Good sporting outcome: cricketer getting runs amidst a defeat (9)
I believe the answer is:
albatross
'good sporting outcome' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I cannot see how one could define the other.
'cricketer getting runs amidst a defeat' is the wordplay.
'cricketer' becomes 'bat' (batsman).
'getting' says to put letters next to each other.
'runs' becomes 'r' (cricket abbreviation).
'amidst' means one lot of letters goes inside another (amidst can mean between or within).
'defeat' becomes 'loss' (I've seen this in other clues).
'bat'+'r'='batr'
'a'+'loss'='aloss'
'batr' going within 'aloss' is 'ALBATROSS'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for albatross that I've seen before include "Ocean bird; a burden (round neck)" , "something few golfers achieve" , "High-flyer" , "Very good score" , "Coleridge's marine bird." .)