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Leeds United have recently been linked with a move for Chelsea centre-back Jake Clarke-Salter, and it looks as if Victor Orta is already planning for life back in the Championship.

The Lowdown: Championship loans

Clarke-Salter has been on the books with Chelsea since 2018 after progressing through and signing a professional deal from the Stamford Bridge academy.

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Since then however, Clarke-Salter’s career in Blue has been a complete flop – he has made just two senior appearances for the club and has had to settle for earning senior experience with loan spells at five separate teams.

His latest move away from the Premier League giants came with Coventry City in what was a third Championship loan spell following stints with Sunderland and Birmingham City.

The Latest: Clarke-Salter contact

The Whites have made contact with Chelsea ahead of a possible summer swoop for Clarke-Salter. According to The Sun, Leeds chiefs, and therefore director of football Orta, have made an enquiry regarding the centre-back.

The 24-year-old, who has also been linked with Sheffield United and PSV, is out of contract at Stamford Bridge a the end of the season, however, the Blues do have an option to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

The Verdict: A second-tier signing

Leeds are in the bottom three and appear to be on the verge of relegation with just two games remaining and a number of senior stars out through injury and suspension.

Therefore, we feel Orta is already making transfer plans for life back in the Championship with a move for Clarke-Salter.

He is on £5,000-a-week, valued at just £1.8m by Transfermarkt and has made more appearances in the Championship than any other division. The Englishman has completely failed to make the grade at Chelsea, so you’d expect that an exit is inevitable at some point.

A defensive overhaul is reportedly being planned under Jesse Marsch ahead of his first full season in charge, and if the Whites go down, they could lose seven-figure signings like Raphinha and Robin Koch and replace them with players like Clarke-Salter, who has just one game of Premier League experience under his belt.

In other news: Phil Hay says £15k-p/w Leeds man will now leave Elland Road over the coming weeks. 

He is going through a bit of a rough patch, but the men opening with him have done far worse

Jarrod Kimber31-May-2018Alastair Cook is one of the best opening batsmen in the history of the game. In terms of runs, no one has made more opening the batting in Tests. He has made superhuman insane crazy mad runs opening the batting, in foreign conditions, that have won series. And he has lasted in English cricket’s most punishing schedule. Cook is a sweatless god at the top of the innings, one of the best ten openers in Test cricket history.He has not been in great form himself over the last two years: he has scored the most runs by an opener in that time, but he has played way more Tests than most. He’s averaging just short of 41, but of the 18 players with over 500 runs opening the batting in this period, he’s middle of the road, and also down five from his normal career average.It’s unfair to compare Cook to his opening partners, who sweat and fail more than him. But if Cook has been out of form, then his opening partners haven’t even been a gelatinous mass. They are without form of any kind.Mark Stoneman is the latest to lose his spot; he’s had 11 friends do the same.ESPNcricinfo LtdSince Andrew Strauss, England have found no one who can open with Cook. This has meant that Cook has made 60% of the runs made by English opening batsmen in that time.ESPNcricinfo LtdAlex Hales is second on the list with 6.3% of the runs.It gets worse when you check milestones. Cook leads England openers in fifties, doubles them in hundreds, and – in Graham-Gooch speak – he’s got six times the number of daddy hundreds.ESPNcricinfo LtdEven if you look at the number of runs Cook makes per Test compared to the others, there’s him, Joe Root’s bizarre early career as an opener, and tumbleweeds.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe average opening partnership in world cricket since Strauss retired is 34.7; of Cook’s 12 partnerships, only four are over that, despite having Cook at one end.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe partnership with Stoneman is the lowest average for an opening stand in England’s history (minimum ten innings). In all these partnerships, there have been only ten 100-run stands, three of which came with Nick Compton. No one else has more than one.In the six years that Cook and Strauss played together, England only had six openers (seven if you count the one innings Kevin Pietersen opened in) – the fewest among the top-eight-ranked teams. In the six years since, they have had 14, the second most behind Pakistan.ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland are 8.5 runs down on their overall opening partnership since Strauss went. And that was with Strauss averaging 32 in his last 20 Tests.Of the 12 partnerships, Cook has been the first dismissed the most with three of them: Carberry, Root and Stoneman.It gets worse for the partners; they also score slower than Cook.ESPNcricinfo LtdHales was brought into the side to be another David Warner. He never made a hundred, and he scored slower than Cook.And you might think England need to try another opener. Over the last three years, the No.1-averaging opener in county cricket is, well, you probably already know.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe No. 2 player is a now-retired Irish player, No. 3 is Ben Duckett, who has already been dropped, and his runs are from Division Two. As the first man on the call sheet, Duckett averages over 20 fewer than Cook.It’s incredible that England continue to have such poor opening partnerships with one of the greatest openers in Test history.By the next Test, Cook will hold the record for the most consective Tests played. By the end of this summer he will probably have scored 2000 more runs than any opener. One of the few records Cook doesn’t yet hold is the most opening partners: he has merely 15; Sunil Gavaskar holds the record with 19. There seems to be time enough in his career to break that record.Good luck, Keaton Jennings. Again.Jos Buttler was kept out of this analysis due to only opening in one innings, where he replaced Cook in a run chaseAdditional statistical inputs by S Rajesh and Shiva Jayaraman

