#leeds test match day 1

[pct-zindabad]

THE WRATH OF KHAN

Imran Khan is indisputably Pakistan’s greatest cricketer. As an all-rounder, he bears comparison with the best there have ever been, a skillful fast bowler and resourceful batsman with a solid defense. But all of them he was a great leader that he really stood out. If you see the history of Pakistan cricket, it shows that Pakistan is a notoriously difficult team to captain.

But he had the massive charisma and stature to unify them and drive them to play above themselves, and that is quite a talent. His finest hour was undoubtedly guiding Pakistan to their first World Cup triumph in 1992, top-scoring with 72 in the final against England at MCG in front of 87k spectators. Although, Imran’s famously imploring his team earlier in the tournament when their hopes hung by a thread to fight ‘like cornered tigers’.

But he has to his name several other outstanding achievements. Imran Khan-led Pakistan to their first Test series wins in both India 1986-87 – obviously a huge thing in his country – and England in 1987. He also led Pakistan to three drawn series in a row against West Indies when West Indies were at the height of their powers. Pakistan, in fact, were the first side to seriously challenge West Indian supremacy.

When they won Test Match at Guyana in 1988, then it was the first time in ten years that West Indies had lost a home Test. The major contribution of Imran Khan when he took 11 wickets in the game. In his career, Imran claimed 80 wickets at 21.18 apiece against West Indies, an incredible record given how strong they were at the time.

He scored some important runs against them too, notably in his final series against West Indies in 1990– 91 when he averaged 50.33 (his overall average against West Indies was 27.67). Imran, who led Pakistan on and off for ten years from 1982 to 1992, mentored some fine players during that period, notably fast bowlers Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Aaqib Javed.

Especially two w’s who swung the ball at pace even greater distances than he did. Imran had the bearing of a leader and for the most part, the players followed. Captaincy elevated his game to a striking degree, averaging 50.55 with the bat and 19.90 with the ball. He turned himself into a considerable bowler with an astonishing record inside Pakistan where visiting fast bowlers tended to find life desperately hard.

Imran himself took 163 wickets at 19.20 apiece there, a better record than he had elsewhere (his overall record was a hugely impressive 362 wickets in 88 Tests at 22.81 each; no one had taken more for Pakistan at the time he retired). Some of the famous players never faced him in Pakistan as he was nursing a stress fracture that prevented him from bowling for the best part of two years when toured therein 1983–84.

England encountered him in 1982 and 1987 and he was a major force both times. In three Tests in 1982, when we were perhaps a little fortunate to win the series 2–1, he scored 212 runs and took 21 wickets. However, he came to England with a passion to beat England in England in 1987. And he led the Pakistan side to do the first time.

In that series, he again took 21 wickets and was the match-winner with the ball in the one game that had a positive outcome at Headingly Leeds. Imran Khan bowling immaculately to take seven for 40 in the second innings. Imran, who was at Oxford in the early 1970s and from there joined Worcestershire, started out as a brisk medium-pacer but through determination and intelligence turned himself into a genuine fast bowler of quality. His two cousins Majid Khan and Javed Burki also led the Pakistan cricket team in the 1960s and 1970s.

Many cricketers remember facing him in one of their earliest games for Leicestershire at around the time he was stepping up his pace. It was the day after David Gower took an early exit from university and we were playing a Benson & Hedges Cup quarter-final at Worcester on a good old New Road pitch with pace and bounce. Gower was caught at slip off him and the ball carried a long way behind me, always a good measure of someone’s speed.

At the age of 18, he made a test debut against England at Edgbaston in 1971 but did not take a permanent place due to below-par performance. Hence, he continued to focus on his education and cricket in England and come back to the side in 1974 on the tour of England.

In county cricket in the period from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, Imran would have been up there with Mike Procter and Malcolm Marshall as among the best at swinging the ball at pace. Perhaps the thing that completed his education was joining World Series, from which he emerged a far better bowler, learning from watching and working with so many other fine fast bowlers recruited by Kerry Packer. Imran Khan’s charismatic personality and athletic talent made him a popular celebrity all over the world.

In 1976, Imran took 6 for 63 and 6 for 102, for a match figure of 12 wickets to lead his country to 8 wickets win in the 3rdTest at Sydney. This spell surprises the whole Australian team and Pakistani dressing room. Before that match, he was having 9 test matches experience with 25 wickets under his belt with a heavy average of 43.52. Pakistan was trailing 0-1 in the tough series, but Imran’s hostile bowling spell makes Pakistan a marked ascent in the world of cricket.

In 1980, Imran Khan scored 123 runs in the first Test century against the powerful bowling attack of West Indies at Lahore. The years in which he played from 1980 to 1986, on either side of his lay-off for the stress fracture, he was taking his Test wickets at a very cheap cost. In 1982 he returned what remains the best match figures for Pakistan in Tests of 14 for 114 against Sri Lanka in Lahore. The following winter he took an incredible 40 wickets at 13.95 in six Tests against India.

What the Pakistan bowlers, led by Imran and Sarfraz Nawaz, seemed to understand better than everyone else was the mysterious art of swinging the old ball. Therefore, for a batsman, coping with anyone who could move the ball – whether old or new – both ways were always a challenge. You worked hard to get your runs.

The early 1980s was a great era for all-rounders with Imran Khan, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee, and Kapil Dev all doing great things and rivaling each other for the status of top dog. In the 1987 Cricket World Cup, Khan decided to quit international cricket. But later, the Pakistan public and Zia-ul-Haq the Prime Minister requested him to take back his retirement. He could not reject the public appeal and return to international cricket until 1992.

In terms of bowling, Imran was perhaps consistently the quickest of them. Botham had times where he bowled with the same sort of pace, Hadlee could bowl a sharp delivery if needed but in comparison was slightly down on pace overall, and Kapil was brisker medium than brisk. But they all moved the ball in the air or hit the seam or both, and that was really what made them so difficult to face.

