Abdul Razzaq

Abdul Razzaq (Urdu: عبد الرزاق‎; born 2 December 1979) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer, who played all formats of the game. He is a right arm fast-medium bowler and a right-handed batsman, who emerged in international cricket in 1996 with his One Day International debut against Zimbabwe at his home ground in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore; just one month before his seventeenth birthday. He was the part of the Pakistan Cricket Team squad that won the ICC World Twenty20 2009. He played 265 ODIs and 46 Tests.

At the age of 38, Abdul Razzaq announced that he would make a comeback in domestic circuit level to play first-class cricket again after having short stints as a coach for few domestic teams in Pakistan since his international retirement in 2013
Personal life
Abdul Razzaq is married to a Pakistani woman Ayesha.[2] He has 3 brothers and one sister: Muhammad Afzaal,(son qasim afzaal,) Muhammad Faisal, Muhammad Ashfaq,(son Raees Ahmad) and Saima Shahid.

International career
Early career
Razzaq made his One Day International debut in November 1996, against Zimbabwe, but had to wait just over three years to make his Test cricket debut for Pakistan, eventually doing so against Australia in Brisbane in November 1999. In the 1999–2000 Carlton and United Series, he rose to fame and was named man of the series for his all round performance. During a match in Hobart against India, Razzaq scored a half century and took five wickets. In the same tournament, he hit former Australian fast bowler, Glenn McGrath for 5 fours, which totalled to 20 runs in one over.

1999 Cricket World Cup
Razzaq became a regular member of his national side during the 1999 world cup held in England. During the event, he got the attention of selectors as he performed well both with the ball and bat. His brilliant performance with the bat came in the group match against Australia, where he went on to score his first half century making 60 runs in a long and stable partnership with Inzamam-ul-Haq, which helped Pakistan reach a defendable target of 275.[3] Pakistan went on to win the match by ten runs and as a result qualified for the Super Six stage.[3] With the ball, he made a brilliant performance against the tough West Indian cricket team by taking three wickets for 32 runs having three maiden overs, which proved decisive for Pakistan at Bristol.[4]

2000 Carlton and United Series
Razzaq's other impressive performances came during the Carlton & United Series at Australia in a tri-nation tournament involving Pakistan, Australia and India in 2000. Razzaq achieved the man of the series award for his best all round performances, especially in a pre-finals match against India, where he scored 70 not out with the bat and took 5 wickets for 48 runs, thus becoming the fifth all-rounder to have scored a half century and take five wickets in an ODI; the other four players being Vivian Richards, Kris Srikkanth, Mark Waugh, and Lance Klusener.[5] Shahid Afridi subsequently achieved the feat thrice for Pakistan.

In the first match of the series against Australia, he took 4 wickets and played an important role for Pakistan helping them to successfully defend a very low target of 184 runs at Brisbane. In the third match of the series, Razzaq came into prominence after hitting five consecutive boundaries in the fifth over of Australian pacer Glenn McGrath. Eventually Pakistan was defeated in the finals by Australia but Razzaq was named player of the series for his all-round performance.[6]

Prominence
In 2000, Razzaq became the youngest cricketer in the world to take a Test cricket hat trick in a match against Sri Lanka. He has scored three centuries and twenty two fifties in One Day International matches. His highest score was 112 runs, against South Africa in 2002, where he shared a partnership of 257 runs with Pakistani batsman Saleem Elahi. His second century was scoring 107 runs not out in a match against Zimbabwe in 2004. During this match, he saved Pakistan from a disastrous start and eventually won them the match. His first fifty came in 90 deliveries, before accelerating in the second fifty runs, which was scored in just 21 balls. Also in 2003–2004, he scored 89 runs from 40 balls against New Zealand, whose captain Stephen Fleming called him the "best hitter" in the world.[7] In January 2005, he was involved in the ACC Asian XI that took on the ICC World XI in the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal charity match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

As a fast bowler, Razzaq experienced a steady decline in speed and performance during the 2003 cricket World Cup and 2004. Razzaq dropped Tendulkar who later on scored a matchwinning 98(75). During this period, he remained as a supporting bowler. However, from 2005 to the end of 2006, he regained his speed and he won many matches for Pakistan with his bowling. His best bowling figures in a One Day International match is 6 wickets for 35 runs. His another notable performance was against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 1999, where Pakistan was all out for 196 runs and he took 5 wickets for 31 runs to draw the match. During the 2005–2006 Test match series against India, Razzaq took 9 wickets and scored 205 runs in two Test matches he played, which resulted in an improvement of his performance. His batting remained generally consistent from 2000 to 2006, although his place on the Test team was never secure.

Razzaq's place in the Pakistan national team has been marred by injuries and absences. In 2005 it was revealed that he was suffering from an addiction to spinach, which was causing him to suffer from nausea and sickness while playing. This led to him being known as 'Popeye' by his teammates.[8] In 2007, a poor performance in a series with both the bat and ball, in a match against South Africa, accompanied with an injury that forced him out of the 2007 cricket World Cup, had him dropped from the 2007 World Twenty20, a decision that received widespread criticism from cricket individuals.

Temporary retirement in 2007
On 20 August 2007, Razzaq announced his retirement against his omission from the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 squad.[9] However, on 27 October 2007, Razzaq revoked his decision following discussions with his local cricket club and coach, saying, "Maybe I made that (decision to retire) in the heat of the moment
He signed up for the Indian Cricket League and played for the Hyderabad Heroes as one of their star players. He eventually severed ties with the league in September 2008 and returned to international cricket in June 2009, helping Pakistan win the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup.

Return in team: 2009 World Twenty20 Championship
In 2009, he was selected into Pakistan's squad for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in England as a replacement for injured fast bowler Yasir Arafat, marking his return to International cricket and becoming the first Indian Cricket League player, whose ban was lifted by the Pakistan Cricket Board.[11] He played an important role in Pakistan's victory in the tournament, taking 5 wickets at an average of 14.80 and an economy rate of 5.92. His figures of 3 wickets for 20 runs, played a significant role in Pakistan's victory against Sri Lanka in the final. As a result, he along with another former Indian Cricket League player Mohammad Yousuf were awarded 'A’ category mid-term central contracts by the Pakistan Cricket Board.[12]

In the 2009–2010 season, Razzaq missed out on the tours of New Zealand and Australia, due to injury. However he was selected in the two match Twenty20 International series against England in February 2010. His innings of 46 runs not out from 18 deliveries in the second match of the series, cemented Pakistan a victory, their first in eleven international outings.[13]

On 30 December when playing in a game for the Melbourne Renegades, former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh described Razzaq as a "cardboard cut out" based on his appeared disinterest when playing.[citation needed]

ODI return: against New Zealand
Upon his ODI return, he played a fine little cameo for Pakistan with the bat scoring 23 runs of 20 deliveries and pushed the score to 287. New Zealand needed 288 to win and Razzaq took the key wickets of Scott Styris and Jacob Oram to ensure that Pakistan thrash New Zealand by 141 runs. In the second ODI, he took the wickets of Martin Guptill (62) and Daniel Vettori on (30). Despite this, New Zealand ended the innings at 303/8. Pakistan collapsed to 239 all out, with Razzaq scoring 35 runs. With the series levelled 1–1 Pakistan went into the third ODI and bowled New Zealand out for 211. Despite this Pakistan suffered a top order collapse at 79/7 with Younis Khan, Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi falling cheaply. The Razzaq came in and registered a duck as he was run out by Vettori. Gul fell cheaply as well but Pakistan still got agonizingly close to victory, when Mohammad Amir and Saeed Ajmal were engaged in a 103 run partnership before Ajmal top edged a pull on the first ball of the last over as Pakistan were seven runs short of victory.

Hand injury: No participation against Australia
Razzaq picked up a hand injury just before the first ODI against Australia and missed the whole five match series and the only Twenty20 match. He was hit on the hand while batting during the practice sessions[14] The series turned out to be a forgettable one of Pakistan as Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan received life bans (overturned 2 months later) for inflicting fighting in the team. Also Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was given a one-year ban along with Shoaib Malik being banned for a year all were overturned on appeal. Amid the fighting Pakistan lost the five match series 5–0 and the only Twenty20 match as well.

Top all-round form (2010)
With players like Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik suffering from selection issues, it was Razzaq who took up the role of a senior player in the Pakistan cricket team. He was selected in the squad for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and performed admirably with the bat scoring five sixes during the tournament. Pakistan crashed out of the tournament after losing to Australia in the semi-final. Razzaq then took part in the 2010 Asia Cup.[15]

In July 2010, Razzaq played in the two T20Is against Australia as Pakistan won both matches comfortably. He wasn't selected for the Test series against Australia and England and next played in the September 2010 Twenty20 and ODI series against England. The Pakistan team had been surrounded by Spot-fixing allegations as the team lost both Twenty20 matches due to low morale. Razzaq missed the first two ODI's against England because of a back-strain as Pakistan lost both matches. He returned to the third ODI and scored 31 runs in a fruitful partnership with Shahid Afridi before Afridi was run out and Razzaq was subsequently caught in the deep square leg as Pakistan were bowled out for 241. England opened the innings strongly before Umar Gul removed six batsmen and Razzaq took two wickets to seal a 23-run victory for Pakistan.[16]

Razzaq's lower order destruction also became helpful for his domestic team the Lahore Lions as he scored 138 runs from his four innings including a superb 73* in the final to help guide his team to victory in the 2010-11 Faysal Bank Twenty-20 Cup.[17]

On 31 October 2010, in the second One Day International against South Africa, Razzaq played a match-winning innings of 109* off 72 balls at a strike rate of 151.38, his third One Day International century. The innings which contained seven fours and ten sixes saw Pakistan to a one-wicket win with one ball remaining and level the 5-match series 1–1.[18]

Series against New Zealand, World Cup Preparation (2011)
Razzaq struggled with the bat in the first two Twenty20's against New Zealand but he did perform admirably with the ball taking out Jesse Ryder for a golden duck in the second Twenty20. During the third match Razzaq blasted 34 off just 11 balls in an innings that included 3 fours and 3 sixes. This innings helped Pakistan push their total onto 184. Razzaq then did the damage with the ball taking the leading run scorer of the series Martin Guptill out for a duck and then took two more top order wickets of Ross Taylor (Leg-before) and clean bowled James Franklin. For this superb all round perform coupled with a 103 run victory for Pakistan Razzaq won man of the match. However two early losses in the series meant New Zealand won the series 2–1.[19]

2011 Cricket World Cup
Razzaq was included in Pakistan's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup hosted by Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka between February and April. His role was to open the bowling and bat down the order. In his first two matches, he had faced just 10 balls,[20] however he scored 20 not out from 24 balls against Australia to guide Pakistan to victory, ending Australia's string of 34 matches in World Cups without defeat.[21]

Domestic career

Indian Cricket League

In 2007–2008, he played in the Indian Cricket League, playing for Hyderabad Heroes. His excellent performance in the last over during the Indian Cricket League final, allowed his team to take a 1–0 lead in the best of three finals. The finals were eventually won by Hyderabad Heroes, 2–0. During this time, his international career remained in doubt, as the Pakistan Cricket Board had banned players who participated in the unofficial league.[22]

After playing for two seasons, he departed from the Indian Cricket League to be selected and play for the Pakistan national team, saying that he hoped the Pakistan Cricket Board's ban on Indian Cricket League players would soon be revoked and that he has a desire to play for Pakistan national team once again, affirming that his retirement was not necessarily a permanent decision.

England County Cricket

He has also played at the English county level for Middlesex, Worcestershire and Surrey. He joined Surrey in June 2008 on a short term contract to play in the Twenty20 Cup. He helped Surrey win against Sussex by scoring 39 runs from 19 balls. Despite his short period at The Oval, Razzaq became a favourite player amongst Surrey supporters.

In March 2010 Razzaq signed for Hampshire County Cricket Club as one of their four overseas players for the English domestic Twenty20 competition.[23] He played a starring role in their victory against Somerset on finals day at Hampshire's home ground, the Rose Bowl.

