Might it be that the batsmen were just better than him at that place and time?

Iain O'Brien05-Feb-2020Indulge me, for a second.Take the hammer
Smash the glass
Take the glass
Cut the Mother Earth
Opens up
And sucks you down
It sucks your sorry ass into the groundAre you pressure man or prey?
Do you suffer through the gravity?
Are you predator or prey?
Will you suffer my reality?
Are you pressure man or prey?
Do you suffer through the gravity?
Are you pressure man or prey
This 1998 New Zealand rock anthem from the Feelers, “Pressure Man” was the theme music for the precursor to T20, Cricket Max. You could say the first verse and chorus above are about short-form cricket. (Well, the song sums up a lot of life. Please replace with any non-gender-specific noun and sing along.)There is a photo of me from 2009, standing outside of a drink-break huddle. I had just dropped Gautam Gambhir at mid-off; it was day five, and it may have been the game changer.The song didn’t come to mind at the time, but for the rest of that Daniel Vettori over, I vividly remember carving out a long wound in the pristine McLean Park outfield with the smashed-glass spike of my boot and wanting it to open up and swallow me. In hindsight, the lyrics are as if I wrote them from that one experience.There are many of these moments in life and in sport. Except, in sport they are replayed and replayed and replayed. You suffer over and over.And it’s those who suffer over and over who either are or become legends and greats of the game.***A recent brief, innocent, and what seemed insignificant, back and forth on Twitter with the editor of allowed me to think about the “pressure man or prey” situation New Zealand were in recently while trying to overcome the India T20 team.”Why do they keep using Southee?” was the question I was posed after NZ Super Over loss.The demand of the question, the rhetorical, is that Southee shouldn’t be bowling that Super Over, ever. I don’t think it’s as black and white as that.Answer me these:Did Southee get the plan wrong and the execution right?Did Southee get the plan right and the execution wrong?Did Southee get the plan and the execution right and the batsman was just better?We, outside of the inner sanctum of the team, will probably never know.***In what turned out to be my fourth and last T20I, Scotland were our first opponents in the 2009 World T20. Rain cut the game short before it had even started. Seven overs each; a T7, if you like.ALSO READ: The glamorous life of a Test match bowler (2015)I bowled the first over. With The Oval Members End behind me, I ran in and delivered maybe my most perfect over. The plan locked in and every ball was perfect.The over went for 18, with two leg-byes. It was the best over I had ever bowled. It was the best I had ever kept to a plan. Ever! And I was ignominiously clubbed for four brutal fours.I do have to let you in on one thing, though. In the Scotland team, there was a Watts and a Watson. According to our scouting, Watts would open and Watson would bat about eight.I checked the plan for the opener and nailed it.Except, Watts wasn’t the opener. It was Watson, who normally batted eight. I missed the slight difference in name, which led to the massive difference in individual plans.I didn’t play another T20I. I admitted my mistake in the team debrief the next morning. I got the plan wrong but executed it right. Does that make me a bad bowler, or a good bowler who misread a name?I could have sat on that shame, that failure. I could have dwelled on the fact that no one on the park had thought to make sure I had the right plan after I was spanked for a couple of fours.

Players talk of ‘having a short memory’ when they’re asked how they deal with the massive lows of sport. But in reality, a lot have learnt to have the capacity to sit back and say, ‘I did my best, they were better’

