilidade após o susto.

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Campeonato CariocaNova IguaçuVasco

The Taijul light shines bright on Bangladesh's day of gloom

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He scored crucial runs down the order and took five wickets but the visitors are still staring at an innings defeat

Mohammad Isam27-Jun-2025Sri Lanka are on the cusp of a big win against Bangladesh in the second Test in Colombo. The visitors are still 96 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat, and with just four wickets in the bag, a big loss is very much on the cards with two days left.While not a lot of positives have come out of the Bangladesh camp, particularly in this second Test, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam is among their few success stories. Taijul battled on the second morning with the bat to give the Bangladesh total some respectability. The eventual 247 wasn’t substantial, but that they even got there was down to Taijul’s 33 off 60 balls.He then bowled seven spells of varying lengths to grab his 17th five-wicket haul, and fifth in an overseas Test, putting him on par with Shakib Al Hasan. Taijul’s 5 for 131 in Colombo was the umpteenth example of his doggedness and consistency. He also showed what a technically sound left-arm spinner he is. Taijul demands batters’ attention till the last moment they play or leave the ball. It adds a measure of thrill to his long spells.Related

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In both Galle and Colombo, he kept his end of the bargain by bowling as tightly as possible. At times, wicketkeeper Litton Das would remind him to toss the ball a little higher or come a little straighter. And Taijul was mostly on the money.In Colombo, Taijul was a study of patience. He shared the new ball and bowled 23 overs on the trot. Nahid Rana and Ebadot Hossain went for plenty from the other end, so he had to be the captain’s banker. Taijul took one wicket in that spell. He bowled nine more overs on the second day, each time keeping his consistency intact. All this with an elbow injury he picked up while batting.When Najmul Hossain Shanto handed him the ball early on the third morning, it was to stop the bleeding. Sri Lanka had made an impressive start, so Bangladesh couldn’t afford to give runs freely. Taijul removed overnight centurion Pathum Nissanka early with the second new ball. He got one to skid rapidly, with the ball holding up ever so slightly for Sri Lanka’s centurion to chip to short extra cover. Taijul then beat captain Dhananjaya de Silva with his flight, building up to a delivery that had a hint of inward drift, beating his front-foot prod.Taijul was taken off after just four overs on the third morning, for Mehidy Hasan Miraz to bowl against the left-hand batter Kamindu Mendis. The match-up didn’t work and Mehidy had to be taken out of the attack soon. Taijul later came back to take two of the last three wickets to fall. It took his tally to 237, nine short of Shakib’s record 246 for Bangladesh. At the press conference after stumps, one couldn’t draw Taijul into that conversation, such is his introverted nature. He would rather talk about his seam position.Taijul Islam added some crucial runs during Bangladesh’s first innings•Associated Press”I did what comes naturally to me, from the start of my career,” he said. “There is always the odd variation for the spinner. Like sometimes you will check how the ball behaves in certain pitches or seam positions. I was trying that only. I prefer bowling in long spells. I am used to bowling long spells. I never think that I can’t bowl long spells. That’s how I bowl in the nets, too.”Taijul said that Nissanka’s wicket helped Bangladesh restrict Sri Lanka when they looked like running away with a mammoth total on the second day. “He [Nissanka] is in great shape. He has struck two big knocks. He was an important breakthrough for us. I think his wicket helped us bowl them out reasonably quickly.”Taijul lamented Bangladesh’s batting performance in the game, too, and he may yet have to put up another rearguard action on the fourth day, with the visitors struggling.”I am a bowler, but I bat as well,” he said. “Our batting wasn’t that good. In the first innings, the wicket was good. Each batter got out after getting set. Had there been two hundreds or two fifties, the situation might have been different.”Weather could have a say on the fourth day, but Sri Lanka only have to dismantle Bangladesh’s lower order on their way to the series win. Taijul will make way for the white-ball specialists and will get back to training in Dhaka, and maybe get to play some red-ball cricket when the 2025-26 season opens in October.He will eye Shakib’s record against Ireland, though it will likely pale in comparison to the attention that Mushfiqur Rahim will get as he is projected to complete 100 Tests in that series. Taijul probably wouldn’t mind the limelight away from him even then.