Razzaq signed for Leicestershire County Cricket Club as their second overseas players for the English domestic Friends Life t20.[24] At the 2011 Friends Life t20 he again played for the winning team, this time as a Leicestershire player, against Somerset on the finals day. He also played in both Leicestershire's games in the Champions League T20s, but was unable to help Leicestershire through the qualification stage.[25] He has signed for Staffordshire club Hem Heath for the 2014 Season.[26]

International record

Test cricket

Test Debut vs Australia in Brisbane in 1999–2000.

Best Test batting score of 134 runs was made against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2001–2002.

Best Test bowling figures of 5 wickets for 35 runs came against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2004–2005.

He took his first Test Hat-trick vs Sri Lanka in Galle International Stadium in 2000.

One Day International

One Day International debut vs Zimbabwe in Lahore in 1996–1997.

Best One Day International batting score of 112 runs was made against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in 2002–2003.

Best One Day International bowling figures of 6 wickets for 35 runs came against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2001–2002.

Best 7th wicket score (109 from 72 balls) against South Africa in Abu-Dhabi in October 2010

Achievements

He is one of 53 players, including 8 who have represented Pakistan, who have achieved the double of 1,000 Test runs and 100 Test wickets.[27]

He is the youngest bowler to take a hat-trick, against Sri Lanka in 2000, at the age of 20.

Has Batted at every position from an opener to No.11

In 2009 he along with Nasir Jamshed set the highest 3rd wicket partnership ever in any forms of T20s (162)

No Time To Die

No Time to Die is an upcoming spy film directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and the twenty-fifth installment in the James Bond series to be produced by Eon Productions.[2] The film features Daniel Craig in his fifth outing as the MI6 agent James Bond.[3] Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jeffrey Wright, Léa Seydoux, and Christoph Waltz reprise their roles from previous films, with Rami Malek, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, David Dencik, Dali Benssalah and Billy Magnussen joining the cast. It will be the first film in the series to be internationally distributed by Universal Pictures, following the expiration of Columbia Pictures' contract after Spectre.

Development of the film began and confirmed in 2016. Universal Pictures and United Artists Releasing acquired the distribution rights internationally; in the United States, United Artists Relasing holds the rights, and Universal will also release the film on home media domestically.[4] Danny Boyle was originally attached to direct and co-write the film with John Hodge; both left due to creative differences in August 2018. Fukunaga was announced as Boyle's replacement a month later. The majority of the cast had signed on by April 2019. Principal photography lasted from April to October 2019.

The film is scheduled for theatrical release on 2 April 2020 in the United Kingdom and on 8 April 2020 in the United States.
Premise
James Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Cast
Daniel Craig as James Bond.[5] Formerly known as agent 007, he retired to Jamaica following the events of Spectre.
Rami Malek as Safin, an adversary of Bond.[6] Producer Barbara Broccoli described the character as "the one that really gets under Bond's skin. He's a nasty piece of work".[6]
Ralph Fiennes as M,[7] the head of MI6 and Bond's superior officer.
Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny,[7] M's assistant and Bond's ally.
Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner,[8] the MI6 chief of staff.
Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann,[7] a psychiatrist and Bond's love interest who assisted him in his mission in the film Spectre.
Ben Whishaw as Q,[7] the MI6 Quartermaster who outfits Bond with equipment for use in the field.
Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter,[8] Bond's friend and a CIA field officer.
Ana de Armas as Paloma, a CIA agent assisting Bond.[9] De Armas described her character as "irresponsible" and "bubbly" and playing a key role in Bond's mission.[10]
Lashana Lynch as Nomi,[11] a '00' agent who entered active service after Bond’s retirement.[9]
David Dencik as Waldo[12]
Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld,[9] the former head of the criminal syndicate Spectre, and who is now in MI6 custody.
Dali Benssalah and Billy Magnussen have been cast in undisclosed roles.[8]

Production
Development
Development of No Time to Die began in the spring of 2016. As Sony Pictures' contract to co-produce the James Bond films with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Eon Productions expired with the release of Spectre, another major film studio was expected to land the distribution rights to release the film. In April 2017, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures and Annapurna Pictures entered a bidding competition to win the distribution rights. It was announced that MGM had secured the domestic, digital and worldwide television rights to the film. Universal was announced as the international distributor of the film and holder of the rights for physical home entertainment distribution
The scriptwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade—who had worked on every Bond film since The World Is Not Enough—were approached to write the script in March 2017.[15] Sam Mendes stated that he would not return as director despite the success of his previous two Bond films, Skyfall and Spectre.[16][17] Longtime favourite Christopher Nolan ruled himself out to direct.[18][19] By July 2017, Yann Demange, David Mackenzie and Denis Villeneuve were courted to direct the film.[20] In December 2017, Villeneuve opted out of the role due to his commitments to Dune.[21] In February 2018, Danny Boyle was established as a frontrunner for the directing position and Boyle's original pitch to Broccoli and Wilson saw John Hodge brought onto the project and writing a screenplay based on Boyle's idea, with Purvis and Wade's version scrapped.[22] Hodge's draft was greenlit, Universal secured the film's distribution rights, and Boyle was confirmed to helm the film with a production start date of December 2018.[23] However, Boyle left the production in August 2018 due to creative differences,[24] and the film's release date became contingent on whether they could replace Boyle with a suitable director within sixty days. A spokeswoman for Hodge confirmed that he also was no longer involved. With Boyle's departure, several directors from film and television were considered for the position,[25][26][27][28] and Cary Joji Fukunaga was announced as the new director in September 2018 via the official James Bond Twitter account.[29] Fukunaga became the first American in the history of the series to direct an Eon James Bond film.[30][a] Linus Sandgren was hired as cinematographer in December 2018;[31] Dan Romer was hired as composer in July 2019, having previously scored Fukanaga's Beasts of No Nation and Maniac.[32]

With Boyle's departure, Purvis and Wade were brought back to rework the script in September 2018.[33] Casino Royale screenwriter Paul Haggis was brought in to rewrite Purvis and Wade's script in November 2018.[34][35] Scott Z. Burns was brought on to work on the screenplay in February 2019. At Craig's request, Killing Eve writer and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge provided a script polish in April 2019 to add more humour and to make the characters more believable.[36][37][38] Waller-Bridge is the second female screenwriter credited with writing a Bond film after Johanna Harwood co-wrote Dr. No and From Russia with Love.[39][b] Producer Barbara Broccoli announced that Bond's attitude towards women would change in No Time to Die as a response to the Me Too movement.[39] Waller-Bridge argued that the character of Bond had to stay true to its original creation and that it was the responsibility of the wider film industry to treat women more respectfully.[42]

Casting
Spectre was speculated to be Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond.[43] In May 2016, it was reported on several websites and news platforms that Craig had received a $100 million offer from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to reprise his role of Bond in two more films, but turned it down, suggesting that Spectre would likely be his final Bond film.[44] Craig denied having made a decision but praised his time playing Bond thus far, describing it as "the best job in the world doing Bond". He further denied that $150 million was offered to him for the next two Bond instalments.[45] He stated that the fact he had not made any decisions on returning to the role in the past was because of his focus on other projects such as Logan Lucky.[5][46] In August 2017, Craig confirmed he would return for his final appearance as Bond while on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[47] In July 2018, Craig travelled to the United States to visit the Central Intelligence Agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to find out more about how the intelligence agency operates. The CIA said, "Mr. Craig met with our leadership and workforce, who explained that real-life espionage is a lot more 'cloak' and a lot less 'dagger' than presented in the entertainment world of spy v spy
Numerous reports indicated that Christoph Waltz had signed on to return as Ernst Stavro Blofeld for further 007 films on the condition that Craig returned as Bond.[49] Despite Craig's definite casting as Bond, Waltz announced that he would not return as Blofeld in October 2017.[50] During Danny Boyle's time as director on the film, a leaked casting sheet described the villain role as a "cold and charismatic Russian" and the Bond girl role as a "witty and skillful survivor". Production also sought after a henchman of Māori descent with "advanced combat skills".[51] These ideas presumably changed shape following Boyle and Hodge's exit. In December 2018, Fukunaga revealed in an interview that Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Ralph Fiennes would all be reprising their roles in the film, with Fukunaga not ruling out a possible return from Waltz's Blofeld.[7] Fukunaga also revealed that Léa Seydoux would be reprising her role as Madeleine Swann,[7] making her the second actress to portray a Bond girl in successive films, after Eunice Gayson portrayed Sylvia Trench in Dr. No and From Russia with Love. Rory Kinnear returned as Bill Tanner, as did Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter.[8] Wright makes his third appearance in the series after Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and becomes the first actor to play Felix Leiter three times.[citation needed]

Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen and Rami Malek were announced as cast members in a live stream, at Ian Fleming's Goldeneye estate in Jamaica.[52] This live stream on 25 April 2019 marked the official start of production.[8] Malek was further announced as playing the film's villain.[53] In an interview with Digital Spy, Malek revealed that his character would not be connected to any religion or ideology.[54]

Filming
Production was scheduled to begin on 3 December 2018 at Pinewood Studios,[55] but filming was delayed until April 2019 after the departure of Boyle as director.[29][56] The film is the first in the series to have sequences shot with 65MM IMAX film cameras
Filming locations included Italy, Jamaica, Norway and London, in addition to Pinewood Studios.[58] In addition scenes were filmed in the Faroe Islands in late September 2019.[59] Production commenced in Nittedal, Norway, with the second unit capturing scenes at a frozen lake.[60] Principal photography officially began on 28 April 2019 in Port Antonio, Jamaica.[61][62][better source needed] Daniel Craig sustained an ankle injury in May whilst filming in Jamaica and subsequently underwent minor surgery.[63][64] Production was further interrupted when a controlled explosion damaged the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios and left a crew member with minor injuries.[65][66] Production returned to Norway in June 2019 to shoot a driving sequence along the Atlantic Ocean Road featuring an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.[67] Aston Martin also confirmed that the DB5, DBS Supperlegera[68] and Valhalla models would feature in the film.[69] Production then returned to the United Kingdom, where scenes featuring Craig, Fiennes, Harris and Kinnear were filmed around London, including Whitehall and Hammersmith.[70][71][72]

In July 2019, filming took place in the town of Aviemore and in the surrounding Cairngorms National Park area in Scotland.[73] Temporary accommodations were constructed in a car park in the town for the production crew of around 300.[74][75] Some scenes were also captured at the Ardverikie House Estate and on the banks of Loch Laggan, just outside the park.[76] There was further filming at Buttersteep Forest, Ascot, during August 2019.[citation needed]

The second unit moved to southern Italy in late August, where they began to shoot a chase sequence involving an Aston Martin DB5 through the streets of Matera. The main unit, Craig and Seydoux arrived in early September to film scenes inside several production-built sets, as well as further sequences in Maratea and Gravina in Puglia.[77][78]

Between 8 and 25 September, some scenes were shot in the town of Sapri in southern Italy, including the town's "midnight canal" and train station. The name of the city has been changed to "Civita Lucana" for the film.[79]

Principal photography wrapped on 25 October 2019 at Pinewood Studios.[80]

Release
No Time to Die was originally scheduled for release on 8 November 2019. Following Danny Boyle's departure, the release date was pushed back to 14 February 2020.[29][81] The release date was pushed once again to 8 April 2020. The film is due to be released outside North America on 3 April.[2]

The film entered production under the working title Bond 25. No Time to Die was announced as the name of the film via the official James Bond website and social media accounts on 20 August 2019.[82][83] No Time to Die shares its title with a 1958 film directed by Terence Young, produced by Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli and written by Richard Maibaum,[84][85] the original director, producer and writer of the James Bond films.

