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A hard-nosed battle without sledging left stump mics redundant and provided glimpses of new a Australia

Daniel Brettig in Johannesburg30-Mar-2018There was no Steven Smith. Australia’s captain until nearly a week ago is no longer in South Africa, having made a tearful return home and plans to join his fiancee Danni in New York. He was replaced by Tim Paine at the toss and by Pete Handscomb both at second slip and at No. 4 in the order. The novelty change-up spin over was provided by Matt Renshaw. One day, eventually, Smith hopes to return.There was no David Warner. The former deputy was in Sydney, pondering what he might say and do in response to the bans he, Smith and Cameron Bancroft have been handed by Cricket Australia, though they are all allowed to challenge the verdicts and penalties in front of a code of behaviour commissioner. Joe Burns returned as the senior opening batsman, having once been Warner’s junior, while much of the ball shining duty was taken up by a bowler, Pat Cummins. Few expect Warner to play another Test.There was no Cameron Bancroft. Back home in Perth, he has been surrounded by support from the Western Australian Cricket Association, from the moment the coach Justin Langer met him at the airport and the chief executive Christina Matthews accompanied him at a mea culpa press conference. That day he spoke of giving up his spot “for free” by his actions, and it was Renshaw who reclaimed a top order berth as a result. A little less excited by the opportunity was a ducking Handscomb at short leg. Bancroft, should he get back into the team, is more than welcome to it.There was no captain’s blazer. Smith and deputy Warner were the only two members of the touring party to own one, and there was not enough time to fit out the new man Tim Paine. No-one could quite remember the last time an Australian captain had not worn it to the toss. A photo exists of Allan Border walking to the middle of The Oval with David Gower in shirtsleeves as long ago as 1985. As he had done after the end of the Newlands Test, Paine said the right things. “A difficult week, we’ve focused internally,” he said. “We’ve spoken about looking after each other, and we’re privileged to play a Test for Australia.” Maybe the blazer doesn’t matter that much after all.There was, for vastly different reasons, no Mitchell Starc. A stress fracture of the tibia – the underlying reason for the shin soreness that had threatened his participation in Cape Town – forced him out of the Test and also the IPL. Starc has trouble completing Test series, and seems at his best when prepared and tapered for specific assignments like a World Cup or an Ashes tour. His absence allowed for Chadd Sayers to make his debut after years at the fringes, something to which Adam Voges, his cap presenter, could relate. Starc will next be seen in England in June, by which time Australia will have a new coach to replace Darren Lehmann.There were no dropped catches. Sayers and Renshaw both took good ones at mid off, and Handscomb flew for another at second slip that had the effect of seeming, just for a fraction of a second, as though Smith was still out there. The Australians persisted admirably having lost the toss, with two jetlagged players among their number, whatever Shane Warne claimed about Sayers from the commentary box. Glenn Maxwell, who would have made it a third late arrival, might have added some athleticism.There was, as far as it was possible to tell, no sledging. Those extra sensitive stump microphones picked up plenty of gee-up chat by Paine behind the stumps and encouragement among other fielders, but nothing so crass as had been seen in the first three Tests of the series, or during the home Ashes summer. With no incriminating dialogue to catch in the middle, may have to turn up their effects microphones near the boundary to get something else, “he can’t bowl and he can’t throw” maybe.But there was, instead, a pre-match handshake between all players following the national anthems, a powerful gesture in the circumstances and the brainchild of Paine. Australian sides in the Darren Lehmann era had made a point of not being at all friendly to opponents until the end of a series, lest the humanity make his players less capable of playing the attack dog role on the field. This act, with the assent of Faf du Plessis, should become a new custom.There was a new captain in Paine. Not even part of the Tasmanian team five months ago, but steeped in the strong and notably less-aggressive culture fostered by the Tigers under the leadership of George Bailey. While rotating bowlers and setting fields was part of the job, Paine has faced a far steeper task in trying to assemble a team from the depths of this week’s events, and the jumble of emotions all must still feel. Given the swings and roundabouts of his own career, to the point that he very nearly quit Tasmania to work for a bat manufacturer last winter, Paine brings a very different and more rounded perspective to this job than his predecessor. He believes he will be doing it for a while, but as a collaborator rather than a dictator.There was, in glimpses, a new Australia. It was personified by the persistence of Pat Cummins, who as in Cape Town tilted the day back from a place of South African domination by winkling out Aiden Markram and then totally befuddling du Plessis with sharp and well disguised reverse swing. Sayers, too, offered something new, swinging and seaming both new balls more even than Vernon Philander, with the promise that his control will improve once the first day nerves subside. He provided, too late, a clue that the best way to get AB de Villiers is not to blast him but deceive him with late movement. Cummins, Sayers and their teammates might have gained some small ideas about how to tackle England in England next year.There is, after all the odium, something to look forward to.