'It doesn't take that long!' – Ex-Man City financial advisor still expecting 115 FFP charges verdict 'before Christmas'

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Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson says he still expects a verdict on the club's 115 Premier League charges "before Christmas". City were charged by the Premier League in early 2023 for allegedly breaching financial fair play (FFP) rules between 2009 to 2018, but fast forward to the present and a decision is yet to be handed out.

  • Man City verdict 'imminent'

    City have been under this cloud of suspicion for a very long time now but for now, they have not been punished despite all these charges. The club have strongly denied any wrongdoing, but they have also been accused of failing to comply with the Premier League's rules on profit and sustainability (PSR), breaching UEFA's financial fair play regulations, and not cooperating with the English top-flight's four-year investigation. The hearing began more than a year ago, but the public is still waiting to hear a decision from the independent commission. According to Borson, it should happen very soon. 

    He said on , alongside presenter Jim White and pundit and ex-Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, "I think Simon thinks it's going to come out next year, I think it still could come out before Christmas. The decision has been imminent for quite some time, there's not a lot that they can do. It doesn't take that long."

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    Reason for delay revealed

    Earlier in their chat, Borson said that the independent commission are responsible for the lengthy delay and not City or the Premier League. Indeed, the hearing began just over 14 months ago.

    Borson added: "Nobody knows because even the parties themselves expected to have been told by now. All the lawyers are surprised there is no decision at this stage, and that's on both sides. I'll tell you who's holding it up – the panel making the decision. They hold the pen. They are the people who everybody waits for to deliver the decision. Well, nobody knows. We know the long list – you can cobble it together from all of the people on the judicial panel – but we don't know who is on that list. We can make some guesses that it's probably two lawyers and maybe one accountant. But we don't know who is on the panel and what they were told to produce by when. We can now assume I think, given how long it has been and that everybody is so surprised that they don't have a decision, that actually there's very little guidance given to them and they weren't effectively paid for their time from the moment the case ended. Arguably, the Premier and Manchester City together, with the panel, should have agreed a process whereby the hearing ends and then effectively they are exclusively paid to deliberate and produce, over let's say three months or at worst six months, the decision during the closed season."

  • Neville furious over long charges wait

    Earlier this year, Manchester United legend Gary Neville said the delay over this verdict is a "disgrace" and a "stain" on football. A result has repeatedly been delayed, something the Sky Sports pundit branded as a "joke".

    He said on The Overlap Fan Debate in May: "That Manchester City case is a disgrace; it’s an absolute stain to the game. I have a lot of admiration for City, but I don’t buy into this theory that clubs do really well, and City have, but it is still a stain to the game. It has just been dragging on for years and years, it’s an absolute joke. Yes, City have been defending themselves, but they’ve been pushing it so far into the long grass that you end up losing the will to live on it and you forget about it. It just needs to be dealt with."

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    What comes next for Man City?

    While these charges hang over City, the players and manager Guardiola will be focusing on returning to winning ways this weekend after being beaten 2-0 by Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday in the Champions League. And a home game against struggling Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday presents a good opportunity to do just that.

Patterson makes early mark with ton, but record stand secures Tasmania victory

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The left hander picked up his form from last season with a century in front of chair of selectors George Bailey

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2025New South Wales batter Kurtis Patterson started his Ashes audition with a sterling century, but the Blues slipped to a two-wicket one-day loss to Tasmania after a record ninth-wicket stand between Bradley Hope and Matt Kuhnemann.Patterson, watched by Australia’s chair of selectors George Bailey, struck 110 from 125 balls in the NSW’s 224 all out. Tasmania, with another Ashes hopeful Jake Weatherald making 28, were reeling at 124 for 8 in the opening game of the Dean Jones Trophy at Cricket Central in Sydney.Related

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Webster hopes his all-round skills can help push for ODI honours

