All posts by n8rngtd.top

Though he made key contributions with bat and ball, his drop of Kieron Pollard in the 19th over turned out to be expensive

S Rajesh17-Apr-2021Vijay Shankar had a more-than-reasonable game with both bat and ball tonight: he took the key wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, finishing with excellent figures of 2 for 19 in three overs, and in difficult batting conditions, scored a 25-ball 28 that kept the Sunrisers in the game even as wickets were falling at the other end. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, based only on the batting and bowling stats, he was third in terms of impact points for the game, next only to Rahul Chahar and Jonny Bairstow. And yet, his one error in the field undid much of that good work and might have been a factor in the Sunrisers’ defeat.ESPNcricinfo LtdOff the third ball of the 19th over, with Kieron Pollard on 18 off 16 balls, Shankar dropped a straightforward chance at deep midwicket. Pollard faced only five more balls after that drop – he also got a single off that delivery – but creamed 16 runs, including consecutive sixes off the last two balls.According to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index, that chance cost Sunrisers nine runs. That is calculated through a complex algorithm, which takes into account the quality of the batters to follow and puts a number to the runs that the other batters would have scored off the extra deliveries that Pollard faced.In this case, the algorithm calculates that had Pollard been dismissed, the remaining batters would have scored just eight runs off the five balls that Pollard faced after the chance. That would have given the Sunrisers a target of 142 to win, and not 151.You could argue that the Sunrisers fell short of that target too, but then the approach of the batters would have been different – especially in the last few overs – had the Sunrisers required nine fewer runs. Shankar might have had the luxury of playing out Jasprit Bumrah instead of having to take him on, for instance.That is in the realms of conjecture, but what is almost certain is that the let-off made the Sunrisers’ target steeper. On a difficult pitch against a high-quality line-up, that target proved to be too big an ask.

From his Under-19 days to becoming India’s hero of the 2020-21 season, it’s been quite the journey for Pant

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2021

It is already accepted that Meg Lanning’s team has enviable depth and they are likely to need it over the next year

Andrew McGlashan20-Sep-2021It’s one of sports many clichés that players don’t look too far ahead and only take each match as it comes. So let’s do it on behalf of Australia.The opening ODI against India in Mackay on Tuesday marks the start of an unprecedented period of 12 (or even 18) months of international cricket. There’s an Ashes series in January, an ODI World Cup in March and a first appearance at the Commonwealth Games in July. Then, in early 2023, there will be the defence of their T20 World Cup title. Cricket’s unofficial Grand Slam is on the line.The major focus is the 50-over World Cup after their often-referenced semi-final exit at the hands of Harmanpreet Kaur and India in 2017. But they will be desperate for multi-format success – which includes two Tests in the season – and to have a gold medal around their necks in Birmingham.Their depth will be tested like never before, even including when they lost Ellyse Perry during the T20 World Cup having also seen Tayla Vlaeminck sidelined just days before it began. There is a good chance that the majority of the 18 players in the squad to face India will get a game over the next three weeks. When you add back in Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen that’s 20 names who are likely to feature extensively, but they may need to delve further into the domestic game. The WBBL, a key part in building Australia’s depth, starts shortly after this series.Related

• Mithali Raj wants runs and partnerships 'rather than thinking about fearless cricket'

• Injured Harmanpreet Kaur ruled out of first Australia vs India ODI

• Ellyse Perry: Multi-day cricket in women's domestic game a 'no brainer'

• Alyssa Healy looks to Rohit Sharma's template for cross-format opening success

• Sneaky battles, amazing performances, weird results: how the Australia-India rivalry took shape

The ODI side is on a world-record 24-match unbeaten run which dates back to 2018. That will, eventually, come to an end – it may even be in Mackay this week – but the priority will be that when that arrives it does not derail a campaign as it did four years ago. At the moment it would be a brave person to bet against an Australia title in Christchurch on April 3 but India, defending champions England and South Africa have the potential to stand in their way. The ODI gap from Australia to the rest has widened since the last World Cup and for the good of the game they need to be caught.The first-choice top six can be picked blindfolded (Alyssa Healy, Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning, Perry, Beth Mooney and Ash Gardner) but it will be interesting to see if Georgia Redmayne and Tahlia McGrath get opportunities, or Annabel Sutherland has another chance to bat up the order having stood in for Lanning at No. 3 against New Zealand last year. There is a reluctance from Lanning and Matthew Mott to hand out caps for the sake of it – and points-based multi-format series add to the importance of each match – but expanding the amount of international experience for others can bring benefits later.Eyes in the prize(s): there are host of trophies up for grabs in the coming months•Getty ImagesThat will happen naturally with the bowling attack which provides most intrigue given the absences and injuries (Vlaeminck won’t play until the T20Is and Nicola Carey has had an abdominal strain). It will be just the second time since 2012 that Australia have fielded an ODI XI without Schutt and Jonassen. Regardless of where she bats, Sutherland should get a run in the side while left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux has the chance to reestablish herself in Jonassen’s absence. The pace bowlers will be rotated throughout to manage workload; the speed of Darcie Brown and bounce of the uncapped Stella Campbell is generating the most interest.Of the specialist pace bowlers, only Darcie Brown did not have to do 14 days hard quarantine. “There were a few nervous medical people but everyone’s pulled up really well,” Lanning said.The Test match later in the month, Australia’s first since the 2019 Ashes, has various unknown quantities: the pink-ball day-night factor, the lack of preparation, the pitch at Metricon Stadium, and how bowler workloads will be managed. Mott has said that the team has spoken about playing “one-day cricket for four days” which, given how Australia play one-day cricket, is an exciting prospect.It will be the first time since 2006 that the two teams have met in the format – in a sign of their remarkable longevity both Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami played that game in Adelaide – and Australia have not played in India since 1984 when a four-match series was drawn 0-0. It is to be hoped that changes in the not-to-distant future.Test cricket will be a focal point of this season and the context of the points-based system is a way for it to be a more regular part of the women’s game between those sides able to sustain it. Covid-19 remains a huge challenge but hopefully in years to come this busy Australian season will be seen as the norm.