The standout numbers as India close in on making the series 2-1 with another impressive bowling display

Bharath Seervi21-Aug-20182- Number of India bowlers to take five-wicket hauls in the fourth innings of Tests in England , including Jasprit Bumrah in this match. Ishant Sharma had taken 7 for 74 at Lord’s on the last tour in 2014 which is the only other instance. Bumrah took three wickets in three overs with the second new ball to move India closer to victory.7- Catches taken by KL Rahul in this Test – the most by any non-wicketkeeper in a Test in England and the joint second-most by an India fielder in any Test.1- The Trent Bridge Test has provided the first ever instance of two players from the same team taking seven or more catches in a Test. Rahul claimed seven catches while the debutant wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant also managed the same number of catches behind the wicket.2- Instances of two India fast bowlers taking five-wicket hauls in a Test in England. Hardik Pandya and Bumrah emulated Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma who achieved the same at Lord’s in 2014.169- The partnership between Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes for the fifth wicket, was the highest in the fourth innings after a team being four-down for less than 100 runs. It is also England’s highest ever fifth-wicket stand in the fourth innings and the second-highest for any wicket in the fourth innings at Trent Bridge.1- Buttler’s century was the first by an England top six batsman this year. The last century by an England top six was by Alastair Cook at the MCG in December 2017. There have been two centuries this year before Buttler’s but both were at No. 7 – Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes. It was also Buttler’s maiden Test century.1- It was also the first time in Test history that all the top five batsmen reached double-figures in all four innings of a Test.

He has had his worst IPL season so far in terms of runs scored and time spent in the middle, and his team will hope a must-win situation brings out the best in their captain

Vishal Dikshit19-May-2018When Virat Kohli was asked on the series if Rohit Sharma made it seem like he had an extra second to play shots compared to other batsmen, Kohli quickly corrected the interviewer. “One-and-a-half seconds.”Rohit’s timing definitely makes it seem like that, but his timing and form this IPL season have been patchy. In 13 innings so far, Rohit has scored less than 300 runs and has won his team only one match on his own, when he scored 94 against Royal Challengers Bangalore more than a month ago. Take that innings out, and he’s made only 179 runs this season at an average of 17.90 and a strike rate of 117.76.Of course, Rohit cannot be blamed solely for Mumbai’s travails this season – they lost five of their first six matches – but there is a clear correlation between his batting form and his team’s performance.In the six matches Mumbai have won so far, Rohit has scored 227 runs at an impressive average of 56.75 and a strike rate of 149.34. In Mumbai’s seven losses, he has scored a mere 46 runs, at a horrific average of 6.57 and a strike rate of 88.46. Overall, too, 2018 has been Rohit’s worst season in terms of time spent at the crease and runs scored, although he still has at least one match left to play.ESPNcricinfo LtdHe has faced 204 balls in this IPL, and will only go past his second-lowest tally (2017) if he faces at least 70 balls on Sunday night. His form last season was even worse than in this one so far – Mumbai also played two playoff matches and the final – but it didn’t quite have the same impact on his team’s fortunes, since they had a solidly performing middle order to rescue them if their openers Jos Buttler and Parthiv Patel failed.This time, they settled on a new opening combination after two losses and even though Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis have scored consistently, the middle order has bene inconsistent, with Kieron Pollard struggling until his last innings and the Pandya brothers taking time to get going. In such times, they needed a solid and calm hand to keep the runs flowing and instill confidence in the rest of the batting order.Rohit fits the definition of calm and solid more than anyone else in his line-up, and is an inspiring leader too, but the runs have not come. He must be frustrated to know that he has made more ducks (three) in this season than in any other. If he looks around to see how other captains have done, he will see that Kane Williamson, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and Virat Kohli have outscored him, as has Ajinkya Rahane, who scores at a much slower pace and isn’t as much of a match-winner in T20s.Added to this is Rohit’s fluctuating spot in the batting order. There’s no reason to break up the Suryakumar-Lewis pairing at the top at this stage, but there’s no reason to believe Rohit would not have excelled there either had he continued to open after the first two matches.It is well known that Rohit starts slow irrespective of his position and accelerates at an alarming rate once he has faced 30-odd balls. It would suit his style of play much more to open, or even bat at No. 3, and not at No. 4. He did bat at No. 3 recently but could not go beyond 31 deliveries against Kolkata Knight Riders and fell for a duck to Jofra Archer’s short ball against Rajasthan Royals.When he came out at No. 4 against Kings XI Punjab in Mumbai’s next match, he only managed 6 off 10 balls. Even if one assumes Rohit will fall for another low score on Sunday, Mumbai would prefer a short and slow knock at the start of their innings rather than in the middle or end overs, where they have often lost wickets in clusters this season.Overall, his run in the IPL has been an extension of his on-off form in other competitions. He started with low ODI scores in South Africa but ended with a century in Port Elizabeth. He fared poorly in the T20Is after that and didn’t start well in the Nidahas Trophy either, but played a hand in India winning the tri-series with two straight half-centuries.With a must-win match on Sunday night, the defending champions will desperately hope Rohit fires and ensure they don’t bow out because of another substandard start to the season. If Rohit wants to use those extra one-and-a-half seconds Kohli talked about, it is now.

