Latest news with #bowling
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
VOTE: Who is the Shore boys bowling No. 1 prospect among rising juniors?
Who is the Shore boys bowling No. 1 prospect among rising juniors (the Class of 2027)? Vote for your favorites on the ballot below. Voting will stay open through Aug. 14 at 10 p.m. If the poll does not immediately load, refresh the page. If you have had trouble voting in the app, try a mobile or desktop browser. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: VOTE: NJ Shore boys bowling top rising junior poll
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Kevin Pietersen is wrong to say batting was harder 20 years ago
Kevin Pietersen did not often bowl, although he first came to English attention when he represented KwaZulu Natal as an off-spinner on England's 1999-2000 tour of South Africa, but he has delivered some bouncers at Joe Root. Root in the course of his 150 at Old Trafford rose to second place in the all-time list of Test run-scorers. But this was not enough to impress Pietersen. Far from it. He declared, like a real old-timer, that batting was twice as hard back in his day. 'Don't shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago!' Pietersen posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. 'Probably twice as hard back then.' Pietersen names 22 bowlers of his time and dares the cricket follower of today to name 10 bowlers to compare with them. Of his contemporaries, he nominates four Australians: Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne; four Pakistanis in Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed; three Indians in Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Harbhajan Singh; three New Zealanders in Shane Bond, Chris Cairns and Daniel Vettori; three South Africans in Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and, bizarrely, Lance Klusener but not Dale Steyn; two Sri Lankans in Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan; and two West Indians in Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. A single England bowler was nominated by Pietersen in Darren Gough. His colleagues in the Ashes-winning attack of 2005 seem not to have impressed him. Most of the variable factors in Test cricket have changed little in this century: balls, pitches, DRS and so forth. The biggest change has been the impact of T20 – the first professional T20 tournament was started in England in 2003, by when Pietersen was starting out for Nottinghamshire. My interpretation, therefore, would be that Pietersen is wrong to say that the standard of pace bowling has gone down. The finest seamers today are a match for their equivalents of '20/25 years ago'. Don't shout at me but batting these days is way easier than 20/25 years ago! Probably twice as hard back then! Waqar, Shoaib, Akram, Mushtaq, Kumble, Srinath, Harbhajan, Donald, Pollock, Klusener, Gough, McGrath, Lee, Warne, Gillespie, Bond, Vettori, Cairns, Vaas, Murali,… — Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) July 26, 2025 'Please name me ten modern bowlers that can compare to the names above,' Pietersen goes on to say. Well, in that case, Australia's Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon can all compare; South Africa's Kagiso Rabada is up with his forebears, not bowling so fast but moving the ball more; Mark Wood and Jofra Archer have been timed as England's quickest ever; New Zealand's Will O'Rourke is a serious customer, as is Jayden Seales, even if West Indies are nowhere near what they were; while a case for Jasprit Bumrah being rated the best of all time has been made, although he has been down on pace in the Old Trafford Test. Where Pietersen is right, although he does not spell it out, is that the standard of finger-spin bowling in Test cricket has decreased, while that of wrist-spin has plummeted. And this is where T20 must have had its impact: spinners bowl a higher percentage of the overs in a T20 game than they do in a red-ball or Test match, but it is a different sort of spin: fired in, flat, at the batsman's legs, denying him room. It is a distant relation of flight and dip and turn and defeating the batsman past either inside or outside edge. The presence of finger-spinners in international cricket has faded. If the Test match is in Asia, they will have their say all right, but elsewhere? New Zealand and West Indies might not select one at home. Pakistan, to defeat England last autumn, had to dust down a couple of veterans. It is Lyon and South Africa's Keshav Maharaj who keep this show on the road outside Asia. Of wrist-spinners, Pietersen had to face Warne, Kumble and Mushtaq, and he might have added Yasir Shah who took five wickets per Test for Pakistan. Their successors are not visible, in England or anywhere else: India do not select Kuldeep Yadav, and while Afghanistan have Rashid Khan, they have been able to play only 11 Tests. England have been as culpable as any country in allowing spin to decline, whether in the county championship or the national side, and especially wrist-spin. In almost 150 years of Test cricket only one wrist-spinner has taken a hundred Test wickets for England, Doug Wright, and only one other has managed 50 wickets, Adil Rashid.
