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A chance move away from his hometown in South Africa unlocked a door he never knew existed

Shashank Kishore10-Sep-2025When Martin Coetzee was let go by his provincial team in South Africa in 2019, he felt like it was curtains on his cricket career.He had hovered on the fringes of the first-class set-up for years without really breaking in. As he contemplated what next – “the thought of moving to another provincial team, or quit cricket altogether and explore another path, like coaching” – the Covid-19 pandemic struck.He was 29, and time was ticking.Then came the move to Hong Kong, far from a cricketing decision. His wife, Lindy, a teacher, had just landed a job at a private school, and the couple decided to take the plunge into the unknown.Related

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Just prior to leaving South Africa, though, Coetzee was told casually by his wife’s school principal, “Don’t forget to pack your cricket bags.” The principal happened to be a former New Zealand first-class cricketer, Ben Hart.”It seemed an odd comment at the time,” Coetzee laughs at the memory. The 36-year-old top-order batter is now in Dubai, part of Hong Kong’s squad at the Asia Cup. “I thought at best this may be a way to play recreationally, get to know a few people at the cricket club, it will help with keeping myself in shape. Nothing more.”When they landed, Hong Kong wasn’t the buzzing global hub he had imagined it to be. Covid restrictions had made the city unrecognisable. “Restaurants were shuttered, masks were compulsory, and residents had to line up for regular blood tests,” Coetzee says.But amid all that, Coetzee found comfort in the fact that he could get outdoors for a few hours. And that outdoor place happened to be the Hong Kong Cricket Club.”I turned up there with no expectations honestly, it was just to get outdoors, rather than being locked in,” he says.

“I thought at best this may be a way to play recreationally, get to know a few people at the cricket club, it will help with keeping myself in shape. Nothing more”

Over time, Coetzee discovered the city’s cricket culture was far more organised and ambitious than he had imagined. He saw talented players fiercely compete, and was explained the pathways into club cricket and possibly international cricket if he stayed the course.”That got me dreaming,” he says. “Suddenly, a three-year qualification criteria didn’t seem to matter, I thought let me start playing and put myself up there. Yes, the wait was long, at times frustrating, but in that period, I played a lot of club cricket, made a lot of friends and enjoyed competing. It got me hooked.”It’s only then I thought of all the things I take for granted back home. In South Africa, you tend to take some things for granted – outdoor nets, fields, space,” he explains. “In Hong Kong, the biggest challenge is facilities. Say, just leading up to our prep tour here, all we had were indoor nets. No grass. It makes you appreciate what you had growing up. But it also makes you work harder.”By the time Coetzee’s qualification period ended, he went on to become one of Hong Kong’s key batters and a regular fixture in the national squad. When not playing, he is a professional coach at the club he represents.”It still surprises me how much Hong Kong has given me,” he says. “You won’t believe it, but there’s a rivalry that is always packed,” he says. “Kowloon Cricket Club and Hong Kong Cricket Club – mate, it’s fiercely competitive as well. The talent is immense.Hong Kong are playing their fifth Asia Cup•Asian Cricket Council”My own team-mates – Nizakat Khan, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu – these guys are all so dedicated. It makes you feel good to be playing with a group that’s as enthusiastic and keen to show what they’re capable of. From day one, Hong Kong cricket felt like a family.The “family” has recently had to channel the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2026 T20 World Cup – their chances at the Asian qualifiers were scuppered by the weather.”Yeah, that still hurts,” Coetzee says. “We were having dinner last night, watching the tennis [US Open final] and one of the UAE lads just mentioned it as a joke and it actually still stung a little bit.”We are very disappointed with that, but with the new coach [Kaushal Silva] and the whole new group and vibe we have got going, we try not to think about that too much, and we are excited about everything that’s ahead. The next week or so is a good example. There’s always the next one to qualify for.”The game has also taken him places – Nepal, Oman, and the UAE – he never imagined visiting when he was lying on a South African rugby field with a broken leg, convinced his sporting life was over. That injury when he was 17 had driven him back to cricket, but the end of his Lions contract had almost pushed him out for good. Yet here he is, living a second chance, wearing new colours, and having a new perspective at 36.”We love the city so much,” Coetzee says. “We’re based just outside the hustle and bustle, in Green Pulse Bay. We can see ourselves living here for quite a while. The cricket crowd is growing, the local kids have so much talent, and the passion is unbelievable.”I never thought I’d find this in Hong Kong. But now I know exactly why Ben told me to pack that cricket bag.”

