Latest news with #Protean
The Hindu
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Full list of fastest triple centuries in Test cricket: Mulder goes second after blistering knock against Zimbabwe
South Africa all-rounder Wiaan Mulder slammed the second-fastest triple century in Test cricket history during the second Test match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Monday. Mulder reached his triple ton off 297 balls, which is second only to Virender Sehwag, who had registered the feat in 278 balls against South Africa in Chennai in 2008. The 27-year-old also notched up the highest individual score by a South Africa batter in Tests, going past Hashim Amla's 311, after becoming only the second Protean to slam a triple century. Fastest triple centuries in Tests 278 balls - Virender Sehwag - India vs South Africa (Chennai, 2008) 297 balls - Wiaan Mulder - South Africa vs Zimbabwe (Bulawayo, 2025) 310 bals - Harry Brook - England vs Pakistan (Multan, 2024) 355 balls - Wally Hammond - England vs New Zealand (Auckland, 1933) 362 balls - Matthew Hayden - Australia vs Zimbabwe (Perth, 2003)
Auto Car
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
Winner's circle: How Protean's in-wheel motors will reshape EVs
Winner of Autocar's innovation award is reinventing the wheel, and could transform car packaging for good Close Surrey-based EV motor developer Protean has its roots in a firm called PML Flightlink, which made headlines in 2006 when it fitted four in-wheel motors (IWMs) to a Mini Cooper to give 640bhp, a sub-5.0sec 0-62mph time and a £200k price. The outfit was later acquired by NEVS, the Chinese-owned successor to Saab, before EV tech specialist Bedeo took it over in 2019 and began using its innovative IWMs as part of a range-extender conversion package for diesel vans. Today, Protean – winner of this year's Innovation Award – has around 120 stars spread across four global facilities: the UK engineering centre in Farnham, a factory in Tianjin, China, a supply chain office in Shanghai and a new production site in Istanbul. Last year, Protean built 1500 motors, around a third of which went to parent company Bedeo for use in the RE100 van. But CEO Andrew Whitehead says it could make 10,000 units as things stand, before scaling up to 20,000 and then, 18-24 months later, 100,000. Unlike many an ambitious tech start-up, though, Protean's growth plans are not founded entirely on enthusiastic optimism and unbridled self-belief but rather a demonstrable appetite from key industry players to embrace disruptive new technologies and explore different ways of designing and engineering vehicles. Whitehead says the company is already in discussions with a number of 'major, well-established, global OEMs', and he estimates the worldwide market for IWMs could be worth more than £15 billion by the middle of the next decade. It's moving fast, too: the first production car to use the technology is Renault's crazy new 5 Turbo 3E hyper-hatch, due on the road as soon as 2027. Whitehead won't say whether or not it's Protean's motors behind those mammoth monoblock wheels, but he does hail the 3E as an exciting showcase of what can be achieved with IWMs. 'It's a great example of a car that couldn't otherwise be done, and it's using in-wheel motors to break some barriers in terms of electric vehicles,' he says. 'So we commend Renault on their sage decision.' The tangible real-world benefits of Protean's motors include more immediate power delivery, more intricate apportioning of torque between the wheels (try 3690lb ft in a scarcely believable five milliseconds…), improved noise isolation and even the possibility to turn the driven wheels at up to 90deg. But Whitehead says the potential of this technology goes far beyond enhanced drivability, and that can only be realised when vehicle architectures are actually being designed from the off around IWMs, rather than adapted to accommodate them. 'We believe that in-wheel motors will make better electric vehicles,' he says. 'There are three elements of that: they will be lighter and more aerodynamically efficient, which means they will cost less because for a given range you will need less energy – and if you're consuming less electricity, you need to charge it less often.' The third element is the most important, he says: 'They will be better for consumers because they will have more space inside them.' By relocating all the traction components to the corners of the chassis, Protean's powertrain solution allows for a flat and featureless floorpan that provides the springboard for a radical rethink of the conventions of vehicle design. Whitehead explains: 'The end goal is to re-architect the vehicle using in-wheel motors. We've shown that you can deliver one segment's worth, and in some cases two segments, of additional space inside the same footprint. The best way to think about it is this: Volkswagen Golf footprint, Mercedes E-Class interior space.' That uplifting cabin space has big implications for refinement and practicality, but Whitehead also notes that 'the Golf is cheaper to make than the E-Class', so big cars needn't command such an overt premium in the IWM era. So, then, to the obvious question: if this technology is such a vastly superior solution to conventional electric motors, why isn't everyone already developing and using them? 'Well, the automotive industry is still the automotive industry,' explains Whitehead. 