Latest news with #Stumped
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
AB de Villiers proposes World Cup-style 4-year cycle for WTC: ‘We've done that with ODIs, why not with Tests?'
AB de Villiers was among the many South African legends at Lord's when the Proteas ended their nearly three-decade long wait for a major title by winning the World Test Championship. While their six-wicket win over Australia in the marquee Test match has led to an outpouring of joy and emotion, there have also been a lot of voices questioning the legitimacy of of their status at Test world champions considering the significantly fewer Test matches that South Africa played against the top teams compared to Australia. De Villiers said that the value of South Africa's win can never be diminished but something needs to be done to make the WTC cycle fairer for all Test playing nations. 'We've had some very disappointing and sad ends to a lot of campaigns, especially the World Cups, but now it's time to start believing that we can do this more often,' he told BBC World Service's Stumped podcast. '[This moment] won't be lost. It was too big and too special for all South Africans – it was a Test match no one will ever forget. But yes, to a certain extent, something needs to be done.' De Villiers said that while the next WTC schedule shows some improvement, an increased length for the whole cycle might help everyone. 'I saw the schedule that came out for the next cycle of the WTC and there is an improvement, but I still feel there's work that needs to be done there to just to get it as consistent as possible and as fair as possible for all for all Test-playing nations.' 'You want to get to that final feeling like you've played against all these nations,' De Villiers added. 'Maybe a four-year cycle would be nice. We've done that in the past with one-day internationals, so why not in Test cricket? It would make sense and it would give the organisers just so much more time to get a really fair, well-balanced system out there.' Conversely, the phenomenon is only part of a larger problem in world cricket where countries outside of India, Australia and England have complained about lack of chances to play as many Test matches as possible. South Africa themselves don't host a Test match until October 2026, almost a year and four months after their WTC victory. The win also comes amidst concerns over the health of the longest format of the game in South Africa but De Villiers said that this achievement will increase anticipation in his country for the next encounter. 'It's a long time until our next Test match, but there's no doubt it won't be forgotten. I've absolutely no doubt the Proteas have sort of stirred the emotions of the South African cricketing fans and they will patiently wait for that next encounter,' he said.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Reviews of Mohinder Amarnath's Fearless and Syed Kirmani's Stumped
Athletes are image conscious, both during their playing days and long after. Some may want to be remembered for their high skill and art, some for their nature, both pleasing and rebellious, and some for the legacy they leave behind and the many lives they touch and careers they inspire. And when athletes write memoirs, it is often a careful extension of this very image. They may be honest and forthright in their assessments of their own selves and the eras they played in and lived through, but all of it is bound by the persona that the sportspersons want to project. Two recent books by Indian cricketing legends — Fearless by Mohinder Amarnath (with Rajender Amarnath) and Stumped by Syed Kirmani (with Debashish Sengupta and Dakshesh Pathak) — lend credence to this argument. The stories, in fact, flow from the cover images. Amarnath's is of him executing the pull without the protection of a helmet, a shot synonymous with the batter and considered among the most daring strokes. The overarching theme in the book is of his many pitched battles against deadly fast bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Imran Khan, his many selection controversies, the machinations of the higher-ups and his multiple comebacks. Kirmani's is a rather sedate and inexpressive photograph of him staidly waiting for the red cherry to nestle in his gloves. It seems like an ode to the book title, the tagline (Life Behind and Beyond the Twenty-Two Yards), and the sad fact that the great wicket-keeper's time in Test whites ended two shy of 200 dismissals. Defining moments It helps that the defining moment in Amarnath's and Kirmani's careers is also the defining moment in India's cricket history — the 1983 World Cup triumph. Both men capture in rich detail the victory of Kapil Dev and his band of merry men over the marauding and all-conquering West Indian side led by Clive Lloyd. But where the works diverge is in how they lead up to the success. Amarnath, admittedly, had a storied upbringing, for he was the son of independent India's first Test captain Lala Amarnath. Fearless recounts vividly the growing up days of Amarnath junior and his two brothers (Surinder, an international cricketer, and Rajender, a First Class player) under the giant shadow of their father and his steadfast goal to make Test cricketers out of all three. Amarnath's journey is laid out meticulously and chronologically, chapter by chapter, from tour to tour. There are also charming anecdotes from his childhood and school-cricket days that bring more than a chuckle, including the one where he escapes to Delhi from his boarding school in Jalandhar in a crowded train, hungry and with little money. Kirmani's, in contrast, zooms. Where it takes Amarnath 254 pages to reach the seminal point of his cricketing life (the 1983 win), Kirmani arrives in 35. This is, in fact, the biggest quibble one can have with the book — along with multiple factual inaccuracies, a feature, to a lesser degree, of Fearless too — for it limits Kirmani's retelling of his entire career to just 74 pages! The 90-odd sheets that follow are biographical accounts of the man. Surely, someone who played 88 Tests — 19 more than Amarnath — in a short span of just 10 years had more to tell? A glaring miss But history informs us that as much as memoirs are dressed up and promoted as 'tell-alls', they are also conspicuous by their many silences. What both books lack is a compelling picture of the eras Amarnath and Kirmani played their cricket in. While the volumes are no doubt windows into their respective sporting lives, they could have also shed more light on the culture of the sport back in the day. In the aftermath of India's 1983 World Cup win, the West Indies landed in India and blanked the hosts 3-0 in Tests (six-match series) and 5-0 in One Day Internationals as Marshall and Holding ran riot. In his six visits to the crease in Tests, Amarnath, a hero of the tour to the West Indies earlier in 1983, bagged five ducks. Lloyd's men were in India for nearly three months. Amarnath has given it the short shrift and dedicated all of four pages out of 428. Another jarring note, quite at odds with the title of the book, is his reluctance to name players and officials whose many acts and deeds he didn't approve of. Memoirs can also be for reflection and catharsis, and used as a tool to eventually make peace with all that happened. But Fearless and Stumped don't necessarily offer a sense of closure, both for Amarnath and Kirmani, and the reader. Fearless Mohinder Amarnath with Rajender Amarnath Harper Collins India ₹799 Stumped Syed Kirmani with Debashish Sengupta and Dakshesh Pathak Penguin India ₹499
