India’s defeat to South Africa raised some questions over their tactics. We attempt to answer them

Sidharth Monga31-Oct-20221:40

Open Mic: Was it right for India to pick Hooda over Axar?

Why did India change a winning combination?
In all their press conferences, India had suggested they were not looking to change their XI. Not because they are superstitious about a “winning combination”, but because the XI that won the first two matches covered the most bases that could be covered with this squad.Related

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Then why replace Axar Patel with Deepak Hooda against South Africa? In doing so, India lost the only left-hand batter in the top seven and a much better bowler than Hooda. However, India may have thought that if they needed a sixth bowler, a part-time offspinner might work better against South Africa’s left-hand heavy line-up. Against Pakistan at the MCG, a ground with similar short straight boundaries as Perth, Axar bowled just one over after being hit for 21 runs. Knowing that Hardik Pandya would almost certainly bowl four overs in Perth, India went with the part-time offspinner.However, the bigger reason seemed to be to strengthen the batting in difficult conditions. It can be argued in hindsight that Hooda’s batting did not make a difference, and that Axar could have bowled one of R Ashwin’s overs, which India didn’t trust Hooda with. The counter to that is that India eventually needed the deeper batting, with Hooda coming in as early as the eighth over.India’s next match is against Bangladesh, who have four left-hand batters in their top six. While it might be tempting to go back to the winning combination and more bowling depth, there is also reason to stick with Hooda if he is required for an over or two, and not more.Rohit Sharma was one of four top-order batters to fall to the pull or hook shot•Associated PressWhy bat first in Perth?
It’s a fair question, keeping in mind how India had paced their chase to beat Pakistan, and how South Africa eventually paced their chase successfully against India. However, Australian grounds don’t favour chasing sides as much as other venues do. At the Perth Stadium, the team batting first had won 15 and lost 11 matches before Sunday. The decision did not pay off, but you can see why India chose to bat first.Why keep playing the hook?
Four of India’s top six got out playing the pull or hook, but their shot selection can’t be faulted on an extremely fast and bouncy pitch against South Africa’s four-pronged pace attack. If they didn’t take the short ball on, they wouldn’t have been able to score much at all. South African batter Aiden Markram was even asked at the post-match press conference about India’s happy hookers. He said he saw nothing wrong in how they had batted.”Look, I think on a wicket like this, you’re going to end up playing more as a result of bad shots than on other wickets just because of the nature of the bounce,” Markram said. “It’s a tough shot to play when there’s extra bounce. But ultimately, if a team keeps bashing that length in T20 cricket, you as a batter also need to make a play. That’s probably the reasons that both teams took the short balls on tonight because if you don’t, you’re unfortunately not going to score at a rate that’s quick enough.”Why didn’t India bowl yorkers?
When Pakistan played at the same venue earlier in the day, Mohammad Wasim had bowled superb yorkers to get on a hat-trick and shatter any hopes of a late revival from Netherlands. India, however, kept bowling length or shorter, even though Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami have a strong yorker. That was probably because of the short straight boundaries, which meant the margin of error was small on the yorker, whereas if they hit the hard lengths, the bounce became their friend. Yorkers don’t usually get wickets either, which is what India were after. If David Miller had batted through the innings, South Africa were likely to win, which is what happened in the end.R Ashwin went for 13 runs in the 18th over•Associated PressWhy not hold Ashwin back for the last over?
The moment South Africa attacked Ashwin’s third over – the 14th of the chase – his final over was always going to be the one that they would target. Most captains delay the over that is likely to be targetted until the very end; the logic being if that bowler proves expensive, then the bowlers who are better suited to the death may not even finish their quotas.One reason Rohit Sharma gave for bowling Ashwin in the 18th over is that it gets messy when a spinner bowls the final over. There may be another reason he did not take the traditional route. In the India-Pakistan game, for example, Pakistan knew India would target left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz’s final over and so they bowled the others first. The big difference was that Pakistan had scored a bigger total and hoped Nawaz would have more runs to defend in the final over after the others bowled out. India had needed 48 off the last three overs against Pakistan, while South Africa needed only 25 off 18 balls against India. If India had bowled their fast bowlers earlier, South Africa could have played them out and chased down 11 or 12 in the last over.

He has built a reputation of being a serial title-winner in T20 cricket and despite a successful last season is positive his best is yet to come

Deivarayan Muthu10-Oct-2022There’s a bit of R Ashwin about R Sai Kishore. The left-arm fingerspinner relishes bowling across phases and keeps upgrading his skills to get up to speed with T20 cricket.Sai Kishore broke into the Tamil Nadu side as a powerplay specialist from the TNPL, but over the last two seasons he has also fronted up to bowl at the death, something that was on display during the IPL 2022 final.Related

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In the TNPL that followed, Sai Kishore often slid up the order for Chepauk Super Gillies as a pinch-blocker or a pinch-hitter, the same role that Ashwin performs for Rajasthan Royals. Sai Kishore has also pinch-blocked for Tamil Nadu in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, including the final against Himachal Pradesh last year.”I’ve always wanted to improve myself,” he tells ESPNcricinfo, ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s starting on October 11. “If this doesn’t work, I will go to the next aspect. Upgrading myself has been my driving force – it is not just playing for India and doing well at the IPL. Part of the conscious effort to turn into a better cricketer was working on my batting and be a better team man. If I can do a job with the bat for the team, the team can play an extra bowler. That is the thought process.”In 2018, I started batting at No. 10, slowly I could score 20-25 runs, and slowly people got the confidence that he could at least play and get some runs. It is not something natural, I’ve worked hard with R Prasanna [Tamil Nadu assistant coach] but 100% I will get there [as an allrounder].”ESPNcricinfo LtdThese are still early days in Sai Kishore’s career, but he has already built a reputation of being a serial winner in T20 cricket. He has won back-to-back IPL titles, first with Chennai Super Kings and then with Gujarat Titans, back-to-back Syed Mushtaq Ali titles with Tamil Nadu and back-to-back TNPL titles with Chepauk. Sai Kishore credited Tamil Nadu’s team culture for their transformation into a dominant white-ball force.”We have grown together, and nobody takes their place or the game for granted,” he says. “Nobody is a certain starter in this XI, you have to be that good in this team, and people coming through the ranks are aware of that. People have bought into the culture of bowling for the other guy and bowling for the team. Each one of them is ready to do the dirty work for the team. As long as we continue to do that, I feel Tamil Nadu being a dominant force in white-ball cricket will continue.”When T Natarajan was unavailable through injury last season, Sai Kishore himself did the dirty job of bowling at the death. That experience served him well in the IPL 2022 final when he was called up to bowl the 16th and 18th overs. He responded with the wickets of Ashwin and Trent Boult.”Definitely the experience of bowling at the death in Syed Mushtaq Ali helped me in the IPL,” Sai Kishore says. “I’m not trying to protect myself. The bowling analysis may sometimes say expensive, but as a spinner, you need guts to bowl at the death. Okay, I could get hit, so what? If the team feels I might be the best fit in this situation, I’m willing to do it and that has given me courage and experience.”So, when I bowled at the death in the IPL final, it wasn’t like ‘why I’m bowling here?’ I’m ready for it – I’ve done it for Tamil Nadu, I’ve done it in TNPL. Hopefully, through all these experiences and through these roles, I will get better.”ESPNcricinfo LtdFor someone who bowls in the powerplay and death, Sai Kishore’s overall T20 economy rate of 5.68 is particularly striking. In fact, it is the best by an Indian – and second best globally – among bowlers who have bowled at least 900 balls in T20 cricket. Sai Kishore downplayed his numbers, suggesting it was somewhat skewed because of his limited experience in the IPL.”When a batsman hits me for sixes, I often try to minimise the damage,” he says. “Sometimes you will be bowling well, and the batsman will not take you on. At the time, you should be more fearless and go for his wicket. At that point, you shouldn’t mind giving two sixes and should go for his wicket. I usually focus on these things and by doing this, my game-awareness has improved.”I don’t classify myself as an attacking spinner or defensive spinner; I believe T20 cricket is just about playing that situation. The stats are also [that good now] because I haven’t played much international cricket or IPL cricket. It’s largely domestic cricket, but hopefully, if I can replicate it more consistently at a higher level, it would be a great thing.”

