Azeem Rafiq’s reflections on Jonny Bairstow’s Test landmark

Azeem Rafiq’s reflections on Jonny Bairstow’s Test landmark
England’s Jonny Bairstow bats on the first day of the fifth and final test match between England and India in Dharamshala, India, Thursday, Mar. 7, 2024. (AP Photo)
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Updated 07 March 2024
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Azeem Rafiq’s reflections on Jonny Bairstow’s Test landmark

Azeem Rafiq’s reflections on Jonny Bairstow’s Test landmark
  • In the triumphant 2019 ODI World Cup campaign England was indebted to Jonny Bairstow’s back-to-back centuries in the group stage against India and New Zealand that propelled the team into the semi-finals

LONDON: Against the dramatic background of the Himalayas, Jonny Bairstow is playing in his 100th Test match for England at Dharamsala. This makes him the 17th Englishman to achieve that feat, the most recent of whom was Ben Stokes in February 2024, also against India. In the team are Joe Root, now with 140 Tests and James Anderson, who is playing in his 187th, second only to Sachin Tendulkar, with 200. Prior to this match, 72 players have reached the landmark, 10 of them appearing in more than 150 Tests. In a remarkable coincidence, Ravichandran Ashwin of India is also making his 100th Test appearance in the match, and on Feb. 8 two New Zealand players, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, will reach the landmark against Australia.

Bairstow made his debut for England in 2012 at Lords against the West Indies, having made his One Day International debut Sept. 16, 2011, against India at Cardiff. His breakthrough into first class cricket came in June 2009, when he made his debut for Yorkshire against Somerset at Leeds. He top-scored in the second innings with an unbeaten 82. In Somerset’s second innings, Yorkshire’s wicketkeeper was injured and Bairstow took over the role, claiming four catches.

Someone who witnessed that debut was Azeem Rafiq, who was 12th man for the team, having made his own debut for the county in the previous month. I spoke with Rafiq about his experience of playing with and sharing time with Bairstow. He was full of admiration and lavish with praise for Bairstow and his achievements. These have been made against a backdrop of challenges. It is well documented that he lost his father, David, at the age of eight in tragic circumstances. Bairstow senior had been a wicketkeeper/batter for Yorkshire for 20 years, playing four times for England.

Azeem was quite clear that Bairstow is a seriously talented and gifted athlete, with very high levels of skill across a number of sports, including football and rugby. He is also clear in his view that Bairstow has been underrated. Rafiq thinks “it is unfair that Bairstow has been questioned so much and has had to prove himself so often.” From the outside, Bairstow portrays a pugnacious personality. Rafiq sees this as a defence mechanism, saying that it must “be draining to continually have to prove himself and fight against the tide.”

At times, Bairstow gives the impression of being prickly. Rafiq says that, in reality, Bairstow is very human. “Yes, he does wear his heart on his sleeve, but there is no lack of authenticity with Jonny, he brings his whole self to work. Playing for England means the world to him, he loves the touring aspects of the job.”

Mark Ramprakash, a former coach to the England team, has written that he found working with Bairstow a challenge, not because he did anything wrong but that he prepared in a spontaneous and instinctive way. Rafiq’s view is that Bairstow “has an inner steel, a confidence in his own ability, is very driven and works hard in silence, all of which shapes his approach to training and preparation.”

Rafiq was also keen to point out that Bairstow has a level of performance across all three formats of the game which should be the envy of many. Only three cricketers have played one hundred times for their country in each of the formats — Tests, ODIs and T20Is. They are Ross Taylor of New Zealand, Virat Kohli of India and David Warner of Australia. Another one, Tim Southee of New Zealand, will be added on Feb. 8. Jonny Bairstow has played in 100 Tests, 170 ODIs and 70 T20Is.

During his 99 Test matches, Bairstow has scored twelve centuries. The first, an unbeaten 150, was scored at Newlands, Cape Town, in 2016. The last one, an unbeaten 142, came in the defeat of India at Edgbaston in July 2022.

It was scored in the second innings and followed another century by Bairstow in the first innings, 106 out a total of 284. He is one of 72 players to have scored a century in both innings of a Test match. In the first eight months of 2022, he scored 1,061 Test runs, including six centuries, a remarkable achievement. Then in September, in peak form, he suffered a freak, but career-threatening, ankle and leg injury which ruled him out of the 2022 T20 World Cup and all cricket until April 2023.

In some of the many articles written about Bairstow reaching the milestone in Tests, a question is raised as to whether it could be the last one for him. Here again is the constant picking away at his right to be in the team to which Rafiq has referred. Not only is this raised in relation to Bairstow’s batting, but also to his wicket keeping.

