Sports
What’s the lowest total successfully defended in the IPL?

Source: ESPN
Punjab Kings successfully defended just 125 in a recent IPL match. Was that the lowest total that the chasing team failed to reach? asked Nikhil Tarapor from India
Punjab Kings made 125 for 7 in that match in Sharjah last week, then restricted Sunrisers to 120 for 7, with Jason Holder unable to conjure the 17 required from Nathan Ellis’ final over, despite smacking the second ball for six.
Five lower totals have been successfully defended in an IPL match. Kings XI Punjab (as they were then called) were on the receiving end of the lowest: in Durban in 2009, they needed a modest 117 to beat Chennai Super Kings, but managed only 92 for 8, with Muthiah Muralidaran whizzing through his four overs and taking 2 for 8.
In Mumbai in 2018, Sunrisers Hyderabad were all out for 118 but then skittled Mumbai Indians for 87, while in Pune in 2013, their total of 119 proved enough, as Pune Warriors could scrape together only 108. Pune needed 14 from the last two overs, but Amit Mishra (who had earlier scored an important 30) took four wickets, including a hat-trick to finish off the match.
Mumbai Indians (116 for 7) also failed to chase down 120 against Kings XI Punjab on the difficult pitch in Durban in 2009. And in Pune in 2012, the boot was on the other foot: Mumbai Indians made only 120 for 9, but restricted the Warriors to 119 for 6 to win by one run: with 12 needed off the final over, Munaf Patel conceded only ten, including two off the last ball with a boundary needed for victory.
This particular query is the sort of thing that can be done on AskCricinfo, the exciting new AI-driven Statsguru search engine. Give it a try – it won’t bite!
I noticed that Jordan Cox of Kent has just one first-class century so far, but went past 200. How many people have scored only one century in first-class cricket, but made it a double? asked Keith Harrison from England
Rather surprisingly perhaps, as many as 57 men have converted their only first-class century into a score of 200 or more. That number includes a few current players who may yet escape the list, like 20-year-old Jordan Cox, whose only three-figure score so far was an unbeaten 238 for Kent against Sussex in Canterbury in 2020 (unusually, he was dropped for the next game, after breaching Covid protocols). Perhaps the unluckiest name on the list is that of Norman Callaway – he scored 207 in his only first-class innings, for New South Wales against Queensland in Sydney in February 1915, but was killed in action in the Great War just over two years later, a few days after his 21st birthday.
There are even two players – both from Pakistan – whose only first-class century was a triple: Pervez Akhtar hit 337 not out for Railways in a mismatch against Dera Ismail Khan in Lahore in 1964-65 (Railways won by an innings and 851), while in 2016-17, Hamza Ghanchi made an undefeated 300 for Karachi Whites against National Bank in Karachi. Although he is still only 26, Ghanchi has not played first-class cricket since 2017-18.
Ajay Rohera of Madhya Pradesh scored 267 not out – the fourth highest on this particular list – on his first-class debut, against Hyderabad in Indore in 2018-19. He has played eight more matches so far without reaching three figures.
Was Glamorgan’s 672 against Surrey at The Oval the highest score batting first not to earn a first-innings lead? asked Colin Bezant from England
Glamorgan’s 672 for 6 – their third-highest total – at The Oval in the final round of County Championship matches last month was overhauled by Surrey’s 722 for 4 (their own third highest score). It was actually the fifth highest total in the first innings of a match that did not result in a lead: the list is topped by another Championship match at The Oval, in 1990, when Surrey made 707 for 9 but Lancashire responded with 863.
In second place lies the match in Delhi in 1981-82, when Delhi made 707 for 8 to overhaul Karnataka’s 705. This was a rather more significant feat, as it was in the final of the Ranji Trophy, and an eighth-wicket stand of 118 decided the destination of the title on the basis of Delhi’s first-innings lead. And I’m indebted to Andrew Samson, who informs me that the highest total in the second innings of a match that did not result in a lead was Bijapur Famine XI’s 673, against the Bengal Cyclone XI (703) in Bombay in 1942-43.
I spotted that Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, who both played against Australia, made their Test debuts together back in 2002. Has any woman had a longer Test career than these two? asked Rachel McKenzie from Australia
You’re right that Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, who both played against Australia in Carrara, made their debuts together more than 19 years ago – against England in Lucknow in January 2002.
The Carrara match put them ahead of England’s Molly Hide, whose Test career lasted 19 years and 211 days between 1934-35 and 1954, but they are still behind the New Zealander Vera Burt (formerly Robinson), who played two Tests in March 1948 and another almost 21 years later in February 1969. For the full list, click here.
The men’s record is held by the Yorkshire and England allrounder Wilfred Rhodes, whose last Test – when he was 52 – came almost 31 years after his debut in 1899. For that list, click here.
MS Dhoni took five catches in a Twenty20I against England in 2018. Was this a record? asked Kishore Mehta from India
Those catches by MS Dhoni came in the third T20I of India’s 2018 tour of England, in Bristol. It was a wicketkeeping record for catches at the time, but was equalled the following year by Papua New Guinea’s Kiplin Doriga, against Vanuatu in Apia.
Two other keepers – Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan and Irfan Karim of Kenya – have made five dismissals in an innings in a T20I, but they both included some stumpings. There are also five instances in women’s T20Is, two of them by Pakistan’s Batool Fatima.
The record in all senior T20 cricket is seven catches in an innings, by Upul Fernando of Lankan CC against Moors at the Bloomfield ground in Colombo in October 2005.
You may like
Education
University students hold the keys to ‘level up’ the esports industry

