All posts by n8rngtd.top

Novice offspinner showcases good fundamentals as well as a knack for taking wickets

Vithushan Ehantharajah03-Dec-2022Babar Azam walked slowly off the ground in Rawalpindi on day three, a fifth century in Pakistan in his back pocket, receiving every bit of deserved acclaim from the 15,000 strong crowd. A flat pitch is still only just a stage, and after England’s punk rock effort in the first innings, Babar’s turn was so classic he may as well have had a violin in his hands.The departure was spine-tingling but the end itself was pretty, well, basic. Off balance, snatching at the ball and a duff connection straight into the hands of Jack Leach at point. Pakistan were now five down, England still 184 ahead, and Will Jacks had dismissed one of the best batters of this generation on a whim.”A bit of disbelief really,” responded Jacks when asked his feelings about the stature of the man he had just removed with his offspin. “It was the first ball of my spell, probably a bit of a loosener outside off and he cut it to point.”He’s obviously a very high-quality player, playing in his dream conditions really, so I can’t complain about that one and I’m very happy.”Related

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• PCB chairman slams Rawalpindi pitch as 'embarrassing' as bowlers toil in Test

Jacks’ three wickets so far won’t make a particularly impressive reel. His maiden scalp broke the opening partnership on 225 – Abdullah Shafique botching a cut himself to present an edge to Ollie Pope behind the stumps – and the third relied on Naseem Shah’s tempestuousness, and a seriously good running catch from Leach out at deep midwicket this time. But among his 33 overs, particularly the 21 sent down for figures 3 for 82 on Saturday, the resolve shown by Jacks belies the fact that those dismissals, his place in the team, heck, even the fact he is bowling spin at all were more through accident than design.Perhaps “accident” is a little harsh. But were it not for the virus getting to Ben Foakes at the last possible moment, Jacks would have been carrying drinks here. In the end, he was handed his cap two minutes after Ben Stokes told him he was in the XI. And the peculiar silver-lining in that scenario is Stokes would have been up against it without Jacks after losing Liam Livingstone’s wrist-and-or-finger-allsorts through a jarred right knee picked up in the field.Coming into 2022, Jacks had bowled just 86 overs in first class cricket for Surrey since a debut in the format back in June 2018, with an additional six for England Lions, and as many wickets in that time as he managed here. He was utilised more in T20 cricket as someone able to fulfill four overs which, along with opening the batting, allows Surrey greater dexterity with their line-up.It was in the 2020 Blast when he first showcased there was more to him than just someone who could burgle a few overs here and there, with 4 for 15 in semi-final against Kent. At the start of the last summer, Surrey head coach Gareth Batty, as a fellow offie, wanted to push Jacks into assuming a greater role with the ball for their Championship season. He responded with 17 wickets at 47.00. While not spectacular, it felt something of a breakthrough.Batty noted the parallels with Moeen Ali, another offspinner who had to be coaxed into taking the pursuit seriously, or at least believing they themselves could be taken seriously while doing it. Jacks’ stock spin ball was “beautiful” in Batty’s eyes, the issue was changing the mindset of a batter who bowled a bit and get him to be more of a bowler invested in a sole purpose. And to watch Jacks here in the Pindi Stadium, toiling away with that upright action, back stiff before the arms spiral like propellers, was to watch someone slowly believe that not only was he an offspinner, but one who could make a difference. He turned far more than he should have done, and noticeably extracted a bit more bounce than his more seasoned spin partner Leach, on account of a taller action and coming over the top of the ball with his release.”Bowling is getting more and more enjoyable as I’m getting better at it,” he said with refreshing honesty, like a uni student warming to cooking. “I’m incredibly keen to – not perfect because you can never do that – but get as good as I can and play for England as an allrounder.”Jacks honed his red-ball bowling in Surrey’s Championship success last summer•Getty ImagesHe was proud to announce this was the second time he has “topped” 30 overs. The previous instance came in May when he bowled exactly than many to earn career-best figures of 4 for 65 in the first innings of a Division One match on a turning Beckenham track against Kent, who were bowled out for 230 after the visitors had posted 671. An innings victory fell flat due to the rain, but Jacks still managed to go through now England team-mate Zak Crawley before it came. Batty maintains Jacks was on a roll, primed to win the game on his own.Jacks will have to go some to do that here, even if the pitch is starting to show something. But he did help set-off the chain of three wickets for 24 inside 7.4 overs of the evening session.”Pretty happy – it was almost a game-changing moment,” Jacks said. “If we go on to win this Test then I guess that could be seen as a big moment in the game to take that wicket of Babar and then Rizwan the very next over and one more in the last hour.”It finished up being a great day for us, seven wickets in the day is something very very good, so we’ll be looking to get those three wickets as quickly as possible in the morning and then giving them a score to chase.”Jacks is by no means the finished article as a bowler, and it is not too cynical to think he might never be. The batting alone is worthy of commendation, especially against the white ball. That the only other person with a century in the Hundred (Will Smeed) has opted for an exclusively limited-overs path is reflective of the times we’re in. And though Jacks probably won’t take such a severe option, there will be other interests that perhaps take him away from fine-tuning those tweakers.But there is definitely plenty to work with, from a lovely action, good go-to delivery and a real game sense, which came through when he opted for wider landing spots having noticed there was more turn out there. Crucially, he has thick skin: unperturbed by some of the unique fields being set, particularly as the day wore on, with short leg, silly point, regulation slip and a leg gully.A lack of cover goes some way to explaining the run rate, which he did manage to drag down to an even 4.0, though there were a few full tosses in there. His 28th over was ransacked by Mohammad Rizwan, four fours a clear effort from the wicketkeeper-batter to get him out of the attack.It didn’t work. Jacks stayed on, kept plugging away and in turn England have broken into a match and a pitch that looked set to keep them out.

