The day the records tumbled
Stats highlights of the record-breaking day in Chennai
HR Gopalakrishna and Mathew Varghese28-Mar-2008
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Stats highlights of the record-breaking day in Chennai
HR Gopalakrishna and Mathew Varghese28-Mar-2008
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“I tried to give it a rip again, and [go a] little bit slow at the crease. That’s what I tried to do at the World Cup”
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2024New Zealand ended day three of the Mount Maunganui Test against South Africa in command, leading by 528 runs in the second innings. This was after South Africa were bowled out for 162 in the first innings, with Mitchell Santner picking up 3 for 34 with his left-arm spin. Santner’s effort, along with Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson’s, gave the hosts a massive 349-run lead in the first innings. Playing only his second Test in more than two-and-a-half years, Santner spoke of the changes he has made in his bowling in the longest format.”I felt like I was getting too quick at the crease, and getting a bit long. It was through, I guess, a lot of white-ball bowling,” he said. “But I’ve gone the other way now: tried to give it a rip again, and [go a] little bit slow at the crease, and get my momentum from the crease. That’s what I tried to do at the World Cup… and it has flown into my red-ball bowling.”With 16 wickets at 28.06, Santner was New Zealand’s highest wicket-taker at the ODI World Cup in India last year. While seamer-friendly conditions at home allow New Zealand to field just the sole spinner, if any, Santner wants to cement his position when they tour the subcontinent to play Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and India later in the year.”Usually in the home summer, it is one spinner or that kind of allrounder role,” Santner said. “But looking forward, it’s nice to have a consistent Test series in the sub-continent – I think we’ve got six games. So it’ll be nice to go there as a spin unit and ply our crafts. Bangladesh [series last year] was good; we spoke a lot, [and had] good chats… it’ll be a good opportunity to get stuck in and bowl some overs [in the sub-continent].”Santner noticed some turn on the pitch in Mount Maunganui, and expected to get slower as the game progresses.”Usually in the first innings, when it’s flat, you do a role – [bowl] on a good length – and let the other boys do their thing at the other end,” he said. “It is nice to see it turn a little bit: we can play around with the position at the crease, [with the] seam, [and] slight change of pace. Mount is traditionally slower than where we are going to now.”Here I can enjoy the pitch, which is nice… it might do a little bit more tomorrow. Day five maybe a little bit more, but it usually slows down a lot in nature, where it is more of a grind to get your wickets.”
Pakistan will go through to the final, and will play either Australia or South Africa
ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2025
[File photo] Shoaib Malik and Shikhar Dhawan are part of the World Championship of Legends•Getty Images
India Champions have refused to play their semi-final against Pakistan Champions in the World Championship of Legends due to strained political relations between the two countries. The match was scheduled to be played in Birmingham on Thursday; Pakistan Champions will progress to the final and play the winner of the second semi-final between Australia Champions and South Africa Champions.The India Champions team, which includes players such as Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa, had also refused to play their group match against Pakistan Champions on July 20.While the teams had shared points on that occasion, Pakistan Champions progressed to the final after India Champions refused to play the semi-final because they finished top of the group with nine points. India Champions had placed fourth with three points. The event organisers confirmed a 50% refund to the fans who had purchased tickets for the semi-finals.Sporting relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated due to the terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir in April this year, and the military skirmish that followed between the two.While the international teams of India and Pakistan have not yet faced each other since then, the men’s teams are due to face each other in the Asia Cup in the UAE on September 14, while the women’s teams have their ODI World Cup match in Colombo on October 6.
أعلن الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا” عن جدول مباريات برشلونة بمرحلة الدوري في دوري أبطال أوروبا موسم 2025-2026 بعد إجراء القرعة مساء الخميس الماضي.
ويدخل برشلونة نسخة موسم 2025-2026 بعد أن حمل لقب هذه البطولة خمس مرات، كان آخرهم في موسم 2014-2015 بعد الفوز على يوفنتوس بثلاثة أهداف لهدف واحد.
