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There are sexier spin bowlers at this World Cup but few wilier than the Afghanistan stalwart

Osman Samiuddin03-Nov-20232:16

How impressive has Shahidi been as captain?

Pretend you’re an Afghanistan selector. You’re licking your lips at the fantabulous array of spinners you can call upon for a World Cup in the subcontinent.There’s the GOAT white-ball leggie who’s become so good now that teams consider it a win if they go at four an over against him and only cede the odd wicket; so good that eight years after his international debut, thousands of hours of video dissection later, we’re still only guessing which one’s the googly.There’s the right-arm all-sorts who has become possibly the world’s first specialist new-ball spinner, opening the bowling in 62 of the 72 ODIs he’s played, bowling in the powerplay in 69 of those. Who has taken more than three times as many wickets in the powerplay as the next most prolific spinner in that phase since his debut six years ago; whose 47 wickets are equal to the combined total number of wickets taken by that list’s top six.Related

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There’s an 18-year-old left-arm legspinner and that’s it. Those words the sell. And for the first time since the mid-2010s, they’ve also got a solid fast-bowling pair, one left-arm, one right-arm. All of which means they didn’t even need to pick another couple of young leggie sensations for this World Cup.All bases covered right? Yep. All good.Now pretend you’re the opposition to an Afghanistan side. Got to plan this with care. See out Rashid Khan, don’t give him so much as a sniff (say a little prayer just in case because you’ll likely need it). Mujeeb ur Rehman, be very wary because though you want to go hard in that powerplay, here’s the data dump: he’s not going to let you. He goes at four an over he takes wickets. Sure, later on you might target him but don’t be rash when you start.And Noor Ahmad is no Kuldeep Yadav or Brad Hogg but he doesn’t need to be. Remember, his kind are still rare enough so that, every now and again, they spark all kinds of malfunctioning in perfectly functioning batting orders. And Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq are both considerably better than you might think.Missing anything? Nope. All systems go.Except, hang on. Incoming.Mohammad Nabi sends his regards.Remember him? How could you forget? Part of the furniture so long he’s not the first name on the teamsheet, he is basically the letterhead. Precisely the guy oppositions might look past because, hello, right-arm zero frills. Nobody bothers doing video dissections of Mohammad Nabi because what are you trying to decipher? Whether he’s a handsome young-looking old man, or a handsome old-looking young man?

The stumping of Logan van Beek was obviously exceptional, a flighty, floaty gimme that dipped late and turned into an absolute gotcha, the kind of ball that cuts across all preferences and demographics: young, old, casual, hardcore, Bedi, Ashwin, red-ball purist, white-ball hedonist

And yet here he is at this most joyous of World Cups for Afghanistan, a better strike rate and economy than Rashid and Mujeeb and only a wicket fewer than both. Fact: other than R Ashwin, who’s only played one game, Nabi has the best economy rate for all fingerspinners at this World Cup.This latest, a Player-of-the-Match display in Afghanistan’s fourth win, was classic Nabi. Everyone was watching out for the others, the big turn, the carrom balls, the wrong ‘un, the leftie’s wrong ‘un, and in slipped Nabi behind them. Right-arm offspin? Sure, if you really want to call it that, but actual turn seems to be the least of it sometimes with Nabi.More like right-arm unsexy. Right-arm sorry-not-sorry. Right-arm scrooge. Right-arm gotcha. Right-arm hustle. Right-arm bustle. Right-arm squeeze. Right-arm tease. Right-arm raised-eyebrow. Right-arm lowbrow. Right-arm wise. Right-arm does-not-miss-a-damn-trick.Afghanistan had conceded six, nine, six, nine, six, eight and 11 in each of the seven overs before Nabi came on for the 12th. At least a boundary in each of them too, swiftly squandering the advantage Mujeeb’s first-over wicket had got them. Farooqi was not settling, Mujeeb was not settling, Netherlands were bossing it. Afghanistan got into a long on-field huddle. All eyes on Rashid, having just returned to the field, taking control of this impromptu timeout and… Nabi sent his regards.Mohammad Nabi celebrates Bas de Leede’s wicket•Associated PressTight on off, tighter on length, four dot balls in his first over, seven in his first two overs, 12 in his first three, three singles conceded, one boundary, not a single ball worth remembering, barely a single ball deserving to be hit. Nothing to see here folks, except the life being squeezed right out of the Netherlands start.By the time he got his first wicket, he’d already caused the fall of three others. Now you might think the using “caused” for run-outs here is generous and perhaps you’re right. But I prefer to think the three run-outs in his overs were his new magic trick, like a new variation. Right-arm run-outs. And if ever there was a case to be made for a run-out being the work of the bowler, then it was in Scott Edwards’ dismissal which, spiritually, was surely a stumping.In his next over, the innings’ 21st, he got Bas de Leede with what looked like an exceptionally unexceptional delivery, except that it did hang back a little longer, a little more outside off and made a point of not turning. Netherlands were 72 for 1 when Nabi came on. They were now 97 for 5.The real stumping later of Logan van Beek, by contrast, was obviously exceptional, a flighty, floaty gimme that dipped late and turned into an absolute gotcha, the kind of ball that cuts across all preferences and demographics: young, old, casual, hardcore, Bedi, Ashwin, red-ball purist, white-ball hedonist. Everybody loves The One Where The Batter Danced Out And Looked a Little Bit Silly. Un-obviously it was also exceptional, coming at the end of an over in which his speeds went up and down like an arrhythmic heartbeat, never letting either van Beek or Sybrand Engelbrecht settle.”Focusing on dot balls,” he explained later, as if it needed pointing out. “I always try to concentrate on my lines and lengths, and variations. I try to stick to my plans and use the angles. In some pitches, the variation is more, that is sometimes why I get more wickets.”Translation: look over there, at all those bright, flashy toys. That’s where the action is. Nothing to see here. Just me, quietly minding my own business and with it, Afghanistan’s too.

A batter renowned for his attacking prowess, taking on a bowler revered for his ability to hoop the ball around. Did we expect anything less than a blockbuster?

