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And who is the most economical bowler in Tests?

Steven Lynch15-Mar-2022After Jack Hobbs became the oldest to score a Test century, in Australia in 1928-29, he wrote that a famous actress kissed him at a party afterwards. Who was this actress? asked Pushkar Pushp from India

This incident followed Jack Hobbs’ 142 in the fifth Test in Melbourne in March 1929. At 46 years 82 days, Hobbs was the oldest man to score a Test century, a record he is likely to retain for ever.In his 1935 book My Life Story, Hobbs tells the tale of what happened next. “My 142 had a very jolly sequel in the evening of the day it was scored. My diary says: ‘When I walked into the hotel dining-room, the orchestra struck up “See the Conquering Hero Comes”, and followed by playing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. The guests at the tables rose up and joined in.’ One of those guests was a famous English actress; she came right across the room and gave me a kiss! It was most embarrassing. I will not give her name away.”Hobbs might have been too gallant to spill the beans, but the press was less reticent. The New South Wales paper the Newcastle Sun ran the headline “Jack Hobbs blushed”, and named the lady as Margaret Bannerman (no relation to the old Australian batters Charles and Alec, as far as I can tell!) She was actually Canadian, although she had a long career in London theatre, and also appeared in several silent films. Margaret was born in Toronto in December 1896, so was 32 when she surprised Hobbs; she died in the United States in 1976. For the newspaper story, click here.Imam-ul-Haq just scored his first two centuries in the same Test. How many people have done this? asked Damith Sampath from Sri Lanka

That double of 157 and 111 not out by Imam-ul-Haq for Pakistan against Australia in Rawalpindi recently made him the 12th man to score his first two centuries in the same Test. That includes the two who did it on debut – Lawrence Rowe for West Indies vs New Zealand in Kingston in 1971-72, and Yasir Hameed for Pakistan vs Bangladesh in Karachi in 2003.The first to do this was Australia’s Warren Bardsley, with 136 and 130 against England at The Oval in 1909; the most recent before Imam was Shai Hope, for West Indies vs England at Headingley in 2017.In between, the feat was also achieved by India’s Vijay Hazare (against Australia in Adelaide in 1947-48), Jack Moroney of Australia (vs South Africa in Johannesburg in 1949-50), New Zealand’s Geoff Howarth (vs England in Auckland in 1977-78), Duleep Mendis of Sri Lanka (vs India in Madras in 1982-83), Pakistan’s Wajahatullah Wasti (vs Sri Lanka in Lahore in 1998-99), Phillip Hughes of Australia (vs South Africa in Durban in 2008-09) and the New Zealander Peter Fulton (vs England in Auckland in 2012-13).Imam will be hoping that, unlike Wasti and Hameed – the others to achieve the feat for Pakistan – he manages to reach three figures again in Tests. Of the rest, Moroney, Fulton and Hope (to date) never scored another Test century either.In the first Test at Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s openers put on 252 without being separated. Was this the highest unbroken first-wicket stand in Tests? asked K Lokaraj from India

Abdullah Shafique, who made his own maiden century, and Imam-ul-Haq put on 252 in the second innings of the first Test against Australia in Rawalpindi. That was indeed the highest unbeaten opening stand in Tests – just: Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes added 250 without being separated for West Indies against Australia in Georgetown in 1983-84.The highest unbroken opening partnership in all first-class cricket is 451, by Sanjay Desai and Roger Binny for Karnataka (who declared, and won by an innings) against Kerala in Chikmagalur in 1977-78.Lance Gibbs has a career bowling economy of 1.98, the lowest for bowlers with at least 200 Test wickets•PA PhotosGiven a minimum of 200 wickets, who’s the most economical bowler in Tests? asked Robert Aldridge from England

Some 80 bowlers have now reached the milestone of 200 Test wickets – and of those, only one went for less then two an over: the great West Indian offspinner Lance Gibbs, who conceded 1.98 per six balls during his 79-Test career. Next come Richie Benaud and Derek Underwood, with 2.10. The top five are all spinners: the leading seamer, in sixth place with 2.21 an over, is England’s Alec Bedser, just ahead of the West Indian pair of Garry Sobers (2.22) and Curtly Ambrose (2.30). The versatile Sobers mixed seam with spin during his career.The leading current bowler is India’s Ravindra Jadeja, whose economy rate of 2.42 an over puts him 12th at the moment.Ravindra Jadeja scored 175 then took nine wickets against Sri Lanka recently. Has anyone bettered this in a Test match? asked Ankur Jamil from India