The allrounder dedicated the win to her mother, who played a crucial role in her rise as a cricketer

Zenia D'cunha16-Mar-2023 [The only thing in my mind was that I want to win this match.] It feels normal to me [playing against the big names], I don’t feel pressure.”There was a dazzling smile on 20-year-old Kanika Ahuja’s face when she walked into the press conference room after powering Royal Challengers Bangalore to their first win in the Women’s Premier League. She spoke with confidence, about talking with Virat Kohli and trying to imitate the 360-degree shots of Suryakumar Yadav.It was her first press conference, Ahuja said later, but why would there be nerves? She had just stepped up and done what no veteran in her team had – handled pressure and got those first points. Ahuja’s 46 off 30 balls is the highest score by an uncapped player in the WPL so far, and it came at a crucial time – in a must-win match after five straight losses.Royal Challengers were chasing only 136 but had lost their big three – Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry – when Ahuja began her innings in the seventh over. Heather Knight was dismissed soon after, with Royal Challengers needing 76 off 66 balls and in the middle of an all-too-familiar batting crisis.How does Ahuja respond? By sticking to her game, finding the boundary, and keeping the asking rate in control. “The target was small so there was a chance to take my time and play, that’s what I did,” she said. “I waited for the loose balls and the only thing in my mind was that we have to win.”UP Warriorz’s Australian allrounder Grace Harris said Ahuja had played a smart innings. “She played the conditions and bowlers very well,” Harris said. “She saw pace on a couple of times and ramped [scooped] us, I thought that was very clever. She has got a good bat swing and as a left-hander, she can get under the ball.”Kanika Ahuja’s 46 off 30 balls had some 360-degree strokeplay•BCCIAhuja had already shown glimpses of her potential in the match against Mumbai Indians, where she scored 22 off 13 balls. “Everyone told me my intent was good but that I can do better. I regretted that I got a chance and got out early.” Against Warriorz, she missed a half-century by four runs but there were no regrets; her team had finally won and that’s all that mattered for now.Ahuja dedicated the moment to her mother, her strongest support. “There was a time when my mother used to push me to play. Now, she is not doing well physically and I am playing here for her, playing because she is watching me.”Cricket was initially a way for her mother to get Ahuja out of the house as a child, but soon it meant more and it was her mother who stood by this decision.”I used to mainly go because my mother would tell me to go out and play and not trouble her at home. If I was at home, I would fly kites on the roof so she would push me to go out and play,” Ahuja said with a laugh. “My family didn’t even know that there is cricket for girls… My father told me to focus on my studies as there is nothing in cricket, but my mother would say go and play.”That initial push to play and the continued support has brought Ahuja to the DY Patil Stadium, where thousands of fans chanted her name on Wednesday night. “I was enjoying it, it felt very good to hear ‘Kanika, Kanika’. It’s the dream of every player that people cheer for them, it didn’t feel like pressure at all.”Ahuja is known for her big-hitting skills. In September, she scored 305 not out off 122 balls for Patiala in Punjab’s inter-district women’s senior one-day tournament. But to do it in your home state is different from nailing your shots in the WPL, irrespective of boundary sizes.But again, what is pressure to one so cool? “Virat sir said that it’s not pressure, it’s pleasure.”Kohli had met the Royal Challengers women’s team on the morning of their game against Warriorz. “He motivated us, some of his words stuck with me and it helped,” Ahuja said. “When you are playing, don’t take it as pressure, it’s a pleasure that you are playing. Some people don’t get the chance.”Kohli is not the only India men’s cricketer that Ahuja looks to for inspiration. You can see some of Suryakumar’s 360-degree range in her strokeplay. She also has an infectious energy on the field, as evidenced by Devine literally sweeping her off her feet after taking a catch.A left-handed power-hitter who bowls as well, Ahuja is a prospect for the future, and the WPL is a platform built for players like her. Despite their poor results this season, Royal Challengers have the system to be a finishing school for players like Ahuja and Shreyanka Patil, who scored the winning runs against Warriorz. “This is a great experience as a domestic player to play against international players,” Ahuja said. “If we prepare now, it will help the Indian team ahead.”Playing for India is her ultimate dream and Ahuja is on course to achieve it.

Seamer’s bail switch trick followed by classic burst to keep Australia in check

Vithushan Ehantharajah28-Jul-20231:04

Broad: Change of bail to change the luck and it worked

Just 30 runs had come in the first 106 deliveries of day two. England had patted themselves on the back for scoring their 283 runs at 5.17 an over, indulging a now familiar parlour trick of putting time back into a Test match, like toothpaste back into the tube. But now Australia – specifically Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne – were slowly rolling it up from the bottom, almost mockingly squeezing it out again.There were no chances to speak of, mostly because no shots to see. And though Australia were going nowhere fast, neither were England. A feature of this series has been the way these two sides are tethered together, taking turns to lead the way, occasionally dragging the other along with them. For the first time in six weeks, one of them decided to play dead, and the other had to wait with them.After all the fun on Thursday, those at the Kia Oval on Friday were probably starting to feel a little short-changed, particularly those out in the field in the morning session with England badges on their whites. Was this it? Is this how the Ashes ends, with death by a thousand nothings? Then, as Ben Stokes contemplated a tweak in the field, Mark Wood returned to the top of his mark for the final delivery and Labuschagne stepped away to contemplate closing out the 43rd over, Stuart Broad walked up to the batter’s stumps and switched the bails around.Related

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• Broad: Umpire said Smith run-out 'would have been given' with zing bails

