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Michael Holding

Michael Anthony Holding (born 16 February 1954) is a Jamaican former cricketer and commentator who played for the West Indies cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pace bowlers in cricket history, he was nicknamed "Whispering Death" due to his silent, light-footed run up to the bowling crease. Holding was a key member of the West Indies team that won the 1979 Cricket World Cup, as well as finishing as runners-up at the 1983 Cricket World Cup. He had the most wickets for his team at the 1979 tournament. His bowling action was renowned for being smooth and extremely fast, and he used his height (192 cm) to generate large amounts of bounce and zip off the pitch. He was part of the fearsome West Indian pace bowling battery, together with Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Colin Croft, Wayne Daniel, Malcolm Marshall and Sylvester Clarke, that devastated opposing batting line-ups throughout the world in the late seventies and early eighties. Early in his Test career, in 1976, Holding broke the record for best bowling figures in a Test match by a West Indies bowler, 14 wickets for 149 runs (14/149). The record still stands. During his first-class cricket career, Holding played for Jamaica, Canterbury, Derbyshire, Lancashire, and Tasmania. In September 2021, Holding announced his retirement from being a commentator.

Early life
Michael Holding was born on 16 February 1954, the youngest of four children to Ralph and Enid Holding who lived in Half Way Tree, Kingston. In an interview in 2020, Holding stated that his mother's family disowned her because her husband's skin was too dark. The family was passionate about sport, and only a few years after Michael was born his father enrolled him as a member of Melbourne Cricket Club in Kingston. At the age of three he was diagnosed with asthma, but by his early teenage years this had passed and he no longer needed an inhaler. He led an active life, playing sport in the scrubland and wooded areas near his home. Though his family would often watch the cricket at Sabina Park, Holding preferred to play rather than watch.

Early career
In late 1975 the West Indies team embarked on a six-Test tour of Australia. Earlier that year the West Indies had defeated Australia in the final of the inaugural World Cup, and the teams were considered to be the best of their day. Fast bowler Bernard Julien was out of form and his place in the team was given to debutant Michael Holding who opened the bowling with Andy Roberts. He picked up a groin strain in the second Test and bowled as fast as 97 mph, quicker than Jeff Thomson, Australia's fastest bowler. According to Wisden in his debut series, Holding "had shown himself to be Roberts' natural opening partner and indeed was timed to be faster than Jeff Thomson, Dennis Lillee and Andy Roberts, and considered that when West Indies captain Clive Lloyd chose to give Julien the new ball rather than Holding it was a mistake that cost the West Indies the match. Australia won the series 5–1, and though Holding's 10 wickets in 5 matches cost on average more than 60 runs each, Wisden believed that he had performed well enough to establish himself in the side and had the potential to bowl faster still.

India visited the West Indies in March for a four-Test series. The defeat by Australia had left Andy Roberts exhausted, so he was rested for the matches against India and Holding took over as leader of the West Indies bowling attack. He finished as his team's leading wicket taker (second in the series to Indian leg spinner B. S. Chandrasekhar) with 19 wickets at less than 20 runs each and helped his team to a 2–1 victory.

The West Indies toured England in 1976, and though Holding was largely unknown in the country, the British press noted his performance in Australia and there was a sense of anticipation about his bowling. An early psychological blow was landed by the West Indies in a warm up match against the M.C.C. when Holding struck Dennis Amiss on the head, leaving a wound that needed stitches. Amiss was a veteran player and was likely to open for England in the forthcoming Tests and seeing him struggle against Holding's pace was a warning of things to come. In the lead up to the series, the South African-born England captain Tony Greig was very confident of his team's chances, saying in an interview "I like to think people are building these West Indians up, because I'm not really sure they're as good as everyone thinks. You must remember, that the West Indians, these guys, if they get on top they are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey (Brian Close) and a few others, to make them grovel." His comments outraged the West Indians, and to many the use of the term "grovel" in particular was highly offensive, as it "smacked of racism and apartheid".

The West Indies fast bowling attack consisted of Roberts, Holding, Wayne Daniel, and Vanburn Holder. The first three used the bouncer liberally (Wisden notes that Holding in particular bowled "exceptionally fast"), and England's experienced John Edrich and Brian Close suffered in particular, both being struck on the torso many times (Close was already 45 when the series started in June, and Edrich turned 39 during the second Test). In the first innings of the fifth Test, played at the Oval, Holding took 8 wickets for 92 runs which remained the best bowling figures of his first-class career and were the best bowling figures by a West Indies bowler at the ground. He took a further 6 wickets in the match to finish with 14/149, which remain the best match figures by a West Indian in a Test match. The West Indies won the five match series 3–0.

According to an urban myth, during a Test match between the West Indies and England when Holding was to bowl to English player Peter Willey, the BBC radio commentator at the time, Brian Johnston, described the action as "The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey" (a double entendre, as "willy" is British English slang for a penis). However Wisden states that there is no record of Johnston or anyone else actually saying this (although a colleague of Johnston's, Henry Blofeld, has said he recalls the incident occurring during a Test match at The Oval in 1976.) In a limited-overs international between England and West Indies on 26 August 1976 at Scarborough, Michael Holding's return from long-leg deflected off the nearer wicket, breaking the bails, and then scuttled along the pitch to also break the far wicket, with Graham Barlow and Alan Knott, on his only appearance as England's captain, stranded in mid-pitch. This highly unusual occurrence of both wickets being broken by one throw dumbfounded the umpires, David Constant and Arthur Jepson, who rejected the run-out appeal for unknown reasons. The West Indies played 26 first-class matches on the tour, winning 18 and losing only two, making them the most successful side ever to tour England.

World Series Cricket

After the 1976 series against England, Holding enrolled at the University of the West Indies on a scholarship to study Computer Science. As a profession, cricket did not pay particularly well at the time, even for the stars of the sport, and Holding was preparing himself for employment after his retirement. A shoulder injury sustained towards the end of the 1976 tour of England prevented Holding from joining the West Indies squad to face Pakistan in March 1977. During the series Lloyd approached Holding about a joining a proposed World XI team, captained by England's Tony Greig, to play against Australia in World Series Cricket; at the time there was still animosity between Greig and the West Indies players over Greig's 'grovel' comment before the 1976 Test series in England. The series was the brainchild of Kerry Packer after his television channel, Channel 9, had missed out on the rights to broadcast Australia's home Test series. Players would be paid much more than they had been before, and with his earnings from the series Holding was able to buy his first car and later a house. When the World Series Cricket plan became public, the Australian Cricket Board and England Cricket Board both threatened to ban any of their players taking part. Packer responded to the pressure by signing the whole West Indies team to compete in the series alongside a World XI and an Australian team. Relegated to playing at football grounds rather than cricket stadiums, the series initially suffered from poor crowds. The negative press surrounding the World Series – players were labelled mercenaries – bred a sense of camaraderie in the West Indies side, which contributed to the team's dominance in the Test arena for years to come.

In March 1978, after the first season of World Series Cricket, Australia embarked on a Test tour of the West Indies. Australia were severely depleted because the ACB refused to pick leading players such as Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, and Dennis Lillee because they had played in the Packer series. Holding suffered a recurrence of his shoulder injury and so missed the series, but otherwise the West Indies began the series at full strength. Eventually external pressure on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) not to select players who played in the World Series resulted in three players being dropped and Clive Lloyd's resignation as captain. The rest of the team refused to play in protest and were replaced by second-choice players. The second year of World Series Cricket was more successful than the first and matches were played in front of much larger crowds. Though contracted to last three years, the competition ended after two because Packer and the ACB came to an agreement regarding broadcasting rights.

West Indies rampant
A less amusing incident for which Holding is also remembered was kicking over the stumps in anger at an umpiring decision in New Zealand in 1979/80. The tour had gone poorly almost from the beginning: West Indies had just finished a long, arduous tour of Australia, and were perhaps resentful about having an additional tour to New Zealand immediately afterwards (their leading batsman of the time, Viv Richards, refused to tour). West Indies felt that the umpiring had been largely incompetent and against them throughout. After an appeal for caught behind was turned down, Holding turned and kicked the stumps in frustration.

Holding was the bowler in what is often described as "the greatest over in Test history", which he bowled in 1981 in Bridgetown to English batsman Geoff Boycott, a highly experienced player who was considered to be somewhat reluctant to face very fast bowling. Holding's first five deliveries each increased in pace, causing Boycott to have to react very rapidly and awkwardly to avoid being hit. The final ball simply beat him for speed and Boycott was unable to react at all, being clean bowled to the great delight of the crowd. Boycott later described the experience as one "I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

In 1984, batting with Viv Richards, Holding set the record for the highest 10th wicket partnership in ODI history(106*)

Holding opened the bowling for West Indies with Andy Roberts in 33 Tests, and the pair became a feared bowling partnership. They claimed 216 wickets at an average of 25.27 runs each, making them one of the most successful new ball partnerships of all time.

In 2009, Rudi Webster said "It is difficult to overestimate how much the players in [the West Indies team led by Clive Lloyd] were admired and idolised on the cricket field. And off the field they were loved and respected for the manner in which they conducted themselves and for the role they played as outstanding ambassadors." The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations inaugurated a Hall of Fame in 1999 and Holding was inducted into it. The FICA Hall of Fame ended in 2003, but all the inductees were given official recognition when they were included in the ICC's Hall of Fame on its inauguration in 2009.

