Can you think of a team to stop this all-star combination?

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2019Twenty-two members of our staff picked their alI-time World Cup XIs, from which we compiled a composite team. A total of 39 players featured in at least one of those 22 individual teams. Ten players featured in half or more of the sides. Of these, Wasim Akram was the only unanimous choice.The battle for the final spot was a close one: Kumar Sangakkara pipped the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya, Steve Waugh, Kapil Dev and AB de Villiers.Only two of the players in the final XI featured in a World Cup before 1992, both a reflection of how the ODI game has evolved and the average age of the selectors.ESPNcricinfo LtdAdam Gilchrist (wk)Matches 31 Runs 1085 Average 36.16 Strike Rate 98.01 Dismissals 52
The destructive keeper-batsman has three World Cup titles. His finest moment came in his final World Cup match, when his 149 (aided by a squash ball in his glove) clinched the third of those title wins.Sachin Tendulkar
Matches 45 Runs 2278 Ave 56.95 SR 88.98 100s/50s 6/15
In the three World Cups where he opened throughout, Tendulkar topped the run-scoring charts twice, in 1996 and 2003; he was second in 2011, when India won the title in his record-equalling sixth World Cup.Ricky PontingMatches 46 Runs 1743 Ave 45.86 SR 79.95 100s/50s 5/6
Part of a record 34-match unbeaten World Cup streak during which Australia won a hat-trick of titles, two under his captaincy. Ponting’s best was a stunning 140 not out in the 2003 final. Also a gun fielder, with the most World Cup catches for an outfielder.Viv RichardsMatches 23 Runs 1013 Ave 63.31 SR 85.05 100s/50s 3/5
Two-time World Cup champion (and nearly a third). A trendsetter with the bat, who was voted the greatest ODI player by a jury in 2015. And don’t forget his electric fielding.Kumar SangakkaraMatches 37 Runs 1532 Ave 56.74 SR 86.55 100s/50s 5/7
Hundreds in four consecutive World Cup innings in 2015 – an ODI record. The leading run scorer among left-handers. Also the most dismissals for a keeper, though Gilchrist is first choice for that role in this XI.Imran Khan (c)Matches 28 Runs 666 Ave 35.05 Wickets 34 Ave 19.26
The man who delivered Pakistan’s 1992 triumph. Steady with the bat (he didn’t bowl in the 1983 edition) and deadly with the ball, Imran is also our pick to lead this side.Lance Klusener
Matches 14 Runs 372 Ave 124.00 Wickets 22 Ave 22.13
The least experienced member of this side makes it on the back of his legendary showing in the 1999 edition. The stunning numbers reflect how awe-inducing his finishing was. Also a handy fast-bowling option.Wasim AkramMatches 38 Wickets 55 Ave 23.83 Economy Rate 4.04 4s/5s 2/1
The greatest left-arm bowler of his generation, and perhaps of all time. He swung the 1992 World Cup final his team’s way with bat and ball, and led them to the final in 1999.Shane Warne
Matches 17 Wickets 32 Ave 19.50 ER 3.83 4s/5s 4/0
The wizard who cast memorable World Cup spells. He came up with Man-of-the-Match performances in the thrilling 1996 and 1999 semi-finals, and in Australia’s dominating win in the 1999 final.Muttiah MuralitharanMatches 40 Wickets 68 Ave 19.63 ER 3.88 4s/5s 4/0
His first World Cup was Sri Lanka’s remarkable 1996 victory, and he played a key role in their 2003, 2007 and 2011 campaigns, a constant menace to opposition batsmen.Glenn McGrathMatches 39 Wickets 71 Average 18.19 ER 3.96 4s/5s 0/2
The leading wicket-taker in World Cup history improved his performance with each edition, finishing with a record 26 wickets, the Player-of-the-Tournament award, and a hat-trick of titles in 2007.Do you have a better all-time World Cup XI in mind? Send in your team.

The 26-year old picked up three wickets on debut, his captain’s praise and a smile that just wouldn’t stop as he was named Man of the Match

