San Diego Padres reliever Mason Miller achieved one of the rarest feats in baseball on Wednesday, as the flamethrowing 27-year-old recorded the 119th immaculate inning in league history.

Even more impressive, Miller did it all using the same pitch; his devastating slider, and didn't have a single Orioles hitter make contact, even a foul ball, with any of his nine sliders in the inning.

Miller benefitted from a called strike on the very first pitch of the inning, and he followed up by throwing eight devastating sliders in a row, attacking various parts of the plate.

There have been more than twice as many no-hitters as immaculate innings in MLB history, some evidence as to just how rare the feat is. Even more rare is an immaculate inning in which every pitch is a slider and there wasn't a single foul ball, making Miller's accomplishment even more impressive.

Miller has been fantastic since joining the Padres at the trade deadline in a deal with the Athletics. He's logged a 1.64 ERA with 19 strikeouts and five walks in 11 innings.

NEW YORK — Garrett Crochet recoils at the premise. At 26, after 205 ⅓ innings (most in the American League), 255 strikeouts (most in the majors) and a 2.59 ERA (third in the AL) for the 89-win Red Sox, on the cusp of starting Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Yankees, he’s finally the guy he always knew he could be, right?

“Um,” he says quickly. “Becoming it.” 

For starters, he didn’t always know he could be this kind of starter. Not until he began throwing 91 mph as a left-handed high school senior did any Division I programs show interest, and even at Tennessee, he spent half his time pitching in relief. When the White Sox drafted him No. 11 in June 2020 and promoted him to the big-league bullpen three months later, he was just thrilled to be in the majors. So he was not exactly clawing at the walls of the bullpen asking to be unleashed on the rotation. 

“I thought that I could do it,” he says slowly. “I wasn’t sure.”

Even that degree of faith began to feel misplaced. In 2021, he threw 54 ⅓ innings in relief and felt gassed. “And I’m, like, last on my team!” he recalls. He set for himself the goal of hitting 80 or 90 innings in ’22, then putting himself in position for a few spot starts in ’23. “And then I blew out [my elbow],” he says. “It was like, ”

The Chicago brass knew he had the talent to be a frontline starter—a four-seamer that touches 100 mph plus perhaps the best slider in the game will usually play—but they wanted to see if he could develop the stamina. So after he finished rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, they let him spend the winter before the 2024 season stretching out. He was so dominant in spring training that they made him the Opening Day starter—his first major league start. 

“I was just like, ” he recalls. “”

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has told one of his key players to “step up” ahead of the Premier League encounter against West Ham United at Elland Road this Friday.

Leeds gearing up for potential early six-pointer against West Ham

Although we are still in the very early stages of the season, Leeds’ home match against West Ham this Friday could have big ramifications at the end of the campaign, given that both sides are looking like they could be involved in a relegation battle.

The Hammers have already dismissed Graham Potter, who was replaced by Nuno at the end of September, but the former Nottingham Forest boss has been unable to make an immediate impact, with Jamie Carragher not impressed by recent performances.

Farke’s side, on the other hand, were always going to find it tough to avoid the drop as a newly-promoted team, but still remain three points clear of the relegation zone, having picked up wins against Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The manager made a number of new additions to his squad in the summer, in order to boost their survival chances, and Anton Stach has started all eight of the Whites’ Premier League fixtures up to this point.

However, the Leeds boss has now warned Stach he needs to improve, despite playing through injury, given that his performances have gone downhill in recent weeks.

Farke said: “They weren’t poor performances but not on the top level as before. It’ll be good for him to get rid of these problems with his finger and ribs.

“Hopefully then he’ll keep going with delivering top performances. This week having a bit of time to recover was good for him, hopefully he can step up.”

Leeds linked with "one of the best coaches ever" to replace Daniel Farke

The German could soon be under huge pressure.

By
Charlie Smith

Oct 22, 2025

Stach must improve against West Ham on Friday night

The German has shown his class at times this season, most notably putting in a fantastic performance in the 3-1 victory against a struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers side last month, chipping in with a stunning free-kick goal and an assist.

