All posts by n8rngtd.top

Arsenal put in their arguably best performance of the Premier League season on Sunday afternoon as they comprehensively beat Liverpool at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta's side was the better team to a man, and Jürgen Klopp's men looked utterly bewildered for much of the 90 minutes.

One of the goalscorers for the Gunners was Bukayo Saka, and while he might not be as aesthetically pleasing as last season, he has been just as effective.

So far, the 22-year-old superstar has scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists in 30 appearances for the north Londoners this year, and Hale End might already have the next Saka on their hands.

Bukayo Saka's Arsenal record

Saka joined the Arsenal set-up at just eight years old and has been with the club ever since, working his way up through the junior sides before finally making his way into the first team.

This journey from relative obscurity to international stardom with the Gunners is undeniably a part of what makes him so beloved by the Arsenal faithful. Still, he has the ability and impressive record to back it up.

Before establishing himself as a first-team player, the Ealing-born gem played 53 games for the U18 and U23 sides, where he scored 22 goals and provided 17 assists, meaning he averaged 0.73 goal involvements per game.

He made his debut for the senior side in November 2018 in a Europa League Group Stage game against Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava before making his first Premier League start for the club against Aston Villa in September 2019.

Since then, Arsenal's 'Little Chili' has made 209 appearances for the club, scored 49 goals and provided 53 assists, meaning he has averaged 0.48 goal involvements per match across his entire senior career.

The stats are genuinely remarkable, and with the emergence of another Hale End prodigy, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Arteta might have a second Saka on his hands.

The numbers that prove fans should be excited about Amario Cozier-Duberry

Now, comparing a youngster to a senior player as impressive and beloved as Saka could certainly be seen as setting said youngster up for failure.

However, with how impressive Cozier-Duberry has been for the Gunners' youth teams and how those in the know talk about him, it feels as if he is genuinely going to make it into the senior side soon.

For example, when speaking to The Athletic last season, Jack Wilshere, Arsenal's U18 coach, said: "He reminds me of Bukayo Saka. In some moments, he's unplayable. You give him the ball and he can make things happen. You can set up a team and have a game plan, but when you've got individuals like that you've got a chance."

This sense that he is special extends outside the club bubble as well, with talent scout Jacek Kulig describing the 18-year-old as "Hale End's finest" halfway through last season, and when looking at his numbers from the academy, it's not hard to see why people feel so strongly about his ability.

Arsenal can forget about Benzema by promoting "sensational" Hale End gem

The 16-year-old has already broken a Premier League record.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Feb 6, 2024

In 72 games for the U21s, U18s and UEFA Youth League squads, the exciting "talent", as U23 scout Antonio Mango dubbed him, has scored 24 goals and provided 15 assists, meaning that he has been averaging a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or more than once every other game.

Ultimately, hitting the bar set by Saka at Arsenal is a herculean task, of that there is no doubt, but if any of the Gunners' recent crop of youngsters stand a good chance of doing so, it's Cozier Duberry.

Our correspondent goes on a culinary bender through Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi, no thanks to the taxi and rickshaw drivers of the land

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Apr-2016March 13
When I come in from the airport on a Sunday, Kolkata residents are spending the late afternoon on the streets. As the taxi goes through a residential neighbourhood, three children are in heated argument over their cricket match. We turn the corner and a group of old men are sitting on a mat on the pavement, in heated argument over their card game. There is an infectious buzz about the city. The old Raj-era buildings are in various states of disrepair, but that just serves to bring them to life.March 14
Almost anyone who has lived in or hails from Kolkata still refers to it as Calcutta. It is a city that industrialised rapidly as the capital of the British Raj during the second half of the 19th century, so perhaps it is understandable if it wishes to hold on to a fragment of what some perceive to be glory days.The reluctance to use post-colonial names, however, extends to street names as well, which makes Kolkata a slightly confusing place for visitors. The map on my phone tells me my hotel is on Shakespeare Sarani, for example, but cab drivers furrow brows and shake heads until I say “Theatre Road”, which is what the British had called it. I can’t say I blame the cab drivers. Not only does it seem odd to take the name of a famous Brit in a name-changing exercise that purports to reassert a local identity, but “Theatre Road” is also so much easier to say.And I can’t say I am surprised by the continued use of old names either. In fact, as a resident of Colombo, I find the new names underwhelming for their relative usability. At home, we have a former Albert Road, which is now officially known as Sri Dharmakeerthiyarama Road. And a Church Road that is more recently Sir Mohamed Macan Markar Mawatha.Where the streets have new names: it’s only tourists who use official road names, and to no avail•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdNice try, Kolkata, but when it comes giving streets names that no one will ever use, Colombo will not, and cannot, ever be beaten.March 15
Though it’s thought the Sinhala people have their origins in East India, the two cultures have diverged substantially when it comes to food. A lot of southern Sri Lankan cuisine is loosely defined by roaring flavours and heat. From the admittedly little I’ve had of it, the strength of Bengali cuisine seems to be subtlety and relative simplicity.The fried river fish at Suruchi – a low-key Bengali restaurant run by a women’s group – bears flavours of mustard and turmeric. The Kolkata biryani at Zeeshan is also far milder than the better-known Hyderabadi equivalent, and features flavour-soaked potatoes.March 16
Many of the cabs in Kolkata are beautiful old Ambassador cars, painted yellow with a navy blue stripe running horizontally just below the window. Almost all these cabs also have “No Refusal” printed on the side, which naturally leads me to believe that the drivers would not dream of refusing me a ride.I approach one and ask if he can take me to Eden Gardens for the Pakistan v Bangladesh match. He shakes his head and drives on. I approach another with what I feel is a very generous fare, but am again rebuffed. This happens at least twice more. I wonder if they forgot crucial punctuation on the “No Refusal” signs. They should instead have read: “No! Refusal!” because in peak hours, that seems to be what potential customers can expect.Raavana: demon to one, king to another•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdMarch 17

