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Lucknow Super Giants turned it around in the final few overs as they registered the highest chase of the IPL this season

Himanshu Agrawal10-Apr-2023It was a rolling ride where the teasing tickle in the stomach never seemed to stop, as the coaster went up and down, left and right, threatening to crash into a pool one moment before soaring high into the clouds the next. That’s what the game felt like.Lucknow Super Giants needed four to win from the remaining five balls with three wickets in hand. Then Mark Wood got bowled. Few balls later, a tumbling Faf du Plessis almost fumbled a catch, but eventually took it.That made it 1 off 1, with one wicket in hand. Harshal Patel, the bowler, then attempted to run the non-striker out backing up, but missed.Still 1 off 1. Dinesh Karthik then juggles and fails to grab the last ball behind the stumps, enough for the last two Super Giants batters to sneak a bye.Game over. The Royal Challengers Bangalore and their fans were left with broke hearts. The Super Giants claimed a humdinger.Highest win contribution % for Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Stoinis starts the party

Marcus Stoinis came out at 23 for 3 after four overs. Not managing to score from his three balls, Stoinis swung across the line. Mohammed Siraj, placed at mid-on, ran back towards midwicket and dropped a difficult catch.After seven overs, Super Giants’ required rate had crossed 13, but Stoinis welcomed Harshal with 6, 4, 4. Next over, Karn Sharma was given the same treatment. In the over after that, Shahbaz Ahmed was creamed for two sixes. The first of that brought up his fifty off 25 balls. Karn got his revenge in the 11th over when Stoinis departed for 65 from 30 deliveries. But only if Royal Challengers knew what was to follow.

Pooran pings sixes at will

Nicholas Pooran arrived when Super Giants needed another 114 from 56 balls in pursuit of 213. The second ball he faced was dispatched over long-on. He was on 10 off five deliveries at one stage. He ended with 62 from 19. Seven of those balls were hit for sixes, and four of them for fours. Carefree, unstoppable T20 batting, with the swag, muscle and calmness of Sir Viv.Pooran’s fifty came up off 15 deliveries. Balls flew over long-on, square leg, extra cover and fine leg. Fielders’ jaws dropped and the bowlers’ spirits were crushed as Pooran was merciless. When he was finally dismissed, he left Super Giants needing only 24 from 18.Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis put on a 115-run stand in quick time•Associated Press

Impact Player Strategy

Introduced in the 12th over, Amit Mishra carried forward the mania from Lucknow to Bangalore, and struck third ball to dismiss Virat Kohli. Two overs later, Glenn Maxwell smashed him for 4, 6 off successive deliveries as Mishra ended at 2 for 18. Despite being brought on quite late, he was subbed by Ayush Badoni. Badoni, to his part, played the ice to Pooran’s fire, guiding Super Giants with a composed 30 in 24 deliveries, before hitting his stumps with the bat in a follow through after scooping the ball for six, a-la Roy Fredericks from the 1975 World Cup final.

RCB penalised for slow over-rate

Royal Challengers were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate during the game. Since it was their first offence of the season, only captain du Plessis was fined Rs 12 lakh.
Avesh Khan, the Super Giants quick, was reprimanded for a Level 1 offence [2.2 of IPL’s Code of Conduct].

Royal Challengers replaced Anuj Rawat, who didn’t get to bat, with legspinner Karn at the start of their defence. Karn ended up conceding 48 in three overs, the most expensive economy for any Royal Challengers bowler (min. three overs) ever.

du Plessis, Maxwell and Kohli’s fifties in vain

Royal Challengers’ innings was of three parts: 56 runs in the powerplay, 48 in the next seven, and 108 from the final seven. The start was down to an attacking Kohli, who ended the first six overs on 42, with four fours and three sixes. But his last 19 runs took as many deliveries to come, with the Super Giants’ spinner Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi applying the brakes.Carnage was to follow. In what turned to be a six-fest, du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell smacked 11 sixes until the end of the innings. Du Plessis finished on 79, while Maxwell smashed 59 at double the pace. Royal Challengers soared to 212. In the end, it was all for nothing.

