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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Test summers are the sunshine-shaped bookmarks of our lives
The first Test of an English summer always has a certain frisson – who is shaping up and who might be shipping out? Will that debutant be able to make his mark? Will that old-timer still be able to cut it? Anticipation builds and the news cycle swirls in the run-up. Now here it is, the opening act. High summer lies ahead, ready to spill its stories like when they slice open the shark in Jaws. Look – is that a Ben Duckett double century next to that number plate? And over there, is that … it is – Farhan Ahmed poking out from behind that chewed rubber dinghy with a five-fer on Test debut. How has that happened? Advertisement Related: Bring back that Bazball feeling: McCullum wants England to reconnect with fans The first home Test summer I can vividly remember was the six-match visit from West Indies in 1995. Angus Fraser had been eschewed for the first game at Headingley and my seven-year-old self became weirdly invested in the performance of a blond and ruddy-faced Lancashire seamer picked to make his Test debut. When the images of Peter Martin pinning Richie Richardson lbw beamed out of my parents' cube-sized Grundig telly, I remember the surge of joy in that living room hitting me purer than any shiny football sticker swap or playground haul of Pogs ever had or would since. Of course, when you are a kid and cricket is on terrestrial television this stuff is so much easier. Finishing primary school in the early afternoon, you could be plonked on the rug with a sliced apple and a session and a half of play still to unfold. As the years pass and you grow older though, pesky old life gets in the way of hazy, lazy unadulterated stretches of Test viewing. Unless you're a student, obviously, or a new parent who has somehow aligned the scheduling stars and wound up with a newborn at the start of a winter tour. Or if you have somehow managed to wangle it to be your job. For the rest, though, those Thursday starts are a pain, eh? What with all that annoying 'work' getting in the way and a manager/team who inexplicably don't seem to be bothered about whether Sam Cook will jag the new Dukes and be quick enough on his Test debut or even whether Zak Crawley's Teflon coating might finally wear through? Advertisement Where do these people get off organising meetings for 11am? No matter, you've got your methods, your strategies. You've been in good form during the first months of the County Championship, honing your skills for the first Test. You do what the teenagers do and surreptitiously use an ear bud so you can tune in to Test Match Special on the sly. Do not – repeat NOT – start tapping your tea mug with your teaspoon when Soul Limbo kicks in, have some self-control. Play the long game. It's Test cricket for God's sake, show some grit and determination! Wait, who are you calling old-fashioned? Open up your tabs on your desktop. Go on, fire up that trusty out-of-date spreadsheet ready to cover the over-by-over and live text alerts with the flick of a shortcut key should someone walk past. Concentrate. Use your process. 'Be where your mouse is.' This thing could be over in an instant. Get your head down. Take each ball at a time. Throwing air punches and pounding your hot-desk because Josh Tongue has been picked in the starting XI … what are you? An amateur? You'll give the game away before the coin has even been tossed. Ah I see, you're embracing the danger, running towards it even – propped up behind a lever-arch file and an empty coffee cup – is that SkyGo on your phone? You maniac – I love it. When you reach a certain age you start to measure your life in Test match summers; they serve as timestamps, sunshine-shaped bookmarks. Ten years after my Peter Martin infatuation, it is 2005 and every run that pings across the Lord's turf from Marcus Trescothick's blade in the first Test of the summer gives hope that something special might be on the cards. Sure, this was 'just' Bangladesh and a snarling Australia lie in wait but England look primed and ready. Maybe they could actually do it this time. Advertisement A few weeks later, at Lord's once more, and Steve Harmison has Justin Langer hopping about like a toddler who needs a wee and Ricky Ponting is spilling claret all over the crease on the first morning of the Ashes. Maybe they could. In the days after the first Test of the 2023 Ashes I bumped into a former teacher of mine in the street, Mr S: 30 years apart in age, we were both giddily reminiscing about Zak Crawley's sonic-boom cover drive off Pat Cummins to get the series under way. He was comparing it to Michael Slater's rasping cut shot that served as a similar first-ball portent in the 1994 Ashes. England went on to lose the match but Mr S and I both agreed that the next few weeks would be unmissable. He was one of those teachers for whom you always wanted to work hard. To make proud. In the 20 years since I had left school we would often bump into each other like this and swap life updates on the pavement amid the sporting digressions and song recommendations. The other day I was at a social occasion surreptitiously following the cricket on my phone