Three men have scored a century and taken ten or more wickets in the same Test. The first to do it was Ian Botham, with 114 and 13 for 106 for England against India in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1979-80. He was followed by Imran Khan, with 117 and 11 for 180 for Pakistan vs India in Faisalabad in 1982-83, and Shakib Al Hasan, with 137 and 10 for 124 for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe in Khulna in 2014-15.Before Jadeja did it recently against Sri Lanka in Mohali, three others had paired a century with nine wickets in the same Test. Jimmy Sinclair made 106 (South Africa’s first Test century) and took 9 for 89 against England in Cape Town in 1898-99; Richie Benaud paired 100 with 9 for 154 for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1957-58; and Jadeja’s India team-mate R Ashwin scored 103 and took 9 for 190 against West Indies in Mumbai in 2011-12. Of these, Jadeja’s 175 not out is the highest score involved.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of this week’s answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Oftentimes, after MLB managers are ejected, the absolute last thing you'll hear from them is some sort of mea culpa:

It just doesn't happen.

But something to that effect occurred following the Red Sox' 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday, during which Boston's manager Alex Cora was ejected in the seventh inning.

Cora's protestations began in the top of the sixth inning with Astros righthander Hunter Brown on the mound. After Brown walked Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, he was called for a balk. Two batters later, Brown switched from the full windup to the stretch mid at-bat, prompting the Red Sox to object to ultimately no avail.

An inning later, Cora emerged from the dugout to further discuss the call—or lack thereof—with the umpires, who then ejected him. Cora explained what led him to emerge from the dugout and even surprisingly admitted that the umpires were correct in their ruling.

"First of all, they got it right," Cora said. "They got the call right. The only thing for me is that we've seen that situation before, that guys who have a regular windup and they ask the guys to declare. You don’t have to declare if you have a hybrid windup; that’s when you have to declare, because that way you’re not deceiving the runner.

"But throughout the last two years, we’ve seen situations that is a regular windup, and they’ve asked the pitcher to declare, that was the only thing. I went out there to educate myself to be honest with you. That’s what I told him. I want to learn. I don’t know if he took it that I was being sarcastic. I wasn’t. I was walking back, and he threw me out.”

Cora's ejection seemed to stem from a miscommunication with the umpire, as he insisted to reporters after the game that he wasn't trying to get tossed from the contest.

"…I hate getting thrown out," Cora continued. "My job is to be in the dugout and help this team to win games from the dugout. This whole thing about rallying the troops and getting thrown out—that's bull—-. My job is to be in the dugout…"

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is gearing up for another important Premier League test at home to Brentford on Wednesday, looking to extend the club’s incredible unbeaten run.

Arsenal set for Brentford after 1-1 draw at Chelsea

It’s been 17 matches since the Gunners last tasted a single defeat in all competitions, and a lot has changed since that 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s English champions are now all but out of the title race, despite barely playing a third of 2025/2026, while Arsenal are flying high and five points clear atop the table.

Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions since defeat to Liverpool

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal

10-man Chelsea came the closest to beating Arteta’s side last weekend, taking a 1-0 lead through Trevoh Chalobah at Stamford Bridge, only for in-form makeshift number nine Mikel Merino to equalise with his 20th goal this calendar year.

Arsenal’s imperious early-season has been made all the more impressive when factoring in their extensive injury list this term.

Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Noni Madueke, William Saliba, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz have all been sidelined at various points, with Arteta doing very well to adjust.

In Havertz’s case, the £280,000-per-week star hasn’t played at all this season since Arsenal’s opening day win over Man United at Old Trafford.

The Germany international, after just coming back from a hamstring problem which kept him out for months at the back end of 2024/2025, sustained a knee injury against United, with Havertz hauled off after just half an hour.

Related Fabrizio Romano: Berta eyeing "bargain" move for player likened to "top" Arsenal star

He could be a snip.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Dec 2, 2025

Havertz required surgery with the former Chelsea star working hard to come back.

Reports suggest that Havertz has impressed Arsenal rehabilitation staff with his recovery, but he still hasn’t been available since August.

Mikel Arteta without Kai Havertz for 'weeks' after Arsenal injury update

The 26-year-old was, at one point, contending to be fit for Arsenal’s 4-1 triumph over Tottenham in the North London derby (Standard Sport).

Havertz was seemingly on the verge of a return to the field, but according to Arteta in his latest pre-match press conference, it will now be ‘weeks’ before the attacker makes his long-awaited return.

News of this setback for Havertz comes as a blow for Arsenal, with Arteta yet to have the desired conundrum of choosing how to fit both him and Gyokeres into his new Arsenal system on a regular basis.

Unable to display his best throughout 2025 due to consistent injury problems, Arteta will be desperate to have Havertz available once again as soon as possible.