I don’t know if the last year could’ve been any better. But with experience, I can get much better and I feel my best is yet to come.R Sai Kishore

Sai Kishore believes that working with a wristspinner – Rashid Khan at Titans and M Ashwin at Tamil Nadu – has also contributed to his success.”In a way, it plays into my hands and gives me a chance too. If a wristspinner keeps it tight, I will get wickets and if I keep it tight, he will get wickets. If both of us get hit, the team will lose (laughs). It’s been a good partnership with MAsh and Rashid – they always play for the team’s plans – and it has been easy bowling in tandem with them.”During his stint with Titans, Sai Kishore also tested himself against David Miller at the nets and developed greater confidence in bowling to left-handers. Against right-handers, he has an economy rate of 5.86 and an average of 20.38 and against left-handers an economy rate of 6.60 and average of 14 (where data is available).”When you bowl to a powerful guy like Miller, you will know what to do and what not to do as a left-arm spinner,” Sai Kishore says. “Ashish Nehra [Gujarat Titans coach] and Hardik [Pandya] backed me to bowl to left-handers in the IPL, they picked me because I can bowl to everyone and not just to right-handers. Ashish Nehra gave me that confidence and that goes a long way.”In the Indian domestic circuit also, there are a lot of good players of spin and the challenge is not just restricted to left-hand batters. A lot of these batters hit the ball in different pockets of the field and maybe once you get hit, next time you draw on the previous experience and come up better. So, I just see it as a learning experience, and you have to be fearless and back yourself against him.”Winning multiple T20 titles aside, Sai Kishore has had exposure as a net bowler with the India side in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. More recently in the season-opening Duleep Trophy, he emerged as the highest wicket-taker, with 17 strikes at an average of 20.05. And now at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he will be central to Tamil Nadu’s chances of doing a three-peat.”I don’t know if the last year could’ve been any better,” Sai Kishore says. “But with experience, I can get much better and I feel my best is yet to come.”

He often leaks runs in T20 cricket, but when conditions are even slightly in his favour – like in Napier on Tuesday – he can make things happen

Alagappan Muthu22-Nov-20221:46

Taylor: Siraj, Arshdeep and Bumrah could form a potent attack by 2024

Mohammed Siraj is a hard bowler to figure out.Go through his numbers and you’ll see a guy who leaks runs. He’s played six seasons of the IPL, and in three of them, he’s gone for at least nine an over.Check out some of his wickets though, and you’ll see a guy who keeps doing the one thing batters around the world absolutely hate. He surprises them.Related

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In 2021, he Test-cricketed Steven Smith in a T20 match. Squared him up. Got the edge. Waved him bye-bye. In 2018, bowling in the death to Andre Russell, perhaps the most fearsome power hitter of the modern era, he bounced him out. Too quick. Too good. Birthday boy gone for a golden duck. In 2020, he became the first bowler to bowl two maidens in an IPL game. Two weeks later, he recreated Dale Steyn vs Brad Haddin with a ball that Prithvi Shaw thought he had covered only for his off stump to scream at him otherwise.Labels are a big thing in sport. And the one that seems to fit Siraj is the guy in that meme that goes noooo, I don’t want that. I want whatever’s weirder than that.Seriously, there was a game last year, against Rajasthan Royals, where Siraj’s figures read 4-0-27-3. He bowled 16 dot balls in that spell. On a pitch where Royal Challengers Bangalore did not lose a single wicket while chasing down 178.He did, however, concede four fours and a six. That’s 22 out of 27 runs in boundaries. A bowler capable of making the opposition look completely unprepared for him has no business looking so deliciously hittable.On Tuesday, against New Zealand, Siraj produced a wicket with the second ball he bowled. Then another with his 17th. A couple more with his 19th and 23rd. And a pattern began to emerge.Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner – decent haul that•AFP via Getty ImagesA lot of Siraj’s success comes from hitting the deck hard. (He’s got other tricks, but let’s focus on this for now.) In India, where there’s not always a lot of sideways movement, it means you’re setting the batter up to get under the ball and hit you over the top. That’s why even though he gets all these cool wickets, he still keeps going for runs.Out here in Napier, on a pitch that was juiced up by a fair bit of rain, every time Siraj banged the ball in, it did unexpected things. Mark Chapman was looking to launch him over the short square boundary on the leg side, but instead the ball seamed away and took the leading edge.Siraj understood that he’d been given conditions that were right up his alley. He even said so in the interview between innings. All he wanted to do was bowl hard lengths, because that was what the batters were struggling to deal with. It’s probably the reason why he was so successful in Australia a couple of years ago. He was on his first tour of the country. A horde of his team-mates were out injured. And he emerged as their highest wicket-taker in a famous series win.Remember his five-for at the Gabba? He took out players who are bred on pace and bounce with pace and bounce. Smith practically recoiled from the ball that he ended up fending to gully. There’s the other thing about Siraj. He seems to lose very little pace after the ball bounces. Again, that in India means you come on to the bat nicely. In other places, Napier for example, you become the last thing a batter sees before he ends up in the pavilion.At the Gabba in early 2021, Siraj took out players bred on pace and bounce with pace and bounce•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaGlenn Phillips had hit three sixes and two fours off the last 13 balls. He’d also brought up his third fifty-plus score in six innings. In short, he was in the zone. About three seconds later, he was kicked clean out of it.He took strike in the 16th over expecting a full delivery, because at McLean Park, which has 60m boundaries square of the wicket, that’s the least damaging length to bowl. Phillips was actually preparing to make light of that, his front-foot trigger movement taking him across off stump and rendering him in the perfect stance to sweep/scoop/slog everything to that short side of the ground.Siraj didn’t give him the fuller length. He went bouncer. And he could go that way because he’s quick. Not in the traditional 150kph way. But more in the Andrew Flintoff heavy ball kind of way. Phillips was very, very late on the hook and, as a result, none of his power went into the shot. Bhuvneshwar Kumar barely got to the ball running in from long leg.That wicket triggered New Zealand’s collapse. At one point, they lost six in the space of 12 balls for three runs, 130 for 2 became 160 all out.Siraj made that happen. He just makes things happen.