وكان برشلونة قد غادر دوري أبطال أوروبا النسخة الماضية بعد هزيمته ضد إنتر ميلان في نصف نهائي المسابقة، والذي خسر اللقب في المباراة النهائية بهزيمة كاسحة ضد باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي.
أقرأ أيضاً.. مواعيد مباريات ريال مدريد في مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا 2025/26
وعلى الرغم من خيبة أمل جماهير برشلونة بعد أن كان الفريق قاب قوسين أو أدنى من التأهل لنهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، إلا أن البلوجرانا حصد الثلاثية المحلية وجمع بين الدوري وكأس ملك إسبانيا والسوبر الإسباني تحت قيادة المدرب الألماني الموسم الماضي.
ويشارك 36 فريق في الموسم الجديد من دوري أبطال أوروبا مثلما كان الحال في النسخة السابقة بعد تغيير النظام.
ويلتقي كل فريق مع 8 متنافسين مختلفين، بواقع 4 مباريات على أرضه ومثلها خارجه، حسب القواعد المنصوص عليها من البطولة. مواعيد مباريات برشلونة بمرحلة الدوري في دوري أبطال أوروبا موسم 2025-2026:
الجولة الأولى: نيوكاسل يونايتد الإنجليزي ضد برشلونة يوم الخميس الموافق 19 سبتمبر في الساعة 10:00 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية
الجولة الثانية: برشلونة ضد باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي يوم الأربعاء الموافق 1 أكتوبر في الساعة 10:00 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.
الجولة الثالثة: برشلونة ضد أولمبياكوس اليوناني يوم الثلاثاء الموافق 21 أكتوبر في الساعة 07:45 بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.
الجولة الرابعة: كلوب بروج البلجيكي ضد برشلونة يوم الأربعاء الموافق 5 نوفمبر في الساعة 10:00 بتوقيت مصر والساعة 11:00 بتوقيت السعودية
الجولة الخامسة: تشيلسي الإنجليزي ضد برشلونة يوم الثلاثاء الموافق 25 نوفمبر في الساعة 10:00 بتوقيت مصر والساعة 11:00 بتوقيت السعودية
الجولة السادسة: برشلونة ضد آينتراخت فرانكفورت الألماني يوم الثلاثاء الموافق 9 ديسمبر في الساعة 10:00 بتوقيت مصر والساعة 11:00 بتوقيت السعودية
الجولة السابعة: سلافيا براج التشيكي ضد برشلونة يوم الأربعاء الموافق 21 يناير في الساعة 10:00 بتوقيت مصر والساعة 11:00 بتوقيت السعودية
الجولة الثامنة: برشلونة الإسباني ضد كوبنهاجن الدنماركي يوم الأربعاء الموافق 28 يناير في الساعة 10:00 بتوقيت مصر والساعة 11:00 بتوقيت السعودية
تذكر سيرجيو أجويرو أسطورة مانشستر سيتي بعض زملائه السابقين في ملعب الاتحاد، ولطالما تحدث اللاعب عن زملائه الذين رافقهم خلال فترته مع النادي.
ولم تقتصر مسيرة أجويرو مع مانشستر سيتي على الأهداف فقط، بل امتدت أيضًا لشراكات رائعة مع نخبة من أفضل اللاعبين الذين تألقوا في ملعب الاتحاد.
اقرأ أيضًا.. تعديل موعد مباراتين لـ مانشستر سيتي في الدوري الإنجليزي
ولم يخف أجويرو أبداً إعجابه بعدة لاعبين من الذين ساعدوه بالتمريرات الحاسمة لجعله لاعبًا حاسمًا أمام المرمى.
وقال أجويرو في تصريحات لـ” سيتي إكسترا” عن ثنائي من نجوم مانشستر سيتي السابقين يرغب في إعادتهما للفريق هذا الموسم: “لقد كنت محظوظاً بمشاركتي الملعب مع العديد من اللاعبين الرائعين، كل واحد منهم قدم أداءً مميزًا، ثم هناك التوافق الشخصي الذي يجمعنا”.
وأضاف: “لطالما كنت أقول إن أفضل شراكاتي في الملعب كانت مع دي بروين وديفيد سيلفا، وهناك إنجازات تثبت ذلك لكن كان اللعب مع آخرين رائع أيضاً”.
