New Zealand went through the 2024 edition without a fifty, and a top partnership of 34

Sampath Bandarupalli17-Jun-20244 – Maiden overs from Lockie Ferguson against Papua New Guinea. He is the second to bowl four maidens in a men’s T20I after Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar in 2021 against Panama. Before Ferguson, no one had bowled more than two maidens in a men’s T20 World Cup match.Outside of internationals, Akshay Karnewar is the only other man to do it: for Vidarbha vs Manipur, only a week before Saad’s effort, in an Indian domestic T20 at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.4 – Maidens in PNG’s innings overall. It was the first instance of a team bowling as many as four maidens in an innings at a men’s T20 World Cup match. There have been six instances of three maidens at the showpiece event previously, four of which came in 2024.Getty Images81 – Dot balls played out by PNG’s batters – the second-highest in a men’s T20 World Cup game. The highest is 89 dots by Uganda against New Zealand on Saturday.78 – PNG’s total against New Zealand was their second-lowest in men’s T20Is, behind the 77 all out they made against Uganda earlier in the tournament. Three of PNG’s four lowest totals in this format have come in this World Cup.34 – Partnership runs between Devon Conway and Kane Williamson for the third wicket. It was the highest partnership for New Zealand in this T20 World Cup. It was also the lowest “highest partnership” for any team in an edition of the men’s T20 World Cup where they played four or more matches. The next is 35 for Uganda, across four games in 2024.40 – Glenn Phillips’ score against West Indies was the highest for New Zealand in this tournament. They are only the fourth team to play four or more matches at a men’s T20 World Cup without an individual 50-plus score.Ireland played five matches in the 2009 edition without an individual fifty, while the highest score for Uganda in 2024 was 33. No New Zealand batter hit a fifty in the five matches they played in the 2010 edition, played in the West Indies. England don’t have a fifty in this year’s World Cup as yet, but they have the Super Eight to set that right.

Iconic former England allrounder set for first professional coaching job with Northern Superchargers

Matt Roller25-Jul-2024There was no smoke on the water, but Andrew Flintoff’s emergence from Headingley’s home dressing room in deep purple training kit on Thursday marked the start of a new chapter in his career. On Friday night, Flintoff will sit in the dugout as a head coach for the first time in his new role with Northern Superchargers, the Leeds-based Hundred team.It is not a natural fit: Flintoff’s name has been associated with Lancashire since he was nine years old, and continues to be through his sons Rocky and Corey, who have played for their 2nd XI this summer. As PCA president, he criticised plans for a franchise-style competition like the Hundred, citing his “real pride” representing his county; he used to joke that the best thing about Yorkshire was “the M62, back to Lancashire”.His new team, Superchargers, lost their final five games last year to finished bottom in the men’s Hundred. The team’s board – along with Marcus North, their head of cricket – announced in mid-November that James Foster would not have his contract as head coach renewed. Five days later, Flintoff was announced as his successor, with his old Lancashire team-mate Kyle Hogg acting as his assistant.Related

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There is one huge reason why the details of his appointment might seem trivial. Flintoff’s return to the professional game comes after he was involved in a horrific car crash in December 2022 while filming an episode of . He spent nine months out of public life after suffering terrible injuries: he said last year that these had been among “the hardest times” of his life, but cricket has helped him through them.He had already started to come back to the sport, not least through the BBC series . The show saw him return home to Preston, assemble an unlikely team of teenagers and introduce them to cricket. It changed lives, most obviously of Adnan Miakhel, an Afghan refugee who now studies at Rossall School on a sports scholarship and plays for Lancashire’s Under-18s.But Flintoff’s appointment to a plum job in the Hundred still came as a surprise. At the time, his only senior coaching experience was a month in an informal role with England’s white-ball teams. He has since worked as a consultant coach on a tour to the Caribbean, a home series against Pakistan and at the T20 World Cup, and with the Lions on a camp in the UAE.And his fast-tracking raises awkward questions about recruitment processes: the Superchargers role was not publicly advertised, and Flintoff was the only candidate. It is common in sport for teams to make direct appointments, but even the English FA published a job advert for Gareth Southgate’s successor as England football manager last week.For the last four years, the ECB’s inclusion and diversity strategy has recommended the adoption of the Rooney Rule to ensure that non-white candidates are interviewed for major roles. It is a recommendation rather than a regulation but one that the Superchargers did not follow, opting against an open process and approaching Flintoff directly.

Flintoff is the only English head coach in the men’s competition and perhaps it is no surprise that he has been fast-tracked. He is an icon to most current players, who grew up watching him star in the 2005 Ashes