Post-playing career
Holding has written two autobiographies, the first of which, Whispering Death, was published in 1988 before he retired; and the second, No Holding Back, over 20 years later in 2010. In July 2021, Holding's third book—Why We Kneel, How We Rise—was published. Prompted by the positive public reaction to his comments, the book expands upon his theme of how institutionalised racism developed historically and how it affects people of colour, and includes contributions from notable sports stars such as Usain Bolt, Thierry Henry, Michael Johnson and Naomi Osaka. After retiring from cricket, Holding owned a petrol station in Kingston called "Michael Holding's Service Centre", employing several people who were members of Melbourne Cricket Club of which he was a member. The business was initially successful, though Holding found it stressful. Broadcasting began to take up more of his time, and while he was away the petrol station suffered so in 1995 he decided to sell. He also considered taking up umpiring, though not as a profession, and considered pursuing qualifications to umpire in domestic matches in Jamaica but his time was taken up with managing the petrol station and broadcasting.

Broadcaster and ICC official
Holding's career evolved after his retirement from active play. He had never aspired to becoming a commentator but was friends with a producer at Radio Jamaica who invited him to comment on cricket. This led to him working around the Caribbean, but at this stage work was not regular enough to be his main source of income. Holding made his transition from radio commentator to television in 1990 when cricket in the Caribbean was broadcast on television around the world for the first time. Two local commentators were chosen and Holding was picked alongside Tony Cozier at the latter's recommendation.

The ICC created the Bowling Action Review Committee (BARC) in 1999, and on the recommendation of the WICB, Holding was one of the founding members of the committee. The role of the committee was to monitor players suspected of throwing using various video replays. The process of assessing a bowler's action has since become more scientific with more technology used and though the committee disbanded in 2005 it was influential in the ICC establishing the 15-degree maximum for bowlers straightening their arms in delivery. Even when working for the BARC, Holding was a strident critic of the ICC so in 2007 when he was approached to join the newly formed ICC cricket committee he thought a friend was playing a joke on him. Holding joined the committee and though he was initially optimistic quit in July 2008 in protest against the ICC's decision to overturn the result of the Oval Test between Pakistan and England, which was changed from a forfeit by Pakistan (who chose not to take the field in protest against being accused of ball tampering) to a draw. The forfeiture was later reinstated, and Holding resolved not to rejoin the committee.

Criticism on T20 cricket
Michael Holding has repeatedly and strongly criticized T20 cricket. Holding has stated "I don't think [twenty20] is good for the game... It has its place but it will be bad unless those in charge manage it properly and I do not think they can because they are blinded by money. I can see Test cricket dying because of this." Despite this he was initially supportive of the Stanford 20/20, believing that the tournament funded by Allen Stanford, who had pledged to put large sums of money into domestic West Indies cricket, could revitalize the long time poorly funded domestic Caribbean cricket scene (the on-field fortunes of the West Indies team had declined rapidly from the mid 1990s onwards). However, with the conception of the Stanford Super Series involving the England Cricket Board in 2008 he became critical of the venture, as he felt that funds which had previously been invested in domestic teams were no longer of any interest to Stanford.

Regarding the IPL, Holding criticized West Indies players such as Jerome Taylor and Chris Gayle who were partaking the 2011 IPL season, rather than playing for their national sides during the home series against Pakistan at the time. He also criticized the West Indies Cricket Board for being too soft by allowing West Indian players to play the IPL, and giving them NOCs with ease. Holding also accused the BCCI for having too much power, and believed they were the main reason for the decline of the West Indies team as they promoted the IPL, and they were dictating the ICC.

Holding, on numerous occasions, has stated that he does not consider the T20 format should even be classed as cricket. He has also stated that it is very difficult for West Indies cricket to return to the top in Test cricket because of T20 and its financial lure to the region's best players.

Anti-racism
In July 2020, during a rain delay in the England v West Indies Test series, Holding was asked on Sky Sports by Ian Ward for his thoughts on the pre-match kneeling of both teams in respect of the Black Lives Matter movement. His widely reported comments on his personal experience of, and his views on, institutionalised racism were widely welcomed as moving, sincere, and eloquently constructive.

Personal life
Holding's first marriage was to Cherine Holding, a Sri Lankan, who he met when touring Australia in the late 1970s. Their son was born in 1981. He is now married to Laurie-Ann Holding, an indigenous Antiguan; they have no children together. Holding has also fathered three other children from three other relationships, including a daughter born in 1979, and another daughter in 1988, both of whom have Jamaican mothers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Holding spent much of his time in the Cayman Islands.

Recognition
In June 1988, Holding was featured on the $2 Jamaican stamp alongside the Barbados Cricket Buckle.

In May 2013, he received an Honorary Degree and Lifetime Achievement Award at the University of East London.

title: Michael Holding


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Rebecca Blaikie

Rebecca Blaikie was proposed for deletion. This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was keep

Not notable in her own right. RickK 05:55, Aug 13, 2004 (UTC)

Keep, though for heaven's sake with a little more content. She stood for election against Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin in his electoral district in Montreal in 2004. Cannon fodder, for sure, but far enough above the radar to merit note. The previous NDP candidate against Martin made a documentary about the experience, which was widely screened. Most Google hits seem to be mainstream news articles, most from media 'outside Montreal'; she's of some national interest. If the piece was more than one line about who her dad was we might not be having this discussion. Yes, I would add to it myself. Don't have time this very moment, but if it isn't deleted... Finally, a Canadian politician's progeny who has done even less of note, but is moderately famous and gets an entry: Justin Trudeau. 64.229.35.130 06:33, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like other '/delete' pages is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion or on the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Delete. Standing against an incumbent who is going to win easily isn't notable. Her public profile as the daughter of a mid rank politician won't be that high either. If she was standing for experience this time and gets nominated for, and wins, a seat in the next election, then she can have a page. But at the moment, I don't see sufficient importance. Average Earthman 10:55, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * I don't know how familiar you are with Canadian politics, but Bill Blaikie is far from a mid rank politician. He is, in fact, a major figure in Canadian political life. On his importance alone, his daughter would be a keeper for doing anything that got her in the news...like, say, standing as an electoral candidate. Keep. Bearcat 10:10, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep we have many articles on less notable candidates in the Canadian election. - SimonP 12:48, Aug 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. I disagree with Avg. Earthman; standing for election (assuming you're from a leading party) is in fact notable. [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 13:33, 2004 Aug 13 (UTC)
 * Even if you get less than 5% of the vote? Average Earthman 17:31, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * Yes. If anything, the fact that she ran against a leading political figure makes her more notable. Either way, this is over my personal line for keeping. [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 17:32, 2004 Aug 13 (UTC)
 * Keep - Could mature into a (short) article. We're not starved for namespace in and around "Rebecca Blaikie". - TB 14:39, Aug 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * I've gone ahead and built the article up a little bit - TB 14:48, Aug 13, 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep, particularly since Topbanana's edits. Ambi 02:28, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep, although I think there's too many articles on obscure politicians but why single her out? RedWolf 03:26, Aug 16, 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. It would be a shame to have every character in the Pokemon universe but not a real person who was considered newsworthy. --LeeHunter 19:00, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Dark Reign: The Future of War

Dark Reign: The Future of War is a real-time strategy video game for Microsoft Windows, developed by Auran and published by Activision in 1997. The game consists of a large single-player campaign but also supports multiplayer online games. A mission construction kit is included with the game, which allows players to create new maps for multiplayer games and create entire missions and campaigns.

Dark Reign was critically and commercially successful, with global sales of 685,000 units by 2004. An expansion pack, Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand, was released on March 26, 1998, which added new missions and new units to the game. A prequel, Dark Reign 2, was released on July 3, 2000.

Gameplay
The gameplay is that of a sci-fi real-time strategy, similar to that of Command & Conquer. In any given scenario, the player first constructs buildings for unit production, resource gathering, power generation and base defense. The production of units and buildings represent an opportunity cost as they all have an associated cost in terms of credits (the currency used by the game). Additional credits are earned by collecting shipments of water from fresh springs, while additional power can be generated by harvesting Taelon. Water and Taelon are the only two resources collected during gameplay. These resource deposits continuously regenerate and can never be completely exhausted, however, when depletion occurs, resource accumulation from these sources takes longer. In a special case, the complete destruction of water sources can be forced through the use of the Water Contamination Unit as part of a resource-denial strategy. During short games, it is advised to assert control over as many water deposits as possible to ensure a strong income in financing attacks and base defenses. In longer games, this strategy is extended to protecting and maintaining supply routes as it takes longer to derive the same amount of profit.

The two sides have completely unique units and strategies, unlike many contemporary games. Freedom Guard units are characterized as being weaker but more mobile, being faster and better able to handle difficult terrain. As such, these units specialize in lightning strikes and ambushes and are useful in harassing enemy units and supply lines. Imperium units rely on strength and numbers to overwhelm their enemies. Although their units are usually slower when compared to Freedom Guard counterparts, they are able to outmatch Freedom Guard units with increased armor and firepower. Furthermore, Imperium units have a greater reliance on hover technology, which limits their use in extreme terrain but allows them to easily cross natural water barriers. Freedom Guard technology relies on hiding their units through use of technology called phasing. Phasing allows units to quickly hide underground, making them effective for close-quarters ambushes. The Imperium are directed more towards a blitzkrieg style of play, with units focused on supremacy in combat ahead of tactical flexibility. Freedom Guard units are geared more towards an anti-armor role, especially to counter Imperium armor superiority, while the Imperium utilize more anti-infantry weapons to negate Freedom Guard infantry advantages.

Players can steal technology from other players, thus negating specific unit advantages and specialty. In order to do this, the player uses an espionage unit called the Infiltrator to steal weapon designs from an enemy Headquarters, the building tasked with producing construction rigs. Once the plans have been successfully stolen, the infiltrator unit is then directed back to the player's HQ to incorporate the new technology in their production options. The Infiltrator may steal as many weapon designs as possible while in the enemy headquarters but risks being exposed the longer the unit stays.

In the campaign missions, the player is given a number of objectives that must be met before victory can be achieved. These victory conditions follow the historical scenario being replayed - for example, a given mission might require the player, as the Freedom Guard, to evacuate or protect a particular unit or structure, or as the Imperium, to destroy those units or prevent their escape.