One of only three to play 100 ODIs after the age of 35, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s performances only improved with age

Shiva Jayaraman27-Aug-2016Less than two months short of his 40th birthday, Tillakaratne Dilshan will make his last appearance in ODIs for Sri Lanka on Sunday. Dilshan finishes his career as one of only 11 batsmen with 10,000 ODI runs. His career spanned nearly 17 years and he is one of only two players – the other being Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik – to have played in ODIs this year having made his debut in this format before the turn of the century.Sri Lanka are looking for established openers in time for the next World Cup and Dilshan, being no spring chicken, obviously doesn’t figure in their plans, but his batting form over the last few years does suggest he may have had a few miles left in him yet.The year 2015 was a particularly productive one for Dilshan: he made 1207 runs – the most he has made in a calendar year – at an average of 52.47 and a strike rate of 90.75. No other Sri Lanka batsman has managed more runs in ODIs in a calendar year when averaging more than 50 and striking at a rate of at least 90 per 100 balls. And 2015 was no flash in the pan for Dilshan: he aggregated 1000-plus ODI runs in 2012 and 2013 as well, and fell short of that mark by only ten runs in 2014. Dilshan is one of only five batsmen have made 1000-plus runs in a calendar year after the age of 35, and he is the only one to have done so thrice. Kumar Sangakkara is the only other batsman to have managed this in more than one year.

Between December 2014 and March 2015 Dilshan had a run of 15 innings in which he made 996 runs at an average of 71.14. He hit five hundreds and three fifties in those innings against five different opponents. No other Sri Lanka batsman – barring the inimitable Kumar Sangakkara, who himself had an even more productive streak that overlapped Dilshan’s – has had a more prolific run.

Advancing age was hardly ever a debilitating factor in Dilshan’s career. It took about nine years for him to cement his place in the ODI side as an opener, by which time he was already 32. From the start of 2009 – when he started to open regularly in ODIs – to the end of the 2011 World Cup, Dilshan made 2462 runs at an average of 53.52. He notched up nine hundreds and eight fifties in 50 innings in that period before a brief slump in the latter half of 2011 saw him score only 279 in 16 innings at an average of 17.43. Well into his 36th year, Dilshan hit his straps again during the tri-series in Australia when he top-scored in the series with 513 runs at an average of 51.3. Since turning 35, Dilshan has made 4632 runs at 45.86; in 112* innings he has made 12 hundreds and 24 fifties – a fifty-plus score every third innings. Before 35, he had averaged ten runs fewer and had hit a fifty-plus score every six innings.

In fact, Dilshan’s last 100 ODI innings have fetched him 4264 runs at an average of 47.91. He has made 34 fifty-plus scores (one in every three innings) including 12 centuries in those innings. Only Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar managed more runs than him in their last 100 ODI innings and only three others – Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Matthew Hayden and Shane Watson – managed to score 4000 runs. However, among the six, Dilshan is the only batsman to have played all of his last 100 innings after the age of 35 – an age by which a cricketer’s reflexes and fitness are sternly tested by the rigours of the modern one-day game.