Marketing
The 007 logo appeared on the Red Bull Racing cars in the place of the Aston Martin logos at the 2019 British Grand Prix.[86] The cars also had Bond-themed number plates on the underside of their rear wings. Max Verstappen had the number plate from the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger while Pierre Gasly’s car featured the Aston Martin V8 plate from The Living Daylights.[87] Both drivers wore special racing overalls with a print of the classic single-breasted dinner suit

قضية جريمة أو جاي سيمبسون

قضية جريمة أو جاي سيمبسون، واسمها رسميا شعب ولاية كاليفورنيا ضد أورينتال جيمس سيمبسون (بالإنجليزية: People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson)، (أو الشعب ضد أو جاي سيمبسون) هي محاكمة جنائية عقدت في المحكمة العليا في مقاطعة لوس أنجليس، حيث اتهم اللاعب السابق في دوري كرة القدم الوطني (NFL) والممثل أو جاي سيمبسون بجريمتي قتل وذلك عن قتل زوجته السابقة نيكول براون سيمبسون وصديقها نادل المطعم رون غولدمان في 12 يونيو 1994. امتدت المحاكمة على مدى أحد عشر شهرا، من أداء هيئة المحلفين اليمين الدستورية في 9 نوفمبر 1994. تم الإدلاء ببيانات القضية الأولية في 24 يناير 1995،  وتم الإعلان عن الحكم في 3 أكتوبر 1995، عندما أعلن أن سيمبسون غير مذنب بارتكاب أي من الجريمتين. وصفت صحيفة يو إس إيه توداي القضية بأنها أكثر محاكمة جنائية حظيت بغطاء إعلامي في التاريخ.

مثل سيمبسون فريق دفاع رفيع المستوى (أشير إليه أيضا باسم "فريق الأحلام")، الذي كان يقوده في البداية روبرت شابيرو ثم تولى قيادته جون كوكران. كما ضم الفريق ف. لي بيلي وآلان ديرشويتز وروبرت كارداشيان وشون هولي وكارل أي دوغلاس وجيرالد أولمن. وضم الفريق باري شيك وبيتر نيوفيلد وهما محاميان إضافيان متخصصان في أدلة الحمض النووي.

رأى نائبا المدعي العام مارشيا كلارك وكريستوفر داردن أن لديهما قضية مضمونة ضد سيمبسون، ولكن كوكران تمكن من إقناع المحلفين بأن هناك شكوكا معقولة حول أدلة الحمض النووي (وهي تقنية كانت جديدة نسبيا بين أدلة المحاكمات في ذلك الوقت)،  مثل زعمه أن علماء وفنيي المختبرات لم يحسنوا التعامل مع أدلة عينات الدم، وكذلك بالظروف المحيطة بالأدلة الأخرى. كما ادعى كوكران وفريق الدفاع بوجود مزاعم أخرى بسوء السلوك من قبل إدارة شرطة لوس أنجلوس (LAPD) تتعلق بالعنصرية داخل النظام. أطلق على هذه القضية لقب "محاكمة القرن" لما حظيت به من اهتمام وطني وذلك بسبب شهرة سمبسون والمسائل العرقية والمحاكمة المتلفزة المطولة. بحلول نهاية المحاكمة، أظهرت الدراسات الاستقصائية الوطنية اختلافات كبيرة بين الأمريكيين السود والبيض بشأن براءة سمبسون.

رفعت أسر براون وغولدمان لاحقا دعوى مدنية ضد سيمبسون. في 4 فبراير 1997، وجدت هيئة المحلفين أن سيمبسون مسؤول عن كلتا الوفاتين. وقد منحت الأسرتان تعويضات بلغت 33.5 مليون دولار، ولكنها لم تحصل إلا على جزء صغير من ذلك.

الخلفية
زواج سمبسون و بروان
تم عقد قران نيكول بروان و أو جيه سمبسون في الثاني من أكتوبر من عام 1985، وذلك عقب إعتزاله كرة القدم للمحترفين بخمس سنوات. رُزقا بطفلين، سيدني بروك سمبسون ( ولدت عام 1985) و جاستن رايان سمبسون ( ولد عام 1988). استمر هذا الزواج لمدة سبع سنوات، والتي كان سمبسون فيها عرضة للتحقيق بسبب شكاوى عنف منزلي رُفعت ضده مرات عديدة وقام بإنكار هذه التهم. رفعت نيكول دعوى طلاق في الخامس والعشرين من فبراير 1992، بحجة "إنعدام التوافق" بينها وبين سمبسون. استمرت الإعتداءت؛ حيث قامت نيكول بإلاتصال بـ9-1-1 في الخامس والعشرون من أكتوبر،1993 وقالت وهي تبكي " [سمبسون] سوف يقوم بضربي بشكل مبرح"

OJ Simpson

Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "The Juice", is an American former football running back, broadcaster, actor, advertising spokesman, and convicted felon. Once a popular figure with the U.S. public, he is most well known today for his criminal trial and acquittal for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, although Simpson was later found responsible in a civil trial for their deaths.

Simpson attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he played football for the USC Trojans and won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He played professionally as a running back in the NFL for 11 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1979. In 1973, he became the first NFL player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season. He holds the record for the single season yards-per-game average, which stands at 143.1. He was the only player to ever rush for over 2,000 yards in the 14-game regular season NFL format.

Simpson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. After retiring from football, he began new careers in acting and football broadcasting.

In 1994, Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. He was acquitted by a jury after a lengthy and internationally publicized trial. The families of the victims subsequently filed a civil suit against him, and in 1997 a civil court awarded a $33.5 million judgment against him for the victims' wrongful deaths. In 2000, he moved to Florida to avoid paying any more of the liability judgment, settling in Miami.

In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada, and charged with the felonies of armed robbery and kidnapping.[1] In 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to 33 years' imprisonment, with a minimum of nine years without parole.[2] He served his sentence at the Lovelock Correctional Center near Lovelock, Nevada.[3] Simpson was granted parole on July 20, 2017. He was eligible for release from prison on October 1, 2017, and was released on that date
Early life
Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Simpson is a son of Eunice (née Durden), a hospital administrator, and Jimmy Lee Simpson, a chef and bank custodian.[6] His father was a well-known drag queen in the San Francisco Bay Area. Later in life, Jimmy Simpson announced that he was gay and died of AIDS in 1986.[7][8]

Simpson's maternal grandparents were from Louisiana, and his aunt gave him the name Orenthal, which she said was the name of a French actor she liked.[9] Simpson has one brother, Melvin Leon "Truman" Simpson, one living sister, Shirley Simpson-Baker, and one deceased sister, Carmelita Simpson-Durio. As a child, Simpson developed rickets and wore braces on his legs until the age of five,[10] giving him his bowlegged stance.[11] His parents separated in 1952, and Simpson was raised by his mother.[12]

Simpson grew up in San Francisco and lived with his family in the housing projects of the Potrero Hill neighborhood.[13] In his early teenage years, he joined a street gang called the Persian Warriors and was briefly incarcerated at the San Francisco Youth Guidance Center.[10] Future wife Marquerite, his childhood sweetheart, described Simpson as "really an awful person then";[14] after his third arrest, a meeting with Willie Mays during which the baseball star encouraged Simpson to avoid trouble helped persuade him to reform.[11] At Galileo High School (currently Galileo Academy of Science and Technology) in San Francisco, Simpson played for the school football team, the Galileo Lions.

College football and athletics career
Although Simpson was an All-City football player at Galileo, his mediocre high-school grades prevented him from attracting the interest of many college recruiters. After a childhood friend's injury in the Vietnam War influenced Simpson to stay out of the military, he enrolled at City College of San Francisco in 1965.[11] He played football both ways as a running back and defensive back and was named to the Junior College All-American team as a running back.[15] City College won the Prune Bowl against Long Beach State, and many colleges sought Simpson as a transfer student for football.[11]

Simpson chose to attend the University of Southern California (USC), which he had admired as a young football fan,[11] over the University of Utah and played running back for head coach John McKay in 1967 and 1968.[16] Simpson led the nation in rushing both years under McKay: in 1967 with 1,543 yards and 13 touchdowns, and in 1968 with 1,880 yards on 383 carries.[17]

As a junior in 1967, Simpson was a close runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting to quarterback Gary Beban of UCLA. In that year's Victory Bell rivalry game between the teams, USC was down by six points in the fourth quarter with under eleven minutes remaining. On their own 36, USC backup quarterback Toby Page called an audible on third and seven. Simpson's 64-yard touchdown run tied the score, and the extra point provided a 21–20 lead, which was the final score.[18] This was the biggest play in what is regarded as one of the greatest football games of the 20th century.[19]

Another dramatic touchdown in the same game is the subject of the Arnold Friberg oil painting, O.J. Simpson Breaks for Daylight. Simpson also won the Walter Camp Award in 1967 and was a two-time consensus All-American.[20]

Simpson was an aspiring track athlete; in 1967 he lost a 100 m race at Stanford against the then-British record holder Menzies Campbell.[21] Prior to playing football at Southern Cal, he ran in the USC sprint relay quartet that broke the world record in the 4 × 110-yard relay at the NCAA track championships in Provo, Utah on June 17, 1967.[22]

As a senior in 1968, Simpson rushed for 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns in the regular season, earning the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award. He still holds the record for the Heisman's largest margin of victory, defeating runner-up Leroy Keyes by 1,750 points. In the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, #2 USC faced top-ranked Ohio State; Simpson ran for 171 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run in a 27–16 loss
Buffalo Bills

Simpson breaking the NFL's single-season rushing record in 1973
The first selection 1969 AFL-NFL Common Draft was held by the AFL's Buffalo Bills, after finishing 1–12–1 in 1968. They took Simpson, but he demanded what was then the largest contract in professional sports history: $650,000 over five years. This led to a standoff with Bills' owner Ralph Wilson, as Simpson threatened to become an actor and skip professional football. Eventually, Wilson agreed to pay Simpson.[25][26]

Simpson entered professional football with high expectations,[25][26] but struggled in his first three years, averaging only 622 yards per season.[27] Bills coach John Rauch, not wanting to build an offense around one running back, assigned Simpson to do blocking and receiving duties at the expense of running the ball. In 1971, Rauch resigned as head coach and the Bills brought in Harvey Johnson.[25][28][29] Despite Johnson devising a new offense for Simpson, Simpson was still ineffective that year. After the 1971 season, the Bills fired Johnson and brought in Lou Saban as head coach.[25] Unlike Rauch, Saban made Simpson the centerpiece of the Bills offense.[30]

In 1972, Simpson rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, gaining a league-leading total of 1,251 yards. In 1973, Simpson became the first player to break the highly coveted 2,000 yard rushing mark, with 2,003 total rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.[27][31] Simpson broke the mark during the last game of the season against the New York Jets with a 7-yard rush. That same game also saw Simpson break Jim Brown's single-season rushing record of 1,863 yards.[32] For his performance, Simpson won that year's NFL MVP Award and Bert Bell Award.[33][34] While other players have broken the 2,000-yard mark since Simpson, his record was established in a time when the NFL only had 14 games per season, as opposed to the 16-game seasons that began in 1978.[35]

Simpson gained more than 1,000 rushing yards for each of his next three seasons. He did not lead the league in rushing in 1974, but did cross the 1,000-yard barrier despite a knee injury.[36] In game 11 of 1974, he passed Ken Willard as the rushing leader among active players, a position he maintained until his retirement over five seasons later. Simpson also made his first and only playoff appearance during the 1974 season. In a divisional game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Simpson rushed for 49 yards on 15 attempts and caught a touchdown pass, but the Bills lost the game 32–14.[37]

Simpson won the rushing title again in 1975, rushing for 1,817 yards and 16 touchdowns. Simpson also had a career-high 426 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns that season.[27] Simpson once again led the league in rushing in 1976, rushing for 1,503 yards and 8 touchdowns.[27] Simpson had the best game of his career during that season's Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions on November 25. In that game, Simpson rushed for a then-record 273 yards on 29 attempts and scored two touchdowns. Despite Simpson's performance, the Bills would lose the game 27–14.[38]

Simpson played in only seven games in 1977, as his season was cut short by injury.[9]

San Francisco 49ers
Before the 1978 season, the Bills traded Simpson to his hometown San Francisco 49ers for a series of draft picks.[39] Simpson played in San Francisco for two seasons, rushing for 1,053 yards and four touchdowns.[27] His final NFL game was on December 16, 1979, a 31–21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium.[40] His final play was a 10-yard run on 3rd and 10 for a first down.[41]