National team’s white-ball success and players’ availability behind influx of Englishmen

Matt Roller04-Dec-2021There was a time when English cricketers spending the winter in Australia could expect to find themselves starting the season in the second grade. Now, they are the hottest commodity available: 15 of the 24 confirmed overseas signings for this year’s Big Bash are Englishmen, all eight teams have at least one in their squad and both Sydney teams have three. England’s domination of last season’s overseas player pool was not a one-off.”I don’t know – I thought the Aussies hated us,” Ben Duckett, whose stint at Brisbane Heat will be his first in the BBL, joked this week when asked how English players had come to dominate the overseas player pool. Availability is the biggest factor, with BBL clubs keen to make signings for the full season and players keen to trade the English winter for Australian sunshine but England’s recent success in limited-overs internationals and unrivalled white-ball depth have also been crucial.”When Australia were the best Test team in the world in the 2000s,” one recruitment insider said, “you’d see their fringe players go to England and play in the County Championship every year. It’s the same dynamic in the Big Bash, but for white-ball cricket.” The cycle is self-reinforcing: England’s success makes their fringe players more attractive signings in overseas leagues, and their fringe players’ exposure to those tournaments creates a pool of players ready for international selection. As demonstrated by a reserve squad’s 3-0 ODI series win against Pakistan this year, there is immense strength in depth.Related

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• Joe Clarke keen to keep in permanent role at Melbourne Stars

• Topley sets sights on next year's T20 World Cup in Australia

• Chris Jordan jets into Sydney Sixers squad as replacement for Carlos Brathwaite

• How England came to dominate the Big Bash League's overseas pool

Liam Livingstone’s breakthrough year in an England shirt is a case in point. In 2019, Livingstone sat down with the ECB to discuss his winter plans and agreed that he would be best served by playing in T20 leagues rather than touring Australia with England Lions. “I’d already played two winters of Lions cricket,” Livingstone explained. “I wanted to go away, get out my comfort zone and learn in these different environments.”The pressure you get as an overseas player is probably like no other and there’s pressure on you to perform, right from game one, wherever you go in the world. It really sets you up better for when you get back to international cricket.” After two dominant seasons with Perth Scorchers, he slotted into England’s T20I side this year and made a 42-ball hundred in his fourth game since returning. Coaches who have worked for counties or Hundred teams have cherry-picked players who they think could follow his lead – or used their contacts for recommendations.Several other players find themselves in a similar position now, hence the involvement of so many Englishmen in not only the BBL, but the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Pakistan Super League too: like Livingstone, Phil Salt and Will Jacks both played in the Big Bash last season and have had excellent T10 campaigns, while Tom Banton, who starred for Brisbane Heat two years ago, will fly from Abu Dhabi to the Lanka Premier League this weekend.Livingstone is proof that Big Bash success provides players with a clear route to selection in T20 internationals. Eoin Morgan regularly cited the competition last winter while talking up James Vince, who made 98 not out and 95 in Sydney Sixers’ two knockout games last season and was a travelling reserve in England’s World Cup squad.James Vince was dominant in last season’s knockout stages•Getty ImagesReece Topley, who will make his BBL debut for Melbourne Renegades next week, said that the tournament will give players “an opportunity… to impress the right people” ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Tymal Mills, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Curran, George Garton and Sam Billings will all be in the conversation for selection for England’s squad and could further their respective cases in the next two months.For players who are slightly further from international selection – six of the 15 Englishmen in this year’s BBL are uncapped in T20Is – a winter in Australia provides a chance to develop in a league that they grew up watching on cold winter mornings. There is no major difference in the flat limited-overs pitches found in both countries but few county cricketers have experienced Australia’s vast ground dimensions. Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke will trade Trent Bridge for the MCG during his stint at Melbourne Stars: “I have to adapt my game for the ground, which is fantastic,” he said.The majority of the English imports will be familiar names to Australian fans but a handful may be unknown. It is a reflection of the BBL’s lack of financial pulling power – salaries in the league are relatively low given the competition’s duration – that only a handful of major international names are now involved and the addition of a third overseas slot in each playing XI last season has opened the door for lesser-known overseas players.Hobart Hurricanes have signed Harry Brook, the PCA’s young player of the year for the 2021 English season, as a specialist middle-order batter who could exploit the Power Surge overs, as well as Jordan Thompson, Brook’s Yorkshire team-mate and a combative seam-bowling allrounder. Tom Abell, the innovative middle-order batter who has been approached by Jos Buttler for tips on playing the reverse-scoop, will join up with the Heat after England Lions’ tour match against Australia A and Laurie Evans will be the glue holding the Scorchers’ batting line-up together.At the other end of the scale, Vince and Alex Hales will again be expected to lead the way for their respective Sydney teams, with Billings putting a frustrating few months running the drinks behind him by hitting 90 off 45 balls in a warm-up match this week. Curran’s return is also significant for the Sixers – he has been a key player with both bat and ball during his two previous seasons with them – while Garton will hope to build on a solid IPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore through all-round contributions for Adelaide Strikers.England players in BBL 2021-22:
Adelaide Strikers: George Garton
Brisbane Heat: Tom Abell, Ben Duckett
Hobart Hurricanes: Harry Brook, Jordan Thompson
Melbourne Renegades: Reece Topley
Melbourne Stars: Joe Clarke
Perth Scorchers: Laurie Evans, Tymal Mills
Sydney Sixers: Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, James Vince
Sydney Thunder: Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Saqib Mahmood