• Slow and steady Australia just about justify their caution

“I’ve heard – and I might have made this up – that it’s like an Aussie change of luck thing,” Broad said later, feigning a bit of naivety. “I feel like I’ve seen Nathan Lyon do it.” Again, he knows he has. Lyon did similar to Joe Root during the 2019 series, only for the then-England captain to switch them back. Labuschagne did not.It’s not just an Australian thing, of course. The flipping of the bails is a quirk familiar among club cricketers up and down the UK. An indulgence of an idle thought as you walk by the stumps of a batter who is having it his own way, concluding the problem with your approach to taking a wicket is not your approach at all, but because the bails are the wrong way around.As far as dalliances with the occult go, it’s low-level stuff. A bit of faux-feng shui. Watered down sense. B****cks, if you will. With the very next delivery, Labuschagne was dismissed and England were up and about.It was no less than Wood deserved, having twice unsettled Labuschagne with some jagging movement earlier in the over. Root’s catch was highlight-reel worthy; one-handed, diving to his left from first slip, almost taking it behind him. And yet, somehow, it was all about Broad. Again.He temporarily lost his mind upon the fall of the wicket, celebrating first with Khawaja at the non-striker’s end. Khawaja treated it with good grace, perhaps because he acknowledged the absurdity of it all. The opener did, however, offer a warning. “He said, ‘if you touch my bails I’m flipping them straight back’,” Broad revealed with a smirk. Of all Broad’s accomplishments in Ashes series, add “making grown men believe he possesses universe-altering powers” to the list. Actually, hold on – it seems that one is already on there, and quite high up too.As England emerged after lunch with Australia 115 for 2, Broad had the ball from the Vauxhall End. Pockets from the JM Finn stand responded, before Broad brought them together in unison by trapping Khawaja lbw five balls after the break.Stuart Broad got the knees pumping with two wickets in as many overs•Getty ImagesNo dark arts this time, though you couldn’t rule out that Broad might have swapped Khawaja’s pads around without him knowing. Simply enough shape from around the wicket to finally draw a proper misjudgement from a bloke who had been out there for 157 deliveries.Travis Head was snared in his next over; a good length on a fourth-stump line to a player who has had to subsist on the back foot throughout this series. Head did nothing wrong in pressing forward into a defensive block, but the ball nipped after pitching to take an edge through to Jonny Bairstow.At that point, you wondered – was this it? One of those Broad’s spells he casts out of nothing? Well, no, it wasn’t. We haven’t had one of those in a while – it is over seven years, in fact, since he last went on a roll, against South Africa at Johannesburg. But such is the pull of Broad, it does not take much to wonder if you are about to witness an ethereal moment, even if we know he’s not really about that right now. It’s a bit like expecting to hear “My Way” every time Frank Sinatra clears his throat, but also being grateful you now know what it sounds like when Sinatra clears his throat.Nevertheless, the value of those two quick breakthroughs – taking Broad to 20 dismissals in the series and 151 against Australia – tilted things England’s way through others. Australia now needed to get moving, but more engagement with England’s attack saw Mitchell Marsh (dragging on James Anderson), Alex Carey (scuffing Root to cover) and Mitchell Starc (bounced out by Wood) fall for the addition of just 34.Smith would take a little bit longer to prise out. But when he was taken by Bairstow off Chris Woakes to leave Australia 239 for 8, England’s lead of 44 offered vindication for day one’s approach with the bat, and a solid head start heading into the second part of a must-win Test for them and them alone.Unfortunately, Broad’s magic, and England’s by association, ran out. Not by all that much. Australia’s lead of 12 going into the second innings has this as a straight shootout to the finish. Both sides will arrive back here on Saturday not bothered by what came before. The prize – a series win for Australia, a series squared for England – lies right before them.For all the bail-switching, crowd work and typical Broadisms, this was a day, fundamentally, about collective graft. Moeen Ali’s injury meant there was no one to really help spread the workload, beyond some cursory throwback-to-the-first-Test overs from Harry Brook. It’s worth noting an ageing English attack has, over the course of the series, spent just shy of three days (236.3 overs) extra in the field compared to Australia.We know England’s approach to their second innings will be the familiar helter-skelter affair, particularly given the identity of the No. 3 remains a mystery given the time Moeen has spent off the field. There’s every chance they pull it out of a hat, and everyone’s fingers will be crossed that it is Broad.However that plays out, we also know the bowlers will be back on there sooner than they expect, for one last push to the finish line. Their bodies are creaking, spirits willing. And Broad’s magic, forever undimmed.

Recovering from a slow start on a slow pitch, his fourth T20I century was a reminder that he could access any quadrant of the field

Deivarayan Muthu15-Dec-2023The genius of Suryakumar Yadav lies in how he premeditates and creates angles to play his trick shots behind square. His patented is arguably the most outrageous shot in T20 cricket.It was expected that a quick Wanderers pitch and the rarefied air of the Highveld would be perfect for Suryakumar’s . Before the series decider between South Africa and India in Johannesburg, the last T20I at this venue had produced an aggregate of 433 runs. But Thursday was a bit different. The track was slower and drier than usual, with seamers taking pace off the ball even in the powerplay. Suryakumar didn’t get the away, but still found other ways to get on top of the conditions and on top of South Africa’s attack.Suryakumar (100) ended up outscoring South Africa (95), with 55 of his runs coming in front of square at a strike rate of nearly 200. He was on 27 off 25 balls at one point. When Andile Phehlukwayo tried to bowl slower balls into the pitch in the 13th over, Suryakumar ditched his premeditation and delayed his shots before whacking them in the arc between deep midwicket and wide long-on. He held his shape for long enough and waited for the ball to come to him because he knew that is when his power could have the most impact in these conditions.Related