when it rang in my hand. My dad told me that Mr S had died suddenly. Far too young, far too cruel. Another English summer of Test cricket begins on Thursday. Another timestamp. Another sunshine-shaped bookmark that will, for me, glow a little duller than the rest. When the first ball is sent down at Trent Bridge, I'll think of him. Raza not missing out on England Sikandar Raza's skills with bat and ball have put him in demand for a frankly eye-watering number of teams around the world. From Montreal Tigers to Tshwane Spartans, back to Matebeleland Tuskers and on to Trinbago Knight Riders by way of Chittagong Kings, Manchester Originals, Seattle Orcas and, well, Northamptonshire. An Indiana Jones-style red line follows Raza as he circumnavigates the globe with his Mr Benn kitbag. Like plenty of modern-day cricketers his carbon footprint comes with added bunions. Advertisement Franchise commitments meant Raza missed out on Zimbabwe's recent Tests against Bangladesh and Ireland but he wasn't going to miss out on a chance to take on England for the first time in what he called on X last week a 'historic' Test match. 'National duty is the top priority for me and once picked I will honor and fulfil it,' he said. Raza has been around the block enough times to know that there will be plenty of eyeballs on this game and it'll be worth the air miles and the creak of jet lag to get a score against England in a Test. Raza's global hotfooting reminded me of a story Peter Lever told me about his Lancashire teammate Barry Wood's 'longest bloody duck in history' on England's tour of New Zealand in 1975. Wood was called up as a last-minute batting replacement and flew 'around the world about twice' to get from West Indies – where he was doing some coaching during the English winter – to Auckland in time for the first Test. Lever recalled, through waves of laughter, about how Wood basically landed in his whites after two days of solid travel and more or less headed straight out to the middle to bat. Inevitably, he was out to his very first ball. Richard Hadlee could smell the jet lag on him and made no mistake picking up a cheap Test scalp. A lot of air miles had culminated in a golden duck. 'All the other lads ran out of the changing room and left me on me own with Barry coming back in an almighty rage. I sat stock still as he entered and looked as if he was about to start trashing the place … ' Lever caught Wood's eye. 'There was a split-second and then we both just burst out laughing – we were on our knees in fits of giggles! During a Test match. It was ridiculous!' Quote of the week Now's the time where we shoot for the stars' – Brendon McCullum is clear on the direction of travel he wants his England Test side to take with India and Australia on the horizon. Memory lane In an Ashes summer, England's one and only victory against Allan Border's 1993 vintage – the sixth Test at the Oval – shows the power of the desperate: right, we've nothing to lose, so it's time for Plan B. Four Tests down (Trent Bridge a draw) England drafted in Devon Malcolm, Angus Fraser and Steve Watkin, with Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash introduced to gee up the batting. And it worked, the newbie attack sharing all 20 wickets, with Fraser taking his eighth and last wicket just after the start of the final hour's play, when he had Shane Warne lbw. England won by 161 runs, ending a fallow run of nine losses and a draw in 10 Tests and a gaping void of more than six and a half years since their last victory over Australia. Still want more? The 2005 Ashes was a hugely important time for cricket, both for the result and what followed, writes Taha Hashim. Advertisement Andy Bull looks at Zimbabwe's return to England and the changes the country and cricket team have undergone. Zimbabwe's Sean Williams tells Simon Burnton: 'It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs – mainly downs.' And Ali Martin has this exclusive about Virat Kohli possibly making his way to Middlesex. Contact The Spin … . … by writing to In? To subscribe to The Spin, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Test summers are the sunshine-shaped bookmarks of our lives
The first Test of an English summer always has a certain frisson – who is shaping up and who might be shipping out? Will that debutant be able to make his mark? Will that old-timer still be able to cut it? Anticipation builds and the news cycle swirls in the run-up. Now here it is, the opening act. High summer lies ahead, ready to spill its stories like when they slice open the shark in Jaws. Look – is that a Ben Duckett double century next to that number plate? And over there, is that … it is – Farhan Ahmed poking out from behind that chewed rubber dinghy with a five-fer on Test debut. How has that happened? The first home Test summer I can vividly remember was the six-match visit from West Indies in 1995. Angus Fraser had been eschewed for the first game at Headingley and my seven-year-old self became weirdly invested in the performance of a blond and ruddy-faced Lancashire seamer picked to make his Test debut. When the images of Peter Martin pinning Richie Richardson lbw beamed out of my parents' cube-sized Grundig telly, I remember the surge of joy in that living room hitting me