All there has always been is pettiness, politicking, and shameless slinging of mud; what point is there crying out for actual lasting change for Sri Lankan cricket

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Sep-2018Right. Okay. This is pathetic, isn’t it? Knocked out of the Asia Cup basically before it has even begun. A big 91-run loss to Afghanistan, following an even bigger 137-run pasting by Bangladesh. Appalling. Someone needs to be held accountable for this garbage. How far Sri Lankan cricket has fallen. This is beyond embarrassing. Contracts must be torn up. Changes must be made. Heads surely have to roll.And what better starting point than this Angelo Mathews? When have Sri Lanka ever done well when he was captain? Okay, so there were great bilateral series wins in England across formats in 2014. Also that historic Test series whitewash over Australia at home. And fine, there was an Asia Cup victory under him also. But, let’s see, apart from additional ODI series against South Africa, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, West Indies and Ireland, what has Mathews ever achieved as a leader?Well, what do you mean Sri Lanka have already tried other one-day captains, and it went disastrously? You’re saying that within a space of 12 months, Upul Tharanga, Lasith Malinga, Chamara Kapugedara and Thisara Perera all took the reins in limited-overs cricket, and Sri Lanka were still consistently and emphatically thrashed on a selection of the planet’s continents? That Sri Lanka’s returns in the series Mathews didn’t captain in last year, were 18 losses and two wins?Okay, fine. For the sake of argument, let’s leave Mathews aside then. What about coach Chandika Hathurusingha? He who descended back on the island at the start of the year, charging more than any coach ever has before, promising lasting change and a return to former glory. Of course he should be packed off, right? Surely a coach should know when his players are going out of form, and when he should switch them out for someone else? Just look at what has happened to Kusal Mendis’ one-day form – he’s gone 20 completed innings without a half-century now. Tharanga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Shehan Jayasuriya… these guys aren’t doing much better.Angelo Mathews and Chandika Hathurusingha in discussion•AFPBut I suppose you will make the point that Sri Lanka have already tried changing their coaches? Yes, of course I recall that last year Graham Ford was elbowed unceremoniously out of his job. And that after very few high-quality candidates applied for the job, the board practically had to go to Hathurusingha on their knees. Right, yes, there is also that insane statistic that Hathurusingha is Sri Lanka’s tenth head coach – including interim appointments – in the space of eight years. I guess the Asia Cup was also only his third ODI assignment, and that when Sri Lanka had actually won their first ODI trophy since 2016 earlier this year, it had been under Hathurusingha’s watch.So, great, but if we are reserving judgement on him, what about these useless selectors? Wasn’t it Einstein who said that the definition of insanity was to keep persevering with too many bits-and-pieces allrounders and not enough capable specialists? Now, this is getting annoying. You are saying that even the selectors have been changed within the last 13 months, and that they have tried a new selection philosophy, based on giving players a long run in the side rather than changing personnel every game.Right, look. I see where you are going with this. You are going to sound like a broken record in a minute. You are going to say something like: “Sure, Mathews and Hathurusingha have their flaws, but Sri Lanka will always be inconsistent as long as their domestic cricket is in such rotten shape.” You are going to drone on about how there is no point blaming the bakers, if you are giving them sawdust to make the cake.You will claim the clubs have the cricket administration by the gonads, and that Sri Lanka’s domestic players play months and months of meaningless low-quality club cricket. That what Sri Lanka are reaping now is the result of years and years of profound mismanagement. That even though they have recently started playing these “Super Provincial” tournaments, they are still grossly insufficient – that playing six decent domestic one-dayers in a year is nowhere near enough to start closing the gap on the better one-day teams. And that when players are suddenly asked to make the galactic leap into international cricket, they have repeatedly shown a tendency to make bad on-field decisions, and then quickly get caught up in a vortex inadequacy, which translates into more bad decisions, and acute dips in form.So just save it, no? We’ve all heard it before. You have been going on for years, and yet has there ever been any real political will to change Sri Lanka cricket? Any meaningful effort to take the game properly into the provinces? All there has always been is pettiness, politicking, and shameless slinging of mud; the same eight or so names that have run cricket since 1996, throwing punches at each other in a broken down carousel.What point is there crying out for the actual lasting change?So instead let’s argue again about sacking the captain and the coach.