Sri Lanka’s decision to look for a younger opener to take Dilshan’s place ahead of the next World Cup may be a sound one, but his replacement will have some big shoes to fill: the batsman he will replace is the only one from Sri Lanka to top the run charts in any World Cup.11 Number of batsmen who have made 10,000-plus runs in ODIs. Dilshan has made 10,248 runs including 22 hundreds and 47 fifties. Only seven batsmen have hit more hundreds in ODIs.1 Number of captains to have hit hundreds in all three formats of the game. Dilshan achieved this distinction when he made an unbeaten 104* against Australia in a T20I in Pallekele in 2011. He had made 193 at Lord’s in only his second Test as captain and a hundred against Zimbabwe in 2010 in the finals of a ODI tri-series. Dilshan is also one of only 11 batsmen to hit a hundred in each of the three international formats in cricket.1 Number of Sri Lanka batsmen to finish as the highest run-scorer at any World Cup. Dilshan was the one in the 2011 edition when he made 500 runs at 62.50, hitting two hundreds and two fifties including a century in the quarter-final against England and a fifty in the semi-final against New Zealand. Dilshan was a key batsman in Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign in 2015 as well, scoring 395 runs at an average of 65.83 including two hundreds and one fifty in seven innings. Overall, Dilshan made 1112 runs in the World Cups at 52.95 including four hundreds and four fifties from 25 innings.65.83 Dilshan’s batting average as an opener in the World Cup – the second best for any opener with a minimum of 500 runs. Only Glenn Turner who made 519 runs at an average of 64.87 did better than Dilshan as an opener in the tournament. Dilshan’s four hundreds while opening in the World Cup are also the joint second-highest along with Mark Waugh’s. Only Sachin Tendulkar hit more centuries in the tournament as an opener.5 Number of players who have achieved the double of 10,000 runs and 100 wickets in ODIs. In addition to his 10,248 runs, Dilshan has taken 106 wickets, bowling his offspin. Sanath Jayasuriya is the other Sri Lanka player among the five.25 Man-of-the-match awards won by Dilshan in ODIs. Sanath Jayasuriya (48), Kumar Sangakkara (31) and Aravinda de Silva (30) are the only Sri Lanka players to have won more. Click here for a list of players with most Man-of-the-match awards in ODIs.329* Matches played by Dilshan in his ODI career. Only 11 players have had a longer career in terms of number of matches played. At 16 years and 258 days it is also one of the longest in terms of time span.*

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2015Cook reached his fourth fifty in seven innings…•Getty Images…and Trott his first since The Oval in August 2013•AFPDevendra Bishoo broke the opening stand when Trott edged to second slip…•Getty Images….and Cook could not end the near two-year wait for a hundred when he dragged on against Shannon Gabriel•Getty ImagesIan Bell fell in similar fashion to his captain, dragging on against Gabriel on a sluggish pitch to give West Indies a life•AFPHowever, Joe Root once again added impetus to the innings with a sixth consecutive Test fifty – equalling an England record…•Getty Images…and he converted that into a sixth Test hundred, his first overseas•Getty ImagesGary Ballance helped Root add 165 for the fourth wicket before dragging on against Marlon Samuels•AFPSamuels was the focus, again, when Ben Stokes departed but for this salute rather than an active role in the wicket•Associated PressRoot ended a warm day’s work unbeaten on 118 despite a back that was “stiff and sore”•AFP