Pooran, Moeen and Livingstone are other notable movers in the latest ICC rankings

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2022 Akeal Hosein and Jason Holder have achieved career-best positions in the latest ICC T20I rankings for bowlers, after guiding West Indies to victory in the fifth match against England in Bridgetown.Left-arm spinner Hosein has jumped 15 places to the 18th spot after picking up 4 for 30 in the final T20I. He finished with six wickets in three matches that were considered for the latest update to the rankings. Fast bowling allrounder Holder, who rattled England with four wickets in four balls to finish the series-decider with 5 for 27 and scalped nine in the last three T20Is, has moved up three spots to 23rd with a gain of 20 rating points.

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The other notable movers in the T20I bowling rankings were Sheldon Cottrell (up 10 places to 31st), Moeen Ali (up three places to 32nd) and Liam Livingston (up 33 places to 68th).Among the batters, Nicholas Pooran has gained eight places to 18th after hitting a total of 113 runs in the three matches – which includes 70 in the third T20I. Brandon King and West Indies captain Kieron Pollard have also gained big in the rankings. King moved up 25 places to 58th, while Pollard jumped 15 places to 60th.Moeen, who scored a match-winning 63 and picked up 2 for 28 in the fourth T20I, has gone up 30 places to be 67th. He has also leapfrogged Glenn Maxwell and Wanindu Hasaranga to the third spot among allrounders.

Winless Derbyshire fall short in chase despite Wayne Madsen’s half-century

ECB Reporters Network13-Sep-2020Nottinghamshire moved four points clear at the top of the North Group when they beat Derbyshire by 13 runs in the T20 Blast at Trent Bridge.Joe Clarke scored 57 off 35 balls, his third fifty-plus score in the competition, and Alex Hales hit 49 from 32 as the Outlaws powered to 198 for 6 from 20 overs.Wayne Madsen led a spirited chase with 68 from 46 balls while Matt Critchley hit 44 from 28 but Jake Ball bowled well under pressure to take 2 for 36 as the Falcons closed on 185 for 6 and are still without a win.It was no surprise when the Outlaws elected to bat first and although they lost Chris Nash in the second over when he chipped to deep midwicket to give Dustin Melton his first T20 wicket, Hales and Clarke laid the platform for another imposing total.Hales hit four consecutive fours off Michael Cohen as the Outlaws took 65 from the Powerplay before Clarke pulled and drove Alex Hughes for the first sixes of the innings.The pair added 93 in 8 overs before Hales skied Hughes to long on and although Clarke was dropped on 50 by Critchley running in from long-off, he pulled Hughes to long-on in the next over.Despite that lapse, the Falcons had managed to keep their discipline in the field but the Outlaws moved into overdrive as 45 came from the last four overs. Dan Christian smashed Madsen for successive sixes before he failed to clear long off but Tom Moores pulled the fifth ball of the over for another maximum. Moores was bowled aiming a big pull at Melton who conceded only three from the 18th over but Ben Duckett took consecutive boundaries off Cohen before Steven Mullaney dispatched the penultimate ball of the innings for six.The Falcons lost Luis Reece first ball, bowled by Imad Wasim, and Billy Godleman was lbw sweeping Matthew Carter but Madsen and Leus du Plooy lifted them to 56 for 2 at the end of the Powerplay.Mullaney had du Plooy caught at mid-off but with Madsen astutely finding the gaps, the Falcons were still in the chase on 92 for 3 at the halfway point. Critchley swung Imad for six over midwicket and cut Ball for two fours but the seamer responded by yorking Madsen with the last ball of the 14th over.The Falcons needed a big over and Hughes delivered in the 16th, pulling Samit Patel for six and sweeping him for two fours. Ball returned to have Critchley lbw and bowled a superb penultimate over which cost only five leaving the Falcons needing 23 off the last over which proved beyond them.