RCB are lagging behind on the points table, but take top spot on all the wrong ones

Nagraj Gollapudi and Gaurav Sundararaman07-Apr-2019Most drops, most no-balls: Royal Challengers top the wrong tables
Let’s be blunt here. Royal Challengers have been most disappointing this season when it comes to getting the basics right.Two parameters on which that statement is based: drops and no-balls. Virat Kohli’s team tops both lists. Including the drop of Delhi Capitals’ captain Shreyas Iyer in the first over today, Royal Challengers have dropped a total of 14 catches, the most by any team. Before today, despite being in pole position against Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers dropped four chances before Andre Russell hurt them at the death.ESPNcricinfo LtdA few of those dropped catches have been difficult opportunities, but not the catch of Iyer. Tim Southee had been blasted by Andre Russell two evenings back, but started well by having Shikhar Dhawan caught straightaway. Southee might have had two wickets in the same over, but keeper Parthiv Patel, having moved to the wrong side initially, failed to latch on to the thick outside edge against an away swinger. Iyer was on 4 then, and went on to make a match-winning 67.Also, Royal Challengers’ ground-fielding has been a massive pain point: they’ve had as many as 17 misfields and overthrows so far, joint-most alongside Delhi Capitals.Now on to the no-balls, another basic. No-balls can hurt as they result in free hits, which give sleepless nights to bowlers. Overall, Royal Challengers have bowled 6 no-balls, the most in this IPL, resulting in 24 free runs. Analysing the Knight Riders’ defeat, AB de Villiers noted this in his newspaper column on Sunday: “We should not be bowling three no-balls and eight wides in an innings. We should not be dropping catches. We should not be faltering under pressure.”Simple truth: Royal Challengers are faltering badly, bottom of the points table and topping the wrong ones.ESPNcricinfo LtdAn unusual Kohli innings; what was the plan?
This was an underwhelming Virat Kohli innings: he was out off the first ball of the first death over, having made a quiet 41 off 33. Never before had Kohli been kept so quiet and rendered so ineffective in an IPL innings in which he had batted that deep.At the end of the 13th over, Kohli signalled an early second strategic timeout. Not many times do teams call for for the break, where think-tanks take stock and discuss strategy, before they have to. Perhaps up for discussion this time was whether Kohli should stick on till the end and, so, wait to launch the end-overs attack. That might have been the straightforward answer, considering Kohli’s strike rate peaks over 160 in the final four overs: he has scored 332 runs from 148 balls in the death overs (17-20) of the IPL.If indeed it was the plan for Kohli to drop anchor only to explode at death, it did not quite come off. In fact, in spite of how deep he batted in terms of overs, Kohli did not get much of the strike to direct play. By the time the Powerplay was done, Kohli had faced just 11 deliveries, scoring run-a-ball. By the end of over 15, Kohli had 26 off 27 balls. In 12 previous attempts where Kohli had opened and batted till the 15th over and was not out, never had he faced fewer balls or batted slower than today.What, no Lamichhane in the Powerplay?
You must have noticed, too. Why did Delhi Capitals not bowl Sandeep Lamichhane in the Powerplay, the segment of play where he dominates? You’d have thought Lamichhane’s presence in the first six overs today was a strong likelihood considering the struggles of AB de Villiers, and to an extent Virat Kohli against legspin, especially their failure against the googly.Since last IPL, in every match he has played, Lamichhane has bowled in the Powerplay. From 54 deliveries he bowled across six innings’ Powerplays, he bagged four wickets and had an economy rate of 6.44. Despite that, Capitals banked on their fast men to do the job against RCB’s top order on a greenish pitch. For their part, Ishant Sharma, Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada did make use of a greenish pitch to put Royal Challengers on the back foot; the hosts got off to slowish start compiling just 40 for the loss of Parthiv Patel and de Villiers – their lowest Powerplay score at home this season.Lamichhane almost came on in the seventh over, before Shreyas Iyer had second thoughts and decided to stick with Rabada, presumably to hunt for another big wicket. In the words of Brad Hodge on , “If you can get Rabada against your big players and steal another wicket here, it makes Lamichhane’s job easier”.