She’s been one of the world’s best allrounders since her return from long-term injury, and she’s now embracing a leadership role in the Australia side

S Sudarshanan07-Dec-20223:46

McGrath: Stripping everything back to basics has been the secret to my success

Tahlia McGrath is your quintessential fast-bowling allrounder. The one you would want to be as an aspiring cricketer. The one you would love for your favourite team to have. She is tall, and can hit the deck hard as well as get the ball to swerve. And she can bat in the top or middle order. Allrounder in the truest sense of the word.But Australia Women have had even better. Ellyse Perry needs very little introduction; T20 World Cups, 50-over World Cups, Women’s Ashes – she’s stamped her mark everywhere and has won it all. She’s done it with the bat, the ball, and even with the skills that made her a football international. All in a career longer than you would dream of.Related

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Most teams would be content at having one such player and Australia have flaunted two. Having gotten an ODI cap in 2016 and a Test debut a year later, McGrath was in the mix before stress fractures of the back kept her out of the national side. The way back was arduous. And finally, after Australia won the Women’s T20 World Cup at home in 2020, she was handed her first full-time national contract. She was already seen to be a future leader and McGrath is now in India for a five-match T20I series as vice-captain of Australia, ready to “have a crack at it with Midge [captain Alyssa Healy]”.”In my early stages of cricket it was not something… I was sort of a shy kid that never had leadership on my radar,” McGrath tells ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai. “My coaches saw the quality I didn’t see in myself. [I] had a little early taste of it, worked with Belinda Clark and did some leadership mentoring stuff. We engaged on a lot of Zoom calls where we chatted all things leadership. We talked through scenarios and [I] got some homework tasks. What took my leadership to another level was working with her.”The way she puts things is so simple. She’d often set me tasks, things to do, and I’d be so daunted, so nervous about doing them and then when I actually got around to doing them… ‘ah it’s not too bad!’ and it sort of became second nature. That was definitely the turning point for me.”I have absolutely loved every bit of leadership opportunity I get. It’s made me get out of my comfort zone and do a lot of things I’ve not necessarily thought I would have done.”Since her T20I debut, McGrath has the best average and second-best strike rate of all batters who’ve scored at least 100 runs•Getty ImagesOne of the biggest signs of McGrath taking centre stage was at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. She scored 128 runs – second-most for Australia behind Beth Mooney – at an average of 42.66 and a strike rate of 148.83, and picked up eight wickets – joint second-most in the competition – at an average of 12.12 and an economy rate a shade under seven. All this while keeping Perry out of the XI throughout the tournament.That McGrath had an early taste of international cricket – at 21 – meant she was hungry for more of it. And since that second chance came, last year at home against India, there has been no looking back.”[Time outside the national side] made me pretty hungry to get back and work pretty hard on the sidelines on my game, understanding what my strengths are,” McGrath, now 27, says. “When I got my second opportunity it was about enjoying it and making the most of it. I made everything as simple as possible and just really wanted to enjoy it. That’s pretty much been the secret to my success.”I love every chance to put my Aussie shirt on and never take that for granted.”Since McGrath’s T20I debut in October 2021, no batter has a better average than her 93.75, and only Chloe Tryon has a strike rate better than McGrath’s 153.68 among batters with at least 100 runs. In eight T20I innings so far, she has scored 375 runs and has been not out four times. A key aspect to her run-making has been her ability to pick line and length early irrespective of the stage of the match.”A trap that I fell into earlier in my career was I tried to over-complicate things,” she says. “There was a lot going through my mind about what shot I was to play, what was going on… there was so much going on in my mind.”I just basically tried to – it sounds very simple but it was really hard for me to do – think about nothing when the bowler is running in and when the bowler is bowling. [It was about] being calm and relaxed and go from there. When I am in that state, and I am keeping things simple, I pick up the line and length a lot easier. I was a chronic overthinker and overcomplicater. It sounds really simple but stripping everything back has worked best for me.”McGrath kept Ellyse Perry out of Australia’s XI through the Commonwealth Games, and beat her team in the WBBL final•Getty Images for Cricket AustraliaMcGrath’s run this year has included, apart from the gold-medal finish at the Commonwealth Games, the Women’s World Cup win and victory in the Women’s Ashes. She also led Adelaide Strikers to their maiden WBBL title last month after they had finished runners-up twice in the last three seasons. However, in a bid to manage her workload, she only bowled 14 overs in the tournament. She admits to working harder to get to a stage where she can bowl more regularly.”I love the bowling aspect of it. Any time I am not bowling – there’s been a few times with injuries, niggles – I miss it so much,” she says. “I started as a bowling allrounder and I flipped that now into a batting allrounder. But I’d love to get to a stage where it’s 50-50 and I can basically contribute as much with the bat as I can with the ball.”With Australia’s defence of the Women’s T20 World Cup nearing, McGrath is clear about wanting to be in South Africa and experiencing it all.”I have never been part of a T20 World Cup, I have never travelled to South Africa,” she says. “World Cups are the events you want to be a part of. This one’s been on our radar for a while. Everyone’s really excited about it. A very heavy T20 focus until then and this is a first step for that.”India are a world-class opposition and they are coming hard for us. This will give us a very good test to see where we are at and will give us confidence leading into a crucial World Cup.”From the cool climes of Adelaide to hot and humid Mumbai, McGrath will have to adapt quickly. And while she does that, you can be assured that she’ll inspire a few more to follow her path.

Over the years, Dhoni has passed on his wisdom to Hardik. Can he use the same to trump the old master on Friday?