A sublime mutton curry at a dimly lit Kolkata institution called Peter Cat, and in the afternoon, my colleagues and I head to the India Coffee House, off College Street. The place can’t have changed much in the last half-century at least. A portrait of Rabindranath Tagore looks over patrons, as rows of ceiling fans whirr overhead. There is even a mezzanine floor above, and the yellow walls are a trove of local art. One line drawing in the corner, which seems to have been done by a Kolkata artist, features a man with a Maori facial tattoo.March 18
The first sign I see as I walk into Bangalore airport reads: “Pollution ” (Stop the Raavana of pollution, change the air). This is a public service announcement from the Indian government, which vilifies Raavana – a mythical king from the drop-shaped island south of the Palk Strait.Way to make a Sri Lankan feel welcome, Bangalore.March 20
Where Kolkata cab drivers gave fairly straightforward refusals, some Bangalore auto-wallahs are wonderfully theatrical about it. I stop a three-wheeler going roughly in the right direction and ask if he would mind taking me to the stadium. He shoots me a look of emphatic disdain, which asks who the hell I think I am and how dare I ask him to go to the Chinnaswamy, crinkles his nose, and without a word drives on.March 22
Nine days into the tour, halfway through a heavenly meal at a restaurant called Junior Kuppanna’s, I get just a tiny bit homesick. The place serves South Indian food, on banana leaves – just like they do in joints all over Colombo or Anuradhapura or Jaffna. And the flavours – of ground coriander, cumin and curry leaves – are close to those encountered in the north of Sri Lanka, just without Sri Lankan touches like cinnamon or and leaves.Humayun’s Tomb: the inspiration for the Taj•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdMarch 23
I had been thumped at squash by former colleague Devashish Fuloria during last year’s World Cup, but I fancied that in the intervening time I had improved enough to match him. This was delusion. My match went about as well as Sri Lanka’s World T20 campaign, except that I couldn’t blame my showing on a bad knee or board politicking. Playing with a broken racquet, Devashish wins six sets to three in an inferno of a squash court. Then perhaps out of sympathy, he books and pays for my Uber back to the guest house.March 24
The man running the small hotel next to our Delhi Airbnb apartment has a good bouncer. I find this out, as I have nothing to do but join the game of galli cricket taking place in the street.My colleague Andrew Miller has gone to a Holi party some way out of town, and without him vouching for me, the security guard will not let me through the gate. I plead with him to at least let me put my luggage in the property. I try to explain that I had had to catch an early flight and hadn’t slept. He looks me up and down with narrowed eyes, then delivers a blunt “no” and shakes his head.Eventually Andrew returns, doused in red and purple dye from head to toe. It is maybe the second time I have met him, and I don’t tell him at the time because it would have been weird, but I’ve rarely been gladder to see another human being.March 25
There is a Delhi bar called Odeon Social that is definitely worth the visit if you like good beer, decent food, and hearing loss. A few of us have come here to watch the West Indies v South Africa match, and though the music is already quite loud to begin with, it becomes progressively more offensive as the match goes on. We are not far apart from each other, but by the end of the evening, smoke signals would have been more efficient than any verbal communication. I am quite certain several frequencies have been lost to my hearing forever.We eventually leave and cross the road to a rooftop bar that is much more relaxed, and affords a nice view down into the street. If only it had shown the game.A view of Delhi from the Jama Masjid•Andrew Fidel Fernando/ESPNcricinfo LtdMarch 26

My wife is visiting for the long weekend, so we decide to see a few of the sights. First stop is Humayun’s Tomb – one of the first Mughal garden tombs on the subcontinent, and a precursor to the Taj Mahal. The ponds in the causeway leading into the main building are drained when we visited, but the tomb itself is arresting nonetheless, the marble dome shimmering when sunlight strikes it. There are as many as 100 tombs in the same complex, leading to it being called the “dormitory of the Mughals”, though no one seemed to be bunking.In the afternoon, we visit the Jama Masjid mosque. The highlight of this trip is the climb up the southwest tower, below which the captivating old Delhi neighbourhood stretches out. We can see as far as the bright floodlights of the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, which is hosting the Australia v Ireland Women’s match.March 27
We are staying very near Connaught Place, a zone of three concentric circles that is home to one of the most important business districts in India. At the centre of Connaught Place is an Indian flag about twice as big as any single piece of fabric I have ever seen. It would take a proper hurricane to fully unfurl it.Delhi auto drivers commonly refer to the area as CP, but when they venture the full name, seem to pronounce it “Cannought Place”. This is both endearing and profound, because: “Can you take me to CP please?” In this traffic, “No, I cannought.”March 28
Back to Old Delhi and through the bustling, centuries-old warren of a bazaar, where everything from sarees to meat to electronics to holidays are sold on lanes each as wide as a tree trunk, and shops the size of thimbles. One of the many culinary highlights of the trip is the chicken tikka at Karim’s, which is just through an alleyway near the Jama Masjid. The man behind the counter tells me Karim’s has been in the same family for five generations. There must be a hundred places of business in stone-throwing distance that could make similar claims.March 31
Through the tournament some Sri Lanka fans have theorised the ICC is out to get their team since so many bad decisions have gone against them. In Bangladesh, a number of people had protested the “unfair suspensions” of two key bowlers. A few New Zealand fans have groused their side had to play at five separate venues, in comparison to England, who only played at two. There have been familiar Twitter whinges from Australia about Asian bowlers with dodgy actions.Back in a Kolkata bar for the second semi-final, R Ashwin is shown to have overstepped upon review, and a man at the table next to me bellows: “Why are they only checking no-balls for India? They just don’t want India to win the cup!” It is thought that the Big Three rules cricket. Victimhood must be a close second, though.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson talks about his long association with Brendon McCullum, whose leadership helped New Zealand cricket grow

