Shane Bond
Shane Bond could have been the greatest bowler New Zealand ever produced had he the body for it. Unfortunately, the fearsome quick spent much of his time in international cricket on the injury table, but when he was fit, he was a problem for opposition batsmen the world over.
And that was largely his problem. Bond, who had to have titanium wire fused to his spine and had to manage numerous other issues with his knees and feet, would not slow down and take any intensity out of his deliveries.
Bowling at 150 kph and upward can take its toll on the body. But for batsmen, it meant a ball fighting the friction of the air around it and swinging when it was three-quarters of the way to you. At that pace, there is not much adjusting that can be done.
Bond would help New Zealand to the semi-final of the World Cup in 2007 but even before that his 6-23 against Australia four years earlier in Hobart was a wonderful example of the devastation he could wreak.
Full name: Shane Edward Bond
Born: June 7, 1975 (44), Christchurch, Canterbury
Major teams: New Zealand, Canterbury, Delhi Giants, Hampshire, Kolkata Knight Riders, Warwickshire
Playing role: Bowler
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm fast
ODI Career: New Zealand (2002-2010)
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10w
82 80 4295 3070 147 6/19 6/19 20.88 4.28 29.2 7 4 0
Career Highlights
Paul-Andre is the Managing Editor at SportsMax.tv. He comes to the role with almost 20 years of experience as journalist. That experience includes all facets of media. He began as a sports Journalist in 2001, quickly moving into radio, where he was an editor before becoming a news editor and then an entertainment editor with one of the biggest media houses in the Caribbean.
‘Greatest moment in India cricket?’ – WI cricket analyst Mohammed agrees win over Aussies, India’s finest Test triumph
Noted West Indian cricket analyst Fazeer Mohammed believes India’s triumph over Australia at the historic Brisbane Cricket Ground could indeed be the greatest moment in India cricket.
Of course, the Asian team has claimed the ICC World Cup twice, first in 1983 and then again in 2011. But, the special circumstance surrounding the team’s spirit defense of the Border-Gavaskar trophy, for this particular series will put the historical result right alongside the best of them.
Shorn of some of its most experienced players, due to injury, and having seen inspirational captain Virat Kohli head back to India after just one Test for the birth of his daughter, few expected India to be able to make the series competitive, let alone retain the trophy.
In addition, the team allegedly faced racism from the crowd during the Test in Sydney. Perhaps it was fitting it came down to the last hour of the final day with all four results a possibility.
Spurred on by Rishabh Pant who stayed not out and hit a wonderful 89, young opener, Shunhman Gill also contributed with 91 at the top and the gritty Cheteshwar Pujara who held up his end for 56.
Prior to the unlikely triumph on enemy territory, no team had chased more than 236 at the Gabba, a ground Australia had not lost a Test since 1988.
“It wasn’t just solid, it was inspirational,” Mohammed told the SportsMax Zone.
“All of the experts when it comes to Indian cricket, I can’t fault what any of them have said…when you try your best and put it into context with all of the different issues and primarily the loss of almost all of their prominent player throughout the four-Test matches, being routed for 36 in the first Test. Everyone had written them off with the departure of Kohli.
“To see Ajinkya Rahane holding the trophy, not with a drawn series but with a historic victory, they don’t win at Brisbane, no one beats Australia at Brisbane. When you lump everything together, when you put all of the contexts of the individual players and their own personal journeys, to this point it has to be the greatest moment in Indian cricket, certainly when it comes to Test cricket”
Kings XI Punjab set to resign Gayle, will release Cottrell
Indian Premier League (IPL) club Kings XI Punjab are expected to predictably retain West Indian star batsman Chris Gayle but will release his compatriot Sheldon Cottrell ahead of the new season.
The 31-year-old pace bowler was bought for a sizeable INR 8.5 crore ($US1,156,239) during the IPL 2020 auction but failed to justify the price tag. In six matches, Cottrell bowled 20 overs, claiming 6 wickets for 176 runs at an expensive economy rate of 8.80. Unfortunately, perhaps the player's biggest moment came after being on the wrong side of thrashing from Rajasthan Royals Rahul Tewatia, who smashed 5 sixes off one of his overs during a record run chase.
Gayle, on the other hand, was sensational. Despite starting the season on the sidelines, the big left-hander became the driving force behind the team's push for a playoff spot, although it ended with the team narrowly missing out on 6th spot. The West Indian had been left on the bench for the first seven games of the season. He was not picked for the first five, and food poisoning ruled him out for the next two. He ended with 288 runs at an average of 44.14 and a high score of 99.
India batsman Karun Nair is also expected to be released but the team remains undecided on Australian Glenn Maxwell, who had a mediocre IPL season but had a splendid series against India.
Windies suffer six-wicket loss in ODI opener against Bangladesh in Dhaka
The West Indies suffered a humiliating six-wicket loss to Bangladesh in the first of three ODI’s today, going down by six wickets with 97 balls to spare in the match played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
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