Nick Friend
@NickFriend1
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Journalist for @TheCricketerMag . Once of CNN & SportsPro. Ex-Cricket Argentina coach. CMJ Young Journalist of the Year, 2020. Views my own.
London, England
Joined September 2011
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Bit of a winter project: a long read on the relentless demands of the county schedule - from the players' perspective.
Thanks to the umpteen voices involved for the variety, honesty and wisdom of their views. They're worth listening to.
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England become the 43rd country beaten by Mohammad Nabi as an international cricketer. From wins over Bhutan, Maldives, China and Argentina to days like this, he really has seen it all.
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Very good from Middlesex, this. 2,000 primary school students in at Lord's, watching Shaheen Shah Afridi run in to bowl.
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If you take Littler's age out of it, you're still left with an unseeded debutant making a complete mockery of the draw. It's absolutely mental what he's doing on every single level.
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Apologies if I'm very late on this, but Hasan Ali wearing his celebration on a chain is exactly what I'm here for.
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Claudio Ranieri doesn't know what he's just handed Cricket Twitter.
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A five-run penalty for hitting the helmet being overturned because of a no-shot-offered dead ball is exactly the kind of niche nonsense that I watch this sport for.
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Had absolutely zero going for it, but nonetheless one of the great all-time HawkEye graphics.
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Make that 44 countries. Another scalp for a remarkable cricketer.
England become the 43rd country beaten by Mohammad Nabi as an international cricketer. From wins over Bhutan, Maldives, China and Argentina to days like this, he really has seen it all.
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Kent 2nd XI vs Sussex 2nd XI has produced one of the great scorecards:
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Hyderabad joins Old Trafford, Billericay, Rainford, Colwyn Bay, Rainhill, Wallasey, Great Crosby, Leigh and Neston as the scene of a Tom Hartley five-wicket haul.
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Shoaib Bashir's last two four-fers, separated by just nine months:
Northants 2s: James Sales, Arush Buchake, Simon Kerrigan, Huw Evans
India: Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Insane story, brilliant selection, terrific captaincy.
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Understandably, a lot of praise for Axar Patel. But Ashwin's working over of Ollie Pope in the over after tea was fascinating to watch
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449 runs in a day's Test cricket. That'll do for entertainment.
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Forget Ben Stokes for a moment. Dan Worrall is caught at cover for 6 (2) at The Oval, which - as everyone knows - is the best innings you can play.
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Pleased to inform you that this is indeed England's Adil Rashid bowling leggies with Girls Aloud's Kimberley Walsh
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Chris Woakes has conceded three boundaries in five T20Is since 2015.
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Far too much talk about Kevin Mac Allister's funny name, and not nearly enough talk about the centre-half, Christian Burgess, who averaged 14 with the bat in the Essex 4th XI Prem (Div 13) for Wanstead in 2006.
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Gloucestershire played their quarter, semi and final at Edgbaston, conceded scores of 124, 106 and 124, took 29 wickets in three games and lost just 14 themselves.
An absolute mastery of conditions, as clinical a knockout run as you could ask for, and a wonderful story.
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1.45pm: Tom Haines reaches his century.
2.22pm: Brad Currie is last man out for Sussex, Tom Haines unbeaten on 108.
2.33pm: Tom Haines comes out to bat again, following on.
5.54pm: Tom Haines hits his second century of the afternoon, four hours apart.
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England enforcing the follow-on so I can watch Shafali Verma bat again is really very much appreciated.
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There isn't much in Lodhran, but among the cotton fields lies a cricket ground doing remarkable things.
A piece on a week in rural Pakistan with
@aliktareen
at
@TareenAcademy
, a project opening doors where opportunities are scarce and lives are tough.
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Just a shoutout for Moeen Ali, who's gone rather under the radar today.
10 overs for 47 - conceding one boundary - is quite some effort, given the absolute carnage faced by every other bowler out there
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A very niche quirk, but I'm obsessed with watching umpires/referees/judges (in any sport) playing the game they officiate. Much more of this, please.
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Presumably the first time that one player has been dismissed twice in a day on Test debut, on the same day that another player has been dismissed twice on the same day in his final Test?
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Enormous fan of Hassan Azad - mid-declaration bowling - chucking in *this* googly. Reaction of the non-striker particularly glorious.
