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The Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Stokes is right and Gambhir is wrong. Injuries, not subs, are essential part of cricket
I'll be honest, I'm done in. Not feeling it. Quills deep in the red zone. This white blank page looks impossibly foreboding. I feel like I'm blinking up at a vast Eiger-shaped word document. Nine hundred words of Garamond from the summit and my crampons are made of blancmange. You think these Spin columns are easy? I had four days in bed after the last one. I need to get out of this. I've been called up, but now it's plain to see it's not working. Should I claim Scrivener's palsy? The yips? Desperately and repeatedly slam the laptop lid on my knuckles? Channel Allan Border to Dean Jones at Chennai in 1986? 'Let's get a proper cricket writer out here. A southerner.' Andy Bull. Tanya Aldred. Let's be 'avin you! But sometimes you have just got to get on with it. Deal with the situation you're given. Ben Stokes has not made it easy to get on board with all of his words and deeds at the end of the drawn Old Trafford Test, but on the issue of cricketing substitutions, well, I'll snatch his hand off. He described the prospect as 'absolutely ridiculous' and that 'there would be just too many loopholes'. Injury replacements are due to be trialled by some boards at first-class level this year; Stokes went on to state that the conversation should be 'shut down and stopped'. England's captain once again flying in the face of soft power and showing his interventionist tendencies. Naturally, as befits the Test series, India's coach, Gautam Gambhir, took the opposite view. With Rishabh Pant's fractured foot no doubt fresh in his mind Gambhir said an injury replacement should be allowed in such a scenario. Under the existing laws of the game, India's reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel was allowed to replace Pant behind the stumps but not permitted to bat. Gambhir's take is a surprising one. He is known for being tough and uncompromising as a player and a coach, instilling a Stakhanovite work ethic and training regime into his players and, as befits a man with such luxuriant Victorian sideburns, he seems to bristle at the merest whiff of weakness. Gambhir seems to bristle at almost anything; he has the air of a bloke for whom the entire universe is a perceived slight. The guy has got resting-death-stare-face, appearing permanently close to putting up his dukes and offering people outside. But on the issue of subs Gambhir has gone soft. Injuries are part of the game, they are bad luck and no one wants to see them, they can leave a side staring down the barrel of a significant disadvantage. James Anderson pulling up lame on the first morning of the 2019 Ashes left England a bowler short for almost the whole game. Nathan Lyon suffering a mid-game crooked calf at Lord's four years later left Australia faced with the task of bowling England out without their premier spinner. (Reader, they managed it.) As anyone who has played or watched cricket for any length of time knows, the game has a way of levelling things out. It is a lesson learned by all amateur cricketers – call it mother cricket, call it reverse-swings and roundabouts, call it a peculiar case of oscillating cricketing equilibrium. You get away with one this week, you will get a stinker the next. That is just the way it goes. The fine balance between success and failure is baked in, it is all part of cricket's beguiling and maddening alchemy. It is not just Stokes and Gambhir that disagree on injury replacements, former players and pundits are split down the middle. The former England captain Michael Vaughan is in favour, decrying the current ruling as being akin to something from the dark ages. Steven Finn was firmly against, posting on X about the fine balance and arm wrestling nature of Test cricket: 'The game is played over five days for a reason. (Some) teams bat long in order to wear a bowling unit down. If you could substitute a fresh bowler in because of injury it would just be wrong. How on earth do you determine what an injury is? MRI scanners at every ground to check a muscle tear?' The cricketing world is increasingly one of hot takes and hypocrisy. Do we really want to go down the route of debating what constitutes an injury worthy of replacement, endlessly debating how it originated in an increasingly gruelling sport where nearly all players are constantly carrying something? As Stokes said: 'If you stick me in an MRI scanner, I could get someone else in straight away.' The ensuing debates would be as endless and grim as those around the spirit of cricket and the impossibly spurious 'line'. I can see the demands to see medical records now: 'Call that a grade three tear? Pah. This is a grade three tear.' An Ashes tour in four