purer than any shiny football sticker swap or playground haul of Pogs ever had or would since. Of course, when you are a kid and cricket is on terrestrial television this stuff is so much easier. Finishing primary school in the early afternoon, you could be plonked on the rug with a sliced apple and a session and a half of play still to unfold. As the years pass and you grow older though, pesky old life gets in the way of hazy, lazy unadulterated stretches of Test viewing. Unless you're a student, obviously, or a new parent who has somehow aligned the scheduling stars and wound up with a newborn at the start of a winter tour. Or if you have somehow managed to wangle it to be your job. For the rest, though, those Thursday starts are a pain, eh? What with all that annoying 'work' getting in the way and a manager/team who inexplicably don't seem to be bothered about whether Sam Cook will jag the new Dukes and be quick enough on his Test debut or even whether Zak Crawley's Teflon coating might finally wear through? Where do these people get off organising meetings for 11am? No matter, you've got your methods, your strategies. You've been in good form during the first months of the County Championship, honing your skills for the first Test. You do what the teenagers do and surreptitiously use an ear bud so you can tune in to Test Match Special on the sly. Do not – repeat NOT – start tapping your tea mug with your teaspoon when Soul Limbo kicks in, have some self-control. Play the long game. It's Test cricket for God's sake, show some grit and determination! Wait, who are you calling old-fashioned? Open up your tabs on your desktop. Go on, fire up that trusty out-of-date spreadsheet ready to cover the over-by-over and live text alerts with the flick of a shortcut key should someone walk past. Concentrate. Use your process. 'Be where your mouse is.' This thing could be over in an instant. Get your head down. Take each ball at a time. Throwing air punches and pounding your hot-desk because Josh Tongue has been picked in the starting XI … what are you? An amateur? You'll give the game away before the coin has even been tossed. Ah I see, you're embracing the danger, running towards it even – propped up behind a lever-arch file and an empty coffee cup – is that SkyGo on your phone? You maniac – I love it. When you reach a certain age you start to measure your life in Test match summers; they serve as timestamps, sunshine-shaped bookmarks. Ten years after my Peter Martin infatuation, it is 2005 and every run that pings across the Lord's turf from Marcus Trescothick's blade in the first Test of the summer gives hope that something special might be on the cards. Sure, this was 'just' Bangladesh and a snarling Australia lie in wait but England look primed and ready. Maybe they could actually do it this time. A few weeks later, at Lord's once more, and Steve Harmison has Justin Langer hopping about like a toddler who needs a wee and Ricky Ponting is spilling claret all over the crease on the first morning of the Ashes. Maybe they could. In the days after the first Test of the 2023 Ashes I bumped into a former teacher of mine in the street, Mr S: 30 years apart in age, we were both giddily reminiscing about Zak Crawley's sonic-boom cover drive off Pat Cummins to get the series under way. He was comparing it to Michael Slater's rasping cut shot that served as a similar first-ball portent in the 1994 Ashes. England went on to lose the match but Mr S and I both agreed that the next few weeks would be unmissable. He was one of those teachers for whom you always wanted to work hard. To make proud. In the 20 years since I had left school we would often bump into each other like this and swap life updates on the pavement amid the sporting digressions and song recommendations. The other day I was at a social occasion surreptitiously following the cricket on my phone when it rang in my hand. My dad told me that Mr S had died suddenly. Far too young, far too cruel. Another English summer of Test cricket begins on Thursday. Another timestamp. Another sunshine-shaped bookmark that will, for me, glow a little duller than the rest. When the first ball is sent down at Trent Bridge, I'll think of him. Sikandar Raza's skills with bat and ball have put him in demand for a frankly eye-watering number of teams around the world. From Montreal Tigers to Tshwane Spartans, back to Matebeleland Tuskers and on to Trinbago Knight Riders by way of Chittagong Kings, Manchester Originals, Seattle Orcas and, well, Northamptonshire. An Indiana Jones-style red line follows Raza as he circumnavigates the globe with his Mr Benn kitbag. Like plenty of modern-day cricketers his carbon footprint comes with added bunions. Franchise commitments meant Raza missed out on Zimbabwe's recent Tests against Bangladesh and Ireland but he wasn't going to miss out on a chance to take on England for the first time in what he called on X last week a 'historic' Test match. 