Melinda Farrell 19-Feb-2016Brendon McCullum walks into an indoor cricket centre in Otago. He is six years old and he has something to prove.He has tagged along with his brother, Nathan, and his father, Stuart, a respected wicketkeeper-batsman. They practice on the periphery of a match and catch the eye of one of the players, a slightly built 13-year-old. The teenager notices the two small boys and watches with interest. They are younger and smaller than everyone else but their competitive spirit sets them apart, particularly the little brother. He refuses to be intimidated by the size of those around him. He throws himself into everything he does, he clearly has talent, and he wants to win.The thoughtful teenager doesn’t realise as he looks on, but in years to come he will form a partnership with this boisterous little boy that will transform cricket in New Zealand and influence the game across the globe.The teenager’s name is Mike Hesson.

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Hesson is the Felix Unger to McCullum’s Oscar Madison. The neat, quiet, bespectacled band manager to the popular, swashbuckling, entertaining rock star. And he’s about to lose his frontman.He leans back and smiles as he remembers seeing the McCullum boys for the first time.”They just got stuck in,” Hesson recalls. “Regardless of who they were up against, they were highly competitive people, and Brendon, obviously, being the younger brother, was probably the epitome of that. You’re a younger brother, you’re always trying to prove yourself, and you’re competitive in everything you do.”Nine years after that indoor session, McCullum was again demanding the attention of Hesson, who was by then the director of coaching at Otago. The same traits that had singled him out as a small child were still evident. He was playing with others who were older and more experienced, and as a 15-year-old was being selected for Under-17 and U-19 sides.

“I’ve been lucky enough over the last 14 years to grow up from a 20-year-old quite brash person to hopefully what I am today, which is, I believe, a better person”Brendon McCullum

“He was sort of ahead of his time,” Hesson said. “He was playing with kids a lot older than him, so I always felt he had a bit of a point to prove. He was obviously good enough. I just loved the fact he got stuck in.”But the thing I always really liked about Brendon is the fact that he always played to win. He wasn’t the conservative Kiwi who would try not to lose first, and then, if there was a chance of winning, try to win.””His attitude was certainly ‘Let’s look at how we’re going to win this game from here’ rather than the other way around.”That mindset was a key factor when Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, made the difficult, and at the time controversial, decision to replace Ross Taylor as New Zealand captain. While McCullum had proved himself as a wicketkeeper-batsman, there were many who couldn’t see past the tattoos, the brashness, and what they perceived to be a certain recklessness. McCullum didn’t look or sound the way people expected a traditional New Zealand cricketer to look and sound. But Hesson, after watching him develop through the years, felt he was the player and the man to lead the team out of a culture he now describes as “consumed by losing”.”At the time you appoint a captain, you like to think that his performances will improve but not necessarily straightaway,” said Hesson. “But I guess you make change for a reason.”I felt the team was ready for Brendon’s style of leadership and he certainly grew into that role, and he brought a real change in mindset into the team. No longer are we consumed by losing. We’re actually looking at things differently.”It took others a little longer to come around, and McCullum still attracts criticism for the mode of his dismissals and what some perceive to be his inconsistency. Hesson points to the fact that McCullum has been unselfish in moving up and down the order, giving up keeping and taking on any role the team required him to fill.Not your everyday New Zealand cricketer•AFP”As a batsman, when you stop keeping and you bat higher up, you need to contribute in different ways,” Hesson said. “And he’s certainly found a tempo during a two-year period there where he was able to really maximise his skill. Prior to that he was shuffled around and asked to do many different jobs that he perhaps wasn’t best equipped to deal with.”He’s taken on every role the team has required. Whether that’s keeper-bat or whether that’s opening the batting, which in Test cricket I don’t think has ever really suited his game. I think where he is now is right for the way he plays and he can still dictate a game batting at five,” he said. “His record in Test cricket is outstanding. For a keeper-batsman it’s world class. For a No. 5 his average is world class. The stuff in between, maybe not so much.”I think whenever you have someone who puts themself out there and is not consumed by losing, a lot of people almost treat that as a threat and he can become an easy target. Throughout his career he has been a target of many because he’s capable of brilliance, and with that you do get dismissals that at the time look carefree, but I can assure you they’re not carefree.”When he came in and he was a keeper-bat he would stand out because he could turn a game quickly. There were times when he’d get out and people would think that was reckless, but he was always trying to win the game and was playing the way he felt gave him the best opportunity.”And I think over the past few years he’s actually changed a number of the other players in the group as well to think in a similar fashion, not a matter of playing like Brendon but actually starting to think that ‘Hey, we can not only compete with these guys, we can actually beat them.’ So, rather than look at a puzzle and ask, ‘How can we not lose this?’ we’re actually turning it 180 degrees around and asking, ‘How can we actually win this game?’ And that is a major mind shift.”Hesson believes McCullum truly came of age as a captain during the first Test against India at Eden Park in 2014. New Zealand had lost three wickets for only 30 runs when McCullum joined Kane Williamson at the crease. Their 221-run partnership and McCullum’s innings of 224 were instrumental in the eventual victory.