South Africa’s No. 4 talks about the challenges of batting, the myth of measuring success in hundreds, the banter, and the way forward

Firdose Moonda17-Jan-2022What were your expectations going into the series and did it end up playing out that way?
We knew they [India] were going to come in full of confidence. The only disappointment we have as a team was day one at Centurion. We lost the toss, they batted first and we just weren’t up to the task. That’s the only day we lost by very far. There were other days that were tight, where we won by a small margin and they won by a small margin, but in the end, we lost that day too far to get back into the match. I’m not looking for excuses, but we hadn’t played red-ball cricket for six months. Some people said after the World Cup we should have played some four-day cricket but the schedule was as such that the few days we had at home was quite vital, in terms of the mindset of the guys. From there, I thought we were brilliant. And also losing Quinny [Quinton de Kock]. We knew he wasn’t going to play the last two Tests but hearing about his retirement was a big blow. Maybe India saw that as an opportunity for them to get one over us. The way the guys responded was brilliant.How difficult was it to bat on the surfaces you were given?
It was tough. Definitely the toughest conditions I’ve batted on in my life. Most of the guys have said that. There were two world-class bowling attacks, which plays a part but the conditions in all three Tests, you just never felt you were in and you could bat with real confidence. A guy like Keegan Petersen was unbelievable in the way that he played, especially in the last Test. It was quite draining. It was a grueling Test series. It never lets you go. Every moment, every ball, every session, every day seemed to get bigger as the series went on. When you get on the bus, and you’re thinking about this and that and what-if and what must we do tomorrow. At night, you try to switch off but you’re thinking tomorrow is such a big day. If we can just do this right, it can put us in a good position. It was three-and-a-half weeks full on, it was quite grueling from a mental point of view.Related

• Bavuma expects de Kock to return with 'point to prove'

• Bumrah: 'Don't think anyone is in a weird space' with changes in captaincy and coaching staff

• Resolute van der Dussen plays forgotten hero amid Wanderers glory

• The pace comparison – Where Rabada and Co bettered India's fast bowlers

• The rise of Petersen, the wisdom of Elgar and a great SA victory

Given that there were only two hundreds in the series, and none by South Africa, would you say that centuries are not necessarily the only measure of success for batters in this country?
We all know that if you score big you are putting your team in a good position to win the game. But the pitches we’ve had here, while I’m not criticising them at all, it’s just that you can do everything right on the day and still get a ball that gets you out. Look at a guy like Ajinkya Rahane in the last Test and his two dismissals. Technically he didn’t do anything wrong. It just happens that way. Sometimes you look at conditions – like sometimes in the subcontinent, it’s flat to bat. And maybe New Zealand, the wicket they played Bangladesh on, they scored 400 and maybe Bangladesh scores 400, but that’s just not the nature of Test cricket in South Africa. You’ve got to look at it in context. Other teams’ batters are averaging 45 or 50. If you’re going to play the majority of your Test cricket in South Africa, I’m not convinced that that’s necessarily the yardstick you must measure yourself by. A 30 or a 50-run partnership for us in this series was massive. You get to a 50-run partnership and you know you’ve worked really hard to get there. You might have just scored 20 yourself but that partnership is so vital in the match. Those smaller contributions are so much more vital. Hundreds are not necessarily the deciding factor in a Test, it’s how you bat as a unit.