years with Brydon Carse having to swat away accusations that the battered and bruised digit poking out of the hole in his boot was a prosthesis. Cue 'Fake toe! FAKE TOE!' splashed on the front of the Courier-Mail. An exaggeration? Perhaps. Test cricket has constantly changed and adapted to the world around it, but in this day and age that might not be the best thing. Injuries are a part of the game, players battle through, sometimes they fade away, sometimes they come back stronger. As India and this column prove, despite the hand you are dealt, you can still get over the line. My colleague Taha Hashim wrote about Pant's innings resumption on day two at Old Trafford: Test cricket, with its distaste for substitutes, is familiar with these moments. There's Graeme Smith walking out with a fractured hand to try to save a match in Sydney, Nathan Lyon shuffling to the crease at Lord's with a torn calf. There's Colin Cowdrey with his busted arm and Anil Kumble, a bandage wrapped around his face, bowling with a broken jaw. These feats are commemorated, the players applauded for their bravery, and they make for undoubtedly great stories. They can be incredibly unnecessary, too. Your foot's cooked, Rishabh. Pack on the ice and sit this one out. It's only a game.' Hard to argue with that, but I duly did the next morning after taking my seat next to Taha in the press box. Whisper it, but players battling on with injuries is brilliant viewing. The stakes go up even further, there is the frisson of real danger, the bravery of putting body on the line matched with the ruthlessness of the other side who are looking to exploit any advantage they can get to come out on top. I can not have been the only one secretly hoping the final day at Old Trafford was going to go down to the wire. Cue Pant emerging from the perilously staircased dressing room and heading out to face out the final over with a freshly minted moon boot. Imagine Stokes – 10 overs deep into a spell that has broken the game open, his body in tatters, in fading light. England's captain resembles a scarecrow held together by old bits of twine. The heart though, heart of a lion. The yorker is coming. We all know it. One wicket to win the series. Six balls to survive and keep it alive for the fractured Rishabh. Be still my beating heart … There is no way I would have let anyone drag me off on 89 after I had worked hard all day to save the game for my team … If you give it, like England do, then you have to be able to take it' – Geoffrey Boycott has his say on the end of the Old Trafford Test. South Africa's first Test series win in Australia came under Graeme Smith in 2008-09. The final Test, in Sydney, ended in victory for the home side, but not before he reminded everyone of his sheer toughness. Mitchell Johnson smashed a ball into Smith's gloves in South Africa's first innings, the blow resulted in a broken hand. The opener was forced to retire hurt and did not bat in the second innings until the fall of the ninth wicket with the visitors needing to survive the best part of 10 overs. Those at the ground assumed the match was over, but after a short delay out came Smith to rapturous applause. Batting kit on, hand heavily bandaged. Smith later said: 'I was thinking, 'should I or should I not?' My hand was in a cast. I went inside and spoke to Mickey Arthur, he was 100% yes [should bat]. The physio was 100% no [shouldn't]. The psychologist stood on the fence, giving me the best of both worlds. Eventually, I committed myself to doing it.' Johnson splattered Smith's stumps with10 deliveries left. Australia won the match, but Smith and his side took the series, the captain signing off with one cricket's most courageous innings. While the game takes sides on the England v India draw fracas, Mark Ramprakash recalls Justin Langer's valuable lesson about not shaking hands too early. Sheepishness may follow sour grapes in handshakes row as England near end of brutal series, writes Ali Martin. The arguments continue – this time between India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and Oval ground staff. Gary Naylor runs the rule over the latest round of County Championship action. After the departures of three giants, India are still trying to click, writes Taha Hashim. … by writing to To subscribe to The Spin, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Men's Six Nations starts midweek and is cut shorter for 2026