However, as pointed out by the Leeds manager, recent performances have not been at the same level, with the 26-year-old struggling to make an impact against Burnley last time out, losing three of the five duels he contested before being replaced by Joel Piroe.

It has recently become clear that Farke is looking to sign a new midfielder in the January transfer window, with talks being opened over a deal for Maccabi Tel Aviv star Issouf Sissokho, while there have been widespread links to Inter Milan’s Piotr Zielinski.

As such, in order to keep his place in the side, Stach will need to rediscover his best form soon, hopefully starting Friday against West Ham at Elland Road.

Already thinking about further reinforcements in 2026, Newcastle United are now reportedly racing to sign a £55m star in an attempt to build a new midfield partnership.

Sandro Tonali extends Newcastle stay

It’s been a good week for Newcastle since they suffered defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend. Not only have they bounced back in style on the pitch, defeating Jose Mourinho’s Benfica 3-0, they’ve also got to work off the pitch to ease any fears about Sandro Tonali’s future.

After holding secret talks with the Italian, the Magpies have extended his contract until 2029 in a deal that also includes the option to extend for an additional year. As reported by Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Tonali agreed a deal in secret during his ban for illegal betting in an attempt to protect Newcastle financially during his absence.

Repaying the good faith that Newcastle showed in him during his ban, Tonali’s contract will now run until 2029. It comes as a huge relief for St James’ Park, with concerns beginning to grow that they could face an Alexander Isak repeat before the news of the Italian’s new deal emerged.

Now, all focus will be on putting that new contract to use on the pitch. The 25-year-old is one of the most important players under Eddie Howe and the Magpies will need him at the top of his game as they look to end their frustrating start in the Premier League.

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Newcastle are not short of options in wide areas, with Harvey Barnes impressing in midweek

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What’s more, now that his contract has been signed and sealed, those in Tyneside have reportedly turned their attention towards handing the former AC Milan man an impressive midfield partner.

Newcastle now racing to sign Elliot Anderson

As reported by iNews, Newcastle are now racing to re-sign Elliot Anderson in an attempt to build on their secret Tonali deal and build an impressive midfield partnership in discreet fashion.

Anderson’s return to the club won’t come cheap, however. After selling the England international to Nottingham Forest in 2024 for around £30m, the Tricky Trees have now reportedly set his price-tag at £55m.

The midfielder’s return is certainly something that Howe would get behind. The Newcastle boss still regrets having to sell Anderson amid PSR troubles and recently took the time to praise his rise to form at the City Ground.

At 22 years old, Anderson’s career could still feature plenty of twists and turns, including a return to Tyneside to from a fresh midfield partnership with Tonali.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is being made to sweat over the fitness of one Spurs star ahead of their vital North London derby clash with Arsenal.

Frank’s side are desperately seeking to end their dismal run against Arsenal and salvage pride in one of English football’s most intense rivalries.

Tottenham have lost seven of the last nine North London derbies, and it’s been 14 years since the Lilywhites last won away to Arsenal in the Premier League. These shocking statistics hang heavy over Frank, who’s faced criticism for Spurs’ lack of creativity in open play this season.

Spurs are also faced with the mountainous task of breaking down a water-tight Arsenal backline which boasts the most superior defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues.

Mikel Arteta’s title chasers went on an historic eight-game run without conceding a single goal before their 2-2 draw with Sunderland, so you could hardly ask for a worse time to come up against Arsenal, who also splashed nearly £270 million on a plethora of new stars in the summer transfer window.

In 65 league visits to Arsenal, Spurs have won only twice, with their rivals triumphing 26 times. Even more concerning, Tottenham have failed to keep a clean sheet in a staggering 25 consecutive Premier League games away to the Gunners, a record that stretches back over a decade, and Arsenal have won 84 matches in the all-time head-to-head compared to Spurs’ 61.

Make no mistake, Arsenal dominate the derby, but there’s real encouragement to be found in Spurs’ overall away record this season.

An excellent run of four wins, one draw and zero defeats outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has catapulted them to top of the away form table with an average of 2.60 points per game, though Frank will be hoping as many players as possible will be back in contention after a mini-injury crisis.

No other top-flight has more men out of action right now, with as many as 11 sidelined.