Shashank Kishore30-Mar-2023The nets arena at Motera’s practice ground is quite a walk from the main practice square of the Narendra Modi Stadium. On Thursday evening, shortly before 5pm, security personnel had been stationed around the perimeter of the nets area as venue managers readied a yellow carpet at the entrance of the Chennai Super Kings dressing room.Within minutes of the Super Kings team bus arriving, there was chaos as the news spread. In the middle of the main stadium, lensmen who were trying to capture the lighting of the grand stage set up for a glitzy opening ceremony, with sunlight filtering through one of the gaps in the stands, could have given track-and-field aspirants a run for their money at that very moment.The reason behind their dash? They all wanted to get a perfect shot of MS Dhoni getting out of the team bus and walking into the nets area. What followed next was the whirr of a few hundred shutter clicks to capture Dhoni’s entry. Except Dhoni wasn’t on the team bus. He had arrived an hour earlier for the captains’ meeting and photoshoot, and was already done with some light warm-ups indoors.Related

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After the crowd had dispersed, he casually sauntered into the nets area and put his arm around Gary Kirsten, the Gujarat Giants’ mentor. Ashish Nehra soon joined them for some laughs. A few handshakes and high-fives later, Dhoni quietly went towards the main ground, where Hardik Pandya was seated beside Shivam Mavi, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Shubman Gill and Alzarri Joseph, and was having a long chat.Then as they dispersed to their respective nets on either side of the centre wicket, Hardik and Dhoni briefly crossed paths again.On one side was the fierce intensity of a captain who had led his side to the title in their very first season. On the other was the calmness of the grand old veteran, who will turn 42 in three months. His side had finished ninth last season but he was resonating vibes of someone who has seen it all but is fully comfortable in the space he is in, ahead of possibly one last dance.As Dhoni stood in the middle, crouching low and doing some lower-body drills, Hardik ran in and bowled, took outfield catches, and offered words of advice to his younger team-mates. Later, he played the role of an umpire to have a ringside view of his bowlers.Youngsters have often turned to Dhoni for advice and he too has always been there for them•PTI Then as the rain started to come down, Dhoni yelped from afar towards Hardik as they started to walk off. Watching all this from the outside, you couldn’t help but think of how Hardik has gradually stepped into Dhoni’s footsteps.When a raw Hardik made his debut in 2016, Dhoni was at the front and centre of Indian cricket. He had stood with Hardik at the top of his bowling mark to give instructions and advice ahead of that final over against Bangladesh during the 2016 T20 World Cup game in Bangalore. Just like Hardik does for his young Indian bowlers now.Dhoni was always there for his younger players, who would invariably turn to him for guidance. Ask Kuldeep Yadav or Ravindra Jadeja. Or an unheralded Mohit Sharma, who burst through to have the IPL of his life in 2013. Or Mukesh Choudhary last year.Somewhere along the way, with Hardik, this mentor-mentee relationship evolved into one between an elder and younger brothers. To the extent that Hardik would often be seeking life lessons from Dhoni. It’s said when Hardik found himself in a soup over comments made on a TV chat show, it was Dhoni who told Hardik to not become a recluse and switch off from all forms of social media.The Hardik we see today is a calmer version of the person that burst onto the scene. And it isn’t just the off-field attributes of Dhoni that he seems to be embodied. On the field, Hardik has been instinctive. But at the same time, he has also been calculative and has thrown himself into tough situations to shield younger players and give them a little bit of cushion.Like when he opened the bowling against New Zealand to allow a slightly off-rhythm Arshdeep Singh to settle in. Or promoting himself to No. 4 and doing the bulk of the heavy lifting, even if it meant having to go against his natural game of hitting sixes.0:46

Pandya: I took all the tips from Dhoni when we played together

Last year, for example, Hardik’s strike rate of 152.54 in the last four overs was the third-lowest for him in any IPL season. But that was because he was playing the role of an anchor, allowing the likes of Tewatia and David Miller to do the finishing.”I don’t mind playing the role that, somewhere down the line, Mahi used to play,” Hardik had said in February, during the white-ball series against New Zealand. “When he was around, I was young and hitting all around the park. But since he is gone, all of a sudden, that responsibility is on me. I don’t mind that. We are getting the results. It’s okay if I have to play a little slow.”I’ve always enjoyed hitting sixes. But that’s life; I’ve to evolve. I’ve believed in partnerships and want to give my batting partner and team some assurance and calmness that I’m there. I’ve played more games than any of these guys; I’ve learned how to accept and swallow pressure and make sure everything is calm.”It’s this calmness from their captain that Titans are feeding off. “Hardik isn’t closed-off, available to all the players at all times during the season,” Vikram Solanki, Titans’ team director, said. “He was a very mature captain last year, he took to captaincy very naturally. It was apparent he is a deep thinker of the game. You think of him as a character and personality, it plays through in the way he plays. He led with a lot of positivity and energy, and had a lot of time for people.”When Hardik steps onto the field to lead Titans in the opening game, he will know Dhoni will have a trick or two up his sleeve. The Hardik of a few years ago may have been consumed by that very thought. This version of Hardik is likely to soak it in with a smile and simply make plans on the fly to give Dhoni the slip, just like Dhoni did to the big crowd and lensmen who had made a beeline for him earlier in the evening.

Harmanpreet Kaur to lead, Meg Lanning, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews make the cut

S Sudarshanan27-Mar-2023

Hayley Matthews – Mumbai Indians

Her player-of-the-series outing in the inaugural WPL makes Matthews an overwhelming pick. She went unsold in the first round of the auction, eventually being picked up in the accelerated rounds. On the ground, she made an immediate impact, kicking off the WPL with a six and then never looking back. She was also effective with the ball, picking up 16 wickets in ten innings and also the Purple cap.Related

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Yastika Bhatia (wk) – Mumbai Indians

Even if she didn’t always convert her starts into big scores, Bhatia’s fluency at the top of the order helped Mumbai get off the blocks quickly. In fact, Bhatia’s 214 runs are the most in the WPL without a single half-century. She was a safe wicketkeeper and one of the few who contributed well with the bat.

Meg Lanning – Delhi Capitals

Lanning carried Capitals’ batting though the tournament, scoring runs in almost every game. She finished as the leading run-getter in the WPL and looked on course in the title-clash too. She continued to middle the ball in the final despite Capitals losing regular wickets – her back-to-back fours off Nat Sciver-Brunt in the third over were all class. Lanning and Shafali Verma’s opening combination was an enviable one in the WPL.