In July 1987, Imran became the first Pakistani bowler to take 300 wickets milestone during the 3rd Test vs England at Lords. If you see the stats, then Imran and Hadlee stood well out in front, averaging around 22 while Botham and Kapil took their wickets at a cost in the high 20s, a reflection really that they were unable to maintain their early brilliance into older age.

Ian Botham probably ranked first as a batsman but Imran, who began his career down the order, developed into a seriously good top-order player and accordingly ended up with six Test hundreds to his name (Botham made 14, Kapil eight, and Hadlee two). Imran kept on improving and became a world-class batsman in all forms.

Indeed, towards the end of his career, he was playing more as a batsman who bowled than a bowler who batted, and when he scored those runs in the 1992 World Cup final, he was batting at number 3. His Test record with the bat was highly respectable, an average of 37.69 comparing well to Botham’s 33.54, Kapil’s 31.05, and Hadlee’s 27.16.

Imran retired from all forms of cricket after winning the 1992 world cup. What gives Imran preeminence in this all-rounder fest is his stature as a leader of a national side that had previously lacked any direction. Since Imran, Pakistan cricket has rarely been stable. Talented players continue to be produced in extraordinary numbers given the absence of a coherent domestic structure.

But it has been engulfed in more than one corruption scandal, while a terrorist attack on a touring Sri Lanka team in 2009 has forced them since to set up a new home in the Middle East. Imran himself has entered politics in the ambitious hope of addressing his country’s many problems. After retirement, he entered politics and outspoken critic of government corruption in Pakistan.

Imran Khan laid the foundation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 1996. Imran Khan started a new journey into Pakistan politics and continued their efforts after badly failing in the 2002, and 2007 elections. Eventually, his efforts bring some happiness to his party becoming a strong candidate for the 2013 elections.

Even in one accident he badly injured his neck and back to falling from a platform at an election campaign rally. Therefore, his braveness in fighting against corruption & poverty won a plurality of seats in the July 2018 elections. Then he became the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan. The first cricketer to be knighted a prime minister of any country.

Imran Khan remains a philanthropist in the public eye. He has a great passion to build a cancer hospital after his mother died of those diseases in 1985. His wish was fulfilled by completing Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore in 1994 named after Khan’s mother.

[ao3feed-friendsofspiderman]

Introductions

by The1whereImhigh

Harley wes anxious.

Peter hadn't been at school in two days, his mom was sick and he had a calcules test he really wasn't ready for.

"Everyone, please welcome our new student"

Harley looked up and all his previous stress seemed to vanish, he felt his face melt into a puddle at the sight of the new student.

'So my name is-'

Even before her introduction Harley seemed to zone off, simply staring at her. Not noticing the fact that she moved and sat in the seet next to him, (the one usually reserved for Peter) he kept staring ahead.

'you ok there man?' that seemed to shake Harley as he looked at her, flushing at the attention. 'Uhh, yeah, just worried about my friend'. Coughing a little to cover his emberesment he extended his right hand in greeting,' Harley keener, nice to meet you'

Matching his smile she took his hand in hers, shaking it a bit, ' Ella Garret, the pleasure is all mine'

Words: 119, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage

Categories: F/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Michelle Jones, Ned Leeds, Harley Keener's Sister, May Parker (Spider-Man), Original Female Character(s), Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy | Spider-Gwen, Matt Murdock, Norman Osborn, James "Bucky" Barnes, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Skip Westcott

Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker/Original Female Character(s), Harley Keener & Harley Keener's Sister, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s), Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Original Female Character(s), Harry Osborn & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Gwen Stacy & Tony Stark, Harry Osborn & Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy & Original Female Character(s), Michelle Jones & Gwen Stacy, Michelle Jones & Harry Osborn, Ned Leeds & Harry Osborn, Ned Leeds/Gwen Stacy, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov

Additional Tags: Character Death, Not Really Character Death, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Protective Harley Keener, Peter Parker is a Mess, Harley Keener Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Bisexual Harley Keener, Bisexual Peter Parker, Teen Peter Parker, Teen Harley Keener, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mentioned Skip Westcott, Norman Osborn Being a Jerk, Mentioned Ben Parker, Good Parent May Parker (Spider-Man), Natasha Romanov Feels

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/47175334

[tezlivenews]

गावस्कर और हुसैन के बीच तीखी बहस, LIVE कमेंट्री के दौरान भिड़े दोनों दिग्गज

गावस्कर और हुसैन के बीच तीखी बहस, LIVE कमेंट्री के दौरान भिड़े दोनों दिग्गज

नई दिल्लीमहान क्रिकेटर सुनील गावस्कर ने बुधवार को इंग्लैंड के पूर्व कप्तान नासिर हुसैन को झिड़क दिया जिन्होंने कहा है कि भारत की पिछली क्रिकेट टीमों को विराट कोहली की अगुवाई वाली मौजूदा टीम की तुलना में मैदान पर धमकाना (बुली) करना आसान था। लिटिल मास्टर के नाम से विख्यात गावस्कर ने हुसैन से कहा कि अगर उनकी पीढ़ी के क्रिकेटरों को कहा जाता है कि उन्हें ‘धमकाया जा सकता था’ तो वह बहुत नाराज होंगे।…

[timoswerner]

i don't like generalizing footie fans but some of these arsenal fans online have the wildest victim complex. Last week they were legit conspiring that klopp and liverpool would PURPOSEFULLY schedule 2 rounds of fake covid positives and SHUT DOWN their training center just to postpone playing the first league cup game (which historically is a game liverpool doesn't compete heavily for by playing the academy kids) by a week. LMAO the delusion. they want to be victims so badly...