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Feel like facing Marchant de Lange in a 2s game on a club ground in April should be a long way down most people's to-do lists
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Unbelievable grab: game situation, wrong-footed, no glove on, standing closer, flies off the edge, basically there for a shy at the stumps. Utterly outrageous.
Oh my God. What an incredible, incredible catch. Astounding game.
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Last Saturday, I received an abusive anonymous social media message relating to Auschwitz.
It's not my first experience of antisemitism - that was six years ago.
This time, I reported it as a hate crime. I'm proud of having written this.
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If the defining image of the series' first day was Virat Kohli helping Joe Root with his cramp, perhaps it's fitting that it should end with a similarly poignant moment between the same two players, with Kohli hurling a ball at Root's crotch
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Worth balancing the last half-hour's chaos by saying that Anil Chaudhary, the third umpire through all this, was really very impressive on the field in the first Test
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Denmark, Bahrain, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Thailand, Japan, Bahamas, Botswana, Jersey, Fiji, Tanzania, Italy, Argentina, Papua New Guinea, Cayman Islands, Oman, China, Singapore, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Bhutan, Maldives, Barbados, Uganda...
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I regret to inform you that we are all very old:
Among England's substitute fielders today is Hamza Shaikh, who wasn't alive when England won the 2005 Ashes.
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Asghar Afghan leaves the stage having played international cricket against 39 (THIRTY-NINE) different countries across 17 years. What a brilliant figure he has been for Afghanistan.
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Just pick him.
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...Bermuda, Ireland, Scotland, Namibia, Netherlands, Canada, Kenya, Hong Kong, UAE, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England
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Nat Sciver-Brunt is the only player to have hit a white-ball century against Australia since 2019. She has four.
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Back from a week in Pakistan, taking in the phenomenal work of
@TareenAcademy
, talking to its youngsters & those behind the project.
Writing about cricket is no chore, but it has never been as great a privilege as this. A truly remarkable experience.
Plenty of pieces to come...
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Harry Brook has averaged 69.03 in first-class cricket since being dismissed by James Vince, so exciting times ahead for James Rew, dismissed today by Vince with his 2023 average already at 67.3.
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In 2008, my under-13 side were national champions. Last Saturday, 13 years on, nine of us from that team were still turning out for the same club. No idea how rare that is, but it just struck me earlier as a really lovely thing that shows what a great place club cricket can be.
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Appreciate the weather etc, but Zak Crawley's Test career so far has seen him chucked in at No.6 on debut, dropped, chucked in at the top of the order in SA, shunted down to No.4 at the Ageas Bowl, then up to No.3 for the 2nd Test, now dropped. Give the kid a chance. He's 22.
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Speed gun having some fun at Lord's, where Nat Sciver-Brunt has been clocked at 99.2mph and 103.3mph
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Underrated bit of this, where slip knows exactly what's about to happen while the ball's still at 50ft
Village. Village. Village.
For you see this is the psychological effect the Night Hawk has on you.
A battle you simply won't win...
#NZvENG
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In the first of Tom Hartley's two career 7fers (against Essex 2s at Billericay), he also scored a double hundred. So, in a way, he let India off at Hyderabad. He's due.
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I was so lucky to spend a week in Pakistan shortly before the pandemic with a group of young people so excited to finally be watching quality cricket in their country, having been starved of it for most of their childhoods. The last week has just made me feel sick for them.
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Well, this is quite a thing. Really chuffed & overwhelmed to be named Young Journalist of the Year at the
@ECB_cricket
Domestic Cricket Journalism Awards.
Thanks to everyone who has read and/or enjoyed any of my work & the
@CricketMediaUK
judging panel for a lovely surprise.
The Cricketer has won the Outstanding Online Coverage of Domestic Cricket Award at the ECB Domestic Journalism Awards for the third year in a row
@NickFriend1
is the Christopher Martin-Jenkins Young Journalist of the Year
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Glamorgan have read this piece. They've declared on 533-9 at the fall of the ninth wicket. Michael Hogan: 380 matches, 0 LBWs. History in our midst.
Michael Hogan plays the final game of one of county cricket's greatest, most unlikely careers this week.
Across 379 games over 14 years as a pro, he has never been out LBW. That's a world record.
He has to keep his pads out of the way for four more days.