Alagappan Muthu02-Feb-20241:47

Manjrekar – Jaiswal showed signs of maturity

Yashasvi Jaiswal is winding up. Except, it looks like the ball doesn’t want to suffer what he has in mind. It’s fuller than he wants it to be. Had he gone through with the shot – a lash through cover – he might well have yorked himself, like he did in Hyderabad, digging out a return catch on 80 to start the second day’s proceedings.””It looked like Jaiswal had got a bit carried away in the first Test; as if he saw no sense in trying to hold back.””Some batters are able to magically be in a position to hit the ball wherever they like and it is only upon seeing replays that we realise what’s gone on. What we try to break down frame by frame is simply a celebration of their instinct. In some ways, Jaiswal would have found it harder not to hit the six that took him from 63 to 69.Related

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And perhaps it was to commemorate the effort as much as the landmark that he was ultra-animated as he brought up his first Test match century at home. First, there was the simple raise of the bat and helmet. Then the stare up into the heavens. Then two or three pumps of both his hands after he’d spread them out wide on either side (Joe Root did that after he dismissed KL Rahul in Hyderabad). On and on it went.This wasn’t a typical Jaiswal innings. It began with a loose shot but then quickly became something else. A precise, almost pain-staking occupation of the crease. 179 runs. 257 balls. 93 overs.James Anderson was so mean. He kept trying to take candy from the babies. India’s young batters rarely get the chance to frolic on such pitches – Visakhapatnam was featherbed-adjacent – and yet here they were, caught on the crease, pushing away from their bodies, being beaten on both edges and in Shubman Gill’s case, made to feel a tiny bit inconsequential. He averages 7.8 against Anderson now.Jaiswal was lucky to survive England’s fast bowling stalwart. The morning session was a tense little affair. A whodunnit except it was more who’s gonna do it? India were missing one all-time great, one who bails them out by batting anywhere in the middle order (and keeping wicket when need be), and one allrounder who’s, lately, been averaging more than the aforementioned all-time great. Just the perfect time, then, to also lose your captain for 14.””Of the 36 trips Jaiswal has made to the crease in first-class cricket, only five have been a longer, more satisfying stay. He was immensely selective with his shots. Anything on a good length and in line with the stumps was treated with an excess of caution. Anything that afforded him the freedom of his hands was treated with joyous disdain.James Anderson drew the outside edge off Shubman Gill’s bat•BCCIWhich brings us back to the six that took him from 63 to 69. It is only the fourth time that Jaiswal hits the ball in the air. But to do so, he leans ever so slightly back, searching for leverage. That cannot have been a conscious decision. There was no time to make one. It was just his training, his instinct, his genius kicking in and positioning him where he needed to be.Jaiswal is a shot-making savant. He showed as much in an IPL match in 2023 where he made 124 off 62 deliveries with 16 fours and eight sixes. The next highest score was 18 off 19. The bowling – and the jeopardy – here was much more pronounced. Late in the day, when India lost a very solid looking Rajat Patidar on debut in unfortunate circumstances, and England were trying to capitalise on that with Anderson coming back and generating reverse swing, the grizzled old vet was being kept out by a kid with 0.03 times his Test match experience.Jaiswal vs Anderson was the beating heart of the day’s play. A batter who is renowned for his attacking prowess understood that 8 off 47 in this head-to-head was a win. And a bowler who is revered/reviled for his ability to hoop the ball around corners in friendly conditions showing he has always been way more than that. There was even a moment in the 71st over that captured this battle that was forever on a simmer. Anderson got the ball to skirt past the outside edge and for once it looked like Jaiswal had followed the away movement. Immediately he stepped aside and practiced the leave.Visakhapatnam will soon start to become inhospitable for batting. There was already evidence of variable bounce on the first day. India’s head coach Rahul Dravid went up to the pitch at both intervals, having a close look at the footmarks that have emerged, with the curator in tow. Bat once, bat big seemed like their strategy for this Test and it is (just barely) working right now only because their most extravagant strokemaker has done what was asked. Harness his instincts.

Also: What is the highest individual score in the fourth innings of a Test in a win?

Steven Lynch23-Apr-2024We’ve seen all sorts of tall scoring in this IPL, including the highest total and the highest match aggregate – but what are the equivalent records for the lowest? asked Sumit Shah from India

You’re right that the current IPL has seen the competition’s highest total so far (Sunrisers’ 287 for 3 against Royal Challengers in Bengaluru last week), and the highest two-innings aggregate (549 runs in the same match, after RCB replied with 262 for 7).The lowest all-out total in an IPL game remains Royal Challengers’ 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders (who made 131) at Eden Gardens in 2017.The fewest runs in an IPL match with a positive result is 135, also in 2017, set in Mohali, where Kings XI Punjab skittled Delhi Capitals for 67 then knocked off the runs without loss. The smallest aggregate in an IPL match that lasted the full 40 overs is 208, in the game between Chennai Super Kings (116 for 9) and Kings XI Punjab (92 for 8) in Durban in 2009.There were only two balls bowled in a T20 match in Rawalpindi last week. Was this the shortest international game ever played? asked Hamza Ali Shah from Pakistan

The match in question was the first T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand in Rawalpindi last Thursday, which was rained off after just two balls. Before the heavens opened there was time for the New Zealand debutant Tim Robinson to collect two leg-byes off the first delivery and be bowled for a duck by the second.That game was actually the third official men’s international that amounted to two balls. The first was the World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka in Mackay in February 1992, when Kris Srikkanth scored the match’s solitary run before it was abandoned due to rain. This was the only senior men’s international staged at Harrup Park in this Queensland coastal city, although there have been several women’s matches there.The other blink-and-miss-it match was a T20I between England and New Zealand at The Oval in June 2013. Michael Lumb took two off Mitchell McClenaghan’s first delivery but was then caught at slip off the second. Then it rained… and rained, which meant the international captaincy career of England’s James Tredwell lasted just two balls.There have also been 17 men’s internationals (and two women’s) that had no play at all, but count in the records as appearances for the players concerned as the toss was made, which officially starts the match.What is the highest individual score by a batter to win a Test match? asked Vidula Wijesirinarayana from Sri Lanka