وواصل: “وجود لاعبين مثل كيفن أو ديفيد سيلفا أمر أساسي للنجاح، صحيح أن السيتي يملك رودري ويلعب في مركز مختلف، لكنه يمتلك جودة عالية وسيكون له عائد مؤثر للغاية”.
وتابع: “فودين سيستعيد فورمته ويصبح جزءًا أساسيًا من الفريق، وإذا كنت مهاجماً فإن التمريرات الحاسمة هي الشيء الأكثر طلباً، ويبدو أن شرقي سيكون قادرًا على الإمداد بشكل جيد لخط الهجوم”.
وسئل أجويرو عن اللاعبين الذين كان يتمنى اللعب إلى جانبهم: “لقد ذكرت بالفعل رودري وفودين، أود أن أضيف برناردو سيلفا وجوندوجان، هالاند أيضًا لم ألعب معه من قبل”.
Oli Slipper believes embracing of the Hundred can help to shore up County Championship
ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2023
Sam and Tom Curran pose with the Hundred trophy after Oval Invincibles’ victory in the final•PA Photos/Getty Images
Oval Invincibles could be rebranded with the three-feathers crest of Surrey County Cricket Club, according to chairman Oli Slipper, who has told county members that the Hundred needs to be embraced to help shore up the whole of English cricket, including the County Championship.Surrey were notable sceptics when the Hundred was conceived in 2018, in part because of the impact its hosting would have on red-ball cricket at the height of the English summer, and also because its existence would undermine the existing T20 Blast, for which the club had long attracted full houses at the Kia Oval, the largest venue in the country.Now, however, Slipper says the club hierarchy has been won over by the Hundred’s revenue-generating potential and, in an end-of-year letter to the club membership, says Surrey will use their share of any equity from the ECB’s review of the tournament’s ownership model to bring Oval Invincibles under the club banner, and reinforce their claim to be “the greatest club in the world”.”For many long-standing and committed members of this club, the greatest challenge to the red-ball game is the Hundred,” Slipper wrote. “I fully understand and appreciate those concerns, but I want to assure you that, as chair, I will do nothing that will imperil the future of either this club or County Cricket.”The reality is the Hundred has been a huge success both from a ticketing and TV perspective,” he added. “It is also an extremely important revenue stream for the game of cricket, generating roughly 25% of the ECB’s revenue which funds the broader game of cricket, and helps maintain a viable 18 county ecosystem.”Despite the ECB’s ongoing review into the Hundred, in which various options have been tabled – including a rise to ten teams and an “open pyramid” option featuring all 18 counties in a two-division format – Slipper noted that the competition’s broadcast deal with Sky Sports is locked in until 2028 and therefore scrapping it is “not an option”.Instead, he said that the desire of the ECB and its 19 shareholders to “evolve and improve” the Hundred, including by handing ownership of the competition back to the counties and MCC, presented a “unique opportunity” for Surrey to exert a greater influence on the direction of the sport in England and Wales.Related
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“Whilst other counties will undoubtedly opt to sell equity in their team, under my stewardship Surrey will take a longer-term view and look to own and operate our own team within this tournament,” Slipper wrote. “We must find a way of ensuring the history, heritage and legacy of this club is represented in each month of the English summer.”We are not just a venue rented out to the highest bidder, we are the greatest club in the world. We are the pacesetters in English cricket and if any club expects to play domestic cricket at The Kia Oval, they should also expect to wear the Three Feathers of Surrey.”Therefore, it is my ambition, that we get to a point where anyone who plays domestic cricket at this ground does so in the knowledge that they are standing on the shoulders of giants such as Edrich, Hobbs, Stewart and Hollioake.”That ambition also extends to the women’s game, with Slipper signalling the club’s intention to take full ownership of the regional side, South East Stars, so that the “Three Feathers are represented at all levels of women’s domestic cricket”. The club is also exploring options to build a second venue outside of Kennington, to help address the growing pitch-capacity issues at the Kia Oval.Surrey’s men claimed a record-extending 22nd County Championship this summer, successfully defending the title they won in 2022, and Slipper promised to use their growing influence within the ECB to protect the sanctity of first-class cricket, which he described as “the pinnacle of our game and the prize we cherish more than any other”.”I believe that it is our seat at the table that will allow us to wield the power and influence necessary to not only further the interests of Surrey County Cricket Club, but also protect and even grow the red-ball game in this country,” he wrote. “The Counties will need strong voices in the coming years, not just from the sidelines but from within the game at all levels, and I intend ours to be a leading voice.”