This and other imponderables answered in this special World T20-themed q&a

Andy Zaltzman18-Mar-2014@jug_23: If T20 were to reach its ultimate conclusion of one-ball cricket, who would be the World T0.1 Champion? And why?
Why have one ball, when a coin-toss-only contest would be even more exciting? However, if you do insist on retaining some of the rather outdated and time-consuming cricket phase of cricket (and technically, the format would not be “T0.1” but “NPO0.1”), then the winners would be: India. Who would beat Sri Lanka in the final.This is a scientifically provable fact, based on the precedents of all World T20 cricket played up to and including Monday, 17 March, 2014. Taking only the first ball of each innings played in World T20 cricket, India are clearly destined to be the inaugural World NPO0.1 champions. They average 1.67 runs from the first balls they have received when batting, and have conceded an average of 0.76 runs from the first balls they have bowled. This gives them an overall First Ball Average Net Score of 0.91. Sri Lanka’s is 0.72, just ahead of unsurprising NPO0.1 specialists West Indies (0.60). No other team has a positive rating, with Australia (-0.42) being particularly slow out of the blocks in this high-pressure format, and South Africa (-0.53, the worst of any Test nation) clearly succumbing to big-tournament first-ball nerves.The fact that (a) the last World Cup final was between India and Sri Lanka, and (b) the NPO0.1 final would produce the same result, proves that the final 49.5 overs of each innings of a 50-over match are entirely worthless. Here endeth the mathematics.(If you are feeling a sense that you will never get back the minute or so it took you to read that answer, please bear in mind that I will never get back the half an hour I spent totting up those figures. The internet may be a blessing, but it can also be a curse.)@Roarzz: When will the batting Powerplay involve adjustable gravity?
T20 cricket is, by its nature, a contrivance. A frequently entertaining, sometimes thrilling, occasionally captivating contrivance but a contrivance nonetheless. As such, and as has been seen with its 50-over uncle, cricket will always seek new contrivances to enhance the original contrivance. In the 50-over game, these have ranged from the flagrantly idiotic (substitutions, for example), via the pointless (fielding Powerplay), to the interesting (batting Powerplay), and back via the baffling (changing the batting Powerplay regulations in an effort to stop it mostly being taken at the same time each innings by restricting when it can be taken, with the result that it is now almost always taken at the same time each innings).This column has suggested further Powerplay variations: the batting captain skippering the fielding team, for example; or five overs in which bowlers are allowed to do, wear, shout or sing absolutely anything during their run-up in an effort to distract the batsman. Neither of these suggestions has – yet – been adopted by the ICC, for whatever reason.An adjustable-gravity Powerplay would certainly bring a great deal of intrigue to T20. Batsmen are accustomed to the ball moving sideaways, due to swing, spin, seam or collisions with birds, but not with the ball befuddling them with vertical unpredictability. It would be a true test of a batsman’s T20 skills if, upon release, he did not know whether the ball would be affected by normal, excessive or zero gravity. Is it a good-length ball, a half-tracker that scuds through to become a second-bounce yorker, or a bonce-endangering beamer?It is also incumbent on the ICC to legislate gravity alteration into the game, before it succeeds ball-tampering as a fielding team’s chosen means of microcheating. It can only be a matter of time before teams are sneaking into stadiums in the dead of night, and installing gravity-altering machines under the pitch, which they will then be able to control remotely during the following day’s play.@roychs123: how different would the world be if Misbah hadn’t scooped it to Sreesanth way back in 2007?
Misbah’s plopped scoop that concluded the inaugural World T20 final was arguably the most significant event in human history. You would have to be out of your mind to argue it, but you could still give it a go. I have run this scenario through ESPNcricinfo’s Historical Scenario Alternativator, whilst wearing some retrospectacles, and I can confirm that, had Misbah scored the six runs required off the final four balls of that match:1. India would never have played T20 again.
2. The IPL would still have happened, but would have been in the format of an expanded Ranji Trophy, featuring 12-day four-innings matches.
3. Crimea would be fine.
4. MS Dhoni would have run off the pitch straight into the nearest hair salon, had his flowing mane shorn off, retired from cricket and become a librarian.
5. Misbah would be president of Pakistan.@SchnoodleLad: Who would win in a fight between cricket and an angry elephant?
Tough to call, as are most contests between a sport (which is essentially a concept), and an actual mammal in a state of advanced strop. However, having seen and reported on the travails of the much-lamented 2011 Cricket World Cup mascot, Stumpy the Elephant – one of the few documented clashes between cricket and pachyderm – I would put all of my and ESPNcricinfo’s money on cricket. By the end of that tournament, Stumpy was clearly broken, a physical and psychological wreck, bereft of hope, vigour and purpose. News of his troubled life in the International Home For Abandoned Sporting Mascots has come as little surprise. His decline into coconut abuse and squirting cheap beer at himself out of his trunk reflects well on no one.@Percinio: Is it a sign of growing professionalism that the Dutch camp seem to have taken notes from their football counterparts?
Dutch football is famous for its internecine squabblings, which have sprouted forth in several major international tournaments. The spat erupting from the replacement of Tim Gruijters with Tom Cooper, detailed here, suggests that the cricket team has responded to its recent disappointing form by seeking to emulate its footballing compadres.There are also rumours that the Dutch have been applying the principles of “Total football” to develop the revolutionary “Total Cricket”, in which players fluidly switch positions and roles during play. Expect to see opening batsmen blocking the ball, picking it up, and bowling it back up the pitch; wicketkeepers crouching down on the long-off boundary; and left-arm spinners bowling right-arm fast. It is the future of the game.@kevin1990x: Is Dirk Nannes the only cricketer to play in the World T20 for two different countries?
Yes. According to this list, Ed Joyce, Luke Ronchi and Boyd Rankin have played for two countries in T20Is, but not in World T20 tournaments. Nannes played the 2009 tournament for Netherlands, and the 2010 edition for Australia. Rumours that Kevin Pietersen will be representing South Africa in this year’s tournament have thus far proved unfounded.@collings_jc: England v Sri Lanka on a spinning wicket. Who wins?
Sri Lanka. Probably. Certainly, if the 2011 World Cup quarter-final is anything to go by. Which it probably isn’t, given that not many of the players involved are playing in this tournament, and it was three years ago.Please tweet any further WT20-related queries to @ZaltzCricket. I will respond to a selection of the best questions in my forthcoming ZaltZone videos.