no no you're right!! look, whatever happened with liverpool and those tests was weird, but im really not sure they'd have been able to orchestrate some elaborate fake tests plan... and now i'm seeing them go 'well spurs it was okay for spurs to postpone matches' okay let's look at them then. burnley got postponed because of snow. we had to forfeit rennes because uefa didn't give a shit about the fact that we did not have enough players. then brighton got postponed because we still did not have enough players and our training ground had been shut down by the government. leicester got postponed because of THEIR covid cases. so 1 of them was a bit dodgy and nothing to do with us and the rest were all covid. covid is a valid reason to postpone, not 'well 4 players are at afcon and we let 2 go out on loan and xhaka's a fucking idiot'. you have your under 23s, fucking hound the club to play them like you were liverpool. you can't postpone games because a club has poor squad management its an awful precedent to set. it's honestly fucking laughable that arsenal fans are claiming there's an agenda against them when what is actually happening is everyone is rightfully angry at them just not wanting to play a game because they've got their strongest squad. leeds had to play with 9 senior players against arsenal and i didn't hear them complaining. there is no agenda against your ugly club your club are just being cunts. right now they've got the victim mentality they were accusing liverpool fans of having like 3 days ago

[unconformaties5-6erratics]

the drift of an eve , ( moog slick)

ashtray navigations greatest imaginery hits , 5 cd set , works extremely well for some out there sounds and psyche-esque jams , free or otherwise

recording " views from bridges " , in a collection of photos , seems like a worthy thing to be getting into , but , i haven't as yet

as usual , drinkng lots of tea , made from leaves , rough to fine

the next " big match " is at 1300hrs in finland , haka v ifk mariehamn , the island boys , IFK , really need a win being currently 2nd bottom of the pack of 12 , thus occupying the relegation play off spot , far from ideal for the islanders and fans

there is a lemon on the kitchen bench from a neighbours garden , it looks quite good and smells very rich , in its lemon way

the next test match betwen england and new zealand starts on thursday 23rd june at headingly leeds , uk

a slot in the bear's head is the track playing now from cd 4 of the above mentioned set and its totally pishin doon outside

there will be some chilli canellini beans to eat later on in this castle tonight

melville utd won 6 to 1 today

holiday

crunch of boot on gravel

road

a white stone in the field

wintering brambles

gates all closed

wee bird with yellow breast

running of the water

warm sun

every day is sun-

-day

fencelines stroll by

wood smoke chimney

outside shower , gas

inside armchair , ikea

wee'er bird no yellow breast

soup u boiled egg

tin roof

running of the water

every day is sun-

-day

fire warming up

band of mist on the hill

kettle whistles

red t shirt

white painted stone

walls

erratics and unconformaties

of fence posts

the craven fault line

(head)band of mist fades

every day is sun-

-day

shaving n milk crisis

deepen

running of the water

wood smoke chimney

tin roof

dust pan n brush

the floor

fire crackles

drumbeat

of incessant rain

outside inside

melt to one

outside inside

melt to one

the running of the water

the story of sahel sounds is a neat (ish ) wee film

[warninggraphiccontent]

16 July 2021

Food for thought

At last week's Data Bites, I noted how 'Wales' is a standard unit of area. This week, along comes a map which shows that all the built-up land in the UK is equivalent to one Wales:

The map is from the National Food Strategy, published yesterday (and the man has a point).

It has divided opinion, judging by the responses to this tweet. I understand where the sceptics are coming from - at first glance, it may be confusing, given Wales isn't actually entirely built up, Cornwall made of peat, or Shetland that close to the mainland (or home to all the UK's golf courses). And I'm often critical of people using maps just because the data is geographical in some way, when a different, non-map visualisation would be better.

But I actually think this one works. Using a familiar geography to represent areas given over to particular land use might help us grasp it more readily (urban areas = size of Wales, beef and lamb pastures = more of the country than anything else). It's also clear that a huge amount of overseas land is needed to feed the UK, too.

The map has grabbed people's attention and got them talking, which is no bad thing. And it tells the main stories I suspect its creators wanted to. In other words, it's made those messages... land.

Trash talk

Happy Take Out The Trash Day!

Yesterday saw A LOT of things published by Cabinet Office - data on special advisers, correspondence with parliamentarians, public bodies and major projects to name but a few, and the small matter of the new plans outlining departmental priorities and how their performance will be measured.

It's great that government is publishing this stuff. It's less great that too much of it still involves data being published in PDFs not spreadsheets. And it's even less great that the ignoble tradition of Take Out The Trash Day continues, for all the reasons here (written yesterday) and here (written in 2017).

I know this isn't (necessarily) deliberate, and it's a lot of good people working very hard to get things finished before the summer (as my 2017 piece acknowledges). And it's good to see government being transparent.

But it's 2021, for crying out loud. The data collection should be easier. The use of this data in government should be more widespread to begin with.

We should expect better.

In other news:

I was really pleased to have helped the excellent team at Transparency International UK (by way of some comments on a draft) with their new report exploring access and influence in UK housing policy, House of Cards. Read it here.

One of our recent Data Bites speakers, Doug Gurr, is apparently in the running to run the NHS. More here.

Any excuse to plug my Audrey Tang interview.

The good folk at ODI Leeds/The Data City/the ODI have picked up and run with my (and others') attempt to map the UK government data ecosystem. Do help them out.

Five years ago this week...

Regarding last week's headline of Three Lines on a Chart: obviously I was going to.