Deivarayan Muthu03-Aug-2019You are up against West Indies, the gold standard in T20 hitting, on your international debut. Chris Gayle and Andre Russell aren’t part of this side, but Kieron Pollard, Evin Lewis and Nicholas Pooran are and each of them has been there and done that in T20 – and T10 – leagues around the world. You’ve just been a net bowler for India’s senior team until Saturday. But, in the tour opener in Lauderhill, you best West Indies’ top order and then cap your spell with a scarcely-believable wicket-maiden in the 20th over. Navdeep Saini belongs to this stage.His captain certainly thought so. “He has come a long way since he started playing in first-class cricket,” Virat Kohli said at the presentation. “[He] had a great season in the IPL with us (Royal Challengers Bangalore) last year as well. He’s just a raw talent, [with] raw pace and he’s someone who can really build a name for himself. There are hardly any bowlers around who can bowl 150 clicks and he’s one of them. He’s fit, he’s hungry as well. It’s a really good start for him and hopefully he builds on from here.”Saini might have felt some early jitters though, especially when Pooran lined up his second ball and belted it straight over mid-on for a mighty six on a two-paced pitch. However, Saini immediately pulled his length back and cranked up his pace up to 139kph to bounce out the left-hander. The next ball to Shimron Hetmyer was similarly short, but on a fourth-stump line, and the batsman could only drag it back onto his off stump. Just like that Saini was on a brink of a hat-trick in his very first over as an India cricketer.ALSO READ: Saini, the shy Haryana boy who turned free-spirited fast bowler“I think he bowled really well, as everyone saw and the most important thing is that he proved himself at different stages, whether it’s domestic cricket, IPL or India A,” Bhuvneshwar Kumar said at the press conference after the match. “Just before coming into the team, he played for India A in West Indies and he did well there.”He bowls really quick and the wicket was a bit slow but he’s a quick bowler, he bowls around 145-150kmh. So we’ll get to see him bowl really quick on good bowling wickets.”Rovman Powell averted the hat-trick, but Saini and Washington Sundar, his IPL team-mate at Royal Challengers, had inflicted irreparable damage on West Indies.It was Washington who had provided India with their first breakthrough, when he had John Campbell dragging a non-turning offbreak to deep midwicket. Washington then found considerable turn and bounce to draw a top-edged cut from Pooran, but the ball landed between short third man and backward point.Earlier this year, Washington had largely ferried drinks for Royal Challengers and got just three games. In 2018, they had forked out INR 3 crore to get Saini on board, but bizarrely benched him for that entire season despite leaking runs at the death in nearly every game. #JustRCBthingsThere are plenty of good signs about Saini. As Kohli and Bhuvneshwar said, he has raw pace, and as Pooran found out, he bowls a really sharp bouncer. Later, when Saini came face to face with Kieron Pollard at his calculated best, he showed he had the composure to prepare a plan – keep the ball away from the batsman’s reach outside off – and execute it repeatedly. A string of wide yorkers kept Pollard on 49 before a slower ball trapped him plumb in front off a full toss.It is just one game and it was on a pitch which was so two paced that shot-making was incredibly hard. Saini will face far greater challenges as he moves forward but it will be hard for him to break out of this moment right now. This moment when he won a game for his country and literally couldn’t stop smiling as he was named Man of the Match.

The thrilling sight of Jofra Archer bowling and a tantalising finish: not much more a fan could ask for at Lord’s

Fram Hansotia21-Aug-2019Choice of game
England went into day five of a pulsating Lord’s Ashes Test, leading by 104 runs with six wickets in hand, and all results still possible.Crowd favourite
Although Ben Stokes played an invaluable role in this game, carving his name into the Lord’s honours board for a third time, Jofra Archer was the player who thrilled us all. He showed no signs of nervousness that tends to be expected from Test debutants. Not since Kevin Pietersen 14 years ago has an England Test debutant seemed so comfortable and self-assured on the biggest stage.There is something primal and inexplicably thrilling about watching an express pace bowler amble up to the crease and then release the ball at 90-plus mph. A large part of Archer’s mystique comes from his deceptively short run-up, which seems more suited to that of a military-medium pacer. Despite being the youngest member of this England line-up, Archer was the man Joe Root turned to when England needed a breakthrough. In contrast with England’s other bowlers, the majority of Archer’s deliveries were accompanied by animated exclamations or groans of disbelief as balls whistled past the edge of the bat. The crowd seemed aware they were watching an exciting young pacer in action.Key performer
Archer thrilled with the ball and Marnus Labuschagne resisted ably with the bat, but Ben Stokes’ century proved to be the significant difference between the two sides. Beginning the day cautiously and running hard between the wickets, he ensured that minimal risks were taken yet the total was kept ticking along. Post lunch, once the lead had extended to near-200 but the game was threatening to meander to a stale draw, Stokes rode his luck and cut loose, smacking Nathan Lyon for consecutive sixes before smoking Peter Siddle through the covers. The sudden acceleration swung the momentum England’s way, and created a tantalising sense of belief in the crowd, which Archer’s opening spell only served to heighten.Face-off I enjoyed
Archer seemed determined to take on Australia single-handedly. He struck Labuschagne, and there was a brief period where Cummins (who had bounced Archer earlier in the Test) had six fielders in catching positions behind him, and three crouched around the bat beside him. Proper Test cricket.Wow moment
Joe Denly catching Tim Paine at full stretch, parallel to the ground, while the ball had almost passed him. The crowd erupted with pure, unadulterated elation. It released an afternoon’s frustration, and sparked a frantic and nerve-wracking final seven overs.AFPShot of the day
Stokes displayed his array of expansive stroke-play as he approached his century, blasting Lyon and Siddle around Lord’s. However, the shot that left a lasting impact on the memory was a checked on-drive off Hazlewood, while he was still in the 30s. It sent both non-striker and umpire scurrying to evade it, and was an indicator of the form he is in.One thing I would have changed
Widespread boos met the announcement at the start of the day that Cricket Australia had substituted Steven Smith for the remainder of the match. While completely understandable, one suspects Australia may have had more of a go at chasing down their fourth-innings target if Smith was anchoring the batting line-up. Having said that, as like-for-like substitutes go, Labuschagne certainly exceeded expectations, with a gutsy, stroke-filled half-century that crushed the English crowd’s hopes of an Australian collapse.Crowd meter
The atmosphere was easily the most animated that I have experienced at Lord’s, yet the high-quality cricket by either side was appreciated with admirable sportsmanship.Overall
Although the momentum oscillated between both teams during this Test, Archer dampened Smith’s aura of invincibility on Saturday, and may have single-handedly altered the outcome of this Ashes. What had seemed to be inevitably becoming a record-breaking series for Smith, has morphed into another potentially thrilling Ashes series.England dominated day five, and any chances of an Australian victory were extinguished by Jos Buttler and Stokes’ partnership. If not for two turning points today, one controllable (Jason Roy dropping a regulation catch at slip, which would have opened up an end and left England with six wickets to get off 20 overs), and the other uncontrollable (losing a crucial ten overs to rain this morning), England might have been celebrating another famous Ashes victory.Want to do a Fan Following report? Read our FAQs here.