Flintoff also has close relationships with two of the most influential men at the ECB: men’s managing director Rob Key, a friend and former team-mate, and chairman Richard Thompson, who is also chair of M&C Saatchi Merlin, the talent agency who have represented Flintoff for more than a decade. It was Key who helped him back to public life and to the game last summer, though there is no indication that either was involved in the process.Naturally, there are compelling reasons that Flintoff might be seen as an exception to most rules. There is a huge sense of empathy towards him after his near-death experience, which resulted in broken ribs and severe facial injuries which he spent months covering up when in public. His legal team described them as “life-altering”, and agreed a reported multi-million pound settlement with the BBC.And Flintoff remains one of very few cricketers who could legitimately be described as a household name in the UK. At a time when it is struggling to stay relevant – not least in a low-key Test summer, which is competing with Euro 2024 and the Olympics – the sport is understandably desperate for him to turn his early forays as a coach into a long-term career.”After a review of last year, it was identified that we wanted to appoint a new men’s head coach,” a spokesperson for the Superchargers board told ESPNcricinfo on Thursday. “It was identified by the Northern Superchargers board that we wanted an inspirational figure with leadership qualities who would be able to excite fans, players, staff and media.”Andrew Flintoff was our first choice to become the new men’s head coach, and when it became clear that it was an opportunity he wanted to pursue, we moved to contracting. We are very excited to have appointed a young English coach with the pedigree and stature of Andrew Flintoff, and we’re excited about what he can bring to Northern Superchargers this season.”The ECB declined to comment, and indicated that Hundred team boards are fully responsible for recruitment. A spokesperson emphasised that the process for hiring Flintoff was not unique. Since the Hundred’s first season, there have been four changes of men’s head coach across the eight teams: two were publicly advertised and two were direct appointments.And the Hundred may prove a good place to start. Flintoff is managing a squad who will earn £1 million between them over the next month, but the competition is low-stakes and low-scrutiny: there will hardly be Superchargers fans demanding he is sacked if it goes badly. There are minimal media expectations compared to most jobs, to the extent he has declined to speak to any independent outlets.Superchargers finished bottom of the men’s Hundred in 2023•Getty ImagesHe is the only English head coach in the men’s competition and perhaps it is no surprise that he has been fast-tracked. Flintoff is an icon to most current players, who grew up watching him star in the 2005 Ashes: if anyone can succeed as a coach relying on vibes alone, it might well be him. Regardless, it is surely a frustration to other young coaches that they did not even have the chance to interview.”If you could design the perfect head coach development programme… Flintoff is going on a brilliant journey,” Key told the earlier this year. “[He is getting] relevant experience, much more than sitting on a Zoom call listening to someone tell you what to do.” That is undeniably true – but those opportunities do not present themselves to everyone.The early indications are that Flintoff intends to be a hands-off coach. Harry Brook, who will take over from Matthew Short as captain after England’s Test against West Indies, said this week that they would try to create a “fairly chilled” atmosphere: “I think we’ve said that all training will be optional… just be chilled, relaxed, go out there and express yourself and play.”Superchargers will be light on resources this week, with Brook and Ben Stokes with England’s Test squad, Mitchell Santner at Major League Cricket, and Reece Topley at least a week away from selection with a finger injury. They should get stronger soon, but Friday’s opener against Trent Rockets could be a challenging start with a threadbare squad.There has been speculation swirling around Matthew Mott’s future as England’s white-ball coach and Flintoff has been mentioned prominently as a potential successor. At this stage, it seems too early for a man who has never coached a professional team – but the next four weeks should give an indication as to just how much that matters.

After a series of injuries, the Delhi fast bowler is keen to “know where I stand” in the Ranji Trophy

Himanshu Agrawal17-Oct-2024Bowling fast has come naturally to Navdeep Saini. He grew up playing tennis-ball cricket, which demanded accuracy. That, in turn, made him bowl full and fast, and develop quick arm speed.Saini first made a name for himself when he rattled Bengal in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy in 2017-18, consistently touching 140kph as a 25-year-old. Seven years on, he is an India international, although matches at the highest level have been few and far between. While Saini can still continually bowl at 135kph, multiple injuries have hampered his progress.”If someone is a fast bowler, he has to put in a lot more effort to bowl at that pace,” Saini told ESPNcricinfo ahead of Ranji Trophy 2024-25. “Thus, a fast bowler has a lot more chances of getting injured, as compared to someone who bowls at 120 or 125 [kph].”Related

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Saini, with 34, was Delhi’s highest wicket-taker in their run to the Ranji final in 2017-18. He was named in India’s squad in June 2018. While the debut didn’t come, he did make the standby list for the ODI World Cup in 2019.It was a year of promise and the surge began with his IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, for whom he picked up 11 wickets in 13 games. In August, Saini impressed on his India debut in a T20I against West Indies.”Virat [Kohli] was India’s captain at the time, and having played for RCB under him, whenever there was pressure, I used to talk to him and he used to calm me down,” Saini said of his early days with India.By February 2020, Saini had shaken West Indies in a series decider on ODI debut, shown his full repertoire – from 150kph to accurate change-ups – against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.”Virat Kohli used to calm me down when there was pressure” – Navdeep Saini•BCCIBut the highs, as they often are, were often followed by the lows. In a four-month period from September 2020, Saini had a miserable IPL, where he also split his webbing. On India’s tour of Australia, he leaked 153 runs in 17 overs across the first two ODIs, and struck only once. In Sydney, in the third Test, Saini made his debut; but in in Brisbane, he walked off with a groin strain. But despite those setbacks, Saini never thought of sacrificing his pace.”Bowling fast helps you create more opportunities to get a wicket,” he said. “That makes you put in a lot more effort on your body. That, in turn, makes you injury prone. So you never know how or when you can get injured while trying to bowl at such high pace.”You only try your best to focus on your fitness, and it is difficult to point out any one reason why someone gets injured more than others.”Since Brisbane, Saini has played for India only twice – an ODI and a T20I each in July 2021. That T20I appearance, against Sri Lanka, happened only because multiple first-choice starters were ruled out due to Covid-19, with Saini batting as high as No. 7, and not getting to bowl.”You never know how or when you can get injured while trying to bowl at such high pace”•Getty ImagesSaini remained within touching distance of the national set-up in early and mid-2022. That was a time when there was intense competition for places with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur all ahead of him in the pecking order. But he never gave up – both hope and pace. He went to play county cricket for Kent, bustling in, extracting good bounce, and pocketed a five-for on Championship debut.”That was all according to the preparation. I put in the same effort day after day while practicing, and then follow the same process in the match,” Saini said. “I can’t reduce my pace, which is my strength. I don’t want to sacrifice any bit of it; pace, after all, is my identity. I have always played cricket the same way, and intend to continue playing like that.”But doesn’t that make him more susceptible to injury?”No, sir. All I know is that I need to take proper care of everything. Sometimes you must sacrifice something to gain something else. The competition is so tight these days that I will never want to reduce my pace, something which is unique to me. It is [up to] my quality if I can continuously bowl at that pace for four or five days in a row.”