Having reached two finals and a semi-final in the opening three editions of World T20, Pakistan will hope to continue their success in the shortest format’s marquee tournament

Umar Farooq22-Sep-2012

Overview

Unpredictability is the defining feature of the Pakistan team, but you still can’t shun the thought that they are one of the compelling sides in the format. Their notoriety for inconsistent performances was on show during their warm-up games: they botched a mild chase of 111 against England right after succeeding in chasing down 186 – a rare sparkling chase against India.Pakistan are always surrounded by off-the-field issues but presently things are relatively stable, which bodes well for the creation of a positive team atmosphere under a new captain, Mohamamd Hafeez, who has succeeded Misbah-ul-Haq. Although Hafeez’s Twenty20 form doesn’t warrant him an automatic place in the side, the PCB has taken a decision largely in the best interests of the team, deeming the allrounder a sensible leader in the longer-run. He has so far led Pakistan in five matches, losing two and winning three, including a Super Over victory against Australia in Dubai earlier this month.Pakistan enter the event as the world’s most experienced side in the format, having played most number of matches – 58 – winning 34 and losing 22 with two tied matches. They were the explosive starters in T20 cricket but have lost momentum since 2010, playing 22 matches and losing 11. In a bid to pick up momentum, the selectors have picked the country’s potent and hugely experienced Twenty20 specialists for the job.The squad is flexible enough to accommodate three explosive specialist openers in the top order, namely Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed and Kamran Akmal, followed by a mixture of skilful youngsters in Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq and experienced men in Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi, to guard the middle-order. And they have an agile bowling line-up, strengthened by the return of Umar Gul – he is back at the World T20 after missing the previous event in the West Indies.Pakistan enter the tournament with the entire squad having accumulated ample practice in Sri Lanka. Pakistan had a full series against the hosts earlier this year and, later, players from the T20 squad featured in the Sri Lanka Premier League.

Key Player

The Pakistan bowlers have been dominating the T20 format, occupying the first three spots in the list of leading wicket-takers, with Saeed Ajmal leading the chart with 60 wickets followed by Shahid Afridi, 59, and Umar Gul with 58. The linchpin will be Ajmal, who has an exceptional economy rate of 6.03 in the format. He will be out to further stamp his authority as the world’s best bowler. His control over his spin and clever variations of his doosra certainly make him dangerous. Pakistan, expectedly, will look to capitalise on more spin options with Ajmal having a significant role to play in the coming days.