Career summary
Simpson gained 11,236 rushing yards, placing him 2nd on the NFL's all-time rushing list when he retired; he now stands at 21st. He was named NFL Player of the Year in 1973, and played in six Pro Bowls. He was the only player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a 14-game season and he's the only player to rush for over 200 yards in six different games in his career. From 1972 to 1976, Simpson averaged 1,540 rushing yards per (14 game) season, 5.1 yards per carry, and he won the NFL rushing title four times.[27] Simpson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility.[42]

Simpson played in only one playoff game during his 11-season Hall of Fame career: a 1974 Divisional Playoff between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Simpson was held to 49 rushing yards, 3 receptions for 37 yards, and one touchdown, and the Bills lost 14-32 to the team which went on to win Super Bowl IX.[citation needed]

Simpson acquired the nickname "Juice" as a play on "O.J.", a common abbreviation for "orange juice". "Juice" is also a colloquial synonym for electricity or electrical power, and hence a metaphor for any powerful entity; the Bills' offensive line at Simpson's peak was nicknamed "The Electric Company".[43]

NFL records
Fastest player to gain 1,000 rushing yards in season: 1,025 in 7 games in 1973 and 1,005 in 7 games in 1975 (tied with Terrell Davis).[44]
Fastest player to gain 2,000 rushing yards in season: 2,003 in 14 games in 1973.
Most rushing yards per game in a season: 143.1 per game in 1973.
Acting career
Even before his retirement from the NFL, Simpson embarked on a film career with parts in films such as the television mini-series Roots (1977), and the dramatic motion pictures The Klansman (1974), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Cassandra Crossing (1976) and Capricorn One (1978). In 1979, he started his own film production company, Orenthal Productions, which dealt mostly in made-for-TV fare such as the family-oriented Goldie and the Boxer films with Melissa Michaelsen (1979 and 1981), and Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983), the pilot for a proposed detective series on NBC.[citation needed] He also starred in the comedic Back to the Beach (1987) and The Naked Gun trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994).

Besides his acting career, Simpson worked as a commentator for Monday Night Football and The NFL on NBC.[45] He also appeared in the audience of Saturday Night Live during its second season and hosted an episode during its third season.[46]

Frogmen
Simpson starred in the un-televised two-hour-long film pilot for Frogmen, an A-Team-like adventure series that Warner Bros. Television completed in 1994, a few months before the murders. NBC had not yet decided whether to order the series when Simpson's arrest cancelled the project. While searching his home, the police obtained a videotaped copy of the pilot as well as the script and dailies. Although the prosecution investigated reports that Simpson, who played the leader of a group of former United States Navy SEALs, received "a fair amount of" military training—including use of a knife—for Frogmen, and there is a scene in which he holds a knife to the throat of a woman, this material was not introduced as evidence during the trial.[47]

NBC executive Warren Littlefield said in July 1994 that the network would probably never air the pilot if Simpson were convicted; if he were acquitted, however, one television journalist speculated that "Frogmen would probably be on the air before the NBC peacock could unfurl its plume".[48] Most pilots that are two hours long are aired as TV movies whether or not they are ordered as series. Because—as the Los Angeles Times later reported—"the appetite for all things O.J. appeared insatiable" during the trial, Warner Bros. and NBC estimated that a gigantic, Super Bowl-like television audience would have watched the Frogmen film. Co-star Evan Handler said that the studio's decision not to air it or release it on home video, and forego an estimated $14 million in profits, was "just about the only proof you have that there is some dignity in the advertising and television business".[47]

Juiced
In 2006, Simpson starred in his own improv, hidden-camera prank TV show, Juiced. Typical of the genre, Simpson would play a prank on everyday people while secretly filming them and at the end of each prank, he would shout, "You've been Juiced!" Less typical, each episode opened with topless strippers dancing around Simpson, who is dressed as a pimp. He sings his own rap song, which includes the lyrics "Don't you know there's no stopping the Juice / When I'm on the floor I'm like a lion on the loose / Better shoot me with a tranquilizer dart / Don't be stupid, I'm not a Simpson named Bart." In one episode, Simpson is at a used car lot in Las Vegas where he attempts to sell his white Bronco. A bullet hole in the front of the SUV is circled with his autograph, and he pitches it to a prospective buyer by saying that if they "ever get into some trouble and have to get away, it has escapability."[49] In another sketch called "B-I-N-G-O.J.", Simpson pretends to be having an affair with another man's girlfriend. Later he transforms into an old white man whose dying wish is to call a game of bingo. Juiced aired as a one-time special on pay-per-view television and was later released on DVD.

Bob Willis

Robert George Dylan Willis MBE (born Robert George Willis; 30 May 1949 – 4 December 2019)[1][2] was an English cricketer, who played for Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal and England. A right-handed and aggressive fast bowler with a notably long run-up, Willis spearheaded several England bowling attacks between 1971 and 1984, across 90 Test matches in which he took 325 wickets at 25.20 runs per wicket, at the time second only to Dennis Lillee.[3] He is England's fourth leading wicket taker as of 2019, behind Jimmy Anderson, Ian Botham and Stuart Broad.[4] Willis took 899 first-class wickets overall, although from 1975 onwards he bowled with constant pain, having had surgery on both knees. He nevertheless continued to find success, taking a Test career-best eight wickets for 43 runs in the 1981 Ashes series against Australia, one of the all-time best Test bowling performances.[5] He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1978.[6]

In addition to the Test arena, Willis played 64 One Day International matches for his country, taking 80 wickets, and was a prolific List-A (one-day) cricketer with 421 wickets overall at 20.18. As a tail-ender, Willis made little impression with the bat, with a top Test score of 28 not-out (*); however, he managed two half-centuries at first-class level, and for a time held a record number of Test not-outs.[7] Willis captained the England team in 18 Tests and 28 ODI matches between June 1982 and March 1984. Under Willis's captaincy England won seven, lost five and drew six Tests, and won 16 of the ODIs. Botham recalled Willis as "a tremendous trier.. a great team-man and an inspiration",[8] as well as the "only world-class fast bowler in my time as an England player".[9] The editor of Wisden wrote of him in similar terms: "His indomitable service to England is handsomely reflected in his great collection of Test wickets. Although often beset with aches and pains, he never spared himself when bowling for his country."[10]

Retiring in 1984 during a Test series against the West Indies, Willis found later work as a commentator with Sky Sports. He formed a noted commentary partnership with Botham; however, Willis' relatively low-key style, in contrast to Botham's ebullience, meant that from 2006 onwards Willis tended to be used as a second-string commentator.[11][12] He remained an often-heard broadcaster, a published writer and an occasional critic of the modern game.[13][14] On the occasion of England's 1000th Test in August 2018, he was named in the country's greatest Test XI by the ECB.[15]
Early life
Willis was born in Sunderland, County Durham,[11] and grew up in the Surrey village of Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, having moved there at the age of six.[6] His father was an employee of the BBC; Willis had an elder brother named David, with whom he played cricket in the garden, and an elder sister.[6] In 1965, Willis added his third name "Dylan" by deed poll in honour of American musician Bob Dylan, of whom he was a fan.[16][17] Willis was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford,[11] playing his early cricket for Stoke d'Abernon Cricket Club, where he later became Vice President and a Life Member,[18] and two seasons for the Cobham Avorians.[19] He was also an avid schoolboy footballer,[16] but was not a natural athlete and loathed rugby, which was the school's dominant sport. Willis recalled in 2009 that during his school years "in the winter when the muscled brethren were playing, I used to play football with the school old boys. This taught me how to drink cider and vomit it up on Surbiton station, and other life-altering lessons."[20] His bowling potential was rewarded with selection for Surrey Schools and Surrey Colts, under the directorship of Watcyn Evans, who would become a close friend.[6]

Playing career
County debut
In 1968, Willis accepted an invitation to join Middlesex and Surrey Young Cricketers on tour in Pakistan, and used this opportunity to further hone his skills.[6] Upon his return he made early appearances for Surrey's Second XI, his first being on 26 August against Worcestershire's Seconds. Willis, 19 years of age, took one wicket for 48 runs in the first innings, and bowled four wicketless overs in the second. He was not called on to bat at all.[21] Two days later, he faced Glamorgan and took three wickets.[22] He played several further Second XI matches during May and June 1969,[23] before his first-class debut on 6 August.[24] Scotland was touring England that season and had already beaten Warwickshire. Willis took three wickets for 13 runs from 13 overs in his first innings, and two for 37 in his second, to help Surrey to victory by an innings and 97 runs.[25] Willis went on to take 22 first-class wickets that season at 17.22 from six matches,[26] placing him 15th in the national averages for that season's County Championship.[27] Surrey came third in the competition that year.[28] Willis also played two List-A games, but took only one wicket at 52.00.
Willis had thus earned a second season at Surrey, and in 1970 played 14 Championship matches, taking 40 first-class wickets at 28.37,[26] and 31 one day wickets at 14.65.[29] Surrey came fifth in the Championship that year.[30] He achieved a noteworthy performance in the Gillette Cup quarter-final against Middlesex. In a high-scoring match, Surrey made 280 for the loss of five wickets. Middlesex appeared to be coasting to victory when they reached 240–3, but Willis turned the game, and they collapsed and finished on 272–9. Willis took 6–49 in his 12 overs and won the Man of the Match award.[31] Despite this, Surrey's preference for Geoff Arnold and Robin Jackman kept Willis out of the side on occasions. He prepared to spend the winter employed at the Crystal Palace Recreation Centre while playing as a goalkeeper for local football club Cobham.[32] However, Ray Illingworth and Colin Cowdrey, captain and vice captain of England's Test side, contacted him via telephone to ask him to travel to Australia and join the current England tour there. Willis, who knew that Illingworth and Cowdrey had little knowledge of his bowling, later credited his call-up to the influence of senior member of the touring party John Edrich, Willis' long-term friend, mentor and Surrey teammate.[6]

International beginnings
Willis joined England's 1970–71 tour of Australia as a replacement for the injured Alan Ward, and played several warm-up matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in December. Wisden records that his "infectious enthusiasm and team spirit played no small part in Australia's downfall" as England won the Ashes in the subsequent Test series. Willis' first Test, on 9 January 1971 – the fourth Test of the series, played when the series stood level after two draws and an abandonment – saw him score 15 not out as England batted first and reached 332. In the Australian first innings he bowled an economical nine overs for 26 runs, while Derek Underwood took four wickets to reduce Australia to 236. Subsequently, an unbeaten 142 from Geoffrey Boycott set Australia 416 to win. With John Snow routing Australia with 7/40, Willis was only given three overs to bowl on a pitch "without pace",[33] but he managed to take his first Test wicket – Ashley Mallett, caught by Alan Knott for six.[34]

Willis remained in the team for the fifth Test at Melbourne, and rewarded the selectors with 3/73 in the first innings and 1/42 in the second as the match was drawn.[35] Of the final two matches, Willis took three wickets in the drawn Adelaide Test,[36] and four more in the final match of the series, a victory at Sydney Cricket Ground which gave England a 2–0 series victory.[37] Willis finished his first Test series with 12 wickets at 27.41, and had also taken several "crucial catches".[6] He was retained for the second match of the two-Test series against New Zealand in Auckland in March, in which he took two wickets.[38]

Surrey to Warwickshire
Willis returned in early 1971 to help Surrey win the County Championship title that year. However, friction was developing between him and the club. During the season Willis took 31 Championship wickets at 28.83,[39] but found himself unable to accept the contract offered to him by the club. Though the county was reluctant to lose him, Willis sought another club. He took two wickets in his final match for Surrey against Hampshire on 11 September 1971.[40] After turning down Leicestershire and Lancashire he signed for Warwickshire, for whom he had immediate success, with 25 wickets at 29.28, including one five-wicket haul (taking five wickets in one innings).[41] Willis, who under rules then applying was banned from playing for his new county before July, helped Warwickshire win the 1972 Championship, thus achieving the unusual feat of winning the Championship in consecutive years with two different counties.[6] In his final match of the season, he took 8/44 to demolish Derbyshire.[42] His new team won nine of their 20 matches, drew 11 and lost none.[43] He was not selected for the 1972 Ashes series in England, and travelled to South Africa as part of Derrick Robins' invitation XI in January.[24] On the tour Willis took 13 wickets from the six matches.[26]