Shami feels I should keep hitting the 6-8 metre length; that will prevent me from leaking runs, and all but assure me of wickets. I always follow Shami Saini on the help he’s received from Shami

It turned out that five-for in England was only a brief reprieve. Ahead of the Duleep Trophy and a one-day series against New Zealand A in 2022-23, Saini suffered a groin injury. In yet another comeback, he toured Bangladesh two months later with India A. An opportunity for the senior side was around the corner with both Bumrah and Shami missing. But ahead of the second Test, Saini had an abdominal muscle strain. This is why over the last six to 12 months, Saini has put in a lot of effort to remain injury free.”I have paid more attention to my diet, rest and recovery,” he said. “I have tried to sleep on time, and maintained a particular time for practice to ensure I tick all boxes. I have been to the NCA for a camp. The physios and trainers there are really good: they set up a programme, and that helped me understand quite a lot. They provide you with a plan regarding your training regime. There are also the little things like having a good warm-up.”It was on a trip to the NCA that Saini was able to spend some time with Shami, whom he admires a lot. Saini remains keen to improve his bowling, and doesn’t let any chance to speak to Shami pass by.”Shami has always advised me not to bowl too full,” Saini said. “He keeps telling me that I’m a hit-the-deck bowler, and that the ball moves [sideways] after I pitch it. He feels I should keep hitting the 6-8 metre length; that will prevent me from leaking runs, and all but assure me of wickets. I always follow Shami .”Like Shami said, Saini’s first wicket of the 2024-25 domestic season came with a ball which seamed in. Playing for India B against India A in the Duleep Trophy, Saini went on the fuller side of a length around sixth stump. Shubman Gill shouldered arms, but the ball seamed back in sharply to hit the middle of off stump at 140kph.Saini has been working on his fitness and believes he is on the right track•PTI Initially, Saini wasn’t even named in any of the four Duleep Trophy teams, but replaced Siraj when the latter fell ill ahead of the first round. Saini has “no idea” why he wasn’t picked in the first instance despite “so many boys” getting selected. Eventually, out of “God’s (kindness)”, Saini was not only selected but he also played all three games for India B. He ended the Duleep Trophy with 14 wickets at 25.42, taking back valuable experience ahead of the more straining assignments like the Ranji Trophy.”I played a red-ball match after seven to eight months,” he said. “And since it was a four-day match, I also got to know about my fitness – like how much work I have done on myself, and where I stand.”Saini’s pace hovered around 135kph against India A, with two catches dropped off his bowling. He’s happy with his performance in the season-opening Duleep Trophy, and also about how he has shaped up this year.”There is a certain confidence that [makes me think] yes, I am on the right track, and that I should continue to follow the same process,” he said.When you look at Saini’s numbers across formats, there is hardly anything to choose from – his averages in first-class cricket, List A and T20s are 28.97, 30.46 and 30.80, respectively. But he considers the longest format his strength, and hopes a notable domestic season can take him to Australia.For now, though, the goal is to remain fit and firing, and, no matter the injuries in an up-and-down career so far, never give up on pace. After all, Saini believes competition among fast bowlers in India is at its fiercest now.”It has never been like this before,” he said. “But I know how I have played cricket till date, and the things I have done from the beginning. And I will remain stuck to it.”

In a fairytale return to Test cricket, the allrounder demonstrated just how far he has come as a red-ball offspinner

Deivarayan Muthu24-Oct-20241:56

Manjrekar: Small sample but Washington shows promise as Ashwin’s successor

Washington Sundar wasn’t supposed to be in Pune for the second Test against New Zealand. He was supposed to be in Coimbatore with his Tamil Nadu team-mates for the Ranji Trophy. He was not in India’s Test squad three days ago. Before Thursday, he had last played a Test match three-and-a-half years ago. As it turned out, he made a serendipitous return to Test cricket, bagging career-best figures of 7 for 59.”It was all God’s plan,” Washington said.Washington. Pune. God’s plan. Sounds familiar?Related

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In 2017, Washington wasn’t supposed to be part of the IPL, but after an injury to R Ashwin, he bowled Steven Smith at a trial with Rising Pune Supergiant, and they picked him to replace the senior offspinner. At 17, Washington emerged as a powerplay specialist in T20 cricket.Seven years later, at the scene of his T20 emergence, Washington showed he could grow into an all-format player. Ravi Shastri certainly saw it coming, telling ESPNcricinfo he would go on to become India’s “premier allrounder across all three formats of the game.”But even Shastri couldn’t have seen Thursday coming.Washington Sundar exactly matched R Ashwin’s career-best Test figures of 7 for 59•AFP/Getty ImagesIt’s fairly unusual for this India team to make additions to their squad in the middle of a home Test series unless there are any concerns around players’ fitness or availability. While there were hints on Tuesday that Washington might play on a low-bounce, black-soil pitch in Pune – he had a long bowling stint alongside Ashwin in the nets – it still felt like a stretch that he would replace Kuldeep Yadav in India’s attack. And no one could have expected him to do that, and then outshine Ashwin.Washington ended up matching Ashwin’s career-best Test figures exactly, with the senior offspinner clapping his potential successor off the field at the end of New Zealand’s innings.At the start of the day, it was all about Ashwin. Midway through the seventh over, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma gestured Ashwin to be ready to bowl. Ashwin got his fifth ball to turn and pin New Zealand captain Tom Latham lbw. Ashwin then had Will Young caught down the leg side with another offbreak that turned. It felt like Ashwin and India were onto something. Fans scrambling for shelter from the sweltering heat quickly filled up the stands.Washington wasn’t having quite the same effect on the Pune crowd, but he was quietly working his way back into Test cricket. There were signs of rust, especially when he bowled short and wide of off stump to Young with the leg side packed with six fielders.Then came the ball to Rachin Ravindra.Washington went wide of the crease from around the wicket and put more revs on the ball, which led first to dip and then turn. There was also inward drift, which led Ravindra to play down the wrong line. The ball slid past the outside edge and hit the top of off, providing a flashback to Ashwin’s dismissals of Alastair Cook in both innings of the 2018 Edgbaston Test.2:47

