The cricketing world reacts to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s stunning win over Royal Challengers Bangalore

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-2018

@IPL @SunRisers Superb death bowling by @BhuviOfficial simply outstanding

— Allan Donald (@AllanDonald33) May 7, 2018

That was a master class in death bowling by Bhuvi

— Chris Morris (@Tipo_Morris) May 7, 2018

How do they do it? @SunRisers so impressive. Great leadership, great coaching staff & exceptional bowling unit. #SRHvRCB #VIVOIPL2018

— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) May 7, 2018

#Bhuvi & #sidkaul’s death overs were a delight to the eyes. @SunRisers are the best bowling unit at present. #SRHvRCB #VIVOIPL2018

— Prragyan Ojha (@pragyanojha) May 8, 2018

Another spirited performance from @SunRisers tonight!
Brilliant defensive execution by all our bowlers, well played #OrangeArmy #SRH

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) May 7, 2018

What a win! Amazing bowling by our bowlers they are proving that T20 is not just a batsman's game. Skipper Williamson is leading from the front.

Well into the playoffs! #OrangeArmy @SunRisers

— Yusuf Pathan (@iamyusufpathan) May 7, 2018

Superb yet again from our bowling attack and skipper. Hopefully keep this momentum up, three tough away games coming our way! #orangearmy @SunRisers

— Alex Hales (@AlexHales1) May 7, 2018

What a win for the @SunRisers and the #orangearmy to defend that total against batters of that quality. Their bowlers seem to be most consistent in the tournament. #IPL

— Brendan Taylor (@BrendanTaylor86) May 7, 2018

A huge shout out to the think tank that sat down and hand picked this champion bowling line up @VVSLaxman281 @TomMoodyCricket and Murali. They are reaping the benefits as a result of that now. 5 wins in a row for the @SunRisers #SRHvRCB

— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani) May 7, 2018

That was a sensational display of bowling from @BhuviOfficial ! @SunRisers have pulled off another game with the help of some brilliant bowling display. Well done#SRHvRC

— R P Singh (@rpsingh) May 7, 2018

#SRHvRCB. Well played SRH. Experience counts @BhuviOfficial. Outstanding last over. Class is Class

— VINOD KAMBLI (@vinodkambli349) May 7, 2018

How good is this sunrisers bowling line up as I said before they become LETHAL after Sunset… Incredible effort.. Brilliant Bhuvi #SRHvRCB

— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) May 7, 2018

Much like Sachin Tendulkar in the 1990s, Virat Kohli has been the only consistent batsman for India on tours to Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa over the last five years

S Rajesh06-Aug-2018Virat Kohli 200; the rest of India 214: that was easily the most striking stat from the sensational Edgbaston Test. Kohli had a stunning game, but his runs only served to highlight the chasm between him and the rest of India’s batsmen. It wasn’t the first time he had played the lone hand in an overseas Test either: the story was similar on the tour to South Africa earlier this year. In fact, the narrative looks remarkably like the 1990s, when Sachin Tendulkar used to be the one prolific and consistent batsman in series outside Asia.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the 10-year period between November 1991 and December 2001, Tendulkar played 23 Tests in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa, and his numbers in those matches are very similar to Kohli’s stats in the 17 Tests he has played in these countries since the start of the South Africa tour in December 2013.Kohli has the slightly better average, but there is little to choose between their conversion rates, or the manner in which both dominated their batting line-ups, scoring a fifth of their team’s runs off the bat. (In terms of results, Kohli’s India has done better with a 2-10 win-loss record in these 17 games, compared to 0-13 during Tendulkar’s 23 Tests.)ESPNcricinfo LtdLooking at the numbers series-wise, what stands out for Tendulkar is his consistency: in each of the seven series he played in these countries (excluding the one-off Test in New Zealand in 1994), he scored at least one century. Kohli, on the other hand, has been outstanding in each of these series except one, but that one failure was glaring, in England in 2014, when his contribution dropped to less than 6% of India’s bat runs. Exclude that series, and Kohli’s contribution to India’s runs goes up from 20.2% to 25.45%, which means Kohli has scored a quarter of India’s bat runs in the remaining 12 Tests.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn both eras, what has stood out is the gulf between the lead batsman and the rest. While Kohli has averaged 54.48 in these 17 Tests, the rest of India’s top seven batsmen (Nos. 1-7) have averaged 28.13, which means Kohli’s average is 1.94 times that of the other Indian top order. In fact, Kohli has scored as many hundreds as the rest of the batsmen put together. For Tendulkar, the difference is marginally higher at 1.98, because the rest of the batsmen averaged only 26.48.ESPNcricinfo LtdLooking at the individual batsmen list in each period, what stands out is the number of batsmen who struggled to perform in these conditions. During the Tendulkar decade, while Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman averaged more than 40, there were a host of others – including Mohammad Azharuddin (25.24), Sanjay Manjrekar (23.94), Navjot Sidhu (23.45), and Dilip Vengsarkar (17.55) – who averaged less than 26.ESPNcricinfo LtdSimilarly, in the Kohli era, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have all clearly been underwhelming, while Murali Vijay’s recent stats are extremely disappointing too. In fact, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has a higher average (30.61) than Pujara, Dhawan, Rohit and Rahul, which suggests India missed more than just his bowling at Edgbaston.ESPNcricinfo LtdIndia’s over-reliance on Tendulkar reduced significantly from the start of 2002, when Dravid became a champion in overseas conditions, and Laxman, Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag all came up with useful contributions in at least one series. Starting in 2002, Tendulkar played 34 more Tests in these four countries, and while he still averaged more than anyone else in these Tests – 51.42, which was marginally higher than Dravid’s 50.50, and very close to his own 52.39 in the 1990s – in percentage terms, his contribution to India’s bat runs dropped to 16.67%.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe ideal situation for India over the next few years would be if Kohli’s percentage contribution drops similarly, despite him being nearly as prolific as he is now. Given the way India’s top order has performed overseas recently, though, don’t hold your breath on that happening any time soon.