I didn’t, though.Watts. Watson. Damn it!Some 11 years on from that game, I reflect with a greater knowledge of what I allowed myself then. It was probably the first time, and one of the very few times in my career, that I allowed myself some compassion.I failed many, many times. And almost every time I lived that failure. I endured the pain and allowed it to become more of me, more of my personality, than it should have been. All that self-loathing left me not knowing who I was and what I was. Putting on a mask to keep going, to keep being. Tired. Drained. Sleepless. Tears. Disgust.***Southee stepped up and took the ball. And failed in the third T20I against India, in the Super Over.And again in the fourth T20I, in the Super Over.But did he fail?ALSO READ: Martin Crowe: The masks we wear (2013)If we go back to the question of whether he nailed the plan and execution (and to the correct batsman – not like my stupid folly!), might it be that the batsmen were just better than him at that place and time?Fine lines. Very small margins.I think we need to give the opposition more credit than we strip credit from Southee. Or at least we need to consider doing so. And also consider that those piling onto the bowler here are adding to it their feelings and frustrations that New Zealand didn’t get over the line in regular time.You can succeed by failing. One such instance stands out in my mind – in a T20I at the SCG, against Australia, in the penultimate over.Cam White hit a straight, length delivery of mine to somewhere near the moon. Somehow, on its way down, it didn’t quite clear the rope and Vettori completed a special catch.Iain O’Brien: “I failed many, many times. And almost every time I lived that failure. I endured the pain and allowed it to become more of me”•John Walton/PA Photos/Getty ImagesWe celebrated the wicket – me, not quite so much. Vettori to me in the huddle: “Not quite your best ball, OB?” It certainly wasn’t, at all! Got lucky with the launch angle from White’s bat. Fine lines. Very small margins.But it was a success, right?***The more I study our stupid/bonkers/mad/brilliant human mind, the more I realise that in 2009 I had done something to myself that was just becoming a recognised form of mental healthcare.Compassion-focused therapy was just becoming a wholesome part of psychology. Being able to have compassion for oneself or another, as a way to deal with the emotions and outcomes of decisions and actions, whether good or bad, is an essential aspect of well-being.Imagine not being able to have compassion for yourself even if you have, to the best of your abilities, done what was required.Players hide behind the saying “having a short memory” when they’re asked how they deal with the massive lows of sport. But in reality, a lot have learnt to have the capacity to sit back, say, “I did my best, they were better,” shrug their shoulders, look for a lesson, let it all just wash over (like a kid would), and go again with the full backing of their team-mates.ALSO READ: Martin Crowe: How McCullum helped me let go (2014) That’s why I’d back Southee again. And again. That may be the definition of insanity (as in the quote attributed to Albert Einstein), but I’m backing that the plan and execution were right (or so damn close to right that no one in that line-up could have done better), and the opponent was just too good on that day. And the next.Michael Jordan once said: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”If the execution was poor, then, yes it may be right for someone else to bowl those overs that nobody really wants to bowl. But I’d still back Southee in this instance – why waste the investment?Some people carry scars of battle; some people carry a smile. Some people sleep at night; some don’t. I wish I could have shown myself more compassion when I was playing.Are you pressure man or prey?

With Thierno Barry signed and delivered, Everton have reportedly made their first approach to sign a fresh midfield star in a deal that could be worth £30m this summer.

Thierno Barry: "It's a dream to play in the Premier League"

Kicking off their summer business in style, Everton finally unveiled the arrival of Barry earlier this week. The talented striker has arrived in a deal worth around £27m and should put any concerns over Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s departure to rest. Alongside Beto, the former Villarreal star should provide David Moyes with more than enough firepower.

The new striker expressed his delight after putting pen to paper, telling Evertontv: “I’m very happy. It’s very exciting to be here. I just can’t wait to start and I hope to start very quickly.

“Everton is a big club in the Premier League. They have a good history and good players have played here, like Wayne Rooney and Romelu Lukaku. When I was young I liked to watch these players, now I want to do like these players who have gone before.

“I had good conversations with the manager. He told me I have the quality to play in the Premier League. He wants to do good work with me. He wants to help me on my road and I felt the sincerity with him so that’s why I chose to come here as well.

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“For me, it is a dream to play in the Premier League. I think I proved in my career so far that I can adapt. For example, last season I went to LaLiga, which is a top league, and I think I had a good season for my first season. I’m not scared to play here and do the same.”

The Toffees aren’t waiting around to admire their new signing, however. Instead, it’s full steam ahead in pursuit of further arrivals and perhaps even a Premier League rival.

Everton make first £30m John McGinn enquiry

As reported by Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Everton have now made their first enquiry to sign John McGinn, telling Aston Villa that they’d be willing to pay £30m to welcome the midfielder this summer. Despite reports that the Scotland international is unhappy about his current role under Unai Emery, though, the Villans have swiftly rejected that approach.

Alas, this saga may be far from over. Everton are reportedly still optimistic that they can strike a deal to sign McGinn in the latter stages of the transfer window, especially if Aston Villa welcome a midfield reinforcement of their own.

If their optimism turns into a summer move, then McGinn will be bringing an end to an excellent seven-year spell in the Midlands, in which he has earned plenty of praise.

Emery, among those with plenty of positives to say about his captain, told reporters in 2023: “He is a very good example, of how he is consistent and trying to help and to be an example, a very good example for players. I really, really appreciate a lot as a person how he is, but as a professional, he is fantastic.”

تحدث إنزو ماريسكا مدرب تشيلسي قبل لقاء ديربي لندن أمام توتنهام هوتسبر في الجولة العاشرة من منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويحتل تشيلسي المركز التاسع في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز برصيد 14 نقطة من 4 انصارات وتعادلين و3 هزائم.