With both Gabriel and potentially Saliba unavailable for Brentford too, summer signings Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera will likely partner one another yet again tomorrow evening.

Eddie Howe hasn’t minced his words when quizzed on Newcastle United’s interest in their former schoolboy Elliot Anderson, who was sold to Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest for about £35m in 2024.

Now regarded as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League” by Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel, Anderson is indeed becoming a star, and Newcastle want him back, forced into cashing in to comply with PSR regulations.

But Manchester United are also known suitors, and Forest are set to demand in excess of £100m for their prized player.

Newcastle need a centre-midfielder, though, and technical director Ross Wilson is centring on a shrewd alternative.

Newcastle pursuing new midfielder

Though Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are among the finest midfielders in the game, Joelinton is becoming a weak link, with Toon writer Thomas Hammond claiming this is “the start of the end” for the Brazilian.

The 29-year-old surely doesn’t have much more mileage left in the tank, having run many laps around the St. James’ Park grass across the years.

The interest in Anderson is suggestive of Howe’s stance on the mainstay’s future, but there is an alternative option in the pipeline for the PIF-backed side.

Indeed, Italian outlet Tuttomercato, Newcastle are pursuing a January move for Roma midfielder Manu Kone, who has been instrumental in the club’s blooming Serie A title charge this term.

Reports from the summer claim that the Italians have placed a €50m (£44m) price tag on the 24-year-old, but United and PIF would surely strike gold, should they bring him over.

What Manu Kone would bring to Newcastle

Kone has been at Roma since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, joining the club from Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany. He was a loanee last season but has since become a permanent member of Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad.

A powerhouse of a midfielder, the 6 foot 1 Frenchman is limber but endowed with natural strength that allows him to perform robustly in the engine room.

As well as being a crisp passer, Kone is also skilled as a carrier, looking to break lines.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 2% of Serie A midfielders this season for pass completion and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90. He regularly draws fouls from lunging opponents.

That aside, Kone has also been hailed as a “one-man army” in midfield by talent scout Jacek Kulig, owing to that strength and physicality in the middle of the park.

In this, he could be the perfect player to succeed Joelinton in Howe’s midfield, striking a balance between the different facets of a successful box-to-box role.

Matches (starts)

10 (10)

12 (12)

Goals

0

0

Assists

0

1

Touches*

39.5

62.2

Accurate passes*

22.2 (82%)

43.8 (92%)

Chances created*

0.5

1.0

Dribble (success)*

0.2 (50%)

1.2 (67%)

Recoveries*

3.4

4.7

Tackles + interceptions*

2.7

2.0

Clearances*

1.7

1.0

Duels won*

4.6

5.4

Errors made

2x

1x

Joelinton has had a good run in Howe’s midfield, but it’s time for ruthlessness to take precedence: the club have threatened to stagnate this term, and a breath of fresh air in the engine room could elevate the squad, reinforcing the backline and giving new support to the forwards.

His ball-carrying metrics have decreased significantly, and while he remains a combative and dangerous force in the middle, there’s no question that the Brazil international lacks the same full-throttle energy as once before.

Kone was considered a top talent during his early-career days in the German Bundesliga, and while he has endured some ebb-tide moments in his career, no one can deny that he is now blooming into a complete midfielder tailor-made for the Premier League.

PIF have signed an "explosive" talent who can end Gordon's Newcastle career

Newcastle United already have an exciting attacker up their sleeve who can end Anthony Gordon’s stalling Magpies career.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 27, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur are now seriously considering a move for an “incredible” manager to replace Thomas Frank, following the 2-1 defeat at home against Fulham on Saturday.

Thomas Frank's future in doubt after another home defeat

Tottenham’s extremely concerning home form continued on Saturday afternoon, with the Cottagers consigning Frank’s side to a third loss in their last four Premier League games, and the lack of creativity, particularly in the first half, will no doubt be of particular concern to the manager.

It was not the first time this season Spurs have struggled from an attacking point of view, having recorded an xG of just 0.07 against Arsenal in the North London derby, the lowest figure of any side in the Premier League during the 2025-26 campaign.

As such, the pressure is mounting on Frank, who has just one home win to his name in the Premier League this season, with Jamie O’Hara expressing doubts over the Dane after the most recent setback.

As such, ENIC & co have started thinking about potential replacements, and according to a report from Spain, Tottenham are now seriously considering a move for Barcelona legend Xavi, with the board tempted to make a change if results don’t improve by the end of next month.

The 45-year-old is ready to return to management, having been out of work since being sacked by Barcelona back in May 2024, and there is plenty of interest from within the Premier League, with Manchester United also considering him as a replacement for Ruben Amorim.