“We want to finish in the same way. We want to take it match by match, just like we did it three years ago”
Mohammad Isam08-Oct-2023Bangladesh have never won more than three matches in an ODI World Cup but a convincing win against Afghanistan in the opener means that they can dare to dream. And if they are looking for advice on how to go all the way, they have four players in the squad who have the experience of lifting an ICC World Cup trophy, albeit in the Under-19 format.Shoriful Islam, Towhid Hridoy, Tanzid Hasan and Tanzim Hasan were integral parts of Bangladesh’s first major global title, when they won the Under-19 World Cup in 2020.Related
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From this World Cup-winning side, Shoriful was the first to graduate to the senior team when he made his Test debut in Sri Lanka in 2021. The likes of Shamim Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Parvez Hossain, Hridoy, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Tanzid and Tanzim, all followed Shoriful’s footsteps soon after. Quickly graduating from Under-19s to the senior team isn’t new in world cricket. For Bangladesh, it is recognised as a natural transition as the BCB’s youth system has produced almost all top-level cricketers in the last 25 years.But the 2020 batch is slightly different because of their triumph. The immediate success of some of these young players has further vindicated their ability. Mahmudul started off superbly in New Zealand and South Africa last year. Hridoy became the first Bangladeshi batter to score more than 500 ODI runs in his debut year.Shoriful himself began brightly, and although he doesn’t have a huge haul of wickets, he has steadily improved into a position where he has been at times preferred over the vastly experienced Mustafizur Rahman. And he showed his penchant for the big stage picking 2 for 34 in 6.2 overs in his debut ODI World Cup game as Bangladesh started their 2023 campaign with a six-wicket win.While Shoriful did not want to compare the ODI World Cup to the Under-19 one, he said that the atmosphere in both campaigns was similar.Shoriful Islam was a key figure in Bangladesh’s Under-19 title win in 2020•AFP”It was the Under-19 World Cup. This is the main World Cup. The difference is the world-class batters in this tournament. Under-19 has a few of them but here almost everyone is of the highest standard. They pounce on your smallest errors,” Shoriful said after Bangladesh’s opening game against Afghanistan.”Four of us are here, so we are really enjoying the World Cup. Everyone is friendly. We are mixing well among us. It is a similar start to the Under-19 World Cup, and , we want to finish in the same way. We want to take it match-by-match, just like we did it three years ago.”Shoriful’s two wickets in Bangladesh’s win came in his last spell as he made up for an ordinary opening burst. Bangladesh struggled to contain Afghanistan’s top three as they raced to 83 for 1 in the 16th over before Shakib Al Hasan provided the important breakthrough. Still, the Bangladesh pacers finished with four wickets between them.Shoriful said that the bowling unit had belief in themselves to bounce back. “We believed that someone from among the five bowlers can get us the breakthrough. Someone will step up with one or two wickets to turn the game around. We didn’t panic when someone had a bad over or spell. Someone or the other will step up.”We tried to bowl in the right areas at the start but unfortunately it didn’t happen. The captain pointed out that we were probably missing something so we should be more tight in the next spells.”Bangladesh’s World Cup has just started but a dominating win will provide them a boost especially ahead of the England game at the same venue on October 10. A few more wins in the early stages would spark the Bangladesh side, but apart from the technical and tactical sides, managing a winning environment is a lesson that this senior side can learn from the Under-19 world champions. They know who to ask.