Star winger Mohammed Kudus missed Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Man United and their 4-0 win over Copenhagen with a knock, with the Ghanaian also not called up for his national team’s friendlies against Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke is “unlikely” to feature against Arsenal amid his slow recovery from what was once deemed a ‘minor’ ankle problem.

It remains to be seen how long Randal Kolo Muani will be out for too, after he fractured his jaw against United.

Frank sweating over Lucas Bergvall ahead of North London derby after injury setback

There is also the matter of young midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who’s been missing since their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea due to a concussion.

The 19-year-old was sent home from international duty earlier this week after initially being included in Graham Potter’s first ever Sweden squad, with national team official Stefan Pettersson now revealing he was withdrawn due to a ‘setback during training’.

Pettersson, speaking to the media, says they didn’t hesitate sending Bergvall back to N17 after a “reaction” to testing.

The teenager has been a revelation ever since arriving at Tottenham in an £8.5 million deal from Djurgardens.

Bergvall’s managed 60 total appearances for the club already, enjoying a fantastic September with successive Player of the Match awards and his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham.

Frank’s preferred midfield partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha has largely kept Bergvall out of the starting eleven recently, but the tactician will be hoping that he can upon his fellow Scandinavian from the bench for their all-important clash on enemy turf.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has now made a major decision on Pedri’s fitness ahead of the Champions League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this Tuesday.

The Blues will be looking to return to winning ways in the Champions League on Tuesday, having been unable to overcome Qarabag last time out, drawing 2-2 away at the Azerbaijani side, but they should be heading into the game with renewed confidence.

Enzo Maresca’s side have put together a good run in the Premier League, winning their last three matches without conceding, most recently securing a 2-0 win at Burnley courtesy of goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez.

Maresca was particularly happy with his side’s defensive showing, saying after the game: “The way we competed I am very happy.

“To come here and not concede is very difficult. It’s normal to concede something. But overall they only had one real chance. During the game they didn’t have any big chances and during the game we had loads of chances.”

However, the manager will be well-aware that Tuesday’s opposition will be much tougher, and the west Londoners have now been handed a boost heading into the Champions League encounter…

Hansi Flick set to leave Pedri out against Chelsea

According to reports from Spain (via Sport Witness), Pedri is now unlikely to travel to London ahead of Tuesday’s game, as Flick and his coaching staff believe it is not worth risking the midfielder, who suffered a hamstring injury near the end of October.

The 22-year-old is now a serious doubt for the trip to Stamford Bridge, having missed training on Sunday, which will be welcome news for Maresca & co, who need every advantage they can get heading into the game against the reigning La Liga champions.

Lauded as “amazing” by journalist Muhammad Butt, the Barcelona star has been absolutely integral for Barcelona over the past year, regularly displaying his ability to dictate games, set-up chances for his teammates, and drive the ball forward.

Pedri’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Assists

0.17 (80th percentile)

Passes attempted

91.85 (98th percentile)

Progressive carries

3.42 (99th percentile)

Successful take-ons

1.40 (97th percentile)

That said, the La Liga side are likely to be just as fearful of Chelsea’s midfield, with Fernandez scoring his fifth goal of the season against Burnley at the weekend, while Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has waxed lyrical about Moises Caicedo this season.

As such, Chelsea should no doubt fancy their chances heading into Tuesday’s game, taking on Barca in a competitive game for the first time since a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou back in 2018.

Moises Caicedo and Pedri have been named among the best midfielders in the world The Best 15 Midfielders in World Football Ranked (2025)

Some of the best players in the world do their stuff in the middle of the park, but who’s number one?

5 ByCharlie Smith Nov 20, 2025

One of the main criticisms of Aaron Judge’s career has been his inability to perform in the postseason––at least by his otherworldly standards. For all the greatness he displays throughout the regular season, putting up video game-like numbers and mashing home runs with relative ease, he simply hasn’t replicated that success in the playoffs.

This postseason, though still without a home run, Judge has looked more like his usual self. But with the Yankees staring down the barrel of a potential early playoff exit, will he have done enough to override the narrative about his vanishing act in October? 