The north Londoners are yet to make contact with the Spaniard, but they are planning to do so if results don’t improve in the near future, and there are signs he could be an excellent replacement for Frank…

"Incredible" Xavi could be ideal Frank replacement

With O’Hara concerned the Tottenham job may be too big for the 52-year-old, it would make sense to bring in a manager with experience managing at the highest level, and the legendary former midfielder certainly fits the bill in that regard, having led Barcelona to the 2022-23 La Liga title.

Lauded as “incredible” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, the Terrassa-born manager, who prefers to implement an attacking 4-3-3 system, has won eight trophies across his managerial career, while Frank is yet to lift any silverware.

Jamie O'Hara loses it with Xavi Simons after what Tottenham star did in Fulham defeat

The summer signing was one of many underwhelming performers.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 29, 2025

As such, Xavi could be an ideal replacement for Frank, who should be on very thin ice, given that recent performances have been way below standard from an attacking point of view.

The New York Yankees were unsuccessful in their attempt to re-sign Juan Soto in free agency, a pursuit which ultimately cost them the opportunity to potentially lure Blake Snell to the Bronx.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke to reporters at the winter meetings and acknowledged Snell's five-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He explained that the deal came together quickly and that New York was unable to submit a bid for the left-hander until they had an idea of what Soto was going to do.

"I told him I can't make an offer until I know what's going on with Soto first because I couldn't do both at that level," Cashman said of his conversation with Snell's agent Scott Boras, who also represents Soto.

Soto ultimately chose to swap allegiances and join the Mets, agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million deal, the richest in sports history. Reports say the Yankees submitted a bid worth $760 million over 16 seasons for Soto, but he turned them down. Had he been willing to return to the Yankees, the team would likely have been out on Snell.

While New York was still honed in on Soto, the Dodgers moved quickly to sign Snell and bolster their pitching rotation.

Mason Mount’s magnificent effort and a first Old Trafford goal for Benjamin Sesko secured Manchester United a 2-0 victory against Sunderland that helps ease the pressure on Ruben Amorim.

The under-fire Portuguese head coach headed into his 50th match as Red Devils boss in the spotlight after last weekend’s bruising 3-1 loss at Brentford.

But Amorim’s side responded well in wet and windy conditions against promoted Sunderland, with first-half goals from Mount and Sesko sealing a much-needed victory before the international break.

Asked about a public show of support from Mount, the United boss told reporters after the game: “I saw (that) today and I know they want to do their best – and I know they don’t want to change the coach all the time.

“But, like I said during this week, to be with the manager is ‘I will kill myself to go in every transition’. We need to show with actions.

“And sometimes when we look at our team I know for sure that when we see the games in the end they know that sometimes we can do better.

“So, I feel that during the week but we need to show that on the pitch, not just at home but also away.”

Sunderland meanwhile won’t be too worried by their start to the season despite the defeat, heading into the second international break of the season in the top half of the table with 11 points from their first seven games.

“They [United] scored twice then after that it became another game,” Regis Le Bris told BBC.

“We changed our shape to make a one-v-one game, it was a bit chaotic but at least we were back in the game. We were not strong enough to create chances today, only at the end.”

The Black Cats thought they had a route back into the game when a penalty was given for what appeared to be a kick to Trai Hume’s face, only for VAR to intervene as replays showed minimal contact. But that was not the only moment of controversy in and around the United box.

Ref watch react to Bertrand Traore's yellow card for diving

Bertrand Traore made his first start for Sunderland since joining from Ajax in a £2.5m move this summer, and charged through on goal before being sandwiched between debutant goalkeeper Senne Lammens and Bruno Fernandes.

Carragher spots Newcastle star play underrated role in Bruno's Nottingham Forest screamer

The Magpies cruised to victory in the end…

ByBen Goodwin Oct 6, 2025

While it would have certainly been a soft penalty, referee Stuart Attwell went beyond just ignoring the shouts from the Burkina Faso international and booked him for simulation.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ ref watch show on Monday morning, former PGMOL man Dermot Gallagher revealed Attwell should have taken the third option: do nothing.

يرى أحمد أبو مسلم لاعب الأهلي السابق، أن ارتفاع عقود اللاعبين سبب رئيسي في تراجع نتائج الفريق خلال الفترة الأخيرة من الدوري الممتاز.