Stuart Broad’s send-off doesn’t go to plan as England’s hunt for wickets is thwarted
Andrew McGlashan30-Jul-2023
David Warner launches another boundary down the ground•ECB via Getty Images
Australia 295 and 135 for 0 (Khawaja 69*, Warner 58) need another 249 runs to beat England 283 and 395 (Root 91, Bairstow 78, Crawley 73, Starc 4-100, Murphy 4-110) A day which started with Stuart Broad receiving a guard of honour from the Australians following his retirement announcement the previous night, ended with David Warner and Usman Khawaja having given them a terrific base from a where an unlikely target of 384 appeared achievable at The Oval.In all, only 40 overs were possible on the fourth day before rain closed in, but they went almost entirely Australia’s way. When the rain arrived, at drinks in the afternoon session, they needed a further 249 runs to take the series 3-1 and weather permitting will have 98 overs on the final day.After walking through the line-up of Australian players, Broad faced the first over the day from Mitchell Starc and somewhat comically farmed the strike for five balls before launching the last six off his Test career over deep midwicket. James Anderson, too, declined a single when he reverse-swept Todd Murphy and was then lbw missing another three balls later.And so, the final innings of this enthralling series began with Australia needing what would be their second-highest successful chase in history to secure a first series win in England since 2001. It felt a long way off when Warner and Khawaja first walked to the crease, but significantly closer when they headed off for the final time in the day.Related
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They compiled Australia’s first century opening stand in England since Warner and Chris Rogers added 110 at The Oval in 2015. Khawaja, meanwhile, crossed 5000 Test runs and is all-but assured of finishing the series as the leading run-scorer. His average as an opener stood at 62.10 and as of the close of play, that was the highest for an opener with a minimum of 20 innings.Broad, with the crowd in full voice behind him, took the first over of the innings from the Pavilion End but except for one thick edge by Warner, which fell short of Ben Duckett at third slip, there were precious few uneasy moments in an underwhelming three-over burst. In fact, the whole bowling effort from England soon felt oddly flat.Anderson helped build a little pressure as three consecutive maidens were sent down, but a drive from Warner and two boundaries in a row by Khawaja punctured that. Moeen Ali, defying his groin injury, was introduced for the 10th over and though there was some assistance from the pitch he served up enough loose deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking.Broad returned to no avail but the seamers were able to keep a lid on the scoring. Joe Root bowled ahead of Moeen either side of lunch and did a serviceable job until his ninth over cost 13, including a slog-sweep from an increasingly assured Warner.A few overs earlier, Warner had dismissively launched Anderson over mid-off and then managed to guide an accidental beamer down to third as he ended flat on his back in the crease.The pitch appeared to lose most of its life from the earlier days and many of England’s tactics resembled those seen on slower subcontinental surfaces with a ring of catchers in front of the batter and the quicks using cutters to try and make the ball move.There were questions raised about the delayed entry into the attack of Mark Wood who was not used until the 33rd over with Australia 99 without loss. His introduction brought a roar almost as big as those to greet Broad earlier and his pace, even though not at the levels of Headingley or Old Trafford, made Warner and Khawaja hop around more than had previously been the case.Two thick edges from Khawaja ran through the cordon down to deep third, between which he was stuck on the back of the helmet as he ducked a short ball. A new helmet was needed (so new that the manufacturer’s label had to be removed) and the end of a lively over saw a leading edge pop safely into the off side.There was only time for one more over before the rain closed in from the west. Played was abandoned shortly before 5pm leaving an enticing scenario for the final day of a series that has rarely been anything less than gripping.
GOAL ranks the top 25 players in this summer's FIFA Club World Cup, from Kylian Mbappe to Harry Kane to Lionel Messi
The FIFA Club World Cup is going to have it all: European champions, World Cup winners, Golden Boot winners, Golden Glove winners – individuals with accolades upon accolades.
The biggest names in world football will be playing in the United States for nearly a month, as 32 elite clubs battle for glory and a share of the staggering $1 billion prize pool. Every team is guaranteed a cut, but only one will lift the trophy.
Manchester City return to defend their CWC crown, joined by powerhouse teams such as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain – each stacked with global stars.