Assuming you mean the highest individual score in a fourth-innings chase, there have been two scores of over 200, both by West Indians. Against England at Lord’s in 1984, opener Gordon Greenidge cracked 214 not out as his side made light of a target of 342, strolling home by nine wickets with about an hour to spare after David Gower’s last-day declaration.And in Chattogram in February 2021, Kyle Mayers – who was making his debut – helped haul in an even bigger target (395) with 210 not out as Bangladesh were beaten by three wickets.The next two were actually in the same match: in the Ashes Test at Headingley in 1948, Australia made 404 for 3 in the final innings – a record chase at the time – with Arthur Morris scoring 182 and Don Bradman 173 not out.If you just mean the highest score in any Test win, it’s the 380 by Australia’s Matthew Hayden in an innings victory over Zimbabwe in Perth in 2003. Brian Lara’s 400 not out, the only higher individual score in a Test, came in a drawn game.Laura Wolvaardt’s 184 in Potchefstroom overtook Chamari Athapaththu’s 178 as the highest individual score in a loss in women’s ODIs•Gallo ImagesLaura Wolvaardt made 184 in a one-day international the other day – but ended up losing! Was this the highest score in a losing cause in a women’s ODI ? asked WHO

South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt scored 184 not out – her eighth and biggest international century – in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Potchefstroom last week (she’d also scored 110 not out in the previous match). But it wasn’t enough for victory, mainly because Chamari Athapaththu collected 195 not out (the third highest in women’s ODIs) as Sri Lanka chased down their target of 302 with something to spare.Wolvaardt’s score was indeed the highest score in a losing cause in a women’s ODI, beating 178 not out by… Chamari Athapaththu, against Australia in Bristol during the 2017 World Cup.The record in a men’s ODI is 194 not out, by Zimbabwe’s Charles Coventry against Bangladesh in Bulawayo in August 2009.Raman Subba Row, who died last week, made his highest Test score in his final innings. How many people have done this (given a score of over 100)? asked Vipul Shah from the UAE

Left-hander Raman Subba Row, who was England’s oldest Test player before his recent death aged 92, made his highest Test score of 137 in his final innings, against Australia at The Oval in 1961. He then retired, at the early age of 29, although he remained a considerable presence in the game as an administrator.The record for a player making his highest score in his final Test innings belongs to the West Indian Seymour Nurse, who hit 258 against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1968-69: he retired after the match and couldn’t be persuaded to make a comeback. There’s an unlikely name high on the list: after going in as nightwatcher in Chattogram in April 2006, Jason Gillespie lasted long enough to reach 201 not out – but this proved to be the last of his 71 Tests.The others with a higher score than Subba Row in their final Test innings are England’s Maurice Leyland (187 against Australia at The Oval in 1938), Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan (164 vs Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi in 2020-21), Vijay Merchant of India (154 vs England in Delhi in 1951-52), Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams (151 not out vs Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi in 2020-21), Mahmudullah of Bangladesh (150 not out vs Zimbabwe in Harare in 2021), Australia’s Reggie Duff (146 vs England at The Oval in 1905), and Colin Milburn of England (139 vs Pakistan in Karachi in 1969-69). The West Indian Kenneth “Bam Bam” Weekes also scored 137 in his last Test innings, against England at The Oval in 1939. Williams may yet play again.Others have made higher scores in their final Test, but not their last innings (England’s Andy Sandham holds this record, with 325 – Test cricket’s first triple-century – against West Indies in Kingston in 1929-30).Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

England handed out four debuts on the day. While that seems exciting, an absolute commitment to youth could turn out to be detrimental to these players

Cameron Ponsonby01-Nov-2024New England, it’s just like the old England.Almost exactly a year ago, a fresh-faced England ODI side arrived in Antigua tasked with the mission of driving forward a new era of English white-ball cricket. That new era lost their first match to the West Indies by four wickets. Cut to 12 months later and this one lost by eight wickets.It would be an unfair assessment, though, to say England are going backwards. This is an incredibly exciting group of young players, all of whom individually are talented enough to either be considered England players now or England players of the future. But in Thursday’s showing, they were less than the sum of their parts.Fewer than half of them are first choice. Of the XI that took to the field against Australia for the fifth and final ODI in Bristol in September, just five from that squad are in the squad for this tour. England gave out four debuts, as all of Jordan Cox, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton and John Turner made their bows.In truth, this is closer to an England Lions white-ball tour and it is hard to hold a group that includes the likes of Cox, in just his fifth List A match, walking out at No.3 for England on debut, to one which has Joe Root, who’s played over 450 international innings, batting there.Nevertheless, in a change from the hyper-positive messaging you associate with England when on the receiving end of a chastening day of Test cricket, stand-in head coach Marcus Trescothick and stand-in captain Liam Livingstone were visibly rankled by this defeat.Before speaking to the media, they held a debrief together on the sidelines talking through the events that had contributed to their crushing eight-wicket defeat.

“[We have to] try to get into the rhythms of 50-over cricket as quickly as we can. We had four debuts and they’ll have all learnt a hell of a lot from what they experienced and hopefully they’ll come on from that.”Liam Livingstone