Surprise package

Pakistan have recently unleashed a 20-year-old rookie left-arm spinner: Raza Hasan, largely known as a death bowler, averaging 13.65 in 22 matches with 40 wickets. He is not a big turner of the ball but his fearless approach and decent variation contain the run rate and made him a prominent bowler on the Pakistan domestic circuit. He was first noticed in 2010 when Pakistan called him up for the tour of England, but he didn’t get a game. His wares were finally on show earlier this month in the three-match T20 series against Australia in Dubai. He is perhaps unlikely to play in every game but he has a definite future with the team.

Weakness

If the script runs correctly, you will barely find any flaws within the Pakistan set-up, but if not, the fragile batting could be rattled. Ensuring a blistering start through the openers is a problem, as Mohamamd Hafeez takes his time to settle in, while Imran Nazir is cautions at the crease these days. The lost form of Afridi is another definite blow for Pakistan and there is obviously a concern over the allrounder.

World T20 history

Pakistan have an impressive record in the World Twenty20 and their pedigree has been remarkable in the three editions so far. They have been the best side in tournament’s brief history. Had Misbah-ul-Haq not skied the paddle-scope to fine-leg in the 2007 final against India, Pakistan could have won the inaugural tournament. In 2009, Pakistan, led by Younis Khan thrashed Sri Lanka to lift the title. Pakistan were once again on course for another title in the Caribbean in 2010 but were undone by Australia’s Michael Hussey’s heroics in the semi-final in Saeed Ajmal’s final over. Their win-loss tally in World Twenty20 is 12 victories to eight defeats, including the bowl-out loss against India.

Recent form

Pakistan landed in Sri Lanka after intense preparation in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series in the Dubai against Australia in the exhausting heat of the desert. Pakistan lost the ODI series but went on to win the T20I series 2-1.

A stats preview to the third place playoff between Bangalore and Deccan

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan23-Apr-2010Both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers had their hopes of a final rematch crushed following their losses in the semi-finals. While Bangalore went down by 35 runs to Mumbai, Deccan made a mess of an attainable target in their game against Chennai. The common point in both those matches was that the team which won the match had won the toss as well, and had chosen to bat. With the pitch at the DY Patil Stadium getting more difficult for batting as the match wears on, the toss could play a crucial role in the clash for third place, a match which is vital as the winner qualifies to play in the Champions League later this year.The table below looks at the performance of teams in the first and second innings at this venue. In all four games played at this venue, the team batting first has won quite convincingly. While chasing, the scoring rate falls considerably and the number of wickets lost also is much higher. Deccan have lost all three matches here, and on each occasion they have batted second.

Deccan Chargers, though, will be encouraged by their recent record against Bangalore. They’ve won their last three encounters, triumphing in both games this year, and in last year’s final.In overall performances this year, though, Bangalore hold an edge over Deccan in terms of their batting and bowling performances, which is reflected in the difference between the batting run rate and bowling economy rate.

The scoring rate in the Powerplay overs for both teams has been quite similar but Bangalore have lost far fewer wickets in the first six overs. The reason for this has been the strong showing of the openers Manish Pandey and Jacques Kallis in the initial games. Deccan, though, have never quite had a good start which can be attributed to the poor form of their captain Adam Gilchrist.

The table below shows the bowling performances of both teams during the Powerplay overs. Deccan have picked up more wickets in this phase due to some penetrative bowling by Chaminda Vaas and Ryan Harris. Apart from Dale Steyn, the Bangalore bowling has not been threatening in the first few overs.

Bangalore are clearly ahead with their showing in the last six overs. Deccan’s average is very poor and they have, on more than one occasion, lost wickets in a heap. Their scoring rate in the crucial last overs has also not been on par with the other top teams.

On the bowling front, though, Deccan’s fast bowlers and spinners have performed much better than their Bangalore counterparts. Vaas and Harris have picked up crucial wickets in the beginning of the innings and Pragyan Ojha has bowled quite exceptionally all tournament. For Bangalore, though, Steyn and Anil Kumble have been the only two bowlers who have performed consistently throughout.