But Kuhnemann (56 not out from 71 balls) and Hope (49 not out from 91) produced a stunning unbroken 101-run stand for the ninth wicket to win with four balls to spare.Patterson played two Tests for Australia in 2019 and boasts an average of 144 – he made 30 and 114 not out in his two knocks against Sri Lanka. The left hander was discarded when Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had served their ball-tampering suspensions.But Patterson returned to Test discussions with prolific run-scoring in the Sheffield Shield last season, compiling 743 runs at 57.15, although is still an outside chance at this stage. On Tuesday, the 32-year-old dominated NSW’s innings – after his century the next-best was former captain Moises Henriques whose 41 from 51 balls featured two sixes. Patterson reached his second career one-day century from 113 deliveries. Tanveer Sangha was the only other NSW batter to reach double-figures.Kurtis Patterson started his season with a century•Getty ImagesTest allrounder Beau Webster took 3 for 41 and white-ball specialist Nathan Ellis 3 for 37.Tasmania’s run chase faltered early with Mitch Owen out for 9 and Webster chopping on for a golden duck – both dismissed by debutant paceman Ryan Hadley in the second over.Sean Abbott, who was captaining NSW, then snared two quick wickets, including a wonderful delivery to take Mac Wright’s off stump, to leave the Tasmanians 42 for 4 after seven overs.Weatherald, who was recently put on the Test radar by selection chair Bailey, put on 54 with veteran Matthew Wade. But Weatherald’s 51-ball innings ended when he smacked a short ball from spinner Ollie Davies straight to Hadley on the deep midwicket boundary.Tasmania’s hopes appeared over when Wade was caught and bowled by Sangha, with Ellis was soon dismissed to leave the visitors 124 for 8 in the 26th over.But Kuhnemann and Hope produced their defining partnership, with the former edging through a vacant slips area for the winning boundary.

Onde assistir aos jogos de hoje (05/11/2023)

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MatériaMais Notícias

Premier League,La LigaeBrasileirão – Série Asão os principais destaques deste domingo (5) de futebol.Confira onde assistir ao vivo e os horários das partidas.

RelacionadasFlamengoFortaleza x Flamengo: onde assistir ao vivo, escalações e horário do jogo pelo BrasileirãoFlamengo04/11/2023CorinthiansBragantino x Corinthians: onde assistir ao vivo, escalações e horário do jogo pelo BrasileirãoCorinthians04/11/2023BrasileirãoCruzeiro x Internacional: onde assistir ao vivo, escalações e horário do jogo pelo BrasileirãoBrasileirão04/11/2023

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Karun Nair to return home to Karnataka for 2025-26 domestic season

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Karun Nair, currently with the India team playing Test cricket in England, is set to return to Karnataka three seasons after his last appearance for the team. Nair, who was with Vidarbha the past two seasons, received a no-objection-certificate (NOC) from the Vidarbha Cricket Association on Monday evening, allowing him to turn out for his original state team.”I’d like to thank VCA for everything they’ve done for me in the last two years,” Nair said in a statement. “Whatever I’ve achieved in the last two years is credit to how they managed me and took care of me like I was their own. Grateful to the VCA, and all the players and support staff.”As a team, we achieved special things. The atmosphere was so positive. The opportunity to lead such an amazing bunch during the Vijay Hazare and achieving success in the Ranji Trophy is something I’ll look back on very fondly.”Nair’s return to Karnataka comes at a time when his stocks have risen considerably from the time he had left. Having been a central figure in Vidarbha’s run to their third Ranji Trophy title earlier this year, Nair earned a recall to India’s Test squad after more than eight years on the back of his 863 runs in 16 innings with four centuries at 53.93. This included a match-winning century in the final against Kerala – Kerala, interestingly, had been keen on signing Nair around the time he was left out of the Karnataka squad in 2021-22.Nair also had a record-breaking run in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he captained Vidarbha to a runners-up finish. He made a chart-topping 779 runs in eight innings, with five consecutive hundreds, while striking at 124.01. During the tournament, he set a new List A record of scoring the most runs (542) without being dismissed.Related