Dark Reign possesses a complex fog-of-war where line of sight is affected by varying terrain height and shape. This allows for the use of forests for ambushes and limits the effectiveness of recon in densely forested or mountainous areas. Like many RTS titles, structures in the game consume power and do not function if sufficient power is unavailable. Players can 'power down' buildings to keep their bases online, giving greater flexibility in base management. The game also features production queues, and where multiple production facilities of the same type exist, they automatically divide up production, or can be ordered to each focus on particular production queues.

A player can place any number of paths, each with any number of points, and save each one with a unique name. Units on a path can be assigned to patrol it, loop, or travel to it once, and units automatically carry out behaviours at each point - for example, a resource collector can be given a path to take it around an enemy base to a water deposit and it will treat this route as its standard resource gathering path. Separate from waypoints, units can be given individual orders such as "search and destroy", "harass", or "scout", allowing them to choose their own targets, engaging and occupying the enemy while freeing up the player to work on more significant strategies or development. These tactics can be controlled further with the use of individually customisable AI settings for every unit, allowing the player to set unit pursuit range, damage tolerance (how quickly the unit will seek healing / repairs and flee combat), and independence (how far the unit will stray from orders in order to engage attackers or targets of opportunity). These can be set individually for every unit, and the default setting can be changed, eliminating the need to change every unit if a unified strategy calls for particular settings.

Plot
The game takes place in the distant future. The player takes the role of a survivor of a faction of humans known as the Tograns, whose society was decimated after their homeworld became engulfed in the civil war between the Freedom Guard and the Imperium (who were once both the Sprawlers and the Jovian Detention Authority (JDA) from Dark Reign 2 respectively). As one of the last remaining Tograns that set off in hopes they might find a new refuge to rebuild and carry on the words of Alpheus Togra (a famous research scientist and philosopher), the player is presented with an opportunity to go back through time and prevent Togra's death, using an advanced probe launched by him just prior to the destruction of the planet Strata-7. To use the device, the player must first demonstrate their worth by achieving victory in simulations of famous battles between the Imperium and the Freedom Guard.

The thirteen missions play out the events from the first skirmish between the Imperium and Freedom Guard up to the battle for and destruction of Strata-7. The missions may freely be played from the perspective of the Imperium or the Freedom Guard. In the thirteenth and final mission, the last Togran, the player, is sent back in time using the Chronomachine to Strata-7, and must use the weapons and technology of both the Imperium and the Freedom Guard to combine a force that will defeat both sides and prevent the complete destruction of Strata-7 and the death of Togra.

In the expansion, Rise of the Shadowhand, the story depicts the increasing desperation and despotism of the Imperium after the emergence of the Tograns as a third credible faction. After a massive Imperium assault on Freedom Guard space, a fleeing transport stumbles upon a planet, at the other side of the galaxy, where the Imperium secret police, the Shadowhand, have conducted major research. By coincidence, the Shadowhand simultaneously is faced with losing control of its advanced units due to the malfunction of their guiding AI, Osiris.

Development
Dark Reign began life as a game called Corporation: Offworld. Developed by Auran's co-founder Greg Lane, Corporation: Offworld and its sister game entitled Wild West were demonstrated to Activision in June 1996 and a deal had been signed shortly thereafter. Auran continued development of the Tactics Engine under Greg Lane while Activision layered a new story on top of Corporation: Offworld and Dark Reign was born. Many of the units, and the unit AI, innovative tile-blending system, map systems, production systems and real time line of sight were already present in Corporation: Offworld when it was first demonstrated to Activision in 1996.

Magnetar Games released Dark Reign Redux, an adapted port of the original Dark Reign, on Xbox Live Indie Games in January 2013. The project originally started as a fan remake, until it got licensed and approved by Activison. The game contains all twelve missions of the main game. The game was later taken down by Magnetar Games as the result of licensing negotiations.

Critical response
Edge praised the game's three dimensional terrain because it affects the movement speed of the player's units as well as their line of sight, concluding that Dark Reign "takes the realtime strategy wargames just that little bit further, and is a very fine game on its own right." GamePro hailed it as a strong entry in the genre, citing the simple interface, challenging A.I., impressive cut scenes, and mission editor. Next Generation stated that "As a whole, Dark Reign is one of the better strategy games to come across our reviews desk in a long time. By combining the best elements of past hits with a slew of new features and a wonderful mission editor, Dark Reign is sure to please." French magazine Backstab gave the game a positive review, lauding its visuals and AI.

Sales
Dark Reign was a commercial success at launch, and Activision declared the game its fastest-selling product by that time. In the United States, it debuted on PC Data's computer game sales rankings at #4 for September 1997, the highest position for a strategy game that month. It fell to 14th place the following month, and was absent from PC Data's top 20 by November. Dark Reign had "led charts overseas as well, scoring number one positions in both Germany and Australia during certain periods" by mid-November, according to PC Gamer US. As of that date, shipments to retailers had surpassed 400,000 units globally. The game's sell-through in the United States totaled 78,600 units by the end of 1997, which placed it behind competitors Total Annihilation and Age of Empires over the same period.

Dark Reign's global sales reached roughly 500,000 units by June 1999. At the time, Barry Stavro of the Los Angeles Times noted that it had become "a big hit in Germany and Australia". Its worldwide sales ultimately numbered 685,000 units by 2004, for revenues above $12 million.

Legacy
The Construction Kit shipped with the game allows the creation of anything from multiplayer / skirmish maps to full-fledged campaigns. Tools supplied with it allow for custom-created AI profiles to be created easily and scripted events to be implemented. As a result, there was a large community and several mods, including total conversions such as 'Edge Of Darkness', which added two new races and a host of new units and strategies.

Expansion packs
Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand was released on March 26, 1998. The expansion includes a new campaign, along with new maps and terrains. It also features two new sides, Xenite and Shadowhand, resulting in a total of four playable factions. Each of the new factions contains its own units and buildings which expand upon what was available via the original factions, with the Shadowhand including and expanding upon Imperium units and buildings from the original game, and with the Xenite doing the same for the Freedom Guard.

Battles of the Outer Rim was released in 1998. It was developed by Macmillan Digital Publishing USA. It includes six single player missions, 79 multiplayer maps and a searchable map browser.

Multiplayer Community
Dark Reign continues to be supported over 20 years following its original release with an open-source client being maintained on the community website.

Prequel
Dark Reign was followed by the prequel Dark Reign 2 in 2000.

title: Dark Reign: The Future of War


text:
Talk:Jane (magazine)

The fact that this entity is owned by the Walt Disney Company is mentioned in the article and in the article's catigorization. Therefore, the see also section is unnecessary. Gentgeen 05:55, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Daria
I've seen the episode; is there a source to confirm that the episode was designed to make fun of Jane magazine? The episode shows characters criticizing Val for just covering things like lipstick fashions and cute teen boy celebrities, things I don't associate with Jane. --Halloween jack 03:46, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Subscription Refund
Anyone looking to get their money back from subscription purposes can call Glamour at 18002747410Ouddy79 22:38, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Jane
This is a terrible magazine.--76.244.160.95 (talk) 01:40, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Jane (magazine)


text:
Merv Hughes

Mervyn Gregory Hughes (born 23 November 1961) is a former Australian cricketer. A right-arm fast bowler, he represented Australia in 53 Test matches between 1985 and 1994, taking 212 wickets. He played 33 One Day Internationals, taking 38 wickets. He took a hat-trick in a Test against the West Indies at the WACA in 1988–89. In 1993, he took 31 wickets in the Ashes series against England. He was a useful lower-order batsman, scoring two half-centuries in Tests and over 1,000 runs in all. He also represented the Victorian Bushrangers, Essex in English county cricket, the ACT Comets and Australia A in the World Series Cup.

Childhood
Hughes was born in Euroa, Victoria. He started kindergarten in Apollo Bay and his first year at school came when the family went back to Euroa. Organised sport began in 3rd grade at Werribee. In 5th grade, he pestered his father to be allowed to join football at Werribee where he held his own, despite the fact that he was one of the smallest players when out of his age group. Hughes' enthusiasm for sport was described as "unquenchable."

Domestic career
Hughes started his career playing district cricket with Footscray in 1978–79. Footscray has subsequently had their main home ground named after him; it is now known as the Mervyn G. Hughes Oval. He was selected for Victoria in 1981–82 and made his debut against the South Australian Redbacks.

International career
Hughes first appeared for Australia against India in 1985–86. He took 1–123 and was not re-selected until the Ashes series against England the following year.

At the WACA Ground in 1988–89, Hughes completed a hat-trick that was unusual as it was spread across three separate overs, two innings and two different days. He had Curtly Ambrose caught behind with the last ball of his 36th over; ended the West Indies' first innings in his 37th, by removing Patrick Patterson; and more than a day later, completed his hat-trick by trapping Gordon Greenidge lbw with the first ball of the West Indies' second innings. Hughes finished the match with career-best figures of 13/217, taking 5/130 in the first innings and 8/87 in the second.

The Australian selectors always viewed Hughes as a Test match player rather than a one-day player. He was generally only selected for the shorter game when another player was injured or otherwise unavailable.

Hughes' physical presence (a burly 6'4"), handlebar moustache, a penchant for exuberant displays of affection for his fellow players, along with a tendency to talk to the opposition in inventively colorful language (his nickname was "Fruitfly" – a somewhat incongruous nickname until Allan Border explained it was a reference to "Australia's greatest national pest") and a (some would say) "mincing" run-up (that at times stretched to 45 paces), made him a firm favourite amongst supporters, who would often imitate his warm-up stretches behind him en masse. In England, on his second Ashes tour in 1993, the crowd often chanted "Sumo" when he ran in to bowl.