Individuals, including themselves, are on show here and eager to prove a point. So while the matches may soon disappear into the ether of white-ball games you forgot ever took place, that’s not the case for those involved, who are, in effect, taking part in an audition for the future.”We’ve got to get up to speed as quickly as possible,” Livingstone said. “We pride ourselves on putting in performances for England, it’s always special when you wear the Three Lions on your chest and we’re pretty disappointed with how we played.”It’s easy to point to the absence of List A cricket in the calendar as the reason for England’s inability to find the correct tempo for a wicket where 250 would’ve been competitive. But between Will Jacks, Phil Salt, Livingstone and Sam Curran, you have four players with ODI experience. Whereas, perversely, the absolute inexperience of Jacob Bethell and Mousley means they’re not completely new to the format. Bethell played in the One-Day Cup last year and has more List A matches than first-class games to his name. Mousley, on the other hand, has only made ten one-day appearances, but has a century and two fifties in that time.But while there isn’t a complete lack of experience in List A cricket, there was in the actual roles each player was being asked to perform. Of the top six, only Salt and Jacks had batted in those positions for England more than once in their careers. Everyone, collectively, was taking their stabilisers off for the first time.”[We have to] try to get into the rhythms of 50-over cricket as quickly as we can,” Livingstone said. “We had four debuts and they’ll have all learnt a hell of a lot from what they experienced and hopefully they’ll come on from that.”A pertinent question is whether England’s absolute commitment to youth could in fact be detrimental to the players they’re trying to blood in the first place.Liam Livingstone top-scored for England in the first ODI•Getty ImagesThe benefits of a blend of youth and experience is a trope so old it borders on cliche, but cliches exist for a reason. Rather than attempt to give all of Cox, Bethell and Mousley their chance in one go, could it not be better for two, or even just one of those players to be gaining their opportunity, with the addition of an experienced professional in the line-up for them to bat around. Your James Vinces, your Dawid Malans. Or even Jonny Bairstow. He is still an England contracted player for at least another year. The prodigal talents could stand on the shoulders of journeymen.Of course, a recall for the elder statesmen of off-Broadway white-ball tours can be argued to be a step backwards. And there’s no guarantee they’d be interested either. You can only call someone last minute as a second choice so often.But you’re also not meant to chuck your children into the deep end without armbands. England have now lost 12 of their last 18 ODIs. Cox spoke ahead of the tour that one of the main benefits of being in an international environment is rubbing shoulders with the best. And does picking such a young squad allow for that?”I don’t think we read conditions quite as well as we could have,” Livingstone said. “When me and Sam were in, we were on for 240-250. But unfortunately I got out at the wrong time, it fell away from that. We pride ourselves on one of our top six getting a score and unfortunately we didn’t get that.”The top six he’s referring to has four List A hundreds between them in 271 matches.There’s no disputing the talent in the group. This is an exciting team and regardless of whether they turn the series around and win, or crash and burn to a three-nil defeat, they will be fun to watch along the way.But part of the reason they’re exciting is because they’re new and we haven’t seen them before. And arguably, while they might be less fun if they slotted in some reruns of in the middle order, they may also be better off for it.

Australia’s captain suffers “acute right foot injury” after seeing Tayla Vlaeminck go down with dislocated shoulder

Valkerie Baynes11-Oct-20243:56

Takeaways: Australia win big, but at what cost?

Alyssa Healy looked shaken and an air of concern descended on her Australia side as Tayla Vlaeminck lay in a crumpled heap on the boundary’s edge, clutching her shoulder. Surely this wasn’t happening.Right-arm quick Vlaeminck had just come into the side to add “impact” to the bowling attack for their first outing in Dubai, Australia having begun their T20 World Cup campaign with two wins on a spin-friendly Sharjah pitch that swing bowler Megan Schutt had managed to master. Now, just four balls into the game, Vlaeminck was out with a right-shoulder dislocation to add to a long list of serious injuries.They clearly felt for her. Two ACL injuries, a twice-dislocated left shoulder and stress fractures to her foot had severely curtailed Vlaeminck’s career and still she’d kept fighting back. But as she received treatment, Australia entered a huddle, Ellyse Perry gave them a pep talk and they picked themselves up – then picked Pakistan apart.Bowled out for 82, the lowest total at this tournament, Pakistan – without captain Fatima Sana, who had flown home to Karachi following the death of her father on Thursday – could mount no resistance agaisnt a side whose depth is the envy of the world and would be tested further…

****

Alyssa Healy grimaced and pulled up sharply as she came back for a second run and an air of concern descended on her Australian side. Surely this wasn’t happening.She and Perry were cruising through Australia’s pursuit of 83 after Beth Mooney fell for a run-a-ball 15 and now the captain was hobbling from the field.Healy had to hop up a set of stairs leading to the changeroom and Cricket Australia later confirmed that she had suffered “an acute right foot injury”. She was set to undergo scans on Saturday after which her availability for the rest of the tournament was expected to become clearer.What is clear is Australia’s ability to overcome such setbacks.Schutt, Australia’s standout performer with the ball so far, took 1 for 7 from three miserly overs to overtake Pakistan’s Nida Dar as the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is with 144.Then Ashleigh Gardner claimed 4 for 21 – including three in the penultimate over – with her offspin to record her best T20I figures since taking 5 for 12 at the previous edition of the tournament last year in Paarl.

“There were people that were obviously emotional. I think that just shows the care that we have for our team-mates. Tay has worked so hard to get back here and she’s earned it. To see her go down like that, we had to regroup really quickly”Ashleigh Gardner on Tayla Vlaeminck’s injury

Vlaeminck’s injury had hit the team particularly hard given that this was her first World Cup match since 2018 and just the second of her career.”It’s obviously horrible seeing one of your mates go down and knowing Tay’s road to get back to here,” Gardner said. “She’s someone that probably works harder than anyone else I know so to see someone like that go down with another injury, we all really felt for her.”There were people that were obviously emotional and things like that and I think that just shows the care that we have for our team-mates and especially Tay. She’s worked so hard to get back here and she’s earned it, so to see her go down like that, we had to regroup really quickly.”Pez [Perry] just brought us all in and she reverted back to the Mackay incident, where that kind of erupted pretty quickly and just to make sure that everyone was okay and to get on with it. That’s the nature of sport, unlucky things happen and then you’ve just got to get on with it and then wait until after the game to make sure that Tay was okay. She’s in good spirits which is nice to see.”The “Mackay incident” refers to when Gardner herself was withdrawn from Australia’s starting XI right before the toss in last month’s first T20I against New Zealand in Mackay when she collided with team-mate Georgia Wareham during the warm-up and suffered a knock to the jaw.Megan Schutt became the leading wicket-taker in T20Is•ICC/Getty ImagesOn Friday, Gardner conceded seven runs in the second over of the match but in the 19th, she had Tuba Hassan stumped by Healy, then took two wickets in as many deliveries when Syeda Aroob Shah spooned a catch straight to Mooney at midwicket and she pinned Nashra Sandhu lbw with one that spun back in and ripped past the outside edge.It was also Gardner who came in to bat when Healy retired hurt, scoring an unbeaten 7 off five balls while Perry remained not out 22. In mowing down their 83-run target in just 11 overs, Australia’s net run rate now sits at a healthy 2.786. But Gardner expects to face a sterner test in their final group game against India on Sunday.”I wasn’t overly happy with how I bowled that over in the powerplay,” she said. “But then to come back and change that, the bowlers that bowled before me laid a fantastic platform for me to take wickets at the back end and mop up the tail, as some would say, but it was nice to be able to get some wickets.”Certainly going to the next game I know I’m going to be challenged. I’m going to have to bowl two overs probably in the powerplay against someone like Smriti Mandana so the challenge is always there and I relish those environments. Hopefully I’m on the upper end against her.”