During the New Zealand game, people outside the playing group were influenced by radio commentary, says the Bangladesh captain

Mohammad Isam in Taunton16-Jun-2019Mashrafe Mortaza has asked his team-mates to rely on their instincts in assessing pitches – starting with the one in Taunton, where Bangladesh play West Indies on Monday – and not go by “outside” opinions.The playing surface in Taunton is quite green, but there’s also the knowledge that it is traditionally a batsman-friendly pitch. And that has caused confusion in the ranks, with Mashrafe saying that since it’s the players who cop the flak for poor performances, they should make the calls on the matter.”The team that correctly assesses the pitch faster, they will be ahead in the game. I think we misread the pitch in the New Zealand game [at The Oval]. If we had read the pitch right during that match, we would have targeted 260-270, and not 300-plus,” Mashrafe said. “There’s confusion about the [Taunton] pitch as well. We heard it will be grassy but some are saying that it is usually a flat pitch.”I think those who go out in the middle can assess it quicker, since they end up getting criticised for the defeat.”Shakib Al Hasan is caught behind by Tom Latham•Getty Images

The context for the comments was Bangladesh’s 244 all out against New Zealand. It was thought of as a 260-270 pitch by the players but, Mashrafe said, the opinion outside the playing group – influenced by the radio commentary – was that the team should aim higher, which prompted the batsmen to throw their bats around more than they might have otherwise. They collapsed from 151 for 3 in the 31st over and lost by two wickets; in the previous game, against South Africa, they had scored 330 for 6 at the same venue.ESPNcricinfo found out soon after the match against New Zealand that some in the Bangladesh dressing room had been influenced by the radio commentary. At one stage, a message was also sent out to the batsmen in the middle – between overs 31 and 38 – to get a move on. That didn’t go down well with many of the players.”The behaviour of a pitch changes as the match progresses. When you are playing in a ground like The Oval, you are likely to have in the back of your mind that there will be 330-350 runs,” Mashrafe said. “I think our calculations were spot on against South Africa. But if Shakib [Al Hasan] didn’t get out at that time against New Zealand, we would have gone along the same path against New Zealand.”When [Mohammad] Mithun and [Mahmudullah] Riyad were batting, we had the right thinking, aimed at a score around 270. It is hard to judge the pitch listening to the radio. They can only speculate, and only comment on things as it progresses in front of them. I think those in the middle should make the decisions based on their judgment.”

Australia’s captain, meanwhile, has looked notably assertive with the bat in net sessions this week, and reckons himself to be hitting the ball far better than at any stage during his prolific Ashes summer

Daniel Brettig in Cape Town21-Mar-2018When Steven Smith confirmed an unchanged team for Australia’s Newlands bout with South Africa, his
matter-of-fact tone belied that this had been a far from straightforward decision. Mitchell Starc had been hampered by a calf problem and Mitchell Marsh by a groin strain, and both had to pass bowling fitness tests in front of the selection chairman Trevor Hohns.Much like the vagaries of the charge, hearing, ban, appeal and exoneration for Kagiso Rabada, this series has been a test for Smith in plenty of ways both expected and unforeseen. He is facing an opponent seemingly well equipped to keep him, to use the term of Faf du Plessis, “quiet”, while his otherwise peerless bowling attack has failed conclusively so far to do likewise for AB de Villiers.All the while the mental strain of a long summer and all the attendant distractions of this series have added up. By Smith’s own admission, he “reads everything” in the press and on social media, and is also feeling fatigued between the ears relative to his headspace during a prolific Ashes series.However there is one point of positivity, drawn perhaps from the experience of watching de Villiers play with such boldness and freedom irrespective of the match situation. Smith has been notably assertive with the bat in net sessions this week, and reckons himself to be hitting the ball far better than at any stage against England – with the possible exception of one evening during the Perth Test, when he raced to 92 before settling in for an epic 239.”I feel really good, my hit today was the best for six months,” Smith said. “It’s probably been the opposite throughout the summer, I didn’t feel I was hitting the ball that well but my mind was in a good place, maybe now my mind is not in as good a space as it was but I feel now I am hitting the ball better. It’s nice to mix and match between the two, but if I get the two in the right place together then hopefully it will mean some big runs.”You play the way you feel and all that out in the middle. I’m feeling good and fresh after week break before training, in a good place. I’ve had a bit of success here without scoring a hundred, scored a few runs here last time, got out to Dean Elgar again which wasn’t very nice. Hopefully I can make a big impact in this game.”In observing de Villiers, Smith has seen a player very much at ease with his game and surroundings. There were the familiar words from Smith about creating an “uncomfortable environment” for the Proteas maestro, something for which he may take inspiration from the way du Plessis and his bowlers have succeeded in corralling him at the crease for Australia.”He’s played beautifully, you want to get those guys out early but its actually been nice to watch and the way he’s developed his innings in the games,” Smith said. “It was nice to get his wicket in the last innings, [but] he looks to have a good game plan, a lot of time, looks comfortable and hopefully we can make him very uncomfortable in this game.”Getty Images