Playing in his second U-19 World Cup, the allrounder is one of the early pace-setters for the tournament’s MVP

Sreshth Shah in Bloemfontein22-Jan-2020Nyeem Young spent most of his formative years at his grandparents’ house at St James, a parish in Barbados, while his parents worked. After taping up a rubber ball, he would bowl at the garbage can in his backyard to bide time. His grandfather was a bit of a cricket nerd, and Young grew up watching all kind of cricket games on television at his house.From watching cricket on TV together, these days Young senior wakes up at 4am to watch his grandson live at the Under-19 World Cup. So far, Young has made his grandfather’s effort worth it by winning the Player of the Match award in both games he has played so far.Remarkably, both the performances have come in different circumstances. Against Australia, Young walked in to a tricky situation, with West Indies 73 for 4 in chase of 180. He fought through difficult periods against spin before finding his own in a composed innings of 61 in 69 balls to seal his West Indies’ first win against Australia in the tournament’s history.Against England, Young had the liberty to display his full array of strokes. He smashed a 41-ball 66, his fourth fifty in five games, to lift West Indies to 267. To cap off that batting performance, the medium-pacer ran through the England batting line-up to take his maiden five-for in the West Indies maroon.Young appears a confident young man, not daunted by media attention or press conferences. He looks at you in the eye and answers, a rare trait among teenagers at the tournament. What is the secret to his confidence?”When you see a tweet from Ian Bishop calling you a ‘future star’, it relaxes the nerves,” Young tells ESPNcricinfo. “For him to acknowledge my performance, speak to me, tweet about me, it means a lot.”Young’s journey began as a nine-year old when his school teacher asked him to play an Under-11 match. Before long, he made the Barbados U-13s and 15s, playing alongside fellow allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall. Now, in 2020, he finds himself playing in his second Under-19 World Cup.The journey has been far from a smooth sail, though. Despite making 299 in a school’s game as a 15-year old, he had failed to make a mark the next few years. It appeared, to him, that the transition into the under-19s would not be possible, but an arm around his shoulder changed everything.”After that summer, I was a bit down,” Young continues, “because I couldn’t believe my form could drop so significantly within 12 months. I felt depressed at a very young age. Very hurtful. I thought it would be hard to go into the Under-19 team.”That’s when Corey Collymore, my coach back then, came to my rescue. He had trust in me and calmed my anxiety by telling me that he believed in my potential. I haven’t watched him play, and yet he’s my favourite cricketer, just because of the person he is. He is very honest with me and still messages me here before games.”Nyeem considers himself to be in the Ben Stokes mould. The higher the pressure, the more he thrives. That’s why he’s grown as a bowler once he moved from taking the new ball.”At the last World Cup, I was the new-ball bowler. Now been a middle-overs and death bowler,” Young says. “. I enjoy this more because when I bowl middle overs, it’s all about containing and I get to use my variations.”Bowling at the death, I can show my slower balls and bouncers. I enjoy bowling at the death more than anything else. To have that confidence of bowling in the hardest part of the innings is a good asset. Chatting with Chris Jordan, who visits Barbados often, has also helped me.”Despite his hard-hitting batting style, evidence of which is the cracked glass window at the media centre at Kimberley’s Diamond Oval, Nyeem has aspirations to play all three formats and not just white-ball cricket.He admits he doesn’t watch much Test cricket but believes he’s a very adjustable character. He also understands why specific senior players from the Caribbean prefer white-ball formats to Test cricket.”Each player looks at things differently. Those who want to play specific formats, it’s because they know their strengths – like (Nicholas) Pooran and (Kieron) Pollard,” Young says. “I enjoy playing the faster game, and I’ll be honest, sometimes I don’t even watch Test cricket, but playing multi-day cricket is something different.”Players within the Caribbean do tend to play limited-overs cricket, and that’s just their choice. And then there are people who just want to play Test cricket like Kraigg B(rathwaite). If we show teenagers and kids how enjoyable three-day cricket is, then that will help them develop a love for red-ball cricket.”My next aim is to play in the Barbados first team and maybe get a CPL gig. Barbados are a bit like Mumbai Indians in the IPL, so many good players that they can field three teams. We have around eight-nine Test players from Barbados, so when the national team isn’t playing, it’s difficult making it to the first XI.”I learnt patience after watching a documentary on Mumbai Indians on Netflix. Seeing how hard some of the players train despite not playing in the Mumbai Indians XI has inspired me. I thought it may be easy playing franchise cricket, but seeing the documentary has shown that making it to the XI of an elite team is more difficult than it looks.”St James in Barbados may be known as the ‘Gold Coast’ of the country, because of the rich and famous people living there, but from within that parish, it appears that a rough diamond has been discovered instead. Where Young goes after the World Cup only time will tell, but for now, he’s made himself one of the early contenders to become the World Cup’s Player of the Tournament.