Washington opens up on Ashwin’s influence

For much of his career, Washington’s bowling has been tuned to the demands of white-ball cricket, and has generally been characterised by pace through the air and flatter trajectories often delivered with undercut. Of late, he has worked on refashioning himself into a more conventional offspinner. After IPL 2024, where he finished with zero wickets and zero runs in all of two games for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he called up S Sriram, the former India and Tamil Nadu allrounder who has worked with Australia and Bangladesh as a spin consultant, for his inputs on how he could become an all-format bowler. Having already worked with Washington at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sriram suggested a few technical tweaks.”So one thing we spoke about was his run-up speed, you know, just get more energy into his run-up rather than just ambling, and more of overspin,” Sriram, who was following Washington’s spell from Chennai, told ESPNcricinfo. “He had a little bit of a finger issue also recently, so he was recovering from that. So one of the things we spoke about is always going back to that overspin, which gives him more bounce. And overspin is possible only when you have that momentum in the run-up.”If you don’t have momentum in the run-up, it’s very difficult to get that overspin. One of the things we discussed was obviously bounce was his main weapon. And how he can use that to his advantage in both white ball and red-ball cricket.”In his next over, Washington got the ball to drift away from Tom Blundell, then dip and rip through the gate. Washington is usually a man of few emotions, but this wicket meant so much to him that he brought out an animated fist pump. Washington was primarily picked to counter a left-hander-heavy New Zealand line-up. This was evidence that he could pick off the right-handers as well.”I think once he gets that seam angle right and the release right, and with the revs, automatically the drop and the drift takes care of itself,” Sriram said. “He used the shine to get the drift with the right seam angle. And also, if the seam is upright, it drops. Like that Blundell one, it dropped on him a little bit. He went to play with the spin, but the slight drift and drop got the wicket.”Washington then kept hitting the drier, good-length band on the pitch with laser-like precision and kept the stumps in play. He was rewarded with five more wickets in nine overs.Tom Blundell was bowled by Washington on the stroke of tea•BCCI”The first two spells, I think he was settling in,” Sriram said. “He was finding the right pace and also the right sort of rhythm. But once he got those two wickets around tea, his confidence also built up. It just happened so quickly for him, which made it look casual. But it wasn’t that casual.”Gautam Gambhir welcomed Washington back into the dressing room with a round of applause and a big smile. Like Shastri, Gambhir sees an all-format player in Washington. He had trusted him with bowling the Super Over in the Pallekele T20I in July, and Washington responded by bowling India to victory from out of nowhere.Gambhir then promoted Washington up the order to No.4 in the next match – the first ODI in Colombo. He didn’t score too many in that game, but his batting potential is clear: he already has three Test fifties, including match-turning interventions in Brisbane and Ahmedabad, and his Pune call-up came on the back of a Ranji Trophy 152 while batting at No. 3.Sriram is hopeful of Washington coming of age as an allrounder under Gambhir, with whom he worked as an assistant coach at Lucknow Super Giants.”Yeah, I think credit to Gauti also,” Sriram said. “Because I think he always rates him high. Whatever little conversations I’ve had with Gauti in LSG also, he always rated Washy very high. And he is someone, I think, he’ll use him very well as an allrounder. Both with bat and ball, he’ll promote him in certain times with the bat. And he’ll make best use of him with the ball as well and give him the ideal situations where he can succeed in all formats of the game.”Perhaps that, then, is God’s long-term plan.

He also became the first spinner to bag six wickets in the first session on day one

Sampath Bandarupalli25-Jan-20255 Noman Ali became only the fifth bowler to take a hat-trick for Pakistan in men’s Tests and the first spinner to do so. Wasim Akram took a hat-trick in consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka in 1999, while Abdul Razzaq in 2000 and Mohammad Sami in 2002 also took hat-tricks against the same opponents. The last hat-trick by a Pakistan bowler was taken by Naseem Shah against Bangladesh in 2020.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6 Wickets taken by Noman before Lunch on Saturday. He is only the sixth bowler to take six or more wickets in the opening session of a men’s Test. He is the first spinner to bag six wickets in the first session on day one.He is also the first Pakistan bowler to achieve the feat, as only Abrar Ahmed took a five-wicket haul (On debut against England in 2022) previously before lunch on the first day’s play.38y 110d Noman’s age on Saturday, making him the second oldest to claim a hat-trick in men’s Tests. Rangana Herath was 38 years and 139 days old when he took a hat-trick against Australia in 2016.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Number of instances of a team’s top three individual scores coming from their No.s 9, 10 and 11 in a men’s Test innings: both by West Indies in the ongoing series against Pakistan.Jomel Warrican (31* at No. 10), Jayden Seales (22 at No. 11), and Gudakesh Motie (19 at No. 9) were the top contributors in West Indies’ first innings in the first Test, while Motie (55 at No. 9), Warrican (36* at No. 11) and Kemar Roach (25 at No. 10) did the same on Saturday.Related

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5 Consecutive Test matches with a five-wicket haul for Noman. Only Sydney Barnes, Charlie Turner and Alec Bedser had a longer streak than Noman, with five-fors in six successive Tests, while Yasir Shah also took five-wicket hauls in five consecutive matches.ESPNcricinfo Ltd41.72 Percentage of West Indies’ first innings total in Multan contributed by their tenth wicket partnership. It is the second highest for West Indies in men’s Tests, behind the 50% by Kemar Roach and Miguel Cummins, who added 50 out of 100 all-out against India in 2019.6 Bowlers to take a hat-trick before lunch on the first day of a men’s Test, including Noman. All the previous five bowlers were pacers only, with the last one being Irfan Pathan against Pakistan in the 2006 Karachi Test.

India’s on-field performance deserves scrutiny, but they were dictated by the decisions they made off the field

Alagappan Muthu05-Jan-20252:12

Was India’s batting approach justified?