Written by Tao Martinez, Head of University Esports Development at GGTech
For many students, getting in from a class or lecture means jumping onto CS:GO or League of Legends with their friends to pass the time and have a laugh for a few hours.
Climbing the ranks may spark conversation about “going professional” one day but forging a career in esports has never been more accessible for students, with the industry growing by the day.
The total revenue of the esports industry in 2021 was estimated by Newzoo to be $833.6 million, and this is enhanced by a rising number of jobs, university courses and opportunities, making it one of the fastest growing and desirable sectors to lead a career in.
The opportunities
The most obvious route into esports is through being the best at a given game, with teams willing to sign players up on a contract to represent them at tournaments and online leagues. And whilst this is desirable, there are actually a whole host of other careers within the industry.
With Covid fears beginning to fade, in-person gaming events are returning with competitions such as the Amazon UNIVERSITY Esports Masters, hosted by GGTech in collaboration with NUEL, bringing together the best university talent across Europe to face off.
Beyond the players, these events require event organisers, planners and managers, advertising, sponsorship, social media promotion, casting, filming, tech support, and that’s before even getting to the participants which involves players, coaches, and team organisations.
There are so many aspects to a successful esports competition which in turn creates a wealth of jobs and opportunities – which are growing all the time. And these opportunities are also available through online esports leagues as well.
We are in an era where traditional television is being taken over by Netflix, YouTube and Twitch, creating new mediums for viewers to engage with esports, which is reflected by a growing viewer base.
Research from VentureBeat estimated that in 2021 there were 234 million esports enthusiasts, up from 197 and 200.8 million respectively in 2019, highlighting a stark growth. What’s more is that by 2024 there are expected to be 285.8 million enthusiasts and 291.6 million occasional viewers. Esports is a rapidly growing industry that people want to be involved with, and it’ll only get bigger in the coming years.
This is supported by an increase in job awareness through sites like Hitmarker, a dedicated jobs site for advertising esports opportunities.
University courses
The esports ecosystem supports universities through the development of teaching, facilities and opportunities in the industry which helps to focus on student’s interests whilst developing their core skills in preparation for a career in the industry.
For example, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, as part of Nottingham Trent University, offer a BSc in Esports Production which teaches students about the global esports industry, the principles of esports, production and technology, as well as broadcasting and management. This will be delivered in Confetti X, a £5 million dedicated esports complex due to open ahead of the upcoming academic year.
Universities such as Sheffield Hallam offer courses in esports management, whilst Chichester has its own esports degree. This is supplemented by universities such as Warwick who have large student esports communities who come together for competitions and tournaments.
The importance of good training in developing the esports industry is being increasingly recognised by universities who are creating new courses each year as a result. Courses involving business, management, events, marketing, journalism and design all offer unique skills which match up with a plethora of new jobs emerging in the esports scene, and with the industry growing at the rate it is, the number of these jobs will only rise.
Moving forwards, the onus is not only on the esports industry supplying opportunities for university students, but also on the university ecosystem to provide the highest-quality education and training in order to fuel the integration of new talent into the dynamic esports workforce.
In order to assist students who are pursuing a career in esports, GGTech works with university students to run and produce the Amazon UNIVERSITY Esports Masters competitions, giving them vital first-hand experience at casting, broadcasting and event management.
Part of the fabric for the future development and growth of the esports industry is putting faith in the talent of university students, being willing to innovate courses, equipment and opportunities, and supporting students every step of the way to help turn their hobby into their future employment.
That’s why university campuses are the best testing space for evolving equipment, products and services whilst allowing students to gain valuable experience, especially through internships and competition management.
Opening people’s eyes to the vast array of opportunities and careers that the esports sector has to offer will fuel the next generation to become the core of the industry during its rapid growth.
Now is the time for a career in esports
In the esports industry revenues are growing, viewership is growing, the number of participants is growing, and this is creating more and more opportunities all the time.
There is no better time to pursue a career in esports, and education is at the forefront of attracting prospective students into the industry. As the sector grows, we will see an increasing number of universities offering esports related courses and follow in the footsteps of Confetti in building dedicated facilities for students to gain the best first-hand experience for running tournaments.
Students should be encouraged to take the plunge, and universities and esports professionals must provide the best assistance possible to welcome in the new generation to help the entire esports industry grow.
Sports
Junior Hockey World Cup: Marquee QF clash might come down to who handles pressure better