Have a great weekend

Gavin

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Today's links:

Graphic content

Vax populi

Why vaccine-shy French are suddenly rushing to get jabbed* (The Economist)

Morning update on Macron demolishing French anti-vax feeling (or at least vax-hesitant) (Sophie Pedder via Nicolas Berrod)

How Emmanuel Macron’s “health passes” have led to a surge in vaccine bookings in France* (New Statesman)

How effective are coronavirus vaccines against the Delta variant?* (FT)

England faces the sternest test of its vaccination strategy* (The Economist)

Where Are The Newest COVID Hot Spots? Mostly Places With Low Vaccination Rates (NPR)

There's A Stark Red-Blue Divide When It Comes To States' Vaccination Rates (NPR)

All talk, no jabs: the reality of global vaccine diplomacy* (Telegraph)

Vaccination burnout? (Reuters)

Viral content

COVID-19: Will the data allow the government to lift restrictions on 19 July? (Sky News)

UK Covid-19 rates are the highest of any European country after Cyprus* (New Statesman)

COVID-19: Cautionary tale from the Netherlands' coronavirus unlocking - what lessons can the UK learn? (Sky News)

‘Inadequate’: Covid breaches on the rise in Australia’s hotel quarantine (The Guardian)

Side effects

COVID-19: Why is there a surge in winter viruses at the moment? (Sky News)

London Beats New York Back to Office, by a Latte* (Bloomberg)

Outdoor dining reopened restaurants for all — but added to barriers for disabled* (Washington Post)

NYC Needs the Commuting Crowds That Have Yet to Fully Return* (Bloomberg)

Politics and government

Who will succeed Angela Merkel?* (The Economist)

Special advisers in government (Tim for IfG)

How stingy are the UK’s benefits? (Jamie Thunder)

A decade of change for children's services funding (Pro Bono Economics)

National Food Strategy (independent review for UK Government)

National Food Strategy: Tax sugar and salt and prescribe veg, report says (BBC News)

Air, space

Can Wizz challenge Ryanair as king of Europe’s skies?* (FT)

Air passengers have become much more confrontational during the pandemic* (The Economist)

Branson and Bezos in space: how their rocket ships compare* (FT)

Sport

Euro 2020: England expects — the long road back to a Wembley final* (FT)

Most football fans – and most voters – support the England team taking the knee* (New Statesman)

Domestic violence surges after a football match ends* (The Economist)

The Most Valuable Soccer Player In America Is A Goalkeeper (FiveThirtyEight)

Sport is still rife with doping* (The Economist)

Wimbledon wild card success does not disguise financial challenge* (FT)

Can The U.S. Women’s Swim Team Make A Gold Medal Sweep? (FiveThirtyEight)

Everything else

Smoking: How large of a global problem is it? And how can we make progress against it? (Our World in Data)

Record June heat in North America and Europe linked to climate change* (FT)

Here’s a list of open, non-code tools that I use for #dataviz, #dataforgood, charity data, maps, infographics... (Lisa Hornung)

Meta data

Identity crisis

A single sign-on and digital identity solution for government (GDS)

UK government set to unveil next steps in digital identity market plan (Computer Weekly)

BCS calls for social media platforms to verify users to curb abuse (IT Pro)

ID verification for social media as a solution to online abuse is a terrible idea (diginomica)

Who is behind the online abuse of black England players and how can we stop it?* (New Statesman)

Euro 2020: Why abuse remains rife on social media (BBC News)

UK government

Online Media Literacy Strategy (DCMS)

Privacy enhancing technologies: Adoption guide (CDEI)

The Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset is now available in the ONS Secure Research Service (ADR UK)

Our Home Office 2024 DDaT Strategy is published (Home Office)

The UK’s Digital Regulation Plan makes few concrete commitments (Tech Monitor)

OSR statement on data transparency and the role of Heads of Profession for Statistics (Office for Statistics Regulation)

Good data from any source can help us report on the global goals to the UN (ONS)

The state of the UK’s statistical system 2020/21 (Office for Statistics Regulation)

Far from average: How COVID-19 has impacted the Average Weekly Earnings data (ONS)

Health

Shock treatment: can the pandemic turn the NHS digital? (E&T)

Can Vaccine Passports Actually Work? (Slate)

UK supercomputer Cambridge-1 to hunt for medical breakthroughs (The Guardian)

AI got 'rithm

An Applied Research Agenda for Data Governance for AI (GPAI)

Taoiseach and Minister Troy launch Government Roadmap for AI in Ireland (Irish Government)

Tech

“I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Go Back”: Return-to-Office Agita Is Sweeping Silicon Valley (Vanity Fair)

Google boss Sundar Pichai warns of threats to internet freedom (BBC News)

The class of 2021: Welcome to POLITICO’s annual ranking of the 28 power players behind Europe’s tech revolution (Politico)

Inside Facebook’s Data Wars* (New York Times)

Concern trolls and power grabs: Inside Big Tech’s angry, geeky, often petty war for your privacy (Protocol)

Exclusive extract: how Facebook's engineers spied on women* (Telegraph)

Face off

Can facial analysis technology create a child-safe internet? (The Observer)

#Identity, #OnlineSafety & #AgeVerification – notes on “Can facial analysis technology create a child-safe internet?” (Alec Muffett)

Europe makes the case to ban biometric surveillance* (Wired)

Open government

From open data to joined-up government: driving efficiency with BA Obras (Open Contracting Partnership)

AVAILABLE NOW! DEMOCRACY IN A PANDEMIC: PARTICIPATION IN RESPONSE TO CRISIS (Involve)

Designing digital services for equitable access (Brookings)

Data

Trusting the Data: How do we reach a public settlement on the future of tech? (Demos)

"Why do we use R rather than Excel?" (Terence Eden)

Everything else

The world’s biggest ransomware gang just disappeared from the internet (MIT Technology Review)

Our Statistical Excellence Awards Ceremony has just kicked off! (Royal Statistical Society)

Pin resets wipe all data from over 100 Treasury mobile phones (The Guardian)

Data officers raid two properties over Matt Hancock CCTV footage leak (The Guardian)

How did my phone number end up for sale on a US database? (BBC News)

Gendered disinformation: 6 reasons why liberal democracies need to respond to this threat (Demos, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung)

Opportunities

EVENT: Justice data in the digital age: Balancing risks and opportunities (The LEF)

JOBS: Senior Data Strategy - Data Innovation & Business Analysis Hub (MoJ)

JOB: Director of Evidence and Analytics (Natural England)

JOB: Policy and Research Associate (Open Ownership)

JOB: Research Officer in Data Science (LSE Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science)

JOB: Chief operating officer (Democracy Club, via Jukesie)

And finally...

me: can’t believe we didn’t date sooner... (@MNateShyamalan)

Are you closer to Georgia, or to Georgia? (@incunabula)

A masterpiece in FOIA (Chris Cook)

How K-Pop conquered the universe* (Washington Post)

Does everything really cost more? Find out with our inflation quiz.* (Washington Post)

[battingonjakku]

Best England moments of the decade (roughly chronological)

• Winning the World T20 in West Indies. The first ever international trophy for the men. Sidey, Broad and Bres bowling slower ball bouncers.