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Bigger issue is pressure from both ends: Trott weighs in on "unlucky" Bumrah's struggle
New Delhi: Former England star Jonathan Trott believes India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been "unlucky" against his former side in Manchester, and the lack of support from the other end has further hampered his chances of success in the fourth Test. Bumrah, with his usual swagger, looked threatening with the Dukes but failed to force a fault to push for a wicket in England's top five. He had to toil hard for his first wicket of the Test and eventually found it in the form of young Jamie Smith after 28 overs. Even when fortune didn't stand by Bumrah's side, being bereft of support augmented the burden on his shoulders. It was evident during the initial phase of England's innings, when he contained Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, but Anshul Kamboj heavily leaked boundaries on the leg side. "Bumrah's areas were pretty good, and his economy reflects that; he was just a bit unlucky. But the bigger issue is pressure from both ends. Bumrah benefits massively when there's support at the other end, and that wasn't the case today. When you're slightly under par as a bowling unit, like India were, control from both ends becomes crucial," Trott said as quoted from JioHotstar. Trott offered a solution to remedy the lack of pressure and felt it would be best for the 31-year-old to bowl in tandem with a spinner, either Ravindra Jadeja or Washington Sundar. "I'd have liked to see Bumrah bowl in tandem with spin from the other end, either Washington or Kuldeep, to build pressure. But with runs constantly leaking from the opposite side, England's batters didn't feel the kind of pressure we've seen Bumrah create in the past," he added. After the end of day three, England stood in a commanding position with 544/7 on the board and in possession of a healthy 186-run lead. With two days left to play, a draw or a defeat is slowly becoming the most plausible outcome. Despite the odds, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar doesn't see India settling for a draw but pushing for victory. "India won't be thinking of a draw, they'll be hoping for the sun to be out so they can pile on runs and put pressure back on England. The surface is showing signs of uneven bounce, so it could get tricky for some bowlers. Chris Woakes may not be as effective, but Ben Stokes will still need to bowl a lot of overs," he said. "Jofra Archer's tall action and ability to target the stumps could prove dangerous, especially if the ball stays low. And watch out for Liam Dawson, not necessarily for unplayable deliveries, but he'll play a crucial role in England's bowling strategy," he added.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: This summer camp offers people of determination safe space to interact since 1999
At an inclusive summer camp in Dubai for people of determination (POD), four-year old Nepalese boy Divyan Bajracharya, who has cerebral palsy, sits excitedly with other participants. Aided by his mother Ishwori, Divyan kicks the bowling ball and strikes down a few pins. Ecstatic with his first bowling experience, he conveys his joy through a lopsided grin and frantic hand gestures. Now, in its 26th year, this summer camp run by the Special Families Support Group (SFS) offers daytrips, community bonding to PODs and their family members. More than 100 participants are enrolled on the two-month camp held in July and August. Their first outing was attended by over 60 members. For Divyan and Ishwori, the day had started early. They first walked from their home in Bur Dubai to board the metro for an hour-long journey, culminating in a bus ride to reach the bowling centre. 'Divyan is very happy when he gets to go out. This summer camp experience along with the other SFS members feels like a family outing to me,' Ishwori, who is a single mother, shared with Khaleej Times. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Next to Divyan, patiently awaiting his turn was Mubashir Bahadur, 24, who took a day off from work to be part of the camp's first outing. The Indian expat with autism, was accompanied by both his parents. His mom, Fauzia shared that he has been a regular at the camp for the past few years. 'Although my son does not communicate much with others, he feels a sense of security among the familiar group of people at the camp. Last year, he enjoyed visiting the Butterfly Park in Sharjah, the Chillout Ice Lounge, in Dubai, and the Museum of Future,' she added. Safe space First founded in 1999, by Dubai resident Gulshan Kavarana, SFS offers a supportive and safe space for people with special needs and their families. Kavarana recollects that their first summer camp began with just 35 members at the Jumeirah home of a patron called Jeroo Gupta. 'Many families struggle to entertain their PODs during the scorching summer months. Some prefer not to travel due to the unique needs of their loved ones. Recognising these challenges, we introduced the summer camp in 1999,' said Kavarana. Initially, the camp was held in homes and later in schools, but eventually she and her group members realised that PODs mostly enjoyed outdoor visits. Now, the camp primarily involves outings to well-known fun places in the UAE. A significant aspect of the camp hinges on the generosity of the community, who selflessly arrange free access to several venues enabling a memorable trip for not only the special needs individuals but also for their siblings and other family members. 'When we started the camp, there were no POD cards. We would request venues for free entry, and most would oblige. For many families the camp is the highlight of the summer in the UAE. Over the years, along with participants from Dubai, many others joined in from Sharjah and Ajman,' Kavarana noted. Muhammad Hamza, 30, from Pakistan with mild intellectual disability, had been counting days to attend the bowling event. He had his bag packed days before the trip so that he would not miss the bus that would take him from his home in Ajman to the bowling venue. 'The summer camp is a great opportunity for him to explore interesting places in the UAE that he would otherwise be unable to visit,' said his mother, Shameem Akhtar. Where will they go? This year, the camp participants are scheduled to visit the newly opened House of Hype, the Museum of Candy, the Museum of Illusions, Aya Universe, Arte Museum, the Dubai Dolphinarium, among several other leisure spots. Preparations for the summer camp begin in May when volunteers start sending emails to venues to arrange entry tickets. For the past four years a majority of the organisational work has been handled by SFS member, Sharan Anil. Despite battling health challenges associated with muscular dystrophy, Sharan sends emails and makes follow-up phone calls from his adjustable bed. 'As I am unable to sit for more than two to three hours at a stretch due to the pressure sores in my body, I cannot attend the summer camp. Yet helping out with its management gives me immense motivation and satisfaction,' Sharan shared. Each outing of the camp is an invaluable experience for all the PODs. Being part of a community and engaging in recreation activities is vital for their well-being. Besides improving their physical and mental health, it boosts their self-esteem and gives them a sense of belonging. At the bowling event, Pakistani expat Savita Kumar, a volunteer and mother of teenager Eshaan with autism, pointed out: 'Thanks to the camp, my son is happily engaged through the summer months and not sitting isolated at home. Most of all in this inclusive group, there is no judgement of anyone's behaviour; instead, there is incredible support for each individual's needs.'