“We as a team would never act like that. Yes, there’s emotions and everything involved on the field. But the umpire’s call is final and even more so these days with technology so you trust.”van der Dussen on DRS drama in Cape Town

So you’re not too unhappy with not reaching any personal milestones yourself in this series?
After the first Test and getting out in the first innings at Wanderers, I was under pressure. As a No.4 batter, you need to make runs. There’s no two ways about it. I knew I hadn’t contributed like I wanted to. Luckily, I’ve played a lot of cricket at the Wanderers and coming out in that second innings, I knew if you go too much into survival mode, you are going to get out. You need to put bowlers under pressure. You need to be really definite in terms of your movements and your game plans and still show a little bit of aggression and try to get the bowlers out of their game plans. A guy like [Shardul] Thakur, if you just allowed him to bowl his length, it was almost impossible to score without taking a big risk. If that guy was honing in on that spot, and to his credit, he did, you needed to find a way to try and put him under pressure and try and get him out of that. The way Temba [Bavuma] went out in the first innings, it maybe looks bad, he walked into his channel and then he gets nicked off down leg but the thinking is I can’t let this guy settle because the way the pitches are, I am probably going to get out at some stage anyway. I am glad for the two innings that I could contribute. It was quite pressurised chases and I really wanted to make a contribution. It’s maybe not the weight of runs I normally would expect myself to get but in the context, it was pretty important.I have to ask you about the Wanderers first innings dismissal. Did you think you were out?
I saw afterwards people were quite critical saying that’s why reviews are there but I never saw the catch being taken. I knew I got bat onto it, it went onto my pad and the next moment, I heard celebration. I didn’t know where the ball was. You get an inside-edge, you are looking for the ball, you don’t know where it went. Somehow it went straight back [to the keeper], I don’t know how that happened. By that time, I saw the celebration and I looked up to Marais [Erasmus] and he had given me out. I had no reason in my mind to think I should refer it, because in my mind the catch had been taken cleanly and I knew I got bat on it and I was out. It was only when I got into the change room and I saw the replays but then it’s too late. It’s easy to say that the umpires should have, maybe because the nature of the catch and how it looked, should have said let’s have a look upstairs. That was quite disappointing especially coming off two innings in Centurion where I didn’t contribute. It did feel a bit like I don’t know what to do here. I’m giving it my all and it’s not clicking. Umpires are human, they make mistakes. Their argument was that even if they did check it, they would have given it out. That’s what they said afterwards.And that seemed to start a bit of banter that lasted through the rest of the series. What was your experience of that?
I enjoyed it. By nature, I am quite competitive. Growing up in a club cricket system in Pretoria, which is very hostile in terms of verbals, I’ve never been one to shy away from a bit of banter. The Indians called it sledging. I would never call it that. These days with cameras and stump mics, we don’t really know what sledging is but I did enjoy it. I’m always the type of guy – I play hard on the field. I’m obviously never going to be personal. It was a moment of me asking Rishabh [Pant] a few questions. Maybe he didn’t enjoy it too much. I’m not sure why. But there was certainly no hostility from my end. Maybe the way he took it – offence is taken and not given. I was at a nice position at short leg. I had access to him in that sense. And I could ask him a few questions. There was never any hostility. And from there, it just sort of blew up. When I went out to bat, they reciprocated quite nicely. It’s part of the game. It’s Test cricket. It’s tough out there, and everyone’s trying to level basically to gain an inch.Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma finished off the job for South Africa in Cape Town•AFP/Getty ImagesFor me, the goal there is to try and get a guy out of his mental comfort zone and for a few seconds just to think about something else that he probably maybe shouldn’t think about or that he wouldn’t normally think about when he’s playing well. That’s the sort of chess game that you play out there. And then that Wanderers Test I think, maybe I got that right. I don’t know if he would have played that shot if I wasn’t there or if I didn’t say anything. I know by nature he is that sort of player. In hindsight, it actually worked out very well for us, because I think that was a massive moment in the Test series for sure.Given the effect that words can have, did you think the series was in the bag when India started to shout at the stump microphone at Newlands?
As a changeroom, we did get that feeling, yes. And like Dean [Elgar] also said in his interviews for half-an-hour after that, it felt like they forgot about what they actually needed to do, their actual plans fell away and sort of got stuck in that moment that went against him and allowed him and Keegan to score quite freely. In a tricky chase like that, it was massive. We as a team would never act like that. Yes, there’s emotions and everything involved on the field. But the umpire’s call is final and even more so these days with technology so you trust. That’s the rules. That’s the playing conditions. We all abide by it. We definitely got that sense, as soon as that happened, and the way they reacted and the way they allowed it to affect them was again a massive moment in the series. I think Dean and Keegan did brilliantly to capitalise on that. They said, they could feel it out there, they realised that this is a moment and let’s make sure we use it to our advantage.That was a second successful chase in the series, how much belief did the Wanderers chase give you ahead of the decider?
We definitely thought we could chase 240 at the Wanderers. If we had to chase 280-plus, it’s a very different chase. With a target of 240 as a batting unit, you know, if there’s certain things that we can tick, then we’ll probably chase and it doesn’t matter what the situation or the conditions are. If we can get an opening stand of about 40, if we can get another partnership of about 50 and if we can have one guy bat deep and get an 80-plus you put the odds in your favour. We did that. There was a moment where I went in and if Dean and myself are in overnight, it makes your odds so much better. I was on 11 not out off about 50 balls or something, but the runs were not really the currency in that last hour, it was more a case of we go into the final day, two down, they’re up against it. That’s the structure that you chase any score really, in any format. You plan it and you know, if you do these things right, you’re going to give yourself a good chance. You break it down in a simple structure.Which attack would you rather face – South Africa’s or India’s?
Theirs. I think our attack was brilliant. Maybe it’s just the fact that the guys know how to bowl here. This Cape Town pitch was a bit of an anomaly. I’ve never really seen it like this, but I can speak for the Highveld. The guys know which lengths to bowl and which lengths are tough to score against. Our guys knowing that and staying in that and being disciplined in that makes it look really tough to bat against them. A guy like Shami who is so good in holding the channel, at some stages, it felt like he was looking to get you out and then it gave you an opportunity to score. The key on those wickets is just to stay disciplined, because you know, it’s almost impossible to score and it’s very easy to get out.What’s next for you as a Test cricketer?
As a No. 4 batter you must make runs and you must make hundreds. I’ve played 13 Tests and I don’t have a hundred yet. It’s the obvious thing. I do think about it and I hope that I still do get the opportunity to get there. And if I get there, I hope it is a really match-winning performance. At this stage, if you asked me if I wanted to score a hundred in the series or win the series, I’d say definitely win the series rather. I’ve always been that sort of player. I would hope to think that the smaller contributions that I did make also went a long way. I’d like to be the guy that contributes in a high-pressure chase and be the guy that’s there at the end and makes sure we don’t give the opposition anything. But your currency in batting is runs and milestones and that’s not something that you can sweep under the rug. It is something that I need to do.