There was a team whose two key batters were not producing the runs that they were used to. They came under fire from the outside. They had a fast bowler go down with injury. They were the ones celebrating with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Sunday afternoon.At about 4.30pm in Sydney, Scott Boland, with a well-earned drink – it looked like coffee even if he has been the toast of the town – walked over to the SCG square, which was now cordoned off. His wife and their two daughters were with him. They grabbed on to the rope and started jiggling it. Australia were deserving winners in this series against India after victory in Sydney, but it is remarkable how much their problems mirrored India’s after the first Test in Perth and how they now seem so far away.They had a batter averaging 16.85 in his last eight innings make two single-digit scores in his first appearance of the series. Marnus Labuschagne recovered. Rohit Sharma couldn’t. They had a world-beater go through a lean period. Steven Smith recovered. Virat Kohli couldn’t. It helps being part of a winning unit when you are out of form. Pat Cummins spoke about how the loss in Perth didn’t really prompt Australia into any kind of soul searching.Related

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“Thought we had a bad week, but thought our game plans, methods, [and] selection, all that was pretty much where we wanted it to be,” he said. “But maybe our execution was a little bit off. I think you can very easily panic in those situations, [and] change a lot. I think it’s more important to realise we’re still number one in the world. We’re a very good team. Stay strong.”India’s on-field performance deserves scrutiny, but they were dictated by the decisions they made off the field. They came to Australia with their souls wrenched out of place. Their first ever whitewash at home in a series of three or more Tests – against New Zealand – had raised doubts about their batters’ ability to cope with conditions where run-scoring is difficult.It forced them to look at their bowlers differently. They went into the first two Tests against Australia with only two specialist quicks. The other two – Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana – were picked for the runs they could provide down the order.The irony is that when those runs actually came – in the first innings in Melbourne – India were unable to make the most of it. The cushion they have afforded non-performing batters on this tour directly affected their chances of victory, and might also have put their biggest asset on ice for a while. Jasprit Bumrah’s back injury is still being assessed by the medical staff. India coach Gautam Gambhir was not willing to let the seniors off the hook for how it all turned out.All eight of Virat Kohli’s dismissals were to balls outside the off stump•Getty Images”Not a lot of people are playing for the first time in Australia. There are quite a lot of others [who are]; probably two of them in the top eight,” he said after India’s loss in Sydney. “[Other than] Nitish and Yashasvi [Jaiswal], all the other guys have had the experience of Australia. So I’m not going to say that it is only because some of the young guys [that we lost], but I think there are a lot of experienced players as well.”It may also be useful to remember that four of the five Tests were played in conditions that Smith said required luck, and that it is a win as a top-order player if you can face 50 balls. He doesn’t have the 10,000th run yet, but he’s a decent enough authority to speak about these things.”A bit [of the batters’ struggle] could be because of the wickets,” Gambhir admitted. “Then, again, it’s not only the case in Australia. We’ve had the same issues at home as well. So I think everything boils down to the temperament. Everything boils down to how much you want to sometimes play those tough moments.”How much you want to grind in Test cricket. Because Test cricket is all about playing the session. Sometimes see off the spell as well. And that is why it’s the beauty of sport. So I feel that that is one issue where we need to probably look after. That how can we convert those 20s, 30s or 40s into big 100s. Not only 100s, but big 100s, and set the game up for our bowlers. Because your bowling department will always be under pressure if you can’t put those first-innings runs on the board.”Jasprit Bumrah was shouldering a very heavy workload, and in the end, it resulted in an injury•Getty ImagesThere is one other bit that no losing team will ever admit. The opposition was better equipped. Boland’s success is testament to what happens when specialists are trusted to do their jobs; how it has a knock-on effect. Australia didn’t need a lot of runs from their out-of-form batters because their in-form bowlers were knocking India out over and over again.”Yeah, it’s been tough,” Gambhir said reflecting on his time as coach, a time which includes six losses in ten Tests. “Absolutely, no doubt about it. It’s been really tough. And obviously, these weren’t the results what we were expecting in the last eight test matches.”But that is what sport is all about. All I can expect from that dressing room is to keep fighting. And all we all can do – not only as players, but as a support staff – [is] to be honest, and keep fighting and keep doing the right things what is good for Indian cricket. As simple as it can get. But more importantly, it’s a result-orientated sport. And we all play for results. And it hasn’t gone our way. As simple as it can be.”India contributed heavily to this Border-Gavaskar Trophy series being incredibly entertaining, sometimes to the point of going overboard. They played it all with their hackles raised. Right from the send-off to Travis Head in Adelaide, they have felt like they have been behind enemy lines, some portion of their effort siphoned away towards things like a hostile crowd, or a 19-year-old wind-up artist. It has added to the theatre, but could it also have been a sign that they lost a little bit of their composure? Jaiswal had the audacity to block Mitchell Starc and tell him “You’re coming on too slow.” Starc said nothing. He just took him out in the next few innings.India could have seized this series on the fourth day in Melbourne when they had Australia at 91 for 6•AFP/Getty ImagesGambhir said it wasn’t like India didn’t have their moments, and he’s right. Rohit accepted his poor form and withdrew himself from selection. That was good. Rohit, in a previous, desperate search for form, bumped their best-performing batter, KL Rahul, off a position he seemed to have earned after initially letting him have it. That was less good. Bumrah was close to becoming the highest wicket-taker in a series in Australia. That was good. He was getting up there because he was shouldering a very heavy workload, and in the end, it resulted in an injury. That was less good.Reddy scored one of the most memorable MCG hundreds. That was good. He bowled only 44 of India’s 620.2 overs in the series. That was less good. Kohli spent hours and hours in the nets trying to work out a viable way of dealing with balls outside the off stump. That was good. All eight of his dismissals were to balls outside the off stump. That was less good.India could have seized this series on a riveting fourth day in Melbourne when they had Australia at 91 for 6. That was good. They let them off the hook, allowing two 50-run partnerships for the last four wickets. That was less good.Everything good they did kept being overshadowed by something less good. So in the end, it is almost tempting to wonder: did the team that played the best cricket win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, or did the one that made the most mistakes lose?

