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Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are battling for prestigious titles in North Wales, with the pair referring to themselves as Sir and Dr Wrexham.

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Hollywood stars completed takeover in 2021Made important impact on and off the fieldNever take themselves too seriouslyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Hollywood actors are now fully integrated into life on and off the field at SToK Racecourse, with their presence helping to raise the Red Dragons’ profile around the world. They have also become ambassadors for Wales as a nation, with another tongue-in-cheek promotional video produced to help entice visitors to the country.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT MCELHENNEY & REYNOLDS SAID

Within said video, Rob McElhenney opens up by referring to himself as “Mr Wrexham”. Reynolds questions who bestowed that title upon his fellow co-chairman, leading to him adopting the moniker “Dr Wrexham”. Eager to ensure that he gets the final word and the best title, McElhenney wraps things up by inviting tourists to enjoy Wales with him, “Sir Wrexham”.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Reynolds and McElhenney have used comedy to help promote their adventures in the United Kingdom on a regular basis, with the Deadpool and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars forever happy to poke fun at themselves while never taking life too seriously.

Bangladesh held their collective nerve against Pakistan, as Mahmudullah’s cameo secured a five-wicket win and a place in the Asia Cup final

The Report by Mohammad Isam02-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:29

Bazid Khan: Sharjeel, Hafeez never deliver when it matters

Those who watch cricket regularly will tell you that in a tight contest, the winning side will always show some signs of their impending triumph. Mahmudullah’s upright blast over extra cover at the start of the 17th over can only be described as the shot of the tournament so far. In a tight chase of 130 against Pakistan, it was only fair that Mahmudullah struck the blow that took Bangladesh to the Asia Cup final.Despite Shakib Al Hasan’s brain freeze to Mohammad Amir in the 18th over, Mashrafe Mortaza struck two heroic fours immediately after to ease Bangladesh’s nerves. Then, in a manic 19th over bowled by Mohammad Sami which included two no balls, Mahmudullah’s squeezed boundary past point all but sealed victory for the hosts. Once Mahmudullah duly knocked off the winning runs with a slog past midwicket, he and Mashrafe wheeled away in wild celebration, nearly ramming into their on-rushing team-mates.Mahmudullah’s unbeaten 15-ball 22 was perhaps the most important innings of his career, particularly because he was at the crease in the last over of the 2012 Asia Cup final, when Bangladesh fell short by two runs against Pakistan. This game went into the last over too, but mostly because Bangladesh lost wickets at crucial stages and were trying their best not to crumble to Amir. The other Pakistan bowlers were all shoddy, and they were not helped by the team’s very poor effort in the field.Still, it was Bangladesh who were pegged back early in their 130-run chase. Tamim Iqbal was the first to go as a rare leg-before victim of Mohammad Irfan, who brought the ball into the batsman and hit the striding front pad half-way up. Luckily, Soumya Sarkar found Sabbir Rahman willing to stick around to weather the initial Amir storm. After the pair had safely negotiated those two overs, they looked for runs off the other bowlers. Soumya managed to hit Amir for an elegant four through midwicket, while Sabbir’s only boundary in his 15-ball 14 also came through a roll of the wrist, through fine-leg.Sabbir fell to Shahid Afridi in the ninth over, missing a charge completely to be bowled. Soumya survived a few close calls with miscued hits dropping short on a number of occasions, but he was generally hitting them well on the leg-side. Mushfiqur Rahim was also lucky to survive a close leg-before appeal to Afridi before Amir and Malik brought Pakistan into the game in the space of eight deliveries in the 13th and 14th overs.Having been brought back for a single over as his second spell, Amir yorked Soumya by clattering into his leg-stump. Soumya had made a run-a-ball 48 that had five fours and the pumped six into the midwicket stands, but when he got out, Bangladesh needed 47 off 40 balls.There was much expected from the experienced duo of Mushfiqur and Shakib at that stage, but Mushfiqur was given out leg-before trying to reverse-sweep Malik in the over after Soumya got out.Taskin Ahmed and Al-Amin Hossain were Bangladesh’s best bowlers, stepping up in the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, who was ruled out through a right side strain. Taskin bowled his first maiden over in his T20I career in a first-spell that saw him give away just one run. His second spell produced the wicket of Umar Akmal; he finished with figures of 4-1-14-1. Al-Amin bowled two tight overs at the top, giving away just nine runs before returning in the last four overs to give away four and 12, as Bangladesh decently closed out the Pakistan innings for 129 for 7.Pakistan’s innings followed the same pattern of their previous games, losing three early wickets. Khurram Manzoor sent to open the batting, played out the first over and then got out for one off the first ball of the second, an Al-Amin delivery that jumped on him outside off-stump. It was the third time in the four Asia Cup matches that Al-Amin had taken a wicket in his first spell. Sharjeel Khan was bowled after missing a slog off Arafat Sunny in the fourth over, after he had faced just eight balls till that point, hitting a four and six.Mohammad Hafeez was unlucky when he was given out leg-before by umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge when even on the first view, it looked as if the Mashrafe Mortaza delivery was climbing. Replays confirmed that it was yet another erroneous decision by an umpire in the Asia Cup. When Taskin removed Akmal in his second spell, Pakistan ended with the lowest score – 34 for 4 – in the first ten overs against Bangladesh.Sarfraz Ahmed and Malik then joined hands for a fifth-wicket partnership. Malik struck Shakib for a six that was as straight as an arrow, and also found three fours on the off-side as well as one that was tickled past long-leg. Sarfraz got both his sixes with swings to midwicket, and tucked into fours through covers, midwicket, and mid-on.Malik was in the groove when he mistimed Sunny to the deep midwicket boundary for 41 off 30 balls. Soon, Sarfraz reached his second T20I fifty with an inside-out blast over cover in the penultimate over.But it was Mahmudullah’s inside-out blast over the covers that would be the most memorable moment of the game, as Bangladesh got themselves to the final of a tournament that they were fearing a bit more than the World T20 itself.