Nat Sciver-Brunt – Mumbai Indians

Cometh the big game, cometh the big name. Sciver-Brunt showed why she caused a bidding war in the auction. She occupied a crucial No. 3 spot in the batting order and owned the space, being as comfortable against spin as she was against seam. With the ball, she bowled the second-most deliveries – 114 – in the first six overs and had an economy rate of 5.63. Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 38-ball 72 in the Eliminator helped Mumbai romp into the final, where she anchored the chase and saw the team through, remaining unbeaten on 60.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Harmanpreet Kaur (capt) – Mumbai Indians

Harmanpreet longed for the winning feeling and ensured she got it by being consistent with the bat. She got the WPL off to a flying start with 65 off just 30 balls against Gujarat Giants, and finished the season as fourth-highest run-getter. Harmanpreet led Mumbai with aplomb, ringing in changes and using the resources at her disposal optimally. In the final, she came in to bat in a tricky situation and calmly defused it with a 72-run partnership for the third wicket with Sciver-Brunt. She only fell with the win almost assured.

Dayalan Hemalatha – Gujarat Giants

One of the few bright spots for Gujarat Giants, Hemalatha only enhanced her credentials as a finisher, something she has done quite frequently for Railways in the domestic circuit. Her strike rate of 157.29 for Giants was only second to Sophia Dunkley’s.

Shreyanka Patil – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore had a disappointing campaign overall, but Patil’s outings with both bat and ball were attention-grabbing. She started the tournament with a crisp pull shot and then showed her wares with the ball, particularly at the death. Patil was unflinching in the face of mounting attacks and can be looked at as a long-term player for Royal Challengers.Shikha Pandey impressed across all three facets of the game•BCCI

Shikha Pandey – Delhi Capitals

Pandey had a terrific all-round WPL. She finished with the third-most wickets among all pacers in the WPL, threw herself around in the field, and her cameos with the bat often gave Capitals useful impetus from the lower order, not least in the final. India’s captain Harmanpreet also made note of Pandey’s efforts and said, “Shikha was bowling brilliantly throughout the tournament. And today [in the final] when the team needed her batting, she took time and then executed it brilliantly.”

Issy Wong – Mumbai Indians

Wong started the tournament with a first-ball six and also picked up the first hat-trick in the WPL. She used her pace and generated enough movement to get the better of the batters and also smartly used change-ups. Wong’s energy on the field often drew wild cheers from the crowd.

Parshavi Chopra – UP Warriorz

Chopra had a limited role but left a lasting impact. Her figures of 0 for 35 in her first WPL outing against Mumbai didn’t do justice to the way she bowled. Against Giants, she truly showed her worth, using the wrong’un to dismiss both Hemalatha and Ashleigh Gardner. Part of a team that pushed Indian players to the forefront, Chopra sure grabbed her chances.

Saika Ishaque – Mumbai Indians

Ishaque is perhaps the find of WPL 2023. A regular in the domestic circuit for Bengal, her disciplined left-arm spin by attacking the stumps got her rewards in the first half of the competition. After being a bit expensive in a couple of games in the second half, she held her own in both the Eliminator and the final, despite not having a truckload of wickets to show in them.

The problem, however, is he averages just 16.55 with the bat in the last four years and has not scored a half-century in 29 innings

Alex Malcolm09-Sep-2023Marcus Stoinis opening the bowling for Australia is raising some eyebrows.Australia’s new-ball bowling stocks in white-ball cricket are the envy of the world. When Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood play in the same team, one of them doesn’t get a new ball as Mitchell Starc has a mortgage on the other.They’ve left Spencer Johnson out of the World Cup squad although he could make his ODI debut in South Africa. Jason Behrendorff took five wickets against the eventual champions England in the 2019 ODI World Cup and is still a new-ball force in franchise and domestic cricket yet, he has hardly played for Australia since.Related

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Nathan Ellis has also missed the World Cup squad. He isn’t known as a new ball bowler, but he has proven his versatility in any pressure situation.Sean Abbott is in the squad and was in the team in the first ODI against South Africa in Bloemfontein, but even he didn’t get the new ball with Starc and Cummins absent.Instead, it was Stoinis brandishing the new Kookaburra, as he has done in three of his last four ODIs and two of his last three T20Is with encouraging success.In the T20I series, Stoinis took three wickets with the new ball in the powerplay at an economy rate of 6.75. In his last three ODI bowling performances, dating back to Australia’s last series in March, he has bowled 48 balls in the powerplay with the new ball, conceding just 26 runs and dismissing Ishan Kishan and Quinton de Kock.He was helped in Bloemfontein by a difficult surface, with both de Kock and Temba Bavuma struggling for rhythm.Marcus Stoinis has had an impact opening the bowling•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesBut Stoinis has turned himself into a new-ball weapon in the powerplay of late. His ability to swing the ball sets him apart from Australia’s specialist right-arm quicks. He hits the bat harder than the speed gun suggests with his extra bounce often causing problems. His control of length has been a feature of his bowling recently, and he can use cutters and scrambled seam deliveries when the swing disappears.The how is impressive. The why is intriguing.Australia’s selectors have been trialling various combinations for the ODI World Cup over the past 12 months. One of which involves playing eight batters in an XI, including four allrounders, as they did in the first ODI against India in Mumbai in March. Another involves playing two spinners, which they did in the third game in Chennai in that series and the first ODI against South Africa.Aside from his ability to swing the new ball and bowl well with just two men out, Stoinis opening the bowling allows Australia’s captain, whoever it is, more flexibility with his bowling resources. The move will allow the specialist quicks to bowl more overs in the middle, and potentially strike through that period, or leave more overs up their sleeve for the death. It also means when two spinners play, one of them might not be risked in the powerplay.So far it has worked out superbly with the ball. Except there is one glaring problem.For all those benefits, Stoinis’ ODI batting is a major concern. If he wasn’t bowling so well, likely, he would not be in the team given what has happened with Marnus Labuschagne.Since March 2019, Stoinis has averaged 16.55 and has gone 29 ODI innings without a half-century. For those wondering if that is just a byproduct of being a finisher like he is in T20 cricket, it is not the case in ODIs. He has batted at No. 5 or higher in 21 of those innings and even batted at No.3 three times.Marcus Stoinis averages just 16.55 with the bat since March 2019•AFP/Getty ImagesThe only difference between Stoinis and Labuschagne, who was left out of the World Cup squad after averaging just 22.30 in his last 14 ODIs before his supersub heroics in Bloemfontein, is Stoinis has maintained his strike rate above 90 throughout four lean years while Labuschagne struck at under 70 during his recent lean run and just above 83 over his career.Stoinis opening the bowling to make Australia’s batting almost bulletproof has also not exactly worked in the way it has been drawn up. The intention is to give Australia the depth to chase down anything or set enormous totals. But at the Wankhede Stadium in March, with Stoinis batting at No. 8, Australia were bowled out for 188, batting first, and lost handsomely.Although on difficult surfaces, the extra batting has paid dividends. In Chennai, with Stoinis at No. 7 and contributing 25, they mustered a winning score of 269. In Bloemfontein, albeit with the help of a concussion substitute, they chased down 223 after slumping to 113 for 7 with Stoinis managing just 17. Likewise in Cairns last year against New Zealand, Australia were 44 for 5, with Stoinis out for 5, and still they chased down 233 thanks to Cameron Green and Alex Carey sharing a 158-run stand for the sixth wicket with the insurance of Glenn Maxwell at No. 8.The other complicating factor to consider is the fitness of Australia’s allrounders. Stoinis’ bowling becomes even more important given Mitch Marsh’s ankle is still being protected. Marsh is yet to bowl a ball in four matches in South Africa, despite being captain, after a heavy and unexpected workload in the Ashes. Green’s body is always a concern, and his white-ball bowling remains a work in progress. His concussion will now limit his buildup to the World Cup. Maxwell’s leg remains a major concern and will need to be managed carefully.Stoinis himself has been managed carefully due to his previous side injuries that plagued his 2019 ODI World Cup, among other soft tissue problems. In India, he bowled in the first and third ODI but played as a batter only in the second given the short two-day turnaround. The same plan was rolled out for him in the T20I series against South Africa. There were four days leading into the first ODI which allowed him time to back up.The new ball experiment is working well for now but runs remain Stoinis’ major priority.