  • Nair takes his long-awaited chance to light up big stage again

He hasn’t produced anything near the same volume of runs on tour in England so far. Having warmed up for the series with a double-century for India A against England Lions in Beckenham, Nair has so far produced scores of 0, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14 in the three Tests; his four most recent knocks coming at No. 3.Nair returns to a Karnataka set-up teeming with talented batters. R Smaran, KL Shrijith and KV Aneesh all had breakout seasons in 2024-25. Smaran topped the runs tally for Karnataka, hitting 516 runs in ten innings during the Ranji season, while Shrijith hit a century on first-class debut. With Mayank Agarwal likely to continue as captain and Devdutt Padikkal a definite starter, there could be a healthy selection dilemma for the team management. There might also a slight deviation from the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s stance of looking to the future, something the departure of senior players K Gowtham and Manish Pandey were examples of.Meanwhile, seamer V Koushik has obtained an NOC from Karnataka to shift to Goa for the upcoming season. A late bloomer who gave up a corporate job to make his Ranji debut in 2019-20 at 27, Koushik emerged as one of the key members of Karnataka’s pace attack following the retirements of R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and S Aravind. Koushik was Karnataka’s leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy; his 23 wickets across seven matches came at 18.73. This included two five-wicket hauls.

17-year-old Spurs prodigy is their most exciting academy star since Kane

by z3u9t.icu Uncategorized

When Tottenham Hotspur sell a key player for mega money, there is history now to tell us that the cash isn’t always invested very well. Still, Daniel Levy is no longer at Spurs, so things may well change in the future.

After Gareth Bale left north London behind, heading to Real Madrid to the tune of £85m, the ‘Magnificent 7’, as they were infamously known, were not much of a success.

Enter Paulinho, Christian Eriksen, Roberto Soldado, Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue, Vlad Chiriches and Erik Lamela. While the latter scored that ridiculous Rabona goal, the only real success story here was Eriksen, a creative and technical marvel.

Ten years later, it was Harry Kane’s time to leave Spurs. He moved to Bayern Munich for a fee of around £86m, a relative bargain considering what he’s achieved since.

Arguably, like Bale, money was not well spent the summer he departed. The signings of summer 2023 were rather hit or miss. While Dejan Kulusevski arrived permanently, they spent £45m on an inconsistent Brennan Johnson and £50m on an injury-prone James Maddison.

Meanwhile, in 2024 £65m was spent on Dominic Solanke, who also cannot stay fit, while young gems in the form of Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert also joined. Not quite a magnificent seven, but more of an average trio. Gray and Odobert may well come good, but Solanke’s ceiling has likely already been hit.

So, perhaps Thomas Frank and Co will need to look to the academy again, just as they did when handing Kane his debut back in 2011. Once all was said and done, he’d found the net on 280 occasions, leaving as their all-time record goalscorer and Arsenal’s chief nemesis.

His form in Germany since has been nothing short of scintillating.

Harry Kane's season in numbers

Kane does goals. There’s not a whole lot else to say. Even bringing the likes of Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak into the equation, he is currently the best centre-forward in world football. The numbers support that.

While Viktor Gyokeres won the Gerd Muller Trophy at the recent Ballon d’Or ceremony, proclaimed as the best striker of 2024/25, Kane deserved to be in the conversation.

Gyokeres, for context, scored 54 times last season, but Kane ran him close, netting 41 in 51 outings.

Well, in 2025/26, he looks like he’s on track for the best season of his career as he moves into his 32nd year.

If you thought Kane couldn’t get any more ruthless, then think again. This season he has undeniably been the best player in Europe, scoring a mind-boggling 17 goals in nine games.

He’s scoring at a record of a goal every 46 minutes. It’s a level of potency we’ve very rarely ever seen from a striker in the elite game.

Truth be told, it’s peak Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo levels of goalscoring.

Kane has beaten the goalkeeper ten times in five Bundesliga fixtures while in the Champions League, he’s been a demon too, netting four in two matches, including a brace against Chelsea a couple of weeks ago.

The England skipper continued his rich vein of form against Cypriot side Pafos on Tuesday, bagging another two goals. This time he played as a no.10, behind Nicolas Jackson. It had no impact on his ability to score.

Replacing that type of output was always going to be impossible for Spurs. Solanke is a handy striker but he’s always going to be compared to Kane. That’s harsh but it’s the way of the world.

Fortunately, the Lilywhites do have one exciting academy prospect coming through the ranks who looks more exciting than Kane ever did at youth level.

Meet Spurs' most exciting academy talent since Harry Kane

At youth level Kane was impressive, scoring nine goals in 13 official matches for Tottenham Hotspur’s U21 side. Yet, he initially struggled at senior level.

