Ada Hegerberg, a dog's goal-line clearance and vomit in Madras
1) Let’s have a look at the first ever women’s Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg being really good at football, rather than concentrate on some whopper asking her to twerk. Here’s more on the Lyon and Norway star.
2) The Australia vs India Test series begins this week, so let’s have a look at some classics of yore: VVS Laxman’s extraordinary 281 at Eden Gardens, scored after India followed on in 2001 and helped them to a remarkable comeback victory, seems like a good place to start. Then there’s Michael Clarke: bowler – firstly the 6-9 at Mumbai in 2004 (ultimately in a losing cause) and then the three wickets in an over that won Australia the SCG Test in 2008. Michael Clarke: batter – 329 in 2012. Back to 1986 now and one of the great feats of endurance, as Dean Jones scores 210 in Madras, featuring urine, vomit and who knows what else. Sachin Tendulkar
didn’t quite soil himself at the
SCG in 2004, but this 241 was impressive
nonetheless. Let’s also have a look at Shane Warne’s Test debut, which came against India in 1992: he was rubbish. Excited? Virat Kohli seems to be. Name a better sound than that sound off his bat … Classic YouTube will wait.
3) This stray dog shows Jordan Pickford how it’s done.
4) Tyson Fury very nearly became world heavyweight champion again last weekend: he’s one of nine British fighters to be world champ, winning four belts in 2015 by beating Wladimir Klitschko. Bob Fitzsimmons was the first, beating James J Corbett in 1897, and remarkably there is footage of that fight. Michael Bentt won the WBO belt in 1993 but was then out-Britted by Herbie Hide a year later, while Henry Akinwande claimed the same title in 1996. David Haye reached up to cuff the hairy shoulders of Nikolai Valuev in 2009, while Anthony Joshua claimed his belt by cleaning Charles Martin’s clocks in 2016. Lennox Lewis
first won the WBC belt after Riddick Bowe threw it in the bin, but one of his three initial defences was against Frank Bruno, stopping him in 1993. But of course Bruno eventually became the champ, defeating the man who shocked Lewis, Oliver McCall, in 1995. Staying with heavyweight rivalries, Dereck Chisora stunned upcoming opponent Dillian Whyte in a pre-fight interview… by comparing himself to a laxative.
5) Mark Hughes was sacked this week, so here he is in happier times. Even he would probably concede that he’s never been as good at managing as he was at volleying the absolute heck out of footballs.
6) Snooker! The UK Championship is in full swing, so let’s go back to 1990 and watch an implausibly young Stephen Hendry mark a changing of the guard by giving Steve Davis a hiding.
7)Every World Cup needs a jazzy song to promote it and the hockey edition in India is no different.
Our favourites from last week’s blog 1) UK snooker championship, round one, final frame: Zhao Xintong just requires the brown to leave Daniel Wells needing snookers. What could possibly go wrong?
2) Turns out Kevin Keegan’s Head Over Heels In Love (With You) is actually good.
3) Introducing Tampa Bay Lightning radio commentator Dave Mishkin. Maybe don’t have the speakers on full blast for this one. 4)Gio van Bronckhorst: bosh. Spotters’ badges: LeeWall, fmgazzette, desertfish, whobroughtoranges and Metalman
Guardian YouTube football channel Do subscribe if you fancy.
Guardian YouTube sport channel Do subscribe if you fancy.