“He wasn’t the conservative Kiwi who would try not to lose first, and then, if there was a chance of winning, try to win”Mike Hesson

“He came out and first of all sucked up all the pressure and then counterattacked in the way we know he can. The sign of a leader is not just about your actions around the group. It’s whether you’re able to step up on the park when you are in trouble, and I think in Test cricket that was probably the catalyst for him and he went on to make three scores over 200 that year. “The next one was, of course, the famous triple-century at the Basin Reserve. The memories of that innings were thick in the Wellington air last week during the first Test against Australia, making McCullum’s dismissal in the second innings difficult to stomach.”Everyone believed it was possible and that’s the beauty of the group,” Hesson said. “We’ve been in far worse positions than we were heading into day four before and we’ve managed to find a way to get out of it and Brendon, Kane [Williamson] and BJ [Watling] have been part of it. When Brendon got out in the last over of day three it was really upsetting because he’d done it before and I think we all believed he was capable of doing it again.”Whether or not Hagley Oval provides the setting for one last innings of derring-do, it seems fitting that McCullum’s international career will end here, with him wearing the “rancid” cap he has carried for 14 years.Plenty of eyebrows were raised when one of the world’s most explosive T20 batsmen announced he would retire just before his country’s campaign to win a World T20 – and Hesson admits he would dearly like McCullum to be there – but in light of the romance of some of those feted matches, it shouldn’t be surprising that McCullum has chosen the Test arena for his final appearance.”It’s nice to be able to go out in the purest form of the game, a game that means so much to cricketers who’ve played for New Zealand over decades,” said McCullum on the eve of his final match. “And to be able to do it in your home town, there’s an element of romance there as well and it’ll be nice. Hopefully we can get the result we want as well and go down to the local pub and have a few beers afterwards.”It is encouraging for New Zealand that Hesson, along with team manager Mike Sandle, will provide some continuity in the environment that has allowed McCullum to develop and thrive.Hesson on McCullum’s 224: “He came out and first of all sucked up all the pressure and then counterattacked”•Getty Images”[Mike Hesson] has been instrumental in the turnaround of this team,” said McCullum. “And Mike Sandle as well, who probably doesn’t get as many accolades as he should. Those two guys have reinvigorated cricket in New Zealand. They’ve allowed us to go out there and just focus on playing cricket and getting good structures and processes in and around the team.”I think their greatest tribute, not just in terms of their organisation, is the freedom that they give guys to go out and just try and push the envelope of their skills sets and try and reach the abilities each player has when they started growing up. Those guys have been phenomenal and the great aspect is they’ll be around for a while longer as well, and allow the next group of leaders to come in and have good solid support around them as they try and take this team to the next level, which I’m confident they will be able to do.”Hesson agrees that the next group of leaders is ready to step into the void left by McCullum but he admits he will miss the stability and equilibrium that the captain brings to the environment.”Every day he’s incredibly positive about where to from here,” said Hesson. “He’s very consistent in how he operates. Whether he’s got a hundred off fifty balls or he’s missed out, you won’t know the next day. He’ll turn up, he’ll train just as hard as he has previously and he’ll expect that of everyone else around him.”His influence over the past few years, in particular in New Zealand but also in other parts of the world too – it’s the smile on the face, the get stuck in attitude. The positive approach to the game in terms of doing things differently and trying to find a different way. His innovation.”McCullum has often expressed a view that international cricketers are merely “custodians” of the game and should leave the sport in a better place than it was when they found it. But it is perhaps a two-way street. Cricket has left its mark.”I’ve been lucky enough over the last 14 years to grow up from a 20-year-old quite brash person to hopefully what I am today,” said McCullum. “Which is, I believe, a better person. Everyone within the group, they would say the same thing about themselves as well.””You look at all the kids around in New Zealand now playing the game,” said Hesson. “And so many of them have been influenced in some way by Brendon. He’s had a huge influence on the game in this country.”

****

It is a glaring, hot afternoon in Christchurch. The infectious noise of raucous laughter filters across Hagley Oval as the New Zealand players and staff play the game of kickabout – they call it spot – that precedes any training session.It’s just like the start of any New Zealand training session. McCullum – still smaller in stature than most of the others – is an irresistible presence. The tattoos spill out from under a T-shirt that seems to struggle to contain powerful arms. The cap is worn backwards, the sunglasses scream “cool”. He has a smile on his face. He is getting stuck in. He no longer has anything to prove but he still wants to win. This one, last time.Hesson is there, too, his slight frame almost dwarfed by a long-sleeved shirt that’s topped by a traditional white cricket vest. He wears his cap the right way around. The band manager and the rock star.It’s just like the start of any New Zealand training session but it’s also nothing like those that have gone before.The next time they train, the rock star won’t be there.You sense the void left behind will be huge.

Plus: most successive Tests since debut, and most 150-plus scores

Steven Lynch17-Nov-2015David Warner and Joe Burns had two partnerships of more than 150 at Brisbane. Has this ever happened before? asked Keith Lucas from England

David Warner and Joe Burns shared stands of 161 and 237 for Australia against New Zealand in Brisbane last week. It turns out that this is the first instance of two 150-plus stands by the openers in the same Test, and only the second time overall: for England against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1938-39, Paul Gibb (making his Test debut) and Eddie Paynter shared stands of 184 and 168 for the second wicket. Warner has now shared four successive century opening stands, another record – two in England with Chris Rogers, and these two with Burns at the Gabba. David Warner scored centuries in both innings against New Zealand in the recent Test. I think he has done it before as well. Who holds the record for doing it most often? asked Aakinchan Sharma from Finland