Malan’s form and Brook’s promise leave selectors with no option but to squeeze out 2019 star

Matt Roller18-Sep-2023It was Jos Buttler who rang Jason Roy to let him know that he had been left out of England’s final World Cup squad – just as it was for last year’s T20 World Cup. Buttler considers Roy a close friend and the pair have been international team-mates for nearly a decade, but twice in 13 months he has delivered a clinical, cruel blow.His omission could mark the end of his international career. Luke Wright, England’s national selector, said on Monday morning that Roy is likely to be a non-travelling reserve for the World Cup and insisted that they “certainly haven’t ruled him out” of future selection. He could yet play the second and third ODIs against Ireland.But Roy signalled in newspaper interviews after the Hundred that he expected this World Cup to be his England swansong. He said that, at 33, he anticipates “a changing of the guard” in 50-over cricket and acknowledged that, 14 months after his most recent T20I appearance, he is unlikely to feature in next year’s T20 World Cup.Five weeks ago, when England’s selectors met in Nottingham to pick their provisional squad, Roy was pencilled in as half of their first-choice opening partnership, alongside Jonny Bairstow. After a solid IPL season with Kolkata Knight Riders, Roy had hardly played in the English summer due to a calf injury but had credit in the bank.Harry Brook slammed a 41-ball hundred for Northern Superchargers, shortly after his omission from England’s provisional World Cup squad•Getty ImagesThis year, he had scored hundreds in two of his six ODI innings in the contrasting conditions of Bloemfontein and Mirpur, and he was the player that England had selected more than any other in 50-over cricket between World Cups. Even if his returns had dipped across the four-year cycle, he still boasted an average of 39.91 and a strike rate of 105.53 in 116 ODIs overall.Yet as Wright pithily expressed: “Things happen in sport”. The things which cost Roy were Dawid Malan’s scores of 54, 96 and 127 against New Zealand to leapfrog Roy as Bairstow’s opening partner; Harry Brook’s form after his initial omission in late August – 259 runs from 129 balls in his next four innings for Northern Superchargers and England – which Matthew Mott described as the response of a great player; and Roy’s own fitness issues, with back spasms on the morning of the first and third ODIs ruling him out of the series.Related

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Malan, Wright said, was “absolutely outstanding” against New Zealand, finishing the series as the leading run-scorer on either side despite missing the second ODI for the birth of his son. When the selectors reconvened, “we realised things had slightly changed and Dawid would be the one opening the batting with Jonny in the World Cup.”That meant a decision over who was better suited to being the lone spare batter in the squad. “From Jason’s point of view, he probably only covers us for an opener,” Wright explained. “Harry gives us that cover from Nos. 1-6 and has obviously been in great form as well. It’s been an incredibly tough decision but it shows where we’re at in English cricket, that there are so many tough decisions.”Based on ODI records alone, replacing Roy with Brook might look like a strange decision: Brook has scored 123 runs in his six appearances in the format, while Roy has more than 4000 and played a significant role in England’s World Cup win four years ago, with five 50-plus scores in his seven innings. But Wright said that, in context, the selectors did not see it as a gamble.”One thing you can’t disagree with on Harry is that whenever he gets an opportunity – whether that’s in Test cricket, T20 and hopefully now in 50-over cricket – he takes it with both hands. When we left him out of the original squad, we knew we were leaving out someone who is potentially a world-beater. In any selection, there’s always a risk with whoever you pick.”Does it make it harder to leave out someone who has played so many games in Jason? Absolutely. It’s hard to leave someone out with that pedigree. But also, it was so hard to leave out someone with Harry Brook’s talent. We think he’s a fantastic player who gives us those options from Nos. 1-6 which, from a tactical point of view and if there are any short-term injuries out there, gives us that cover we need.”Dawid Malan’s case for incontrovertible was irresistible after the New Zealand ODIs•PA Photos/Getty ImagesButtler and Mott spoke to Roy in turn at the weekend to explain England’s decision. “The feedback was that he is very disappointed,” Wright said. “I’m sure he’s hurt – but also, Jason knows what professional sport is like.” They have also given him the option of playing against Ireland, but told him it would not affect his World Cup chances.Roy has also been earmarked as a reserve top-order batter, in the event of an injury to Malan or Bairstow, but will not travel with the squad to India. At this stage, England intend to take Jofra Archer as their only travelling reserve to continue his rehabilitation in the hope that he will be fit enough to play a role at the end of the tournament.”As a reserve batter at the top of the order, we’ve made it very clear we see him [Roy] as the man to do that and I don’t think there’s any reason why we wouldn’t,” Wright said. “We’ve spoken to him about that. He’s got time to reflect now over the next few days. The early response was that he’s still available for England; unless that’s changed, that’s how we see it.”There was a time when England’s selection decisions in the build-up to World Cups felt panicked; this one was cold and calculated. Roy’s international career may not yet be over – as Wright would tell him, things happen in sport – but if this really is the end, it is a ruthless way for an England white-ball great to go.

Which big name will Scorchers go for, who will the defending champions retain and how can Sixers replace Ecclestone?