I think there’s a lot of good people in South African cricket now. I can only speak from where we are as a team, there’s gonna be some growing pains, there’s going to be some miscommunication because there’s a whole new board, and it’s going to take some time to find each other. I honestly feel that everyone involved now has cricket in South Africa as the forefront of their priorities and the well-being of cricket and the well-being of the national teams and the franchise teams.

Do things feel better than they did a year ago?
Yeah, I think so. A year ago yes, we played Sri Lanka and beat them quite easily but we always expected to do that in our conditions then we went to Pakistan which was a tough tour. In West Indies, I felt it was a start of something that we can really do some big things. We showed some signs there, especially in our bowling that was really encouraging. Coming into this, after that first day it was almost like people are saying, ‘Oh but this was expected.’ It’s the No.1 team in the world, they are experienced, they are littered with superstars. But the more the days went on, as we come back, the belief slowly started getting there. We showed signs that we are on a level par with these guys, we are competing and we competed throughout. Our character and Dean and Temba and [Mark] Boucher’s characters of staying in the fight, take it to them, don’t give an inch – that is one of the characteristics that came through in the series. We stayed in the fight longer, we applied pressure for longer and we absorbed pressure for longer. In the end that’s probably what the difference between the two teams was.It’s a process, it’s not overnight when a new coach comes in and new staff. It’s a process and you’ve got to allow time for guys to buy into the process and start trusting the process.A big thing also, from a batting side, is the inclusion of Justin Sammons as our batting consultant. He is the best batting coach I’ve worked with in my life and the other guys are also starting to see that and see the value that he adds. In two high-pressure chases that we actually, on paper, got quite comfortably, you can’t underestimate the value that the batting coach and the coaching staff in general has put into that.Before the series, Dean Elgar said one of the hardest things over the last two years was seeing how much the coaching staff was criticised, and that the administrative upheaval meant the players sometimes didn’t even know who the suits are. What’s your take on that?
I think there’s a lot of good people in South African cricket now. I can only speak from where we are as a team, there’s gonna be some growing pains there’s going to be some miscommunication because there’s a whole new board, and it’s going to take some time to find each other. I honestly feel that everyone involved now has cricket in South Africa as the forefront of their priorities and the well-being of cricket and the well-being of the national teams and the franchise teams. It’s a process of different spheres of an organisation finding each other and working together. We can only speak as players about our coaching staff. I can honestly say that I think we have some of the best staff in the world; the most hardworking staff in the world. They prioritise us as a team and winning as a team and winning in the right way. That means acting in a right way, in a respectful way, in an honourable way, keeping the humility, whether we win or lose. Everyone really has those values at the forefront and as a team, it’s starting to show.What are you looking forward to from the white-ball matches?
There’s also been some great strides, if we look at the T20 World Cup and the way we played there. This series is going to be tough because they will want to come back from losing a Test series I am 100% convinced they didn’t expect to lose. We know it’s going to be tough but the vibe in the squad is very positive. We have some superstars, like Quinny and KG [Rabada], but it’s almost like we are moving away from that because we are focusing on how to win as a team and what the role is of all the 11 individuals, not just the one guy who can be a match-winner on the day. We’re looking at how the whole engine works together and understanding how to win, how to chase scores, how to bat at the death, how to bowl in the middle, how to bat in spinning conditions like we did in Sri Lanka, how to take the powerplay on, and really put emphasis on being aggressive up front like we did in West Indies, so all those different things. The end goal is to get to a point where it doesn’t matter what the conditions, what the opposition is, we know, if we play a certain way, and we execute, then we’re giving ourselves the best chance to win consistently.