And who is the oldest player to play the tournament?

Steven Lynch10-Jun-2025Virat Kohli has played in every season of the IPL. How many others have done this? And did any of them play for just one team, as he has? asked Himanshu Patel from India

You’re right that Virat Kohli has appeared in every edition of the Indian Premier League since the first one back in 2008. Three others have done this, but none of them have played for the same team throughout.The long-serving trio are MS Dhoni, who usually played for Chennai Super Kings but represented Rising Pune Supergiants when CSK were suspended (2016-17), Rohit Sharma (Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians) and Manish Pandey, who has actually turned out for seven different teams.At The Oval last week Gudakesh Motie faced a hat-trick ball and hit it for six. How often has this happened? asked Katherine Miller from England

In the one-day international at The Oval last week, Adil Rashid dismissed the West Indian pair of Justin Greaves and Roston Chase with successive balls in the 22nd over – but the hat-trick ball was a short one and the new batter Gudakesh Motie smashed it over midwicket for six.We don’t have ball-by-ball data for a lot of matches, so it’s quite hard to work out how often this has happened. I’m pretty sure there have been no instances in Test matches, but there is at least one more in an ODI, and another in a T20I. At Edgbaston in 2015, Grant Elliott of New Zealand dismissed England’s Chris Jordan and Adil Rashid with successive balls in the 50th over, whereupon Liam Plunkett came in and hit the next delivery for six (he added another six from the next legal ball, after a wide).New Zealand were also involved when, in a match in Kolkata during the 2016 T20 World Cup, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh took two wickets in two balls, again in the final over. The last delivery of the innings was the hat-trick ball – and Mitchell McClenaghan clouted it over the long-on boundary for six.Who’s the oldest player to appear in the IPL? And which IPL cricketer has the earliest date of birth? asked Abhik Ghoshal from Canada

The oldest man to appear in the IPL is the Australian left-arm wristspinner Brad Hogg, who was 45 years 92 days old when he played his final game, for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions at Eden Gardens in 2016. Next comes legspinner Pravin Tambe, who was 44 years 219 days old in May 2016, while up to third this year went MS Dhoni, at 43 years 322 days. Muthiah Muralidaran and Imran Tahir both played in the IPL when they were 42.Just two men who were born in the 1960s played in the IPL: Sanath Jayasuriya, who was born on June 30, 1969, and Shane Warne (September 13, 1969). Then come two other distinguished Australians in Darren Lehmann (born February 5, 1970) and Glenn McGrath (February 9, 1970), before the Indian allrounder Sunil Joshi (June 6, 1970).Brad Hogg was 45 and 92 days old when he played his final IPL game•BCCIEngland won in Cardiff last week after both openers were out for ducks. How often has this happened, and was 312 the record score afterwards ? asked Keith Durbridge from England

England made 312 for 7 to beat West Indies in Cardiff last week despite both openers – Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett – falling for 0. This was the 51st instance of both openers making ducks in an ODI, but the recovery from such a disastrous start has been bettered only by New Zealand, who made 339 for 5 to beat England in Dunedin in 2018 after Martin Guptill and Colin Munro fell for 0: Ross Taylor hammered 181 not out.Next comes Nepal’s 310 for 8 against Oman in Kirtipur in April 2023, and New Zealand’s 291 for 8 against West Indies at Old Trafford during the 2019 World Cup. In that one, both Guptill and Munro were out first ball, but New Zealand ended up winning by five runs.Where does Joe Root’s 166 last week stand on England’s ODI list? And has anyone made their highest score in ODIs later than their 179th match, as Root did? asked Chris Goddard from England