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Am I too invested in club cricket, I hear you ask?
Well, here I am, using a jug to scoop a puddle into a bin.
What a silly sport to love.
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Extra reminder of how much Shoaib Bashir is learning on the job: Gill and Patidar are the second and third lbw dismissals of his whole professional career. His previous three were Joe Clarke (Nottinghamshire), Sam Brewer (Bristol Cricket Club) and George Maddy (Warwickshire 2s).
Proper spell from Shoaib Bashir. A 20-year-old in his eighth first-class game bowling off-spin with no one between slip and extra cover - shows just how much control he's given England/Stokes
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Don't let Eoin Morgan's captaincy in the field get lost in what just happened. Every decision - from avoiding the Moeen vs Finch new-ball match-up - absolutely perfect.
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Alastair Cook, Rory Burns, Mark Stoneman, Rob Yates, Dan Lawrence, Josh de Caires, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Tawanda Muyeye, Emilio Gay, Leus du Plooy and Wayne Madsen have all had a bowl in the last four days, which is fun.
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40-year-old opening bowler Michael Hogan has someone's keeping pads on. Wicketkeeper Chris Cooke has the ball in his hands. Glamorgan are about to use an 11th bowler. YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS
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Tom Hartley now has seven-wicket hauls against Lytham CC and India. Anthony Mulligan and Mohammed Siraj can both say they were stumped for the seventh.
Hyderabad joins Old Trafford, Billericay, Rainford, Colwyn Bay, Rainhill, Wallasey, Great Crosby, Leigh and Neston as the scene of a Tom Hartley five-wicket haul.
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On Saturday, I finished last in the Finals Day mascot race.
My piece from the frontline, and the most aggressively sweltering hour of my life. A cocktail of sweat and humiliation.
"To lead people, walk behind them."
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Most catches in the country, most stumpings in the country, 763 runs at 63.58, unbeaten 204 in this game (and 10 catches). After everything, a delight to see James Bracey playing like this - and loving it - again.
Unbelievable grab: game situation, wrong-footed, no glove on, standing closer, flies off the edge, basically there for a shy at the stumps. Utterly outrageous.
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Just a cool 18 wickets @ 14.27 apiece for Matthew Potts in India for England Lions, with a wicket every 26.5 balls. No one else in the series has taken more than 7.
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Jude Bellingham and Adam Wharton both have Play Cricket profiles, so they should obviously be England's midfield pairing.
My contribution to the Euros discourse:
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Nayan Doshi has entered the IPL auction. He's 42 years old and took 17 wickets in the Middlesex Premier League for Brondesbury last year.
Once upon a time, playing for Surrey, he was the original Twenty20 gun - the first person in the world to reach 50 T20 wickets.
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In other news, Richard Illingworth and Michael Gough in their casuals do look like a mildly suspicious father-son duo in the teaser for an ITV drama.
📸
@NStirkPhoto
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A guard of honour for Rikki Clarke, a great county cricketer in his final hours as a pro. He'll be facing Hamish Rutherford's left-arm spin.
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Pretty cool story, this. Released by Sussex at the end of last season, only to turn up at late notice as part of Kent's emergency squad to make a hundred on debut against his former county, all while wearing a taped-over Sussex helmet.
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These three days have been the best Test cricket I can recall from an England team for a very long time. Clear plan and everything absolutely on point. Huge credit to Joe Root - and also to Chris Silverwood.
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Last 4 Championship games:
Wigan 2-1 QPR: 94th min handball - penalty not given for QPR.
QPR 3-4 Birmingham: 95th min penalty missed by Wells.
Bristol City 2-1 QPR: Ludicrous 94th min penalty given to BC.
QPR 2-3 West Brom: 94th min winner for WBA.
It doesn't rain...
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What a glorious thing it is to see Moeen Ali playing Test cricket.
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Ed Pollock whacked 180 yesterday. On reaching his hundred, he looked skywards and tapped the No.33 on his shirt.
He and Josh Baker were close friends, so this has been a hugely difficult summer.
Much respect to him for speaking so honestly.
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Have we finally seen something that even cricket hasn't legislated for?