He is a specialist wicketkeeper/batter but has kept wicket in only just over half of his Test matches. When he first came into the Test team, he did not keep wicket. The first opportunity came in December 2013, but it was another two years before he was made first choice keeper, a position that he has not always been able to retain. In the current tour of India, he is not keeping wicket.

Bairstow has produced some incredible highs in his career. In the triumphant 2019 ODI World Cup campaign England was indebted to his back-to-back centuries in the group stage against India and New Zealand that propelled the team into the semi-finals. Against this, critics allege a lack of consistency, a Test average of 36.4 and some indifferent wicketkeeping at times.

This makes it even more remarkable that Bairstow has reached the 100 Test landmark. Rafiq refers to Bairstow’s “resilience in abundance,” saying that the landmark is “an incredible achievement, a testimony to Jonny and his family on a journey that has not been easy, but which he hopes still has some way to run.”


Dodgers comeback stuns Yankees to seal World Series triumph

Dodgers comeback stuns Yankees to seal World Series triumph
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Dodgers comeback stuns Yankees to seal World Series triumph

Dodgers comeback stuns Yankees to seal World Series triumph
  • Dodgers sealed their second Major League Baseball championship crown in five seasons and eighth overall
  • The Yankees had looked poised to take the series back to Los Angeles for game six

NEW YORK: The Los Angeles Dodgers produced a stunning fightback to defeat the New York Yankees and clinch the World Series on Wednesday with a dramatic come-from-behind 7-6 victory.
On a night of spellbinding drama at Yankee Stadium, the Dodgers sealed their second Major League Baseball championship crown in five seasons and eighth overall after recovering from 5-0 down to complete a 4-1 series victory.
The Yankees, who had kept the series alive with an 11-4 rout in game four on Tuesday, had looked poised to take the series back to Los Angeles for game six after home runs from Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole meanwhile produced a masterful performance from the mound to keep the Dodgers’ potent offensive line-up scoreless through four innings.
But a catastrophic fifth inning by the Yankees, which included a litany of defensive errors, saw the Dodgers pile on five unearned runs to tie the score at 5-5.
Although the Yankees regained the lead through a Stanton sacrifice-fly in the sixth inning, the Dodgers hit back in the eighth with sac-flys of their own from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts to claim what turned out to be a winning 7-6 lead.
The Dodgers then brought back game three starter Walker Buehler to bag the final three outs in the ninth to clinch victory.
“Obviously (we’re) resilient, but there’s so much love in this clubhouse, care — that care won this game today,” said Dodgers star Betts. “That’s what it was. It was love, it was grit. It was just a beautiful thing and I’m just proud of us and I’m happy for us.”
Buehler meanwhile admitted he had not been expecting to play a part in the game.
“I wish I was in a little better shape so my heart could have handled it better,” the Dodgers pitcher said.
Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, who blasted four consecutive home runs in the opening four games of the series, was named Series Most Valuable Player.
“I think we were all saying the first three innings — ‘let’s just get one, just chip away, we can do this,’” said Freeman, who drove in two runs in the fifth inning rally with a single. “There’s a couple of mistakes that happened, you’ve got to capitalize.”
The Dodgers had gone into Wednesday’s game quietly confident, with victorious game one starter Jack Flaherty back on the mound.
But Flaherty’s eve-of-Halloween outing turned into a horror show as the revived Yankees bats cut loose to leave the Dodgers reeling.
Judge crushed a two-run homer in the first inning and then Chisholm followed it with a solo shot to put the Yankees 3-0 ahead, before Alex Verdugo drove in a run for Anthony Volpe to make it 4-0 in the second, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to remove Flaherty.
Stanton’s third inning solo home run made it a five-run game but after that dream start, the wheels fell off in the fifth.
Enrique Hernandez launched the Dodgers rally with a single to lead off the inning and then Tommy Edman was given a reprieve when Judge flubbed a catch in center-field that left the Dodgers with two men on base and no outs.
The Dodgers loaded the bases after an error from Volpe, the Yankees shortstop’s throw to third base hitting the dirt.
The Yankees appeared to have stopped the bleeding after Cole struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani in quick succession.
But a terrible mix-up between Cole and first baseman Anthony Rizzo allowed Betts to single and score Hernandez to make it 5-1.
Freeman then took full advantage, doubling to score Edman and Will Smith to make it 5-3 with runners on first and third.
Teoscar Hernandez then drove a double to center-field to bring in two more runs and the game was suddenly tied at 5-5.
The Yankees reclaimed the lead in the sixth when Stanton flied out to deep center-field to bring home Juan Soto to leave the Yankees 6-5 up as the game headed to the late innings.
But the Dodgers conjured another rally, with Lux and Betts bagging sac-flys to snatch a one-run lead at 7-6, leaving Buehler to close out victory in the ninth.