The centuries from Samson and Tilak showed how India’s changed mindset is taking them to untouched heights

Hemant Brar16-Nov-20244:49

India sign off on stellar T20I year in style

As Marco Jansen ran in to bowl the last ball of the 16th over in the fourth T20I in Johannesburg, there was a strange curiosity. In the first five deliveries, he had not conceded a single boundary. Another such delivery would make it the first boundary-less over since the opening over of the innings. And the first since the eighth to not feature a six.It wasn’t to be. Tilak Varma got underneath the full-length ball and deposited it into the stands beyond deep midwicket. That it was a free hit did not help either. But then India treated all 20 overs of their innings as slog overs, and posted a gargantuan 283 for 1, the fifth-highest total in men’s T20Is. Tilak finished with an unbeaten 120 off 47 balls, his second successive century. Sanju Samson, after two ducks in the last two games, smashed 109 not out off 56 to make it three hundreds in five outings. Abhishek Sharma, who was dismissed in the sixth over, contributed 36 off 18.This was a game of such glorious absurdities that Samson, with a strike rate of 194.64, was the slowest of the three India batters. Jansen, who went for 10.50 an over, was the most economical of the seven bowlers South Africa used.Related

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• Samson, Tilak smash records like it's nobody's business for 3-1 series win

• Stats – Samson and Tilak show no T20 record is safe in India's brave new world

If India were caught in a perfect storm during their infamous 36 all out in Adelaide, South Africa were hit by its batting equivalent on Friday. The Wanderers is at a height of 1.8km from the sea level, the air so thin that the cliche “when they hit, it stays hit” is probably truer here than at any other international ground. The small square boundaries, 62 and 66 metres, further aided batters.South Africa, too, shot themselves in the foot by failing to grab their chances. Abhishek was dropped on the first ball he faced and Tilak was put down twice. Apart from that, multiple mishits landed safely.But make no mistake, a total of such magnitude would not have been possible without batters’ skills, and Abhishek, Samson and Tilak showed plenty of it. After an uncharacteristic slow start of 10 off nine balls, Abhishek hit Andile Simelane for three sixes in one over. For the first and the third, he charged down the track, gave himself room and launched Simelane over extra cover.Samson’s method was exactly the opposite. He went deep in his crease and converted even marginally short balls into boundary opportunities. The two shots in Gerald Coetzee’s opening over exemplified it. There was not much wrong with Coetzee’s length on either occasion. Still, Samson managed to pull him over deep midwicket and then cut him past point.ESPNcricinfo LtdTilak’s approach was closer to Samson’s than Abhishek’s. He bent his left leg and leaned backwards to get underneath the ball and find elevation. Often, he ended up with his back knee almost touching the ground.Samson and Tilak dominated not only their favourable match-ups but also the supposedly unfavourable ones. Samson crunched Keshav Maharaj inside-out for four twice; Tilak hit Aiden Markram for 4, 6, 6, 4 off successive balls.The duo took India to 200 in just 14.1 overs, their ninth total of 200 or more in 2024. No team has had more in a single year. India hit 23 sixes during their innings, the most in a T20I involving two Full Members. Their 135-run victory meant they finished the year with 24 wins in 26 T20Is, a win percentage of 92.3 – the best ever for a Full Member who played at least ten T20Is in a year.These are staggering numbers. But until a year ago, India were hardly the trendsetters in T20Is. Despite owning the world’s best T20 league, their only World Cup title in the format had come before the IPL came into existence. Then, at the start of 2024, in desperation to end their ICC trophy drought, they finally embraced T20 cricket. Winning the T20 World Cup in June was a just reward.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe change that was initiated by Rohit Sharma is being carried forward by the current lot. This is the first generation that did not grow up trying to keep their shots down. These guys have been training to hit sixes on demand for years now, and they don’t have the unlearning to do which the older generation did.At the same time, the team management has backed the players, which is essential given the high-risk nature of this style of cricket. Despite his failures in Sri Lanka, Samson was told that he would play the next seven games. When Tilak asked to be promoted to No. 3, captain Suryakumar Yadav did not take long to sacrifice his spot.This is also the closest India have come to recognising that T20 is a different sport and not just a different format. Barring a name or two, their T20I batting line-up is completely different from the one in Tests and ODIs.Another thing that has helped Indian batters unlock their latent potential is the Impact Player rule in the IPL. The cushion of an extra batter allowed them to attempt what they were previously afraid of. The IPL may or may not do away with the rule in the future, but it has changed the mindset of the batters forever.And that changed mindset is changing the trajectory of India’s T20 cricket and taking it to new, untouched heights.