As IPL teammates until recently, Smith and du Plessis know each other well, and it is clear the latter has succeeded in switching his bowlers onto their most alert mode whenever the Australian walks to the middle. “With all good players you want to make sure you make it as tough as possible for them,” du Plessis said, “especially in the first hour or 15 to 20 balls.”They are just a bit better than normal players so if you let them get going, they kickstart their innings quickly. In the previous game I think he was on one off 15 balls, so it’s about making sure you are concentrating when you bowl those first 15 balls at him so he doesn’t get off to that fluent start. I’m sure he’ll be hungry for runs in this game as well.”Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, meanwhile, may not get as much assistance from the Newlands square in roughing up the ball for reverse swing, as it has a far lusher and more watered appearance than those of Kingsmead and St George’s Park. Nathan Lyon has noted that one of Starc’s less trumpeted abilities is to land the ball consistently on one side when bowling, the better to condition the ball for reverse, but that by his groundsman’s estimation it will take time.”It’s going to depend on how rough we can get the rough side by hitting the wicket,” he said. “You can see Starcy is a massive weapon for us when we want to get the ball reversing, the way he releases the ball he can land it on the rough side and rough it up naturally. I dare say it’s still going to play a part, but I don’t think it will play a part as quick as what it probably has in the past two Test matches.”Time, of course, was a factor used brilliantly by South Africa’s top-order pair of Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla in Port Elizabeth, soaking up the best overs of Starc and Hazlewood to buy time for de Villiers to excel. Smith acknowledged that he may have to change things up more frequently this time around in the field.”It depends on what’s happening,” Smith said. “That middle session where those guys batted really well was where the ball started reversing really big and at that time I thought it was the best option to get them out. Unfortunately we weren’t able to do that, but they scored 42 runs in the session I think and got rewards later on. It certainly depends on what’s happening out in the middle. Nathan’s been very successful against Dean as well, so that could come into play pretty early.”Whether with the bat or the ball, Smith, Starc and Australia may well need to make things happen in Cape Town, as their mental and physical reserves start to dwindle at the end of a long summer.

Karachi Kings dominated the final league game to beat Islamabad United by six wickets, thereby qualifying for the playoffs of the Pakistan Super League

The Report by Nikhil Kalro26-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellKarachi Kings dominated the final league game from the start to finish, completing a six-wicket win over Islamabad United that ensured they qualified for the playoffs. Rain had delayed the start by 90 minutes and considering the variables that rain brings – how the pitch will play with some moisture on it and the unpredictability of the Duckworth-Lewis Method – the toss became crucial. Karachi won it, chose to bowl and never looked back.The only phase which Karachi didn’t control was when the Islamabad openers made a steady start. Dwayne Smith and Ben Duckett added 37, but it took the majority of the Powerplay – 27 balls. Par scores in the tournament have been fluctuating as much as the games, but with not much spin on offer, Islamabad needed more than the 123 they mustered. None of Karachi’s bowlers were exceptional, but neither were they deplorable. Pace variations were used effectively, including a back-of-the-hand googly from seamer Sohail Khan that dismissed Shane Watson.Chris Gayle, dropped from the previous match, lit up Dubai in the chase. He didn’t take long to get going, striking five sixes in eight balls en route to his 17-ball 44. Not only did that blitz get him back in hitting form, it also put Karachi well ahead in the chase. It was a canter thereon. Even though the match went down to the penultimate ball, it wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggested.Where the match was wonA curtailed contest means an increased allocation of resources, but Islamabad were unable to use the depth in their batting line-up in the 15-over game – partly due to their own indecision of a par score but also because of the Karachi bowlers’ execution. Between overs 6 and 10, Islamabad scored just 27 runs and lost two wickets. Legspinner Usama Mir and left-arm spinner Imad Wasim bowled two overs each in that period and allowed just one boundary, using wily changes in length and pace.The men that won itKarachi’s playing XI. The whole team contributed at some stage. Five bowlers bowled their quota of three overs, and none conceded more than 30. The fielding remained tidy through the innings. With the bat, Gayle played the most significant hand, but the target may just have been insurmountable without the rest of the cameos.Moment of the matchKieron Pollard went 6, 6 off the final two balls to keep Karachi alive in the previous game. He almost matched those pyrotechnics in the field in the final league match. He took four catches, the last of which was possibly the moment of Karachi’s campaign. Smith, batting on 49, heaved an Usman Khan delivery towards wide long-on, where Pollard sprinted to his right. Using every bit of his athleticism, he stuck out his long right hand to pluck another grab for the Pollard scrapbook of implausible catches.Where they finishedKarachi was left with 111 to qualify for the playoffs and 124 to win. They ended up achieving both to finish third on the points table. Islamabad had already qualified for the playoffs, and finished fourth, but a win would have put them in first and given them two cracks at reaching the final by virtue of playing in the first qualifying final on February 28. Instead, Karachi and Islamabad will have a rematch in an elimination playoff on March 1. The result also meant that Lahore Qalandars were eliminated from the tournament.