David Warner’s double against New Zealand in Brisbane – 163 in the first innings and 116 in the second – was actually the third time he had scored two centuries in the same Test. He also did against South Africa in Cape Town in 2013-14 (135 and 145) and India in Adelaide in 2014-15 (145 and 102). That gives him a share of the overall Test record: the only others to do it three times are Sunil Gavaskar (against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1970-71 and in Calcutta in 1978-79, and against Pakistan in Karachi earlier in 1978-79) and Ricky Ponting (all in 2005-06, against West Indies in Brisbane and against South Africa in Sydney and in Durban). Ten other batsmen have managed it twice. Warner’s Brisbane brace was the 80th time the feat had been achieved in Tests.Ishant Sharma took his 200th Test wicket a couple of months ago, in his 65th match. Was he the slowest to reach 200? asked Ray from India

Ishant Sharma did indeed take his 200th wicket (Angelo Mathews) in his 65th Test earlier this year, against Sri Lanka at the SSC in Colombo. Three players – all allrounders – took longer to reach 200 in terms of matches. Andrew Flintoff got there in his 69th match, and Garry Sobers in 80, while Jacques Kallis didn’t take his 200th wicket until his 102nd Test match. Ishant has the worst bowling average (36.51) of anyone at the end of the match in which they took their 200th wicket – next come the New Zealand pair of Daniel Vettori (34.74) and Chris Martin (34.69). Sobers took longest to reach 200 in terms of time – over 17 years from his debut in 1953-54. Next come Chris Cairns (around 13½ years) and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (almost 13).There were only 694 runs scored in the recent Test at Mohali. Was this a record for a match in which all 40 wickets went down? asked Nair Ottappalam from India

India (201 and 200) beat South Africa (184 and 109) in the first Test in Mohali, a match aggregate of 694 runs. Rather surprisingly perhaps, there have been 24 Tests in which all 40 wickets fell for fewer runs, although most of these were long ago – only four were in the current century (most recently 693 runs in the match between West Indies and India in Kingston in June 2006). The lowest of all came way back in 1888, when Australia (116 and 60) beat England (53 and 62) on a rain-affected pitch at Lord’s in a match that produced a grand total of just 291 runs. Said Wisden: “There had been so much rain within a few hours of the start that it was impossible the ground should be in anything like condition for good cricket.” For the full list, click here.Jacques Kallis took his 200th Test in his 102nd match•AFPAB de Villiers played 98 successive Tests after his debut, but missed one recently. Who holds the record now? asked Kerrie Pillinger from South Africa

AB de Villiers, who made his Test debut against England in Port Elizabeth in 2004-05, had indeed played 98 successive Tests before he was rested from South Africa’s recent tour of Bangladesh. The previous record was 96, by Adam Gilchrist from his debut in 1999-2000, which remains the best for an entire career. But Gilchrist’s record – and that of de Villiers – is under serious threat: the Brisbane Test was Brendon McCullum’s 95th Test for New Zealand successively since his debut against South Africa in Hamilton in March 2004. For the full list of players with the most consecutive Tests (not just from debut), click here. Who holds the record for the most scores of 150 and above in Tests and ODIs? asked Davo Kissoondari from the West Indies

Sachin Tendulkar leads the way in Tests, which 20 separate innings of 150 or above during his 200 Test appearances. Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara made 19, and Don Bradman comes next with 18, from just 52 Tests. Both Bradman and Lara amassed 4066 runs in these innings (Sangakkara comes next, with 3997). Tendulkar also leads the way in one-day internationals, with five 150s; Chris Gayle and Sanath Jayasuriya made four. Aaron Finch, with 156 for Australia against England in Southampton in 2013, is the only man so far to reach 150 in T20Is.Send in your questions using our feedback form.

At 35 and in the form of his life with Gloucestershire, Michael Klinger hasn’t given up on the hope of playing for Australia