Which of these moments of madness from South Africa in a crunch match of a global tournament is the worst?

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2017

Fabio Capello has launched a fiery attack on Italy’s national team after their shocking defeat to Norway, calling out players for their bad attitude.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Capello ashamed by Italy’s loss to Norway
• Criticises Calafiori and Acerbi by name
• Wants Claudio Ranieri to replace Spalletti

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Italy suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Norway, sparking an explosive reaction from former manager Capello. Speaking on , Capello tore into the national team setup, accusing several players of lacking commitment and faking injuries to avoid call-ups.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  He singled out Calafiori, Acerbi, and others for their attitude, claiming their actions show “no love for the blue shirt.” This latest crisis adds to a growing list of issues for the Azzurri. With Spalletti dismissed following Italy’s loss to Norway, a dip in form, and growing reports of a divided dressing room, the national team finds itself in turmoil.

• WHAT CAPELLO SAID

  The former AC Milan manager didn’t hold back in his scathing assessment of Italy’s national team. He said: “I was ashamed. Players didn’t want to come. That’s something I never thought possible,” expressing disbelief over the lack of commitment.

  He specifically called out Calafiori and Acerbi, accusing them of faking injuries to dodge national duty, saying, “They claimed injury but were playing a week earlier. That’s betrayal.”

  Capello endorsed Ranieri as the man to lead the revival: “He’s the right name. He’s experienced, knows the players, and can spark a turnaround.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Former Roma manager Ranieri is now being championed as a calm, experienced figure who can restore order and unity. Whether the Italian Football Association acts quickly or waits for another collapse will shape the future of the Azzurri heading into their next campaign.

It was another semi-final defeat on Wednesday night for Arsenal and, as a result, another season that’ll end trophyless.

It was always going to be a tough challenge for Mikel Arteta’s side to overturn their first-leg defeat away to Paris Saint-Germain, but to lose 2-1 on the night just makes it all the more painful.

Moreover, while the visitors started the first half pretty well, they soon faded, and while they played with some real heart, a number of players just didn’t perform well enough.

One of those was Thomas Partey, who picked up a 3/10 match rating from Alex Turk of the Express, and while there was talk of a contract renewal, there have also been links to a certain international who could join this summer and send him packing.

Arsenal transfer news

Before getting to the player in question, it is worth taking a look at some of the other midfield stars Arsenal have been linked with in recent weeks, like Hugo Larsson and Eduardo Camavinga.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former is still only 20 years old but has already become an established starter at Eintracht Frankfurt and could reportedly cost up to £51m, while the latter was sent off against the Gunners in the first leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final with the club, but with a release clause of £1bn, who knows how much he’d cost.

Fortunately, another international midfielder heavily linked with the North Londoners has a far more reasonable release clause and could be the ideal Partey replacement: Martin Zubimendi.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are still incredibly keen on signing the Real Sociedad star this summer, with Arteta making him a ‘top reinforcement priority.’

While interest from Real is far from ideal, reports from elsewhere claiming the Spaniard has a release clause worth £51m could and should make signing him far more straightforward for the North Londoners.