Willis spent part of the 1973 season injured with one of what would become several recurring complaints.[6] He nevertheless managed 43 wickets in the Championship at 18.95,[44] though his injury barred him from all but one Test against the West Indies cricket team. The West Indies amassed 652–8 declared. Willis took four wickets for 118 runs – career-best Test figures thus far – and was the last batsman standing as Vanburn Holder and Keith Boyce routed England for 233 and 193.[45] He then made his ODI debut with two games against the touring side in September, taking 2/29 and scoring five not out as England took a one-wicket victory in the West Indies' first ever ODI match.[46] He went wicketless and conceded 5.5 runs per over in the second, which the West Indies won by eight wickets.[47]

West Indies, Indian subcontinent and Australia
Willis then travelled to the Caribbean as part of England's winter tour, in what Wisden described as an "automatic selection"; however, he was to struggle against the top Test side.[6] In the first Test, on 2 February 1974, he took only one wicket,[48] followed by three in the second,[49] and one for a hundred runs in the final match.[50] He was to struggle against the West Indies throughout his career. His bowling average against them ended at 36.34, whereas against no other team was it above 26.14.[51]

Willis then returned to England, to face India and Pakistan, playing in one Test against each. Against India he took 4/64 – a career best against that team – and made a Test best 24 with the bat.[52] Pakistan toured in early August, and Willis featured in one Test. He took one wicket for 133 runs. He also played one ODI where he took one wicket caught and bowled as Pakistan achieved a seven wicket victory.[53][54] At this point, Willis was suffering from a recurring back injury. He played 13 Championship games for Warwickshire during the 1974 season, taking 44 wickets at 21.56 including one five-wicket haul.[55] In November, Willis touring Australia during the 1974/75 Ashes series, playing in five Test matches. He took 17 Test wickets at 30.70, including a best of 5/42,[56] out of 26 first-class wickets at 31.19 overall.[26] He was, however, playing with growing injury concerns which required several painkilling injections.[6]

Injury and operation
Willis returned to England in January 1975 with a recurring knee injury which had caused him to collapse at a county game early that season, and underwent several operations to correct it. He had surgery on both knees, and suffered a post-operative blood clot. He was forced to use crutches for most of the season, and reflected in 1978 that it was "similar to a 50,000-mile service".[6] His recovery was particularly tortuous, requiring daily runs around the cricket field and an intensive gym program under the supervision of Dr. Arthur Jackson, an advocate of slow running therapy to build stamina.[6] He played no part in the international arena in 1975, and managed only four first-class appearances, though these returned a healthy 18 wickets at 18.77.[26] He was not to return to the Test game until 1976, where he faced the West Indies in two matches in July and August.

That year, he had made a comfortable return to the county game from injury – taking 16 Championship wickets at 26.12.[57] He had also scored a career best 43 with the bat.[58] After coming fit from injury, Willis was brought into the squad for the fourth Test against the West Indies on 22 July as part of wholesale bowling changes that saw Brian Close, Edrich, Mike Hendrick, Mike Selvey and Pat Pocock replaced with John Snow, Ward, Bob Woolmer, David Steele and Willis. He took three wickets for 71 runs and then a five-wicket haul in the second innings. This both gave him career best figures and took him past 50 Test wickets.[59] His last four wickets fell in 24 balls at the cost of three runs, described by Wisden as a "fine piece of fast bowling".[60] Tony Greig's England, however, struggled to make any impression on the West Indies through the series, Viv Richards dominating with 829 runs across the series.[61] Willis could only take one further wicket in the fifth and final Test, which the tourists won easily.[62] By this time Willis, whose injury troubles were continuing, turned down a coaching opportunity in South Africa in order to not risk his fitness, and went on the dole.[6]

Revival in India and the 1977 Ashes
Over the winter of 1976/77, England toured India in a five Test series through December to February, and it proved to be a revival for Willis. Wisden recorded the India tour to be the time when he "put to flight any who doubted his right to be acclaimed as one of the world's foremost fast bowlers".[6] Willis took 32 wickets for 15.09 across the entire tour,[63] 20 of those in the Test matches for 16.75.[64] He took five for 27 in the second Test,[65] and then six for 53 in the fourth – earning him career best Test figures thus far, and taking him past 400 first-class wickets.[66] Four of his wickets came in four overs with the second new ball, "although he received no help from the pitch".[67] Wisden record that "His 20 wickets in the series stamped Willis as a bowler of genuine pace and in-disputable class."[68]

The 1977 Ashes took place across five Tests between June and August that year, in all of which Willis featured. Preceding them were three ODI fixtures, across which Willis took a total of five wickets at 15.80.[69] The first Test took place on 16 June, at Lord's. Australia, batting second and looking to take a lead over England's 216 all out, were dismantled by Willis who returned a career-best 7/78. After a century from Woolmer, Australia fell to 114/6 with two more wickets to Willis before the match ended as a draw.[70] Willis' "hostile speed" gained praise in giving "Australia a real fright".[71] Wills took four more wickets in the second Test to aid Underwood in restricting Australia's totals and giving England a nine wicket victory,[72] and was "fast and accurate" in the third Test for his five-wicket haul, the match in which Botham made his debut.[73] Willis went wicketless in England's innings victory in the fourth Test,[74] however he took another five-for in the final match, including both Australian openers.[75] His 27 wickets across the series was a record for an England fast bowler facing Australia in England,[76] and his final wicket of the series was his 100th.[6] Around these Test matches, Willis also made 10 County Championship appearances, netting 29 wickets at 19.41.[77] This included a haul of 8/32 against Gloucestershire on 20 August,[78] which would remain his best first-class figures for his career.[11]

The year ended with Willis on winter tour to Pakistan and New Zealand. Willis dismissed seven Pakistani batsmen for 27.14 runs each,[79] though did not appear in any of the ODI matches. In New Zealand he took a further 14 wickets at 18.21,[80] including 5/32 in the first Test.[81]

Wisden Cricketer of the Year – 1978
Willis made 10 Championship appearances in the 1978 season, taking 37 wickets at 18.27.[82] He was also third in the national averages for the Benson and Hedges Cup that year, with 16 wickets at 6.75, including four wickets for four runs in one innings.[83] That year also saw Pakistan and New Zealand return to tour England between June and August. Though Botham took Man of the Series for his 13 wickets, Willis also netted 13 Pakistani batsmen for 17.92, including a five-wicket haul in the second Test.[84] He also earned a Man of the Match award for his 4/15 in the first ODI.[85] Against New Zealand, Willis took 12 Test wickets at 19.08,[86] and passed 150 career Test wickets with his 4/16 in the third Test.[87]

Wisden noted Willis' achievements against Australia in 1977, stating that "the new-ball fire power of Bob Willis, which yielded 27 wickets, was of special significance in England's high summer of success. No England bowler of authentic speed can boast a comparable record in a home series against Australia".[6] In continued: "It was singularly appropriate that team and personal triumph should go hand in hand, for few players have given such loyal and unstinted service to England as the wholehearted Willis... Happily determination is one virtue Willis does not lack, and his re-emergence as a top ranking fast bowler was well and truly deserved." Across all first-class matches that year, Willis had taken 65 wickets at 18.41, the most of any season of his career.[26] His 35 List-A wickets was also the second highest he would achieve for a season behind the 45 of 1983.[29] Wisden also praised him for refusing to partake in Kerry Packer's World Series cricket, and proclaimed him a Wisden Cricketer of the Year along with Botham, Hendrick, Alan Jones and Ken McEwan.[88]

1978–79 Ashes
In the winter of 1978/79, Willis travelled to Australia for that season's Ashes series, which England won 5–1 against an Australian team depleted by the rebel Packer tour.[89] The tour commenced with four first-class fixtures against South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.[90] Willis then bowled 1,123 deliveries during the Test series, taking 20 wickets at 23.05.[91] In the first Test on 1 December 1978, he took 4/44 and 3/69 in a seven-wicket England win.[92] He then took 5/44 in the second match on 15 December, as England secured a 2:0 lead with a 166 run victory,[93] and following an abandoned ODI match on Boxing Day[90] failed to take a wicket as Australia won the third Test to bring the series to 2:1.[94]

The fourth Test followed on 6 January, and England took a 93-run victory with two wickets to Willis,[95] before a repeat of the first ODI was attempted and again abandoned after 7.2 overs.[96] England then played three first-class matches before a second ODI on 24 January.[90] Australia, batting first, were routed for 101 all out by Hendrick and Botham, Willis bowling a wicketless but economic spell of eight overs for 15 runs and four maidens. England reached the target with seven wickets to spare.[97] In the fifth Test that followed, Willis picked up 3/41 in Australia's second innings, however with the bat he made 24 from 20 balls, with three fours and a six. With this cameo knock, he both surpassed his previous best Test score, and passed 1,500 first-class runs.[98]

In the sixth and final Test, England took a nine wicket victory to seal the series convincingly 5−1. Willis took 1/48 and managed to hit 10 runs with the bat.[99] Willis "struck early and decisive blows" through the series, although struggled for rhythm between the second and fifth Tests, whereupon he "suddenly regained his fire and rhythm".[100][101] In all first-class fixtures of the tour, Willis had taken 34 wickets at 20.47, though this was the third highest average of the England bowlers.[102] His tail-end batting had netted him 115 runs at 12.77.[103]

1979 World Cup
In 1979, England hosted the Cricket World Cup. The host nation played a 13-man squad: captain Mike Brearley, Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Phil Edmonds, Graham Gooch, David Gower, Hendrick, Wayne Larkins, Geoff Miller, Chris Old, Derek Randall, Bob Taylor (wk) and Willis. England, who had no warm-up games, played their first match against Australia on 9 June at Lord's, whom they "breezed" past.[104] Willis took one wicket for 20 runs from his 11 overs, surpassed by Boycott – who would be an unlikely bowling hero during the tournament[104] – who took 2/15. Reduced to chasing 159, England proceeded slowly, with Brearley's 44 coming from 147 balls, and they reached the target at 47.1 overs.[105] Their next game, against Canada, saw the visiting team routed for 45 with Willis taking 4/11 and Man of the Match Old taking 4/8. Boycott and Gooch finished the game within 13.5 overs.[106] England's final Group A match on 16 June saw them defeat Pakistan by 14 runs. Willis hit three fours in his 24 from 37 balls to help England to 165/9, and his one wicket for 37 runs, along with Boycott's 2/14, helped England keep Pakistan from the target.[107]

England thus qualified for the semi-finals against New Zealand. Willis managed to chip one run from his two balls as England reached 221/8, and then took a single wicket to keep New Zealand to 212.[108] During the match, however, Willis fell to injury.[109] He had left the field before the end of the match with a recurrence of his knee injury and was ruled out of the final.[110] With Pakistan defeated in the other semi-final England were left to face the West Indies in the final at Lord's on 23 June. England, winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, conceded 286 runs from the 60-over innings thanks largely to Viv Richard's 138*, which Botham recalls as one of his "greatest innings".[111] Though both Brearley and Boycott reached half-centuries, the hosts were dismissed by Joel Garner's five-wicket haul, falling to 194 all out, and the West Indies secured the title.[112] Though he missed the final, Willis took seven wickets across the whole competition at 15.57 runs each – placing him fifth in bowling average across all the teams, and his economy rate of 2.44 runs an over was the fourth best.[113]

Willis followed his recuperation from injury by playing the first, third and fourth Test matches against India, taking 10 wickets at 29.80.[114] Between his international appearances, he struggled with nine Championship wickets at 42.00,[115] as Warwickshire came fifteenth in the country.[116]

1980, Australia and the West Indies
The winter of 1979/80 and the followed summer saw difficult tours for Willis: the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup and a Test tour in Australia followed by a home series against the West Indies. Willis partook in all seven of England's matches for the World Series Cup, however he struggled with six wickets at 41.00.[117] England did secure the highest number of points however they were beaten in both finals by the West Indies. In the midst of these matches, England and Australia played three Test matches in which Willis took only 3 wickets at 74.66, going wicketless in third Test.[118] In the county front, however, his position at Warwickshire was reaffirmed as he was appointed county captain.