Our county writers turn selectors as they pick their team of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-2019Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire)

A unanimous pick among our selection panel, Sibley has been Division One’s standout batsman over the course of the season, and has hammered the door down to earn his spot in England’s squads for their New Zealand tour. Sibley made five hundreds and as many fifties, and faced over 1000 more balls than anyone else in the top division; since opening up his stance at the back end of last season, he has been a run-scoring machine.Zak Crawley (Kent)

Kent’s Zak Crawley on his way to a ton•PA PhotosStarted strongly and talk of a Test call-up was fuelled when he made his Lions debut in mid-summer. Playing only his second full season, Crawley’s runs at the top of the order helped newly promoted Kent compete in Division One and, despite six single-figure scores in his last eight innings, saw him picked for England’s tour of New Zealand. Narrowly held off Sam Hain for a spot in this XI, on the grounds he is an opener (aka. the toughest job in English cricket).Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan)

Marnus Labuschagne raises his bat•Getty ImagesFew Glamorgan fans would have been purring with enthusiasm when they heard the news that Labuschagne had signed as their overseas player, but only a late-season loss of form after his departure stopped him almost single-handedly leading them into Division One. Labuschagne’s form – he rocketed along at a strike-rate of 76.19 while scoring prolifically – was enough to make Trevor Bayliss question why the ECB allowed players to sign county deals ahead of a Test tour; but there’s no regulation against for the time being, so he makes our team as the overseas player.Sam Northeast (Hampshire)

Sam Northeast of Hampshire defends•Getty ImagesMore solid numbers for Northeast, who was denied a chance of becoming only the second batsman to cross 1000 runs in Division One by rain at Canterbury in the final round. Started the season with 169 over five-and-a-half hours against Essex, as the eventual champions were beaten by an innings, and added two more centuries while also filling in as captain when James Vince was on World Cup duty. Moved to Hampshire to try and nudge England but still seems destined to be the new James Hildreth.Dane Vilas (Lancashire, captain/wicketkeeper)
Dane Vilas celebrates with the Division Two trophy•Getty ImagesThe obvious choice to take the gloves, Vilas captained Lancashire to promotion at a canter, while starring with the bat in the middle order. His 266 at Colwyn Bay was the highest score in either division this year, and as one panellist points out, there’s no Liam Livingstone to throw the ball to in this side, making him a safe choice as skipper.Ryan Higgins (Gloucestershire)