Hughes played his last Test in Cape Town against South Africa in 1994.

After cricket
Late in his career, Hughes undertook a stint with the ACT Comets, which turned out to be unsuccessful. He claimed only five wickets at an average of 46.80 over six matches (Rodney Davison, Jimmy Maher, Jamie Cox, Shaun Young and Ryan Campbell).

Hughes replaced Allan Border in June 2005 as a selector for the Australian cricket team, although his performance as a selector came under much scrutiny after many controversial decisions and the loss of the number-one ranking in Test matches after the 2009 Ashes series. However, Australia would go on to have a successful 2009–10 summer, finishing undefeated in all three forms of the game. Hughes though, was later dropped as a selector for the Australian cricket team and subsequently replaced by Greg Chappell on 29 October 2010.

He is a prominent supporter of the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League and has also done some acting, portraying Ivan Milat in the comedy movie Fat Pizza. Additionally, Hughes has appeared on TV commercials as well, featuring losing weight with "The 14-day All-Bran Challenge" and appearing as himself in the English comedy show Hale and Pace.

Personal life
Hughes was a notorious consumer of alcohol and food. Towards the end of his career, this was felt to have increased damage to his knees and may have ultimately led to a shortening of his Australian and Victorian playing careers. Having always been rather overweight, he participated in both seasons of Channel Nine's Celebrity Overhaul to lose weight and improve his fitness. He was the top performer (weight-wise) in the first season of the show.

Hughes is noted for his large handlebar moustache. Described by Cricinfo as being "of incredible proportions", the moustache became sufficiently synonymous with Hughes for him to be rumored to insure it for £200,000. In a 2013 Sky Sports interview during the 2013 Ashes series, he quashed this rumour as being false.

Other sports
Hughes also played Australian rules football during the winter in the late 1970s and early 1980s; at his peak, he was a key position player for the Werribee Football Club in the Victorian Football Association first division.

In the media
In 2015, Hughes appeared on the Australian version of the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

In an interview for Hotspur magazine, Hughes revealed he has supported Tottenham Hotspur since the early 1980s. "I went to a mate's house to watch the FA Cup Final, everyone in the house was supporting the other team except the guy I sat next to. He was English, and I told him I was with him 100 per cent. Spurs won and I've supported them ever since."

title: Merv Hughes


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Dean Jones (cricketer)

Dean Mervyn Jones (24 March 1961 –24 September 2020) was an Australian cricket player, coach and commentator who played Tests and One Day Internationals (ODIs) for Australia. He had an excellent record in Test cricket and is best remembered for revolutionising the ODI format. Jones was a part of the Australian team that won their first world title during the 1987 Cricket World Cup. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was recognised as among the best ODI batsmen in the world, a view which has been validated in the retrospective ICC Player Rankings. His batting was often characterised by his agile footwork against both pace and spin, aggressive running between wickets, and willingness to take risks and intimidate bowlers. In 2019, Jones was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.

Domestic career
Jones began his first-class career in the 1981–82 season with Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. Jones also played for Durham and Derbyshire in the English County Championship. Jones captained Derbyshire to second place in the 1996 County Championship, their best finish for 60 years. Jones scored 1,338 runs in the season, more than any other Derbyshire player. He left Derbyshire mid-season in 1997 after disagreements with teammates. Jones also had run-ins with authority and teammates in his home state of Victoria. During his career, he scored 19,188 runs in first-class matches, including 55 centuries and 88 half centuries and a highest score of 324 not out, at an average of 51.85.

International career
Jones was selected on the 1984 tour of the West Indies after Graham Yallop had to pull out due to injury. He was not picked in the original XI, but was drafted into the side after Steve Smith fell ill. Jones himself was very ill before the Test, and deemed his score of 48 on his debut as his "best knock". Between 1984 and 1992, Jones played 52 Test matches for Australia, scoring 3,631 runs, including 11 centuries, at an average of 46.55.

His most notable innings was in only his third Test, against India in the Tied Test in Madras (Chennai) in 1986. Suffering from dehydration in the oppressively hot and humid conditions, Jones was frequently vomiting on the pitch. He wanted to go off the field "retired ill" which led his captain Allan Border to say that if he could not handle the conditions, he would "get a Queenslander" (Greg Ritchie, a Queenslander, was the next man in to bat). This comment spurred Jones to score 210, an innings he considered a defining moment in his career and one of the epic Test innings in Australian cricket folklore. This innings of 210 remains the highest score by an Australian cricketer in India. After his innings, Jones was put on to an intravenous drip.

One of the keys to Australia's unexpected victory in the 1987 Cricket World Cup was the batting foundation laid by the top three batsmen - Jones batting at number three behind the openers David Boon and Geoff Marsh. Jones would score a total of 314 runs at an average of 44, with 3 half-centuries. During a 1987 World Cup match against India, one of Jones' shots was changed from a four to a six during the innings break. Australia later won the match by one run. Jones was quoted as saying that he had spoken to the umpires to demand it was changed to a six.

Jones went on to be a mainstay of the Australian Test team middle order over the next six years and being one of the stars of the successful 1989 Ashes tour of England. He was recognised for his efforts by being named as one of Cricketers of the Year in the 1990 edition of Wisden Almanack. He was controversially dropped from the test team at the start of the 1992–93 season, despite having topped the averages in the previous Test series, against Sri Lanka.

Jones stayed in the one-day team a little longer: he was omitted from the one-day team for the 1993 Ashes tour, but managed to force his way back into the team for one last stint during the 1993–94 season. After Jones was dropped from the eighth and final ODI of the series in South Africa, Jones immediately announced his retirement from ODI cricket.

After cricket
After retiring in 1998, he continued to remain involved in cricket as a coach, commentator and writer for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

He was also a noted fundraiser for people with cancer. On 12 June 2006, in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, he was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for "service to cricket as a player, coach and commentator, and to the community through fundraising activities for organisations assisting people with cancer". In 2007, Jones was named in Australia's "greatest ever ODI team." He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.

Coaching career
Jones worked as the head coach of Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League (PSL). During his reign, Islamabad United won the 2016 and 2018 Pakistan Super Leagues. In November 2019, Jones became head coach of PSL team Karachi Kings, replacing Mickey Arthur ahead of the 5th edition of Pakistan Super League.

In October 2017, Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) appointed Jones as the interim head coach for Afghanistan's Intercontinental Cup fixture against Hong Kong.

Commentary career
He received the nickname "Professor Deano" after giving a pitch report for a television show by dressing up as a professor prior to the group stage match of the 2004 Asia Cup between India and Sri Lanka which was at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on 18 July 2004. He eventually emerged as one of the prominent broadcasters in cricket and was known for his work as commentator with Indian Premier League select dugout show in Star Sports. He also served as a summariser for BBC's Test Match Special and had a brief stint as a commentator in the Tamil Nadu Premier League as well as in the Karnataka Premier League. During his later part of commentary career, he voiced his opinions on reviving international cricket in Pakistan since 2009.

He also toured war-torn Afghanistan to work as a commentator for the fifth edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League in 2017. He narrowly escaped a suicide bomb blast at the Kabul International Cricket Ground while working as a commentator during a group match of the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League.

Controversy
An incident on 16 January 1993 during the first one-day final of the 1992–93 Benson & Hedges World Series against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, when he asked paceman Curtly Ambrose to remove the wristband he was wearing on his bowling arm. Riled by this request, Ambrose went on to take 5/32 for the match. He followed this up in the remaining two games of the Test series with a 10-wicket haul in Adelaide and then a famous spell of 7 for 1 in Perth to help the West Indies retain the Frank Worrell Trophy. Writing about the incident over 20 years later, Jones reflected that, at the time, he was struggling to keep his place in the team after having his thumb broken by Wasim Akram. Furthermore, Damien Martyn had taken Jones's spot in the Test side, and Jones was furious after coach Bob Simpson announced the team for the upcoming Test in Adelaide and was again left out. Jones noticed that Ambrose's white wristbands were causing difficulties for the batsmen, and thought that by asking him to remove them, "it would create a massive stir within the Windies team and might get Ambrose to bowl a different line and length".

Jones's commentating contract with 10 Sport was terminated after referring to South African player Hashim Amla as a "terrorist" on 7 August 2006. When Amla, who is a Muslim with a full beard, took a catch, Jones was heard to say "the terrorist gets another wicket". Jones made the comment during a commercial break; however, the comment went to air live in South Africa, as its broadcast had not been interrupted. He apologised for his actions.

In April 2020, Jones rescinded his life membership at Cricket Victoria and removed his name from the best men's one-day player award, the Dean Jones Medal. He suggested the administration had given "jobs for the boys" in hiring David Hussey and Michael Klinger as head coaches of the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades, respectively—jobs he had applied for at the time. The comments were labelled "a good bit of self-promotion" by Cricket Victoria performance boss Shaun Graf. Both the life membership and one-day player of the year were later reinstated posthumously in December of the same year with “full support” from his family.

Personal life
Jones had a sister and three brothers. He was married to Jane at the time of his death. They had two daughters together; Jones also had a son Koby Hamilton from another relationship.

Death
Jones died on 24 September 2020 in Mumbai due to a stroke, aged 59. It was originally reported he had a heart attack. He was a part of the 2020 Indian Premier League commentary team for the Star Network at the time of his death. Jones collapsed in a hotel in Mumbai at around midday IST (UTC+05:30). Fellow former Australian cricketer Brett Lee witnessed the emergency and attempted CPR to resuscitate Jones prior to an ambulance arriving. The Victorian Coroner confirmed that his death was caused by a stroke.

title: Dean Jones (cricketer)


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Pamela C. Rasmussen

Pamela Cecile Rasmussen (born October 16, 1959) is an American ornithologist and expert on Asian birds. She was formerly a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and is based at the Michigan State University. She is associated with other major centers of research in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Rasmussen's early research investigated South American seabirds and fossil birds from North America. She later specialised in Asian birds describing several new species and clarifying the status of others, particularly white-eyes and owls. More recently, she has been involved in large scale collaborations looking at patterns of global biodiversity, and has assessed the taxonomic status of South Asian vultures.