Alex Malcolm01-Sep-2023

Adelaide Strikers

Current list: Jemma Barsby, Darcie Brown, Katie Mack, Tahlia McGrath, Annie O’Neil, Madeline Penna, Megan Schutt, Amanda Jade-WellingtonLast playing XI Katie Mack, Laura Wolvaardt, Tahlia McGrath (capt), Bridget Patterson, Madeline Penna, Tegan McPharlin (wk), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Jemma Barsby, Megan Schutt, Darcie BrownLast season’s overseas/retention options: Laura Wolvaardt, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie TaylorDraft picks: 8, 16, 17, and 32What might they want?Strikers have three retention picks in Laura Wolvaardt, Deandra Dottin and Stafanie Taylor, who returns to the WBBL after missing the last two editions. They may not need to use the retention as a lot of other drama will unfold before their first pick and those three players may not be high on the list of priorities for the other seven teams. Strikers’ title-winning attack is very settled and they already have an allrounder in their captain McGrath. Wolvaardt looms as their most likely target given her consistency at the top of the order for Strikers. Allrounders are in high demand so whether Dottin and Taylor would still be available by pick 16 if Strikers took Wolvaardt first remains to be seen. Strikers also need a wicketkeeper after Tegan McPharlin’s retirement last year. There are precious few options in the draft but India’s Richa Ghosh will be in demand and her power-hitting certainly fits in with Strikers’ batting blueprint.

Brisbane Heat

Current list: Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Ellie Johnston, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia VollLast playing XI Georgia Redmayne (wk), Danni Wyatt, Grace Harris, Amelia Kerr, Georgia Voll, Laura Harris, Jess Jonassen (capt), Charli Knott, Nicola Hancock, Courtney Sippel, Jess KerrLast season’s overseas/retention options: Amelia Kerr, Danni Wyatt, Jess Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Nadine de KlerkDraft picks: 6, 14, 19, and 30What might they want?
Skipper Jess Jonassen has already declared that New Zealand star Amelia Kerr is the No.1 priority as a retention pick and Heat may need to use it given their first choice is not until pick 6, with plenty of teams above them in the market for a legspinning allrounder. Thereafter, Heat will be at the mercy of the market given their next pick will pick 14. They will likely need another top order batter given they have an established and powerful middle order already and there should be plenty still available including Danni Wyatt who made two half-centuries for Heat last season. Heat may also look to add another fast bowler and India’s Shikha Pandey might be an experienced and familiar option given she has spent some time training in Brisbane this winter.2:16

Jonassen: Brisbane Heat will want to retain Amelia Kerr in WBBL draft

Hobart Hurricanes

Current list: Nicola Carey, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse VillaniLast playing XI Lizelle Lee (wk), Elyse Villani (capt), Mignon du Preez, Heather Graham, Nicola Carey, Ruth Johnston, Rachel Trenaman, Hayley Jensen, Maisy Gibson, Amy Smith, Molly StranoLast season’s overseas/retention options: Lizelle Lee, Mignon du Preez, Hayley Jensen, Issy WongDraft picks: 5, 13, 20, 29What might they want?
Hurricanes are in an interesting position with two of their overseas players from last year in Lizelle Lee and Mignon du Preez both bypassing the draft and opting for the WBBL’s unique direct nomination path, where they can be signed by a club of their choice post-draft for a reduced salary. But Hurricanes have to take two overseas players in the draft and can only play three in the team meaning one of those two will likely not play for them. However, as far as priorities go, Hurricanes need a strike bowler and they are in luck with Issy Wong being available as a retention pick. Even though she didn’t play last season she was initially contracted and thus qualifies. That looms as a likely option unless a world-class allrounder somehow slips to No. 5 although Hurricanes do already have Nicola Carey and Heather Graham. If they take Wong, their second target could well be another top-order batter given Lee and du Preez were both key planks in the top three and neither are available in the draft.

Melbourne Renegades

Current list: Sarah Coyte, Jess Duffin, Ellie Falconer, Ella Hayward, Sophie Molineux, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia WarehamLast playing XI Hayley Matthews (capt), Chamari Athapaththu, Josie Dooley, Courtney Webb, Erica Kershaw, Carly Leeson, Georgia Prestwidge, Sarah Coyte, Rhiann O’Donnell, Ella Hayward, Shabnim IsmailLast season’s overseas/retention options: Hayley Matthews, Chamari Athapaththu, Shabhim Ismail, Harmanpreet Kaur, Eve JonesDraft picks: 2, 10, 23, and 26What might they want?
Renegades have some interesting choices to make. They can retain Harmanpreet Kaur even though she didn’t play last year. She was outstanding the previous season winning player of the tournament. She brings batting prowess and excellent part-time spin as well as important leadership for a young group. She seems a logical pick at No. 2. But they need another top order batting allrounder and potentially a pace bowler. There should be options available at pick 10 given the way the picks are set to fall. The question will be what the greater priority is given what will be available. Jess Duffin’s return to the squad adds batting depth meaning they could target a pace bowler. But Sophie Molineux’s fitness coming back from a knee injury remains an unknown so another spin-bowling batter might be an option, and there should be a few available.Will Renegades retain Harmanpreet Kaur who missed last season with injury?•Mark Brake/Getty Images

Melbourne Stars

Current list: Sophie Day, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Meg Lanning, Sasha Moloney, Rhys McKenna, Sophie Reid, Annabel SutherlandLast playing XI Lauren Winfield-Hill, Sophie Reid, Alice Capsey, Annabel Sutherland, Bess Heath, Kim Garth, Nicole Faltum (wk), Sasha Moloney, Olivia Henry, Rhys McKenna, Sophie DayLast season’s overseas/retention options: Alice Capsey, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bess HeathDraft picks: 4, 12, 21, and 28What might they want?
Stars need the best player they can possibly get and are in a very good position at pick 4 given what might unfold infront of them with Thunder, Renegades and Scorchers holding the first three picks. If Thunder opt for Marizanne Kapp and Scorchers opt to retain Sophie Devine instead, and Renegades take Harmanpreet Kaur then players such as Heather Knight, Chloe Tryon, Hayley Matthews, Shabnim Ismail and Chamari Athapaththu are all up for grabs among a host of others who aren’t retention options. If Meg Lanning is fit to play a full season, which is looking likely, then Ismail would be a great option to round out Stars’ attack. If Lanning is unavailable, Knight’s experience would be invaluable. Even if they committed to Ismail and missed out on Knight, there is still likely to be some excellent batters and allrounders available at pick 12 in the second round which would also add value to Stars’ side.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Perth Scorchers

Current list: Charis Bekker, Mathilda Carmichael, Peipa Cleary, Maddy Darke, Amy Edgar, Alana King, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Taneale Pechel, Chloe Piparo, Georgia WyllieLast playing XI Sophie Devine (capt), Beth Mooney (wk), Maddy Green, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Pipara, Amy Edgar, Mathilda Carmichael, Alana King, Piepa Cleary, Lilly Mills, Holly FerlingLast season’s overseas/retention options: Marizanne Kapp, Sophie Devine, Maddy GreenDraft picks: 3, 11, 22, and 27What might they want?
Scorchers are the team most disadvantaged by the move to an overseas draft in the WBBL as they will have to choose between Kapp and Devine as to which allrounder to retain. The decision will shape the whole draft. Either way they go, they will lose a high-quality pace bowling allrounder who bats in the top four and will need to replace her with their second pick at 11. Depending on how the first 10 picks shape someone like Dottin could be available. They could also opt for a batter and back their local bowlers. Athapaththu has played for Scorchers previously and might also be available if Thunder or Renegades don’t take her with their second picks. There is also a scenario where Knight and Taylor are still available at that pick.