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That over, Suryakumar went 6, 4, 6, 6 against Phehlukwayo, and just like that, recovered from a slow start on a slow pitch.Then, even when debutant Nandre Burger tried to hide the ball outside off, Suryakumar got inside the line and shovelled the left-arm fast bowler between deep midwicket and wide long-on with his powerful bottom hand. This was another reminder that he can access any quadrant of the field.Nobody has more T20I hundreds than Suryakumar – he is joint-highest on four with two others – and they have all come in different conditions: Nottingham, Rajkot, Mount Maunganui and now Johannesburg. He had fallen 17 short of another hundred in a must-win match for India last August in the West Indies, which will host next year’s T20 World Cup along with the USA. So Suryakumar knows that he has the game to succeed in all conditions.”It’s important to know your game really well – what you can do for your team – and I’ve thought the same thing,” he said after winning both the Player-of-the-Match and the Player-of-the-Series awards. “Whatever the situation is, I just go out there and enjoy myself. If it’s my day or if it’s not my day… that balance is very important in life and I really enjoyed it.”Later, Suryakumar was writhing in pain after having seemingly rolled his ankle while fielding, which kept him off the field for the most part of India’s successful defence, with Ravindra Jadeja taking over as captain. The smile, though, was back on his face after India sealed victory and squared the series 1-1.”I’m good, and it [the ankle] is not looking that bad,” Suryakumar said. “I’m walking, so it’s all good. It’s always a good feeling to get to a triple-figure [score] in a T20 game. When it comes in a winning cause for the team, I’m more than happy doing that.”What are the challenges of bowling to Suryakumar?”He’s a special player, and it was a really, really good knock tonight,” David Miller said at his post-match press conference. “The guys executed more often than not, and he came out and still managed to hit those fours and sixes. I think he just manages to hit all around the ground. It was difficult to kind of set a field to him. So you kind of try to double-bluff at times and go outside of a normal plan, and so I think anyone that can lap, scoop, play straight, and hit you over cow corner and over cover is difficult to bowl to.”In a three-match series where the opening game was washed out without a ball bowled and the second game was interrupted by rain, India couldn’t glean much. With India having only three more T20Is before the World Cup – and the IPL, of course – there are still some uncertainties surrounding their build-up to the tournament, but one thing is dead certain: Suryakumar is the gold standard of T20 batting.

The Bangladesh coach does not think the BPL is helping Bangladesh cricket – this and more from a freewheeling chat with ESPNcricinfo

Mohammad Isam25-Feb-2024

On the importance of legspin

You always liked having a legspinner in your team but you are in a country where legspin is hardly ever used in domestic cricket. Have you ever mentioned it to the board: how can have more legspin in domestic cricket?
I have spoken to the people who matter. Not only this time, the previous time [when Hathurusinghe was Bangladesh coach] as well. Sometimes when those things [still] haven’t happened, I have had to take an unconventional route as well. As you know, Jubair [Hossain] played Tests without playing much first-class cricket. Rishad has also been fast-tracked, but coaches and captains need to understand the value of legspinners. How to use legspinners.We need to have systems in place to identify the proper pathway for them. I have been involved in building two world-class legspinners: Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha. I know how much investment went towards their careers. When I saw Zampa in 2011, he was just another player. He turned out to be world-class. We don’t understand the value of a legspinner here. We are suffering because of that.

On the upcoming series against Sri Lanka

What were the thoughts behind including spinners Aliss Al Islam and Rishad Hossain in the T20 squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka?
[Legspinner] Rishad is one for the future. I am really trying to back him as much as we can. Unfortunately we are not getting enough support from local cricket. He is not even playing the BPL. I am very disappointed with that.

“We need to have a tournament where our players can do things – like Bangladesh players batting in the top three, Bangladesh bowlers bowling in the death. Where will we learn these things otherwise? “On the need for another domestic tournament other than the BPL

I think Aliss has mystery, but I don’t know much about him. I have seen him on TV. It is one thing to have that kind of a skill, but you need to field well and have fitness at the international level. [By being part of the set-up for the upcoming series], he will know what standard he has to reach, and we can understand the mystery about him.Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are now rivals. Not just off the field but their gap has been shortening since those days when Sri Lanka used to beat Bangladesh easily. How do you think Bangladesh will fare this time against them?
There is a real competition. Sri Lanka is a very good T20 side. Their bowling is among the top three teams in the world. We are developing as a T20 team. We are underdogs, to be honest. It is a good challenge for us. I am still confident we will give them a good fight. We will understand where we are at, ahead of the World Cup, after this series.Was Mahmudullah’s revival only about good batting form or is there anything else you spotted in him?
I think he was very well prepared for the [ODI] World Cup. He has had time off [having not played for Bangladesh since the end of the 2023 World Cup]. He was fresh physically and mentally. That’s what I saw. A determined and fresh Mahmudullah, and wanting to prove to himself and to everyone that he is still good enough.