Ryan Higgins swivels to pull•Getty ImagesThe Middlesex hierarchy were miffed when Higgins left for Gloucestershire at the end of the 2017 season, and based on his performances this year, it is clear why. As if his 50 wickets were not enough, primarily thanks to his control over length and movement, he added just short of 1000 runs, with four hundreds to his name, regularly changing the momentum of an innings with his lower-middle-order cameos or hauling Gloucestershire to an extra batting point or two. Without him, promotion might have proved a struggle.Darren Stevens (Kent)

Darren Stevens celebrates with Joe Denly and Zak Crawley•Getty ImagesKent’s Grand Old Man is still tearing it up at the age of 43, and after years bullying the rest of Division Two proved that he can still mix it with the big boys by tearing apart top-flight top orders with his nibbling swing bowling. He had struggled with the bat for most of the season, but scores of 88 against Nottinghamshire and a jaw-dropping 237 at Headingley proved his longevity and forced Kent into a contract u-turn.Lewis Gregory (Somerset)

Lewis Gregory lets out a bellow of celebration•Getty ImagesGregory’s stunning early-season form with the ball was enough to get him into the England squad ahead of the Ireland Test, and his average only snuck above 15 in the final two rounds of the campaign. He was perhaps unfortunate to miss out on the squad for the New Zealand Tests this winter, though has been picked for the T20 series as a finisher, and showed glimpses of his limited-overs biffing in the Championship, smiting 129 against Surrey and hitting important cameos against Notts and Yorkshire.Simon Harmer (Essex)

Simon Harmer celebrates a wicket•Getty ImagesAnother unanimous pick, Harmer has taken more first-class wickets over the last three years than anyone else in the world – and by some margin, too. Only once (Mushtaq Ahmed in 2006) has a bowler taken more five-wicket hauls in a Championship season than Harmer’s ten this year, and his stunning form at Chelmsford lends credence to his bullish claim that he knows he is “the best offspinner in the world”. Throw in 15 catches with his bucket hands and some useful lower-order runs, and he was a must-pick.Kyle Abbott (Hampshire)

Kyle Abbott appeals for a wicket•Getty ImagesIt is impossible to watch Abbott to bowl for Hampshire without wondering what might have been. He has been relentless all season, hitting a difficult length at good pace like a spitting image of Josh Hazlewood, and pegged back Somerset’s title hopes in dramatic style last week when he returned the best first-class figures since 1956 with his 17-86.Ollie Robinson (Sussex)

Ollie Robinson celebrates a wicket•Getty ImagesJason Gillespie’s appointment at Sussex in 2018 must have caused Robinson a few concerns; as a 20-year-old coming through the Yorkshire ranks, he had been sacked by ‘Dizzy’ for his “unprofessional actions” mid-way through a season. Instead, he has been Sussex’s attack leader throughout the Gillespie era; he has followed up his 74-wicket season last year with another 63 this time around, all with an average well under 20.*Numbers correct to tea on the final day of Somerset’s match with Essex

India appear to have settled on the five-bowler plan, but will that be too big a risk?