She was the main author of Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide, a landmark publication due to its greater geographical and species coverage compared to its predecessors. As a result of her study of museum bird specimens when researching for the book, she was instrumental in unveiling the extent of the theft from museums and fraudulent documentation perpetrated by eminent British ornithologist Richard Meinertzhagen.

Early life and career
Pamela Rasmussen is the daughter of Helen Rasmussen, a Seventh-Day Adventist, whose husband, Chester Murray Rasmussen, a doctor, had left the family when Pamela and her sisters were young. Her interest in birds started when her mother bought her the junior edition of Oliver Austin's Birds of the World, and Pamela subsequently always chose to receive bird books as presents.

She took her M.S. in 1983 at Walla Walla University, an Adventist-affiliated university in southeast Washington, and her Ph.D. at the University of Kansas in 1990. At Kansas, she studied blue-eyed shags, and was introduced to evolutionary theory, which had not been taught at her alma mater.

Rasmussen is a visiting assistant professor of zoology, and assistant museum curator of mammalogy and ornithology, at Michigan State University (MSU), having formerly been a research associate for the eminent American ornithologist S. Dillon Ripley at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) North American Classification Committee (NACC), a scientific associate with the bird group of the British Natural History Museum zoology section at Tring, and an associate editor of The Ibis, the scientific journal of the British Ornithologists' Union. She is a scientific affiliate for the Field Museum of Natural History and the founder and editor of AVoCet, MSU's avian vocalizations center. In 2020 she replaced the ornithologist Frank Gill as an editor of the IOC World Bird List, an online list maintained on behalf of the International Ornithologists' Union.

Rasmussen is married to Michael D. Gottfried, who is Curator of Paleontology, Associate Professor of Geology, and Director of the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science at MSU.

South American seabirds
Rasmussen's early work was largely focused on studies of the systematics, ecology and behaviour of Patagonian seabirds, notably cormorants. She studied plumage variations in juvenile blue-eyed, king and red-legged cormorants, and used plumage and behavioural patterns to establish relationships between king and blue-eyed shags. She also reviewed the fishing activity of olivaceous cormorants.

Asian birds
Rasmussen described four new Asian bird species from her study of museum specimens. The Nicobar scops owl Otus alius, the Sangihe scops owl Otus collari, and the cinnabar hawk owl Ninox ios, a Sulawesi endemic, all in 1998, and the Taiwan bush-warbler Bradypterus alishanensis in 2000. She rediscovered the forest owlet Athene blewitti, which had not been seen since 1884, in western India, previous searches by S. Dillon Ripley, Salim Ali and others having failed because they relied on fake documentation from Richard Meinertzhagen. In November 1997, Rasmussen and Ben King of the American Museum of Natural History spent ten days unsuccessfully searching two east Indian locations before driving west to the site of another old specimen, where King spotted a small, chunky owl with short, heavily white-feathered legs and huge claws, which Rasmussen confirmed as the target species whilst the owl was videotaped and photographed.

With her colleagues, she clarified the taxonomy of Indonesian white-eyes, establishing the specific status of the Sangihe white-eye Zosterops nehrkorni and the Seram white-eye Z. stalkeri and confirmed the identity of the Serendib scops owl which had originally been discovered in Sri Lanka by local ornithologist Deepal Warakagoda.

The imperial pheasant is a rare bird found in the forests of Vietnam and Laos. Rasmussen and her co-workers used morphology, hybridisation experiments, and DNA analysis to show that this pheasant, previously thought critically endangered, is actually a naturally occurring hybrid between the Vietnamese pheasant Lophura hatinhensis and the subspecies annamensis of the silver pheasant L. nycthemera.

A 2008 paper saw a return to white-eye taxonomy with the formal description of the Togian white-eye Zosterops somadikartai, an endemic species of the Togian Islands of Indonesia, which, unlike most of its relatives, lacks the white ring around the eye which give this group of birds its name. Rasmussen noted that the Togian white-eye is distinctive not only in its appearance, but also in its lilting song, which sounds higher pitched and is less varied in frequency than the songs of its close relatives.

Pamela Rasmussen's interest in Asian birds led to her involvement in more specifically conservation-directed projects. Two Gyps vultures, the Indian white-rumped vulture, Gyps bengalensis, and the "long-billed vulture" suffered a 99 percent population decrease in South Asia due to poisoning by diclofenac, a veterinary drug that causes kidney failure in birds that have eaten the carcasses of treated cattle. Rasmussen showed that there are two distinct species of long-billed vulture: the Indian vulture G. indicus and slender-billed vulture G. tenuirostris. This is important to conservation, since a captive-breeding program has been established to assist the recovery of at-risk vulture species.

Biodiversity
In 2005, Rasmussen was part of a large multi-institutional collaboration investigating biodiversity hotspots, which have a prominent role in conservation. The study assessed locations quantitatively for three criteria of bird diversity – species richness, the level of threat, and the number of endemic species. The results demonstrated that hotspots did not show the same geographical distribution for each factor. Only 2.5% of hotspot areas are common to all three aspects of diversity, with over 80% of hotspots registering on only one criterion. Each criterion explained less than 24% of the variation in the other factors, suggesting that even within a single taxonomic class, different mechanisms are responsible for the origin and maintenance of various aspects of diversity. Consequently, the different types of hotspots also vary greatly in their utility as conservation tools.

Rasmussen's recent work has concentrated on further large-scale collaborations with the same group of institutions studying global patterns in biodiversity. A survey of species richness and geographical range size did not show the decrease in range size from temperate regions to the tropics that had been previously assumed; although that pattern was largely true in the northern hemisphere, it did not appear to apply in the southern hemisphere. Research evaluating the relationship between extinction and human impact showed that, after controlling for species richness, the best predictors of the global pattern of extinction risk are measures of human impact, with ecological factors being of secondary importance. An examination of the distribution of rare and threatened vertebrate species, showed differing patterns for bird, mammal and amphibian species, which has consequences for hotspot-based conservation strategies.

Other studies by Rasmussen and her international colleagues looked at the importance of energy availability, and a 2007 paper showed that global patterns of spatial turnover are driven principally by widespread species rather than restricted ones. This complements other work, and helps to establish a unified model of how terrestrial biodiversity varies both within and between the Earth's major land masses.

Paleo ornithology
A fossil site at a borrow pit in near Cheswold, Delaware created during highway construction unearthed 11 specimens of fragmentary and unassociated avian fossils, which were identified by Rasmussen as including a small loon, a small gull-like species and five specimens of a gannet-like seabird, probably Morus loxostylus, a common species in the Miocene. All of these forms were already known from a site in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. The finds suggests that the Delaware site was the near-shore area of a large bay at the time of deposition.

Rasmussen was also involved in a review of fossil birds from Miocene and Pliocene deposits in North Carolina. Finds included an early Miocene loon Colymboides minutus, various ducks, a crested tern closely resembling the modern royal tern Sterna maxima, and a member of the crow genus, one of the few fossil passerine birds from that period. The review found that fossil birds from this period generally closely resemble a modern species or genus, and those that do not can usually be placed in a modern family with a fair degree of confidence.

Birds of South Asia
In 1992, Rasmussen took the position of assistant to S. Dillon Ripley, the former secretary of the Smithsonian, who was planning to produce a definitive guide to the birds of South Asia. When he became ill shortly after beginning the project, Rasmussen took over the project, and with artist John C. Anderton, produced Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide, a two-volume bird guide for the Indian subcontinent which was the first field guide for the area to include sonograms. Volume 1 contains the field guide with over 3400 illustrations in 180 plates, and more than 1450 colour maps. Volume 2 (Attributes and Status) gives specimen measurements, data about identification, status, distribution and habits. Vocalizations are described from recordings, and there are over 1000 sonograms.

1508 species that have occurred in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, the Chagos archipelago and Afghanistan are covered, including 85 hypothetical and 67 'possible' species, which are given only short accounts. Notable aspects of Birds of South Asia are its distribution evidence-base – the book's authors based their distributional information almost completely on museum specimens – and its taxonomic approach, involving a large number of species-level splits. Its geographical range was also greater than that of older works, notably in the inclusion of Afghanistan.

Many allopatric forms previously regarded as conspecific are treated by Rasmussen and Anderton as full species. Most of these had previously been proposed elsewhere, but the book introduced a number of innovations of its own. Experts on Asian birds, Nigel Collar and John Pilgrim, in 2008 analysed Rasmussen and Anderton's proposed changes, indicating which had previously been proposed by other authors, and which were novel, and required further justification.

Although reviews in the birding and ornithological press have often been favourable, there have been criticisms. Peter Kennerley, author and Asian bird expert, considered that some of the illustrations are small and garish or technically inaccurate. He also believes that the over-reliance on sometimes very old museum specimens and dismissal of the wealth of observational data filed by amateur travelling birders is a mistake, and states that many of the taxonomic decisions appear to be random choices, unsupported by published research.

Apart from the Meinertzhagen fraud, which is discussed in the next section, and the death of S. Dillon Ripley, other problems in the production of Birds of South Asia included the loss of the main map database during a trip to Burma, and poorly prepared specimen skins. There were also difficulties reconciling sources, delays in producing illustrations and maps, and in obtaining reliable data for "difficult" areas like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands also presented serious challenges with regard to the status and taxonomy of their avifaunas.