Six teams are still in contention for the IPL 2025 playoffs

S Rajesh17-May-20252:48

Cricinformed: The contrast in Capitals’ and Titans’ top-order

Royal Challengers Bangalore
After the abandoned game in Bengaluru, RCB need one more point to seal their place in the playoffs. With 17, they aren’t quite there yet as five teams can still finish on 17 or more points. That can happen if Punjab Kings (PBKS) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) but lose their last two games, to Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI). If MI beat DC, then RCB, MI, GT, DC and PBKS can all finish on 17 or more points with eight wins, in which case run rates will come into play.Punjab Kings
PBKS need one more win to be certain of qualification. At the moment, 17 points won’t guarantee a place in the top four as five teams can get to 17 or more, as explained above. However, PBKS can qualify with 17 as well but could need other results – especially in matches involving DC and MI – to go their way and net run-rate may come into play.Related

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Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans (GT) are just one win away from making the playoffs – 18 points will assure a team of a top-four finish. However, if they lose their three remaining games they could get knocked out as four teams can still finish on 17 or more points. Titans have a favourable itinerary too, with their last two games scheduled at home in Ahmedabad, where they have a formidable 4-1 record so far. Their net run rate is currently second only to Mumbai Indians (MI), which could help them with qualification or a top-two finish. If they beat DC on Sunday, then that result will confirm playoff spots for RCB, GT and PBKS, with MI, DC and LSG competing for the final spot.Gujarat Titans will play their last two games at home•BCCIMumbai Indians
Despite the loss to GT, MI are still in control of their destiny, as wins in their last two matches will ensure a place in the playoffs. For them to go through on 16 points, though, they’ll need help from other results, while defeats in their two remaining games will eliminate them. MI also have an excellent net run rate of 1.156, which could yet be crucial if qualification comes down to that.Delhi Capitals
LSG are struggling for momentum, having lost three in a row, and four of their last five. The best they can do now is win their three remaining matches, finish on 16 points, and hope that one or more of the in-form teams suffer a sudden reversal of fortunes. If they lose another match, though, they will be eliminated. Their terrible NRR of -0.469 doesn’t help their cause either.

On a day KKR batters were trying to manufacture shots to coast home, Chahal’s advantage was amplified and he returned to form in grand style

Ekanth15-Apr-20252:07

Rayudu: ‘Chahal bowled to get a wicket, not to defend’

Yuzvendra Chahal just couldn’t catch a break. After being bought for INR 18 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, he hadn’t completed his quota in three of his first five games for Punjab Kings (PBKS). In the last of those, he hurt his shoulder but recovered in time to face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). His team had been struggling to get him into the game and that threatened to be the case again in Mullanpur on Tuesday.KKR had rolled PBKS over for 111 and were in control of the chase in the seventh over. They needed 52 from 13 overs with eight wickets in hand. That’s when Chahal was introduced.The pitch was far from a minefield. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy had picked up two wickets each, but they were getting turn in a way mystery spinners do – with quicker speeds and shorter lengths while keeping the stumps in play.Related

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Rahane: 'I take the blame for the loss; I played the wrong shot'

Chahal didn’t have that luxury. He is more old-school who looks to deceive batters in the air and off the pitch. That hadn’t worked for him so far this tournament. He started his spell with a legbreak to Ajinkya Rahane that got a bit of turn, which signaled to both the bowler and his captain Shreyas Iyer that they were in the game.”Shreyas said we needed a slip because we couldn’t let go of even a single chance – there was no point bringing in a slip after a ball goes for four through there,” Chahal said after the game. “We had to attack, because we had few runs to work with, and we knew that we could win only by picking up wickets.”The first googly he bowled beat Rahane on the sweep and trapped him lbw. Chahal was lucky to have that wicket as ball-tracking showed that the impact was outside off stump and KKR didn’t review. More importantly, it was clear that Chahal’s methods suited not only the conditions but also the situation.He didn’t need to bowl magic balls. Instead, he had to make the batters generate their own pace, especially if they were looking for boundaries. On a day where a lot of the wickets fell not because of good balls but batters trying to manufacture shots as a marker of initiative and, in KKR’s case, to coast home, Chahal’s advantage was amplified.Yuzvendra Chahal returned to form in grand style•Getty ImagesAngkrish Raghuvanshi, who was well set at 37 off 27 balls, made room and tried to go inside out over cover but the ball dipped on him and landed slightly shorter than what he would have hoped for. It meant that he had to reach further away and couldn’t open the face of the bat to control the direction in which the ball went.”I was varying my pace,” Chahal said. “If the opposition’s batters wanted to hit sixes, they had to put in effort to do it.”In the games against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he bowled short in his first over and went for boundaries. That did not allow him to settle into his spells. The same thing could have happened against Raghuvanshi. Instead, Chahal had two wickets in seven balls.

The moment where Yuzvendra Chahal turned the game #TATAIPL | #PBKSvKKR | @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/D2O5ImOSf4

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 15, 2025

In an extract from his new book, former England and Gloucestershire fast bowler David Lawrence recalls his relationship with the West Indian legend

David Lawrence with Dean Wilson19-Jun-2025I’ve been fortunate to make some lifelong friends during my time as a cricketer and none more so than Courtney Walsh, who was the finest bowler I played alongside in my career and an equally fine man.We got on well from the start, when our paths first crossed in an Under-25s game, and we are still great friends to this day. Courtney has been supportive and has sent me messages since he first found out about my condition and they have meant a huge amount to me.Our bowling partnership at Gloucestershire should have brought us a County Championship crown and I’m gutted that we didn’t manage to get over the line, but we had great fun trying.He was undoubtedly one of the very best to have ever played the game, and he was a bit of an inspiration for me as a team-mate.That started during my stint in Perth in 1984 where I got the chance to see him make his Test debut at the WACA alongside so many of my heroes from 1976.Related