A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches on January 4, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2016

Highlights of the day

Cheteshwar Pujara blasted his highest score in Twenty20 cricket, as Saurashtra thrashed Jammu & Kashmir by 73 runs in Kochi. Pujara slammed five fours and sixes each during a 55-ball 81, and shared a 70-run partnership with Chirag Jani, who stroked 38 off 19 balls. Their efforts lifted Sauarashtra to 157 for 7. J&K failed to string together a single meaningful stand in their chase, and folded for 84 inside 18 overs, with only two batsmen managing double-digit scores. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers, ending with figures of 3.1-0-19-3.Gujarat nearly made a mess of a small chase against Hyderabad in Nagpur, but Parthiv Patel’s 70-run blitz ensured the team had enough gas in the tank to register a three-wicket win. Set 132 for victory, Parthiv drilled eight fours and three sixes during a 40-ball 70, and added 99 for the opening wicket with Priyank Kirit Panchal. Parthiv’s dismissal in the 12th over triggered a slide, as Gujarat lost seven wickets for just 30 runs, but held on to complete the chase with three balls to spare.Domestic heavyweights Karnataka suffered their second defeat of the season, going down to Uttar Pradesh by five wickets in Cuttack. Karnataka, opting to bat, compiled a total of 160 for 6, thanks to a 40-ball 45 from Mohammed Talha, and handy lower-order knocks from CM Gautam and Aniruddha Joshi. UP, though, gunned that total down with relative ease, as their top and middle order all got in among the runs. The opener Prashant Gupta top-scored with 48, while Suresh Raina carried forward the momentum by smoking a 15-ball 28 with three sixes.Biplab Samantray’s maiden T20 ton went in vain, as Odisha failed to defend 183 against Maharashtra. Samantray thumped a 59-ball 102, and put up 155 for the third wicket with Govinda Poddar, but important knocks of 44 and 49 from Prayag Bhati and Ankit Bawne respectively helped Maharashtra to a last-ball win.

Other brief scores

The ECB have moved quickly to appoint a new England Women’s coach with Paul Shaw replacing Mark Lane, who stood down after five years in the role on May 13.