Two ODI matches back in England commenced the West Indies tour, with Willis being included only in the team for the second match, here he took two wickets and two catches in a three-wicket England victory.[119] Wills then faced the West Indies Test team across four matches, the first on 5 June. He took four wickets for 82 runs in the first innings, and five in the second – passing 650 first-class wickets in the process though the Man of the Match award was given to Andy Roberts' 5/72 and 3/57, the West Indies winning by two wickets.[120] The second Test was a draw, though Willis collected three wickets.[121] He only managed 1/99 in the third match,[122] however, and equalled his Test best score of 24 with the bat in the fourth Test, passing 500 Test runs in the process. The West Indies secured a 1:0 series victory.[123] Willis had marked his improved form with 14 wickets at 29.07,[124] and had fared better in the County Championship that year, taking 27 wickets at 31.70.[125] He had also taken 23 one day wickets that season at 25.95.[29]

1981 Ashes
Australia arrived in England for the 51st Ashes series in 1981. Willis, who was selected to play in all six Test matches, came into the series on a run of good county form. He had played four county matches, commencing with 5/61 against Yorkshire on 6 May,[126] and 3/58 against Lancashire on 10 June.[127] The first Test took place at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on 18 June. England, batting first, were cut down for 185 all out thanks to four wickets for Terry Alderman and three a-piece for Dennis Lillee and Rodney Hogg. Only Mike Gatting passed fifty, and Willis was dismissed for a first-ball duck. Willis, however, combined with Dilley, Hendrick and Botham to reduce Australia to 179 all out, with three wickets for Willis. England could not take advantage, however, as Lillee and Alderman shared the host nation's ten wickets equally between them to leave Australia only 132 to win. Dilley took four wickets and Willis snatched Graeme Wood for eight to reach 200 Test wickets,[128] however the tourists won the match with four wickets to spare
Between the first and second Tests, Willis went back to Warwickshire to face Gloucestershire in a County Championship match, grabbing three wickets.[132] He returned to face Australia on 2 July for the second Test, and England batting first. Thanks to 82 from Peter Willey, and a second half-century from Gatting, together with five runs from Willis, England reached 311 – though Geoff Lawson took seven wickets. Australia surpassed this and were dismissed for 345, with three wickets for Willis and three for Dilley. The England bowlers suffered from no balls, Willis alone bowling 28.[133] England declared late in the game on 265/8, and Willis picked up another wicket as Australia reached 90/4 at the close of play.[134] Botham, who had captained the side until then, was sacked and replaced by Brearley. Willis, who was struggling for fitness and had a chest infection, was dropped from the side. He sat out a Warwickshire county match and after speaking to Alec Bedser was given back his place in the team on the condition that he played in a 40-over match, played a Second XI game, and bowled 12 overs in the nets. He succeeded in these tasks, and was tentatively let back into the squad over a spinner.[135]

The third Test – Willis' 60th – came on 16 July,[5] and England were able to level the series 1:1 thanks to Botham's Man of the Match performance (seven wickets, century and half century) and Willis's hostile bowling in the second innings. Willis bowled 30 wicketless overs in Australia's first innings, and made one and two with the bat, before returning to bowl with Australia requiring 130 runs. At this point, England had been quoted at 500–1 to win the match.[131] Willis began an "inspired" bowling performance, having requested to bowl downhill from the Kirkstall Lane end once Australia were 56/1. Trevor Chappell, Kim Hughes and Graham Yallop were caught by close fielders, while Rod Marsh and John Dyson were caught at fine leg and behind the wicket respectively trying to play the hook shot. Dennis Lillee was caught from the only ball Willis pitched up. Then when Willis uprooted Ray Bright's middle stump Australia were bowled out for 111, losing by 18 runs.[131] Willis took 8/43, his career best Test figures. Two of his victims had been out for zero, and three others for single figure scores. John Dyson had top-scored with 34 before Willis removed him.[136] Willey recalled it as an "amazing spell"[137] while Wisden called it "the most staggering bowling of his life when his place again seemed threatened"
England then moved into the fourth Test 1:1 in the series. Again batting first, Alderman's five-for took England to 189 all out, with Willis making 13 runs. He then bowled a wicketless but "stormy" 19 overs "as if the devil were at his heels" and, after England had set Australia a final target of 151 runs, took two wickets which along with Botham's five-wicket haul dismissed the Australians for 121 and handed England a 29-run victory and a series lead.[139][140] Willis played for his county against Middlesex between the fourth and fifth Tests, taking one wicket.[141] He then rejoined his team for the fifth Test at Old Trafford. England reached 231 thanks to partly to a "priceless" 56-run late partnership between Paul Allott (52) and Willis (11) before Willis then led the bowling attack with four wickets to restrict Australia to 130 all out. Another century from Botham took England to 404, setting the tourists 506 runs to win. Yallop and Allan Border both scored centuries, however three wickets for Willis and two for Paul Allott, Botham and John Emburey dismissed them for 402, 103 runs short of victory.[142][143]

Willis continued to enjoy some form with the bat with 33* against Nottinghamshire in the interval between the fifth and final Tests, though he went wicketless.[144] On 27 August, Australia and England met for the sixth Test at the Oval. The tourists reached 352 thanks to a century from Border, while Willis took four wickets and Botham six. A century from Boycott then defied Lillee's seven wicket haul to take England to 314, and in reply Hendrick and Botham took four wickets each to set their team a target of 383 runs to win while Willis went without a wicket in the second innings. With half-centuries from Gatting and Brearley, England reached 261 before the match ended as a draw.[145] England were victorious in the series 3:1, and Botham's efforts led to it being unofficially referred to as 'Botham's Ashes'.[137]

Willis meanwhile, travelled to India with England in November 1981 for a six Test series against India and one against Sri Lanka. He took 12 wickets at 31.75 against India,[146] and three more Test and two wickets ODI against Sri Lanka.[147][148] Between these international fixtures, Willis had secured 13 County Championship wickets at 28.55,[149] though Warwickshire came bottom of the table.[150]

England captaincyWillis began the 1982 county season with five County Championship fixtures, featuring his first half-century with the bat, a career-best 72, while leading Warwickshire against the touring Indian side on 9 May. He also took two wickets.[151] He also reached his 750th first-class wickets with his 2/71 against Yorkshire on 19 May.[152] India were scheduled to play three Tests and two ODI matches that tour; however, before the matches began, the England selectors dropped Fletcher, the captain. Willis, though seen as an unlikely candidate and ambivalent towards the role, was awarded the captaincy.[7] On 2 June, the new captain faced India as part of the England ODI squad, taking two wickets and effecting a run-out with the help of Botham, who also took four wickets. England restricted India to 193 and achieved victory by nine wickets. The second ODI match followed two days later, and England also won – this time by 114 runs with Willis taking 1/10 from seven overs.[153]

With two victories under his belt, Willis led his team to the first Test on 10 June. Batting first, he hit a career-best 28 runs in a last-wicket partnership with Allott (41) worth 70 – an England record against India – which took the hosts to 433 all out.[154] Willis then set about taking apart the Indian batting line-up with 3/41 and 6/101 to leave England 65 runs to chase, which they reached for the loss of three wickets.[155] Wisden described Willis as "bowling near his fastest"[154] and he took his 250th Test wicket during the match.[156] Willis took two further wickets in the second Test; however, centuries from Botham and Sandeep Patil, who hit Willis for 24 runs in an over, ensured large innings scores that pushed the match to a draw.[157] Botham followed with his career-best 208 in the third match to take England to 594 all out, and Willis then took 3/78 to keep India to 410. He then declared England's second innings at 191 to leave India 376 to win, and collected the wicket of Ravi Shastri before India closed out the final day with 111/3.[158] Willis thus completed his first Test series in victorious fashion, with 15 Test wickets of his own at 22.00.[159] Willis was available for only three more first-class games that season, and finished it with a total of 24 wickets at 35.08.[160] He promptly travelled to Australia to lead England in the 1982-83 Ashes.[24]

Over the winter of 1982/83, England's winning Ashes team travelled to Australia under Willis' captaincy. Willis took two three-wicket hauls in two warm-up first-class matches; however, he was absent from two others and Botham took over the captaincy.[161] By now, continuing injury problems were beginning to plague the ageing bowler's body.[7] He took 3/95 in the first Test as Australia reached 424 in reply to England's first innings 411, of which Willis had made 26. Derek Randall's century in England's second innings took them to 358, and Australia reached 73 at the close of play on the final day for the loss of two wickets, both of which were taken by Willis, leaving the match drawn.[162] Willis picked up 5/66 in the second Test; however, Australia easily reached a low fourth innings target to go 1–0 up.[163] The third Test followed a similar pattern, with England replying with two low scores in the face of Australia's first innings 438, and Australia taking an eight-wicket win to take a 2–0 lead in the series, despite Willis' three wickets.[164] England achieved what was then the narrowest Ashes victory margin of three runs in the fourth Test at Melbourne, with Willis taking three wickets.[165] Willis commentated on the game that "You never give up and you never think it has gone."[166] The fifth match ended in a draw, so Australia won the series 2–1.[167] Across the entire tour, Willis took 28 first-class wickets.[168] In the following World Series Cup between England, Australia and New Zealand, England were knocked out despite 14 wickets for Willis at 21.14.[169]

Willis returned to Warwickshire for the 1983 season, struggling in the county season with 21 wickets at 36.76 in the County Championship,[170] though finding more success in the one day arena with a career-best 45 wickets at 16.24.[29] He also led England in a four Test series against New Zealand, finding greater success with 20 wickets at 13.65 including a five-wicket haul.[171] This, coming in the second Test, took Willis past 850 first-class wickets and 300 Test wickets.[172] England won the series convincingly 3:1,[173] and returned to New Zealand over the winter. In the drawn first Test, Willis overtook Fred Trueman's record England tally of 307 Test wickets when he dismissed Lance Cairns in the first innings.[174] England lost the second Test by an innings despite 4/51 from Willis.[175] With the third Test ending as a draw, England lost the series.[176] Willis, with increasing physical and mental weariness and now using hypnotherapy to reduce stress and focus his game,[7] took three wickets in the following ODI series, in which England beat New Zealand 2:1.[177]

England played a three-Test series against Pakistan in early 1984, however Willis was unable to contribute more than two wickets in the first match due to injury.[7][178] He made only five County Championship appearances, taking only nine wickets at 42.22.[179] Willis, with pressure mounting due to injury and poor performances by the England team, was sacked as captain before the upcoming Test series against the West Indies, and replaced by Gower.