The club’s record scorer didn’t find the net during five matches on loan at Norwich and also found life difficult at Leicester City and Leyton Orient, notching seven across 33 matches during those spells.

Spurs

435

280

England

107

74

Bayern

105

102

Millwall

27

9

Orient

18

5

Leicester

15

2

Norwich

5

0

Nine goals in 29 matches at Millwall was slightly more productive but it wasn’t until 2014/15 where he finally showcased his elite potential.

That term the Englishman registered 31 goals for Spurs and since then, there hasn’t been a single campaign where he’s not scored fewer than 20 across a single season.

Bayern Munich'sHarryKaneduring the warm up before the match

Many have come through the academy since then hoping to emulate that sort of record. The likes of Dane Scarlett, Troy Parrott and Will Lankshear, while still young, did not show enough in their fleeting appearances.

There are still high hopes for Mikey Moore, too. The 17-year-old was compared to Neymar by James Maddison last season and has so much potential.

Yet, the most exciting talent bursting through the ranks is another 17-year-old, Luca Williams-Barnett.

The teenager may be unknown to many supporters but has already made his first-team debut, appearing for the final three minutes of Spurs’ League Cup win over Doncaster Rovers last week.

Those minutes were a fine reward for his remarkable development over the last few years. If Spurs were looking for their own Max Dowman, then they have found it here.

A no.10 by trade, who can also play up top, the talented teen was superb last season, scoring 20 goals and registering a further 12 assists in 23 outings.

He’s begun the 2025/26 term in a similar vein of form with six goals and four assists in eight appearances for the U21s.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

As data analyst Ben Mattinson has outlined, he is “one of England’s best talents at youth level” and he also “scores bangers”.

His hat-trick earlier this season may not have showcased this but it proved he’s usually always in the right place at the right time, influencing play positively.

A goalscorer, a creator, an innate dribbler, Williams-Barnett has all of the tools to thrive at Spurs in the coming years.

However, for Frank, the challenge will be finding him regular minutes now in the Premier League. Their fierce rivals Arsenal, have led the way by giving the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Dowman so many minutes over the last year.

Could Spurs be brewing their own version here? The future certainly looks bright.

Spurs may already have their new Luka Modric & it's not Palhinha

Tottenham Hotspur have found their next Luka Modric in North London, and it is not Joao Palhinha.

ByDan Emery Sep 30, 2025

Nottingham Forest in advanced talks to hire "sensational" Ange replacement

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Nottingham Forest are now in advanced talks to appoint a “sensational” new manager following the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou on Saturday.

Ange sacked by Marinakis after 3-0 defeat against Chelsea

Nuno Espirito Santo left big shoes to fill, after leading Forest to Europe last season, but Ange’s reign as Forest boss was nothing short of disastrous, with the Australian becoming the second-shortest reigning manager in Premier League history.

The 60-year-old lasted just 39 days as manager of the Tricky Trees, picking up just one point in five Premier League matches, while also struggling in the Europa League, with his side falling to a 3-2 home defeat against FC Midtjylland earlier this month.

The final straw was Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat against Chelsea, although the scoreline arguably didn’t reflect the performance, with Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus, Neco Williams and Nikola Milenkovic all missing big chances across the 90 minutes.

Evangelos Marinakis didn’t wait around, sacking the former Tottenham Hotspur boss before he could even do his post-match interview, and the owner has now set his sights on a replacement.

According to an update from Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett on X, Sean Dyche is now in advanced talks to become the new Nottingham Forest manager, and the move could materialise quickly if Marinakis decides the 54-year-old is the right man for the job.

There is a belief Dyche would offer stability and motivational skills, which could bring the Tricky Trees’ poor run of form to an end, with the Europa League side currently in the relegation zone after a very poor start to the season.

Nottingham Forest chiefs want Marinakis to replace Postecoglou with "master" tactician

The Greek billionaire has finally called time on Ange’s nightmare stint.

ByEmilio Galantini Oct 18, 2025

The former Everton boss is not the only manager on the shortlist, however, as Dorsett reveals that Roberto Mancini hasn’t been ruled out, with the 60-year-old available after leaving his role as Saudi Arabia manager last year.