'National duty is the top priority for me and once picked I will honor and fulfil it,' he said. Raza has been around the block enough times to know that there will be plenty of eyeballs on this game and it'll be worth the air miles and the creak of jet lag to get a score against England in a Test. Raza's global hotfooting reminded me of a story Peter Lever told me about his Lancashire teammate Barry Wood's 'longest bloody duck in history' on England's tour of New Zealand in 1975. Wood was called up as a last-minute batting replacement and flew 'around the world about twice' to get from West Indies – where he was doing some coaching during the English winter – to Auckland in time for the first Test. Lever recalled, through waves of laughter, about how Wood basically landed in his whites after two days of solid travel and more or less headed straight out to the middle to bat. Inevitably, he was out to his very first ball. Richard Hadlee could smell the jet lag on him and made no mistake picking up a cheap Test scalp. A lot of air miles had culminated in a golden duck. 'All the other lads ran out of the changing room and left me on me own with Barry coming back in an almighty rage. I sat stock still as he entered and looked as if he was about to start trashing the place … ' Lever caught Wood's eye. 'There was a split-second and then we both just burst out laughing – we were on our knees in fits of giggles! During a Test match. It was ridiculous!' Now's the time where we shoot for the stars' – Brendon McCullum is clear on the direction of travel he wants his England Test side to take with India and Australia on the horizon. In an Ashes summer, England's one and only victory against Allan Border's 1993 vintage – the sixth Test at the Oval – shows the power of the desperate: right, we've nothing to lose, so it's time for Plan B. Four Tests down (Trent Bridge a draw) England drafted in Devon Malcolm, Angus Fraser and Steve Watkin, with Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash introduced to gee up the batting. And it worked, the newbie attack sharing all 20 wickets, with Fraser taking his eighth and last wicket just after the start of the final hour's play, when he had Shane Warne lbw. England won by 161 runs, ending a fallow run of nine losses and a draw in 10 Tests and a gaping void of more than six and a half years since their last victory over Australia. The 2005 Ashes was a hugely important time for cricket, both for the result and what followed, writes Taha Hashim. Andy Bull looks at Zimbabwe's return to England and the changes the country and cricket team have undergone. Zimbabwe's Sean Williams tells Simon Burnton: 'It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs – mainly downs.' And Ali Martin has this exclusive about Virat Kohli possibly making his way to Middlesex. . … by writing to To subscribe to The Spin, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Times
Farhan Ahmed is England's most promising spinner — since his brother
Two and a half years ago, Rehan Ahmed blazed a trail by becoming England's youngest men's Test debutant at the age of 18, but his achievements may soon be eclipsed by a member of his own family. Farhan Ahmed, his 17-year-old brother, has been identified as potentially a generational talent with a huge future ahead of him. Although Rehan, the Leicestershire spinner, went on to become the youngest Englishman to play in all three formats of international cricket, he has since lost his place in the Test and white-ball teams and many in the game are now tipping Farhan for a future in international cricket. Rehan is a leg spinner with some variations in his bowling, while Farhan is of the far less glamorous breed
The Herald Scotland
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Ben Duckett helps Division One leaders Nottinghamshire to victory over Sussex
Captain Haseeb Hameed made a sturdy 62no as the Rothesay County Championship Division One pace-setters hunted down a target of 148 for the loss of just one wicket to open up a 10-point lead at the top. Seventeen-year-old spinner Farhan Ahmed had earlier dismissed Sussex skipper John Simpson and Ollie Robinson to complete second-innings figures of four for 54. Defending champions Surrey also hurried to victory against Somerset, whose early-season woes continued at the Kia Oval. The Brown Caps skittled their visitors for 119 in less than 36 overs, with Dan Worrall and Jordan Clark taking three cheap wickets apiece, leaving a simple chase of 36. England vice-captain Ollie Pope was dismissed for one run for the second time in the match, a bump back to earth after a century last week, but international team-mate Jamie Smith was on hand to hitting the winning runs on his return to county cricket for an eight-wicket win. 𝗙𝗢𝗫𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗧! 🦊🦊🦊 We win an absolute thriller by two wickets, as Green (15*) smashes the winning runs. GET IN! 🥳🤩#Foxes🦊 — Leicestershire CCC 🦊 (@leicsccc) April 27, 2025 In Division Two, leaders Leicestershire came through nail-biting finish against Gloucestershire with a tense two-wicket success. The Foxes took eight for 63 as the home side lost their way with an under-par 152 all out. Ian Holland claimed four for 32 and the returning Josh Hull nabbed two more scalps on his comeback appearance. Pursuing a modest 143 for victory, Leicestershire squeaked home eight down, with a battling 47 from Ben Cox the decisive contribution. Dominic Goodman was unlucky to be on the losing side as he struck four times with the new ball to take his match tally to nine for 87.