Nagraj Gollapudi at Old Trafford08-Jul-2019What is India’s best bowling combination?
Who should Jasprit Bumrah’s new-ball partner at Old Trafford be? Mohammed Shami made a strong case straightaway when he replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the middle phase of the tournament, after the latter stretched his hamstring and left the field in India’s clash against Pakistan in Manchester.With Hardik Pandya consistently bowling his full ten-over quota, India can afford to play only one of Bhuvneshwar and Shami. Shami has double the number of wickets (14) having played one less match than Bhuvneshwar, who has played five games. Both players have similar economy rates, but Shami’s strike rate (15) and average (13.78) are far better than those of Bhuvneshwar, whose corresponding figures are 35.7 and 32.28.Both Bhuvneshwar and Shami have leaked runs, though, in the last games they played. While Bhuvneshwar returned expensive figures of 1 for 73 against Sri Lanka, a game Shami sat out after being taken for plenty in his final spells in the last two matches he played – against England and Bangladesh.In contrast, Bumrah has created an instant impact in every spell at whatever point of the match he has bowled at. Bumrah was sympathetic to Bhuvneshwar’s returns against Sri Lanka. “Some days some bowlers can go for runs and the position that we bowl in we bowl a lot of difficult overs for the team. So that’s okay,” Bumrah told the media at Headingley. “He [Bhuvneshwar] was clear in his execution. Some days batsmen play well so you can give credit to the batsmen.”ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma and the art of the non-violent six The death-over phase could be one key filter the management will apply before making their final choice. In the group phase, Bhuvneshwar gave 78 runs in 66 balls while picking up five wickets at an economy rate of 7.09. Correspondingly, Shami has leaked 85 runs in 53 balls, taking six wickets at an economy rate of 9.62. Another factor in Bhuvneshwar’s favour is that he’s a decent batsman.Asked to provide an opinion on the race between Bhuvneshwar and Shami, Bumrah said it was a “good headache” for India. “It is a healthy competition,” he said. “It is a good headache to have any time. Whenever everyone is performing, everyone is in good nick so probably you would love to have that competition going into a crucial game like the semifinals.”Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami prepare to bowl in the nets•Getty ImagesCan both wristspinners be fielded?
This is the second major question – Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav? Or both? In their last two matches of the group phase, India played just one – Chahal against Bangladesh and Kuldeep against Sri Lanka.In the six matches when both wristspinners have played, Chahal had double the wickets (10) than Kuldeep, who just had five. But Kuldeep’s economy of 4.89 has been far better than that of Chahal, who has gone at 6.09.Incidentally, the New Zealand batsmen have played out legspinners comfortably in the group phase: in the six matches they encountered legspinners in, New Zealand scored 144 runs off the 199 balls they faced, losing just three wickets. Also, Old Trafford has not been kind to legspinners, who have managed to pick up just six wickets in the tournament.Old Trafford has the second-worst strike rate of 87.5 for spinners and the worst average of 89.4 this World Cup. India have already played at the venue twice – against Pakistan and West Indies – and fielded both wristspinners. Kuldeep picked three wickets at an economy of 3.20 while Chahal went at 6.60 while taking two wickets.Do India then take the aggressive route and play both wristspinners or just Kuldeep – based not just on his form at the ground but also the fact that New Zealand have four left-hand batsmen – and have Ravindra Jadeja to play the holding role as he did against Sri Lanka? That also – crucially – lengthens that batting order too.Is the five-bowler combination working?
Virat Kohli has always said that playing five bowlers gives the right balance and depth to the batting department. So India have tried out various combinations in the bowling marrying two wristspinners with two specialist fast bowlers with Hardik playing the third seamer’s role.Against Bangladesh, they played all three seamers in Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar and Shami along with Chahal and Pandya to counter a worn Edgbaston pitch and a short 59-metre boundary on one side. That combination allowed India to play Dinesh Karthik as the extra batsman in place of Kedar Jadhav, who was scratchy and has barely bowled his part-time offspin.ALSO READ: The bat-first advantage at the World CupWill India think of doing the same against New Zealand? According to India’s assistant coach Sanjay Bangar, the five-bowler (Hardik one of them) plan provides strength to the batting unit and they are likely to stick to that. “What we thought (about) was the number of overs the sixth bowler was eventually bowling,” Bangar said in at Headingley. “At times we are pushing Hardik up (in the batting order) so who was better suited at No. 7? That gives a lot of balance and that gives a lot of strength.”Anyway, our sixth bowler wasn’t really bowling that many bowlers and that is the reason we are opting to play.”But what if one of the five bowlers is injured during the game? Bumrah disagreed, saying that, instead, it has made bowlers more responsible. “Everybody is taking a lot of responsibility,” he said. “So that is very good. When you got extra responsibility you are trying even harder, your execution is good.”