Copa del Rey games and other sporting events postponed after deadly floods devastate southern Spain

Copa del Rey games and other sporting events postponed after deadly floods devastate southern Spain
Updated 31 October 2024
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Copa del Rey games and other sporting events postponed after deadly floods devastate southern Spain

Copa del Rey games and other sporting events postponed after deadly floods devastate southern Spain
  • The Spanish league planned to postpone all weekend matches in the Valencia region, including those of Valencia against Real Madrid and Villarreal against Rayo Vallecano
  • Clubs, soccer stars and other athletes — including Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Diego Simeone and Thibaut Courtois — posted messages of support on social media
  • Both Madrid and Barcelona held a moment of silence before their training sessions on Wednesday

VALENCIA, Spain: The Copa del Rey matches involving Valencia and Levante have been postponed following floods that have killed at least 95 people and caused havoc in southern Spain.

Other sporting events were also affected by Tuesday’s flash floods that swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.

The Spanish league planned to postpone all weekend matches in the Valencia region, including those of Valencia against Real Madrid and Villarreal against Rayo Vallecano. Three second-division games also were expected to be postponed.

Clubs, soccer stars and other athletes — including Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Diego Simeone and Thibaut Courtois — posted messages of support on social media.

“Real Madrid is deeply saddened and expresses its solidarity with all the people affected by this catastrophe, to whom it conveys all its full support and sympathy,” the club said.

Both Madrid and Barcelona held a moment of silence before their training sessions on Wednesday.

Spanish tennis players Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz both joined in the messages of support, as did Formula One driver Carlos Sainz.

“Today was a sad day with the suffering and pain caused by the (floods),” Nadal said on X. “Everyone’s hearts are hurting seeing those images.”

Valencia was set to play Parla Escuela in the first round of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, while Levante was scheduled to visit Pontevedra.

Other midweek Copa games in the southern region were canceled as well.

The season-ending MotoGP race in Valencia in two weeks was also in doubt after reports of heavy damage caused by the floods at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo.

Some basketball games also had to be rescheduled as travel was affected throughout Spain.

Rainstorms that started Tuesday and continued Wednesday caused flooding across southern and eastern Spain, stretching from Malaga to Valencia. Muddy torrents tumbled vehicles down streets at high speeds while debris and household items swirled in the water. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and rubber boats to reach drivers stranded atop cars.


Musiala scores a hat trick as Bayern Munich beat Mainz 4-0 in German Cup

Musiala scores a hat trick as Bayern Munich beat Mainz 4-0 in German Cup
Updated 31 October 2024
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Musiala scores a hat trick as Bayern Munich beat Mainz 4-0 in German Cup

Musiala scores a hat trick as Bayern Munich beat Mainz 4-0 in German Cup
  • After scoring his first on a slick team move assisted by Harry Kane, Musiala made sure he was in the right place at the right time for his other goals
  • The ease of the win underlined Bayern’s return to the sort of domestic dominance it is used to in Germany after a trophyless 2023-24 season
  • Eintracht Frankfurt played almost all of the game with 10 men but still beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1

MAINZ, Germany: Jamal Musiala scored a first-half hat trick as Bayern Munich reached the third round of the German Cup in a 4-0 win over Mainz on Wednesday.

Bayern were never seriously tested after Musiala opened the scoring less than 90 seconds into the game.

The ease of the win underlined Bayern’s return to the sort of domestic dominance it is used to in Germany after a trophyless 2023-24 season, even if their Champions League campaign has been less impressive.

After scoring his first on a slick team move assisted by Harry Kane, Musiala made sure he was in the right place at the right time for his other goals.

The second came on the rebound when a Kane shot was saved and Musiala completed his hat trick with Bayern’s fourth goal of the game, a tap-in when Konrad Laimer’s cross deflected off two Mainz players. Shortly before that, Leroy Sané had scored Bayern’s third goal on a flowing counterattack that began in his team’s own penalty area.

In Wednesday’s other games, Union Berlin have been on the rise again in the Bundesliga but had an early cup exit with a 2-0 loss to third-division Arminia Bielefeld.

Eintracht Frankfurt played almost all of the game with 10 men but still beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 on goals from forward Hugo Ekitike and Omar Marmoush.

Frankfurt were without defender Arthur Theate from the 15th minute after his handball saw him red-carded for the second game in a row. Theate was sent off in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Union Berlin but the suspension didn’t carry over to the cup.

Heidenheim was upset 2-1 by second-division Hertha Berlin. Heidenheim thought it had done enough to go to extra time when Paul Wanner headed in a last-second equalizer, but it was ruled out for an apparent foul in the buildup.