David Hopps18-Sep-2015Rarely has a player gone into a English domestic cup final bearing such a heavy responsibility as Michael Klinger, when he takes Gloucestershire to Lord’s on Saturday. Success brings with it high expectations and Klinger’s success in the Royal London One-Day Cup this season has been extraordinary: all-comers despatched with the broadest bat in the kingdom.In the West Country, many talk optimistically of a Gloucestershire revival, recalling the time around the turn of the century when they dominated English one-day cricket, sensing that Surrey can be conquered to bring their first limited-overs trophy since 2004.But it remains largely unproven whether Gloucestershire’s revival runs deep or whether they have been sustained largely by the exploits of one Australian batsman flowering late. A Lord’s final would not be the best time to have to answer it. Far better that Klinger, with 531 runs in the tournament to his credit – average 132.75, strike rate 92.50 – delivers one more time. Debate it later, preferably while holding a trophy, dripping with champagne.It was a gorgeous late summer afternoon at Nevil Road, where Klinger has been clunking the ball into the new flats behind the arm at regular intervals for much of the summer. To an Australian used to long boundaries, they must seem to have been built on the outfield. Gloucestershire’s players were in attendance for the pre-media day, grouped quietly as if they expected their marginal role. Most interviewers, this one included, predictably awaited a chat with an unassuming Australian whose reputation has never been higher.Michael Klinger has scored three centuries from seven games in the Royal London Cup•Getty ImagesKlinger has additional reasons to succeed, reasons that go beyond his captaincy of Gloucestershire, a county where his reputation has grown steadily in the past years, not just as a batsman but as a skilful, undemonstrative captain. No longer is he one of the least known overseas players on the circuit.He has never represented Australia, but his target is a place in their World T20 squad in India in March. He is 35. Australia do not make a habit of giving 35-year-olds debuts in the modern age. Especially 35-year-olds they have occasionally dismissed without a second thought.But he will not abandon hope while he is scoring so freely: the Sheffield Shield, the Big Bash League (where he was the leading run-maker last season), the Natwest t20 Blast and now the Royal London Cup. The runs keep coming and the statistics are beginning to overpower his date of birth.And Adam Voges, Australia’s third-oldest Test debutant since the war, made a hundred on Test debut in Dominica earlier this year, so even these days there are precedents for a late opportunity beyond the age of 35.Klinger (fourth from right): “There is no doubt that if I was scoring the runs at 25 that I have over the past four or five years then I would have played for Australia already”•Simon Cooper/PA Photos/Getty Images”There is no doubt that if I was scoring the runs at 25 that I have over the past four or five years then I would have played for Australia already,” Klinger said. “That’s my challenge now. In the past 18 months I have gone above and beyond that measure, so I have to keep doing that.”I think the last 18 months where I scored over 1000 runs in Shield cricket in Australia and did well in the Big Bash and then followed it up here in England has been my best prolonged period. It’s important to keep it going for one more game here and then the season back home in Australia. The next step is to hopefully play in the T20 World Cup.”It is tempting to propose that England has belatedly been the making of Klinger. After all, in his first seven seasons with Victoria, he made only two hundreds. He would have made his maiden hundred earlier, but Paul Reiffel, Victoria’s captain, declared when he was on 99 and asserted that it was a team game. It was another four years before he ticked that one off.This was rough justice, if justice at all, for a player who, at 15, had become the youngest to make a century in Victorian district cricket. He was preferred to Michael Clarke as captain of Australia Under-19, but Clarke has just retired from international cricket, a sated, feted Australian captain, whilst for Klinger the call has never come. The call that another Australia captain, Allan Border, said was virtually certain when he made a match-winning 80 on his one-day debut for Victoria, more years ago than he cares to remember.Leading South Australia to the 2010 Champions League semi-finals helped him develop his short-form batting•Getty ImagesHe prefers to remember two breakthroughs. The first came when he moved from Victoria to South Australia at 27, was given the chance to bat at No. 3 and open in one-dayers, and made three first-class centuries, one a double, in his first six weeks. Adelaide, a sociable country town where a side could stick together, also suited him.Easy runs on flat pitches, his detractors suggested, but one of them was at the Gabba, and it was more about him growing in maturity in response to the recognition that he was finally a senior player, assured of his place in the side, expected to deliver, not always giving way to those returning to the fold – be it David Hussey, Brad Hodge, Cameron White, Matthew Elliott.The second breakthrough – his short-form breakthrough – came when he took South Australia to the Champions League semi-final in South Africa in 2010. It is surely an indictment of cricket beyond the international game – or those who promoted it, or perhaps those who sought to undermine it – that this world club tournament failed to gain appeal, but it did good by Klinger. His assessment gives succour to the view that the abandonment of the Champions League is bad for cricket.”When I started to be successful in T20 cricket I captained Redbacks in the Champions League, we reached the semi, and ever since then I’ve been able to develop more of a short-form game and more of a 360-degree game,” Klinger said. “We made the semi-final as underdogs, which for us was excellent. That made me really want to get better and better. You could see how T20 was going.Klinger blossomed as a batsman once he moved from Victoria to South Australia in 2008•Getty Images”I think my late development is just taking experiences in all conditions and learning from them. I have played in India a bit and I have played pressure games in domestic finals in Australia as well. Experiencing those pressure situations helped my cricket. Over the last six or seven years in Australia I have been able to be consistent in all three formats, which is something I’m proud of.”Even with his run-scoring at its height, there have been disappointments on the way. Last year, he moved to Western Australia after South Australia intimated his Shield place could no longer be guaranteed: two months previously he had scored a double-hundred.He left hoping to gain a place in Australia’s World Cup side. They won it without him. He was never thought to be in the running. The call, at 35, may never come – a likelihood that with the World T20 on the horizon he refuses to accept.He came closest to an Australia call perhaps in 2009 when Marcus North was selected instead for a tour of South Africa because of his additional spin-bowling option and made a hundred on Test debut.But back to Lord’s – and the Royal London final against a Surrey side awash with the confidence of youth. What if Klinger fails? Richard Dawson, Gloucestershire’s coach, fields such a provocative question with good grace. He asserts that they would be capable of taking it in their stride – and he has examples too, such as the time when they chased down Worcestershire’s 264 for 8 in early August, Klinger an absentee, but the top four all making runs, to reach the quarter-finals.Team-mate Adam Voges’ (left) Australian debut at the age of 35 should serve as an inspiration to Klinger•Getty Images”We are good enough,” Dawson said. “That Worcestershire match was an interesting one. Michael gets the headlines as he should do, but people have also played around him and in the semi-final Hamish Marshall also took a lot of pressure off Michael by playing the innings he did.Klinger also had the equanimity to consider the possibility of failure. “I failed once along the way in this cup run, so it can happen that you fail, but I will be doing everything I can as an experienced player to perform. The stats will show I have had a good series but I missed three games when I hurt my hamstring and we won two of those.”The most notable of those performances – if not necessarily against the best attack he faced – was his unbeaten 137 in Gloucestershire’s semi-final win against Yorkshire at Headingley. It was a Yorkshire attack far removed from the one that has won the Championship for the second successive season, but Klinger’s 137 not out from 145 balls possessed a certainty that stilled home expectations from an early hour. It was made all the more remarkable because his long-haul flight from Australia after a brief flight home to Perth did not land until Friday night, 36 hours before the game.So what is the secret of getting over jetlag? “A lot of coffee on game day – it got me through,” he said. “That and staring at the ceiling.”As he stared into the dead of night, he would have wondered about the possibility of a Lord’s final, no doubt, as well as that elusive international cap. His brilliance made sure of the first, and, 20 years after he was first dubbed a star in waiting, he will not yet let go of the second. Surrey’s young side will face an old pro still full of drive and ambition.