Fans can expect fireworks up front, with Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Julian Alvarez, and Ousmane Dembele all chasing the tournament’s Golden Boot. Midfield maestros like Jude Bellingham, Rodri (the reigning Ballon d’Or winner), Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, and Vitinha will pull the strings in the center of the pitch, setting the stage for a thrilling summer showdown.
Perhaps the brightest performer of the 2024-25 campaign in Europe, Nuno Mendes, leads the way for defenders as well, but two of the world's best central defenders in Alessandro Bastoni and Ruben Dias, join him in the competition, too. Who could forget goalkeepers? Two of the best across Europe are taking their talents to the U.S.
GOAL ranks the top 25 players in the 2025 Club World Cup.
Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream now
With four hard-earned wickets and a pugnacious 20 from 10 balls, Mark Adair came close to being Ireland’s hero in the third and final ODI against Bangladesh at Chelmsford. However, he admitted that a handful of “poor decisions” with the bat had denied his side a share of the series in their final World Cup Super League outing.Automatic World Cup qualification had been off the table for Ireland following the washout that blighted the opening match of the series on Tuesday, but with a tough ten-team tournament looming in Zimbabwe next month, there were plenty lessons to be learned for the Irish – some of them harsh ones, after Bangladesh twice came good at the death to win a pair of thrillers by three wickets and five runs respectively.Ireland’s batting was especially culpable in the final game, with four of the top five all making scores between 45 and 60, but none of them going on to anchor a run-chase that the bowlers, in claiming 5 for 13 at the end of Bangladesh’s own innings, had kept to a very attainable 275.”To win games of cricket, someone has to be not out at the end,” Adair told ESPNcricinfo. “I would have loved someone to be 120 not out there, or 80 not out, but just wasn’t the case”In the next couple of months, we’ve got a real tough grind to try and get through World Cup qualifiers, with some top teams. So yeah, it would have been nice to finish this with a win and give us a bit of confidence going into that, but at least we know that when we get into positions like that, we have to make sure we drive them home.”Speaking at the post-match presentation, Ireland’s captain Andrew Balbirnie – who himself made 53 from 78 balls – was similarly frustrated about the chance that had gone begging for his side.”As batters we must do better, one of us should have seen us home,” he said. “We were in control for large parts and it is again frustrating not to get over the line. Going into a qualifying tournament we have to get better. We lost wickets in clusters at the back end and that’s what can happen in this game.”Adair’s wicket was among those to tumble at the end, although not before he had briefly given his side renewed hope by launching Mrittunjoy Chowdhury’s final over for 14, including a six down the ground and a pulled four through square leg. But then, needing ten from six balls as Hasan Mahmud stepped up for the final over, Adair attempted a ramp over fine leg and was bowled to put the result beyond reasonable doubt.”I’m not sure you ever play team sports to have a good day for yourself and lose the game, but obviously I thought 275 was a good score, thought it was around par,” Adair said. “The way we started with the bat, I felt we were excellent, we built partnerships throughout, but unfortunately we couldn’t really get across the line. I don’t think the pressure got to us exactly, but I just think we made a couple of bad decisions, or a couple of risks that didn’t pay off.”Getting it down to the last over is the position I want to be in,” he added. “I want to be given the last over with the ball, and I want to be in for the last over to try and chase those totals. It was probably a poor decision from me, but give credit to Hasan, he bowled well and got his rewards at the end.”Although the qualifiers are looming large, Ireland’s next big occasion is hardly one to take lightly. On June 1, they return to Lord’s for a Test match against England, and for Adair, it’s an opportunity to reprise one of the proudest days of his career – when, as a 23-year-old in 2019, he provided the back-up with 3 for 32 as Tim Murtagh’s five-for routed England for 85 on the opening day of the game.”Yeah, it was a great day,” Adair recalled. “We went in with no expectations. England had just won the World Cup, so we tried to give the best team in the world a run for their money, and luckily Murts had it on a string and the rest is history.”I would absolutely love to [repeat that experience], but I’m not sure that’ll be the case. We’ve got a little bit more grounding behind us with the red-ball tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. That was tough cricket – tough on the bodies, tough on the mind – but it’s something we’re looking forward to.”