Other Bundesliga teams progressed as Werder Bremen knocked out Paderborn 1-0, Freiburg saw off Hamburger SV 2-1 and Hoffenheim knocked out Nuremberg 2-1.


Man Utd hit five to start life after Ten Hag, Man City out of League Cup

Man Utd hit five to start life after Ten Hag, Man City out of League Cup
Updated 31 October 2024
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Man Utd hit five to start life after Ten Hag, Man City out of League Cup

Man Utd hit five to start life after Ten Hag, Man City out of League Cup
MANCHESTER: — Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed a winning start as interim Manchester United manager by beating Leicester 5-2 to reach the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday as Manchester City crashed out 2-1 to Tottenham.
Arsenal and Liverpool were among the other sides to book their place in the last eight, but Chelsea were beaten 2-0 at Newcastle.
A United legend as a player, Van Nistelrooy was thrust into the role of caretaker boss after the Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday following a dreadful start to the season.
Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim is the man the English giants have targeted to take over but are still in negotiations with the Portuguese champions to agree compensation for the 39-year-old.
According to reports in Portugal, Amorim will remain at Sporting for the next three matches before completing his move during the November international break.
“I came here as an assistant to help the club. I’m helping as long as I’m needed and in the future, in any capacity, I’m here to help the club build toward the future,” said Van Nistelrooy.
“The reaction of the players was excellent. They deserve the credit for a good win and I’m happy the crowd goes home with a nice night of football.”
The Dutchman said before the game that United “can be unstoppable” when “players, staff and supporters pull together” and they cut loose by scoring four times in a thrilling first 45 minutes.
Casemiro’s stunning effort into the top corner opened the scoring before Alejandro Garnacho swept home Diogo Dalot’s cross to please a jubilant Van Nistelrooy on the touchline.
Bilal El Khannouss quickly pulled a goal back for the much-changed Foxes.
Bruno Fernandes’ deflected free-kick restored United’s two-goal cushion before Casemiro slammed home his third goal in two games.
Conor Coady grabbed another consolation for Leicester but United were not to be denied just a second win in nine games.
Fernandes rounded off the scoring when he pounced on a short back-pass to round Danny Ward and fire home.
United’s reward is a trip to Tottenham in the last eight after they eliminated a City side without Erling Haaland.
Timo Werner slotted home his first goal since March from Dejan Kulusevski’s inviting cross to open the scoring.
Pape Sarr’s long-range strike doubled Spurs’ lead before Matheus Nunes got an injury-hit City back into the tie in first-half stoppage time.
But they could not find an equalizer and Pep Guardiola showed where his priorities lie as Haaland remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes.

Cody Gakpo was the match-winner for Liverpool in a 3-2 win at Brighton to continue Arne Slot’s excellent start to life with the Reds.
Gakpo has not scored in the Premier League or Champions League this season but now has four goals in two League Cup games.
The Dutch international was ruthless with two powerful finishes cutting inside onto his right foot from the left wing.
Luis Diaz was also on target for Liverpool, while Simon Adingra and Tariq Lamptey struck late on for Brighton.
Liverpool are away to Southampton in December’s quarter-finals.
Teenager Ethan Nwaneri caught the eye with a sensational strike as Arsenal eased to a 3-0 win at Championship side Preston.
Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz got the other goals for the Gunners.
Arsenal host Crystal Palace, who beat Aston Villa 2-1, in the quarters.
Newcastle gained revenge for their Premier League defeat at Chelsea at the weekend to ease the pressure on manager Eddie Howe.
The Saudi-backed Magpies are winless in five in the league, but are desperate to end a 55-year wait to win a major trophy.
Alexander Isak’s strike and an Axel Disasi own goal inside three first-half minutes proved decisive at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle will fancy their chances of making the last four after being handed a home draw against Brentford.

Excitement builds for SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024

Excitement builds for SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024
Updated 30 October 2024
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Excitement builds for SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024

Excitement builds for SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024
  • Final preparations underway at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which will host the motorsport event on Nov. 29 and 30
  • It includes the latest rounds of 2 top competitions: the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe and the GT4 European Series

JEDDAH: With less than a month to go, final preparations are underway at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024, which will feature the latest rounds of two prominent motorsport competitions: the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS and the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club.

The circuit, described as the fastest street circuit in the world, will host the event on Nov. 29 and 30. It includes a six-hour, 1,000 kilometer race, in which 55 cars will compete. It is the second-longest event, in terms of distance, in the Fanatec GT World Challenge after the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa race in Belgium. The Jeddah event will also feature a 50-car, 250 kilometer GT4 contest.

The races will feature top drivers from many of the world’s leading manufacturers, including Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG, BMW M Sport, Audi Sport and Ford. The SAL Jeddah GT Race is a new addition to the international championship calendar this year.