Australia vs South Africa: Top order vs top order, bowling depth and South Africa's combination

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The two teams will meet for the first time in Tests since infamous 2018 series. Here are the talking points ahead of the series opener

Andrew McGlashan15-Dec-20220:57

South Africa looking to grow Jansen’s all-round ability

Top order vs Top orderOn paper, this doesn’t look like a contest. The biggest question for South Africa is whether they can put enough runs on the board when their captain Dean Elgar has the best record among the batters with an average of 38.83. On the tour of England earlier this year, there was one half-century – from Sarel Erwee – in three matches. It’s a long way off the South African sides that have previously come to Australia and won. Compared to Australia, where two of the top five average over sixty and the others well over 40, there is a huge discrepancy. A glimmer for the visitors is that David Warner has had a lean couple of years in Test cricket and Cameron Green has had very little batting this season and that is showing when he does get to the crease.Don’t forget the spinnersA lot of the talk, and excitement, is around what the two pace attacks in this series could offer. But don’t ignore the role the spinners could play. Nathan Lyon was Australia’s leading wicket-taker against West Indies with 12 at 21.16 including the match-winning haul in Perth and his 450th Test wicket in Adelaide. He is both a priceless attacking and defensive option for the captain.However, Keshav Maharaj’s figures stack up favourably against Lyon aside from the sheer volume of wickets with 154 at 30.61 in 45 Tests. His debut came on the previous tour in 2016-17 where he claimed 3 for 56 in the first innings at Perth (including a controversial lbw against Steven Smith) then churned through 40 overs in the second when South Africa had lost Dale Steyn from the attack. Offspinner Simon Harmer is also in the squad and has an outstanding first-class record (since 2016: 570 wickets at 21.84) although was underwhelming when he faced England at Old Trafford in August.Related

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Bowling depthThree Tests in three weeks will be a big ask for the quicks. Australia have already had to delve into their reserves, having lost Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in Adelaide. Hazlewood will miss the opening Brisbane Test as well and would appear touch-and-go for the second Test in Melbourne. However, they are not looking for back-up. Scott Boland picked up where he left off in the Ashes with a triple-wicket maiden against West Indies and Michael Neser will be unfortunate to lose his spot with Cummins returning.South Africa’s big four is very enticing – Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen – but it may be that all four don’t always play together. Beyond that, things are a little more uncertain although Gerald Coetzee claimed a hat-trick in the warm-up match against the CA XI. Lizaad Williams, a late replacement for the injured Glenton Stuurman, is the other quick in the squad.South Africa’s pace attack is undoubtedly their strength, but they will need to be careful in Australian conditions•ICC via GettyHow do South Africa balance their side?Linked to the above is the question of how South Africa pick their best attack. Unlike Australia, who have Green at No. 6, there is not a fully-fledged allrounder available. “We have gone with six [batters] and five [bowlers] before,” bowling coach Charl Langeveldt said. “It is a big decision, but first, we will have to see the conditions at the Gabba and how much grass they leave on it. It is a hard one. You are always looking for an extra batter.”Runs on the board are also important. At the moment, we don’t have that batter who can bowl us a few overs, whereas Australia have Green and that makes a difference.”Jansen has shown some batting ability – interim coach said Malibongwe Maketa said “he has the ability to do something special with the bat” but remained a work in progress – and may have to take the No. 7 spot below wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne but that feels a spot too high, as it would for Maharaj. One option would be to go without Maharaj and play just the four frontline quicks with a bit of Elgar’s left-arm offerings in support, but there is risk attached to that. South Africa are probably going to have to be brave in their selection.

“At the moment, we don’t have that batter who can bowl us a few overs, whereas Australia have Green and that makes a difference.”SA bowling coach Charl Langeveldt

Falling into the trapSouth Africa’s pace attack is undoubtedly their strength, but they will need to be careful not to make the same mistake as many visiting attacks do in Australia, particularly at a venue such as the Gabba, where they bowl too short with the new ball. It is worth going a touch fuller and risk being driven, to bring in a greater chance of finding the outside edge. One of the hallmarks of Australia’s batting against West Indies, especially by Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, was how they left the ball on the length.”We’ve been quite clear in terms of lengths we want to hit, if you look at the Wanderers it offers the same, more or less, where you can get carried away with the sexy bounce and be ineffective. So we’ve been working hard on making sure we hit the fuller length and making the batter play,” Maketa said.