Source: ESPN
Ahead of the two sides’ clash on Wednesday, there’s been some talk that India’s quarterfinal match against Belgium in the 2021 Junior Hockey World Cup will be a reprise of an earlier match – the final of the 2016 edition. Although India won that contest, just that result can’t be extrapolated to this latest encounter.
Being an age group tournament, it is obvious that neither team would still feature the same players from five years ago. Indeed, the only common figure from both those games will be Belgium’s coach Jeroen Baart. Individuals from both teams in that contest would graduate to the senior squad and ended up meeting in the semifinals of the Olympics, where the Belgians emerged victorious.
Stylistic matchup
But even though this latest batch of players haven’t ever had a chance to play each other, they will know what they are up against. Wednesday’s match is a clash not just between two teams but of two philosophies of hockey – a classic stylistic matchup. “You see the DNA (playing style) comes down from the senior team, and the senior team is world no 1,” India’s coach Graham Reid said about Belgium. Reid doesn’t mean to say that Belgium’s style has been thrust down from what the seniors. Over the last decade, beginning from the juniors, Belgium has created a playing style that’s worked miracles for them – winning them the Olympic title this year. What this is is a solid defensive structure where Belgium controls the pace of the match. “We focus on control to create opportunities. For us that means maintaining structure and intensity,” says Jeroen Baart.
India have a philosophy too – one that’s also been a decade in the making and which resulted in a drought-ending Olympic bronze. Baart knows of this as well. “India play is about counterattacking with speed and vertical play. “Our style of play is very complimentary to India. India like to counter-attack using their speed and vertical play. They do it really well. We are focused on our defensive end and on controlling the ball to create opportunities,” says Baart.
Signs of vulnerabilities
Both teams will go into Wednesday’s clash knowing not just each others’ playing styles but also based on their performances so far at the World Cup what they aren’t happy facing with. In their first match of the tournament India fell to a shock 5-4 loss to France – a side that’s looking to cast itself in the Belgian model. The French controlled possession for much of the game and the Indians, except for a brief flurry in the final few minutes of the match, were unable to get into the shooting circle. That last bit of relentless pressure will trouble Belgium though. “We will have to survive those waves from India,” Baart says.
Belgium too have shown vulnerabilities in Bhubaneswar. In their second game against Malaysia – they were held to a surprise draw against a side that tightly defended, giving no opening of its own. India chief coach Graham Reid alluded to that as well. “”We also saw some vulnerability the Malaysians were able to capitalise on and hopefully we can do that,” said Reid. That though will be easier said than done since it would require going against the free flowing hockey the Indian team prizes.
Can they play their A-game?
While both sides have displayed vulnerabilities, they equally have the potential to nullify each other’s strengths as well. Both sides will find that their release tactics might not have the same kind of success as they might have had against other teams.
The Belgians for one might find the high ball — a tactic very successfully employed by their Olympic champion senior side as well –has no guarantee. Although the French side did manage to use the high ball successfully, that match was marked by unusually poor trapping and interception from the low-on-match-practice Indians, who would back themselves not to have two bad days in a week’s time.
India, on the other hand, will find that the kind of defenses that allowed their counterattacking play to end up scoring 25 goals in the league phase might not have the same kind of opportunities against a side that prides itself on its defensive structure. The fact that India have lost striker Maninder Singh due to injury might place addition pressure on the remaining first choice forward line. Coach Reid admits that impatience might be a factor should the young Indian side not get the kind of gifts they would have been used to over the last few days. “That’s (impatience) one of the tough parts when coaching someone younger since it doesn’t come naturally in younger boys. Kids at that age want things to happen right now. You have to try to teach them patience and move the ball around. When you see Belgium play, you will see that patience because it’s been ingrained in them growing up,” he admits.
Handling pressure
In a high-stakes encounter against two sides who started as pre-tournament favourites, what both coaches admit will be critical is just who handles the pressure better. Should the hosts go 2-0 down as they did in their opening game against France, then it’s likely that scoreboard pressure could cause them to play poorer than they might otherwise have.”There might have been some nerves ahead of the first match of the tournament. Hopefully that would have been washed away by now. What I’m focused on is that we are tight in defence all through the game. But our priority would be to get off to a good start,” says Reid.
Baart will be hoping to deny India of just that. “It’s going to be a fantastic match-up. We expect a lot of attacking and aggression from the Indian team. We need to have the right structure and the right intensity at the right moment to deal with it.”
Sports
Utah State Stands Out in Group of Five