Express Tribune
22-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Progress on financial revolution slows
Concerns about regulatory uncertainty, security risks and slow executions have made investors hesitant and without a clear and predictable framework, digital banks are finding it tough to attract long-term financial backing. photo: file Listen to article When the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) granted, in principle, approval to five digital retail banks in 2023, many hoped it would kick-start a much-needed financial revolution. The goal was simple; use technology to help millions without bank accounts, especially in rural areas, via promoting financial inclusion and providing credit access. However, the progress after one and a half year is sluggish and most of the digital banks are struggling to commence full operations. Until February 2025, only easypaisa digital bank has managed to obtain the country's first digital retail banking licence from the SBP. Industry experts say creating an ecosystem for digital banking in Pakistan will not be an easy ride as the digital and financial industry is grappling with weak technological systems and unclear plans, which ultimately lead to a slowdown in such revolutions. Digital banking needs strong internet, secure systems and smooth applications, but Pakistan's infrastructure is not ready. "Digital banking is not just an app, it's a complicated setup," said Farhan Ahmed, a fintech adviser. "Many licence holders lack systems to handle real-time transactions or protect user data," he added. Muhammad Ali Inayat, Chief Executive Officer of Kinverg, a Lahore-based cybersecurity company, highlighted another layer of complexity, ie, the mismatch between digital banking's target audience and Pakistan's connectivity realities. "The concept of digital banking is for those who live in remote areas and lack access to banks. They may have a smartphone, but not reliable internet," he said. "In Pakistan, it will be initially tough for digital banks to reach their target customers. Internet coverage in Gilgit-Baltistan, Skardu, Balochistan and other remote regions is inconsistent at best." Frequent internet outages and low smartphone use in villages force banks to focus on basics like improving network stability. One bank official said on condition of anonymity, "We are stuck bargaining with telecom companies instead of building services." Apart from connectivity issues, a lack of cohesive strategy among some licence holders has made the situation more confusing. The SBP's guidelines encouraged digital retail banks to target the underserved segments, including small businesses and women, but without a clear path to profitability, institutions are struggling to define their niche. As a result, investor confidence in Pakistan's digital banking sector has taken a hit and stakeholders claim that funding dropped 80% in 2023 to just $20 million. They said concerns about regulatory uncertainty, security risks and slow executions made investors hesitant and without a clear and predictable framework, digital banks were struggling to attract long-term financial backing. "There is disconnect between ambition and execution," said Mariam Khalid, a Karachi-based financial analyst. "Some players entered the race with unclear plans to disrupt traditional banking, but have not articulated how they will attract customers or differentiate their offerings. Are they focusing on microloans, remittances or saving products? Without answers, investors get nervous and timelines stretch," she added. This ambiguity has also impacted partnerships. Digital banks rely on collaborations with e-commerce platforms, telecom giants and logistic firms to expand reach. "Negotiations stall when there is no clarity on whose customer base they are tapping or how revenue will be shared," said the bank official. For those, who navigated the initial hurdles, operational complexities emerged as the final barrier, requiring them to handle a complexity of compliance checks, staffing challenges and last-minute regulatory adjustments. "The SBP's scrutiny is intense, as it should be," said a former central bank official. "However, the compliance process for digital banks is still evolving. Many applicants submitted their plans based on initial guidelines, only to find new requirements added later, like stricter anti-fraud measures or liquidity ratios," he added. Nevertheless, Inayat said that regulating such banks would be an uphill task for the SBP. "The central bank itself is in an evolutionary phase with this framework. They will identify risks and mitigate them slowly once operations go live," he said, adding "the good thing is that the SBP has recently created a sandbox to facilitate the financial institutions entering this space. We should hope for improvement, but progress may be slow."