That superb innings of 166 not out by Joe Root against West Indies in Cardiff last week was England’s fifth-highest individual score in ODIs, a list headed by Ben Stokes’ 182 against New Zealand at The Oval in 2023.You’re right that Root’s 166 came in his 179th ODI, but a surprising number have made their highest score at a later stage – 34 men in all. They include Sachin Tendulkar, who made his career-best 200 not out (the first ODI double-century) in his 442nd match, against South Africa in Gwalior in February 2010. A quartet of distinguished Sri Lankans come next: Kumar Sangakkara made his highest ODI score of 169 in his 350th match, Mahela Jayawardene 144 in his 343rd, Muthiah Muralidaran 33 not out in his 321st, and Tillakaratne Dilshan 161 not out in his 310th. Virender Sehwag (219 in his 240th ODI) and Chris Gayle (215 in his 266th) are the other double-centurions on this list.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Big picture: A twist to the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka tale

Bangladesh cricket fans had to put on hold their antagonistic feelings towards Sri Lanka for a couple of days – they needed Sri Lanka to beat Afghanistan to stay alive in the Asia Cup, after all. That’s how it panned out, leaving Bangladesh fans thrilled. Social media in Bangladesh has been buzzing with self-deprecating memes, all with photos of the Sri Lankan flag or Bangladeshis wearing the Sri Lanka jersey.The rivalry that has developed over the last seven years has often been full of cringe-worthy elements, but it’s also true that the players have been able to move up an extra gear whenever they’ve been in contest with each other. So there is a lot of interest in Saturday’s match, the first of the Super Four stage.Related

• Pathum Nissanka is raising his bar one notch at a time

• With goals reset, Kusal Mendis finally finds his niche

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Charith Asalanka’s side has been the more dominant in the Asia Cup. They won all three of their group games, including against Bangladesh. Curiously, Hong Kong pushed them harder than Bangladesh or Afghanistan could.Importantly for them, Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis commandeered the 170-run chase against Afghanistan relieving the pressure that’s been on Pathum Nissanka. The opener has been in good form and has been crying out for support. Sri Lanka were finally able to give that to him and will take confidence from that going into the pointy end of this tournament.2:18

Maharoof: Nissanka among the best all-format openers

Bangladesh have an opportunity for course correction. Some of it is already underway, with Parvez Hossain Emon losing his place in the team. Saif Hassan, who took his spot, has looked competent but Sri Lanka will be a major test for the comeback man. Bangladesh suffered back-to-back wicket maidens to start the game when the teams last met. The balance of their bowling is another puzzle they must solve. Their fifth-bowler combination (Saif and Shamim Hossain) didn’t work in the previous game.This promises to be a closer contest than the earlier game. The stakes are higher, with the first set of points crucial. Asalanka and Litton Das will also be leading two sets of players eager to one-up each other after a brief bit of peace.

Form guide

Bangladesh WLWWW
Sri Lanka WWWWLMustafizur Rahman has been effective, but not always frugal•Associated Press

In the spotlight: Mustafizur Rahman and Kusal Mendis

Mustafizur Rahman took three wickets to help Bangladesh against Afghanistan, but the left-arm quick has been quite expensive in the Asia Cup. Especially in the group match against Sri Lanka, Mustafizur bowled his most expensive spell of the year (3-0-35-1). Bangladesh will hope the left-arm quick returns to his stingy best. Mustafizur will have the added motivation of completing 150 wickets in T20Is – he is four short of the milestone – and also overtaking Shakib Al Hasan, who has 149.Kusal Mendis carried Sri Lanka to their six-wicket win against Afghanistan with a sparkling, unbeaten 74. Mendis is also very good against Bangladesh. He is already Sri Lanka’s second-highest run-getter with four centuries across formats against them. He is undoubtedly the key wicket in the Super Four opener.2:27