 Aaron Judge’s past playoff struggles

Judge's postseason performances have been far from bad, but his curse is being the Yankees' best player, their captain (a role highly associated with postseason excellence in the 21st century) and a transcendental producer in the regular season. 

His career regular-season OPS is 1.028. In the postseason, that drops all the way to 0.778 (excluding '25). Again, not bad, but Judge has set a standard for himself that is hard to keep up in general, much less in the postseason when the pressure is on and opposing pitchers are bringing their best stuff. 

Frustratingly, Judge has also had some postseason runs where he's gone cold, especially for his standards. In the first three games of the 4 World Series, he mustered just one hit. He got no bases (meaning no hits walks) in the final two games of the '22 ALCS. 

His fielding has generally been good, but in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, he dropped a catchable fly ball for what would have been a third out, allowing the Dodgers offense to stay on the field. Despite the two outs, Judge’s error was followed by further mistakes, handing the Dodgers an opportunity to erase a five-run deficit that inning in what became L.A.’s closeout game.  

How Judge has performed this postseason

So far this fall, Judge has appeared back to his normal self, for the most part. His OPS in five games this year 1.024, almost perfectly in-line with his career regular season average. The only thing missing is the home run. He has yet to hit one out of the park, a substantial part of his typical offensive repertoire. 

Sometimes in big spots, Judge doesn’t get the to deliver on offense because opposing pitchers won’t give him hittable balls. That’s not been the case overall this postseason, with Judge failing to work a single walk in the first four games before finally registering two in their Game 2 loss to the Blue Jays in the ALDS. 

While he has no glaring offensive struggles to point to, it’s still clear that Judge has not necessarily been his normal, dominant self at the plate. 

Given the fact that he has only struck out twice, that means pitchers are getting him out on batted balls. His exit velocity is down about five miles per hour compared to the ‘25 regular season, his average launch angle down six degrees. His hard hit percentage has dropped from nearly 60% to 38% in this postseason. 

Down 2–0, Judge and Yankees have every opportunity to show up big

The Yankees’ offense fell flat in the first two games of the ALDS, failing to get much of anything going against the Blue Jays. But their chance to grab some momentum in the series is coming, as they return to the Bronx for Game 3 (and potentially Game 4) at Yankee Stadium. 

Historically, in the postseason, Judge has hit substantially better at home than he has on the road. In New York in October, Judge’s OPS (.861) is 140 points higher than it is on the road. He’ll be back in front of a raucous home crowd on Tuesday night, and he’ll know that the team is depending on him to deal some damage.

He could further swing the momentum back in the Yankees’ favor with his first home run of the playoffs, but he’ll be facing a pitcher he’s never recorded a hit against, let alone a homer, in Toronto’s starter Shane Bieber. If Judge truly wants to change the narrative about his postseason performances, and the Yankees want to live to see another day of October baseball, he, along with the rest of the team, has to deliver on Tuesday night.

Dave Roberts has made his pitching decisions for the next few games.

On Tuesday, the Dodgers' manager announced that Tyler Glasnow will start Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, while Shohei Ohtani will start Game 4. That follows Blake Snell's start in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2.

L.A. entered Tuesday with a 1–0 lead over the Brewers in the series after a tight 2–1 win in Game 1 that featured a truly absurd double play.

It's easy to extrapolate from there that Snell would be back on the mound for Game 5 if necessary, with Yamamoto following for a potential Game 6, then Glasnow for Game 7 if the series goes that far.

Game 4 will mark Ohtani's second start of the postseason. He earned the win on Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies when he went six innings and allowed three runs on three hits while striking out nine.

Dodgers starting pitchers are dominating the postseason

So far during the 2025 playoffs, L.A.'s starting rotation is dominating the competition. The Dodgers have played seven games, and their starters are a combined 5–1 with a 1.65 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP, and opponents are hitting .141 off of them. They have also only allowed two home runs as a group. The WHIP and ERA are both the best among active teams.

Snell has been phenomenal. After being sidelined for much of the season due to shoulder issues, the 32-year-old lefty has been outstanding since the postseason began. Through three starts, the two-time Cy Young Award winner is 3–0 with a 0.86 ERA, a 0.52 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts against five walks in 21 innings. Opponents are hitting .090 off of him.