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Courtney very kindly sorted me tickets for each day of the Test and I was so excited to be able to watch West Indies once again up close. I watched them bat all day on day one and then missed day two because I was playing club cricket. But on day three the Windies bowlers put on a hell of a show. Michael Holding took six wickets to bowl Australia out for just 76, meaning Courtney didn’t even get a bowl.Clive Lloyd enforced the follow-on and in the second innings Courtney got his first Test wicket as part of a big innings win. He played in all five matches in a thumping 3-1 series win and his Test career was up and running.We had a good catch-up in Perth and had a few drinks after the game and promised to bring the heat back to Gloucestershire with us the next year, and that is exactly what we did.The 1985 season was one of my most enjoyable campaigns because it was the first full season I played together with Courtney and Kevin Curran, who had also joined us. I was straining at the leash to get started and in my first Championship game, I took nine wickets against Lancashire, which got me up and running.After his international duties, Courtney arrived in time for the third game of the season, against Sussex, and I was flying. I bowled like the wind and took 7 for 48 to get people’s attention.Sussex skipper John Barclay called it the fastest spell he had seen at Hove, while Courtney gave me a big pat on the back as we came off the field and thanked me for making life easy for him, having just got off the plane. That was a big moment for me because all of a sudden I had people talking me up as a potential England player. With Bob Willis having retired the previous summer, the hunt was on for England’s next fast-bowling star and I was making my move at just the right time. Two games later we played Derbyshire in Derby and, up against Michael Holding, I took another five wickets. Courtney took the other five as we bowled our side to victory on the last day.That was a feeling I will never forget and it is one that we got to enjoy a fair few more times together over the years, but to do it nice and early was a great marker and it showed us just how potent a partnership we could be.From left: Jeremy Lloyds, Brian Davison, Kevin Curran, Lawrence and Walsh at Gloucestershire, 1985•PA Photos/Getty ImagesWe bowled with real pace and with real intent too. When you came up against us as a batter, you had to be brave to score runs.Guys like Allan Lamb, Robin Smith and Wayne Larkins were definitely in that category. “Ned” Larkins in particular was a bit of a nemesis for me at Wantage Road. I didn’t particularly like bowling there because I didn’t get many wickets and Ned always seemed to hit me all over the place. Every bowler has a batter they struggle against and for me it was him.The short ball was something we used to unsettle opponents so that when we pitched it up, they would be hesitant and not quite in line, which would mean we were more likely to find the outside edge. It was all about taking wickets.But in that game against Derby, and then later on against Kent,when Courtney and I shared seven wickets in the second innings, we were accused of intimidatory bowling.It didn’t bother us in the slightest. Whenever a team had a bowler with a bit of pace in the side they would use it to their advantage and we were no different. We were just lucky that with Courtney, myself and Kevin, the quick stuff just kept on coming. The aim was always to take wickets, not to hurt people. It was the threat of getting hurt that was the greatest weapon and that is what we used.I took pleasure from seeing a batter jerk their head out of the way in surprise at how quick it was. Or if they ducked a bouncer and ended up on the floor, that was fine with me because it scrambled their minds and gave you more of a chance of getting them out.Occasionally people did get hurt and had the bumps and bruises to show for the contest, but I always wanted people to remain healthy.A Syd Lawrence All Stars XI played a Lashings XI in a charity game in Bristol on June 6. It included former players Devon Malcolm, Jon Lewis (standing, first two from left), Tim Hancock, Norman Cowans, Martyn Ball (standing, first three from right), and Matt Windows (kneeling, second from right)•Craig Hobbs/LashingsOne day that wasn’t the case and it was during a game against West Indies in 1988. They had allrounder Phil Simmons opening the batting and he was a big, imposing cricketer who could hit the ball a long way.We were still in an era when helmets were not compulsory and lots of players didn’t wear them, including Phil on this day.I bowled him a bouncer with the new ball and as he went to duck, it hit him on the head and he collapsed. It was a frightening moment but he got up, feeling worse for wear. I went over to check on him and make sure he was okay. He nodded but he looked very shaky on his feet.As he was helped from the ground by the team medic, he collapsed again and this time he needed serious medical attention. An ambulance came and took him to the hospital where he had life-saving surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain.That was the day when all the West Indies players bar Viv Richards started to wear helmets against real pace and made sure they had them in their kit bags. As a bowler I didn’t feel guilty about it because I was just doing my job and it was Phil’s choice whether or not to wear a helmet. Obviously he was taking a risk by not doing so. As a human being, of course I felt for Phil, which is why the next day I went to visit him in hospital after he had the surgery and was recuperating.I went into the room where he was lying down and his fiancée was sat there next to him and I just broke down in tears. I didn’t want to have this effect on anybody. He motioned me over to him and as I stood there he took my hand and said, “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” I just felt so bad seeing him there wired up and I was the one who put him there. You don’t play the game to do that.There has always been an element of danger to the game and that is what makes it so thrilling. As a bowler you know that if a batter misses a short ball there is a chance that you could hurt them, but that is not going to stop you from trying to get them out any way you can. There is an understanding that the batter can also take advantage of that sort of delivery.Lawrence bowls in his first Test, against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in 1988•Adrian Murrell/Getty ImagesIn the modern game every player wears a helmet, so thankfully serious head injuries are more rare, but I think that batters might get hit in the head more than ever because they haven’t had to learn how to evade the ball as much, and they are more prepared to have a hook at the ball, knowing that they are protected. Either way I’m just glad that Phil was all right and able to continue his cricket career. He didn’t play again on that tour understandably, but he was back on the field after three months and on the 1991 tour to England we faced off against each other again and this time it was in Test cricket.Courtney and I had become good friends over the course of that first season and my dad loved chatting to him too as a fellow Jamaican, when he came to watch my games. That Caribbean heritage brought us together too when it came to socialising and going out from time to time. We both enjoyed good music and a good party, although I was a bit more of a night owl than Courtney.One thing we both had plenty of time for was the St Pauls Carnival [an event celebrating African Caribbean culture] that was held every summer [in Bristol], so if you were an opposition batter and wanted a bit of respite from us, then you had to hope that we were playing you across carnival weekend.For some strange reason, in the week leading up to the carnival, my hamstring would get very tight and sore, and would you believe it, Courtney would also feel some stiffness in a similar area and would require some treatment.It was either dumb luck or just an extraordinary coincidence that on around five occasions both Courtney and I would be out of action in the same game and have to stay at home resting our “injuries”. Somehow