Joe Root started the day on 1277 Test runs in 2021, which was 41st on the list for the most runs in a calendar year.

Since then he has gone past: Sanath Jayasuriya's 1997. The crazy one where he made the 340 and then his 199 against India in the same series. Made most of the runs in Colombo, but some in Dunedin and Mumbai.

It's staggering that rugby league people have decided it's time to talk *about whether* players accused of violent crimes should be stood down.

That's not a question. That should have been the standard for a century. No one under criminal investigation can credibly hold a position of responsibility. They can't credibly act as representatives of any kind, and they shouldn't be given admiration or the chance to embellish celebrity.

Just me, or was that Bancroft interview a strange hodgepodge of contradiction and vague jargon and self-justification that's somehow being consumed as a redemption narrative? It's like – of course he feels bad and he's had a torrid year and it's an innocuous reason to catch such heat. But he still doesn't get it, not really. Why the wrongs were wrong, why the response came.

Right. It now looks more and more likely that the ball-tampering comes down to Warner. Which means Smith either was a pushover, or turned a blind eye, or didn't know but covered for his teammates. 1/ It's clear that Warner has been erratic on this tour, and reports that some teammates want him out of the team hotel are especially telling. 2/