Yamamoto (1–1, 2.53 ERA) and Glasnow (0–0, 0.00 ERA) have also been solid, though the latter has only made one start and thrown 7 2/3 innings.

L.A.'s weak spot all season has been the bullpen, and that has continued into the playoffs. While Roki Sasaki has helped solidify the ninth inning a bit, as a group Dodgers' relievers have a 5.91 ERA, a 1.92 WHIP and 18 strikeouts against 18 walks in 21 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .280 off the team's bullpen.

If L.A.'s starters continue to dominate and go deeper into games, their weakness at the back end won't be as troubling.

A West Indian pair, an Australian trio, two Indian batting greats and other game-changing concurrent retirements

Bharath Seervi05-Apr-2020On this day in 1974, two legendary West Indies cricketers played their last day of Test cricket: Garry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai. Here is a look at some of the instances when two or more huge names from the same team played their last Test together.ESPNcricinfo LtdGarry Sobers and Rohan Kanhai – v England, Port of Spain, 1974Sobers and Kanhai held several records for West Indies when they played their last Test: they were the two most experienced players at the time, having played 93 and 79 matches, they were West Indies’ top two run-getters, with 8032 and 6227 runs – Sobers was the overall leader as well – and they were also the pair with the most century partnerships (six). Sobers was also their second-highest wicket-taker behind Lance Gibbs, and was easily the leading allrounder in the game.The last Test wasn’t a memorable one for them, though. Sobers scored 0 and 20, while Kanhai made 2 made 7. West Indies lost the match by 26 runs after Tony Greig’s 13-wicket haul, and the five-match series was drawn 1-1.The loss of these two was obviously huge for West Indies, but their next big names were just around the corner: in the very next series, against India, West Indies handed debuts to Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge, who went on to rank among their finest batsmen.Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh – v Pakistan, Sydney, 1984 The famous Australian trio of the 1970s and ’80s bid adieu to Test cricket after the final game of this five-match series against Pakistan. The retirement of the three left a huge hole in Australian cricket, given that they were the toppers in their respective areas: Chappell was Australia’s highest run-getter with 7110 runs in 87 Tests, while Lillee ended with 355 wickets and Marsh with 355 keeping dismissals, both overall record holders for most wickets and most keeping dismissals in Tests at the time. Chappell was also Australia’s most successful captain and second only to Clive Lloyd at the time.Unlike Sobers and Kanhai, the three Australians had a memorable final Test, achieving significant milestones in that game. Chappell went past Don Bradman’s tally of 6996 runs in his final Test innings of 182. Lillee became the first bowler to take 350 Test wickets with four wickets in each innings, and Rod Marsh played his 96th Test as wicketkeeper, going past Alan Knott’s record for most Tests by a keeper. Between them Lillee and Marsh accounted for 95 dismissals in Tests, which is still a record by a bowler-wicketkeeper combination. Australia won by 10 wickets and Chappell, who was Man of the Match, also achieved the rare distinction of scoring a century in his first and last Test.Their departure obviously hit Australia hard. After the trio’s exit, they lost four successive Test series and did not win any of their next eight series, which included two Ashes series. Before their exit, Australia had just regained the Ashes in the previous season, and had lost only two of their last 10 series.Viv Richards, Malcolm Marshall and Jeff Dujon – v England, The Oval, 1991 They were the three stalwarts of West Indies’ dominant side of the 1980s, and