Left-arm spinner claimed 297 Test wickets and remains sixth on England’s all-time list

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2024Derek Underwood, arguably the greatest spin bowler in England’s Test history, has died at the age of 78.Underwood, who claimed 297 wickets in 86 Tests between 1966 and 1982, played his entire first-class career at Kent, for whom he made his first-team debut at the age of 17, and went on to make over 900 appearances across three decades, from 1963-1987, taking 2,523 wickets at an average of just 19.04.Nicknamed “Deadly” by his team-mates, Underwood’s lithe whippy left-arm action was renowned for its accuracy and came at the batter with the pace and snap of a seam bowler.He was at his most lethal on rain-affected wickets, most famously in the final Test of the 1968 Ashes at The Oval, when – after a concerted effort by the crowd to make the outfield playable – Underwood claimed four wickets in 27 balls to defeat Australia and square the series with six minutes of the match remaining.Underwood remains the sixth-highest wicket-taker in England’s history, and the leading spin bowler, ahead of Graeme Swann (255). In ODI cricket, he made 26 appearances between 1973 and 1982, including a pair of appearances in the inaugural 1975 World Cup, claiming taking 32 wickets at 22.93.According to the retrospective ICC Men’s Test Bowler rankings, Underwood was ranked as the world’s No.1 bowler from September 1969 to August 1973. His most startling figures came at Hastings in 1973, when he claimed 8 for 9 to rout Sussex on another rain-affected pitch, with the crowd once again aiding the Fire Brigade in mopping up the ground’s floodwater.ESPNcricinfo LtdUnderwood’s adaptability was reflected in his record in both India and Australia, where he was able to drop his pace to heighten his impact. He would have overhauled Fred Trueman’s then-England record of 307 wickets had he not made two significant career choices at the back-end of his career – first he accepted Kerry Packer’s invitation to join World Series Cricket in 1977, and then in 1981-82, he joined the first rebel tour of South Africa, a decision that led to a three-year ban from internationals and the effective end of his career.Underwood retired from the game in 1987, having won three County Championships, two One-Day Cups, three National Leagues and three Benson & Hedges Cups as a Kent cricketer, during which time he was awarded two benefit seasons, in 1975 and 1986 respectively. He was awarded an MBE for services to cricket in the New Year’s Honours list of 1981.Derek Underwood sends one down against New Zealand•S&G/PA Images via Getty ImagesIn 2008, Underwood was named as President of Marylebone Cricket Club, after serving as Kent Cricket’s Club President in 2006, and was inducted into the ICC’s Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.In 2011, the Annexe Stand at Kent’s home ground in Canterbury was renamed the ‘Underwood & Knott Stand’ in recognition of the legendary partnership he formed with another of the greats of his era, the England and Kent wicketkeeper, Alan Knott.Kent Cricket’s Chair, Simon Philip, said: “The Kent Cricket family is in mourning following the passing of one of its greatest-ever players. Watching Derek weave his unique magic on a wet wicket was a privilege for all who were able to witness it. His induction into the ICC Hall of Fame shows the esteem in which he was held in world cricket.”An advocate for growing our game worldwide whilst protecting our sport’s rich heritage, Derek also made substantial contributions off the field as well as on it, and he will be sorely missed by everyone at Kent Cricket.”

Brydon Carse records maiden first-class hundred before Durham take 15 wickets in day