"Sensational" Dyche could steady the ship at the City Ground

The Englishman has developed a reputation for being able to steady the ship at clubs staring down the barrel of relegation, leading Everton to safety on the final day of the 2022-23 campaign, after replacing Frank Lampard in January.

With Forest massively underperforming and perhaps set for a relegation battle of their own this season, having collected just five points from their opening eight games, it would make sense to appoint the ex-Burnley boss, who has received high praise from journalist Mark Douglas.

There are question marks over appointing Dyche on a long-term contract, having been unable to kick on with Everton after avoiding the drop, being sacked after less than two years in charge, but giving him a contract until the end of the season could be a savvy move,

Bangladesh anti-corruption commission raids BCB's headquarters

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

A three-member probe team collected documents and records following allegations against the board

Mohammad Isam15-Apr-2025

A three-member probe team collected documents and records following specific allegations against BCB•Tanvin Tamim

The Bangladesh government’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) raided the BCB’s headquarters on Tuesday to collect documents and records following allegations against the cricket board. The three-member probe team held a press briefing following their raid, alongside BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.The allegations include financial misappropriation of ticket sales during BPL and irregularity in expenses for cricket-related activities around a political programme called “Mujib 100″ (to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) in 2020 but which got cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. The ACC team also looked into details about the rule change in Dhaka’s third division qualification competition. All three allegations fall under the time when Nazmul Hassan was the BCB president.”We will file a report in the enforcement unit after verifying all these documents,” ACC’s assistant director Al Amin said. “The ACC will then decide what the next step will be. Every one of the ACC’s raid is due to a specific complaint. We collect complaints from the media. We have a committee that verifies these complaints. Once it is approved, we go on a raid. It is the same in this case.”The ACC officials said they are looking into the financial anomaly in the BPL’s ticket sales since the third edition. Ticket sales have earned the BCB around BDT 15 crore (1.2 million USD approx.) from the eight seasons, but in the eleventh season alone it was BDT 13 crore (1.07 million USD approx.).”One of BCB’s revenue streams is ticket sales. There was 15 crore in eight years, and then 13 crore in a single year. We are trying to collect documents to find out what the anomaly is,” Al Amin said.He added that there are allegations that the “Mujib 100” programme also had some financial anomalies, including misappropriation of funds of around BDT 17 crore (1.4 million USD approx.).”There’s also some anomaly in the expenses shown in the “Mujib 100″ programme. It showed expenses worth 25 crore, but actually it was around 17 crore. There’s allegations that they didn’t show the expenses of almost 19 crore. We have asked for those documents and records from the finance department,” he said.The ACC has also spoken to the BCB about their rule change in the Dhaka Third Division Qualifying tournament, which was introduced in the late 1990s. It is the non-league tournament from where the top two teams enter the third division league, the lowest in the Dhaka league pyramid. During Nazmul’s reign, the BCB hiked the team’s entry fee to BDT 5 lakh (4,000 USD approx.) from BDT 50,000 (412 USD approx.).Since these were amateur clubs, many refrained from taking part in the competition. However, some clubs paid the hiked fee to participate. They played out a knockout scenario to determine which clubs entered the league; sometimes only two paid the fees which meant direct entry into the Dhaka Third Division League.”Among the specific complaints is the illegal money involved in the Third Division Qualifying competition,” Al Amin said. “We found out how the teams were selected before 2023. Their competition fees used to be BDT five lakh. Only two or three teams would apply for it, and from them the BCB would choose one or two teams. When the fee was reduced to BDT one lakh, sixty clubs applied to play in the competition.”Our point is that, why did only two or three teams apply in previous years, and why did 60 teams apply this time? We have collected documents. There could be personal influence in the selection process of the Third Division Qualifying tournament. We found out that neighbourhood clubs found it hard to meet the criteria set for playing in the tournament.”We have collected the list of teams who took part in the Third Division Qualifying tournament in the last five to seven years. We will compare the requirements to participate in this competition between this year and those from previous years. You must have seen that two to four clubs used to take part in this tournament. This year, 60 teams participated. We can deduce that there was no independence of participation in the previous years. There must have been some pressure that prevented them from participating in the tournament. We are trying to find out why.”BCB’s chief executive Chowdhury vowed to cooperate with the ACC, saying he would direct the relevant departments to help them with documents.

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