It might still be a lot of money, but Zubimendi has proven his ability over several years now, and as he could be the perfect Partey replacement, Arsenal should do all they can to bring him to N5.

How Zubimendi compares to Partey

So then, if Arsenal are able to sign Zubimendi this summer, there is no doubt he’d come in and play the position Partey has this season, but how does he stack up to the veteran?

Is he good enough to send him packing in the summer without a new contract?

Well, given their position on the pitch and what their primary roles are, their raw output is not all that important.

Instead, the best way to better understand how they truly stack up against one another is to look under the hood at their relevant underlying numbers.

When doing this, it’s evident that while the former Atlético Madrid star does have the advantage in some areas, the bread and butter of a number six, the defensive work, is done far better by the San Sebastian-born star.

Progressive Carries

1.14

1.14

Progressive Passes

5.92

6.09

Passing Accuracy

83.2%

87.3%

Completed Long Passes

3.55

3.02

Blocked Shots

0.54

0.25

Blocked Passes

0.77

0.64

Interceptions

1.20

1.14

Clearances

2.47

1.64

Errors Leading to a Shot

0.10

0.14

Fouls

1.40

1.43

Ball Recoveries

4.38

4.38

Aerial Duels Won

1.67

0.93

Aerial Duel Win %

61.7%

54.2%

For example, the “world-class” defensive midfielder, as dubbed by former teammate Kieran Tierney, comes out on top in essential metrics like blocked shots and passes, interceptions, aerial duels won, clearances made, and he even makes fewer mistakes that lead to a shot, all per 90.

On top of this statistical advantage, the “elite” international, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is also five and a half years the Ghanaian’s junior and has a far healthier injury record.

For example, across his entire career, the Basque star has missed just ten games for club and country, whereas the Gunners’ number five has missed a staggering 88, so no matter how available he’s been this year, you can never truly rely on him in the long run.

Ultimately, from his defensive output to his availability and age, it’s clear that Zubimendi would be the perfect player to come in and replace Partey this summer, in turn making a new contract for the 31-year-old redundant.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes May 8, 2025

“One of the best coaches ever” is now a front-runner to replace Ivan Juric at Southampton, who have already identified a number of managers as potential targets, according to a report.

Southampton part ways with Juric after relegation

The Saints’ relegation from the Premier League was finally confirmed on Sunday, following a 3-1 loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, although in truth the writing has been on the wall for quite some time, after a disastrous campaign.

Juric inherited a difficult situation at St. Mary’s, with Russell Martin being sacked in December, at which point his side were already nine points from safety, but there were very few signs of improvement after the 49-year-old’s arrival.

With just seven games left to go, the soon-to-be Championship side need to collect two more points to avoid breaking an unwanted record, with Derby County’s 11 points in the 2007-08 campaign currently the lowest total in Premier League history.

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Next season, the aim will undoubtedly be to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt, and the board have now started to identify managers who could give them a very good chance of doing exactly that.

According to a report from The Boot Room, Southampton have a number of options in mind, including Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, but Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior is believed to be one of the front-runners.

BlueCo may not make it easy for the Saints to snap Rosenior up, however, as they are determined to keep hold of the up-and-coming manager, with Strasbourg faring very well in their pursuit of qualification for the Champions League.

As such, Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl could be a more attainable target, given that the German coach has a relatively affordable £5m release clause included in his contract with the Owls.

Rosenior impressing in Ligue 1 with Strasbourg

It is little wonder Southampton are keen on appointing the Englishman, given the job he has done at Strasbourg this season, with his side currently in fourth place, just three points behind second-placed Marseille.

The 40-year-old has orchestrated a phenomenal turnaround, with Strasbourg finishing 13th under the helm of Patrick Vieira last season, and he has previously been hailed for his ability on the training ground.

Clinton Morrison praised the work the Strasbourg boss did during his time as Derby County’s caretaker manager, saying: “I actually think he’s a top manager,”

“I spoke to a few people at Derby. He was unlucky to lose his job, the players respected him. He’s one of the best coaches ever.”

However, with Strasbourg on course to qualify for the Champions League, it seems unlikely that Rosenior would be willing to manage a Championship side next season, particularly with BlueCo so eager to keep hold of him, so Rohl could be a more realistic appointment for the Saints.

Newcastle United are on course to claim Champions League qualification and could now make a statement in the window by completing a deal for a prolific forward, according to a report.

Newcastle see off Chelsea to close in on Champions League

Eddie Howe is within touching distance of hearing the Champions League anthem blare out at St James’ Park once again after leading his side to a vital 2-0 victory over Chelsea on home soil.

Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes put the seal on a heated contest in the North East, setting up two mouthwatering clashes against Arsenal and Everton as Newcastle bid to complete a return to Europe’s top table.

Regardless of Premier League placement, Howe’s men hold a strong hand when it comes to the summer transfer window. Nevertheless, booking their place in the Champions League could prove to be a major selling point to prospective recruits.

Establishing some early direction on that front, Newcastle have set their sights on Girona midfielder Yangel Herrera and there are reports that a £21 million bid has now been submitted to land his services.

Looking closer to home, the Magpies also have Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott on their radar, though he would be a more expensive arrival as his price tag sits around the £50 million mark.

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Either way, there is plenty of work to be done on Tyneside. Newcastle have shown a healthy level of ambition since PIF became involved with the club, but sustaining themselves among the elite now has to be the priority.

Taking note, Howe and company are now advancing to seal a deal for one of Europe’s most revered strikers ahead of the summer window.

Newcastle advancing in move to sign Victor Boniface

According to Africa Foot, Newcastle are in negotiations over a deal to sign Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen and it is said that the talks in question are advancing, with discussions even taking place with the player’s representatives.

The report claims the Magpies are set to pay a fee of £42.2 million to land the Nigeria international, which could occur sooner rather than later as Howe looks for another forward to accompany Alexander Isak.

Alexander Isak vs Victor Boniface – domestic league statistics

Victor Boniface

Goals

8

Assists

1

Shots on target

18

Chances created

10

Completed dribbles

15

Alexander Isak

Goals

23

Assists

6

Shots on target

44

Chances created

42

Completed dribbles

42

Labelled a “complete player” by Xabi Alonso, Boniface has notched 11 goals in all competitions this term, though has suffered hamstring problems in a campaign where Bayern Munich were able to reclaim the Bundesliga title. Speculation over a five-year deal on Tyneside is beginning to do the rounds. However, it remains to be seen if Newcastle can ratify the details required to pull off a statement signing.

With the summer window now creeping closer, bringing Boniface to the North East would be a marker of their ambition heading into 2025/26.

Leeds United are now set to push to sign a Barcelona forward in the January transfer window, having already made persistent enquiries over a deal.

Leeds looking to bolster attacking options this winter

Earlier this season, Danny Murphy suggested Leeds’ lack of top-quality forwards could put them at real risk of relegation, saying: “I still think Leeds and Burnley will go.

“I think the biggest problem for Burnley and Leeds is firepower. I agree with what we talked about earlier. I think all the newly promoted sides doing well is great for the Premier League. I’d like to see them all stay up, actually. But I don’t think it’ll be the case.”

Since then, however, the Whites have displayed they have what it takes to cause some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs real problems, defeating Chelsea 3-1, before going on to draw 3-3 with Liverpool courtesy of a last-gasp Ao Tanaka equaliser.

That said, with Daniel Farke’s side still just two points above the relegation zone, they remain interested in improving their forward line during the January transfer window, and they have now made contact over a deal for Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states the Whites have lodged persistent enquiries to sign the Barca forward on loan in the January transfer window, as they believe he would be perfectly suited to their style of play.

Leeds are unwilling to give up on securing the 20-year-old’s signature, despite his recent emergence as a first-team player for the La Liga club, and they are set to push for a January deal in the coming weeks.

Bardghji could play major role in helping Leeds avoid the drop

The Sweden international hasn’t featured particularly regularly so far this season, but he showed exactly what he’s capable of in Barca’s most recent La Liga match, scoring one goal and setting up another in the 5-3 triumph against Real Betis.

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It was an impressive all-round performance from the Kuwait-born forward, who completed two dribbles and won two duels, and Hansi Flick will be delighted he is now coming into his own in La Liga, having also previously put in some eye-catching displays for FC Copenhagen.

With Daniel James recently suffering a hamstring injury, and receiving criticism at times this season, it would be ideal to bring in a new forward in the upcoming transfer window, and the Barca ace would be a like-for-like replacement, given that his main position is right-wing.

As such, Leeds should definitely look to sign Bardghji, off the back of some impressive showings in both La Liga and the Champions League, grabbing an assist in Barca’s 6-1 victory over Olympiacos.