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- 380 matches, never out LBW
- 99 first-class not-outs
- The most Sheffield Shield runs by a No.11
(931 professional wickets, having only made his debut at 28)
👑👑👑
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Assad Vala played for Papua New Guinea in Buenos Aires in 2009 in Division Three of the World Cricket League. Now, he has a T20 World Cup fifty as captain of his country.
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Yadvinder Singh never played hardball cricket until he was 17, when he made his 4th XI debut for Moseley.
At 28, he has joined Worcestershire.
Tragedy, resilience, nightshifts paper-rounds,
@SACAUK
and club cricket: pleasure telling his incredible story.
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I am entirely here for Charles Amini. Mother, father, brother and grandfather all played for Papua New Guinea, the national stadium - Amini Park - is named after the family. But he's the first to reach a World Cup. Just a lovely story within a beautiful rise.
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I have never seen a worse, more flawed QPR side - or a team more relegated - than the one this man inherited. In complete awe of what he's achieved. The best thing to happen to the club in decades.
"We've worked really hard to get this kind of performance" 💪
Marti Cifuentes shares his thoughts on a perfect last home game of the season for QPR ✨
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Thoroughly enjoyed Matt Mason's recollections of his 10-ball duck in Worcestershire's second match after being sent in to pinch-hit by Tom Moody - still the longest nought in English T20 history:
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Twenty20 Cup's first day.
A long read on June 13, 2003, T20's Night Zero - gimmicks, Keith Dutch being the world's highest run-scorer, Mis-Teeq and all - when the wheels were set in motion for the monster of today.
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However you view the Royal London Cup, I just watched a 20-year-old craft the most brilliant 150 against Simon Harmer in front of a pretty full Chelmsford, with Alastair Cook just standing and admiring each shot. Jack Haynes is class.
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Just a superb moment in time.
Underrated bit of this, where slip knows exactly what's about to happen while the ball's still at 50ft
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I wrote about Shaheen Shah Afridi vs KL Rahul, and a delivery where being cleaned up was probably as positive a scenario as any batter could hope.
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Stuart Broad (37) moves ahead of Chris Martin (36) in the Test duck stakes. Only Courtney Walsh ahead of him now!
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Really pleased for James Bracey, who's made a hundred for England Lions against Australia A. Yes, a difficult international debut, but a far better player than that fortnight showed and still absolutely an England cricketer of the future.
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We take it for granted, but Sky Cricket's coverage of the Test summer was remarkable.
A long interview with head of
@SkyCricket
Bryan Henderson (
@commboxkid
).
On having a voice, BLM, an outstanding commentary team, impartiality, credibility & Covid.
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At the 2002 Bunbury Festival, Joe Hart played with Moeen Ali and against Adil Rashid.
I spent my weekend asking the childhood teammates and coaches of the Tottenham seamer how good a cricketer he was – and how good he could have become.
You're welcome.
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Not a new take, but Nasser is exceptional. Called Brunt's stumping on cue and now doing the same with Sciver's shot selection.
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Magna Darta
Whilst we celebrated World Championship glory last night for Michael Smith, today marks 30 years since 16 players officially broke away with the World Darts Council & formed what is now the PDC.
Here's arguably the most historic document in darts!
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Burns, Sibley, Pope, Lawrence, Smith, Foakes, S Curran, J Overton, Clark, Worrall, Atkinson/Lawes
I mean, good luck to the rest of them...
📰 Dan Lawrence joins Surrey from the 2024 season 📰
We're delighted to announce that Dan will join on an initial three-year deal.
Welcome to the Club, Dan 👊
🤎 |
#SurreyCricket
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If you're a Rajasthan Royals overseas player and not called Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes or Chris Morris, I'd suspect 2021 might predominantly be a watching brief
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Not seen many team celebrappeals; this is a terrific variation on the bowler-only norm.
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People calling this Sterling's first World Cup goal obvs forgetting the screamer vs Italy
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I regret to inform you that I have been using my time wisely.
No one has ever dived deep into the absurdly silly world of the T20 Mascot Race. Until now.
With thanks to Caesar the Lion, Dewi the Dragon, Nuts the Squirrel, Freddie the Falcon and others.
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Not a single bye - or extra of any kind - in 95.5 overs on that surface is yet another massive nod to the quality of Ben Foakes’ glovework
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Ajinkya Rahane's half century brought up with similar acclaim to Brian Lara's 400. Tremendous scenes. Fanzone is alive and well.
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