Rasmussen considered in a 2005 paper whether the revised taxonomy of the book, with its many species splits, had significant conservation implications, but felt that the effect on species richness in South Asia was limited, and would have only a moderate conservation impact, increasing the number of potentially threatened species in the region from 6% of the total avifauna to about 7%.

Meinertzhagen fraud
Rasmussen revealed the true extent of the major fraud perpetrated by the eminent British officer, ornithologist and expert on bird lice, Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen. Meinertzhagen, who died in 1967, was the author of numerous taxonomic and other works on birds, and possessed a vast collection of bird and bird lice specimens; he was considered one of Britain's greatest ornithologists. However, British ornithologist Alan Knox had analysed Meinertzhagen's bird collection at the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum in Tring, UK in the early 1990s, and uncovered significant fraud involving theft of specimens from museums and falsification of the accompanying documentation.

When researching for Birds of South Asia, Rasmussen examined tens of thousands of bird specimens, since the late S. Dillon Ripley had strongly favoured the use of museum specimens to determine which birds to include. With Robert Prys-Jones of the Natural History Museum, she showed that the decades-old Meinertzhagen fraud was far more extensive than first thought. Many of the 20,000 bird specimens in his collection had been relabelled with regard to where they were collected, and sometimes also remounted. The false documentation delayed the rediscovery of the forest owlet, since previous searches had relied on Meinertzagen's faked records. Rasmussen's successful expedition ignored these and looked in the areas identified by the remaining genuine specimens.

Meinertzhargen had been banned from the Natural History Museum's Bird Room for 18 months for unauthorised removal of specimens, and suspicions that he was stealing specimens and library material were documented by staff for over 30 years, twice reaching the verge of prosecution.

Falsified records identified by Rasmussen and Prys-Jones included high-altitude occurrences of coral-billed scimitar-babbler Pomatorhinus ferruginosus, out-of-range Kashmir flycatcher Ficedula subrubra and Himalayan winter records of ferruginous flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea and large blue flycatcher Cyornis magnirostris (then treated as a subspecies of C. banyumas). However, some records such as those for Afghan snowfinch Montifringilla theresae, a species Meinertzhagen described, appear to be genuine.

Exhibitions
MSUM has regular exhibitions; those featuring Rasmussen's projects include "Land of the Feathered Dragons: China and the Origin of Birds" in 2015, “They Passed Like a Cloud: The Passenger Pigeon and Extinction” in 2014, “Echoes of Silent Spring: 50 Years of Environmental Awareness” (for the Silent Spring 50th anniversary in 2012), “Avelution: Birds in the Development of Darwin’s Theories of Evolution,” in 2010 and "Birds of South Asia: History vs. Mystery," in 2003–2004. The last was also shown at the Detroit Zoo Wildlife Interpretive Gallery in 2005–2006.

title: Pamela C. Rasmussen


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McNabb

McNabb is a Scottish surname. Notable people with the surname include:

 * Brayden McNabb (born 1991), Canadian ice hockey player for the Vegas Golden Knights
 * Carl McNabb (1917–2007), baseball player
 * Charles H. McNabb, American politician
 * Chet McNabb (1920–1990), American professional basketball player
 * D. Paul McNabb (died 1963), American politician
 * Donald McNabb (1870–1934), Canadian politician
 * Donovan McNabb (born 1976), former American football quarterback
 * Duncan McNabb (born 1952), US Air Force general
 * Edgar McNabb (1865–1894), baseball player
 * Ian McNabb (born 1960), British musician
 * J. Martin McNabb (1847–1926), American politician
 * James McNabb (c. 1776–1820), Upper Canadian businessman and political figure
 * James Alexander MacNabb (1901–1990), British rower
 * Juan Conway McNabb (1925–2016), Catholic bishop
 * Ross McNabb (1934–1972), New Zealand mycologist
 * Sean McNabb (born 1965), American musician (bassist)
 * Vincent McNabb (1868–1943), Irish scholar and priest

Fictional Characters
 * Colin McNabb, a character in Agatha Christie's novel Hickory Dickory Dock

title: McNabb


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Ramnaresh Sarwan

Ramnaresh Ronnie Sarwan (born 23 June 1980) is a former Guyanese cricketer who played as a batsman. He is a former member and former captain of the West Indies cricket team, in all formats. Sarwan went on to average over 40 in both the test and one day international forms of cricket. He is considered to be one of the best batter of his generation. Sarwan was a member of the West Indies team that won the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy, and was subsequently the player of the tournament.

He was named as captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the 2013 inaugural tournament of the Caribbean Premier League. Sarwan also played for Guyana, Gloucestershire, Kings XI Punjab and Leicestershire in his cricketing career.

Youth career
Sarwan first became fond of cricket at primary school. He later became a member of the Georgetown Cricket Club, where he was mentored by the likes of Carl Hooper, Keith Semple and Roger Harper. Sarwan was a part of the Windies' squad for the 1998 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The Caribbean side eventually lost to Bangladesh in the plate final. With a sum of 16 dismissals, he was the highest wicket taker at the tournament, in a tie with Mluleki Nkala of Zimbabwe.

Rise in ranks
Sarwan made his Test debut against Pakistan at Barbados in May 2000 – a match in which he was unbeaten in both innings including a first innings score of 84 not out. He missed scoring his maiden Test century against South Africa in March 2001 when he was run out for 91. His score of 78 in the second Test against India at Chennai in October 2002 was his fifth innings of 75+ that was not converted into a century. His maiden Test century came in his next Test series against Bangladesh at Dhaka. His next Test century came against Australia at St. John's in May 2003. As a part-time right arm leg-break bowler, Sarwan picked up his best test bowling figures, in June 2004, with 4 for 37 against Bangladesh.

In September of that year, the Windies went on to win the final of the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy against England with Sarwan being named as the player of the tournament.

With an investigation being led in 2004 by the International Cricket Council into most of the world's international-class bowlers, Sarwan was found to be the only bowler tested who did not transgress the Laws of Cricket regarding the straightening of the arm during delivery.

On 23 May 2006, Sarwan scored 115 not out in his hundredth one day international. This was the third game of a five match odi series played against India at the Warner Park Sporting Complex in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

On 23 June 2006, on his 26th birthday, while playing against India Sarwan hit six fours in an over off Munaf Patel at St. Kitts' Warner Park Sporting Complex. In so doing he equalled the record of Sandeep Patil with six fours hit off Bob Willis from seven deliveries, Sanath Jayasuriya with six fours hit off James Anderson in six balls and Chris Gayle with six fours hit off Matthew Hoggard from six deliveries.

Sarwan was dropped from the side for the second Test against Pakistan in November 2006. It was the first time in his six-year career that he had missed a game due to poor form. According to captain Brian Lara "It wasn't designed as a drop. We just wanted to make him aware of the situation and come back stronger. We need him and we need him to take control."

Captaincy
On 29 April 2007 it was announced that Sarwan was to succeed the retiring Brian Lara as captain of the West Indies following the side's exit from the 2007 World Cup.

During the second Test in the West Indies tour of England in May 2007, Sarwan injured his shoulder when he collided with a boundary fence while attempting to prevent a four. This shoulder injury ruled him out of the remainder of the tour and for a further ten months.

Post captaincy
Sarwan returned to the West Indies side in 2008 for the home series against Sri Lanka, as vice-captain to Chris Gayle. Throughout the series Sarwan scored over 50 in four consecutive innings, including a match-winning century, at an average of 77.75. He was also named man of the series for his batting feats.

In the subsequent 2008 Test series against Australia, Sarwan continued his fine batting form. With Sarwan scoring a half century and a matching saving 128 in the second Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua. At the age 28 years, 228 days he became the youngest West Indian to reach the 5,000 runs milestone when he scored a century in the first Test of the 2009 home series against England at Sabina Park in Jamaica. In scoring his 13th Test match century Sarwan equalled the record for the most centuries in the fourth innings – a record he shared until 2017 with Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting. He went on to notch his highest test innings score, being 291 in the first innings of the fourth test of the said series played in March 2009 at Barbados' Kensington Oval. Sarwan's knock equalled the highest test innings of Vivian Richards which was also scored against England in 1976 at The Oval in South London.

Late career
Sarwan did however lose his central contract due to poor fitness and indifferent form. West Indies coach Ottis Gibson stated that leaving Sarwan out was a tough decision but he will make many contributions to the West Indies in the future and that he needs time to regain his form. Therefore, he wasn't selected for the tour of Sri Lanka along with regular wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.

He played his last international match as an ODI against India at The Oval on 11 June 2013. Sarwan announced his retirement from international cricket in September 2016.

Domestic career
In July 2005 Sarwan signed for English county cricket team Gloucestershire. He later joined Indian Premier League outfit Kings XI Punjab for their 2008 season.

Having fallen out of international favour, Sarwan went on to sign for English county side Leicestershire for the 2012 English season. Sarwan had an impressive debut season in averaging 40.91 for the County Championship side. During December 2012 Sarwan was appointed Leicestershire's new skipper replacing former captain Matthew Hoggard.

Controversy
Sarwan was accused of corruption and match-fixing in 2011, but his charges were dismissed. West Indies cricket official Ernest Hilaire cited irresponsible reporting as the reason rumours spread that batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was under investigation for match-fixing. In 2020, Chris Gayle called Ramnaresh Sarwan 'worse than global pandemic'. However, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) decided to close controversial issue.

Style of play
For much of his career, Sarwan wore a bandana under his helmet whilst batting but dropped the practice due to a change in the design of helmet. He shared the habit of his fellow countrymen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Narsingh Deonarine of marking his guard with a bail.

Personal life
Sarwan was born in an Indo-Guyanese family to Kishan and Kumari Sarwan, as the eldest of their three children, in Wakenaam, an island in Guyana's Essequibo River. He later married Cindy Parsram as per Hindu rituals in 2013. They have three children together.