With matches far and few for Zimbabwe, gigs like the BPL have provided a platform for him to showcase his talent

Mohammad Isam06-Jan-2020Mohammad Shahzad had top edged a slog off Kesrick Williams. From the outside it appeared tough, but fielding standards these days means infielders believe every high ball is a potential chance. Ryan Burl, running behind from cover towards the boundary, hurled himself towards the ball as it dropped fast in front of him and completed the catch, with Imrul Kayes fast approaching to celebrate with him.In real terms, this would make the year’s best catches highlights montage. In the BPL, where fielding standards have often been below par, the Burl catch is arguably the best in eight years.”If you don’t try, you’d never know,” Burl tells ESPNcricinfo about the effort. “The game is becoming very athletic. There are some great fielders these days. The game is played at a high tempo. These catches make an impact. I love my fielding. I set myself pretty high standards and I am not afraid to throw myself around. Probably to my detriment as I do get injured doing it.”The catch could be looked at as an equivalent to a zero-angle direct hit run-out, a match-winning cameo or a great over, moments that can turn games, championships and galvanise careers.

“I am addicted to all sports. I have played cricket, squash, hockey and athletics through the age-groups. If there’s a ball involved, I go crazy.”Ryan Burl

Picked by Chattogram Challengers following his impressive showing in the T20I tri-series in Dhaka in September, Burl’s maiden BPL stint couldn’t have had a bigger boost. As a 25-year old, he gave up on a county career, reshaped his batting focus to fit the modern needs and prioritised playing for his country despite all the administrative challenges.In July last year, they were given the shock of their lives when the ICC suspended Zimbabwe Cricket for government interference. While their membership was restored, it could take them many years to recover from the jolt.They missed the World T20 qualifiers in UAE, while what was to be their first bilateral series in India since 2002 stood cancelled. Their last T20I was in October in Singapore. So for a cricketer like Burl, T20 opportunities elsewhere is a boon.”There are some seriously talented players in Zimbabwe, but the problem is our lack of regular international fixtures to give us the exposure,” he says. “But now we have the one-day league starting next year and hopefully leagues like BPL help us out by playing with foreign players from other countries.”Burl remembers going into denial when he first heard of Zimbabwe’s suspension last year.”A part of me refused to accept that I wasn’t going to be allowed to play cricket again,” he says. “I just never thought of it for a moment. I kept ignoring it and did my training. I tried to keep myself happy and in the zone.”While their reinstatement hasn’t translated into a lot of cricket yet, Burl lives in the hope of a better future. And so , he’s trying to be a better version of himself.Ryan Burl moments after pulling off a special catch in the BPL•Chattogram Challengers”I want to make an impact with batting, bowling or fielding. Coming to bat at No 5, I want to score a fifty off 25 balls,” he says of his goals. “Getting a few overs in, being economical and picking up a wicket or two. It is something I have been working on for the last year. I am reaping the rewards of a bit of hard work.”I used to be an aggressive cricketer, but when I played first-class cricket I became little bit more patient and slower. Now I have obviously tried to adapt. It has been a mental thing. I also spoke to players like Sikandar Raza and Brendan Taylor who play all these leagues. I am picking their brains and trying out a lot of things in the nets. Like reverse sweeps and ramps. It is now part and parcel of the game.”Burl was a bit of a prodigy growing up in Marondera, 80km east of Harare. He went to Peterhouse Boys School, which has England internationals Gary Balance, Tom Curran and Sam Curran, Italian rugby star Sebastian Negri and Olympic rower Peter Purcell-Gilpin among its alumni.Burl loved squash more than cricket, but it’s the mateship and camaraderie that pushed him towards a team sport.”I am addicted to all sports,” he says of his interests. “I have played cricket, squash, hockey and athletics through the age-groups. If there’s a ball involved, I go crazy. I could have been better at squash than cricket when I was young.”But the fact was that after winning a squash match, I was by myself. Whereas in cricket, you can celebrate with ten other guys in the field. I just like the camaraderie of everyone being together and enjoying each other’s success. It is what I loved the most.”Now that love has evolved into an international career that needs big performances almost regularly to keep himself afloat. Burl is a shoe-in for Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh in February, when they play all three formats.It will be another little window for the T20 scouts to keep him in mind for T20 leagues later in the year. Until they get regular tours and home series, Zimbabwean cricketers like Burl have to make use of every opportunity, even if it means running several yards behind them to take impossible catches.

The Mumbai batsman, who thinks an international call-up isn’t far away, has had a brilliant run in this season’s domestic limited-overs tournaments

Saurabh Somani13-Nov-2019One of the features of Suryakumar Yadav’s batting is how well he picks his spots. He can be inventive with his shot-making or keep the scoreboard moving with risk-free cricket, or he can hit big. But, when the strokes aren’t flowing as smoothly, Yadav finds a way to still keep ticking over without getting bogged down.Then suddenly, an innings that began with a mite less fluency explodes into a match-winning one as the touch returns. The advantage Yadav has is that even when the ball is not hitting the sweet spot on his bat, he doesn’t dawdle, he hasn’t put pressure on himself (and his batting partner) with a dot-ball build-up, and is therefore in prime position to tear away to a fantastic score when bat makes more accurate geometric arcs and the ball pings off it.His run of scores in India’s domestic season so far bear witness to that. Across the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy, and the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20s, Yadav has scored runs at an average of 93.80 and a strike rate of 163.98. It’s a particularly rich vein of form, which prompted Harbhajan Singh to wonder on Twitter why Yadav wasn’t being considered for the national team, being a seemingly perfect fit.Ask Yadav about it and he just laughs. “I have been sharing the dressing room with him since 2011 [at Mumbai Indians, his first IPL franchise]. We had a good friendship on and off the field,” Yadav tells ESPNcricinfo. “When I left Mumbai Indians and went to Kolkata Knight Riders [in the 2014 auction], he was always behind me, ‘why are you not playing for India? You are not doing justice to your talent. I think it’s high time you become a little more consistent.'”There was a lot of what you can call constructive criticism. I really enjoyed it. I could feel he wants me to go ahead and play for the country, which was the best thing. Knowing he tweeted, I was really happy. I called him and told him, ‘thank you so much Bhajju for tweeting for me. It means a lot that you tweeted’. He keeps motivating me, keeps pushing me, because he feels I’m not doing justice to my talent. And that’s good, there have to be a few people who keep doing this for you.”