ويحتل توتنهام المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري الانجليزي برصيد 17 نقطة من 5 انتصارات وتعادلين وهزيمتين.

وسئل انزو ماريسكا مدرب تشيلسي عن حالة كول بالمر في المؤتمر الصحفي لمواجهة توتنهام، ومزح بأنه يريد عودته الأسبوع المقبل.

أقرأ أيضاً.. كامب نو ينافس ويمبلي على استضافة نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا

وقال ماريسكا في تصريحات نشرتها “TRIBUNA”: “التقيت به للتو في الكافتيريا لتناول الإفطار”.

وأضاف :”لقد قلت له، سأقول لك إنك ستعود خلال أسبوع، وكان يضحك، الآن مع كول بالمر نفس الخطة تماماً، انتظر ونأمل أن يعود قريباً”.

وواصل حول سجل توتنهام على ملعبه: “أعتقد أن توتنهام يقدم مستوى جيدا، فازوا بالدوري الأوروبي وبدأوا الموسم بشكل رائع، إنها مباراة ديربي وستكون صعبة”.

LAFC GM John Thorrington says that the South Korean’s club jersey has become the world's best-seller

Son's jersey sales have exceeded all other athletesLAFC reports unprecedented demandClub's retailers scrambling to meet consumer interestGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

Son Heung-Min’s jersey has become the highest-selling of any athlete in the world, according to LAFC co-president and GM John Thorrington. The recent LAFC signee's shirt sale dominance extends beyond soccer, currently outselling the likes of NBA superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry and fellow MLS icon Lionel Messi.

Thorrington noted that those sales figures represent real-time data since Son's signing announcement.

"This is now the second week where we're not just talking about the highest-selling football jersey in the MLS," Thorrington told talkSPORT. "It is the highest-selling jersey of any sport in the world right now. I'm talking about Son. If you take from when he signed at LAFC to now, he has sold more jerseys than any athlete in the world."

AdvertisementWHAT THE LA DODGERS POSTED

The Los Angeles Dodgers also announced that Son will throw the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 27 when they host the San Diego Padres. LAFC invited supporters to attend the MLB game to witness their new player's introduction to another Los Angeles sporting institution.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Son's scheduled Dodgers appearance represents the latest example of MLS clubs leveraging mainstream American sports platforms to maximize the visibility of international signings.

Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?

Following his MLS debut against the Chicago Fire, Son Heung-Min will likely be a part of LAFC’s next MLS fixture against the New England Revolution on Saturday.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly opened talks with another target, as technical director Johan Lange begins work on their potential third summer signing after Mathys Tel and Kota Takai.

Frank holds Tottenham talks over signing £300k-p/w ace who's open to joining

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Spurs look ready to back new manager Thomas Frank with fresh squad upgrades ahead of his first full season in charge, and Tel’s £30 million permanent switch from Bayern Munich was reportedly approved by the Dane himself.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Frank will also soon welcome J League sensation Takai after chairman Daniel Levy green-lit a £5 million deal to sign the 20-year-old defender from Kawasaki Frontale, which stands as a record fee for any Japanese player from that division.

Tottenham signed Takai to compete as a first-team player, hoping that he’s set to follow a similar trajectory to the likes of Lucas Bergvall, Destiny Udogie and Pape Sarr (Alasdair Gold), so supporters can expect to see him in and around the senior matchday squads next term.

Frank has a proven track record of developing young players into major talents, and the 51-year-old is excited to work with his “very talented” new roster.

“It’s a very talented squad, a very good squad and I’m very excited to start working with them,” said Frank in his first interview with the club.

“Of course, when you follow the Premier League, you see the other teams, you see Tottenham – you’ve seen some fantastic performances from the team over the last years. So, I think there’s big potential.

“But, of course, I’m looking from the outside, so I’m looking forward to getting to know them, to be around them, to feel them, understand them, work with them on the training pitch. That’s where you really get the big understanding, understand the relationships between players and how you can get the best out of them.

“I’ve got an idea already, my head is spinning [with] how can we play, how do I put them together, but I’m looking forward to that.”

Tottenham in talks with Kyle Walker-Peters

In the last week, Spurs have been repeatedly linked with a swoop for ex-defender Kyle Walker-Peters, who’s now officially leaving Southampton as a free agent at the end of this month.

The 28-year-old has made over 200 appearances for Southampton since leaving Spurs for St. Mary’s in 2020, and he’d bring some much-needed experience to Frank’s otherwise very youthful squad.