Stats highlights from the Champions Trophy match between India and Bangladesh in Dubai

Sampath Bandarupalli and Namooh Shah20-Feb-20255126 – Number of balls Mohammed Shami took to take 200 ODI wickets, the fewest for any bowler, beating Mitchell Starc’s record of 5240 balls. In terms of matches played, Shami is joint-second fastest with Saqlain Mushtaq on 104 ODIs, while Starc took his 200th wicket in his 102nd ODI.261 – Innings in which Rohit Sharma completed 11,000 ODI runs. He is the second quickest among the ten batters to reach that milestone, behind Virat Kohli, who got there in 222 innings. Rohit took 11,868 balls to score 11,000 runs, only behind Kohli’s 11831 balls.ESPNcricinfo Ltd156 – Catches taken by Virat Kohli in ODIs, the joint-most as a fielder for India, equal with Mohammad Azharuddin. Overall, only Mahela Jayawardene (218) and Ricky Ponting (160) have taken more catches as a fielder in ODIs.5476 – Balls bowled by Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs before bowling his first front-foot no-ball, in his first over against Bangladesh. Kuldeep had played 108 ODIs before Thursday but had never overstepped.51 – Innings that Shubman Gill needed to score his eighth ODI century, the fewest for any India batter. Shikhar Dhawan was the previous fastest to eight ODI tons, needing 57 innings. Gill has 2688 runs so far in his ODI career, the most by any batter after 51 innings, bettering Hashim Amla’s 2538.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5th – Innings in which India did not take a wicket in the middle overs (11-40) of a men’s ODI since 2002. It is also the only fifth time Bangladesh batted through the middle overs without losing a wicket. India, however, restricted Bangladesh to only 126 runs in those 30 overs.154 – The partnership between Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali, Bangladesh’s highest for any wicket against India in men’s ODIs. It is also the highest sixth-wicket partnership for Bangladesh and the highest against India.10 – Catches dropped by Rohit Sharma in ODIs since the start of 2023, as per the ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball logs, the second most after Tom Latham (11). Rohit’s catching efficiency in that period is 54.55%, having taken only 12 out of 22 chances. It is the lowest among the 26 fielders with 20-plus catching chances in men’s ODIs since 2023.ESPNcricinfo Ltd8 – Wickets taken by India’s pacers on Thursday in the 21.4 overs they bowled while going at 4.80 runs per over. In contrast, the Bangladesh pacers took only two wickets in the 26.3 overs they bowled and were expensive as well: economy rate 5.88.Their spinners, however, tied down the India batters, with an economy rate of 3.75 in the 20 overs they bowled. India’s spinners went at 4.39 runs per over.30 – Difference in the powerplay totals of India and Bangladesh on Thursday, and it played a significant role in the match result. India scored 69 runs in their first ten overs for the loss of one wicket, while Bangladesh scored only 39 and lost half their side.Bangladesh bowlers restricted the India batters in the middle overs, conceding only 120 runs and taking three wickets. During the same phase, Bangladesh did not lose a wicket but scored only six runs more than India.60 – Wickets for Shami across ICC ODI tournaments (World Cups and Champions Trophies), the most by any bowler for India, surpassing Zaheer Khan’s 59.

Ex-pat community rally round to celebrate the occasion of first Test in England since 2003

Firdose Moonda24-May-2025It is as rare for a team that loses by an innings and 45 runs to go on a celebratory lap around the ground as it is for Zimbabwe to play in England, which may be why they did it. The post-match presentation had not even happened when Zimbabwe’s squad went to meet their fans, who had spent the past three days singing the country’s traditional supporter’s songs, waving its flag and soaking in the feeling of home.Theirs is a population that is dispersed around the world, often through necessity not choice, as a collapsing economy forced people to seek opportunity abroad. The largest diaspora resides in neighbouring South Africa. The second largest? In England, where more than 100,000 Zimbabweans live. If you didn’t know any better, you’d have thought all of them were at Trent Bridge, given the reception they gave the national cricket team, who played their first Test in England in 22 years in what has been received as a symbol of new-found relevance.”We had an idea that there was going to be a lot of support for us and there’s a lot more fans out there today than there was yesterday,” Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe’s captain said at the press conference afterwards. “We can hear them singing from up in the changing room where we were sitting, and it’s pretty special.”There was almost a note of apology in Ervine’s voice. “I know losing is difficult to take, but the lap that we did shows how special the fans are for us and how much we also appreciate their support day in and day out. These are fans that haven’t had the opportunity to come and see us play for a long time and a lot of guys would have just seen us play on TV, so to watch us play live will be special for them. We also wanted to give them something to remember when they go back home.”Those memories will not be all good. After choosing to bowl first under cloudy skies, Zimbabwe’s bowlers broke records they won’t want to be reminded of. They conceded the most runs on the first day of a Test in England, which was a combination of nerves and inexperience that Ervine has already analysed and hopes they can learn from.”We weren’t really up to par,” he said. “Our big quicks probably didn’t get enough in the right area. According to the data, it was only around 40% in the six meter length. When you do get it in the right area, especially in these conditions, you ask a lot of questions of the batters and unfortunately, we couldn’t do that which then made it difficult to be able to control the scoring.”Zimbabwe took 67 for 3 on the second morning, too late to make a material difference to the total they had allowed England to get, but enough to show some fight. It was with the bat that the resilience their nation is known for started to emerge.Sean Williams salutes the crowd after his innings was ended by Shoaib Bashir•Getty ImagesBrian Bennett’s 139 – also Zimbabwe’s fastest Test hundred – was the stand-out but there were other contributions. Even though Zimbabwe followed on, there was resistance from Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza and Wessly Madhevere and Ervine was proud of their effort. “From a batting perspective, guys really, really fought hard. We got ourselves into decent positions in both innings and couldn’t really kick on,” he said.That two of the three Zimbabwe batters to go past fifty are 38 and 39 years old respectively does not worry Ervine or make him question the strength of their younger talent. Instead, it suggests there’s the opportunity for knowledge transfer between those who have been around (and Williams has been in the set-up for two decades) and those who are coming through.”It’s important to have that blend, especially in Test cricket, with the senior players and junior players,” he said. “You don’t want to put too much responsibility on the younger guys. But if you look at the maturity that Brian Bennett has bought, he’s only 21 and he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”So do Zimbabwe, at least in fixtures terms. They play six more Tests this year (two against each of South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan), all at home, where Ervine hopes they can show what they’ve learnt in tougher conditions in England.”You face the ball moving around up front, being asked questions of your technique, your defence, and then, if you get through that period, you also have to get through a short ball period so there’s lots of little challenges in there,” he said. “If you can combat those in these conditions, there’s no reason why you can’t get through those same challenges back home in familiar conditions at home.”Related

• Zimbabwe cricket boss Mukuhlani elected Africa Cricket Association chair

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• Shoaib Bashir seals innings win as Sean Williams stars for spirited Zimbabwe

