Sam the Saviour

The best cricket stories of the week, 21st to 27th December 2024

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1

Sam the Saviour

Sydney Morning Herald’s Malcolm Knox writes about why the explosive emergence of Sam Konstas captured Australia’s imagination.

“All the forecasts about what Konstas can, can’t, might, will or won’t do? Leave them for the future. What he’s already done is what matters now. He mashed up different genres of cricket, and it went horribly right.”

• Konstas’ innings reminded The Nightly’s Glen Quartermain of another brilliant Boxing Day knock against world class bowlers; “Sam Konstas’ knock revives memories of Kim Hughes’ finest innings during 1981 Boxing Day Test”

2

Lee’s the man

Fox Sports’ Courtney Walsh & Nic Savage piece together Brett Lee’s blistering domestic spell before he made his Australia debut, including how breaking a player’s arm vaulted him into the national spotlight.

“The one thing I remember is when he hit Joey Angel right in the arm guard … the ball bounces off and life goes on, but I had a closer look at Jo and his arm was just flopping. Brett had broken both bones in his arm, just with the sheer pace,” Haddin recalled.”

3

Tripling down on data nerdiness

ESPNcricinfo’s Anantha Narayanan builds a mathematical model to determine which of cricket’s 32 Test triple centuries had the most (and least) impact.

“Till date, 32 triples have been scored by 28 batters in 32 Tests. As such, a triple is less frequent than a hat-trick, which occurred 46 times. These innings have come in all hues, shapes, and sizes, ranging from one scored from the depth of 94 for 5, to one which was part of a near-1000 runs team score. In one case, the opposition bowlers barely crossed 30 wickets in their careers. In another, there was a world-class bowling attack waiting.”

4

The best of the rest

• Sydney Morning Herald’s Daniel Brettig dives into never-before-seen letter from Don Bradman in the 80s and 90s; “Bradman letters revealed: What Don really thought about Packer, Warne, the Queen and fame”

• The Guardian’s Tom Hawking writes about the simple joy of listening to cricket on the airwaves; “Pitch perfect: why listening to cricket on radio soothes a world that won’t hear sense”

• Crossbatted’s Eman T writes about why ignoring red ball cricket has affected the Pakistan Women’s development with the white ball; “The ghost of red ball cricket”

• The Guardian’s Ella Archibald-Binge has a story on an obscure Australian tournament with a big impact; “Sixes, smiles and post-quake solidarity: Vanuatu cricketers breathe life into tiny Queensland competition”

5

The best videos and podcasts

• IVM’s Cyrus Broacha & Ayaz Memon have a fun look back at India’s changing fortunes in the 1980s.

• Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber talks about the monumental and historic Melbourne Cricket Ground, as he looks back at how it shaped his love for cricket as a child.

• 🚨SHAMELESS PLUG🚨: Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber talks to Malcolm Conn about cricket and concussions, based off a story Conn did for Best of Cricket.

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