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has given updates on injuries to Mary Earps and Niamh Charles as England prepare for two crucial Euro 2025 qualifiers.

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• Calf issue ruled Charles out of last England camp
• While Earps limped off in defeat to France
• Wiegman updates on both before crucial qualifiers

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chelsea star Charles was unable to feature in either of the Lionesses' games against France in the last international break due to a calf problem while Earps picked up a hip injury just minutes into the first of those two matches, cruelly and prematurely ending her 50th appearance for her country.

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  Though Lauren James, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Kayla Rendell have been unable to join up with the England squad this week before games against Ireland and Sweden, continuing their respective rehab programmes with club, Charles and Earps have been able to join this camp and Wiegman has elaborated on the parts they will be able to play.

• WHAT WIEGMAN SAID

  Speaking in her press conference on Thursday, the England coach said "everyone’s in a good place" when discussing the fitness of the squad. When asked if there are no concerns over Earps and Charles then, Wiegman replied: "No, no concerns but coming from where especially Niamh comes, we know she can’t play two games of 90 minutes."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  England go into this international break knowing that two wins will secure automatic qualification for next summer's Euros, at which they will be the defending champions. If they fall short, playoffs will beckon in the final few months of 2024.

After a historic unbeaten run, Southampton's form has taken a disappointing turn in recent weeks with their most recent 3-0 defeat against a weakened Liverpool side in the FA Cup summing things up. Nonetheless, perhaps still with Championship promotion in mind, the Saints have reportedly turned their attention towards summer reinforcements.

Southampton transfer news

As things stand, Southampton sit five points adrift of Leeds United and Ipswich Town in the race to secure automatic promotion. This comes after back-to-back defeats against Hull City and Millwall in the Championship, before crashing out of the FA Cup at Anfield. Having enjoyed such an impressive run earlier in the season, Russell Martin will be incredibly disappointed if his side's current blip ends with promotion failure this season.

That said, whether they fail in their pursuit of promotion or, indeed, make it to the Premier League this season, it looks as though the Saints are in the race to sign Festy Ebosele. According to Udinese Blog, Southampton are eyeing a move to sign Ebosele alongside Everton, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Watford and Leeds United in a busy race for his signature.

Given the Premier League clubs interested in the Udinese winger, Southampton would certainly benefit from earning promotion this season, particularly over fellow interested party and promotion-hopefuls Leeds. As the summer transfer window approaches, it looks as though Ebosele will have a crucial decision to make.

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Having previously played for Derby County before leaving for the Serie A back in the summer of 2022, Ebosele has the chance to make his return to English football this summer.

"Quick" Ebosele can replace David Brooks

As impressive as David Brooks has been on loan from Bournemouth – recording three goal involvements in six Championship games – Southampton will be without the Welshman come the start of the summer, as he returns to the Cherries. And that creates the need for a replacement in the form of Ebosele.

The 21-year-old Irishman, a wing-back who can play further forward, already has Championship experience to his name, having featured 38 times in the competition for Derby during his time at Pride Park.

It was during that spell that Ebosele earned the praise of former manager Wayne Rooney, who said via The Irish Sun: "He has got so much. He has still, obviously, got a lot more to learn and a lot of improvement to make but you can see his development since the start of the season. Not just technically – he is raw and quick and can beat a player – but his fitness levels have improved massively as well. It is a credit to how he has been training."

Still a young talent with plenty of time to improve, Southampton will hope to beat the likes of Everton and Leeds United to Ebosele's signature this summer, with or without promotion.

Since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos, the urgency to fix the way Manchester United functions as a club has been clear to see.

Omar Berrada has joined as the new chief executive, and plenty of other new faces are set to arrive at Old Trafford before the end of the season.

One of those being eyed up is Dan Ashworth, who is reportedly keen to join the Red Devils as their sporting director.

Therefore, let's take a look at what Ashworth's dream Man United starting XI could look like if he were to join the club, having pulled the strings in the transfer department at both Brighton and Hove Albion and current club, Newcastle United.

1

GK – Andre Onana

The Cameroon star only joined the Red Devils in the summer, and he is set to become the long-term keeper.

Andre Onana has kept seven clean sheets already this season in the Premier League, while preventing an impressive 3.47 goals.

2

RB – Diogo Dalot

Diogo Dalot has been the first choice right back this season, starting 21 matches in the league.

The Portuguese defender set up Scott McTominay's winner in the week with a wonderful cross.

3

CB – Jean-Clair Todibo

Jean-Clair Todibo is the first new face in the side, and with Ratcliffe's connection with Nice, a move this summer could occur.

Erik ten Hag's side had been linked with the French defender all last month, with the right centre-back role a priority position.

The 24-year-old has been a rock at the heart of the Nice defence this season, helping his team pick up ten clean sheets in just 17 starts.

4

CB – Lisandro Martinez

The Argentine has had a horrific ten months with injuries, making him miss 34 games.

The World Cup winner also picked up another injury recently against West Ham United, which is set to keep him out for over a month. Nonetheless, the number six would definitely feature in Ashworth's dream XI.

5

LB – Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw is another player who has suffered injuries this season, but when he's fit, the left-back role is his.

This season, the England international has registered 1.2 key passes per game, while making 5.1 ball recoveries.

6

DM – Kobbie Mainoo

Kobbie Mainoo has developed into one of United's most important players, despite being just 18 years old, with his January Player of the Month award serving as evidence of that.