On the state of T20 cricket in Bangladesh

How do you instill a T20 mindset in Bangladesh? Are they catching up with world standards?
No way. We don’t have a proper T20 tournament. This sounds very odd but when I am watching the BPL, I sometimes turn off the TV. Some players are not even of the class. I have a big issue with the current system. The ICC needs to step in. Our board needs to do something about us. There has to be some regulations. A player is playing one tournament and then playing another tournament. It is like a circus. Players will talk about opportunities, but that’s not right. People will lose interest. I have lost interest.We need to have a tournament where our players can do things – like Bangladesh players batting in the top three, Bangladesh bowlers bowling in the death. Where will we learn these things otherwise? We have only one tournament. My ideal suggestion is that we have another tournament before the BPL. A franchise does what it wants. Some of my best players are not playing [the BPL]. So then how do you expect the Bangladesh team be up with the other teams? I am fighting a steep battle.Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has a chat with head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe•BCB

On the changing of the guard in Bangladesh cricket

I was made aware of something called the Tiger Code…
That is to have something that when you come into the team as a debutant, you are told the meaning of representing Bangladesh. The players have come up with what they stand for, as a Tiger. They want to leave something behind for the next generation when they retire. They have a set of values that they stand for. There are some blank pages to write their stories and once they retire, they can fondly look back at those.You have backed Najmul Hossain Shanto as the captain. How will you help him in his first year as captain?
It is important to have a good relationship with him. We must have open communication. [We must] understand how he wants to lead and support his vision, support the culture he wants to set. I only saw his tactical side and leadership in the middle, now I want to help him with the leadership off the field. My job is to get as much resources from outside to support him as a leader and take the pressure off most of the time from other things.How does a young captain lead a team with ex-captains and senior players in the set-up?
I was always against that sort of thing: if you expect different treatment just because you are a senior, you are in the wrong place. That’s my belief all the time. I was a club captain and with Sri Lanka A at a very young age.You backed players like Tanzid Hasan and Tanzim Hasan in the ODI side. Have they improved since you saw them for the first time?
First of all, I backed some of them not by choice. It was due to what happened leading up to the [2023 ODI] World Cup with injuries and other reasons. Tanzid has real potential. I am glad that he is showing glimpses of it. He has a high ceiling. Tanzim has real character. I know he needs to develop some skills but due to sheer determination, he is a good asset to the team. He doesn’t step back. Both are still babies in international cricket though.

“If a big change [in the captaincy] happens like that, it definitely disrupts your preparation. Other teams are planning for three years. Something like that happens before the World Cup, it must have some [effect] on the team.”On the Tamim controversy in the lead up to the 2023 World Cup

On the Tamim Iqbal controversy

Would you like to clarify what happened with Tamim Iqbal in the weeks leading up to the Afghanistan ODI series?
What incident? I am asking you. I never heard anything before. I don’t know till today why he made that decision [to retire] to be honest.Have you spoken to him since then?
No.Did the board try to arrange a conversation between you two?
He retired and it escalated to the level which we can’t do anything about. After that my focus is team. As you know, I have always said this. No individual is bigger than the team.

On the 2023 World Cup performance

Did all that controversy leading up to the 2023 World Cup have an impact on the campaign?
If a big change [in the captaincy] happens like that, it definitely disrupts your preparation. Other teams are planning for three years. Something like that happens before the World Cup, it must have some [effect] on the team. Ebadot’s injury was also a big one. We missed him a lot on those wickets.Do you think the changes in the batting order contributed to a difficult World Cup?
Nobody said anything to me [at the time]. It was not my sole decision. It was the leadership’s decision. We were not performing. How can you hold your position without performance?We changed only one player. [Mehidy Hasan] Miraz scored runs. Everyone forgot his Asia Cup hundred. He scored runs in the [World Cup] practice games. He got a fifty in our first World Cup game. Anyone complaining about it [the shuffling] is giving an excuse. They [the batters] got to bat for 30 overs [in general] but what did they do with it? Our batters didn’t perform.Chandika Hathurusinghe says he has not chatted with Tamim Iqbal about his retirement episode•BCBWhy can’t Bangladesh break into a World Cup semi-final?
It is a good question. It is a broad question. It is not about the players. We have to develop a system or four- or eight-year cycle to become world champions. It doesn’t happen automatically. In this era, teams have to develop. When England lost to us in Adelaide, how much did they change in the next 12 months? That’s how they won the 2019 World Cup. New Zealand has built up for years. After the 2007 disaster, India built themselves up in four years. How much did they change in 2011? There are systems that you need to have. We need to plan and build on towards an event.

On Bangladesh’s Test challenges in 2024

Bangladesh doesn’t have a huge pool of red-ball players too. Are you looking at the A-team system to support the senior team?
A-team cricket is very important. We don’t have the world’s best domestic cricket. To bridge the gap between international and domestic cricket, we need A-team tours. We spoke about it since I have come this time. Your best players have to be in the A-team, even if he is good enough at 17 or 18.You said that the fast bowling attack surprised you with their development in the last few years. Are you planning to prepare them for overseas Tests?
It was the same guys but they are now doing well, like Taskin [Ahmed], Ebadot [Hossain] and Mustafiz [Mustafizur Rahman]. Only Shoriful [Islam] and Hasan Mahmud are the new ones. What excited me were the young fast bowlers that we didn’t have before. Guys like Nahid Rana, Tanzim Hasan, Mushfik Hasan and Rejaur Rahman Raja. They now bowl a lot in domestic cricket, like almost 20 overs in every game. Before they used to bowl four overs and wait for the second new ball. It is a good thing that the board has done.

On returning to the hot seat in Bangladesh

Have you met the new chief selector?
I met him yesterday [Friday] briefly. We didn’t speak about selection. He doesn’t start till March 1. We just had a general chat.What made you come back to the Bangladesh job?
One thing is, when I left [in 2017], everyone thought I wasn’t happy here. I communicated well with the board about why I was leaving. I had my personal reasons. There were instances when the board asked me if I wanted to come back. I always kept an eye on Bangladesh cricket. I really had gratitude because they gave me opportunity when I was a nobody. I wanted to come back again if they needed me.I wanted to wait till after the World Cup when there was a transition happening, to come and develop the team. After the T20 World Cup, the board asked me. I thought I would come, I always wanted to come.You had spent three years with Bangladesh in your first stint. Now it has been 12 months. Another World Cup is coming up. What do you want the Bangladesh team to do apart from achieving results?
I want them to enjoy their cricket. It is a relatively young team. There’s a change of guard. If they enjoy their cricket, I think they will have good memories. As a team, I want us to get into the second round. It is a different format in unknown venues like the US [the T20 World Cup will be played in the West Indies and the USA]. It is quite a challenge, the unknown. I just want them to have an enjoyable World Cup.