Their respect for each other is endearing, but the fire in the contest between the two batters was anything but

Annesha Ghosh24-May-2022Shafali Verma is pacing towards Harmanpreet Kaur as the Supernovas captain trudges towards the dugout after a momentum-shifting 51-ball 71. The 18-year-old Velocity opener then extends her arm, clutches Harmanpreet’s palm in a homie handshake, grins in appreciation, pats on her back, and walks off.If brand India Women ever needed a hero shot for a marketing campaign on its explosive batters or, more specifically, the passing of the baton in this regard, this sequence between Shafali and Harmanpreet might be a worthy choice.Related

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• Quick fifties from Verma, Wolvaardt give Velocity opening win

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Even more fitting was the fact that these moments played out during the Women’s T20 Challenge. It was, after all, the second edition of this tournament that catapulted Shafali into India reckoning almost overnight, in 2019. An international debut materialised soon after, not to mention under Harmanpreet’s captaincy, during a record-breaking seven-month period that culminated in the big-hitting Shafali almost singlehandedly steering Harmanpreet’s India to their first-ever T20 World Cup final, in March 2020.The bonhomie on view between the two India team-mates at Pune’s MCA Stadium on Tuesday was endearing. The fire in the contest between the two batters, though, was anything but. Set 151 to win their season opener, Velocity opener Shafali had a task on hand: Go big or watch Supernovas saunter to a fourth straight final of a tournament in its fourth season.No team in the Women’s T20 Challenge had successfully chased that big a total before. And the failure to do so on the day would have shoved Velocity into a must-win situation – and on the same boat as defending champions Trailblazers – for the third and final round-robin game of the four-match competition.But Shafali understood the assignment. So, she took on the No. 1-ranked white-ball bowler, Sophie Ecclestone, the second ball of the chase and refused to relent – against Ecclestone, offspinner V Chandu, and pacers Meghana Singh and Pooja Vatsrakar – ever since. All 10 of Shafali’s boundaries, a six included, came against this pack of four. Each of them ended up conceding at a rate of 144 or more against her as she galloped to the fastest fifty – off just 30 balls – in the tournament’s brief history.Shafali Verma smashed a 30-ball half-century•BCCI”I took some learnings from the first innings [of the day] – which areas were easier to access and which weren’t,” Shafali said to the host broadcaster after Velocity’s seven-wicket win. “I was especially wary of the direction of the wind, so I chose my strokes accordingly.”I have worked very hard on them [shots in the third region that required deft touch rather than brute force] over a while and there are two or three more shots that I have in my repertoire and would like to convert in the next game.”Velocity captain Deepti Sharma, who made 24 in an unbroken, match-clinching stand with South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, described Shafali’s “fantastic” innings as a turning point in the game. Wolvaardt, who shared a 14-ball 11 stand with Shafali, was equally effusive in her praise of the teen opener.”I really enjoyed it,” Wolvaardt said about Shafali’s aggressive approach that, she added, helped her ease into her unbeaten 51-run innings. “It was really nice for me to come in when there’s a set batter like that. Because, then, all that my role becomes is just getting her on strike. So, it’s an easy way for me to get into my innings when I have someone like that at the other end. I’m glad we were able to bat together for a little bit today.”She’s probably the most chilled batter that I’ve ever met. So it’s really cool to hear how she goes about her game,” Wolvaardt said when asked if she has shared any notes on batting with Shafali in the dressing room. “She’s just really relaxed, really backs her skills and knows what our options are. I think I need to do a bit more of that sometimes. Sometimes, I overthink my game a little bit too much… Hopefully, I can take some learnings out of it (their interaction).”Her team-mates can’t get enough of Harmanpreet Kaur after she pulled off a stunning catch at short third man to send back Shafali Verma•BCCIThe only measure of discomfort Shafali showed during her knock, which underpinned a foundational 63-run second-wicket stand with Yastika Bhatia, was against Australia legspinner Alana King and West Indies medium-pacer Deandra Dottin. Motoring on after Dottin dropped her on 35 at point off Ecclestone, Shafali, on the insistence of her partner, Wolvaardt, took the DRS and survived a close call, overturning an on-field lbw decision that had initially gone in King’s favour when Shafali was on 49.Shafali, however, was only able to extend her stay by another six balls. Stopping her on her march was Harmanpreet, who plucked the ball mid-air, with both hands, at short third when Shafali tried to make room and glide it off Dottin. The blinder was one of the two catches Player of the Match Harmanpreet, by far the best fielder in the Indian side, took on the day. The first, of the other opener, Natthakan Chantam’s, had come earlier in the innings, with Harmanpreet looking every bit the captain on a mission to seal Supernovas’ entry into the final.With the bat, to that end, she had already done her bit. Equal parts circumspect and alive to opportunities, Harmanpreet steadied Supernovas’ ship with her first fifty of this edition. En route what was also her highest score in the tournament yet, she relied heavily on the sweep, using possibly every variation of the shot in the book – including the reverse option, albeit sparingly – to good effect. With Taniya Bhatia, she added 82 off 63 and then a 28-ball 28 with Sune Luus, making good on her intent to score quickly and sizably in the death, as she had made clear the previous evening.Having walked in when her side was 18 for 3 in the fourth over, Harmanpreet departed after bringing Supernovas to the safety of 138 in the final ball of the 19th over. For the batter who top-scored in their win against Trailblazers less than 18 hours ago, it was fitting she walked back to the dugout to a standing ovation from her team-mates and highlights-worthy gesture of appreciation from a player almost half her age, but nearly an equal in pluck and pyrotechnics.