Tottenham also need more club-trained players to fill their Champions League quota, and Walker-Peters fits the bill considering he came through the Hotspur Way academy.

Now, as per Graeme Bailey in a piece for TBR Football, Lange has personally “started work” on bringing the Englishman back to N17.

It is believed Tottenham have opened talks with Walker-Peters over re-joining on a free, with the full-back keen on potentially making a return to his boyhood club as he looks to secure a move back to the Premier League, following his relegation on the south coast last season.

Interestingly, Walker-Peters employs the same agency as a host of current Spurs players – including James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Richarlison, Son Heung-min, Djed Spence and Sarr – so this could perhaps help to facilitate a deal given CAA Base’s already-productive relationship with the Lilywhites.

Ryan Mason currently has his West Bromwich Albion troops out at a pre-season camp in Austria ahead of the new Championship campaign getting underway next month.

A behind-closed-doors friendly match will take place between the Baggies and Dynamo Kyiv this coming Friday to officially get the second-tier side’s pre-season up and running, with Mason perhaps selecting brand-new £4.7m buy Aune Heggebo from the get-go to see what he’s made of in attack.

Mikey Johnston will also be linking up with the pre-season camp shortly, although this isn’t the planned-out route the ex-Celtic winger would have envisaged for himself this summer, as a move to Brazilian giants Flamengo, unfortunately, collapsed at the final hour.

The lowdown on Johnston's failed move to Flamengo

It was a deal that suddenly arrived from left field, but it had been reported that Johnston was going to move out to South America for a fee around the £5m region.

It’s stated that a move fell through – according to reports from Brazil – over concerns emerging over the Republic of Ireland international’s long-term availability fitness-wise, with Johnston prone to significant time out of the Baggies side through injury.

This will have come as a devastating blow to Johnston, considering it was rumoured that the 26-year-old was in line to earn a whopping £1.2m a year at his new Rio De Janeiro home, as opposed to banking £650k a year at the Hawthorns.

It remains to be seen whether the 5-foot-9 winger will be content with staying put at the Championship side after such an ordeal, with the potential loss of Johnston obviously hurting Mason and Co. after he fired home a promising three strikes in league action last season, even as West Brom’s promotion push fell to the wayside.

However, not all hope will be lost if Johnston does move on to another suitor down the line, especially if Mason can flex his past Tottenham Hotspur connections to land this rising North London talent to replace the outgoing Irishman.

Mason's dream Johnston replacement

West Brom has been a hotbed for some exciting, young talent from the Premier League in the not-so-distant past, with Romelu Lukaku once calling the Hawthorns his temporary sanctuary on loan away from parent side Chelsea.

Mikey Moore could be the next future star that gets his senior career up and running in style in the West Midlands, with reports last month speculating that the 17-year-old Spurs prodigy is being looked at by the new Baggies boss, having worked with the teenage sensation when coaching at the Premier League side.

He has already made a splash in the senior side at Thomas Frank’s men, with this sublime solo strike in Europa League action kickstarting his men’s career at Spurs, but he will be desperate for more long-standing first-team opportunities if a move to the Hawthorns is finalised.

Moore might well be ready to take over from Johnston down the left wing if given the chance to do so, with the 17-year-old’s main skills resting on his ability to play across a wide array of attacking positions – away from his blistering powers of picking up goals and assists for fun – including down the ex-Celtic man’s trusty left-hand side.

LW

18

4

6

AM

8

6

4

CF

7

11

4

RW

6

1

0

Indeed, when looking at the above table, it’s clear that Moore can shine all across the attacking positions. But, his preferred position does look to be on the left wing, with a stunning four goals and six assists coming his way here from 18 outings in the English capital.

Therefore, any gaping hole left behind by Johnston down the line could be effectively filled in by the “future superstar”, as he’s been referred to by football analyst Ben Mattinson previously.

After all, he has also been donned as “fearless” by Spurs teammate James Maddison recently, meaning he could take to the pressures of being one of West Brom’s main options here in his stride, with the troubling issue of Johnston wanting to move on resolved by this promising loan capture.