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jun-2013The ECB have moved quickly to appoint a new England Women’s coach with Paul Shaw replacing Mark Lane, who stood down after five years in the role on May 13.Shaw, who played for Staffordshire Minor Counties, has been promoted internally and takes on more wide-ranging responsibility than Lane with the role of head coach becoming redundant.Shaw becomes the new ECB Women’s and Girls’ high performance manager, with overall responsibility for the performance of the senior England Women’s team. He was previously head of England Women’s performance.”The rationale for the role evolving is to reflect the scope and expansion of the England Women’s programme and the skill set now required to lead that programme, the coaching/support staff and the players,” Clare Connor, ECB head of England Women’s cricket, said. “Paul has already made an excellent contribution and has considerable strengths in a range of areas, most notably in leadership, creating high performance cultures and talent development.”I am wholly confident that Paul has the expertise and dynamism required to ensure that the England Women’s team regains its number one world ranking as we embark on a new World Cup cycle.”The ECB had said they hoped to have a successor to Lane installed for the Women’s Ashes, which begin on August 11, but the appointment of Shaw means a permanent coach can oversee the first series of the summer, two ODIs and two T20s against Pakistan at the start of July.Shaw, 45, was born in Burton-on-Trent and played for his home county from 1992 until 2004 appearing 12 times in the NatWest Trophy that became the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. He scored two half-centuries in those matches, including 55 against Surrey as his side failed to cause an upset by just nine runs.He went into coaching and began at Barnsley CC – home club of England Women’s seamer Katherine Brunt – before working for ICC Europe. He joined the ECB in 2007 as coach education training manager and became England Women’s academy coach in 2008 and head of England Women’s performance in 2010.”Paul was one of the first graduates of the ECB’s highly successful Level 4 coaching programme,” Hugh Morris, ECB managing director – England Cricket, said. “He will now lead a world class programme with increased support from specialist coaches as well as sports science and medicine.”Shaw added: “I am delighted to be taking on this new role and I’m looking forward to the challenge of leading the England Women’s cricket team towards achieving number one status in the world, and working with some outstanding players, coaches and support staff as we head into a busy summer of cricket with games against Pakistan, followed by what promises to be an exciting Ashes Series.”

Delhi Daredevils batsman Kevin Pietersen, whose hundred helped beat his former team Deccan Chargers by five wickets on Thursday, said that he felt “a little sorry” for Chargers

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2012Delhi Daredevils batsman Kevin Pietersen, whose hundred helped beat his former team Deccan Chargers by five wickets on Thursday, said that he felt “a little sorry” for Chargers, who lost their fourth straight match in the tournament. Deccan sold Pietersen to Daredevils in the 2012 transfer window after he missed out on the entire 2011 season due to injury. Pietersen said that the thought of playing against his former team didn’t cross his mind during the match, as he concentrated on his batting.”I feel a little sorry for Deccan, but we came out here as Delhi players and had to get the two points. They played very well, they put us under a lot of pressure and could have won. Luckily we came through but they are a very good team that should have won against Mumbai, and [against Rajasthan Royals] the other night,” Pietersen said.Pietersen said though that there is still time in the tournament for Deccan to improve. “You don’t want to play your best cricket in April, if you have a good May. In my first season [in 2009] I played for Bangalore, and we lost five out of our first six games and went on to play the final in Jo’burg [Johannesburg], so nothing’s lost for Deccan at all,” Pietersen said.Pietersen said his innings against Deccan was his best in the Twenty20 format. “It’s my first hundred in T20 cricket so it’s my favourite. I hit one [six] on the top terrace which was good. It’s amazing, you look at guys that get T20 centuries and you envy them. It’s something that I hadn’t done yet, I’ve got Test centuries, ODI centuries and now a T20 century. Although it’s the IPL and not an international T20, it’s still a special feeling.”Chargers, who’ve struggled in the field this season, made matters worse on Thursday by dropping Pietersen three times [on 6, 68, 84]. Chargers coach Darren Lehmann said that poor fielding cost them the last two matches. “I said it the last time, they’ve cost us matches, they have cost us the last two games. You can’t drop a bloke like Pietersen. To give him some credit it’s one of the best knocks I’ve ever seen so when you drop him on six it costs you the game.””We were in a good position at the 12th, 13th over mark and then we lost our way with a couple of poor shots and poor decision making. We are playing at 90%, if we kick off the other 10% we’ll win each game.” Lehmann said.Daredevils currently top the table with four wins and one loss. The team have been performing well [with both bat and ball] and Pietersen said it was a team effort that helped them beat Deccan. “Irfan was good, Yogi [Yogesh Nagar] was good, unfortunately we ran out Ross Taylor and it put a lot more pressure on me,” Pietersen said.”[Shahbaz] Nadeem was excellent, he took three wickets for nine runs in the Chennai game, went to Mumbai and bowled beautifully with the new ball and again he bowled fantastically today. He’s a clever bowler,” Pietersen said. “People were talking about us not having a spinner for this tournament but we’ve turned out to have a little superstar.”