The first four home Tests will be played in Bulawayo, which is slower and lower than England but the pace attacks of both South Africa and New Zealand will pose a similar threat. At the same time, both those sides have strong batting line-ups and Ervine would like to see his seamers perform better.”From a bowling perspective, guys will understand that they weren’t at their best,” he said. “We’ve got to get better and in conditions back home, which are possibly a little bit flatter, we’ve got to be a lot more consistent and a lot more patient. There’s a lot of things that we can take out of these things that we need to improve on, and not just talk about.”And Zimbabwe don’t have to wait too long to start showing that they’ve learnt their lesson. In nine days’ time, they play South Africa at Arundel as part of the latter’s preparations for the World Test Championship final. The extra fixture in England means Zimbabwe will have spent a month in the country and have played three red-ball matches, which has presented many opportunities to gain experience and as many to see their compatriots And it’s that that seems to matter so much.Now that the bilateral door to England is open again, Ervine hopes Zimbabwe will be back and promised when that happens, they will also be better.”The Zimbabwean fans will really appreciate that, so they don’t have to wait so long to see us play in the UK again,” he said. “And as a Zimbabwean player, there’s no better place to come and test yourself as a cricketer. Now that we’ve had a taste of what it’s like, when we come back here, hopefully it’s soon enough, we’ll be better prepared.”

England Lions tour offers opportunity to leap back into Test reckoning, three years after solitary cap

Vithushan Ehantharajah31-Oct-2025For the last few weeks, Matthew Fisher has been working out how to bowl to his good mate, Harry Brook. The pair came through the ranks at Yorkshire’s Academy a year apart. Their first meeting took place in the Headingley indoor nets, when a 14-year-old Brook played Fisher’s bouncers with annoying ease.”He played it fine, and he started pissing me off,” remembers Fisher. “So I started properly bumping him, and he still played that all right.” Fisher, 15 at the time, had already made his List A debut for Yorkshire.They will lock horns again in Lilac Hill, Perth, on November 13 when, as part of their Ashes preparations, Brook and the England Test squad will take on Fisher and the England Lions in a three-day game. With the Lions on hand to supplement the main squad, on a tour that will run alongside the first two Tests, Fisher – as the most experienced seamer in the group – knows a strong impression in that crucial warm-up match could reap immediate rewards.”In the exact setting four years ago, I bowled lovely and we saw what happened at the end of the winter,” Fisher says, referencing the Test cap he was awarded on the West Indies tour in 2022, after showcasing his skills against England for the Lions in the build-up to the 2021-22 Ashes. “So I know first-hand what bowling in those games can do.”You do have sleepless nights when you dream about bowling at my mate Brooky at the minute. It is good stuff because you’re trying to get out people who you want to impress, so it is quite good that I’m already thinking about how to get him out.”It is over three years since that one Test. Fisher took a solitary wicket – John Campbell, with his second ball – on an unforgiving Bridgetown surface. That appearance came as England sought to move on from James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Unsuccessfully, as it would turn out.England’s then-selectors had leant towards Fisher due to his high release point, as a six-foot-two seamer, and a knack of dismissing accomplished batters. It was a pre-cursor to the preferences that Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have since put front and centre of their recruitment. Unfortunately for Fisher, he spent the first Bazball summer of 2022 nursing a stress fracture of the back.Matt Fisher claimed 11 wickets for Surrey in this season’s Championship title decider against Nottinghamshire•Getty Images for Surrey CCC”I never felt like I (had the shirt) – playing one game, being on a tour, trying to follow Broad and Anderson,” admits Fisher. “I never felt like that was mine.”On the Lions trip before that trip, I felt like I was building into a Test bowler. But unfortunately you can’t control having a stress fracture sometimes. For anyone who’s had a stressie, it doesn’t just take the time for your back to heal, it’s the time to then trust your body again and think that every time you feel your back, it doesn’t have to be your worst-case scenario.”But in those two years, anything you feel you are worried, because it is such a long injury that you don’t want it to happen again. In terms of intensity and snapping through your action, you’re not quite there, which we all know – if you’re down on that – it makes you half the bowler. It has been nice to build that back up naturally. The lads in that [Ashes] squad are incredible bowlers, but it’s about being ready when an opportunity does come.”Though it’s only a Lions call-up, Fisher, at 27, sees this selection as a reward, and vindication for the moves he has made. He bulked up heading into 2023, and the following year ended what had been a life-long association with Yorkshire to sign for Surrey.Related

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Though Surrey were unable to make it four County Championship titles in a row, Fisher had his most productive first-class summer to date. His 31 dismissals in 11 appearances were the second-most for the club, of which 11 came against Nottinghamshire at the Kia Oval in a thrilling title decider that Surrey lost, ultimately handing their opponents the Division One crown.”I would give all those wickets for us to have won the title, but it was nice personally to click into gear. It was out of the blue.”The chats I had, it was such a difficult decision to move. But everything I’ve moved for – and the reasons – getting selected on this is kind of why I did it.”It was to have a fresh environment, fresh coaches, fresh players – different perspectives. As we know, the strength of Yorkshire is that it thinks it knows what it’s doing, which is great. But there is also a weakness to that sometimes; there is a real DNA to Yorkshire, which is brilliant, and I am proud to have played there, proud to have been capped by Yorkshire.”I still look out for all the lads. But I think sometimes when you broaden your reach, you realise that you hadn’t thought about it like that. Going into a different gym, having gone into the same gym for 12 years, it’s kind of good. It’s been great.”That Fisher excelled during this season’s Kookaburra-ball rounds – 10 wickets in his three goes with it – undoubtedly helped his cause for a spot in Australia. Previous experience using it on Lions and development tours gave him an edge.”It’s a mindset thing for me. That was one of the conversations that we had at Surrey: yes, there’s a stigma around it in English cricket, and the pitches don’t allow for it to have good games of cricket sometimes. But it is also a case of how you become more rounded as a bowler. The purpose of what the ECB brought in and why they brought it in, we are seeing why it happened.Fisher’s early promise was hindered by a back stress fracture•Getty Images”We felt like getting tighter to the stumps was better because, if you think about the science behind it, [the ball] has to do less if you’re in tight. I definitely think that my experiences in the Lions bowling with it in the last four or five years has made me better with it. It’s one of those where, if you’re open to it, commit to it, bowl more with it, you get better at it. It’s like anything in life.”Fisher’s enhanced performances have come through a lot of hard work, and a greater appreciation of his body. Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff and men’s performance director Ed Barney have been impressed with his drive at Loughborough these past few weeks, often in as early as 7am to do strength and mobility work in the gym ahead of bowling sessions later that day.Though Fisher has always been willing to put the work in, an extra motivation came when he lost his pace bowling development contract in 2023.”Keysy [Rob Key, managing director] spoke to me at the end of that contract and said they wanted me to stand on my own two feet for a year and see how I get on. It was nice to get stuck into everything at Surrey last winter after a few winters with the Lions and get to know everyone. I feel like that really helped me settle for the summer. The goal in the back of your mind is to get picked for higher honours, so it was a nice surprise.”