Next year's Six Nations will kick-off on a Thursday night for the first time in the competition's history, with the defending champions France hosting Ireland, and take place across just six weeks after organisers removed one of fallow weeks for the championship. Related: France deserve Six Nations coronation but fall short of royal performance | Andy Bull Advertisement It is understood that the unprecedented move to begin the championship on Thursday 5 February next year has been made following input from broadcasters with the 2026 Winter Olympics ceremony taking place in Milan the following day. It has also been made with the agreement of all six unions. The Championship has also been truncated to six weeks with one of the traditional fallow weeks removed due to the inaugural Nations Cup, which is due to take place later in the year. That competition will feature four rounds of fixtures next autumn – the traditional Test window only accounts for three – so in exchange, the Six Nations will take place over six weeks. With just one fallow week, there will be three consecutive weeks of fixtures, followed by a week off, then two more to conclude the championship. Round 1 [all times GMT] Thurs 5 Feb: France v Ireland, 8.10pm; Sat 7 Feb: Italy v Scotland, 2.10pm; England v Wales, 4.40pm. Advertisement Round 2 Sat 14 Feb: Ireland v Italy, 2.10pm; Scotland v England, 4.40pm; Sun 15 Feb: Wales v France, 3.10pm. Round 3 Sat 21 Feb: England v Ireland, 2.10pm; Wales v Scotland 4.40pm; Sun 22 Feb: France v Italy, 3.10pm. Round 4 Fri 6 Mar: Ireland v Wales, 8.10pm; Sat 7 Mar: Scotland v France, 2.10pm; Italy v England, 4.40pm. Round 5 Sat 14 Mar: Ireland v Scotland, 2.10pm; Wales v Italy, 4.40pm; France v England, 8.10pm. The move to six weeks is unlikely to go down well with player welfare groups given a host of players have spoken of the need for two rest weeks in the past. Early this season, England players said they had voiced 'extensive concerns' about their workload with the Rugby Football Union when their contracts were announced for the coming year. Advertisement England will begin their campaign by hosting Wales on Saturday 7 February before travelling to Murrayfield to face Scotland and then welcoming Ireland to Twickenham. After the fallow week Steve Borthwick's side face consecutive away matches against Italy in Rome before taking on France in the final match on Super Saturday. Ireland, who will have the British & Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell back at the helm, host the only Friday night match of the championship, against Wales in round four of the competition.
Powys County Times
03-05-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Funding for renewable energy projects in Montgomeryshire
A grant scheme is offering funding for renewable energy projects in Montgomeryshire. The Windfall scheme, which is run by the Mid Wales Community Energy Trust, is now open for applications. The scheme is primarily focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects within the county. Community groups are being encouraged to apply for the second round of funding, which will provide up to £30,000 in grant funding to not-for-profit organisations in the Carno, Caersws, Trefeglwys, Dwyriw, Llanbrynmair, and Llanerfyl community council areas. For community groups outside these areas but still within Montgomeryshire, up to £10,000 in grant funding is available per project. The scheme is also open to low-carbon, shared, community, and active travel initiatives, as well as educational activities aimed at sustainable development. Past beneficiaries have included village halls, football clubs, energy cooperatives, training organisations, and climate action groups. The chair of Windfall, Andy Bull, said: "We're delighted to announce this second round of funding under our new arrangements. "I'd like to encourage community groups to pitch in and apply for grants that could make a tangible difference to local people, especially those around the Carno wind farm and those that operate at least partially in Welsh. "Perhaps it's about installing renewable energy measures or maybe a project that will lower a community's carbon footprint - we're open to considering a wide range of proposals." The grant scheme is managed by the sustainability charity Severn Wye Energy Agency, which will distribute funds to successful applicants. Severn Wye's director for Wales, Dave Gittins, said: "This funding will give an important boost to sustainability projects across Montgomeryshire. "We're excited to see what ideas come forward and to help local communities progress on their low-carbon journeys." The scheme is particularly interested in projects involving renewable energy generation, energy efficiency or demand-reduction measures, low-carbon, shared, community and active travel initiatives, and educational activities around sustainable development. The current round of funding is supplied by Amegni Ltd, the owner of the Carno Wind Farm. Interested applicants can find full guidance and application forms on the Windfall website. Queries about the scheme or the application process can be sent to grants@ The deadline for applications to this round is June 16, 2025, with a further round of funding expected to open in August 2025.