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South Africa fast bowler Gerald Coetzee was docked 50% of his match fee and handed a demerit point after being found to have shown dissent in the fourth T20I against India in Johannesburg on Friday.Coetzee was noted to have made an inappropriate comment to the umpire in the 15th over of India’s innings after one of his deliveries was deemed a wide. He admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction, which also included an official reprimand. India had won the series 3-1.Netherlands captain Scott Edwards and Oman seamer Sufyan Mehmood also faced sanctions for breaching the ICC code of conduct during the third T20I between the two teams in Al Amerat on Saturday.Edwards was found guilty of two breaches – Article 2.8 and 2.2, which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an international match”.After being given out lbw, he showed his bat to the umpire. Then, while returning to the dugout, he threw his bat and gloves on the field, copping two demerit points in all. He was also fined 10% of his match fee.Mehmood was also fined 10% of his match fee and given one demerit point for giving a send-off to Netherlands batter Teja Nidamanuru. Since both players admitted to their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Neeyamur Rashid, there was no need for a formal hearing.Netherlands went on to win the series 2-1.

Blundell has been ruled out of the second Test against West Indies, with Mitch Hay in line for a Test debut in Wellington

Deivarayan Muthu05-Dec-2025

Injuries have severely depleted New Zealand in the first Test against West Indies in Christchurch, with their bowling spearhead Matt Henry and seam-bowling allrounder Nathan Smith joining wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell on the sidelines.Blundell, who suffered a hamstring injury while batting on the opening day in Christchurch, has been ruled out of the second Test, which will begin at the Basin Reserve, his domestic home ground, on December 10. Smith was not available to bowl or field on day four because of a side complaint while Henry left the field after the 35th over and didn’t bowl or field in the final session on day four. He subsequently headed to the hospital next door for scans on his calf. He bowled 11 overs on Friday for the wicket of Roston Chase.In the absence of both Smith and Henry, New Zealand turned to the part-time fingerspin of Michael Bracewell and Rachin Ravindra. They were already without one of their middle-order mainstays, Daryl Mitchell, who couldn’t recover in time from a groin injury for the Test-series opener against West Indies. New Zealand bowling coach Jacob Oram said that they are awaiting the scan results of Henry and Smith.”They’ve had scans and it’s really disappointing for them,” Oram said. “I feel for them and I have a lot of empathy for them. We’re basically waiting for the report to come back to decide what we’re going to be doing not only this Test match but the series going forward. So it’s a wait and see and you always have your fingers crossed but with just one day left and a quick turnaround, we’ll wait and see.”Matt Henry and Nathan Smith’s injuries reduced New Zealand’s attack to two frontline seamers•ICC via Getty Images

Wicketkeeper-batter Mitch Hay is in line for a Test debut in the second game against West Indies. Hay, 25, has played 19 white-ball internationals for New Zealand so far, but is uncapped in Test cricket. He has a strong record in first-class cricket, with 1888 runs in 47 innings at an average of 49.68.Hay is currently in action for Canterbury against Central Districts in the third round of the Plunket Shield. He will turn out for Canterbury during the first two days of this round in Napier before linking up with the New Zealand side in Wellington, in the lead-up to the second Test against West Indies.In his second T20I against Sri Lanka last November, Hay effected six dismissals in Dambulla, a New Zealand record. Hay also has some exposure outside of New Zealand, having been on A tours to Bangladesh and South Africa, and to India to train at the Chennai Super Kings Academy.Rookie Jesse Frew, who had turned out for New Zealand XI against the West Indians in a tour game in Lincoln, last week, will slot in as Hay’s replacement for Canterbury during the third and fourth days of the Plunket Shield in the ongoing round.In the injury absence of Blundell, Tom Latham juggled captaincy with keeping across both innings at Hagley Oval. He took four catches in West Indies’ first innings, helping New Zealand claim a 64-run first-innings lead. Latham then stretched New Zealand’s lead, scoring 145 off 250 balls for his first Test hundred in three years. Along the way, he also became the fifth New Zealand player to reach 6000 Test runs.”[The body is] not too bad,” Latham told the host broadcaster after stumps on day three. “I’ll try to get the recovery but a really good day and pleased to be in the position we are.”I guess that [Smith’s injury] is another thing but that hampers the decision [declaration] but it was nice to see a little bit of spin out there when we were batting and that’s an encouraging sign. We’ll chip in when a man goes down and the guys are looking to put a big shift in.”New Zealand eventually declared on 466 for 8 on the fourth day, setting West Indies an improbable target of 531. West Indies, led by an unbeaten 116 from Shai Hope, finished day four on 212 for 4.Allrounder Glenn Phillips, meanwhile, could be in contention for the second Test in Wellington, having proven his match fitness in the first two rounds of the Plunket Shield. Phillips joined New Zealand’s side in Christchurch and pitched in as a substitute fielder after his team was weakened by injuries.