If you think only about ‘I have to play for India’, it puts unnecessary pressure on you. But I strongly feel that the time is around the corner and I’m going to push the door this year.”Suryakumar Yadav

The natural question then is: does Yadav feel he is doing justice to his talent?”Well, currently I’m just enjoying the brand of cricket I am playing,” he says. “I have always loved playing fearless cricket, for any format. So, instead of thinking of ‘justice’ or ‘injustice’, I feel rather I should enjoy my cricket more, keep scoring runs, keep winning games. That will help me more to push the door and play for India. My father always checks all the websites any time an India A team is announced. He calls me as soon as he sees it, and tells me ‘your name is not there’. I tell him ‘that’s not a problem’. The most important thing I feel is that you have to score so much that you force them to pick you.”I always feel some things in life are not in our hands. If you think only about ‘I have to play for India’, it puts unnecessary pressure on yourself. Of course, I have been thinking that I’m not there in that circle still. But I strongly feel that the time is around the corner and I’m going to push the door this year.”Every player who is doing well says the same things, more or less, but Yadav’s season has been particularly special so far. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he batted only four times in eight matches, but had a better average or strike rate (minimum 100 runs) than him. His average (113.00) was higher than that of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hit a double century and two hundreds in six innings. It was higher than that of Manish Pandey, who looked like he would never get out. His strike rate (154.79) was better than that of Shivam Dube, who was collecting sixes as if getting them at bargain rates in an online sale, or Shahrukh Khan, whose late-order exploits already had people speaking of him playing in his superstar namesake’s IPL team.Yadav has carried that form into the T20 format, where he’s also leading Mumbai. He’s had his share of ups and downs, but leadership roles, whether as captain or senior team member, seem to sit well on him now. “There is an app called ‘One Giant Mind’. I have been using that since July,” he says. “It helps you stay calm, tells you how to breathe and what to think in pressure situations. So far, it’s worked really well. Not just because I’ve scored runs, it keeps me stable on the ground too. Even if I’m at the non-striker’s end or fielding, or if I have to take a decision on the ground or off the ground.”It hasn’t always been all calm, even though the first controversy of his career was not of his own making. The headline “‘Injured’ Suryakumar Yadav scores unbeaten 182” first brought Yadav to the notice of the cricketing world, when, declared injured by Mumbai Indians in the 2011 Champions League, he batted in an age-group game even as his IPL franchise had wangled a special concession of playing five overseas players due to their injury roster.Yadav can laugh about it all now. “Actually, the thing is I didn’t know the rules. They said I was not fit, I said, ‘okay, that’s not a problem, then I’ll go back home.’ I got to know there’s a local match. I was batting and wasn’t feeling that much pain in my hand (he had a finger injury). So I thought I can go and play, and I got a double-hundred (182) over there. Since I was scoring runs, I forgot the pain also! But it was highlighted in next day’s newspapers completely, that I’m fit for Mumbai but unfit for Mumbai Indians. I was like, ‘What is happening?'”Then I got a call from them. They were like, ‘bro, if you are unfit for a Champions League tournament, then you can’t go back and play’. I said I was sincerely sorry but I didn’t know the rule. I didn’t even ask anyone before playing. That was my mistake. I was under a lot of pressure and didn’t know what to do. I called our team (Mumbai Indians) manager Rahul [Sanghvi]. He told me I could go to NCA and give the fitness test. If I cleared it, I could come back to the squad. So I went and gave the fitness test and they said I’m good to go. I came back (to the Mumbai Indians squad) and played the tournament, and we won also. That was the best thing.”BCCIIt’s an endearing story, but the fact remains that if Yadav could go and score 182, how was he pronounced unfit in the first place? “Because that time, when I was batting in the nets, I was feeling a lot of pain,” he says. “Maybe it was too hot, I was sweating a lot… and that time I was feeling it’s paining a lot. So I came back, three-four games of Champions League went. I was at home for about a week, and I got a call that there is a local game, so I thought ‘let’s give it a try, if it pains, it’s a local tournament, they can take care of me.’ So I played, and got runs.”That Mumbai didn’t hold it against Yadav was proven when they went for him aggressively in the January 2018 IPL auction, beating out Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils [now Capitals] with a final bid of INR 3.2 crore.While he makes no bones about having loved his stint at Knight Riders, Yadav cannot hide his joy at being back with his ‘home’ franchise. But even for Mumbai Indians, there is one thing he absolutely will not do: “I just avoid facing him [Jasprit Bumrah, in the nets]! I have actually seen him bowl too much at international level,” he chuckles. “I have faced him a lot when I was at Mumbai Indians in his first year [in 2013]. I was batting in the nets and he was like literally on fire when he was bowling. There was something, a big spark. From that day till today, I’ve never batted against him in the nets. Never!”In match-play, Yadav has an enviable head-to-head record against Bumrah, albeit over a small sample size. In 12 balls across five T20s, Yadav has hit 27 runs off Bumrah and been dismissed once. There aren’t too many batsmen in world cricket who can claim a 200-plus strike rate against arguably the best white-ball bowler in the world. But he’s still not going to face up to Bumrah in the nets. Ever.”There’s no one other than him [that I don’t want to face in the nets]. Only Bumrah. That guy is something else. I’m telling you, seriously. I mean, why do you want to face the fastest bowler, and a toe-crusher, that too in the nets?” he laughs. “In the game it’s fine. I’ve told him also very clearly. Recently when he got a hat-trick in the West Indies, I texted him, ‘Boss, (When you’re back I’m not going to play even a single ball from you in the nets). He was laughing and he replied that he is going to bowl slow to me in the nets, otherwise I’ll hit him behind [the wicket].”It was a fun conversation. But no chance! I’ve told him clearly.”Clearly, it’s not only while batting out in the middle that Yadav sees the gaps. He knows how to pick his spot in the nets too.