As a captain, Willis subsequently received a mixed assessment.[7] Botham retained fond memories of Willis the player,[180] but remarked that Willis found it difficult to captain him because the men were of similar age.[181] Willis, often noted for his enthusiasm,[6] became an "effective motivator" as a captain; however, he was "no outstanding tactical genius" and "towards the end his feelings bordered on disgust at the conviction that some of England's cricketers accepted failure too readily. Nor was he able to close himself off against media comment."[7] He was also characterised as a loner in the game, and a reluctant captain grateful to be placed back within the ranks after repeated defeats while he was at the reins.[7] His 18 Tests as England captain saw 7 victories, 5 defeats, and 6 draws,[182] while he led England in 29 ODI matches, winning 16 and losing 13.[183]

Willis played in the next Test series against the West Indies, taking two wickets in the first two matches.[184][185] and before the last match played against Derbyshire for his county, taking three wickets.[186] Willis took to the field on 12 July for the third Test and took only two wickets for 123 runs as the West Indies, particularly Michael Holding, "hammered" his bowling – Holding hit 59 from 55 deliveries. Willis conceded 40 more runs from eight overs in the second innings, which Wisden referred to as "the death throes" of his career.[7][187] He announced his retirement from all cricket immediately after England's defeat.[7]

He finished his career with 325 Test wickets, at the time second only to Dennis Lillee,[188] and 899 wickets in all first-class matches.[189] Only James Anderson, Ian Botham, and Stuart Broad have since surpassed his number of Test wickets for England.[4][190] Willis also retains the world record for most Test wickets without a single 10-wicket haul in a match.[191]

Commentary
After retiring from playing cricket, Willis established himself as a television commentator on Sky. He began in 1985, and was initially in partnership with Botham in the commentary box, "his laconic style did not suit all" and he was dropped from the "front-line commentary duties".[11] Willis appeared on BBC TV Cricket between 1989 and 1990 as a summariser before joining Sky Sports in 1991. He also appeared on David Tomlinson's This is Your Life in 1991, A Question of Sport in 2004 and 20 to 1 in 2005.[192]

Willis worked for Sky Sports, largely commentating in the county game, where he has been vocal on the need for changes in English cricket, particularly through a group of former players known as the Cricket Reform Group.[14] He was critical of Mike Atherton during the England tour of Zimbabwe in 1997.[193] In 2006, he criticised the then England coach Duncan Fletcher's practices,[194] England's performance in the 2006-07 Ashes,[195] and was vocal in calling for the retirement of out-of-form national captain Michael Vaughan in 2008.[196]

Willis has attracted detractors due to his somewhat melancholic style. The Independent commentated on the 1995 Texaco Trophy that Willis had "trenchant content, dismal delivery. As a player Willis had trouble getting to sleep. As a commentator he struggles to stay awake. His voice remains on one note – the drone of your neighbour's mower."[197] Andrew Smith wrote in 1999 that "On Sky TV, Willis is often discourteous and unfair to players. Didn't he ever make a mistake?" though the Daily Mail, for whom Willis had begun writing, defended his commentary style.[198] CricInfo's launching of two polls on cricket commentary both returned negative views of Willis' "hyper-critical" commentary.[199][200][201] Willis received only 15% of the vote, above only Dermot Reeve and Allott.[202]

Personal life
Willis married his first wife, Juliet Smail in 1980. They had a daughter born in 1984.[203] He married his second wife, Lauren Clark, in 2005.[1] Although born in Sunderland, Willis lived in Manchester as a youngster, and was a keen supporter of Manchester City F.C., having first attended a match at Maine Road in 1954, as well as seeing the 1955 FA Cup Final against Newcastle United.[204][205][206]

Willis died on 4 December 2019 "after a long illness"

Aberdeen fc

Aberdeen Football Club (also known as The Dons) is a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. They compete in the Scottish Premiership and have never been relegated from the top division of the Scottish football league system since they were promoted in 1905, despite twice finishing within the relegation zone. Aberdeen have won four Scottish league titles, seven Scottish Cups and six Scottish League Cups. They are also the only Scottish team to have won two European trophies, having won the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup in 1983.

Formed in 1903 as a result of the amalgamation of three clubs from Aberdeen, they rarely challenged for honours until the post war decade, when they won each of the major Scottish trophies under manager Dave Halliday. This level of success was surpassed in the 1980s, when, under the management of Alex Ferguson, they won three league titles, four Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup, alongside the two European trophies. Aberdeen were the last club outside the Old Firm to win a league title, in 1984–85, and also the last Scottish team to win a European trophy. The team has enjoyed less success since this golden era, though a 19-year wait for a major trophy was ended by winning the 2013–14 Scottish League Cup, followed up by multiple second-place finishes behind Celtic in the league during the 2010s.

Aberdeen have played at Pittodrie Stadium since their inception. The ground currently has a capacity of 20,866[1] and was the first all-seated and all-covered stadium in the United Kingdom. Pittodrie was also the first football stadium to feature a dug-out, an invention of player and coach Donald Colman.

The club's colours have been primarily red and white since 1939; before this, they played in black and gold vertical stripes. In modern times, Aberdeen have almost exclusively played with all-red strips with white detailing.[2] Aberdeen attract support from the city and surrounding areas, as they have no geographically close rivals. Lacking a local competitor, Aberdeen have instead developed rivalries with more distant opponents such as Dundee United (collectively known as the "New Firm" in the 1980s) and Rangers.
The current Aberdeen F.C. was formed following the merger of three clubs based in the city—Aberdeen, Victoria United and Orion—in 1903.[3] The new club played its first match on 15 August 1903: a 1–1 draw with Stenhousemuir.[4] That first season produced a win in the Aberdeenshire Cup, but only a third-place finish in the Northern League. The club applied for membership of the Scottish League for the following season, and were elected to the Second Division.[4][5]

In 1904, the club were managed by Jimmy Philip. At the end of its first season, despite having finished seventh out of twelve teams, Aberdeen were elected to the new, expanded First Division.[5] They have remained in the top tier of Scottish football ever since.[6] From 1906, the club made steady progress, with a Scottish Cup semi-final appearance in 1908 and another in 1911.[4] In that season of 1910–11, Aberdeen recorded their first victories over the Old Firm of Celtic and Rangers, and led the league for a time, but finished the season in second place.[4]

Wartime affected the club as much as any other; despite spending cuts and other economies, by 1917 the situation became untenable. Aberdeen dropped out of competitive football, along with Dundee and Raith Rovers.[7] Senior football returned on 16 August 1919, and Aberdeen resumed with a fixture against Albion Rovers. Philip was still in charge, and continued to oversee a team capable of isolated good results, but never quite able to sustain a challenge long enough to win a trophy. In 1923, Aberdeen were drawn against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup, and posted their record score—a 13–0 victory.[8] Philip retired a year later, and was replaced as manager by Paddy Travers.[9] He presided over the team's first Scottish Cup final in 1937.[4]

Travers' "trainer"—first team coach in modern parlance—was former player Donald Colman.[10] Colman conceived the dug-out, a covered area set slightly below the level of the playing surface to better aid his observations.[11][12] Everton visited Pittodrie soon after its introduction, and exported the idea to the English leagues, from where it spread throughout the football-playing world.[13] Travers left to become manager of Clyde in 1939.

Halliday to McNeill (1939–1978)
Travers was replaced by former Yeovil Town manager Dave Halliday, one of more than a hundred applicants for the role, and the club moved from their black and gold strip to red and white.[14][15][16] Halliday had barely begun his work when World War II halted competitive football in the United Kingdom. For these six years, the club was temporarily taken over by then-directors Charles B Forbes and George Anderson while Halliday served in the war.[14][17]

Halliday's place in the Aberdeen Hall of Fame was secured after the war when he became the first manager to bring national trophies to Pittodrie. Aberdeen won the Southern League Cup in the 1945–46 season, defeating Rangers 3–2 at Hampden.[16] They then reached the 1947 Scottish Cup final, defeating Hibernian 2–1 with George Hamilton, signed from Halliday's former club Queen of the South, scoring to gain the club's first major trophy.[14][18] From this early success, Halliday's side reached two more Scottish Cup finals, in 1953 and 1954, though they lost both.[14] Halliday's team were not to be denied, however, and the following season, 1954–55, Aberdeen won their first Scottish League title.[14][18] Though league winners, the club did not participate in the first European Cup competition—Scotland's place was awarded to Hibernian, who took part by special invitation.[19]

Halliday and Hamilton left at the end of that championship-winning season, and Halliday was replaced by Davie Shaw.[14] Aberdeen won the League Cup under his guidance, beating St Mirren in 1955–56, and reached another Scottish Cup final in 1959.[18] However, Shaw stepped aside for another former favourite player, Tommy Pearson, in 1959. Pearson's time in charge coincided with a high turnover of players, and yielded no trophies.[20] He retired in 1965, making way for Eddie Turnbull.[9]

Turnbull led Aberdeen to the 1967 Scottish Cup final, where the side was ultimately defeated by Celtic.[18] Despite this loss, Aberdeen qualified for the European Cup Winner's Cup in the following season thanks to their appearance in this final, the first time the club had competed in European competition. Their first tie was a 14–1 aggregate victory over KR Reykjavik, although they lost the second round tie with Standard Liège 3–2 on aggregate. Two years later, Derek "Cup-tie" McKay recorded the only four goals of his Aberdeen career to help his team to the 1969–70 Scottish Cup, scoring the winning goals in the quarter- and semi final, and two in the final itself.[21][22] As Scottish Cup holders, Aberdeen once again qualified for the same competition, but were eliminated in the first round following a 4–4 aggregate tie with Honvéd. This tie, level after extra time and also level on away goals, was decided by the first penalty shoot-out in UEFA competition history, Honvéd winning the shootout 5–4 in Budapest.[23][24]

The Aberdeen side of the 1970s regularly challenged for domestic honours. However, they rarely won trophies, with the exception of the Drybrough Cup in 1971 under Jimmy Bonthrone and the League Cup in 1976, under Ally MacLeod. During this decade, Aberdeen had five managers: Eddie Turnbull, Jimmy Bonthrone, Ally MacLeod, Billy McNeill and Alex Ferguson.[9] They reached two more national cup finals—the Scottish Cup in 1978 under Billy McNeill and the League Cup in the following season under the new manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson era (1978–1986)
Under Ferguson's guidance, the club won three league championships, four Scottish Cups, the European Cup Winner's Cup, the European Super Cup, a League Cup, and a Drybrough Cup—all in the space of seven years.[25] Players such as Jim Leighton, Willie Miller, Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan became the backbone of the team.[26] Aberdeen's second League title was won in 1979–80, and this initial success was built on, with Scottish Cup wins in three successive seasons from 1982 to 1984,[18] and two more league titles in 1983–84 and 1984–85.[25]

During the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983, Aberdeen beat FC Sion, Dinamo Tirana and Lech Poznań to face the German Cup winners Bayern Munich. This game was won 3–2 at Pittodrie after a goalless draw in Germany, John Hewitt with the winning goal.[27][28] They then faced now-defunct Belgian club Waterschei in the semi-final. Aberdeen beat them 5–1 at home, and lost for the first time in the tournament, 1–0 away, resulting in an aggregate victory which sent Aberdeen to the final.[29] On 11 May 1983, Aberdeen beat Real Madrid 2–1 after extra time to win the cup and become only the third Scottish side to win a European trophy.[4][30][31] The club released a song, "European Song", to coincide with the appearance in the final.[32] This was followed up with the capture of the European Super Cup in December, when Hamburger SV were beaten over two legs.[4][33]

Aberdeen reached the semi-finals of the 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, before losing to Porto 2–0 on aggregate. In the first round of the 1984–85 European Champion Club's Cup Aberdeen lost to East Berlin side BFC Dynamo in a penalty shoot-out 4–5, following a 3–3 on aggregate in regular times.[34] Today, both clubs enjoy friendly relations.[35]

Post-Ferguson (1987–1999)
After Ferguson moved south of the border to manage Manchester United in November 1986, Aberdeen struggled to compete with Celtic and a resurgent Rangers.[36]

Aberdeen signed new co-managers in 1989, pairing Alex Smith and Jocky Scott.[9] A number of foreign players were signed, including Dutch internationals Theo Snelders and Hans Gillhaus. In the 1989–90 season, the club won both the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup. In 1991, they lost the last game of the season, and the league title, to Rangers.[18] Former player Willie Miller took over in 1992 and presided over two seasons where Aberdeen came close to winning the title. However, the club ended the 1994–95 season second-bottom, and had to rely on a play-off victory over Dunfermline Athletic to retain their Premier Division status.[37] Miller was sacked in February 1995, and replaced by Roy Aitken.[38] Despite a Scottish League Cup success in 1995, the club continued to struggle.[18] Alex Miller and Paul Hegarty had spells in charge in the late 1990s,[9] but with the financial burden of a new stand putting the club into debt for the first time in its history,[39] the directors turned to Stewart Milne, a local businessman whose firm had built the stand, hiring him as the club's chairman.[40][41]