If I am a good county bowler for the rest of my career, I am fine with that as a baseline. Anything else above that is perfect for what I want to achieve.Fisher on his ambitions after switching from Yorkshire to Surrey

He has enjoyed working with Flintoff, who he believes can take him from a decent county bowler to the next step. “Maybe going to a place that I’ve not been before”, as Fisher himself puts it. “What Fred is really good at is trying to get the last five or 10 per cent out of people. I think that’s something he can help me with.”He may well have to access that this winter if a further promotion comes. Friends and family have encouraged him to dream of barging his way into the Ashes squad this winter. But Fisher, through his own experiences, wants to keep his feet on the ground.”From 17 (when he made his first-class debut for Yorkshire) to 23, I was probably obsessed about playing for England. Because I achieved stuff quite young and people were talking about it, you get obsessed with it.”I have got to the point of accepting that, if I am a good county bowler for the rest of my career and hopefully win a couple of Championships with Surrey, then I am fine with that as a baseline. Anything else above that is perfect for what I want to achieve.”Accepting that as a baseline is not me not pushing boundaries to make myself better. I think it’s a healthier way of looking at it.”

South Africa had plans for Virat Kohli, but they unravelled as he raced to a 52nd ODI century

Alagappan Muthu30-Nov-20254:46

Takeaways – Kohli in comfort zone; Jansen, Kuldeep and Rana sparkle

It’s there. He builds it every time he gets up to bat. The bubble. Inside it, he’s king.South Africa had a plan to break into it. In the first 10 overs, they had their fielders right up. Mid-on, mid-off and cover were 10 yards in from the 30 yard circle. The idea was to cut off the singles that fuel his risk-free run-scoring.It fell apart. Because reality inside Virat Kohli’s bubble and reality outside it are often different. From inside, he could see that the pitch had the pace to hit through the line. From inside, he could see the bowlers were spraying it around. From inside, he could see other options to score runs.Sixes. He had two of them as part of his first 10 scoring shots.An entire career’s worth of information went straight down the drain for South Africa with less than an hour on the clock. Kohli was playing his 294th innings in ODIs. Only twice has his sixes count risen as high as two inside the first 25 balls. And never when batting first.Related

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Ranchi 2025 joined Jaipur 2013 and Pune 2017. The other two were chases. Australia and England had put on 350-plus and he ran them down with a vengeance. South Africa dared him in other ways. At least their fielders did. The bowlers were out of sync.In the first 10 overs, when Marco Jansen, Nandre Burger, Corbin Bosch and Ottneil Baartman hit a good length, they gave up only 29 runs at a strike rate of 66. When they missed it, they were thrashed for 51 at a strike rate of 243.Kohli made a play. He got India ahead of the game. From there, the reality inside his bubble dictated the reality outside of it. The only accommodation he made was for his batting partner.In the 14th over, Kohli nudged one to midwicket, waited for the ball to pass the fielder, then knowing it was a slower delivery that he had hit softly to one of the longer boundaries, he began sprinting. He believed there was three. Rohit Sharma knew he believed there was three too. That’s why he had his hand up even as he brought his bat down to complete the second run. Sunday marked the 20th time they put on a hundred-run partnership. Only Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have more.Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shared a 136-run stand•AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa began to pull the run rate back in the middle overs. They found their lengths against Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar and by doing that they managed to starve the set batter of strike. The third and fourth-wicket stands were 55 balls long. Kohli faced only 22 of them and hit just one four. The other end managed one six. The crowd got antsy. They were here to watch Kohli at home in India blue for the first time since February. They wanted the century.Kohli didn’t bat an eyelid. He did other things. Run between the wickets so hard the picture seemed incomplete without smoke flying off his heels. Practice chopping an imaginary short ball down onto the pitch so that the next time he faced one, it bounced over Dewald Brevis still close in at point. Note the gaps in the field and expend only the energy needed to find them.That’s how he moved from 94 to 98. Midwicket was up. Square leg was back. The ball was dug in and though it didn’t climb it was cramping him for room. Kohli was now so cozy inside his bubble that he arranged his body for a short-arm jab with a horizontal bat, knowing the outfield would take care of the rest.On 99, he took his guard again. Stretched his back out – finally a sign of what this innings against quality opposition was taking out of him. Recognised the ball wasn’t there. And just kept it out. By now the crowd was going wild… because everyone was blocking everyone else’s shot. Eventually, the glide to the deep third boundary, the jump, the punch, the scream, the kiss of his wedding ring and the raise of his bat all began to flood social media.It was a beautiful moment. No. 52. The only one Kohli spent outside his bubble. It is sacred to him. Especially now. He wants to make the 2027 World Cup. But he’s 37. That number – as much as any other from his legendary ODI career – looms large enough that every innings he plays from now until the squad is picked could be scrutinised. Even though the selectors have said otherwise.The surest way Kohli can realise his goal is to prove over and over that even in the twilight of his career he is twice the player anybody else is. He ticked that box on Sunday evening. And it will need ticking again. The pressure that must bring feels unimaginable. The way he ignores it and just goes about his business is incredible.