• The men's Ashes down under in 2010/11. So many highlights here. 517/1 in Brisbane. Australia 3 down in 3 overs in Adelaide. Australia 98 all out on Boxing Day (I'm not sure any England moment in Australia will be as good as that). Racking up a third innings win in Sydney.

• That tour the women didn't win the Ashes, but Charlotte Edwards made an incredible test century.

• The 2011 World Cup wasn't good for us, but in the opening match we tied with India and it was just a really good game of cricket.

• Going top of the world in 2011. And they were just a brilliant test team.

• It may have been around that time that England were also (briefly) top of the world in all formats although that is pretty hilarious all things considered.

• Ignoring all the drama for a second, KP did hit three of the best centuries of his career in 2012. Colombo, Leeds, Mumbai. Just ignore everything else he did that year/ever.

• 2012 the men went and won a test series in India. That and the 2010/11 Ashes are two of their best ever overseas performances. Cook, Panesar, and Swann some standout performers.

• 2013 brought another Ashes win, 3-0 and with a brilliantly close opener at Trent Bridge. And there were no other Ashes series for the men that year, right?

• England won the women's Ashes too, Heather Knight was brilliant with 157 in the test, and then got injured so they wheeled her around on a trolley for the lap of honour.

• 2013/14 was a win for England in the women's Ashes, including one of the greatest ever test matches in Perth.

• Charlotte Edwards was then named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year, only the second woman ever.

• 2015 NZ tour of England. Brilliant cricket on both sides, Stokes hitting the fastest test century at Lord's, the birth of England's new approach to ODI cricket.

• In 2015 the men regained the Ashes thanks to Stuart Broad's 8/15 bowling out Australia for 60 (including the first Ben Stokes Wonder Catch)

• Ben Stokes hits a ridiculous double century in SA, Bairstow gets his first test century batting alongside him, England win away from home.

• A World T20 that ended in heartbreak for the men and women, but shout out to Joe Root's 80 odd against SA which was fab

• 2016, Bairstow's golden year. I stan so this is a highlight.

• The 2017 WC. Where to start. Taylor's comeback century. That win over Australia, ft Hartley's wicket of Lanning. Excellent batting from so many, Beaumont and Sciver especially.

• THE SEMI FINAL oh my goddd. Screaming at the telly. Jenny Gunn. Anya coming out and hitting the winning boundary straight away no nonsense.

• ANYA IN THE FINAL OH MY GOD MY QUEEN. The whole atmosphere of the final, being there for a sell out at Lord's. Best cricket memory ever.

• Danni Wyatt getting her first international century and bossing it in the T20s down under.

• Tammy Beaumont in the 2018 summer. I love.

• 2019 World Cup. That catch. The semi final. Winning after the super over, by the barest of margins. I'm still recovering.

• The miracle of Headingley. Need I say more.

I'll have missed some of course. But that's my list.

[shannybasar]

An “improbable, unforeseeable, unfathomable, unthinkable Test win”

There has been some wonderful writing on England’s, or Ben Stokes’, miraculous win in the Ashes match against Australia yesterday. 

Jonathan Liew in The Independent always manages to find exactly the right words:

At 4.16pm on a baking Sunday afternoon in Leeds, Ben Stokes clattered the ball through cover for four. And so was secured one of the most improbable, unforeseeable, unfathomable, unthinkable Test wins ever known. 

It’s a few hours later, and I’m still not sure I know the answer. England are world champions, and the Ashes are alive, and England just put on 76 for the last wicket to beat Australia after being bowled out for 67 in their first innings. You could compile and organise all the strokes of outrageous luck and superhuman skill that got them there, but you suspect it still wouldn’t make much sense. You could lose yourself in a blizzard of statistics, argue with salty England-haters on the internet, make indiscriminate noises at family members, and it still wouldn’t do justice to this game. You could ask whether, on balance, we were right to write off a team that has done almost everything in its power to be written off, except lose the Ashes. But it still wouldn’t explain a thing. I was wrong about this team, and I suspect I wasn’t the only one. But humble pie has never tasted so sweet.

Also in The Independent, Felix White writes about how the game brought the country to a standstill, and rightly also gives credit to Jack Leach:

Sunday roasts and day trips in the bank holiday heat were aborted to find anything or anywhere to zone in. A phone. A pub. A radio. Something was happening, something at once rare and familiar but most importantly unmissable, and you had to see it. In the middle of the frequency, Pat Cummins stood at his mark, eyeing the opportunity still to be seized, one wicket to retain the Ashes, when Leach stopped play. He needed to clean his glasses. “I know I look stupid out there”, Leach said afterwards on television, lovably English in his consciousness of how he might have caused the entire country to standstill.

The BBC places Stokes’ feat in English cricket history:

Even before this game, there was a century at Lord's in the second Test. When England were staring down the barrel in Leeds, bowled out for spit and with Jofra Archer out of the attack with cramp, Stokes took it upon himself to bowl 24.2 overs virtually unchanged, uphill, from the Football Stand End.

"My wife found me in my boxers, eating pasta," said Stokes of the evening that separated the two halves of his epic spell.