Abhinav lauds Bangladesh’s spin-choke tactic

Team news: Wellalage available to play

Bangladesh could bring in either of the allrounders Mahedi Hasan and Mohammad Saifuddin to fill their fifth-bowler gap.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Litton Das (capt, wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Nurul Hasan, 7 Jaker Ali, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Nasum Ahmed, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanDunith Wellalage, who flew back home following the death of his father, is set to rejoin the Sri Lankan team on the morning of the match and is available for selection.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dunith Wellalage, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Nuwan Thushara

Pitch and conditions: Struggle for runs in Dubai

Batters have only gone at a strike rate of 109.26 in Dubai at this Asia Cup. Abu Dhabi, for comparison, has been slightly better – 119.50. The slow nature of Dubai’s pitches have certainly helped the spinners. The weather forecast is for a typical hot evening.

Stats and trivia: Litton on top

• With 513 runs, Litton is currently this year’s top run-getter in T20Is among Full Member sides.
• Thushara’s 4 for 18 against Afghanistan is Sri Lanka’s best figures in the Asia Cup’s T20I version.
• Jaker has shown in the last 12 months that he has a few tricks up his sleeve but in this series, his 53 runs have required 48 balls and include only three fours.

Nepal created history as they beat West Indies by 19 runs in Sharjah for their first-ever win against a Full Member across formats. They had beaten Afghanistan in a T20I in 2014, but Afghanistan were an Associate back then.Even if you keep the win aside for a moment, it was a historic occasion for Nepal. It was their first T20I against West Indies and the start of their first bilateral series against a Full Member. They made it even more special by outplaying the two-time world champions in every facet of the game. It was a complete team effort by Nepal: six of their batters hit at least one six, six of their bowlers took at least one wicket, and their fielding was top-notch.Leading a second-string West Indies side that featured four debutants, Akeal Hosein opted to field after winning the toss. Nepal did not start well and both their openers were back in the pavilion by 3.1 overs. Kushal Bhurtel was beaten by an arm ball from Hosein and was stumped. Aasif Sheikh stepped out to Jason Holder but miscued the lofted shot and was caught by a backpedalling mid-on.Until the final over of the powerplay, Nepal had hit just two boundaries. Their captain Rohit Paudel doubled that count with back-to-back fours off debutant Ramon Simmonds in the sixth over, but it was Kushal Malla who provided the real momentum. He first smashed Fabian Allen to the long-on boundary for a four and then, in the spinner’s next over, deposited one into the stands for the first six of the innings.Malla hit another six, off Obed McCoy this time, to take Nepal to 68 for 2 at the end of ten overs. He and Paudel added 58 off 45 balls before both holed out against debutant legspinner Navin Bidaisee. Gulsan Jha and Dipendra Singh Airee tried to keep the momentum going, but Bidaisee struck again, getting rid of Jha to finish with 3 for 29 from his four overs. Then, in the 19th over, Holder picked up three wickets. But thanks to West Indies’ catching that oscillated from jaw-dropping grabs to face-palming drops, Nepal had a fighting 148 for 8 on the board.File photo: Rohit Paudel top-scored for Nepal with 38 off 35 balls•AFP/Getty Images

Kyle Mayers kicked off the chase with a first-ball four. But it all went downhill for West Indies from there. It started with Bhurtel’s direct hit to run Mayers out in the second over of the chase. Ackeem Auguste, another debutant, hit two delightful sixes but he too fell inside the powerplay.Still, West Indies were placed fairly well at 40 for 2 after six overs. But the Nepal spinners spun a web around the West Indies batters from which they could not come out. Paudel and Lalit Rajbanshi gave away only 16 in the next four overs while picking up a wicket each.With West Indies needing 93 from the last ten overs on a pitch where the shot-making was not easy, Nepal were the favourites. Three overs later, Airee’s brilliance in the field sent back Keacy Carty. Carty had set off for a non-existent single after pushing the ball towards covers. His partner sent him back but he could not beat Airee’s bullet through to the wicketkeeper.After that, West Indies depended heavily on Holder but he could manage only 5 before holing out to deep midwicket off Bhurtel. Bidaisee, Allen and Hosein tried to keep the fight on with their big hits but they could not keep up with the asking rate. West Indies needed 70 from the last five overs, and 49 from the last three.In the 18th over, the otherwise flawless Nepal fielders dropped Hosein twice in two balls. The first one went for a four and the second for a six. But Karan KC removed the West Indies captain in the following over, leaving Allen to score 28 from the 20th. He could not pull that off.