RCB’s numbers at home are not impressive. This season question marks persist over their death-overs skills and their spin options – and the Chinnaswamy will not allow slips on either front

Hemant Brar24-Mar-20241:34

Moody: RCB’s batting depth should give confidence

“No place like home, no place like Bengaluru.” Royal Challengers Bengaluru tweeted this ahead of their first home game of IPL 2024, against Punjab Kings.On the eve of the match, Virat Kohli batted for around 40 minutes at their practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Kohli at his best is as much a batter to listen to as he is to watch. But on the day, the sound off the bat was nowhere close to his best. Most of the time, he did not middle the ball. Alzarri Joseph hurried him with the bouncer. Against the spinners, he tried to come down the ground or use the reverse sweep, but was beaten. A few attempted sixes landed well inside the boundary. In a way, this reflected RCB’s story at their home ground over the years. The numbers suggest they have rarely been fully at home here.Playing in Bengaluru, they have 40 wins and as many losses. Compare this with Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk – 46 wins and 19 losses – or Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede – 49 wins and 29 losses – and the difference is stark. Perhaps it is no coincidence that when they made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, from 2020 to 2022, they did not play a single match at the Chinnaswamy.Related

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The match against Kings on Monday is the first of three back-to-back home games for RCB. How they perform in these matches could very well decide their season.They had a similar schedule last year as well, when the Karnataka assembly elections meant six of their first eight games were at home. Most teams would have seen that as an opportunity to get on a roll. But RCB could win only three of those. When they returned for their last home game of the season, they lost again.This has been a recurring theme for them over the years, and the reason is they front load their batting, sometimes at the expense of their bowling. The 2023 season was no different as they continued struggling in the death overs, with both bat and ball. In their seven home games, they scored at 10.60 per over at the death, and conceded 12.07 per over.The main issue with their batting was a misfiring middle order. While that was not specific to the Chinnaswamy, it got exposed at home even more. With Rajat Patidar injured, they tried Mahipal Lomror and Suyash Prabhudessai. In 14 innings, the two scored a combined 170 runs at an average of 14.16.Shahbaz Ahmed and Dinesh Karthik’s lean returns hindered them further. In six innings, Shahbaz scored a mere 42 runs at a strike rate of 107.69. Karthik had a stellar 2022 season, when he scored 330 runs at a strike rate of 183.33. In 2023, he managed only 140 runs at 134.61.

When it came to bowling, RCB were great in the powerplay, thanks to Mohammed Siraj. But it was the same old struggle at the death. Harshal Patel had forced his way into the Indian side on the basis of his death-bowling performances. But even he struggled at the Chinnaswamy, leaking 12 per over at the death. With Kings now, he might be feeling relieved that he has just one game at the Chinnaswamy this season, not seven.The two times the RCB bowlers were able to defend a target at home last season was in afternoon games. In those matches, the usually flat surfaces of the Chinnaswamy did not assist stroke-making. Their upcoming three fixtures, though, are all night games.RCB have tried to address the middle-order issue by trading Cameron Green from Mumbai Indians for a whopping INR 17.5 crore (US $2.1 million approx.). And with Patidar back, their batting looks much more balanced this season.Anuj Rawat and Karthik’s knocks against CSK are also a positive sign. Joining hands at 78 for 5, they added 95 off just 50 balls to help RCB post 173 for 6. While it was not sufficient in the end, their performance bodes well for the team.But batting alone does not win you games at the Chinnaswamy, and RCB have first-hand experience. Last season, they lost to Lucknow Super Giants despite scoring 212, and to Gujarat Titans despite scoring 197.Moreover, their spin attack looks the weakest it has been in years. Earlier, they had Yuzvendra Chahal holding his own on the small boundaries. This time, their two main spinners are Karn Sharma and Mayank Dagar. It is not going to be easy.What can they do to begin to change their fortunes at home? If they have found an answer, we might get a first glimpse of it against Kings on Monday, but for now it seems like they have one more hole than they have plugs.

Their margin of victory has heaped pressure on England and given Richie Berrington’s team the chance of a famous progression