Back in the middle on Saturday night, Stokes dug his trench to make sure he was still there on Sunday. Only two runs from 50 deliveries.

A "knock-off Nando's and two bars of Yorkie Raisin and Biscuit" were the fuel for one of the greatest innings ever played by an England Test batsman.

From Andy Bull in The Guardian:

Oh hell, just call it all off now. Forget the Premier League, cancel the Rugby World Cup, bin the world athletics championship and whatever else we’re supposed to get excited about in the coming weeks and months. And for goodness sake, junk the Hundred too. They’ll all pale after this Headingley Test, when Ben Stokes, that most unlikely saint, worked the second of the two miracles he needs for his canonisation. This was the innings of his lifetime, and everyone else’s too, certainly the best anyone has played for England since Ian Botham overturned odds of 500-1 when he made his unbeaten 149 at this very same ground back in 1981, and, sober judges reckoned, perhaps even better than that.

In The Spectator, Alex Massie writes on the new hero at Headingley:

What a daft game cricket can be. The time matters. Even a one day affair is a drama played out over more than six hours but a great test match elevates the drama to an exquisitely agonising level. Five days – or four in this case – of ebb and flow, of triumph and despair, in which not just the skills of the protagonists are revealed but aspects of their essential character too. There is little like it in sport anywhere else and, not for the first time, much of the country now finds itself pondering the inadequacy or impoverishment of a life untouched by the drama of cricket at its best.

Of course it’s not always like this. But then it doesn’t need to be and, indeed, shouldn’t be. It is the peaks that give meaning to the troughs. In its purest moments sport surpasses even great art and on days like these the spectacle is greater than a mere matter of winning and losing. That said, if there must be a losing side on days like these please lord make it the Australians.

[spewpew-blog]

The Way To Watch And Live Flow The Cricket World Cup 2019

When is your Cricket World cup 2019?

The Cricket World Cup begins on Thursday 30th May if England play South Africa, also will operate before the closing on Sunday 14th July, read more.

What occasions are the games for your Cricket World Cup?

Matches are for the most part in 10.30am (BST) each day, using some games too happening at the day at 1.30pm (BST).

Where's your Cricket World Cup occurring?

The 2019 Cricket World Cup will be hosted by England and Wales and can happen across a variety of places, for example grounds in Leeds, Bristol, Manchester and Cardiff. The last will be played at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.

See below for the Complete list of places:

Headingley -- Leeds

Edgbaston -- Birmingham

The River Side -- Durham

Cardiff Wales Stadium -- Cardiff

How do I see the Cricket World cup reside in the United Kingdom?

The ICC Cricket World Cup will be now live on Sky Sports and Now TV.

It's possible to see the matches live on Sky Sports Cricket. Sky Sports readers may also stream the game via the SkyGo program.

Who won the Cricket World Cup last?

Australia were the champions of their Cricket World Cup at 2015, if they overcome fellow cohorts New Zealand by seven wickets.

That would be the favourites to triumph in 2019?

It's still just a while to proceed before the championship, however cricketer Ian Bell has called England, Pakistan, along with India as possible favourites to secure the world cup.

How do I get tickets into the Cricket World Cup?

Tickets for the Cricket World Cup 2019 can be purchased at a restricted normal release. You need to enroll through the official website as a way to submit an application for your tickets. Extra details regarding hospitality and tickets may be seen here.ICC cricket world cup 2019 live stream, Program, television station, Tickets Cricket World container 2019 is really a constrained over cricket contest of 50 overs that is going to soon be time-table to become held by England and Wales mutually. The ICC Cricket World Cup will be played between your 30 May to 14 July 2019 of each and every 1 2 atmosphere of England and Wales. This may be the 50 within Cricket world container where all those 10 Qualified Teams players expect to perform on a lawn and strive to acquire the 2019 world glass into their nation.

After television stations have purchased live television stations broadcasters rights in various nations. You may test this list to learn that which television station will probably likely be live telecasting ICC cricket world cup 2019 live stream matches on the nation?

[kicksaddictny]

Meet the Serena Williams Nike Building

According to NIKE

The LEED Platinum–certified Serena Williams Building demonstrates Nike’s commitment to championing athletes.

The 1-million-square-foot building signifies Nike’s biggest investment in design and creativity.

The space allows for the pinnacle of collaboration, bringing Nike’s design, insights and product-merchandising teams together for the first time.

The building's tripartite structure is inspired by Serena’s greatness; it references the goddess Nike’s wings and interprets its namesake’s role as phenom, warrior and muse.

Covering the equivalent of 140 full-size tennis courts — that’s 1 million square feet! — the Serena Williams Building (SW) is the largest office building at Nike World Headquarters. It’s also where Nike’s Consumer Creation teams have access to 200,000 square feet of lab space, allowing them to test new ideas in developing, presenting and merchandising Nike products. These residents, representing Design, Consumer Insights, the Women’s, Men’s and Kids constructs, and Apparel and Footwear Product Merchandising, spend their days collaborating on and creating the future of sport.

“The whole building takes your breath away. Every element, everywhere you go, is an opportunity to be inspired. I hope this building encourages people to bring out the best of themselves and to dream bigger than they thought possible,” says Serena Williams.

Nowhere is Nike’s commitment to championing athletes more strongly enabled than through its unmatched investment in world-class design and research labs. SW, designed by Portland-based Skylab Architecture in collaboration with Mark Parker, Executive Chairman of NIKE, Inc., builds on Nike’s legacy and follows its namesake’s dedication to progress.

Specialty spaces in SW include 140,000 square feet of showrooms and work space; a footwear materials library; a color lab; and the two-story, 140-seat Olympia Theater, named after Serena’s daughter. The work spaces are curated to inspire each respective working group and are filled with stories about athletes, sport, innovation and Nike culture. Immersive spaces with 180-degree wraparound visual projection allow Nike teams to visualize data in completely new ways and bring product to life at new scale.