He answered nearly every question that was thrown at him during the second ODI

Deivarayan Muthu18-Dec-2019Is KL Rahul good enough to be India’s first-choice opener in limited-overs cricket? Will he get another go at the top even after Shikhar Dhawan recovers from injury? Or will Rahul be a mere Mr. Fix it in the middle order, a role he had briefly played in the 50-over World Cup earlier this year?On the eve of the ODI series opener against West Indies in Chennai, batting coach Vikram Rathour was even pressed if Rahul could fit into the side as a frontline keeping option. Rathour, ultimately, sidestepped that question.In a must-win match for India in Visakhapatham, Rahul answered nearly every question that was thrown at him and shut out all the external noise. After he glided to his third ODI hundred – and first at home – Rahul dropped his helmet and bat, then put both his hands on his ears, gesticulating he wanted to stop all the chatter.Two balls later, Rahul carved fast bowler Alzarri Joseph to third man, and was sent off with a pat on his head from his vice-captain Rohit Sharma and a standing ovation from the crowd. Captain Virat Kohli was also impressed in the dressing room, so much that he raised his own bat by the time Rahul raised his after reaching the landmark.When you are batting with Sharma, you are often the sidekick, but on Wednesday Rahul was the lead for most part of the 227-run opening partnership.Jason Holder had settled into splice-jarring lengths with the new ball and on top of it extracted extra bounce to test Sharma. Joseph then got the ball to seam away sharply like a fast legcutter, threatening Sharma’s outside edge.Soon, Sharma got going with a shovel-pull for six over fine leg. However, he got stuck again, on 40, swallowing 12 successive dots. West Indies captain Kieron Pollard even brought back a slip at this point and sensed a way back for his team. However, it was not to be, thanks largely to Rahul.ALSO READ: Rahul 2.0 makes case for regular limited-overs selectionHe was at his fluent best, unleashing the range of strokes that has made him a white-ball monster. When Holder went too short and wide outside off, Rahul got under the ball and scythed it regally over point for six. Then, he dashed out of the crease and dumped debutant left-arm fingerspinner Khary Pierre over the wide long-on fence for six. He was the first to move to a half-century, off 46 balls with a gentle little dab to the left of extra-cover.Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri have a lot to celebrate•BCCIWith Holder getting some purchase and often tucking the batsmen up for room, Rahul simply chose to play him out. But he took more chances against Pierre and even flitted around the crease to throw the bowler off his lines and lengths. Rahul seamlessly rotated the strike in addition to finding the boundaries, affording Sharma some breathing space, when he couldn’t quite find his bearings.”Initially we give ourselves three-four overs’ time to see what the wicket’s doing and then we kind of see what the best total would be on such a wicket,” Rahul told host broadcaster Star Sports after India piled up 387 for 5. “Then, we try to pace our innings that way and whoever gets going initially continues to do that. Obviously not always does both of us get going from ball one. Today was my day and I was hitting the ball pretty well and I took my chances and fortunately it came off for me today.”[It] maybe the other way around when we play the next game. All these conversations that happen in the middle are tactical – who is feeling good, who wants to go, and who is getting comfortable against a certain bowler. We plan that and look to execute it. [I’m] happy that it came off today.”Sharma, though, overcame that tepid start and needed just 40 balls from his second fifty, having required 67 balls for his first. At the other end, Rahul showed that he could even pull off MS Dhoni’s helicopter shot, shovelling Joseph with the bottom wrist to the right of Pollard at midwicket.Moments after Sharma brought up his century, Rahul brought up one of his own. But, his role – and spot – in India’s limited-overs side has been in flux over the past few years. And after leading India to a T20I series victory in Mumbai, Rahul admitted that being on the sidelines had not been easy.”I won’t say I won’t feel it (pressure) at all,” Rahul had said after his series-winning 56-ball 91. “Obviously, going in and out of the team is never easy on any player, you take a little bit of time to get used to the international pressure and oppositions. And there are no opposition[s] where you can just walk in and score runs, so it’s always difficult and this game is all about confidence and all about being in good rhythm and being in good touch.”Rahul has been in great touch in the limited-overs games against West Indies, having produced a series-clinching contribution in the T20Is and one that led India to a massive total in the second ODI. Such a strong run might be enough to seal a spot in another team, but in this India side dripping with depth, it still remains to be seen if Rahul has done enough.

Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi talk about their love of the game, their hardships, and how they hope their men’s team can raise awareness for them

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2025Afghanistan’s women cricketers Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi tell the ESPNcricinfo Powerplay podcast about how the sport they love went from passion to peril, and then a passport to a better life.