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson says the two Tests against India could provide a true measure of his team’s current standing

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2013West Indies will begin their tour of India in November on the back of blanking their opposition in their last three Test series. But the achievement came against minnows Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and prior to that a young New Zealand side in the process of a rebuild and coach Ottis Gibson views the two Tests against India could provide a measure of his team’s current standing.”This series against India gives us an opportunity to see where we are as a Test side,” he said. “We’ve played some pretty good Test cricket, there’s a lot that’s been said about winning the last six [matches]. People have also spoken about the opposition [we faced] so the India tour gives us an opportunity to test ourselves against them. We are looking forward to that challenge and continue our winnings ways.”Though their last Test was in March, the players have had a busy calendar in limited-overs cricket, with the Champions Trophy, a tri-series featuring India and Sri Lanka, a limited-overs series against Pakistan, and the inaugural edition of the Caribbean Premier League. Gibson said he would have preferred some additional Test match practice ahead of the tour.”We have a week in India, but ideally, I would have the guys in the indoor school hitting balls and play a couple of practice matches because we’ve been off, especially in Test cricket, for a very long time. We haven’t had the physical preparation but there’s a lot of mental stuff we can do to make sure we’re ready for the two games in India,” he said.In lieu of that, the West Indies Cricket Board has arranged a team-building tour of Miami, which is targeted at building better unity within the side and helping them acclimatise to mental challenges, especially while on the road. After completing the India tour, West Indies will visit New Zealand for three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s, returning home in February 2014.”We’ll have some sessions with the sports psychologist,” Gibson said. “We’ll do things other than cricket as we bond and become a stronger unit. It’s a long tour, starting with India and then straight on to New Zealand and we’ll only be back next year. It’s new and the guys are looking forward to it.”Gibson is aware of the significance of the India tour, which features Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test following which he will retire from international cricket, but wants his side to concentrate on what they can do.”We understand the importance of the two games, the significance of Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test, but we have to be focussed on our job, which is to get there and give India a good fight and if after five days of fierce competition it happens that we are on top, then so be it.”

James Fuller and Liam Norwell fought back with three wickets each for Gloucestershire to reduced Northamptonshire to 73 for 7 by the close on day one at Bristol.