'The biggest thing is technical risk: when a car company commits to put a technology into production, they are committing to – I use broad numbers – three years of development time, a minimum of seven years of sales and then a legal obligation to 15 years of servicing afterwards. Add all those up and they have to be confident that throughout those 25 years (a) the technology is going to work, and (b) they're going to be around to support it.' It's a culture of conservatism that has fostered technical ubiquity, but in today's era of fearsome competition and ceaseless advancement, the time to experiment has come. 'The requirement to differentiate is much stronger now than even three or four years ago,' says Whitehead. 'But the biggest challenge, of course, is cost. Anybody in the manufacturing side of automotive that's not talking about costs is not in the industry.' Whitehead acknowledges that there is currently an inherent cost penalty that comes with swapping from one motor to two on each axle, but he says 'that is our final barrier'. Protean's current-generation IWM have undergone a rigorous and lengthy development programme to ensure that their enhanced capability doesn't come at the expense of real-world dependability. Solve the cost equation, says Whitehead, and Protean is on track to be at the epicentre of an all-out upheaval for the electric vehicle. 'If the in-wheel motor market expands, as I believe that it can, it will be a giant market,' he says. 'It will be over $20 billion in the middle of the next decade, and if we have 10-20% of that market, we will be a very successful business. ' Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
News18
30-06-2025
- Sport
- News18
Corbin Bosch Breaks Through As South Africa Set Zimbabwe Massive Target
Last Updated: Protean pacer Corbin Bosch broke Zimbabwe's opening resistance with a wicket in the last over of Day 3. Protean pacer Corbin Bosch broke through the staunch resistance of Zimbabwe's opening batters with a wicket in the last over of Day 3 of the first Test at the Queens Sports Club on Monday. Set an impossible target of 537 runs to win, Zimbabwe closed the day at 32/1, after Takudzwanashe Kaitano was caught at third slip. He had defended to make 12 off 62 deliveries. Keshav Maharaj, leading South Africa in a Test for the first time, opted to keep Zimbabwe in the field until his side was bowled out for 369 in their second innings, more than half an hour after tea. Allrounder Wiaan Mulder, in his third game since being promoted to bat No. 3, scored his second Test hundred, smacking a fluent 147 before being caught on the deep midwicket boundary off part-time spinner Wessly Madhevere. Zimbabwe were hindered by the absence of pacer Blessing Muzarabani because of illness. He was off the field for most of the morning, meaning he could not bowl until half an hour before tea. Tanaka Chivanga was the sole pacer available to skipper Craig Ervine for most of the innings, leaving the bulk of the bowling to the spinners. As in the first innings, South Africa scored at over four runs per over, but left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza picked up four wickets for 98 runs. Leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa, who had suffered at the hands of debutants Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis in the first innings, dismissed both youngsters the second time around. The southpaw Pretorious, who made 153 in the first innings, was bowled for four by a delivery that spun back. Brevis added just three to his first innings 51 before being bowled by a flighted ball when he tried a big shot. When the Protean innings ended, there were a minimum of 18 overs to be bowled. Because of the number of overs bowled by the Zimbabwe spinners, who kept their side ahead of the required over rate, a rare occurrence in modern Tests took place as South Africa were able to squeeze in an extra over before the close. (With AFP Inputs) First Published: June 30, 2025, 21:34 IST
The Hindu
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
T20 World Cup 2024 Final: Inside the Morning India Changed Its Story
Even before the sun had fully risen, the streets of Bridgetown had started to stir. Minibuses hummed past in short bursts. Vendors were wheeling carts into place — mostly tropical fruits, and some fried fish. A couple of kids were already knocking a tennis ball around on a quiet side street, stumps drawn in chalk on a peeling pink wall. Most shops stayed shut, but the rum shops that doubled as breakfast spots had people trickling in — eggs, black coffee, World Cup predictions. There wasn't a rush. Just a low, steady sense that something was building. The walk from town to Kensington Oval didn't take long, but you could feel the shift. More people wore India shirts or draped flags — some West Indies fans too, who were there just for the game. A group of South Africans in yellow were taking selfies outside a closed souvenir shop. Everywhere you went in Barbados, people greeted each other with easy warmth. Car horns weren't angry — they were friendly toots, quick hellos. People waved out of vans, shouted greetings across streets, whistled to old friends. You got the feeling that no one passed by unnoticed. Bajans seemed to carry a kind of joy in being seen — and in seeing each other. I was running on little sleep and too much adrenaline. Even then, I knew: this wasn't just the start of another match. Something bigger was coming. And now, a year on, I can still recall that morning more sharply than most final scores I've filed. The haze over the sea. The way the flags on