“Architecture has long been a creative catalyst for Nike. A manifestation of form and function following footprint, this building embodies Serena’s legacy as a force for positive change. It is the art to the LeBron James Innovation Center’s science, allowing us to know and serve athletes like never before,” says John Hoke, Chief Design Officer.

Attention to creating the future is matched by SW’s attention to protecting the planet. More than 20 percent of SW, which is LEED Platinum–certified, is made up of recycled content that was harvested and manufactured locally. It is outfitted with 648 solar panels, adding to an anticipated energy-cost saving of 41 percent compared to a baseline building. Additionally, the building sits beside federally protected wetland, and its design preserves and supplements the environment with thousands of native plant species.

Enter the Serena Williams Building here.

[footballghana]

Premier League matchday 15 preview

SuperSport viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to Round 15 action from the Premier League, with matches scheduled to run from Saturday 4 to Monday 6 December 2021.

DStv and GOtv is the only true home of football in Africa, offering a range and depth of action that no other rival can match – it’s literally ‘Unbeatable Football’! If you’re going to spend your money on something, it may as well be on the best football in the world.

The top clash from this round of Premier League action is the opening match on the afternoon of Saturday 4 December, as West Ham United welcome Chelsea to the London Stadium for a crunch derby.

While the Blues are definitely one of the front runners for the title this season, the Hammers have been the surprise package in the upper reaches of the table, and a push for a place in the top four looks a realistic goal for manager David Moyes and his charges.

The former Everton and Manchester United boss has called on his attacking trio of Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio to perform to an even higher level of consistency than they have already shown this season.

“I don't think we can compare our three or four with Liverpool's three or four because they have done it at the highest level and consistently well and scored numerous number of goals,” Moyes claimed. “But we've got our three. We're really pleased with how they're performing. I hope that can continue but we've been really pleased with the form of them, they all bring something different.”

Another key clash for this round takes place on the evening of Monday 6 December and sees Everton host Arsenal. The Toffees have suffered through a crippling injury crisis – which has certainly not helped Rafael Benitez completely win over the Goodison Park faithful – and they will have a tough test against an Arsenal side which has been upwardly mobile in recent weeks.

Nonetheless, Everton midfielder Allan believes the boss has added to his game: “But I am learning new things with Rafa Benitez, without a doubt. Every manager has a distinct way of working, Rafa has his and he’s already added a lot to my career. You learn until the day you stop playing and the manager has helped me have a different view of some parts of the game. I always aim to adapt to the manager’s instructions and I want to do my best for Rafael Benitez and help the team.”

This round also features an intriguing clash which sees Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira test his side’s progress with a trip to Manchester United; Watford will have the challenge of hosting champions Manchester City, and Southampton will host Brighton & Hove Albion for a south coast derby.

Premier League broadcast details, 4-6 December 2021

All times CAT

Saturday 4 December

14:30: West Ham United v Chelsea – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1

17:00: Newcastle United v Burnley – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3

17:00: Southampton v Brighton & Hove Albion – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 1 and SuperSport GOtv Football

17:00: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1

19:30: Watford v Manchester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 360

Sunday 5 December

16:00: Leeds United v Brentford – LIVE on SuperSport Action

16:00: Manchester United v Crystal Palace – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League, SuperSport Maximo 1 and SuperSport GOtv Football

16:00: Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City – LIVE on SuperSport Variety 3 and SuperSport Maximo 360

18:30: Aston Villa v Leicester City – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 360

Monday 6 December

22:00: Everton v Arsenal – LIVE on SuperSport Premier League and SuperSport Maximo 1

source: https://footballghana.com/

[ark3750]

Sir Donald Bradman's remarkable career in numbers (Part 3 of 3)

Nov 21, 2021

Test batting records still held by Sir Don Bradman:

1. Highest career batting average (minimum 20 innings) - 99.94

2. Highest test batting average for a 5-Test Series - 201.50

........ (v/s South Africa - 1931-32)

3. Highest series batting average (minimum 4-Test series):

.......201.50 v/s S Africa (1931–32); also second-highest:

........178.75 v/s India (1947–48)

4. Highest ratio of centuries per innings played: 36.25%

........(29 centuries from 80 innings)

5. Highest ratio of double centuries per innings played: 15.0% .......(12 double centuries from 80 innings)

6. Most triple centuries (Later equaled by Lara, Viru n Gayle) - 2

7. First batsman in Test history to score 2 triple centuries.

8. First and only batsman to have remained unbeaten on 299 in a ........Test innings.

9. Most double centuries - 12

10. Most runs against one opponent: Only Test batsman to score ........more than 5,000 runs vs an opponent - 5,028 v/s England

11. Most runs in one series: 974 v/s England (1930)

12. Most double centuries in a series: 3 (1930)

13. Most centuries in consecutive tests- 6 (All against England,

........3 in Aus in 1936–37 followed by 3 in Eng in 1938)

14. Max times scored 500 or more runs in a Test series - 7

........(Later equaled by Lara)

15. Max tons in one session of play- 6 (once pre lunch,

........twice lunch-tea, thrice post tea)

16. Scored the most runs in a single day’s play - 309 vs England at ........Leeds, 1930

17. Highest 5th wicket partnership (with Sid Barnes 1946-47) - 405

18. In his Test career, the Don scored 26% (more than 1/4th) of the ........team’s total runs

19. Highest score by a number 7 batsman: 270 (1936–37)

20. Fewest matches required to reach 1,000 (7 matches), 2,000 (15 ........matches), 3,000 (23 matches), 4,000 (31 matches), 5,000 (36 ........matches) and 6,000 (45 matches) Test run

21. Fewest innings required to reach 2,000 (22 innings), 3,000 (33 ........innings), 4,000 (48 innings), 5,000 (56 innings) and 6,000 (68 ........innings) Test runs.