Furthermore, the academy graduate has also added goals to his game as of late, scoring a spectacular winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers and netting against Newport County in the FA Cup.

He's started all of the last ten matches, and he is a player that Ashworth would want to build his team around.

7

DM – Amadou Onana

Amadou Onana is another player who fits the bill as a perfect United summer signing, with the 22-year-old having bags of potential.

The Red Devils were reportedly interested in the Everton midfielder towards the end of last year, and they could reignite their pursuit of him at the end of the season.

The Belgian ace has played 18 games in the league this season, boasting an average tackles and balls recovered per game of 2.5 and 6.2, respectively.

8

RW – Alejandro Garnacho

The right-wing spot has been arguably the most talked-about position in the United team due to the underwhelming performances of Antony, who has failed to score or assist in the league all season.

Luckily, Alejandro Garnacho has thrived on the right since scoring a brace against Aston Villa from that wing on Boxing Day.

The Argentine is another player that United must build their team around, with the 19-year-old scoring five goals and providing two assists in 16 league starts.

9

AM – Bruno Fernandes

Man United's Portuguese magnifico is guaranteed to start in his usual attacking midfield role.

Since moving to the club in 2020, the current United captain has contributed to 132 goals, while also missing just one game, which was through illness.

Last season, he created the most chances in the Premier League, 70, and he will continue to produce magic in the Red Devils starting XI for years to come.

10

LW – Kaoru Mitoma

Ashworth mainly made a name for himself at Brighton, where he has an incredible track record of signing incredible talents for bargain deals.

Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo, and, of course, Kaoru Mitoma are the main standouts, and he could look to reunite with the Japanese gem that he once helped sign for less than £3m in 2021.

Today, he has gone on to become one of the most sought-after wingers in England, with his estimated value said to be worth £68m, as per CIES Football Observatory.

United are one of a handful of teams that are believed to be interested in signing Mitoma, and with the potential arrival of Ashworth, they could have the upper hand.

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The 26-year-old would bring direct dribbling to Ten Hag's team, and according to former Chelsea player Tony Cascarino, Mitoma's style is just "like watching Ryan Giggs at his very best."

The Seagulls star would replace Marcus Rashford in the starting XI, who isn't having the best of campaigns this term, with just five goals across all competitions.

That, along with his off-the-field activities, led to reports that Paris Saint-Germain were interested in signing the Englishman as their Kylian Mbappe replacement in the summer, if their star was to move to Real Madrid.

Although it is highly unlikely that the number ten does leave, his potential exit would pave the way for Mitoma to become United's left winger next season.

Former Leeds United assistant Gus Poyet has been speaking to Football FanCast about his time at Elland Road and what he makes of the current Whites side managed by Daniel Farke.

Leeds United’s season so far

After a season to forget last year, Leeds now find themselves back in the Championship looking to earn an immediate return to the Premier League. Farke has been the man tasked to take the Whites back to the top flight under new owners the 49ers Enterprises and currently has them in contention in the playoff places, making Elland Road a fortress during that time.

So far, Leeds are yet to lose a single game at home during the current campaign, with the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and Dan James all starring for the Whites in attack. Meanwhile, summer signings Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Glen Kamara and Sam Byram have all played their part in midfield and defence, with teenager Archie Gray also shining in what is proving to be his breakthrough campaign.

Things are looking promising for Leeds, however it was anything but that when Poyet arrived at the club alongside Dennis Wise back in 2006, when Leeds were owned by Ken Bates and struggling in the second tier.

Gus Poyet backs Leeds to win promotion

Speaking to Football FanCast, in partnership with William Hill, Poyet, now manager of Greece, looked back on his time in Yorkshire and admitted that despite not the best of welcomes for him and Wise due to their Chelsea connection, he now gets supporters asking him to go back. He also feels Leeds have a "great chance" to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

“It was very interesting because when we arrived with Dennis Wise, obviously being ex-Chelsea, it was not really a nice welcome. Especially after all the craziness of the administration and everything that happened in the first six, seven months, I think that everybody understood what kind of people we were with Dennis, and we achieved something.

“I’m still meeting Leeds fans. They always ask me to go back and they always want me to go back. Because it was a good, close relationship in a very difficult, unique situation. We were into administration, into League one. We started the season with minus 15 points. I hope it’s the last time in my life that you win your first five games and you go zero points. Top of the league and you go zero points. We won six or seven in a row.

"I always say that without the experience of being with Dennis Wise and without the experience of being with Ramos at Tottenham, I wouldn’t be the coach I am now. I like the Leeds team this season, after a tough start, they have got into their groove and will challenge for automatic promotion. It is very competitive, but Leeds do have a great chance to return to the Premier League at the first attempt.”

Newcastle United were on the verge of selling Anthony Gordon to Liverpool in a surprise swap deal.

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• Newcastle wanted to sell Gordon to Liverpool
• Reds rejected a swap deal
• Magpies have to sell a player to comply with PSR

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to the , the Magpies held talks with the Reds over a possible transfer of their star attacker Anthony Gordon. The Merseyside club, however, declined the offer, as Newcastle wanted Jarrell Quansah to move the other way, and the Reds would prefer to retain the defender.

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  Newcastle are being forced to sell players this summer, due to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules. In order to comply with PSR and avoid a potential points deduction they have to make a major sale before June 30.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Other than the English giants, Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on adding Gordon to their squad as they are known to admire the talented attacker. He is currently playing for England at Euro 2024.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ANTHONY GORDON?

  After making a cameo appearance in England's 0-0 draw against Slovenia earlier this week, Gordon will hope to make it to Gareth Southgate's starting lineup in their upcoming round of 16 clash against Slovakia on Sunday.