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2023

Brydon Carse gave the England selectors a quiet nudge ahead of the Ashes by scoring his maiden first-class century and taking three wickets to put Durham on the verge of victory in their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire.Carse began the day needing 23 runs to reach his maiden ton and rocketed through the gears to secure his hundred from 113 balls before Durham declared on 452 for 9. The home side then ran through the Derbyshire line-up as Matthew Potts and Ben Raine reduced the visitors to 6 for 4. Luis Reece top-scored with 56, but his team were made to follow-on after being skittled for 165.Potts and Raine made further breakthroughs early on to leave Derbyshire in a world of trouble at 7 for 2 second time around. Durham maintained their patience to edge their way towards their second win of the season, reducing the visitors to 92 for 5 at stumps, still boasting a dominant 195-run lead at Seat Unique Riverside.Carse began the day 77 not out with his team positioned on 410 for 8, and he signalled his intent to get to three figures by dispatching Zak Chappell’s first ball of the day to the fence.Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy challenged Carse to penetrate the field, and the allrounder found the gaps to surpass his previous best of 91 made last week against Glamorgan before reaching his maiden ton with a nudge into the leg-side.Carse almost forgot to complete a second run in the midst of celebration, but comfortably made it back to acknowledge his delighted team-mates. He ended the Durham innings by clubbing Ben Aitchison over long-on for a huge six, securing maximum batting points.Durham declared 10 minutes before lunch to leave the Derbyshire openers with an awkward over to see out, but Raine made the breakthrough to remove Billy Godleman. Matters would only get worse for the visitors after the interval.Potts produced a sensational over to clean bowl Haider Ali and Wayne Madsen in the space of four deliveries before Derbyshire’s top order was left in tatters when Raine pinned Brooke Guest lbw for 2. Durham’s new-ball pair struck again as Matthew Lamb and du Plooy continued the Derbyshire procession.It was then the turn of Carse. He delivered a brute of a ball that rose sharply off the deck and Chappell could only fend meekly into the hands of Graham Clark at short-leg. Carse notched a second to remove Aitchison before Reece and Sam Conners offered a semblance of resistance with a final-wicket stand of 68, Reece top-scoring with 56 unbeaten. Matt Parkinson, on loan from Lancashire, claimed his first wicket to end the Derbyshire innings still trailing the hosts by 287.Scott Borthwick enforced the follow-on, and Godleman continued his day to forget as he collected a pair, lasting only two balls before he was pinned lbw by Raine. Potts was equally effective at removing Haider for the second time in the day as Derbyshire’s openers again failed to emerge beyond the second over intact.Madsen survived two dropped chances to put on 44 with Guest, but Carse produced another gem of a delivery to find his outside edge. In need of stability from their skipper, du Plooy gave his wicket away on 14, clipping a tame on drive straight to Potts, while Guest fell just before stumps for 35 to leave the visitors with a mammoth challenge to avoid an innings defeat after losing 15 wickets on day two.

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A luta para fazer com que oBotafogoretome seu fôlego na reta final da Taça Guanabara passa por um sonho jovem. Com Marçal suspenso por dois jogos, Hugo, de 21 anos, ganhará uma sequência no momento mais crítico para o Alvinegro na competição, já que a equipe precisa confirmar sua vaga nas semifinais do Campeonato Carioca.

O jogador não encheu os olhos nos momentos nos quais foi acionado em 2023. Nas cinco partidas nas quais jogou, o jovem foi tímido no apoio e teve trabalho para conter os espaços aos adversários.

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Em seu desempenho mais recente, o atleta passou por apuros e, assim como os demais jogadores do Botafogo, não conseguiu resistir à forte pressão do Vasco na derrota por 2 a 0. Mesmo assim, Hugo mantém uma minutagem significativa para garantir um bom entrosamento e se firmar sempre que for requisitado.

Ele herda a lateral esquerda devido aos efeitos da derrota por 1 a 0 para o Flamengo.Marçal estava pendurado quando recebeu o terceiro cartão amarelo no Mané Garrincha. Nos acréscimos, recebeu o vermelho. Por isto, Hugo é o cotado para assumir a titularidade tanto contra o Resende quanto diante da Portuguesa.

Abnegado, o jogador de 21 anos terá de lidar com uma busca por equilíbrio. Aguerrido, Hugo chamou atenção sob o comando de Luís Castro quando teve liberdade para ir ao ataque e se apresentar fazendo tabelas. No entanto, o jovem não manteve seu aproveitamento quando o Botafogo foi pressionado.

Nos dois últimos jogos da equipe de Luís Castro na Taça Guanabara, o lateral terá de deslanchar, se apresentando para buscar investidas especialmente com Gabriel Pires e Victor Sá. O Alvinegro também terá de lutar para buscar um saldo de gols significativo e se afirmar tanto com vitórias quanto em eventuais critérios de desempate em um momento no qual a equipe briga com Volta Redonda e Vasco para ficar entre os quatro primeiros.

Cabe a Hugo expor seu poder de decisão e contribuir para que o Botafogo se firme como um dos classificados às semifinais do Campeonato Carioca. Visto como promessa, o lateral-esquerdo tenta comprovar que pode acirrar a disputa pela titularidade na lateral esquerda e mostrar o quanto pode crescer em campo.