HOT OR NOT: Rishabh Pant’s century against England was showboating in a delightful manner

HOT OR NOT: Rishabh Pant’s century against England was showboating in a delightful manner… while Zlatan Ibrahimovic took a huge beating by LeBron James

  • Rishabh Pant’s century against England was showing off in most delightful way
  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic took one hell of a beating from NBA all-star LeBron James
  • Trainer Gordon Elliott’s shocking photo on dead horse will always stick with him 

It’s Hot or Not time again as Sportsmail’s Riath Al-Samarrai reveals what’s been making him feel warm and what’s been leaving him cold this week.  

HOT 

Rishabh Pant

It wasn’t just that this 23-year-old Indian played the new ball with a reverse sweep. Or that the bowler was Jimmy Anderson. Or that he completed his century with a six. Or that he did it off 115 deliveries at two distinct tempos. Any one of those would be fun. 

To serve them all up in the space of a few hours was showing off in the most delightful way.

Rishabh Pant’s century in the space of a few hours was showing off in the most delightful way

Collin Morikawa

By winning at Concession, he became only the second player to pick up a major and a World Golf Championship event before turning 25. The first was Tiger Woods. 

There were a lot of red-shirted imitators paying tribute to Woods last weekend and only one golfer who resembled him.

John Higgins

One old boy of the baize had most of the attention last week but there’s so much life left in another. 

Higgins, 45, obliterated the field at the Players’ Championship to win his first ranking event in three years. He dropped just four frames in the entire tournament.

NOT 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

He has won a lot and he has said a lot. Not many players have been a match for him, and even fewer talkers. And then he ran into LeBron James, a far better player of his particular game, and a far, far better talker on matters that are bigger than ball sports. Ibrahimovic took one hell of a beating.

Gordon Elliott

He was taking a phone call, he says. But he sat on a dead horse. He was gesturing to a colleague, he says. But he sat on a dead horse. He cares deeply about his animals, he says. But he sat on a dead horse. He is one of the great trainers, they say. But he sat on a dead horse. And that, pretty much, is all that will stick.

Trainer Gordon Elliott has been punished after photo emerged of him sat on a dead horse

Trainer Gordon Elliott has been punished after photo emerged of him sat on a dead horse

Steve Bruce

Irrespective of where you stand on what he has done at Newcastle and with what resources, the signs are looking bad on his current employment. 

Excellent reporting in Sportsmail has laid bare the issues within his club, and you wonder if his time would be better spent tackling those rather than hunting moles.



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