like the Australian trio, they were the team’s leading top run-getter, wicket-taker and wicketkeeper – Richards retired with 8540 runs, Marshall with 376 wickets and Dujon with 272 dismissals. Only Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border had more runs than Richards, only Richard Hadlee and Ian Botham had more wickets than Marshall and only Rod Marsh had more dismissals than Dujon at the time.Unlike the Australian trio, though, they couldn’t quite finish on a high, as England won that last Test of the series by five wickets to level the series 2-2. In the final Test, Richards scored 2 and 60, Dujon 0 and 5 and Marshall picked up only two wickets. For the first time in seven years, West Indies were asked to follow on by any team, while England enforced their first follow-on over West Indies in 22 years.West Indies, though, had enough depth at the time to continue their winning ways: they had not lost a series since 1978 and they kept that record going till 1995.Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer – v England, Sydney, 2007The most successful spinner and the most successful fast bowler, Warne and McGrath, both retired in the same Test along with one of Australia’s finest openers, Langer. It was the first instance of three players, each with more than 100 Tests, retiring in the same match. The occasion was even more special as Australia sealed a comprehensive 5-0 Ashes triumph, winning the fifth Test by 10 wickets. In their final Test, McGrath picked up three wickets in each innings, Warne picked up only two wickets but scored a crucial 71 in the first innings. Langer got 26 runs in the first innings, while in the second he remained not out as his partner hit the winning runs.With Warne, McGrath and Langer in the line-up, Australia had lost only one of their last 16 series – the 2005 Ashes. But after their exit, Australia lost three of their next eight series – one each to India, South Africa and The Ashes. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq – v West Indies, Roseau, 2017 Seldom have a country’s most successful batsman and most successful captain retired together, as Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq did for Pakistan in 2017.Younis ended his career with 10,099 runs after becoming the only Pakistan batsman to score over 10,000 runs, in his final series. Misbah’s 26 Test wins as a captain are nearly twice as many as any other Pakistan captain, and they lost just one series under Misbah in the UAE. Younis played in 53 of Misbah’s 56 Tests as captain and they were 39 years and 42 years of age respectively at their retirement. After their retirement, Pakistan have won only two of their seven Test series, and have won only four matches out of 16, losing 10. Pakistan still . Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman – v Australia, Adelaide, 2012Two of India’s three most experienced Test players and two of their top four run-scorers played their last Test in Adelaide in 2012.The high point for the two batsmen collectively was obviously their epic 376-run partnership in Kolkata Test, but they also remain the only Indian pair to put together two triple-century partnerships in Tests. At the time of their retirement, only two Indian pairs had more partnership runs than they did.This last series wasn’t memorable for either of them. Dravid scored only 194 runs and Laxman 155, in eight innings each, as India were drubbed 4-0.Other sets of players who played their last Test together after playing 75 or more matches: Ian Botham and Allan Lamb, v Pakistan, Lord’s 1992Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting, v Australia, Perth, 1995Shaun Pollock and Herschelle Gibbs, v West Indies, Durban, 2008AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel, v Australia, Johannesburg, 2018Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, v Sri Lanka, Port Elizabeth, 2019