Career best performances
as of 23 June 2013

title: Ramnaresh Sarwan


text:
McRae

McRae is a Scottish Gaelic surname. It may refer to:

People

 * McRae (surname)

Canada

 * McRae, Alberta

United States

 * McRae, Alabama
 * McRae, Arkansas
 * McRae, Florida
 * McRae, Georgia
 * McRae–Helena, Georgia, formed by the 2015 merger of the two cities
 * McRae, Virginia
 * Fort McRae, a Union Army post in what is now Sierra County, New Mexico

Other uses

 * CSS McRae, a Confederate gunboat in the American Civil War
 * McRae River, a river in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand's South Island
 * McRae River (Western Australia), a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
 * McRae's, an American department store chain

title: McRae


text:
Dean Jones

Dean Jones may refer to:
 * Dean Jones (cricketer) (1961–2020), Australian cricketer
 * Dean Jones (actor) (1931–2015), American actor
 * Dean Jones, singer of Extreme Noise Terror

title: Dean Jones


text:
Frank Worrell

Sir Frank Mortimer Maglinne Worrell (1 August 1924 – 13 March 1967), sometimes referred to by his nickname of Tae, was a West Indies cricketer and Jamaican senator. A stylish right-handed batsman and useful left-arm seam bowler, he became famous in the 1950s as the second black captain of the West Indies cricket team. Along with Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of the West Indian cricket. He was the first batter to have been involved in two 500-run partnerships and remained the only one until Ravindra Jadeja emulated him in the 2010s.

The Frank Worrell Trophy is awarded to the winner of the frequent Test series between Australia and West Indies

He spent some time studying economics and playing in England. A memorial service was held in his honour in Westminster Abbey, the first such honour for a sportsman.

In 2009, Worrell was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He is widely regarded as the Nelson Mandela of cricket.

Career
Frank Worrell was born in Barbados, within a mile of its Test ground. He played first class cricket for Barbados when he first came to prominence. By 1947, his mother had moved to New York City, and his father was away at sea most of the time, and Worrell moved to Jamaica. Thereafter he played cricket for Jamaica.

As a player for West Indies, Worrell made his debut in 1947–48 versus the England team of Gubby Allen. Following this series he settled in England to play for Radcliffe, Lancashire, in the Central Lancashire League and to read economics at Manchester University. He made his highest Test score of 261 against England at Trent Bridge in 1950, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1951.

Following a successful campaign led by C. L. R. James, who was then the editor of The Nation in Trinidad, the period of white Test captaincy in the West Indies came to an end. Worrell became the first black cricketer to captain the West Indies cricket team for an entire series, thus breaking the colour barriers then found in West Indian cricket. He led the side on two particularly notable tours. The first was to Australia in 1960–61. Both Worrell and his opposing captain, Richie Benaud, encouraged their teams to play attacking cricket. The first Test of the series ended in a dramatic tie. Though West Indies lost the series 2–1, with one draw in addition to the tie, they took much credit for contributing to the series. Such was their performance and conduct on Australian soil that they were given a large ticker-tape parade in Australia at the end of their tour.

On 3 February 1962, Nari Contractor, the captain of the touring Indian team, received a career-ending head injury from a bouncer bowled by West Indies fast bowler Charlie Griffith. Worrell was the first player from both sides to donate blood to the injured Contractor, which saved his life.

In 1963, West Indies toured England. They were again popular, and this time they also won the series 3–1, and it was West Indies' second series victory in England after their 3–1 win in 1950.

Worrell retired after the West Indies–England series. When he left professional cricket, he became Warden of Irvine Hall at the University of the West Indies, and was appointed to the Jamaican Senate by Sir Alexander Bustamante. He strongly supported a closer political union between the nations of the Caribbean. He was knighted for his services to cricket in 1964.

Worrell managed the West Indies during the 1964–65 visit by Australia. He accompanied the team to India in the winter of 1966–67.

Worrell was the first West Indian to carry his bat in a Test innings. Whilst in India, he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

He died aged 42, a month after returning to Jamaica. A memorial service was held in his honour in Westminster Abbey, the first such honour for a sportsman, the next being for Bobby Moore in 1993.

Trophy
Since the 1960–61 series, the Frank Worrell Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Test series between Australia and West Indies.

Ground
The Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, also or formerly known as University of West Indies Ground, is a cricket stadium in Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. The Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at the university's Mona Campus in Jamaica in also named for Worrell.

Banknote
In March 2002, "to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Central Bank of Barbados", a limited-edition $5 banknote bearing Worrell's likeness was issued.

Stamp
In 1988, he was celebrated on the $2 Barbadian stamp alongside the Barbados Cricket Buckle.

University halls and lecture
The annual Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture was instituted at University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, by Professor Hilary Beckles. The inaugural lecture, "Sir Frank and the rise of West Indies cricket" was delivered by Michael Manley in 1994. Nearby one of the Halls of Residence is named after him.

Memorial Committee
In 2007, the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Committee was founded to mark the 40th anniversary of his death (which coincided with the opening match – West Indies Pakistan, Sabina Park, Jamaica, of the ICC Cricket World Cup hosted across the islands).

Blood donation drives
In 2009, the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Blood Drive was begun in Trinidad and Tobago, inaugurated by the 74-year-old Nari Contractor, to whom Worrell had donated blood after his head injury in 1962. In remembrance of this, the Cricket Association of Bengal organises a blood donation drive on this day every year, and the day is commemorated as Sir Frank Worrell Day in the state of West Bengal in India.

Food outlet branding
Tibb's Frankie, since 1969, is an Indian-centred chain of over 150 stuffed, crispened pita outlets named after him as the founder's favourite cricketer; its signature and custom wraps are "Frankies". An outlet operates in the O2 Business Tower in Dubai.

Films and entertainment
He also made a special guest appearance in the 1967 Bollywood film Around the World. He had a small role with actor Om Prakash and Mehmood.

title: Frank Worrell


text:
Talk:Soapnet

Untitled
The fact that this entity is owned by the Walt Disney Company is mentioned in the article and in the article's catigorization. Therefore, the see also section is unnecessary. Gentgeen 05:59, 13 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I believe it would be in the best interest of this page to list the dates the shows aired on SoapNet instead of their original run, which is accessible by clicking on each show's link. Would anyone care to attempt this undertaking? 68.7.212.126 05:04, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

http://www.news4jax.com/news/17844042/detail.html I'm not sure which program this is from, but this controversy could apply to either the channel or to the program itself. WhisperToMe (talk) 16:04, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Disney Cinemagic
"Soapnet will begin airing CBS' canceled TeleNext Media soap, Guiding Light on October 4, 2010, and the channel will also air another TeleNext Media soap As the World Turns on January 3, 2011."

I don't see Guiding Light on Soapnet's schedule, nor any news of As The World Turns joining the lineup. 9Can anyone verify this info, before I delete it?Normstradamus (talk) 23:47, 16 November 2010 (UTC)

Headquarters in Newark, New Jersey
Can anyone provide a physical address for SoapNet in Newark? I look on various search engines and websites and found nothing other then what was copied from Wikipedia that substantiates that SoapNet is based in New Jersey. The only clues that I found were an address in Burbank, California which is the building where ABC/Disney Cable Networks is based out of. If after a certain time no one response or provide required info I'll change it to read that the headquarters in Burbank and not Newark. 3littlemaidsfromschool (talk) 08:51, 12 December 2010 (UTC)

 * @3littlemaidsfromschool, I've changed this information to Burbank, California because your right there isn't anything to indicate that they are based in Newark, New Jersey. I've included a link (see here) from the Hoovers Business Directory which shows that Soapnet's headquarters is at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. TheGoofyGolfer (talk) 03:24, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

2008 primetime ratings
In Total Viewers (364,000), driven by all-time highs for "All My Children" and "One Life to Live," October 2008 qualified as Soapnet's most-watched month in 20 months (since February 2007), and third-most-watched in the net's history. Additionally, SOAPnet recorded its largest October audience ever.

� In Women 18-49 (120,000), October 08 wrapped as SOAPnet's most-watched month in Prime since September 07, ranking as the net's top rated October on record in the target demo.

� Year to year, Soapnet improved by 27% in Total Viewers (364,000 vs. 286,000) and by 4% in Women 18-49 (120,000 vs. 115,000).

Sales Prime (M-Su, 7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.)

� In October 08, Soapnet delivered its largest audience in the net's history in Total Viewers (375,000 tied September 06), and qualified as the net's top rated month in a year in Women 18-49 (122,000 since October 07).

Available in 71.0 million U.S. homes as of November 1, 2008, SOAPnet increased its household presence by 3.9 million homes in a year's span (67.1 million)

"The Young and the Restless" (M-F, 7:00-8:00 p.m.) Growing its audience for the fifth straight month, "The Young and the Restless" recorded its largest monthly audience ever on SOAPnet in Women 18-49 (204,000), and third-largest yet in Total Viewers (642,000). November 2007 had 539,000 viewers.

� Versus year-ago levels, "The Young and the Restless" climbed by an impressive 50% in Total Viewers (642,000 vs. 428,000) and by 27% in Women 18-49 (204,000 vs. 161,000).

"All My Children" (M-F, 8:00-9:00 p.m.) Delivering its second straight month of growth, October 08 stood as "All My Children"'s most-watched month on record on SOAPnet in Total Viewers (461,000), and hit October-best levels in Women 18-49 (150,000).

� Versus year-ago levels, "All My Children" improved by 44% in Total Viewers (461,000 vs. 320,000) and by 11% in Women 18-49 (150,000 vs. 135,000).

"One Life to Live" (M-F, 9:00-10:00 p.m.) Recording its second consecutive month of gains, "One Life to Live" delivered its largest audience ever on SOAPnet in Total Viewers (417,000 tied June 06); increasing over year-ago levels by a substantial 38% (303,000 in October 07).