Skovdahl to Brown (1999–2013)
Aberdeen's first and only foreign manager, Ebbe Skovdahl, was appointed in 1999 and his time in charge coincided with some of the heaviest defeats in the club's history.[4][42] The low point of the club's history came in the 1999–2000 season, where they finished bottom of the table. As the Scottish Premier League was being expanded to twelve teams, there was then a three team play-off. However, as Falkirk's stadium did not meet SPL requirements, Aberdeen retained their status in the top flight.[4][43] This was followed by an early-season defeat to Ireland's Bohemian F.C. on the away goals rule in the next season's UEFA Cup.[44]

Steve Paterson was appointed to replace Skovdahl following his resignation in 2002,[43] but lasted only two seasons. Paterson's tenure with Aberdeen was marred by his addiction to alcohol. In March 2003 he failed to attend a home game against Dundee due to being too hungover after a night of drinking prior to the match.[45]

Jimmy Calderwood took over in 2004 and Aberdeen posted more consistent results than in previous seasons. In the 2006–07 season, the club finished in third place in the league and entered the final qualifying round for the 2007–08 UEFA Cup.[46] Aberdeen defeated Dnipro on the away goals rule to progress (the first time Aberdeen had won on away goals in European football for 40 years).[47] They went on to beat F.C. Copenhagen 4–0, which was the biggest margin of victory and one of Pittodrie's biggest crowds since the 1980s.[48] This set up a meeting with German giants Bayern Munich,[49] which they lost 7–3 on aggregate[50] after a 2–2 draw which saw Aberdeen lead twice in the first leg. Calderwood was sacked by Aberdeen on 24 May 2009, hours after he took the club to a fourth-place finish and back into Europe. Poor domestic cup performances were thought to be the reason for Calderwood's dismissal.[51]

Mark McGhee of Motherwell was appointed as Calderwood's replacement in June 2009.[52] McGhee controversially dismissed Aberdeen legend and goalkeeping coach Jim Leighton in August 2009 and replaced him with Colin Meldrum.[53] Aberdeen suffered a 9–0 defeat to Celtic on 6 November 2010, their heaviest ever defeat. McGhee and his assistants were eventually sacked in December of that year.[54]

Aberdeen approached Craig Brown, who was working without a contract at Motherwell, to replace McGhee. Brown initially rebuffed an offer, but after further discussions with the club Brown resigned as manager at Motherwell to be announced as the next manager at Aberdeen two days later.[55] The first act of the new management team of Brown and Archie Knox was to re-instate Leighton.[56] Aberdeen failed to produce better results under Craig Brown's tenure, and in March 2013 he announced his retirement to take up a non-executive director role on the club's board
Recent years (2013–present)
Derek McInnes was announced as the successor to Craig Brown in March 2013.[58] In McInnes' first season as manager, Aberdeen won the 2013–14 Scottish League Cup after defeating Inverness 4–2 on penalties, their first trophy in 19 years.[59][60] Aberdeen finished third in the Scottish Premiership, and began the next season by coming through the early rounds of the Europa League, beating Dutch club FC Groningen before eventually being eliminated by Spanish side Real Sociedad.[61][62][63] The club ended the season in second place—their best league position since 1993–94—in 2015, 2016, and 2017. In recent seasons' Europa League competitions, they were defeated in the third qualifying round four times: In 2015–16 by FC Kairat,[64] in 2016–17 by NK Maribor,[65] in 2017–18 by Apollon Limassol,[66] and in 2019–20 by HNK Rijeka.[67]

Aberdeen were league runners-up once more in 2016–17 and reached both cup finals, but were beaten 3–0 by Celtic in the League Cup[68] and 2–1 by the same opponents in the Scottish Cup,[69] echoing the outcome in 1992–93 when Aberdeen had finished second to Rangers in all competitions.[70] They were again second the following season, earning a first league win against Celtic away from home for fourteen years in the final game of the season.[71] This qualified them for the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League, where they were defeated after extra time by Premier League side Burnley in the second qualifying round.[72]

In November 2019, Major League Soccer side Atlanta United FC acquired a less than 10 percent stake in Aberdeen for £2 million (US$2.57 million) as part of a strategic alliance between the two clubs. As part of this deal, vice-chairman Dave Cormack became chairman of the club, replacing Stewart Milne. Atlanta United president Darren Eales also took a seat on Aberdeen's board of directors.[73][74]

Colours and crest
For the first season of the club's existence, the team played in a predominantly white strip.[75] This is variously reported as all-white, or as white shirts with blue shorts and socks.[76] This colour scheme was the direct descendant of the colours worn by the precursor Aberdeen club, but lasted only one season before being replaced.[75][77]

For the 1904–05 season, Aberdeen adopted a black and gold striped shirt, which led to the team being nicknamed "the Wasps".[78] This strip, with only minor variations, was worn until just before the start of the Second World War. The blue shorts lasted until 1911, and then were replaced with white ones. Socks were black with gold trim, either as stripes or as a solid bar at the turndown
In March 1939, Aberdeen changed the black and gold colours to red and white, reflecting the silver and red colours of the official City of Aberdeen arms.[4] The first red strips were worn with white shorts, with either red or white socks from 1939 until the 1965–66 season.[75] In 1966, Aberdeen adopted red shorts, making the official kit all-red, similar to that of Liverpool, who made a similar change at around the same time.[79] This arrangement has continued to the present day, with several variations in design, in common with most senior clubs as the replica shirt market has expanded.[80] In the late 1970s an Admiral strip featured five vertical white stripes on the left side of the shirt and shorts, and the early 1980s shirts—as worn at the 1983 European Cup Winners Cup final—featured white vertical pinstripes. Later design changes included significant amounts of blue,[75] and a one-season reversion to white shorts, although the all-red scheme returned in 1997.[75]

Shirt sponsorship began in 1987, and the initial shirt sponsor was JVC.[75] Since then, with the club making fewer appearances on the international stage, shirt sponsors have tended to be local to Aberdeen—they have included one of the local commercial radio stations, Northsound,[77] as well as several Aberdeen-based oil service companies.[81] As of 2019, the current shirt sponsor is Saltire Energy.[82]

Away colours have tended to be either white—often with black shorts—or a combination of yellow and black, referring back to the black and gold strips of the pre-war era, although for a time in the 1970s, Aberdeen sported an all-blue change strip with white socks.[77][83] For the 2007–08 season, the change strip was all-white, with a third kit of yellow and black halves available if needed for European games, or in the event of a clash involving both red and white.[75]

The club did not have an official crest before 1972, but several variations on the letters AFC had from time to time featured on the shirt, usually in some kind of cursive font. In November 1972,[84] the club unveiled an official crest or logo, designed by Aberdonian graphic designer Donald Addison.[75] The design represented a capital letter A as the side view of a football goal, with a ball forming the crossbar of the letter. This ball was crosshatched in such a way as to depict it as being inside the net, signifying the scoring of a goal. The logo was completed by the letters FC in smaller type at a level with the ball element.[84] This badge was used on the shirts from around 1978, with no significant alterations until the mid-1980s when the words "Aberdeen Football Club" were added in a circular border, and the date of the club's founding, 1903, was added under the goal element.[84] The current version of the crest, which retains these elements in a unified design, was introduced at the start of the 1997–98 season.[84] Two stars signifying the winning of the two European trophies in 1983 were introduced over the badge in the 2005–06 season

Rak-Su

Rak-Su are a British boy group, formed in Watford. In 2017, they won the fourteenth series of The X Factor, becoming the first male group to do so.[1] The group is made up of Ashley Fongho, Jamaal Shurland, Mustafa Rahimtulla and Myles Stephenson. "Dimelo", which features Naughty Boy and Wyclef Jean, was released as their winner's single, and marked the first time a winner's single was written by the winner. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number two, behind Ed Sheeran's "Perfect". Their self-titled debut extended play, Rak-Su, was released on 16 February 2018
Career
2016–2017: Formation and The X Factor
Rak-Su are a four-piece group consisting of childhood friends Ashley Fongho, Jamaal Shurland, Myles Stephenson and Mustafa Rahimtulla, from Watford.[2] Fongho and Stephenson had been best friends since the age of 11, recording their freestyles together in their houses. Shurland emigrated from Barbados to Watford at the age of 12 and attended the same school with Stephenson and Rahimtulla.[3] Shurland and Rahimtulla began performing together at the age of 14, and Fongho met and began performing with Rahimtulla at age 16. In their early twenties, Fongho met Shurland at a party after hearing him sing, and the two began recording and performing together, with Stephenson and Rahimtulla attending their recording sessions and live performances. By 2016, the four had decided to form their own music group and soon decided to audition for The X Factor in hopes of gaining exposure for their original material.[4]

In 2017, Rak-Su auditioned for The X Factor in front of judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger. Following producers' earlier advice against singing their original material, they began performing Señorita" by Justin Timberlake until they were stopped by Cowell, who was unimpressed and requested a different song. They then performed an original song called "I'm Feeling You", and received four "Yes" votes from the judges, who praised the group for their originality, and Cowell noted that they would not have passed their audition on their first song alone.

After the first bootcamp challenge, the group continued to perform their original material, reaching the six-chair challenge in the "Groups" category, mentored by Cowell. They passed the six-chair challenge with their original song "Change Your Mind" and after they performed their song "Palm Tree" at the judges houses' round in front of Cowell, and his assistant and former X Factor judge Cheryl, Cowell proceeded to put them through to the live shows.

During the live shows, they continued to perform mainly original material, with two cover versions with additional raps by Fongho and Stephenson. They were runners-up of the Prize Fight in week 1 against Grace Davies and week 2 against Kevin Davy White, and were eventually voted as winners of the Prize Fight in week 4 against Davies, leading to a songwriting session with American songwriter Ali Tamposi as the reward. With the eliminations of Jack & Joel in week 3, Sean and Conor Price in the quarter-final and The Cutkelvins in the semi-final, Rak-Su became Cowell's remaining act in the competition. They made it to the final on the weekend of 2 December 2017, alongside Davy White and Davies. After Davy White was eliminated on Saturday's show, they were in the top two with Davies and finished as the winners with over 50% of the public vote.

Rak-Su are the second group to win the show after Little Mix in 2011, and the first male group to win the show. On 3 December 2017, their winners single was added to streaming services as well as being available for download immediately after the final, with profits going towards the charities Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Chase. It placed at number 6 on the Official Singles Chart Update two days after the final. Four of their songs topped the iTunes chart during their run on the X Factor — "Mamacita", "Dimelo", "Mona Lisa" and "I'm Feeling You" - but were ineligible for the Official Chart and were not available on streaming services at that time. After the voting stats were revealed Rak-Su were the clear winners. They won every week except for week 3 on Saturday where they came 2nd when Kevin Davy White overtook them by a tight edge of 1% percent of the votes.
2018–present: Rak-Su EP, upcoming debut studio album and Rome
On 16 February 2018, they released a self-tilted EP including the songs - "Mamacita", "Dimelo", "Mona Lisa" and "I'm Feeling You". On 30 March 2018 they performed live on The X Factor Denmark with their single "Dimelo".[6] On 23 May 2018, it was announced that Rak-Su will support Little Mix on their Summer Hits Tour 2018. On 29 June 2018, they released "Pyro Ting" with Banx & Ranx. On 28 September 2018, Rak-Su released their new single "I Want You To Freak", with the official video released on 5th October 2018. On 6 October 2018, it was announced that Rak-Su will support Olly Murs on his You Know, I Know Tour in 2019. On 21 October 2018, Rak-Su returned to The X Factor UK. They performed their new single I Want You To Freak on the first results show. On 10 November 2018 it was announced that both Rak-Su and Little Mix have parted ways with Syco Music, with the label stating that they will no longer work with Modest! Management, who manages both acts, and facilitating a transfer to RCA Records.[7] Speaking about their time at Syco and subsequent transition to RCA, the band admitted that the experience was frustrating, as they were unable to release as much new music as they originally intended, and that they had no involvement in the transition that occurred, but stated that RCA agreed with the direction they wanted to take with their music.[8][9][10] On 22 February 2019, they released their second EP, Rome. On 5 April 2019, Rak-Su released their new single "Yours or Mine". On 5 July 2019, they released their single "Rotate (Clockwise)". On 29 August 2019, it was reported that Rak-Su had been dropped from RCA due to lack of mainstream chart success