22. Had he scored just 4 more runs in his last (80th) innings , he ........would have not only become the first and fastest to 7,000 test ........runs but also would have ended his career with a perfect average ........of 100.00!

[yessadirichards]

Chelsea face Man City test as Liverpool, Man Utd bid to keep pace

LONDON

Chelsea host Premier League champions Manchester City in a stiff test of the leaders' title credentials on Saturday as Liverpool and Manchester United bid to keep pace with Thomas Tuchel's side.

The Blues look well-equipped to end the season as English champions for the first time since 2017 after signing Romelu Lukaku to add a cutting edge to their attack.

But Liverpool, the 2020 title winners, and Manchester United are matching them, with all three teams locked on 13 points after five games.

AFP Sport takes a look at some of the talking points ahead of the weekend action.

No fears for Tuchel's Blues

Even though the season is still young, former England captain turned TV pundit Alan Shearer predicts Chelsea are going to be difficult to stop.

Tuchel's team beat Manchester City three times last season -- including in the Champions League final.

Since then they have signed Lukaku from Inter Milan and have also been miserly at the back -- conceding just one goal in the league.

"Lukaku is not the only reason they are so formidable," Shearer wrote in his BBC Sport column. "They won the Champions League in May without him. But his arrival means they don't have a weak link in their team, and they have such strength in depth too."

It is too soon to call the match at Stamford Bridge a title decider, but City boss Pep Guardiola will not want to leave London six points behind one of his main rivals.

Norwich's unwanted record

Norwich have lost their past 15 Premier League games under Daniel Farke -- the longest losing run by any side in English top-flight history under a single manager.

That horror streak encompasses the end of the 2019/20 season, when the Canaries were relegated to the Championship. They immediately bounced back.

Norwich were given a hideous task on their return to the English top-flight, with their four first matches against Liverpool, Manchester City, Leicester and Arsenal before last week's loss to Watford.

The Canaries are only three points behind 16th-placed Wolves but must turn their form around soon, with Farke saying their leaky defence is the main problem.

"We need to be harder to play against," he said ahead of this weekend's trip to Everton. "We need more steel, and we need to be nastier. We also need a result for the confidence."

Can Kane reignite Spurs?

Harry Kane has endured a slow start to his season for Tottenham after a move to Manchester City failed to materialise and is yet to score in the Premier League.

But Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo believes the England striker is still getting up to speed after Euro 2020.

"He has much more to give and it's about the game, improving and growing together," said Nuno as he prepared for Sunday's north London derby against Arsenal. "In terms of the squad and preparation we have players who have 65/70 sessions and we have players who have 15 sessions."

After three games, Tottenham were top of the Premier League and Arsenal rock bottom.

Since then Spurs have suffered consecutive 3-0 defeats against Crystal Palace and Chelsea, while Mikel Arteta's Arsenal have stopped the rot with 1-0 wins over Norwich and Burnley.

Arteta said confidence levels were rising after his side won their League Cup third round tie against AFC Wimbledon in midweek.

"Now the boys have won three matches in a row so credit for how they have handled that situation and now they are really looking forward to playing on Sunday, which is the biggest day of the season for us so far at home," he said.

Fixtures

Saturday

Chelsea v Manchester City, Manchester United v Aston Villa, Everton v Norwich, Leeds v West Ham, Leicester v Burnley, Watford v Newcastle, Brentford v Liverpool

Sunday

Southampton v Wolves, Arsenal v Tottenham

Monday

Crystal Palace v Brighton

[babymaeditzz]

Mohammed Siraj led the way with his four-for as India crushed England by 151 in the Lord’s Test to go 1-0 up in the 5-match series. Chasing 272 in the last two sessions, England got all out for 120. Apart from Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah also claimed three wickets.

India overwhelmed England by 151 runs to win the second Test at Lord’s on Monday. England, set 272 to win on the last day, were dismissed for just 120 on a largely docile pitch, with Mohammed Siraj taking 4 for 32 as India won for just the third time in their 19 Tests at the ‘home of cricket’. Victory gave India a 1-0 lead in this five-match series after a rain-marred draw at Trent Bridge. India, after Ajinkya Rahane’s 61, saw tailenders Mohammed Shami (56 not out) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) both make their highest Test scores and share an unbroken stand of 89 before skipper Virat Kohli declared his side’s second innings on 298/8 shortly after lunch on Monday’s last day.

Pace bowlers Bumrah and Shami then struck with the ball, removing England openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley, both for ducks, before Bumrah captured the prize wicket of England captain Joe Root, who made a superb 180 not in the first innings, for 33. England lost their last three wickets on 120, with an elated Siraj, who took eight wickets in the Test overall, ending the match when he bowled James Anderson for a duck. KL Rahul made a fine 129 in an India first-innings 364 that saw fellow opener Rohit Sharma score 83, with England great Anderson taking 5-62. The third Test at Headingley in Leeds starts on August 25.

[theajaxnews]

India vs England, 4th Test Day 1 Live Cricket Updates: England Opt To Bowl, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur In India XI

India vs England, 4th Test Day 1 Live Cricket Updates: England Opt To Bowl, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur In India XI

IND vs ENG Live Score: India were asked to bat first by England skipper Joe Root.© Instagram England captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bowl against India at The Oval as Virat Kohli brought in Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur in place of Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. After losing the third Test match by an innings and 76 runs in Leeds, India will be looking to make a strong comeback.…

[breaking-news-portal]

India vs England 4th Test, Day 1 Weather Forecast: Rain may dampen opening day at The Oval

India vs England 4th Test, Day 1 Weather Forecast: Rain may dampen opening day at The Oval

Virat Kohli’s Team India will looked to bounce back from an innings defeat at the hands of hosts England at the Headingley in Leeds, when the two sides face off at The Oval in London from Thursday (September 2). The weather forecast for the opening day of the fourth Test once against looks gloomy with a 62 per cent cloud cover predicted for opening day of the Test match. The MET department of…