04-Sep-2012
ScorecardJames Fuller and Liam Norwell fought back with three wickets each for Gloucestershire to reduce Northamptonshire to 73 for 7 by the close on day one at Bristol. It followed four wickets for Luke Evans as the visitors dismissed their hosts for 220.Pitch inspector David Hughes found no fault with the wicket on a day dominated by the seam bowlers and featuring some pretty ordinary batting.It was Andrew Hall with 3 for 37 who ripped out Gloucestershire’s top order, taking his wickets in the space of 11 balls at a cost of two runs as Gloucestershire slumped from 41 without loss to 44 for 4, while Evans finished with 4 for 38 from 13 overs.But the home side’s total was soon looking more than decent as Northants plunged from 30 without loss to 72 for 7. Only Stephen Peters, with 35, offered much resistance as Fuller, 3 for 25, sent back Niall O’Brien, Rob Newton and Hall with a pacy spell from the Pavilion End. Norwell’s 3 for 21 was just as impressive from the Ashley Down Road End, claiming the wickets of David Sales, Kyle Coetzer and Peters.There was little sign of carnage ahead when Gloucestershire openers Benny Howell and Ed Cowan put together a solid opening stand of 41 at the start of the day. Then Howell, on 29, was dropped at second slip by Peters off Luke Evans and it signalled a transformation in fortunes. Next ball Evans rapped Howell on the pads and gained an lbw verdict.Cowan, back in Gloucestershire’s team after a short spell as temporary overseas player earlier in the season, went leg-before for 8 in the next over as Hall began to make rapid inroads, swinging the ball and getting some seam movement from the Ashley Down Road End. His next two overs saw Dan Housego’s off stump knocked out of the ground for 1 and Hamish Marshall pinned lbw on the back foot for a duck.Alex Gidman launched a counter-attack with four fours in an over from David Willey, all punched through the off side, before, with the score on 95, Ian Cockbain had his middle stump sent flying by Willey having made 10.It was 95 for 5 at lunch and the afternoon session saw Gidman reach his half-century off 48 balls, with 10 fours. He added 33 for the sixth wicket with brother Will before falling to another lbw verdict, Willey claiming his second victim. Will Gidman was caught in the slips driving at a wide ball from Jack Brooks and when Fuller edged a catch to the wicketkeeper off Evans Gloucestershire were 151 for 8.Jon Batty and Anthony Ireland, on loan from Middlesex, saw the home side to tea at 206 for 8 and Batty reached a battling half-century straight after the interval, having faced 89 balls and hit six fours.Ireland soon perished to a catch behind off Evans for a handy 22 before Batty was last man out, caught at point making room to hit Evans through the off side.

Kongonis gave the local support something to celebrate with victory over Uganda’s Nile Knights in the final of the inaugural East Africa Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2012Kongonis 280 for 7 (Patel 92, Allen 65) beat Nile Knights 196 for 9 (Arinaitwe 68*, Rehman 4-32) by 84 runs
ScorecardKongonis players celebrate their victory over Nile Knights in the East Africa Cup final•ESPNcricinfo LtdKongonis gave the local support something to celebrate with victory over Uganda’s Nile Knights in the final of the inaugural East Africa Cup. Originally scheduled for November, heavy rain had twice caused the game’s postponement.The Ugandans sides had dominated the two East Africa competitions, and the Twenty20 final the previous day had been between the two of them. Nile Knights, who defeated Rwenzori Warriors in that game, came back to the Gymkhana ground looking for a weekend double, but Kongonis, who had won the league stage of the event and boasted several internationals in the starting XI, held firm.The Knights won the toss and chose to field, a tactic which worked well a day earlier, but their spinners, who had been stingy then proved far more expensive in the longer format. Duncan Allan, whose form in the past few months has been superb, led the Kongonis charge with an 84-ball 65, adding 100 for the third wicket with Rakep Patel who went on the make 92 off 79 balls. Even though wickets regularly fell once the pair had been separated, the run-rate did not and the Kongonis total of 280 for 7 always looked enough.Kononis opened with an offspinner, Abdul Rehman, and the tactic worked as he took 4 for 32 to leave the Knights almost beaten on 78 for 5. A captain’s innings of 68 not out from Davis Arinaitwe kept the match going the full distance but it came far too late to change the outcome.