Vithushan Ehantharajah09-Jun-2024A lot of things can get sorted over a drink. A business deal, a second date – even an end to dating altogether. Over a couple of chugs of water and isotonic formula, Brandon McMullen and Matthew Cross decided to sort something among themselves. Why not blow this Group B wide open?It was during the drinks break after 10 overs of the chase, with Scotland just 41 away from overhauling Oman’s par score of 150 for 7, that the license for the kill officially came through from captain Richie Berrington. Granted, 60 runs had come from the four overs that followed the powerplay. But for the first time in the innings, the conversation out in the middle turned to the prospect of pumping up that net run rate.”The priority was to win and get the points, but at drinks we said, ‘we should get this done’,” revealed McMullen later. And how.Just 3.1 overs were needed to dust off what remained: 34 of them in boundaries, three of them sixes. McMullen finished on 61 not out, Cross unbeaten on 15. The wicketkeeper-batter even went as far as chastising himself for missing out on a cut shot off Ayaan Khan at the end of a 13th over that had already gone for 20 because it could have finished the job a ball earlier. Scotland even overshot their target by two, finishing on 153 for 3.That’s how serious they were about notching a statement win that now forms the backdrop of the next seven days. The column showing Scotland’s five points to put them top of Group B is now rivalled for relevance by the adjacent one reading “2.164”. Scotland’s NRR is currently 3.964 better than England’s – their likeliest challengers for a Super Eight spot – who can now only equal their points tally.The onus is on Jos Buttler’s men who will have to thrash Oman and Namibia in their next two games. And even that might not be enough. Enter the tantalising prospect of England rooting for Australia to inflict enough damage on Scotland in the final match of Group B to reduce the run-rate figure.The defending champions relying on favours from their enemy. Perhaps nothing sums up just how well Scotland have done in this World Cup more than that sentence right there.Comparisons are flimsy at this juncture, given skewed sample sizes (Scotland’s two-and-a-half matches to England’s one-and-a-half) and differing opponents. But there’s a serenity to Scotland that England are missing and might not find. A control of their own destiny. Heck, even something as simple as comfort. The kind that should come more naturally to three-time World Cup winners across formats than a team who usually arrive at ICC events having to qualify to be let in having already qualified to be let in.The first half of this match was by no means crisp. George Munsey dropped Pratik Athavale over the fence for six to take Oman batter to fifty. Cross missed the chance to stump Ayaan on 14, allowing him to bat through to the end, finishing unbeaten on 41.The chase should not have been as high as it was. And there were portents for awkwardness against a side that had Australia fretting. Scotland responded with 50 for 1 in the first six overs, their most productive powerplay yet. At that stage, Australia had only managed 37 for the loss of Travis Head against a combination of Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah and Mehran Khan.Much like Bridgetown, Antigua’s North Sound had itself a short boundary and an assisting breeze. Before McMullen and Cross utilised it for a quick finish, the early going was made straight and true or with the odd shuffle down the pitch to pierce the infield. Then Munsey dipped into his bag of sweeps once the fielding restrictions had been lifted – notably with back-to-back reverse swept sixes off opposition captain Aqib Ilyas – and the rest piled in.In a tournament that has largely played out on slower, grippier surfaces so far, Scotland’s malleable top six can lay claim to being the most in form, with the receipts to prove it. Munsey and Michael Jones started with an unbroken 90 against England. Berrington and Michael Leask stunned Namibia with an expertly rescued second innings, before McMullen – the team’s first half-centurion on this trip – and Cross did their bits here. All are striking above 130 through attacking whenever possible, buying into a broader team edict of aggression while encouraging batters to find their best ways of achieving that. McMullen’s wristy hockey strikes through a V of mid-on to forward square leg was a shining example of that.This is already shaping up as the best of Scotland’s nine appearances at global ICC events. It will be confirmed outright if they make it through to the next stage. Of course, they do not need to beat Australia on Sunday to do that. Losing in style works just as well. Not that they’re entertaining the latter. Why would they given how things have run for them thus far?”We’re just going to have to be the quickest team to adapt when we get there and assess out the conditions first,” said McMullen, reciting from a well-worn but effective playbook. “And then just go and play our brand of cricket.”It is hard to remember a time when Scotland had such a clear brand of cricket, so instep with modern trends and yet equally adaptable. It will face its strongest test next weekend. That glory sits on either side of the result is more a condition of their excellence than the whims of weather and scheduling. Most of all, it has been earned.

Our staff pick their men’s and women’s teams from among those who excelled through the year