On international debut at Commonwealth Games, Barbados draw on West Indies experience to beat Pakistan

Paul Muchmore29-Jul-2022Barbados may have been making their debut on the international stage tonight at the Commonwealth Games, but throughout their encounter with Pakistan, they showed they aren’t just in Birmingham to make up the numbers.With seven players capped previously by West Indies, six of them part of the squad that lifted the T20 World Cup trophy in 2016, perhaps it should be no surprise that they’ve beaten a full-member nation at their first attempt.The island nation leant heavily on that experience – all five players who batted have represented West Indies, and five of the six bowlers used were already international players. The other, Shanika Bruce, who bowled a solitary over, was the leading wicket-taker in the latest season of the T20 Blaze.Leading from the front in all departments was captain Hayley Matthews, the 24-year-old allrounder who anchored the Barbados innings with a 50-ball 51, bowled four tight overs, claiming 1 for 13, and effected two run-outs as Pakistan’s top order stumbled, with only Nida Dar threatening to take Pakistan close to Barbados’ total of 144 for 4.Related

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Matthews will take over the West Indies captaincy from Stafanie Taylor in their next series later this year, but the Commonwealth Games has given her an opportunity to make her international debut as skipper with a group of players she has led at domestic level since 2019. While she admitted there were nerves, she was delighted to put them behind her and get a first win under her belt.”It was electric, man,” she said, “I’m always really well supported by the Barbados team. We have a special bond within the group but I really can’t say much more, it was special, that’s for sure.”You could forgive Matthews for feeling the pressure a bit more when Deandra Dottin fell to Diana Baig on the fifth ball of the match, caught trying to clear the infield after flying out of the blocks in true Dottin style.While Matthews’ half-century – her first in T20 internationals since May 2019 – may have been the slowest of her career, she explained it was a conscious decision to try and bat deep with Kycia Knight, with whom she built a 107-run partnership off 98 balls. The pair drew on their time at the crease together in the West Indies domestic season in June, where they were the top two run-scorers in the Super50 Cup.”I think when we were out playing our domestic season, what we tried to focus on really hard as the top four core batting group was batting really deep in the innings and that showed today,” Matthews said.”Obviously, we wouldn’t necessarily have as much depth as we usually would and experience as we usually would within a West Indies team. So backing all the other players 100%, we know that our top four or five batters are our main ones that are looking to score most of the runs, and it was really good that we were able to spend some time at the crease and bat really deep today.”Hayley Matthews en route to fifty•Getty ImagesWhile Barbados’ less-experienced players may not have made their marks on the scorecard on this occasion, they displayed an energy in the field that made it hard for Pakistan to push for twos, building pressure leading to mistakes. Matthews was keen to big up their impact and importance to the team.”I think what’s really good as well is our young players, they really take in as much information as they can, try to learn as much as possible and that’s exactly what you want in a group,” she said. “I keep saying we have a really tight group with a lot of experience and a lot of a youth mix.”A key theme that has emerged throughout the lead-up to the Games has been the pride players are taking in being part of a wider multi-sport team and Matthews echoed that sentiment: “It’s really good to know that we’re represent something so much bigger now”.Barbados only have 65 athletes across all disciplines at Birmingham 2022, so the cricket team represents a large share of the nation’s interest in the event. They were cheered on at Edgbaston by the netball team and “so many people” from the Barbados Olympic Association. And Matthews is well aware that the support for her team will extend far beyond the borders of her own island.”It definitely is really special going out there representing Barbados with that badge on our shirt. But at the same time, we know the entire Caribbean is supporting us 100% and we’re playing for everyone out there.”One big backer for Matthews as she embarks on her journey as an international captain is Taylor.”She messaged me this morning actually to tell me, ‘all the best, take it stride by stride’, and she has been a fantastic captain for me and the West Indies team for the last couple of years and I know she’s always supporting me 100 percent,” Matthews said.Next up for Barbados is a much tougher proposition – T20 world champions Australia. Matthews was realistic about their chances – the only time in 13 attempts West Indies have beaten them was in the 2016 World Cup final – but she encouraged her side to go out there and play their natural game and give everything they’ve got.”Looking at Australia, we know the kind of class players and athletes that they have in their team,” she said. “But at the same time, I think it’s really good that we can go there with no pressure on us. No one’s looking for us to win the match and I think it’s going to give us a really good opportunity to be able to head out there and free up and play some natural cricket.”We have some very special players within our team mixed with some youth players that are really full of heart and full of pride and ready to just give everything so I think that combination could hopefully help us to pull off something special against Australia as well.”With one win already on the board, one surprise victory against Australia or India could take them into the semi-finals, giving them a shot at a spot on the medal podium. If their blend of experience and underdog spirit can carry them onwards, Barbados could become one of the feelgood stories of the Games.