ESPNcricinfo previews the one-off Twenty20 international between India and England in Kolkata

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo28-Oct-2011Match FactsIndia v England, October 29, Kolkata
Start time 1830 (1300 GMT)Graeme Swann takes over as England captain for the Twenty20 game•AFPBig PictureEngland have not won a match against India in India since 2006, and this Twenty20, strangely scheduled after the one-day series, is probably their best opportunity. The India players would have enjoyed the festivities over the three-day Diwali break. MS Dhoni visited his home in Jharkhand for the first time in four months after the fifth ODI, and his tweet on arriving at Eden Gardens on Thursday – “Kolkata, back on national duty” – did not reveal a great deal of enthusiasm at the prospect of this one-off game.England’s biggest weakness over the five one-dayers was that their batsmen struggled against India’s spinners, and will hope that the reduced number of overs will make R Ashwin and co less effective. They will also have a new captain, and will need Graeme Swann’s famed wit to lighten the spirits of some visibly frustrated players. Swann reckons England should just enjoy the match, after a testing series so far, and that may be their best bet against an India side that may struggle to find meaning in the match after having already battered England over the one-dayers.The big test during this Twenty20 could well be for neither team, but for the Bengal Cricket Association. The sparse crowds that marred the ODI series were typified by the half-empty Eden Gardens stadium for the final one-dayer. The Diwali season may have been an excuse for that poor turnout, but with the festival now over, the number of people the organisers can bring through the gates on Saturday could be an indicator of where cricket in India is headed.One thing that will not work in their favour is the odd scheduling of the match. The significance of a one-off Twenty20 games is debatable in any case, but at least when scheduled before an ODI series they may act as something of a preview to the series. Now, with India fans already high on the euphoria of the 5-0 drubbing and Diwali, it is questionable how many people remember England are even still here.There are a few points of interest in the match, though. This is the first Twenty20 international since the ICC announced the official Twenty20 rankings. England are currently ranked first, but a loss will take them down to third, while India will want to improve their No. 5 ranking.Form guideIndia: LWWWW (completed games, most recent first)
England: LWWLLSpotlight Robin Uthappa has not played for India since 2008 but has been dominating domestic attacks in recent times. Innings of 92 off 36 balls and 64 off 20 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy suggest he belongs at a higher level. Parthiv Patel’s failures in the one-day series mean this is a good time for Uthappa to make a case for himself as a reserve opener in the limited-over formats.Less than a year ago, Yusuf Pathan hit a couple of one-day centuries that seemed like they would cement his place in the India side for some time to come. A mediocre World Cup and a poor West Indies tour later, Yusuf found himself out of not just the playing XI but the squad. He too has been bludgeoning attacks in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and will have a real point to prove if he plays in Kolkata.Since bursting onto the scene with 41 off 21 balls against India in Cardiff, Jonny Bairstow has had a poor run in internationals, and managed just 49 runs in four innings in the one-dayers in India. With a few other young dynamic batsmen coming into contention for the Twenty20s, Bairstow will want to ensure he is still head of the pack.Team newsBoth Yusuf and Uthappa should make it to the XI, in place of Ravindra Jadeja and Parthiv Patel, who is not in the Twenty20 squad. Gautam Gambhir is also missing the game to get married, and Manoj Tiwary should play in his place. Rahul Sharma was included in the squad on the back of his performances in the IPL so it would make sense to try him out in the Twenty20 format.India (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 R Ashwin/ Rahul Sharma, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 R Vinay Kumar, 11 Varun AaronAlex Hales and Jos Buttler are in India specifically for the Twenty20 and should play. Jade Dernbach was replaced by Stuart Meaker for the final ODI, but has a decent Twenty20 record and could return to the side. If Kevin Pietersen doesn’t recover from his thumb injury Ian Bell could slot in having previously been dropped for Twenty20 cricket.England (probable): 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Ian Bell/Kevin Pietersen, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Tim Bresnan, 10 Jade Dernbach, 11 Steven FinnPitch and conditionsThe pitch at Eden Gardens for the fifth one-dayer was slow and started to offer considerable turn as the match wore on. There will not be as much deterioration over 40 overs, but if the matches here during the IPL were any indication, the Twenty20 may not be as high-scoring as some might hope.Stats and trivia This will be the first Twenty20 international England will play on Indian soil. The two have played each other three times in T20s, with England leading the head-to-head 2-1 This will be the first Twenty20 international played in India since 2009. There have been just three completed T20Is in India before, and the home side have a 2-1 record With 1011 runs, Kevin Pietersen has the second-most runs in Twenty20 internationals among all batsmen. Only Brendon McCullum has moreQuotes”We don’t play enough Twenty20 internationals in a tour. I would look forward to the time when every tour would have at least a three-match Twenty20 series.”
Graeme Swann is not pleased that England will play just one Twenty20