The GoBubble app picks up and deletes comments with abusive words, as well as comments from bots advertising unrelated content

Firdose Moonda04-Nov-2024Cricket has concluded one of the biggest social media moderation trials in sport and found that almost a fifth of comments made on player or team social media pages are either harmful or generated by bots.The programme, which ran over the course of the recently completed Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, saw the ICC employ an AI tool created by tech company GoBubble to weed out online bullying. It analysed 1,495,149 social media comments across 60 player and eight team accounts and 271,100 of them, contained racism, sexism, homophobia and other kinds of abuse.All the monitored accounts were from players or teams who opted into the service, offered by the ICC as a way of making the game safer for players, especially in light of the increased attention on the women’s game.Earlier this year, ESPNcricinfo published a deep dive into social media harassment and found that abuse directed at female players, or the female partners of players is rampant, which makes the focus on women pertinent. And on Monday, the ICC’s next women’s FTP sees an expansion to 11 teams, from ten, more than 100 additional fixtures and dedicated windows for three leagues which will only increase attention and growth on the women’s game.Related

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“One of the objectives of the ICC is to look at ways in which we can inspire as many women and girls to play cricket as possible,” Finn Bradshaw, the ICC’s Head of Digital told ESPNcricinfo. “We heard the stories from a lot of women and girls, unfortunately, once they become a bit more public, the abuse that they get online can be really inhibiting.”The last thing you want is a teenage girl who’s got some talent and ability and then she sees what one of her heroes goes through on social media and thinks, ‘I can’t face that’. We know mental health is such a big thing across the world and social media can be terrible for mental health and so anything we can do to make that girl’s decision to play cricket easier, we want to do that.”The GoBubble tool works in two ways: by picking up words which are abusive, both in English and other languages, and also be personalised for particular players or teams, and by scanning for bots who are advertising unrelated content on pages.”There’s a whole range of words: swear words, slurs or insults but the best part about this software is that you can individualise it. If, for example, a player has had an unfortunate incident that’s specific to them in the past and people keep bringing it up, we can then make sure that those comments are hidden for them as well,” Bradshaw said. “There are a lot of bots selling things players or teams don’t want on your account, for example, cryptocurrency. It blocks that as well and cleans it all up which just means for the average fan, the social media experience is better.”

“That protection for me is very big because players get to share their life with the world without the fear of being judged or criticised, I am looking forward to seeing the changes, people just being free and players can just show the world who they really are.”Sinalo Jafta

Sinalo Jafta, the South Africa wicketkeeper-batter, was one of the players who revealed her struggles with online abuse and has been the face of the ICC’s initiative. Before the introduction of this service, Jafta entrusted a friend or family member with the task of going through her social media accounts and deleting any abusive comments or messages.She recognised that not all players would do the same but now that they can rely on an AI tool, she hopes they will be more comfortable sharing content. “That protection for me is very big because players get to share their life with the world without the fear of being judged or criticised,” she said in an ICC release. “I am looking forward to seeing the changes, people just being free and players can just show the world who they really are.”Ultimately, both Jafta and the ICC want to encourage positive social media use to inspire the next generation of players. “For players who are comfortable with social media, we love to work with them and find ways to showcase their personality to the fans because fandom starts with the player,” Bradshaw said. “A young kid falls in love with a player and it’s usually not just about whether they can hit a six, it’s about their personality and something the child sees reflected in that player.”Social media is amazing for that and for the players who are comfortable doing that, it’s an amazing tool. And we want to make sure that experience is as enjoyable for the player as it can be.”Currently, women’s players can sign up for the service until the end of 2025 and the ICC is looking at making it available for male players as well. “We wanted to do a trial and to see how it goes and we will produce a report,” Bradshaw said. “Then we’ll see if there’s demand for this from the male players.”

South African allrounder has played regularly across past two summers in Taunton

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2025

Somerset have confirmed the return of Migael Pretorius as one of their overseas players for 2026. The South African allrounder will available for the full season across formats.Pretorius has played for Somerset since 2024, making five fifties to go with 58 wickets in 21 appearances. Last season, he featured eight times in the County Championship, as well as both games on Blast Finals Day as Somerset lifted the trophy for the second time in three years.”From the moment he arrived in 2024, Migael wholeheartedly bought into the culture of the club,” Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said. “During his two previous spells with the club, he has shown that he has the ability to impact games with the bat, with the ball and in the field, and he will once again add valuable depth and experience to the squad.”Related

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Pretorius, 30, has been named in various squads by South Africa but is yet to win an international cap. Overall, he has taken 230 first-class wickets at 27.50, to go with 61 in List A and 100 in T20 cricket.”I’ve really enjoyed playing for Somerset over the last two years,” Pretorius said. “From day one I was made to feel at home and it’s a pretty special place to play. To be part of the team that won the Blast was incredible and hopefully we can emulate and even exceed that success in 2026.”