The third and final book in Ali Bacher and David Williams’ trilogy on South Africa’s best cricketers makes the boldest claims yet

Firdose Moonda08-Mar-2020The final instalment in Ali Bacher and David Williams’ trilogy celebrating South Africa’s best cricketers looks at the country’s strongest suit: its bowlers. Published six years after and four after , the latest volume contains more players – 18, compared to 13 and 12 in the previous two books. That alone speaks to South Africa’s excellence in this department, especially considering those who were left out.Nine of South Africa’s top ten Test wicket-takers have chapters dedicated to them, but Jacques Kallis, despite being sixth on that list, does not feature. The rationale for his exclusion, as well as those of Mike Procter, Trevor Goddard and Aubrey Faulkner, was that they were discussed in the allrounders book. However, Kallis, also appeared in the book on South Africa’s greatest batsmen, and his inclusion in this volume would have sealed his status as the most valued cricketer the country has produced.ALSO READ: Review: Jacques Kallis and 12 Other Great South African All-RoundersAlso absent among the modern greats here is Imran Tahir, whose prowess in the white-ball game has seen him become South Africa’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20I cricket and eighth-highest in ODIs . From an earlier era, Krom Hendricks, who was called the fastest bowler in the world in the late 1890s (but was denied the chance to play for South Africa because he was of colour), Athol Rowan and Bert Vogler, who both had exceptional records at first-class level, are also excluded.Instead, the book concentrates on performers in the post-WWII era, and has made room for four players who were not capped in Tests. Eric Petersen and Owen Williams, bowlers of colour who played for the non-white South Africa Cricket Board of Control (SACBOC) and Vince van der Bijl and Don Mackay-Coghill, who thrived during the isolation years, are recognised.Perhaps contrary to expectation, the opening chapter is not about a snarling speedster but Hugh Tayfield. Called South Africa’s “best-ever spin bowler” by the authors, Tayfield was the first South African to 100 Test wickets. Bacher’s and Tayfield’s playing years for Transvaal overlapped, and Bacher is well placed to provide insight into his team-mate’s character. Tayfield’s presence “gave me a lot of confidence”, Bacher writes, because “he never knew the meaning of defeat”. Tales of Tayfield’s tenacity include his going into a tea break wicketless saying he would take five in the last session and doing it; and battling through illness to take nine wickets in the fourth Test against England at the Wanderers in 1957. His career, though, came to an early end, at the age of 31.ALSO READ: Review: South Africa’s Greatest Batsmen Past and PresentThere’s a hint of mischief in this chapter too: it wonders what modern journalists would have made of Tayfield’s reputation as a ladies’ man. It might have added to the spark of the book had that thread been explored through to its end.Vernon Philander’s 2014 ball-tampering incident and Kagiso Rabada’s repeated breaches of the ICC code of conduct, and his love of music, don’t find a mention, while the Makhaya Ntini rape case is only mentioned in one paragraph. As was the case with the earlier book, colour is often saved for the older players, about whom not as much is known. However, there is one gem in the Dale Steyn chapter, in which South Africa’s leading bowler compares cricket to his other passion, fishing, and then tells us which of the two he prefers.”You have to pick your lure, depending on what kind of fish you want to catch – what kind of ball to bowl to which batsman, short ball or the yorker. You have to study the conditions – is it windy, is it overcast, is it hot? So cricket and fishing have kind of gone hand in hand for me. The only difference is, when I am playing cricket, I have millions of people watching me, wanting me to take a wicket; whereas when I am fishing, nobody notices when I don’t catch a fish – so I prefer fishing,” Steyn says.Steyn is South Africa’s most successful fast bowler, but Neil Adcock and Peter Heine were the originals, “the forerunners of both the accuracy and aggression of the great West Indian pacemen of the 1970s and 1980s”. Still, it was only later, when South Africa had a batting line-up that could match their bowling strength, that results improved. Peter Pollock played at a time when his younger brother, Graeme, was scoring runs, and they were both part of the 1969-70 team that beat Australia at home, a feat only achieved again in 2018.By then, South Africa had had Allan Donald and Fanie de Villiers, Shaun Pollock, Paul Adams and Ntini, all of whom blazed their own trails. Donald’s experience is credited with being the reason South Africa did not start out as a second-tier team post-readmission, while the descriptions of Adams’ action are particularly amusing. The usually staid Pollock, who remained South Africa’s leading wicket-taker for more than a decade before Steyn broke his record, steps out of his crease and admits here that he felt his retirement in 2008 was premature, telling Bacher that he “might have continued playing if there had been a different approach from the selectors about a different role for him in the team – perhaps a withdrawal from the bowling front line, and more emphasis on batting. But no such discussions took place.” Philander has since said similar, that he walked away although he could have kept going, because he lost faith in the administration.Penguin Random HousePhilander was at the centre of a selection scandal during the 2015 World Cup, when he was included in the starting XI ahead of the in-form Kyle Abbott to meet a transformation target. Philander did not play ODI cricket after that year but this book makes the case that he should have been considered for the 2019 World Cup, though not for his bowling alone. “There was widespread comment that the batting tail in the ODI squad was looking too long, and it would have been a lot stronger with Philander there.”While none of the three books in this series courts controversy, this one makes the boldest claims. It posits that Morne Morkel would have rivalled James Anderson had he not retired in 2018, and predicts that Rabada “in a country that has produced an unmatched succession of fast bowlers… could eventually be judged the greatest of them all”.Will Bacher and Williams produce another volume, perhaps looking at South Africa’s best fielders or wicketkeepers? At the launch of this book, neither seemed ready to add to this worthy collection. One thing they are certain of is that they will not be examining South African cricket’s best CEOs, because that would be too short a book to put together.South Africa’s Greatest Bowlers Past and Present
By Ali Bacher and David Williams
Penguin Random House
224 pages, R205