Times of Oman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
"We need support from other end as well....": Indian bowling coach on Bumrah's lack of new ball success in series
Manchester: Following a mixed bag day at work during the third day of the fourth Manchester Test against England, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel spoke on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's lack of success with the new ball during this series, pointing out on lack of support from other bowlers and failure to create pressure on batters from both ends. During the course of this series, Bumrah has taken a total of 13 wickets at an average of 26.69, with two five-wicket hauls. However, except for him removing openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett within first 30 overs, he has had a very little amount of success with the newer or a slightly used ball, with the wickets mostly coming when the ball got really old. Speaking about Bumrah's performance with the new ball this series, Morkel said, "I had a conversation with Bumrah's last night. He is obviously a guy who is highly skillful and he wants to create things for us with the ball." "But at the end of the day, we need support from the other end as well. And I think that is, you know, a big thing in this sort of bowling innings is that we are struggling to create. We are finding it hard to create pressure from both ends," he added. Morkel said that for Bumrah to be more successful, bowlers need to partner with him well, but the other bowlers are trying to go after wickets too much and end up leaking runs. "And, you know, he sort of released that pressure. But, yeah, I cannot, you cannot say anything about Boom. He is number one in the world. He is skilful. And, you know, at times you are going to get in the wicket column. But I think also, you know, you need help from the other end," he added. Speaking about spinner Kuldeep Yadav being ignored in favour of all-rounder Washington Sundar, Morkel said that the team is trying to find a way to fit him in, but since India has "lost wickets in clumps" in the past, they need their batting line-up a little longer. "Kuldeep is world-class and he's bowling really well at the moment. So we're trying our best to find ways for him to get in. But unfortunately with that, just the balance with batting throws it out a little bit," he added. The bowling coach admitted that the Test series, without Mohammed Shami supporting Bumrah and featuring plenty of newer talent like Prasidh Krishna, Anshul Kamboj, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep, is a "real test" of team's bowling depth and it is being tried they get used to playing five-match Test series. "We play three, two test match series a lot and this is now the first time in a while we have gone into five. You know, it should not be excused but in terms of conditioning, getting the guys conditioned and get them ready for five test series coming straight out of the IPL is sometimes an issue. Because you have to balance between test matches, getting these guys a good amount of recovery time, but also to keep their bowling loads up," he continued. "And that is why it is important for us to look at the future and get a good core of five, six bowlers that we can rotate and these guys can come in and they can do the job. At the moment there is not a lot of experience with the ball. We have got Siraj and Bumrah that played a lot of tests and then Akash has played a little bit but he's out injured." "So we keep on finding ways to bring new guys in that are learning now in international cricket, learning their trade in international cricket. So it is not easy at the moment but it is just a phase, a period that we need now to work through and get these guys fitter and stronger to last for five test matches," he concluded. England started off their day at 225/2, with Ollie Pope (20*) and Joe Root (11*) unbeaten. The duo went on to have a century partnership, building on exploits of openers Ben Duckett (94 in 100 balls, with 13 fours) and Zak Crawley (84 in 113 balls, with 13 fours and a six), they took England to 332/2 at the first session end, with both having scored their fifties. In the second session, while Washington Sundar (2/57) removed Ollie (71 in 128 balls, seven fours) and Harry Brook (3), skipper Stokes and Root thwarted any further resistance from India as Root completed his 38th Test ton and going past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest Test run-getter. England ended second session at 433/4, with Stokes and Root unbeaten. Siraj and Bumrah faced fitness issues during the session, having walked off the field, with Bumrah contributing only one over with the new ball. Stokes, while he completed his fifty during the final session went off the field due to trouble in his left leg. Root was removed by Jadeja for a brilliant 150 in 248, consisting of 14 fours. Bumrah and Siraj removed Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4) quickly, reducing England to 528/7, but Stokes (77*) came back to bat and along with Liam Dawson (21*) kept any other possible disaster at bay. England ended the day at 544/7, leading by 186 runs. Earlier, England opted to bowl first after winning the toss and India made 358 runs, with half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (61 in 151 balls, with seven fours), Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 in 107 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Rishabh Pant (54 in 75 balls, with three fours and two sixes) were major contributions for India. Stokes (5/72) struck tough blows on India, never really letting them settle with a massive partnership.