United News of India
02-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
I have never spoken to McDonald: Bancroft
London, May 2 (UNI) Batter Cameron Bancroft said he is still motivated to earn a recall to Australia's Test side but has never spoken to head coach Andrew McDonald. Opener Bancroft, 32, played the last of his 10 Tests against England in 2019. He was dropped after four failures at the start of that summer's Ashes series, having been recalled following his nine-month ban for his role in Australia's ball-tampering scandal the previous year. Asked if he believes the scandal is a factor in McDonald's thinking, Bancroft told the BBC's Stumped podcast: "I would like to think not. "I have just been outside of that environment. "The coaches have been focused on the team and the players involved. "It is difficult to communicate with everybody." McDonald became Australia coach in April 2022 in place of Justin Langer. Under McDonald's leadership, Australia won the 2023 World Cup, retained the Ashes in England in 2023 and won last winter's Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. Bancroft said he has spoken to Australia's selectors - head selector George Bailey chairs meetings - in that time. The Western Australian was the leading top-order batter across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Sheffield Shield seasons when David Warner and Usman Khawaja were secure as Australia's openers and then Steve Smith was promoted following Warner's retirement. With Smith moved back down to number four at the start of the last Australian summer an vacancy became available but Bancroft had a poor run of form and was overlooked for Nathan McSweeney and then 19-year-old Sam Konstas. "Timing wasn't great," Bancroft said. "Also the reality is form comes and goes, runs come and go. That's just cricket. "I have never spoken to Andrew McDonald. "He has never spoken to me either. Understandably his focus is with the Australia team and that absolutely makes sense." Bancroft is currently captaining Gloucestershire in the County Championship and began the season with 163 against Glamorgan. Konstas impressed with 60 on his Test debut against India in December but was overlooked for Australia's most recent Test series in Sri Lanka, leaving doubt around who will partner Khawaja when Australia play South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord's in June. "Of course that an Australia recall is something that motivates me," Bancroft said. "I just try and go about my business and enjoy playing wherever I am, giving 100% to each ball and moment. "I know the way cricket works. It is still a driving force. I am just looking to enjoy my cricket and do my best." UNI BM
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
I have never spoken to McDonald
Batter Cameron Bancroft says he is still motivated to earn a recall to Australia's Test side but has never spoken to head coach Andrew Bancroft, 32, played the last of his 10 Tests against England in was dropped after four failures at the start of that summer's Ashes series, having been recalled following his nine-month ban for his role in Australia's ball-tampering scandal the previous if he believes the scandal is a factor in McDonald's thinking, Bancroft told the BBC's Stumped podcast: "I would like to think not."I have just been outside of that environment. "The coaches have been focused on the team and the players involved. "It is difficult to communicate with everybody." McDonald became Australia coach in April 2022 in place of Justin Langer. Under McDonald's leadership, Australia won the 2023 World Cup, retained the Ashes in England in 2023 and won last winter's Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. Bancroft said he has spoken to Australia's selectors - head selector George Bailey chairs meetings - in that Western Australian was the leading top-order batter across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Sheffield Shield seasons when David Warner and Usman Khawaja were secure as Australia's openers and then Steve Smith was promoted following Warner's Smith moved back down to number four at the start of the last Australian summer an vacancy became available but Bancroft had a poor run of form and was overlooked for Nathan McSweeney and then 19-year-old Sam Konstas."Timing wasn't great," Bancroft said."Also the reality is form comes and goes, runs come and go. That's just cricket."I have never spoken to Andrew McDonald. "He has never spoken to me either. Understandably his focus is with the Australia team and that absolutely makes sense."Bancroft is currently captaining Gloucestershire in the County Championship and began the season with 163 against impressed with 60 on his Test debut against India in December but was overlooked for Australia's most recent Test series in Sri Lanka, leaving doubt around who will partner Khawaja when Australia play South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord's in June."Of course that [an Australia recall] is something that motivates me," Bancroft said."I just try and go about my business and enjoy playing wherever I am, giving 100% to each ball and moment. "I know the way cricket works. It is still a driving force. I am just looking to enjoy my cricket and do my best."
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Long wait for first IPL title brings 'opportunity' for RCB
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are still waiting for their first Indian Premier League (IPL) title after 18 years, but head coach Andy Flower says the expectation presents an opportunity rather than added pressure. They reached the play-offs in 2024 after a remarkable turnaround from losing seven of their first eight matches, but eventually lost to the Rajasthan described RCB as "one of the biggest franchises in world sport" which has been aided by Virat Kohli's presence in the side since the beginning of the tournament. "RCB and its fans should expect success," Flower, who was appointed head coach in 2023, told the BBC Stumped podcast."I would not necessarily see the fact that RCB has not won it, as a desperate situation or added pressure. It's a great opportunity, it's never been done before. "It's a very exciting opportunity for us. If we can bring some of that success and build an organisation or a dressing room that will give us that sort of success, that will be incredibly rewarding for us and our fans." RCB women won the Women's Premier League in to the full interview with Andy Flower on the Stumped podcast on BBC Sounds.
