A remarkable test career which is unlikely ever to be equalled. ibid.
Career batting average of 99.94 is considered to be the single greatest achievement in any major sport. ibid.
In the third test at Leeds ... Bradman scored a century before lunch, another between lunch and tea, finishing the day 309 not out. ibid.
In the game of cricket one man stands alone as the greatest all-rounder ever seen. Sporting Greats – Sir Gary Sobers
Gary Sobers was a hero to a nation. He retired after two decades after holding every record in the book. ibid.
365 not out. ibid.
Nottinghamshire v Glamorgan 1968 & Malcolm Nash: the first batsman in the world to hit six sixes from one over. ibid.
Described by Don Bradman as probably the greatest exhibition of batting seen in Australia. ibid.
8,032 runs and taking 235 wickets. ibid.
We’re yet to see his equal and perhaps we never will. A record-breaking wicket-taking star with a gift for the spectacular. The game of cricket has never known anyone quite like him. Sporting Greats – Shane Warne
On the field Warne lived a charmed life. He was the world’s best bowler. ibid.
Through the art of slow bowling Warne had single-handedly transformed the game. ibid.
He became the first cricketer to reach the 700 wicket milestone. ibid.
I just keep it simple. Watch the ball and play it on merit. Sachin Tendulkar
I hate losing and cricket being my first love, once I enter the ground it’s a different zone altogether and that hunger for winning is always there. Sachin Tendulkar
Highest test innings: Brian Lara (Trinadad) scored 400 not out for West Indies v England at Antigua Recreation Ground St John’s Antigua 10-12 April 2004. Guinness World Records 2005 (50th edition)
Brian Charles Lara (Trinadad) scored 501 not out in 7 hrs 54 mins playing for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston UK between 3 and 6 June 1994. ibid.
Delhi police have registered a case of criminal conspiracy, fraud and cheating against the South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje. Bad Sport s1e6: Fallen Idol
‘That is a very very generous target. The decision [day five declaration] didn’t sit well with me because not in a million years would I give England even a sniff of winning.’ ibid. Allan Donald
Cronje had made three offers to Nasser [Hussein] and he reduced the target to quite a bit actually by the time he got to the one England went for. Didn’t make sense at all. Why had he done it. ibid. reporter
In 2008 a Texan tycoon landed his helicopter on the hallowed turf of Lord’s, the spiritual home of cricket. He came with a proposition – a showdown between England and his own Caribbean team at his personal ground in Antigua. He was offering one of the greatest cash prizes ever for a team sport. $20 million. But nobody knew where Sir Allen Stanford’s money really came from. The Man Who Bought Cricket I: Lord’s, captions, Sky Documentaries 2022
In 2008, the biggest and most lucrative tournament in the world was the Indian Premier League, or IPL. ibid.
Just as Sir Allen was flaunting his wealth at Lord’s, US authorities were starting to question how he’d made his billions. ibid.
Cricket was starting to fail in the Caribbean. Financially bereft. And the soul had gone from West Indies’ cricket. ibid. Jonathan Agnew
Sir Allen’s first multi-million-dollar investment in cricket was a Caribbean tournament called the Stanford 20/20. ibid. caption
He had a lot of money to throw around. And that was raising red flags. Where was this money coming from? ibid. Vanessa Walther, FBI special agent
The money laundering allegations continued to swirl around Stanford for a long time. But at the same time he starts selling Certificates of Deposit. ibid. Laurel Calkins, business journalist
Stanford appealed to customers by offering a CD that promised to pay 2% more in interest than rival banks. ibid.
After four years on Montserrat, Allen relocated his bank to the larger Caribbean island of Antigua. ibid.
Stanford International Bank: 2008 its $7.6 billion in deposits. ibid.
There was always the sense that this felt weird. The Man Who Bought Cricket II: ‘You’ve Sold Your Soul, Lads’, Stuart Broad
As the England cricket team prepare for Stanford’s tournament, both the FBI & SEC are investigating his businesses. ibid.
He got a bit friendly with the players’ wives and girlfriends. ‘Turning into an ego-fuelled farce’ says The Mail. ibid. Sky News
Stanford like most con artists realised you needed to dress up the fraud. You needed to really make it big and sound established. ibid. Gregg Costa, prosecutor US vs Robert Allen Stanford
The realisation really dawned on them that this was ugly. Because you’ve sold your soul, lads. ibid. Jonathan Agnew
But as the game approaches, a criminal investigation into his financial empire is coming to a head. The Man Who Bought Cricket III: Is It Fun Being a Billionaire? caption
As the world faced financial meltdown, Allen Stanford was about the spend $20 million on one game of cricket. ibid.
Shortly after Madoff was arrested, the SEC issued court orders requesting interviews with Standford executives. ibid.
Everyone knew but me that there was trouble on the horizon. ibid. chief investment officer Laura
Following Jim Davis’ testimony, the FBI had enough evidence to file criminal charges. Allen Stanford was finally arrested on 18 June 2009. ibid. caption
For billionaire Allen Stanford has been sentenced to – listen to this – 110 years in prison; it follows his conviction on 13 charges including fraud and conspiracy. ibid. news
Forget what you think you know. That this is just a game. No. It’s a duel between the mind and time. Time for life to happen. Time for cracks to widen. It’s brutal. Intense. A judgment of your guts. Exposing your demons. It’s about having all the time in the world until the moment it matters. Then you’ve got half a second. The Edge, BBC 2022
Test cricket is a way of life in Australia. A religion in Asia. It’s in the soul of the Caribbean. And centuries ago it was born in a field in England. The game travelled through class, across borders and left every former colony wanting a huge piece of the England team. In 2009 that England team was in pieces. Bottom of the world. ibid.
It’s a team game but out there you’re on your own. ibid.
‘It’s going to take two years. Six times round the world. These are the matches we have to win. The target: to be the first English team to reach number one in the world.’ ibid. Andy Flowers
Glory, anger, emotion and elation. Think A Fistful of Dollars. Think Rumble in the Jungle. ibid.
Test cricket is a battle between Time and the Mind. ibid.
I found that in truth it was a very different game and a very ugly game. Caught Out: Crime, Corruption, Cricket, sports journalist Bahal, Netflix 2023
We came up with this plan to target and trap the cricketers using spay-cam equipment. ibid. Tejpal
To kickstart the plan we need a whole team. ibid. bookie
These people were seen everywhere around the team. ibid. journalist
That was the first time an Indian cricketer [Prabhakar] was coming on record saying that this had happened. ibid.
Suddenly that shadow – match fixing. ibid.
They just wanted to put the lid on it. ibid.
Hansie Cronje was talking to a bookie … Hansie Cronje was involved in match-fixing. ibid.
Hansie Cronje revealed the Indian connection with a global network of illegal betting. ibid.
Azharuddin … We found there were some things to be looked into … ibid. Inquiry dude
He [Azharuddin] had named nine international players. ibid.