A record of good crowd attendance and a rich cricket history could make this an unlikely contender for a permanent Test venue

Varun Shetty in Indore13-Nov-2019Subtle marketing does not exist in Indore. The signboards on stores have roughly the same design language: big, bold text in red, usually in Hindi. A keysmith’s store will simply say , the Hindi word for keys. A medical store’s signage will read (medicine). If it says (learn to drive a car), you won’t find a driving school but a solitary instructor. What you see is what you get. Except, oddly, around the Holkar Stadium.There is graffiti along the walls that lead to the Narendra Hirwani Gate, with themes like satanism, sniper crosshairs, and a sustained bilingual campaign for veganism. But no posters or standees or even plain old banners to indicate that a Test is about to begin in less than 48 hours.

‘It’s a deep conversation’ – Kohli

Virat Kohli recently created a flutter when he suggested that India host Test cricket in only five hand-picked venues.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh in Indore – a city that might not figure in the top five but has a history of good crowds at matches – Kohli explained his argument:
“If you look at the ratio, a stadium like Indore attracted a decent crowd but a lot of others didn’t. And it can’t be that one stadium gets games and the others don’t. So I think the way we go abroad and know the grounds we’re playing in – like the MCG, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane – we know what to expect, what kind of crowd to expect, people know on what dates to expect a match. So it [my thoughts] was about creating that kind of culture.
“I think it’s a deep conversation. It’s not about criticising cities or taking away matches from them. Just a vision about how we can get together and raise Test cricket – that’s the perspective from which we’re trying to discuss this topic. T20s and ODIs should definitely be hosted, people should definitely get to watch cricket. But the situation of Test cricket now is that we’re all figuring out how to keep it at the top. So, from my point of view, that [five venues] was an option. It’s an option and we’ll see how it could be executed.”

It is no small feat, then, that for the first India-Bangladesh Test, nearly 9000 season tickets had been sold two days before the start. Just before the beginning of the day-ticket sales on Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) CEO Rohit Pandit reckoned there could be an average of up to 12,000 spectators throughout the Test – that’s three-quarters of the seats available to the public.”The stands start at Rs 150 [approx. US$ 2] for a daily ticket. The pavilions are between Rs 300 and Rs 400 [approx. US$ 4 and US$ 7]. So it’s pretty affordable. We have received reasonable support from the local spectators,” Pandit told ESPNcricinfo. “The turnout for a Test match can’t be compared to a limited-overs match. If India are batting first, then 11,000-12,000 spectators could be in the stands.”The low pricing extends to the five-day pass: They start at Rs 315 and go up to Rs 1845 [approx. US$ 25]. Student concession stands begin at Rs 362 [approx. US$5], women-only stands at Rs 420 rupees and a block for people with disabilities at half that price. The best five-day pass here is roughly the same price as a mid-level IPL ticket for one match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.”Basically, the cricket culture is quite big in this part,” Pandit said. “We see 2000 people turning up even for domestic matches. We try to keep the ticket price to a bare minimum, so there’s not much of a commercial type of approach to ticket prices. Our aim is to create a situation where there could a maximum number of spectators.”Former BCCI secretary and Madhya Pradesh cricketer Sanjay Jagdale, who began work as a cricket administrator in 1983, echoes these sentiments and is not surprised at the expected numbers.

The stadium is in the heart of the city. There’s the convenience for people to get into the stadium in say, half an hour. It’s a small stadium [capacity 27,000]. So you can get a better feel of the match when you are in the standsRohit Pandit, MPCA CEO