the roof ruffled. That strange calm before the cricket began. With time, you expect the result to remain, and the rest to fade. But here, it's the opposite. It's the mood that lingers. Not the margin. Not the trophy. The mood. The Kensington Oval wasn't just a neutral venue. It was a stage steeped in cricket's memory. | Photo Credit: AYAN ACHARYA Kensington Oval wears its history on its skin. The stands are named not for sponsors, but for giants — Hall and Griffith, Greenidge and Haynes, Worrell, Weekes, and Walcott. A stadium that doesn't just stage cricket but remembers it. When it was modernised for the 2007 World Cup, the ground kept its soul. It still sits within walking distance of Bridgetown's bustle, still feels like part of the city rather than walled off from it. And on this day, with India chasing something it hadn't held in over a decade, that sense of place mattered. This wasn't just a neutral venue. It was a stage steeped in cricket's memory — where old echoes lingered and something new was about to be written. By 9 a.m., the ground had begun to flutter. The early arrivals filtered in — most sporting the Indian blue, some in the Protean green. On the outfield, players went through warm-ups in scattered routines: fielding drills, throwdowns, quiet huddles. The Indian team looked composed but coiled, like they knew what was at stake but didn't want to show it too early. From the press box, you could feel the hum building. Not noise yet — just pressure. A final is never just a match, especially not for India. Every choice, every moment would ripple back home, across millions of screens, through years of heartbreak and waiting. This wasn't just another day at Kensington Oval. It was about to become a part of India's cricket memory — or its extended heartbreak. I remember telling myself — this was the first World Cup final I was covering. The one small relief? I wasn't writing the match report. That was my senior's job. So, there I was... observing, soaking it in, picking moments that would maybe make sense only in hindsight. I had space — to watch, to think, to worry. And I did worry. My mind drifted, as it sometimes does when things are too still, too tense. It went back to St. Lucia and India's final Super Eight game. India had started well in its defence, but then Travis Head had begun gnawing away at that required run rate, again. For a good 20 minutes, it felt like November 19, 2023 all over again. You could almost hear every Indian fan mutter the same thing: Not again. Not him. Not now. Then Bumrah got him. Slower off-cutter. Caught. Relief. But just as I was playing that moment back in my head, I looked up and saw Rohit Sharma walking back. Early. Too early. He'd batted like a man possessed all tournament — power, intent, calm — and suddenly he was gone. The kind of dismissal that doesn't crash your hopes, but tilts the floor under your feet just slightly. And in that pause, that fragile quiet after Rohit's fall, the thought crept in: What if this is another one of those days? So close. Yet so far. Kohli was still there. And in a way, that steadied things. His batting wasn't fluent — it hadn't been for much of the tournament — but there was something immovable about him that day. He played like someone who knew his role in this script wasn't to dominate, but to endure. The runs didn't come easy, but the silence between them was his to control. Kohli knew the pitch conditions weren't going to allow anyone to blaze through. | Photo Credit: AYAN ACHARYA It wasn't vintage Kohli. But it was something else — methodical, self-aware, maybe even stubborn. You could sense he knew that the conditions weren't going to allow anyone to blaze through. And so he chose to hold, to absorb, to stay. But the innings needed more than that. It needed energy. A break from the weight. It needed Axar Patel. And what he gave them — what he gave India — was beyond anything you'd have reasonably asked of a No. 5 on World Cup final day. He came in with the pitch slow, the pressure thick, and the opposition circling. Yet, he batted with a clarity that cut right through the moment. No panic. No playing for time. Just clean, confident hitting mixed with smart risk. Each boundary from his bat was like a crack in the anxiety. Especially that six over long-on off Kagiso Rabada — short backlift, no flourish, just timing. It didn't lift the roof; it shifted the mood. From where I sat, you could feel the press box sit forward, as if everyone had sensed it at once: this partnership matters. And it wasn't Kohli dragging Axar along. It was Axar giving Kohli the room to breathe. Kohli was methodical, self-aware, maybe even stubborn. | Photo Credit: AYAN ACHARYA That stand didn't explode. It simmered. And that was enough. Axar kept picking the gaps, manipulating the field. Kohli stayed anchored, letting the overs tick by. They weren't just adding runs; they were soaking up overs India might not have survived otherwise. For a brief period, the Oval's noise even dipped — not because the crowd lost interest, but because the match had entered one of those tight coils of control that only great teams create under pressure. When Axar got run out, it was a gut punch — but by then, the damage had been done. He'd kept South Africa scrambling for answers, and ensured the innings had direction. Then came that final push — Shivam Dube's sixes, Kohli finding rhythm just in time, the scoreboard nudging toward defendable. You could feel the noise return. Flags waving harder. Chants growing