وكان الأهلي قد تعادل سلبيًا مع نظيره المصري البورسعيدي، بالأمس بدون أهداف في الجولة الـ13 من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع.. مجموعة الأهلي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا 2025-2026

وقال أبو مسلم في تصريحات على راديو ميجا إف إم: “هناك مشاكل كبيرة في الأهلي، مثلا ارتفاع عقود اللاعبين جعلهم ينظرون لبعضهم البعض، وهناك عدم سيطرة على أوضة اللبس، والأهلي يعاني من خط الدفاع بعد رحيل محمد عبد المنعم ورامي ربيعة، واشرف داري لم يفيد الأهلي بسبب إصاباته المتكررة”.

وأضاف: “هناك أزمة في الجبهة اليسرى واليمنى أيضا للأهلي، ولا بد أن يشارك محمد شكري بصورة أساسية، فالأهلي يعاني من مركز الظهير الأيسر بعد رحيل معلول والدبيس، ولا بد من إتاحه الفرصة لمحمد شكري” 

وتابع: “جراديشار ليس على مستوى النادي الأهلي ولديه نواقص فنية كبيرة، وإهدار الفرص مسؤولية التدعيم الخاطئ في الهجوم بعد رحيل وسام أبو علي، ولا بد النظر إلى ما يقدمه فيستون مايلي مع بيراميدز مقارنة بمهاجمي الأهلي في الوقت الحالي، والأزمة عند الأهلي في اللاعبين وليس في الجهاز الفني”.

وتابع: “أفشة أزمته نفسية وتراجع مستواه مع ديانج بسبب التهميش من الجهاز الفني، ويجب منح الفرصة لمحمد عبد الله على حساب زيزو، وانظروا مع فعله جوزيه مع حسام عاشور، عندما كان لاعبا صاعدا فتم استبعاد لاعبين كبار مثل حسام غالي من أجل مشاركة لاعبين صاعدين مثل حسام عاشور في التشكيل الأساسي”.

Jack White takes 4 for 33 on T20 debut as Joe Clarke’s half-century goes in vain

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Jun-2025

Dawid Malan hit his third consecutive Vitality Blast half-century as Yorkshire, having lost their first three North Group matches, defeated Notts Outlaws by nine runs at Trent Bridge, seamer Jack White taking 4 for 33 on his T20 debut.With Adam Lyth making 29 from 21 and Matt Revis 27 not out from 22, Malan’s 58 from 29 balls helped Yorkshire post 175 for 8.After Malan and Lyth had put on 83 in 45 balls for the first wicket they may have hoped for a few more with left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White (2 for 24 from four) and pace duo Dillon Pennington (2 for 29) and Daniel Sams (2 for 31) limiting the damage thereafter.Yet the target still proved beyond the Outlaws in the face of a tidy performance across the board by Yorkshire’s bowlers, led by 33-year-old former Northamptonshire man White, home skipper Joe Clarke making 50 and Freddie McCann 31 but no other batter passed 20.After winning the toss and opting to bat, Yorkshire had been 75 without loss in the opening powerplay, Lyth lofting Matt Montgomery and Sams for leg-side sixes before Malan did likewise to Pennington and Conor McKerr, the latter conceding 22 runs in his first over.Pennington broke the partnership on 83 in the eighth when Lyth, reaching, was caught at cover, Malan departing in the next when he hammered a third six over backward square off McKerr but was caught and bowled off a leading edge next ball.Three wickets in eight balls then tilted the balance towards Outlaws as James Wharton swiped Calvin Harrison straight to deep midwicket and Liam Patterson-White snaffled two in the same over – Harry Duke caught behind and Will Luxton on the midwicket boundary.From 121 for 5, Revis and Will Sutherland added 35 but Sams collected a steepling return catch to remove his fellow Australian and had Jafar Chohan taken at extra cover, conceding just 11 in his last two overs. In between, Dom Bess – reprieved when given out caught behind off a pad – was caught at midwicket.After losing Lyndon James (bowled) and Jack Haynes (caught cover) from consecutive Jack White deliveries in the opening over of their reply, Outlaws recovered to 67 for 2 from six. Clarke and McCann added 63 in 32 balls before the latter top-edged to cover for 31 off 18 trying to reverse-hit leg-spinner Chohan.On track at 91 for 3 from 10, Outlaws suffered a major blow when Clarke, having just completed his fifty with a fifth four to go with two sixes off White and a third off Lyth, holed out to long-off off Bess, with Tom Moores (19 off 22) caught at long-on off White in the next over. Matt Montgomery perished in similar fashion off Will O’Rourke in a tight over that left the home side, six down, needing 55 from the last 30 balls.Back-to-back sixes by Sams off Bess briefly raised home hopes but he fell when he drove the next ball straight back to the bowler, Chohan immediately snaring his second as Patterson-White picked out long-off.After the last over arrived with Notts still needing 17, White made McKerr his fourth victim, conceding only seven more runs.