Liverpool currently have no plans to give disgruntled forward Mohamed Salah a big send-off this weekend when the Reds return to action against Brighton in the Premier League. Saturday's match is Salah's final game with Liverpool before he heads off to link up with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. It could also potentially be his last-ever outing for the Reds as his future at the club has been plunged into doubt following his critical comments in the wake of being benched for a third straight game.

Liverpool prepare to host Brighton but will Salah play?

Salah was left out of the squad for Liverpool's Champions League win over Inter in Milan last time out following his explosive criticism of the club and manager Arne Slot. Currently it's not clear if he will be involved against Brighton on Saturday at Anfield. Slot has said he has "no clue" if Salah will play for the club again, with Saudi Pro League sides reportedly interested in trying to bring the forward to the Middle East in the January transfer window.

Salah has said he feels like has been "thrown under the bus" at Liverpool and that he does not know why he has been benched in recent weeks as Slot attempts to turn around his team's poor form. The Egyptian star also stated he had "no relationship" with Slot and that he feels that "someone doesn't want me in the club."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhy Liverpool won't give Salah big send off

The situation means that Saturday could potentially be Salah's last-ever game for Liverpool and will certainly be his last appearance at Anfield for some time even if he does stay for the rest of the season. Yet the Merseysiders have no plans to give Salah a bid send-off ahead of his departure for AFCON, as reported by . The Reds do not want potential admirers to feel that Salah's time at the club is up as they are keen to "protect any potential future transfer fee". It's thought that giving Salah a big farewell would weaken the club's position in any transfer negotiations in January or beyond.

Salah vows to be at Anfield for Brighton match

Salah has vowed to be at Anfield for the Brighton game, although he does not know if he will be playing or spectating once again. He told reporters: "Yesterday I said to [my parents], 'Come to the Brighton game'. I don't know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it. In my head, I'm going to enjoy that game because I don't know what is going to happen now. I will be at Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go the Africa Cup. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there."

Liverpool have the day off on Thursday but are due to train on Friday, at which point it may become clearer as to whether Salah will be recalled to the starting XI or not by Slot. 

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Getty Images SportSaudi clubs lurk as Salah exit talk grows

Speculation that Salah could move on this winter is growing, with Saudi Arabia a potential destination. "There is competition within the Saudi league to bring in Salah," a source told AFP. "It's not only the PIF-affiliated clubs." Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli are all reportedly interested along with Al Qadsiah. 

Salah admitted back in May that he thought he would move to Saudi in the summer before signing a new contract with Liverpool. He told : "It was a good opportunity to me, if I hadn't renewed with Liverpool it would have happened. My relations with SPL officials are very good, we talked a lot, and the negotiations were serious."

He added: "The negotiations were long, I know the club's policy [in negotiations], we reached a middle ground that made us all happy. Part of the pressure on the club came from the fans, I know from the start that they wanted me to continue, and they played their role in all of this."

Former England seamer makes surprise appearance in NSW nets during Sydney grade-cricket stint

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-20257:23

Will Joe Root finally score his first hundred in Australia?

England’s Ollie Robinson has emerged as an unlikely figure in Australia’s Ashes preparation after bowling to his former Sussex team-mate Steven Smith in the New South Wales nets on Thursday.Robinson has taken 21 wickets in seven Ashes Tests but has not featured for England since February 2024, falling out of favour after his body let him down in one match too many. He took 39 wickets at 24.74 for Sussex in the County Championship this year, but never appeared in serious contention for a Test recall and was also overlooked by England Lions.

Sydney Uni net bowler at Blues training today sending them down to Smith and Konstas https://t.co/81WYhtgwQf pic.twitter.com/03myDsFtJp

— Tom Decent (@tomdecent) November 6, 2025