� Enjoying its most-watched month in over one year in Women 18-49 (150,000 - since September 07), "One Life to Live" hit October highs in the core demo, up by a solid 34% year to year (112,000 in October 07).

"General Hospital" (M-F, 10:00-11:00 p.m.) In October 08, "General Hospital" generated its largest October audience of all time in Total Viewers (442,000), garnering the show's largest audience in seven months (since March 08).

Days of Our Lives (M-F, 11:00 p.m.-midnight) The show drew 219,000 Total Viewers, garnering the show's largest audience in eight months (since February 08).

Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Ratings, October 08: 9/29/08-10/26/08, Most Current). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.49.246.237 (talk) 17:38, 28 April 2011 (UTC)

What do you mean Soapnet is changing into Disney Junior?
Why would they change Soapnet into Disney Junior? Soapnet is a grown-ups channel, and Disney Junior is a baby channel. Who would ever replace a grown-ups channel with a baby one? Should've replaced it with Playhouse Disney... 82.13.79.52 (talk) 18:23, 20 May 2011 (UTC)

Playhouse Disney is Disney Junior. They changed the name well before they created the new channel. Azzychan (talk) 12:49, 14 February 2013 (UTC)

Official closure date
We now have an official announcement from Disney of the date Disney Junior will replace Soapnet: March 23, 2012. -- Gridlock Joe (talk) 22:42, 9 January 2012 (UTC)

I doubt that's the closure date because Soapnet is advertising a marathon of "Make it or Break it" for Sunday on Soapnet. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.3.10.130 (talk) 22:24, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

It doesn't seem that Soapnet is closing anytime soon. I have BrightHouse Networks, and we have both Disney Junior and Soapnet. Azzychan (talk) 12:50, 14 February 2013 (UTC)

Capitalization
According to Wikipedia's Manual of Style trademark names have simple capitalization on Wikipedia despite the preferred styling of the tradmark owner. See MOS:TM. (So for example we use "Time (magazine)" rather than "TIME".) Accordingly I have changed SOAPnet to Soapnet in the article. —teb728 t c 20:47, 15 January 2012 (UTC)

title: Talk:Soapnet


text:
Military strike

In the military of the United States, strikes and raids are a group of military operations that, alongside quite a number of others, come under the formal umbrella of military operations other than war (MOOTW). What the definition of a military strike is depends on which particular branch of the military is using them. However, they do have formal, general, definitions in the United States Department of Defense's Joint Publication 1-02:
 * strike:An attack to damage or destroy an objective or a capability.
 * raid:An operation to temporarily seize an area in order to secure information, confuse an adversary, capture personnel or equipment, or to destroy a capability culminating with a planned withdrawal.

For the United States Air Force, strikes and raids are the least common types of MOOTW, there only having been eight of them in the period from 1947 to 1997, including Operation Just Cause, Operation Urgent Fury, and Operation El Dorado Canyon. For the United States Marine Corps, the latter was also a raid, and Operation Praying Mantis was a strike.

title: Military strike


text:
Mark Richardson (cricketer)

Mark Hunter Richardson (born 11 June 1971) is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was a left-handed opening batsman. He represented New Zealand in 38 Test matches between 2000 and 2004. During his cricketing career he played for Auckland, Buckinghamshire and Otago as well as for Dunedin Metropolitan in the Hawke Cup.

International career
Richardson began his career as a left-arm spinner, batting at number 10. As his bowling ability declined, he worked on developing his batting, to the point where he was selected as an opening batsman for New Zealand, at age 29. His dour approach to batting – he described the range of shots he played as "the straight drive, the forward defensive and 27 variations on the leave" – provided vital stability to New Zealand's batting order at a time when they were notorious for collapses.

Richardson scored 2776 Test runs at an average of 44.77, including four centuries and 19 fifties. His sole Test wicket came in a match against Pakistan in 2001, dismissing Mohammad Yousuf, then known as Yousuf Youhana, caught and bowled for 203.

He was not known for his capable fielding in the one day game. His nickname Rigor is short for Rigor Mortis and was given to him in 1996 by Shane Bond because Bond thought he moved with the speed and agility of a dead man. In addition to his slow running, Richardson was also noted for developing (in conjunction with the Beige Brigade) a tradition to challenge the slowest runner of the opposing side to a running race at the conclusion of each tour. In his first race he beat Australia's Darren Lehmann. He has since raced Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, South Africa's Neil McKenzie and England's Ashley Giles, only beating Kaneria. The Beige Brigade also supplied Richardson with a long-sleeved and hooded running suit in the New Zealand teams 1980s beige and brown colours.

On 16 October 2003, Richardson was batting against India in Mohali when he suffered a severe leg cramp after playing a sweep shot, forcing him onto the ground and yelling in agony. The spectacle and its replays amused the crowd and the players during the subsequent break in play.

He retired from all forms of cricket in December 2004, saying he could not sustain the intensity needed to compete at international level. He noted that he finished with "a Test bowling average that is better than Sir Richard Hadlee's (22.29), and a 50-50 record in the end-of-series running race." He scored 9,994 first-class runs during his career, remarked that the tally was "only different from Donald Bradman's Test batting average by a decimal point" (Bradman finished his career with an average of 99.94).

After cricket
Richardson was a cricket commentator for SKY Sports from 2006 to 2020, and he has been a commentator for Spark Sport since 2020. He co-hosted Prime show The Crowd Goes Wild with Andrew Mulligan from February 2006 to December 2016. He has hosted The Block NZ since 2012, and was the sport presenter on The AM Show from February 2017 to December 2021. He was also an afternoon talkback host with Leah Panapa on Today FM from March 2022 to March 2023. Previously, he has been a breakfast radio announcer for The Sound and Radio Sport (with a radio-based show of The Crowd Goes Wild).

Richardson has commented in the media in defense of Donald Trump, saying in July 2018, "people need to give [Trump] a shot". He has been highly critical of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's decision to have a child in office. He was criticised for saying previously that "being a mum is not a job".

After the 2018 Budget, Richardson told his tenants live on air that their rent would be going up to compensate him for losses due to the Government's budget.

title: Mark Richardson (cricketer)


text:
Shaun Pollock

Shaun Maclean Pollock (born 16 July 1973) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer, who was captain in all formats of the game. A bowling all-rounder, Pollock along with Allan Donald formed a bowling partnership for many years. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2003. Pollock was a member of the South Africa team that won the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, the only ICC trophy the country has won till date.

On 11 January 2008 he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket after his 303rd One Day International on 3 February. Pollock now works as a commentator on SuperSport's coverage of South African cricket.

In November 2021, he was inducted to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Prominence
He is joint 10th in the all-time best ever bowler ratings in the ICC Ratings, and has taken over 400 wickets and at the time of his retirement was one of only six players to have scored 3000 runs and taken 300 wickets in Test matches.

In June 2007 he represented an Africa XI in an ODI game against an Asia XI in Bangalore. Playing as a specialist batsman, Pollock scored 130 from number 7 in the batting order, the highest ever score by an ODI batsman in that position. The record would however not last long, MS Dhoni bettered it later in the series. In 2007, he received the SA Player's Player award and the SA ODI Player of the Year Award.

He was the leading wicket taker for South Africa in Tests until Dale Steyn overtook him on 26 December 2018. He took over 400 test wickets and scored over 3,700 test runs in his 108 Test matches.

Captaincy
Shaun Pollock was a bowling all-rounder. After Hansie Cronje was banned from cricket for life, Pollock took over the captaincy in April 2000. He was eventually removed from the captaincy after South Africa's performance in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

Although no longer captain, he retained his place in the team. After a disappointing Test series tour of Australia in 2005/2006, he faced criticism for losing his wicket taking ability. He has the lowest (best) economy rate of any bowler to have taken 300 ODI wickets, and he is also the first South African and only the tenth player to take 400 Test wickets. In September 2007 he was dropped from the South African test side for the first time in his career. Pollock was later readded to the test series against the West Indies, whereupon he announced his retirement, effective on 3 February 2008. He stated that "I realise I have been blessed by God and feel I have nurtured my talents to the best of my abilities." After South Africa sealed a series victory against the West Indies, Graeme Smith paid tribute to Pollock, stating "It's very important that people celebrate what he's given to South African cricket and what he's achieved as an individual."

Domestic career
Pollock took four wickets in four balls on his first appearance for Warwickshire – in a limited-overs (B&H Cup) game v Leicestershire at Birmingham in 1996.

In Summer 2008 Pollock represented Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, and Durham Dynamos in the 2008 Twenty20 Cup in England. He played for Durham County Cricket Club in the North East of England and along with fellow South African Albie Morkel was used mainly in the Twenty20 Cup competition.

Of the 18 players who have bowled at least 2,000 balls for South Africa in ODIs, Pollock's economy rate of 3.65 runs per over was the second best behind that of Fanie de Villiers.

Records

 * Shaun Pollock has the record for the most Test centuries while batting at number 9 or below (2).
 * He also holds the record for playing the most ODI innings before scoring a century (189).
 * Shaun Pollock also holds the record for becoming the first test captain to be stranded or to be remained unbeaten on 99 in a test innings.
 * He too holds the record for taking the most ODI wickets when playing at home soil (193).
 * Shaun Pollock holds the record for bowling most Maiden overs in ODI history (313).

Personal life
Pollock comes from a family of mainly Scottish ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Andrew Pollock, who played for Orange Free State, was born in Edinburgh. He attended Northwood School in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. He is married with two daughters. His wife was a finalist in the Miss South Africa pageant in the early '90s and worked for a South African telecom company. He is a teetotaler and a devout Christian. Pollock is a graduate of the University of Natal with a bachelor's degree in commerce.

title: Shaun Pollock


text: Category:Unincorporated communities in California