The batting has developed nicely in recent weeks, but the performance in Mohali raised more questions with the ball

Sidharth Monga21-Sep-20222:54

Is India’s bowling a concern heading into the T20 World Cup?

When Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma took over the T20I team, India’s main issue was their conservative batting. It has taken time to convince the batters, and it has perhaps taken the batters a leap of faith and a lot of hard work, but they have responded. If India are to look at the positives from the last few matches, there is the improved batting approach and execution.However, a bit like with bad plumbing, just as they are getting close to plugging one leak, another one is threatening to appear. India have lost their last three matches batting first defending 54, 42 and 41 runs in the last four overs. The irony is that in each of these matches they have batted exceptionally to give them totals to defend, especially in Dubai where batting first is a massive disadvantage.Related

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The common thread in these three matches has been the unavailability of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceding 15, 14 and 19 runs in the 19th overs. There is not much wrong with the decision-making really. In Bumrah’s absence, Bhuvneshwar is the best bowler available at death, which is why he has been given the 19th over.These three are the most expensive 19th overs Bhuvneshwar has bowled in his T20I career while defending totals. In three successive matches. In all of his T20 career, Bhuvneshwar has bowled only one costlier 19th over bowling second.From the start of 2020 to the start of this month, Bhuvneshwar has been the third-best Indian death bowler in all of T20 cricket. Arshdeep Singh and Bumrah, two of three best overall, were not playing this match.

“Two hundred is a good score to defend, and we didn’t take our chances in the field. It was a great effort from our batters, but bowlers were not quite there”Rohit Sharma

It is always a bit of a surprise that Bhuvneshwar has been this good at the death. In that his bowling naturally doesn’t have the attributes to protect him should he make a mistake. He doesn’t have high pace, left-arm angle or awkward release. It is a lovely clean action where the ball is easy to pick early and he hardly ever bowls 140kph. It is his planning and accuracy in execution that has kept him in the game.Bhuvneshwar will be the first one to admit his execution – or the planning – was way off in Mohali. To get hit over a fielder’s head is one thing but to be repeatedly hit by Matthew Wade to areas where there were no fielders without improvisation will hurt him. Accordingly he went for more than 50 for the first time in T20Is. This is a trend the team management will hope Bhuvneshwar can reverse during the World Cup.Making his comeback from injury was Harshal Patel, who went for 49 runs in his four, including 22 in the 18th over when Wade feasted on his slower short balls, which are his main weapon. The conditions in Mohali – a true pitch with good bounce and no grip – are perhaps the closest India can simulate to Australian conditions. Whether his into-the-pitch slower balls will work in these conditions has been a matter of concern. If they don’t, what does Harshal fall back on?3:12

Hardik Pandya – ‘Green played some really good shots’

“I don’t think we bowled well,” Rohit said on the official broadcast after the match. “Two hundred is a good score to defend, and we didn’t take our chances in the field. It was a great effort from our batters, but bowlers were not quite there.”You can’t score 200 everyday, you need to bat well. Hardik [Pandya] batted really well to get us there. We need to look at our bowling before the next game.”Hardik confirmed there wasn’t any dew to handicap them. “You need to give credit to them, they played some good cricket,” he said. “Maybe we did not execute our plans, maybe we did not execute our deliveries.”You have to be philosophical in T20s. The margins are fine over such a short game, luck and toss play a bigger part, you can’t always judge yourself on the results when the difference between a win and a loss can be six feet of distance on a shot. This was not a night to be philosophical. You can imagine the team management will not be philosophical with this defeat, especially the ease with which 55 off 24 was chased down with four balls to spare. It was a timely lesson that India don’t have the tools to be able to afford not being on top of their game with the ball especially in true conditions.