Source: BetUs
Utah State was projected to win three games this season. The Aggies had other ideas. They are 9-3 and playing for the Mountain West Conference championship on Saturday. San Diego State is the opponent. The Aztecs also proved the experts wrong in the college football odds.
The Overachievers
Utah State Aggies
Utah State is +5000 to win the MWC title and the Mountain Division champion is a 5½-point underdog to San Diego State in the college football spreads. The Aggies opened the season with three straight wins to reach their projected total. After losing two in a row, they rewarded over bettors in their sixth game, but that came at a -145 price.
Northern Illinois Huskies
Northern Illinois wasn’t thought of too highly at 3½ wins in the Las Vegas odds. The Huskies started 1-2 but rattled off five straight triumphs, giving over players the victory along the way. Northern Illinois has won eight games and is +5000 to win the Mid-American Conference title on Saturday as a three-point dog against Kent State
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky is +700 to claim the Conference USA title as a 1½-point favorite versus UTSA on Friday. The Hilltoppers figured to be in the middle of the pack with an over-under of 5½ wins. Under players were getting what they wanted when Western Kentucky began 1-4. But seven straight victories later, over players have long since counted their money.
San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State, the MWC West Division champion, won 11 games after its over-under was set at 6½ for betting online. The Aztecs needed only seven contests to sail over the number. San Diego State is also a big price to wear the conference crown at +1400.
UTSA Roadrunners
Texas-San Antonio won a school-record 11 games to start the season, smashing its projected win total of eight. The Roadrunners were the third choice to win the C-USA title at +330, but find themselves a slight underdog against Western Kentucky.
BYU Cougars
BYU’s 12-game independent schedule featured six against Power Five conference programs. The Cougars were 5-1 in those contests. BYU also went 5-1 against the rest to easily surpass the 6½ win total to which it was assigned.
East Carolina Pirates
East Carolina was given a 4½ win total. The Pirates dropped their first two games, won three straight and lost the next two. East Carolina continued its see-saw ride by sailing over the number with four victories in a row before losing to College Football Playoff hopeful Cincinnati.
The Underachievers
Boise State Broncos
Boise State was -125 to win the MWC title. The Broncos were in contention until the final weekend of the regular season before losing to San Diego State. Boise State has seven victories and cannot reach the nine it was projected to win.
Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo was +330 and a co-favorite to win the MAC championship with an over-under of 7½ wins. The Bulls even got a bit of national love at +50000, but they never gained traction in 2021. Buffalo was 4-4 before losing its remaining four games.
Florida International Panthers
Florida International’s modest win over-under was 4½. After winning their first game, the Panthers lost their final 11, cashing at -125 along the way for under players.

How to identify the signs that your IT department need restructuring

The Perfect Sound for a Good Night’s Sleep

Why the future is phygital

The Sustainability Carrot Could be More Powerful Than the Stick!

Hybrid cloud adoption: why vendors are making the switch in 2022 and why you should too