Yash Jha30-Dec-2024Clutch in T20s, top of the class in Tests – Jasprit Bumrah’s mastery of all formats make him the only man to make it to two of ESPNcricinfo’s teams of the year for 2024. The year’s headline events – the men’s and women’s T20 World Cups – saw ball dominate bat, and as a result, two bowling stars each from the championship-winning teams make the T20 XIs: Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh for India, Amelia Kerr and Rosemary Mair for New Zealand.Girish TS/ESPNcricinfo LtdBumrah was one of two unanimous choices for the men’s Test XI, as voted for by ESPNcricinfo staff, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, who laced his first full year in international cricket with two double-centuries against England and 161 in Perth, all in wins.Ravindra Jadeja joins his India team-mates as the spin-bowling allrounder in our XI, but England are the most represented side: only Jaiswal prevented Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook from making it an all-English podium for most Test runs in 2024; Jamie Smith pipped Rishabh Pant to the wicketkeeper’s berth; a fifth Englishman, Gus Atkinson, narrowly missed out.New Zealand produced arguably the most stunning Test series result of the year (decade? century?) in India, and the stars of their series-opening win in Bengaluru – Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry – find themselves in the XI, which is rounded off by the ever-consistent Kamindu Mendis and Josh Hazlewood.Girish TS/ESPNcricinfo LtdODIs went off the boil after a World Cup year and 2024 had less than half as many men’s ODIs as there were in 2023. Seven players in the ODI XI come from either Sri Lanka or Afghanistan, who, along with West Indies, were the only Full-Member teams to play 12 or more matches this year.Legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, the year’s joint-highest wicket-taker, joins the batting trio of Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka – the most prolific run-scorers of the year. The Sri Lankan batters are separated by Rahmanullah Gurbaz in our top four, who is accompanied in the side by his Afghanistan team-mates Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi – the most consistent ODI allrounders of the year.Sherfane Rutherford and Liam Livingstone closed out the middle-order positions ahead of Harry Brook and Keacy Carty, while Taskin Ahmed edged Alzarri Joseph into the pace attack alongside Haris Rauf.Girish TS/ESPNcricinfo LtdOver 1600 men’s T20s were played in 2024. That, coupled with this being a World Cup year, made this among the trickier teams to choose – but the job was made slightly easier with six near-unanimous picks in our XI.Nicholas Pooran was the year’s top run-getter by a country mile, and he struck at nearly 160. Heinrich Klaasen’s absurdly good first half of the year (1125 runs at a strike rate of 172.5 by the end of June) was more than enough to cover a quieter second half. Travis Head was a no-brainer, as was Bumrah. Andre Russell’s sustained all-round chops found him many takers, as did Matheesha Pathirana’s consistent brilliance.And while Rashid Khan didn’t sweep the votes like he often does, it couldn’t stop him from making our T20 XI for the seventh year running. This time he gets the added perk of being captain, having led Afghanistan to the World Cup semi-final.Phil Salt as opener and Tristan Stubbs as finisher were other majority picks, while Arshdeep took the third seamer’s slot (he was the joint-highest wicket-taker in T20Is in 2024 among Full-Member-team bowlers).The last remaining batting spot provided the closest contest: Sanju Samson’s three T20I hundreds late in the year made him a contender, but he was just edged out by Tilak Varma, who had more consistent returns through 2024.Girish TS/ESPNcricinfo LtdThe Player of the final and Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup, and the leading wicket-taker of the year, Kerr was one of three near ever-presents in the voting for our women’s T20 XI, alongside Sophie Ecclestone – joint second-highest on the wicket-taking charts – and Ellyse Perry.Kerr and Perry find elite all-round company in our middle order, which is stacked with both pace and spin options. Nat Sciver-Brunt and Marizanne Kapp – both with strike rates exceeding 135 – add heft to the batting line-up, while Deepti Sharma and Hayley Matthews bring riches to the spin department.In addition to being the year’s top run-getter and joint second-highest wicket-taker, Matthews also led West Indies to the World Cup semi-final and Barbados Royals to the WCPL title (while also stepping in as captain briefly for WBBL champions Melbourne Renegades) – which makes her the captain of our team.Shabnim Ismail and Mair (joint third-highest wicket-taker at the World Cup) close out the bowling attack. The opening slots are taken by Beth Mooney – who was a smidge ahead of Richa Ghosh in the race to the wicketkeeper’s berth – and Laura Wolvaardt, who narrowly kept Smriti Mandhana out of the mix.Girish TS/ESPNcricinfo LtdMandhana and Wolvaardt – the year’s most prolific batters in the format by some distance – are united at the top of our ODI XI, which sees Chamari Athapaththu slot in at No. 3 (and as captain).Kapp and Ecclestone bossed the votes in this category too, while Kate Cross’ large haul of wickets made her a near-unanimous pick as well. Amy Jones was a runaway leader as the wicketkeeping option.The remaining spots were all keenly contested. For No. 4, Orla Prendergast of Ireland had the stakes tipped in her favour by her high-impact innings against Sri Lanka and England, making it ahead of Matthews, while Ashleigh Gardner’s spin nicked her a berth ahead of seamer Annabel Sutherland as the last of our allrounders.Alana King partners Gardner and Ecclestone in the spin department, while Megan Schutt forms the pace attack along with Cross and Kapp.More in our look back at 2024

Unbelievably, on one of the great run-scoring venues anywhere in the world, RCB and DC played out 163 vs 169 game on Thursday

Alagappan Muthu11-Apr-20253:17

Bangar: Rahul’s assault on Hazlewood was ‘terrific batsmanship’

On a scale of 1 to 10, for ease of run-scoring, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium probably doesn’t make it. On a scale of paradise to heaven on the other hand…There was a man who called this place his home and by the end of his career he had so many century celebrations – Chris Gayle must have been rehearsing those too. Possibly after getting bored at the nets. It feels like coming up with the helmet on the bat handle thing would have taken more time than figuring out how to hit the ball out of that tiny, park.Bowlers from all over would come and try to beat the odds and then they would leave with important learnings. Like making sure their parents kept the evening free next time so they could call and tell them they were still good boys and did not deserve to be punished like that. Seventeen years into the IPL, they likely have a whole checklist to survive Bengaluru. Overseas players must be tired of explaining to customs officials why their luggage includes a rabbit’s foot.Related

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• KL Rahul hands RCB another loss in Bengaluru

Because this ground spared no one. Seamers. Spinners. Even those mysterious in-betweeners. Sunil Narine once bowled a Super Over and conceded no runs. Two of that genius’ three most expensive spells in the IPL have come here. The Chinnaswamy only showed him kindness when he wised up and decided to try his hand at batting. Narine hit his first T20 fifty here.So, it didn’t make any sense to see Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC) playing out a 163 vs 169 game, where batters from both sides had to graft for their runs. Three of RCB’s top six had strike rates lower than 70. Each of DC’s top three fell for single-digit scores. Were those first three overs that produced 53 runs all a dream?Andy Flower, during a groundside interview with the host broadcaster, tried to provide some context between innings. “[The pitch] was slow. It was holding a bit. You know, those length balls were a little up and down. Slower balls were gripping a little and the spinners were turning it.” But the longer he spoke the harder it was to reconcile that it was all happening at the Chinnaswamy. Virat Kohli made a hundred in a 15-over game here. AB de Villiers went full mad scientist here. Batting has never been hard here. Only one stadium in all of IPL history has seen more sixes hit and that’s because Mumbai’s Wankhede has hosted 23 more matches.On Thursday, though, the match-winning innings came from someone who was actively trying not to hit the ball in the air. He would dab and dink and nudge and nurdle. KL Rahul made 93 off 53 and the reason he could score all those runs so quickly was because he was willing to show the bowlers respect. Very few batters have ever been pushed to such extremes in Bengaluru.

Local boy. Big stage. Statement made.

How good was Bengaluru's KL Rahul against RCB tonight?

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