“Indore has a very rich tradition and cricket history. Right from the days of CK Nayudu and Mushtaq Ali and Holkar [the name of the former royal dynasty of the region, and also the name of the Ranji Trophy side representing it till the mid-1950s],” Jagdale said. “And it’s a city where a lot of cricket is played. With Hirwani, Naman Ojha and Rajesh Chauhan, there have constantly been players who are either playing for India or knocking the doors.”And they love watching cricket. That is one of the main reasons. The local people are also proud of the Holkar stadium, the Holkar traditions, the Holkar cricket. You must have been to the stadium. There’s a lot of local Holkar player names involved, right from CK Nayudu and Mushtaq Ali Pavilions to other Holkar greats. So they’re proud of that cricket tradition.”The Holkar Stadium hosted the first of its four international matches in 2006, waited ten years for its first Test – with an average spectator count of 24,000, points out Pandit – and got two limited-overs internationals in 2017. Since then, the Kings XI Punjab have occasionally used it as a second home ground. In the larger map of Indian cricket, Indore is what would count these days as a second-tier venue. With only the odd big match coming its way, the operational aspect of a five-day match is not easy. Among many challenges at the moment for the MPCA is hosting the 30-odd Bangladesh correspondents who will be joining at least twice that number of their Indian counterparts in the press box.The Indians get a feel of the Holkar Stadium•PTI But there is an unspoken opportunity here. One of the significant undercurrents of this Test is that it will be the first one since Virat Kohli sparked a conversation about India having a set number of Test venues during its home seasons. Indore is not an automatic name on a list of five venues for most people – that list is, naturally, filled with metropolitan centres – but it has quite a lot going for it. One of them is the acoustics, especially in this day and age of massive, new-age stadium being put up well outside city limits.”The stadium is in the heart of the city. There’s the convenience for people to get into the stadium in say, half an hour. It’s a small stadium [capacity 27,000],” Pandit said. “So you can get a better feel of the match when you are in the stands. In case of the big stadiums, the distance is on the higher side. And you get slightly disconnected from the on-field excitement. This is a 75-yard stadium. This, according to me, also attracts the spectators.”As the man who proposed taking the game to smaller centres during his time at the BCCI, Jagdale thinks Indore has a credible claim.”I don’t think it [empty stadiums] motivates players,” Jagdale said in relation to recent matches with low attendances. “Although a lot of people watch on TV, empty stadiums are not good for cricket. And the players also don’t enjoy. […] So why only five? It [the current system] promotes cricket in smaller centres. It motivates venues and associations to do well and come up with better infrastructure and better facilities.”Indore has good facilities, it is directly connected [planes and trains] and there are very good hotels. There’s a good stadium and a good crowd response. So why not encourage centres where the response is better and the facilities are good?”Who knows what levels Holkar Stadium could hit if a blimp said yahaan cricket dekhiye?

Seventeen-year-old local batter Jewel Andrew also on Falcons’ books as initial squad of 12 named ahead of player draft in July

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2024

Mohammad Amir will spearhead the newest CPL franchise’s attack•ICC/Getty Images

The Pakistan trio of Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim and Fakhar Zaman will turn out for new franchise Antigua & Barbuda Falcons at CPL 2024. Falcons have also signed Australia offspinner Chris Green and Afghanistan allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai for their debut season.West Indies’ Brandon King and Fabian Allen were also signed, along with 17-year-old batter Jewel Andrew, who played the Under-19 World Cup for West Indies earlier this year.In all, Falcons have signed 12 players so far, which means they will need to sign five more players at the draft in July to round-out their squad.Related

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Other big signings for CPL 2024 so far have included Tim David and Jason Roy (Trinbago Knight Riders), Heinrich Klaasen (St Lucia Kings), and Wanindu Hasaranga and Tristan Stubbs (St Kitts and Nevis Patriots).Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, the new franchise, replaces Jamaica Tallawahs at the CPL. Antigua had previously hosted a CPL franchise named Antigua Hawksbills in the first two CPL seasons, but that was replaced by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2015.The 2024 edition of the CPL will take place from August 28 to October 6 with games taking place in Antigua for the first time in ten years. Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago are the other venues. The National Stadium in Providence, Guyana, will host the final.Antigua & Barbuda Falcons squad listImad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Brandon King, Fabian Allen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Amir, Chris Green, Hayden Walsh Jr, Shamar Springer, Kelvin Pitman, Jewel Andrew, Joshua James

A big summer awaits for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side.

Having not replaced Kyōgo Furuhashi in January, the Hoops will be targeting a new centre-forward, while Kieran Tierney’s return will create much fanfare, replacing the outgoing Greg Taylor at left-back.

In the meantime, ahead of a huge Champions League play-off tie in August, Rodgers will also be looking to bolster his midfield options, so have the club identified their number on target?

Celtic's 'ideal successor to Callum McGregor'

It’s safe to say that Rodgers and Co have been winning plaudits for their recruitment, and it’s clear to see why. The return of a fan favourite in Jota got supporters off their seats and the same will occur when Tierney puts pen to paper in the summer. He was, after all, a bit of a legend during his first stint at Parkhead.

So, what’s next for the Celts?

Transfer Focus

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Well, as reported by Football Insider, Celtic have ‘identified’ midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj as Callum McGregor’s ‘ideal successor’, adding that current club Augsburg may be willing to sell for as little as £3m, considering he is out of contract in 2026.

A further report from Sky Sports Germany suggests that the Premiership outfit are ‘monitoring’ his situation in Germany, with Besiktas and Hoffenheim also interested in his services.

Rexhbecaj played alongside Celtic’s record-signing Arne Engles 38 times in Bavaria, with the 27-year-old having made 84 appearances for the Fuggerstädter in total, previously spending time at fellow-Bundesliga clubs Wolfsburg, Köln and Bochum.

In an interview with FIFA’s official site, Rexhbecaj stated he is “happy at Augsburg”, adding that “I’ve got the sense that I’m here for the long haul”, but with his contract running down, could the German club decide to sell?