Sydney Sixers

Current list: Jade Allen, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Emma Hughes, Ellyse PerryLast playing XI Suzie Bates, Alyssa Healy (wk), Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Erin Burns, Nicole Bolton, Sophie Ecclestone, Maitlin Brown, Kate Peterson, Angelina Genford, Lauren CheatleLast season’s overseas: Sophie Ecclestone, Suzie BatesDraft picks: 7, 15, 18, and 31What might they want?
Sixers were certain to take Sophie Ecclestone as a retention pick before her shoulder injury. They now have a clean slate with Suzie Bates unavailable for the draft although she may still play for the Sixers as a directly contracted player post draft. That means the Sixers need to find the best players they can with pick 7 and 15. They definitely need a spinner and England legspinner Sarah Glenn could be an excellent option coming off a very good Hundred tournament. Offspinner Deepti Sharma could also be available as a direct replacement for Nicole Bolton who has retired but the Sixers would prefer a legspinner or left-arm orthodox to complement Gardner and Burns. Sune Luus is not a platinum pick but could be a more than handy pick up later in the draft. Another option is to find a seam-bowling allrounder to deepen the batting and Nadine de Klerk is another non-platinum player who could be a good fit after an excellent English summer for Oval Invincibles and Blaze.

Sydney Thunder

Current list: Hannah Darlington, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Olivia Porter, Lauren SmithLast playing XI Tammy Beaumont, Phoebe Litchfield, Amy Jones (wk), Rachael Haynes (capt), Chloe Tryon, Olivia Porter, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Hannah Darlington, Lauren Smith, Belinda Vakarewa, Samantha BatesLast season’s overseas/retention options: Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont, Chloe Tryon, Lea Tahuhu, Heather KnightDraft picks: 1, 9, 24, and 25What might they want?
Scorchers will shape the draft with their retention pick but Thunder are the ones who can set it in motion. They have a lot of great players available and they definitely need high quality players and experience, particularly batters. They can prise one of Kapp or Devine from Perth with that No. 1 pick. Most around the league believe Kapp would be first-choice for any club. But if Scorchers retain Kapp then Thunder have a decision to make. Do they take Devine or do they look elsewhere? They also have pick No.9 which is likely to be a very good player and there is a chance Knight, a former Thunder player, might be available then too. Tammy Beaumont has nominated for a direct route outside the draft and may get to Thunder again so they may look to add another bowler if they can. If Ismail slips through then she might be another they would like to have back after her starring role in their last title in 2020. Amy Jones has also bypassed the draft to be directly contracted by a club and was Thunder’s keeper last season. Thunder will need another keeper if they opt to sign Beaumont.

The batting faltered, the fast bowlers were not tried enough, and while Harmanpreet was impressive, Mandhana’s low returns hampered India

S Sudarshanan23-Jul-2023Question marks over the lower-middle orderWithout Richa Ghosh in the mix, the Bangladesh tour was an opportunity for India to find someone to contribute with the bat in the lower order. However, on slow burners in Dhaka in the T20Is, India’s Nos. 5 to 8 averaged a mere 8.75 as India failed to post substantial totals batting first. India tried out Yastika Bhatia, Amanjot Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol and Pooja Vastrakar in these positions in the T20Is, and all of them found it tough to get the scoreboard ticking against the spinners.Related

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The one change India made in the ODIs was to push Yastika to No. 3 and Jemimah Rodrigues to the middle order. While Rodrigues shone in the second game with a career-best 86 – and followed it with an unbeaten 33 in the tied final ODI, Yastika returned scores of 15, 15 and 5 in the three matches. Deol also came good in the third ODI with her second half-century, from No. 4.India’s use of Vastrakar with the bat in the ODI series sent confusing signals. She was pushed to as low as No. 10 in the opening ODI before being left out for the final two games. Even Sneh Rana, picked only for the ODIs, was used above Vastrakar in that game. While Rana can be quite handy with the bat, she is not quite the power-hitter that Vastrakar can be.Harmanpreet, Mani impress; low returns for MandhanaIn recent times, India have looked up to Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur to drive stiff run-chases, and Deepti Sharma to bail them out – with ball and bat – from tough situations.While Harmanpreet scored fifties in the first T20I and the second ODI, Deepti picked up 3 for 12 to help skittle Bangladesh for 87 in their 96-run chase in a low-scoring second T20I. Her batting, though left much to be desired, with 20 being her top score of the tour. Mandhana had low returns, managing only one half-century in the entire tour – in the final ODI.However, debutant Minnu Mani’s show in the T20Is should make India happy. While her batting capability was not fully utilised, she picked up five wickets in the three games at 11.60, primarily bowling with the new ball. B Anusha and Rashi Kanojiya, both of whom made their debuts during the tour, failed to make much of an impact.In helpful conditions, Rana and Devika Vaidya got purchase from the surface with the ball, but their batting needs more work. That put a spanner in India’s works as the two had been preferred over Kanojiya and Anusha for their better batting skills.Minnu Mani was India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20Is•BCBDoing away with paceA mere two years after former head coach Ramesh Powar had called for widening the fast-bowling pool, India seem to have ditched the plan and gone back to their traditional strength – spin.Though, of course, the conditions did dictate the call to an extent, it has to be pointed out that Marufa Akter, the Bangladesh quick, was the top wicket-taker across sides in the ODIs, with four, one, and two wickets in the three games.In the absence of the injured Renuka Singh, India had left-armers Anjali Sarvani and Monica Patel, apart from right-arm seamer Meghna Singh and allrounders Vastrakar and Amanjot to choose from.Only Vastrakar, Meghna and Amanjot got a run in the series. Out of the 128.1 overs India bowled across the six games, only 42 overs were delivered by the seamers. In fact, Harmanpreet used only one over of pace at the death each in the T20I and ODI series – Vastrakar in the opening T20I and Meghna in the last ODI. Shafali Verma and Rodrigues’ offspin services were pressed into action on spin-conducive tracks at the Shere Bangla National Stadium at crucial junctures. Once again, it showed the lack of patience India tend to have with their seamers.Consistency, be it in selection matters – Ghosh and Rajeshwari Gayakwad returning for the Asian Games while Vastrakar being relegated to reserves – or on-field performances, will only help the Harmanpreet-led outfit that, not long ago, was challenging the world’s best.