those injuries would be enough to keep us out of cricket action, but we were just about fit enough to join the carnival for the day before recovering in time for the next match.It was amazing that no one cottoned on to our regular little bit of cricketing truancy, but I guess no one else had any interest in the event so we knew we were safe to enjoy ourselves without the club finding out, until now I guess.Guests at the June 6 event at Downend Cricket Club honour Lawrence•Craig Hobbs/LashingsCourtney was a gentle giant off the field, but he had his moments and he had a temper like anyone does when provoked. Most people were smart enough not to wind him up, but I can remember him losing his rag a couple of times.There was a game against Derbyshire when Kim Barnett and Peter Bowler were batting and they were doing pretty well despite Courtney creating chances. A catch off Barnett was dropped and Bowler took exception to Courtney’s mutterings. The next single he took, he bumped his shoulder into Courtney, which set everything off and even had me steaming up from fine leg to get involved. Bowler was waving his bat and Courtney was not happy and ready to rip the bat out of his hands. The umpires managed to calm things down, but Courtney was still reported for the incident.Another time he had a run-in with one of his own team-mates during a game against Hampshire.The great Malcolm Marshall had come in to bat and there is no doubt that there was a lot of respect between him and Courtney. He would have been someone that Courtney looked up to and was learning from in the West Indies team, plus they were both fast bowlers, so there was often a bit of an understanding between your fellow quicks.But after bowling three half-volleys to Maco one of our team piped up and shouted, “Come on Courtney, what’s wrong with you?! How is it that you pitch it up to your lot, and to us blokes we get all the short stuff?!”Everyone knew what he meant.Lawrence, as Gloucestershire’s club president, with team captain James Bracey in 2024 after they won their first T20 trophy•Cameron Smith/ECB/Getty ImagesMaybe the team-mate had a point in wanting to see the opposition given a tough time, but there was a way to do it, which didn’t involve shouting it across the ground for everyone to hear, calling into question Courtney’s integrity as much as anything.It took a while for everything to calm down after that, the player who made the comment apologised to Courtney afterwards, but the damage was done and they gave each other a wide berth after that. There were just some players you knew you were never going to see eye to eye with and the best thing was to give each other some space off the field. On it, we were still a team and we all pulled in the same direction in trying to help our side win.Courtney was a proud Jamaican and I used to talk to him about life in Jamaica, a place where I had roots but hadn’t visited. He told me about cricket at Sabina Park, which was one of the most famous and feared grounds in world cricket. Many a visiting batter would have nightmares about that place, and I made a promise to myself that I would get the chance to check it out.The aim was clearly to be part of an England tour to the West Indies and to play a Test match on the island of my heritage, but after my knee injury in 1992, that aim had to be parked. I still wanted to experience the place, though, and from the stories I had heard from Courtney and other players who had played there, it was something that I knew I would enjoy. I just had this vision of sitting in the stands and watching a game unfold in the sunshine, with the noise of the crowd, and with an ice-cold Red Stripe in my hand. Doesn’t that sound like bliss?After returning to the Gloucestershire side in 1997, I had focused my attention on getting fit and firing for the 1998 season, but with England touring the Caribbean I thought this was my chance to make my pilgrimage and go and watch some cricket in Jamaica. I went out on my own as a supporter and stepped onto Jamaican soil for the very first time and couldn’t have been happier.Lawrence jogs around the ground with team physio Laurie Brown during England’s 1991-92 tour of New Zealand, on which he suffered a career-ending injury when he fractured his kneecap during the Wellington Test•Graham Chadwick/PA Photos/Getty ImagesI had arrived the day before the game and I was so excited to be there with the prospect of seeing so many of my friends on both teams playing in the match. The day of the game I was up a little later than I wanted due to jet lag, but I got myself sorted and jumped into a taxi and headed to the ground.When I arrived the game was already in progress and England were batting. They had lost two wickets, which wasn’t exactly a surprise since Curtly [Ambrose] and Courtney had a habit of running through English top orders. I found out where my seat was and looked up at the scoreboard, which read 7 for 2 at the end of the seventh over.Before I settled in, I thought I’d better go and get that Red Stripe I had been looking forward to, but as soon as I got to the back of the stand I heard a huge roar of noise, which I took to mean that England had lost another wicket.Nasser Hussain was out and the two Surrey guys, Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe, were in the middle. I had played in teams with both of them and I had also bowled to them and got them out, so I wanted to get back and see how they would cope with the Windies pace duo.By the time I got back to my seat they were just finishing the tenth over and the score was 17 for 3. I took a sip of my beer and thought, “This is great.” With two wickets already to his name to equal the tally of the great Dennis Lillee on 355 wickets, Courtney was at the top of his mark, ready to bowl. I took another sip of the crisp, refreshing beer as he ran in and bowled a ball just back of a length to Thorpe, but it reared up and hit him on the glove, and he threw the bat down in pain and anger.That wasn’t a particularly unusual sight, to see batters find life uncomfortable against Courtney, but the ball had bounced much more steeply than Thorpey was expecting.Fairfield BooksAt this point, the players all gathered together in the middle, the umpires were involved, and then Mike Atherton, who had already been dismissed, came jogging out from the pavilion after the physio.I didn’t know what was going on. It all seemed a bit bizarre.The next thing I knew, the players were walking off and the game was abandoned. I was stunned.I turned to some fans next to me and asked what on earth was going on. “It is a dangerous pitch, someone is going to get seriously hurt,” they said. What I didn’t realise, having come into the ground 45 minutes after the start of play, was that the pitch was like a corrugated iron roof, which meant if the ball bounced on the upslope it took off like a rocket, and if it landed on the downslope it would shoot along the floor like a pea-roller. And no batter in the world can cope with that kind of variable bounce.The real worry was that Courtney and Curtly were two of the tallest fast bowlers in the world and the pace they bowled at made it seriously dangerous for the batters to face them.You would be expecting the ball to bounce around your thigh or your hip, and suddenly it would be at your head. I knew what it was like to be the bowler who caused a serious head injury from bowling after what happened to Phil Simmons, and neither Courtney nor Curtly wanted to be the guy who did something similar to the England batters.I spoke to Courtney afterwards and he admitted it was really difficult to keep running in and trying to bowl your best ball knowing that the pitch could make something awful happen. He didn’t enjoy that hour of cricket and the right decision was made to abandon the match.But it meant that my dream visit to Jamaica at the age of 34 to watch some Test cricket lasted precisely one ball. That is a hell of a long journey just to see one live delivery. They reconfigured the tour and ended up playing another match in Trinidad to make up for the abandonment, but I couldn’t follow them there. I had to get home and prepare for the new English season, which unbeknown to me at that stage would be my last as a professional cricketer.In Syd’s Voice