How Elvis Rexhbeçaj would improve Celtic

Rexhbecaj’s performances for Augsburg this season have been described as ‘fantastic’ by local media, deployed in numerous different midfield positions by manager Jess Thorup, but predominantly playing as a defensive anchor.

So, let’s analyse his Bundesliga statistics.

Elvis Rexhbeçaj Bundesliga statistics (24/25)

Statistics

Elvis Rexhbeçaj

Bundesliga rank

Appearances

21

163rd

Minutes

1,632

117th

Pass completion %

70.1%

210th

Key passes

13

128th

Touches

794

165th

Tackles

25

125th

Tackles won

18

90th

% of dribblers tackled

42.4%

143rd

Blocks

36

26th

Interceptions

16

95th

Ball recoveries

79

83rd

Yellow cards

8

5th

All statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As the table outlines, Rexhbeçaj’s statistics don’t exactly leap off the page, as he is pretty solid, if unspectacular, when it comes to passing as well as all of the defensive metrics, namely ball recoveries, interceptions, blocks and tackles.

Nevertheless, considering that Dominik Schneider of FussballTransfers reports that Parma, Beşiktaş and numerous EFL Championship clubs are all also ‘interested’ in signing him and the fact that FBRef compares him to Newcastle’s £55m man Sandro Tonali, he must be doing something right.

So, could he be the perfect McGregor deputy, perhaps even the captain’s long-term successor?

Last month’s Glasgow derby defeat to Rangers at Parkhead hammered home McGregor’s importance to this Celtic team, with Rodgers himself admitting afterwards that there’s “no doubt” his team missed the skipper, struggling to cope without the “tactical balance” he provides.

Kieran Devlin of the Athletic labeled McGregor Celtic’s ‘most important player’, and the Hoops’ lack of midfield control without him highlighted why.

So, let’s see how McGregor and Rexhbeçaj compare.

McGregor vs Rexhbeçaj 2024/25 comparison

Statistics

McGregor

Rexhbeçaj

Appearances

45

25

Minutes

3,850

1,907

Goals

9

2

Assists

2

1

Chances created

25

13

Passing accuracy %

91.69%

77.61%

Through-balls

11

4

Duels Contested

170

163

% of ground duels won

48.32%

50.71%

% of aerials duels won

45.45%

34.78%

Tackles

34

25

Interceptions

24

16

Ball recoveries

210

79

Touches per 90

81.11

47.76

Statistics courtesy of Squawka

As the table outlines, McGregor comes out on top for pretty much every metric this season, % of ground duels won the sole exception, albeit there are stylistic similarities between the pair.

It’s also worth taking into account that Rexhbeçaj is playing at a considerably higher level; according to Global Football Rankings, the Bundesliga is the third strongest league in the world, while the Scottish Premiership ranks 43rd.

What is clear is that Celtic require midfield reinforcements so if Rexhbecaj is available at a cut-price this summer, he could be a useful addition.

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Joining the race against Aston Villa to sign a young goalkeeper target, Newcastle United and PIF have reportedly sent their scouts on a fresh mission in pursuit of beating the Villans in the transfer market.

Newcastle receive Champions League boost

As if Newcastle’s recent mood couldn’t get any better, they received further good news courtesy of Arsenal this week. The Gunners swept past Real Madrid in ruthless fashion to put one leg in the Champions League semi-finals and confirm that there will be a fifth spot among Europe’s elite up for grabs in the Premier League. Currently sat in that final fifth place, those at St James’ Park will be delighted.

One point above Manchester City with a game in hand, Newcastle look unlikely to relinquish their place as things stand having eased past Leicester City in dominant fashion last time out.

After watching on as his side extended their recent run to four wins on the bounce, manager Eddie Howe gave his verdict on the race to secure Champions League football, telling reporters: “It’s going to hot up. The next week for us is a big week.

“We have three really tough games and that will go a long way in seeing where we are at the end of the season. We are in a better position than we were but there is still a lot of work to do.”

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The Magpies boss won’t need reminding just how important a place among Europe’s elite could be for Newcastle this summer either, especially as rumours continue to surround star man Alexander Isak.

Both Liverpool and Arsenal have taken a reported interest in the Swede, but Champions League football could yet go a long way for Newcastle in pursuit of avoiding a frustrating exit. At the same time, meanwhile, European contention would also hand them a major boost in search of reinforcements.

Newcastle scouts sent on Berke Ozer mission

One position of concern for Newcastle this season has been in between the sticks, with Nick Pope suffering further injury issues and Martin Dubravka not doing enough to take the No.1 shirt on a permanent basis. Given that both are now in their 30s too, it wouldn’t be absurd to suggest that Howe needs a fresh option in goal. And that’s where one particular target could come in.

According to Ajansspor, as relayed by Sports Witness, PIF have now sent Newcastle scouts to watch Berke Ozer in action on Monday as his Eyupspor side take on Adana Demispor.

The Magpies are reportedly racing against Aston Villa in pursuit of securing the goalkeeper’s signature this summer and may yet receive the positive reviews they’re searching for on Monday night.

With 11 clean sheets to his name in all competitions so far this season, Ozer has kept a better record than Newcastle No.1 Pope and could yet find himself on his way to St James’ Park to take his place in Howe’s strongest side. Earning a reported £276k-a-year, the goalkeeper is certainly affordable and ticks plenty of boxes for Newcastle.