louder. Kohli and Axar's stand didn't explode. It simmered. And that was enough. | Photo Credit: AYAN ACHARYA In the space of 20 overs, the mood had turned — from nerves and flashbacks to belief. Not swagger. Not yet. But belief. It wasn't a towering total. But it had something far more important — context. Pressure. A pitch that had slowed. A team that had fought for every run. And somewhere deep down, everyone watching knew: this could be enough. It almost wasn't. For 15 overs of South Africa's chase, it felt like the match was slipping, inch by inch, out of India's grasp. Reeza Hendricks had gone early, but Quinton de Kock kept them ticking. Then Heinrich Klaasen walked in and turned the screws. They weren't just surviving. They were building. De Kock and Klaasen began to close the gap, over by over. And for the first time all day, you could feel the stadium start to lean back instead of forward. Then came that over from Arshdeep Singh. De Kock picked the length early and pulled him over fine-leg for four. Not a slog — just clean, casual brutality. The kind that tells you: they're not chasing anymore; they're controlling. From the press box, it felt like the air had dropped a few degrees. And at that very moment, Jasprit Bumrah walked over to Rohit. Just a gesture. A point. Then a nod. Seconds later, Kuldeep Yadav was being moved to deep fine-leg. Next ball — short, on the body — De Kock pulled again. Same shot. Same plan. But this time, it went exactly where they'd just moved the man. Straight to him. Caught. No celebration, not yet. But the press box sat up again. You could feel it — a door creaking open where it had just seemed shut. Klaasen still looked dangerous. Too dangerous — 52 off 27 balls, striking at will, making even Bumrah look mortal. Every hit was a dagger. When he launched Kuldeep into the stands, the hush returned. From the dugout to the dressing room, you could sense it: panic edging toward despair. Twenty-six needed off 24. That's what it came down to. And if you were there, you remember the silence. Not the loud kind — the still kind. The sort of hush that comes only when a dream stands on the edge of collapse. Then came the turn. Hardik Pandya to Klaasen. Full. Rushed. Edged. Caught by the wicketkeeper. The roar that followed wasn't joy — it was release. You could see it on the players' faces. They weren't celebrating yet. They were just breathing again. The next over, Arshdeep gave up just four runs. And just like that, belief returned — not because the match was won, but because it was alive again. When Pandya ran in to bowl the final over, South Africa still needed 16. He had the ball, and with it, the chance to finish a decade-long arc of pain. He did. And when the last wicket fell — Keshav Maharaj, caught trying to clear the rope — the Oval didn't erupt. It exhaled. India had won. By seven runs. Just enough. India, for once, didn't chase a miracle or surrender to fate. | Photo Credit: AYAN ACHARYA Rohit was down on all fours, pounding the turf in elation. Less than a year ago, he had stood in silence in Ahmedabad, watching Australia snatch the World Cup that India had seemed destined to win. Now, under a different sky, he let it all out.
Hindustan Times
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Temba Bavuma calls out Australia's distasteful sledging after WTC win: ‘When we were batting, we could hear…'
After years of falling short at or right before the final hurdle, South Africa finally made that final step that leads to silverware. It has been an albatross hanging around the South African team's neck, with an inability to convert deep tournament runs into championship titles. Things changed as Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma guided a 282-run chase at Lord's, to establish themselves as national heroes in their homeland. Beyond battling against Australia's strong team and winning mentality to achieve the victory, South Africa had to overcome this mental burden of their own — and one which the Aussies made a point of pressuring on the pitch in their interactions with the Proteas. Bavuma confirmed as much in his post-match quotes. 'While we were batting we could hear the Aussies using that dreaded word: choke,' said Bavuma. 'We came in with a lot of belief and a lot of doubters. We got ourselves into the final, there were doubters as to the route we took. This win squashes that. Here's an opportunity for us as a nation, divided as we are, to unite.' South Africa's latest heartbreak was the 2024 T20 World Cup final, where they lost the match against India from a winning position. This match, however, was sweet revenge for their painful 1999 World Cup semifinal loss to Australia, also on English turf. 'As a country, it's a chance for us to rejoice in something, to forget about our issues and really come together. I hope it inspires and continues to inspire our country. For this group of players, there were a lot of doubters but the way we played would have wiped all of that out,' continued the Protean skipper, emphasising that the team's collective strength was a big reason for their success. His reliable deputy and man-of-the-match Markram echoed these thoughts, speaking about how shedding that tag would be a boost for this team heading into the future. 'It'll be great to not have to hear that again. To have got the job done and to get rid of that is quite a big thing for this team. All the questions that have been asked in the past have now been answered,' concluded the sole centurion of the match.