Amit Mishra, 40 and looking it, brings Lucknow the warm and fuzzy

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Tailormade home conditions and the Impact Player rule could make MishiMania a thing this season

Sidharth Monga07-Apr-2023The start of the IPL usually coincides with the end of the WrestleMania season. This is the time WWE brings out the veterans of pro wrestling, and usually books them in spots where they come out looking good. It just creates a warm, fuzzy feel around the edgier product. And nostalgia never doesn’t sell.In that regard, the IPL is cricket’s WrestleMania. MS Dhoni is the part-timer who has moved in years and on to Hollywood, but has a few big matches left in him. There are enough legends in the back rooms to spark nostalgia. There are Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and until last year, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.Still, nothing screams WrestleMania season more than Amit Mishra turning up at 40 – and looking every bit 40 – and ripping big legbreaks and wrong’uns and returning figures of 4-0-23-2 with two overs bowled at the death.Related

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This, though, is cricket. An unscripted sport. Not professional wrestling where the promoters create matches and stipulations where the legends – code for oldies – can hang in with young pro wrestlers. If the legend is struggling, they can call an audible and finish early. Where’s that option in cricket, you are no doubt asking.The IPL in its current form, though, can make it possible. Under the Impact Player regulation, Mishra doesn’t have to be on the field for the length of the match. It creates space for super specialists, who come in, execute their primary skill, and don’t have to bother about fielding and the other skill. Mishra, though, stayed on just long enough to pull off a diving catch. The rest of the greatest hits were with the ball.Also making it possible for Mishra to play is Lucknow Super Giants’ shrewd premiere of the future of home advantage. For their last home match, they had rolled out a quick red-soil pitch against Delhi Capitals, who were still awaiting Anrich Nortje’s arrival. Against a pace-heavy Sunrisers Hyderabad, who let go of Rashid Khan before the 2022 season, Super Giants chose to play on the black soil that famously produced a sub-100 thriller not long ago.Keep an eye out for the pitches Super Giants play their remaining five home games on.2:53

Did SRH make best use of their Impact Player?

We are not complaining. We got to see Mishra playing on the telly for the first time since April 2021. He doesn’t play first-class or List A cricket anymore. He turns up for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to keep himself available for the IPL, but had no takers last year. This pitch and the Impact Player regulation gave him a comeback, and his fifth IPL team. He must have resisted the “legends leagues” money just for this one opportunity.Make no mistake, Mishra is a legend of the IPL. He is its fourth-highest wicket-taker, he has taken three hat-tricks, and has gone at only 7.33 an over. He didn’t walk out to the kind of pop returning wrestling legends get, but he did come out with an experimental look: long hair, thick beard, thicker moustache. You would have been forgiven for thinking: here’s the neighbourhood bully who can’t run around but stands and brutalises bowlers with boundaries.Except that Mishra bowls. And there is nothing brutal about what he does. Introduced in the 13th over, the second ball he bowled – the first to a right-hand batter – spun past Rahul Tripathi. Those supple wrists were imparting the revs just fine. You may as well have had Michael Cole screaming “vintage Amit Mishra” into his microphone.

It will take only a particular set of circumstances for Mishra to keep playing, but if ever there was a time for it to happen, the first year of the Impact Player rule and a team that can produce tailored conditions for its home games is it.

Jokes aside, there was an unscripted contest on. Mishra had to prove he was fit for purpose. Just the greatest hits wouldn’t do. To the left-hand batter, he bowled a restrictive trajectory, and the slider and the wrong’un. He tried to get out of overs with flatter deliveries last ball. And then he also bluffed with a really slow legbreak to end the 17th. He even put in a full-length dive to make up for his slow early movement to take a catch at short third.In the 19th came two wickets, as Mishra beat Washington Sundar off the track and Adil Rashid in the air. There aren’t many warmer and fuzzier feelings in T20 cricket than Mishra slowing it down and bowling orthodox, traditional, hard-spun legbreaks when spinners are losing out on selection because they are too slow in the air. He then went off as soon as he completed his allotment of overs, which might happen earlier in future games now that Mishra has dispelled fears of ring rust.It will take only a particular set of circumstances for Mishra to keep playing, but if ever there was a time for it to happen, the first year of the Impact Player rule and a team that can produce tailored conditions for its home games is it. Could it be? Could it just be MishiMania this year?

Pressure is no problem for RCB's 20-year-old matchwinner Kanika Ahuja

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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.

Stuart Broad conjures old magic to keep England in contention

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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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“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.

Stump Mic – Dissecting India's Asia Cup squad

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Making sense of Tilak Varma’s selection, Yuzvendra Chahal’s non-selection, Rohit Sharma’s explanations, and more

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2023In the latest episode of , Nagraj Gollapudi joins Kaustubh Kumar and Vishal Dikshit to discuss India’s Asia Cup squad. Why was Yuzvendra Chahal left out? How close is Tilak Varma to a World Cup spot? What did Rohit Sharma mean by “flexibility”?Tune in to find out answers to all those questions, and a lot more.

The new Tamim on the block rises above the noise

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His 51 in Pune won’t be remembered like Tamim’s in Port of Spain, but it will give him reassurance after a tough start to his international career

Mohammad Isam19-Oct-2023When Tanzid Hasan rushed out to Mohammed Siraj and hit him over the covers, it looked like he was sick of getting out for 16. It had happened twice in his nascent international career, and was his best in ODIs to date. The carve over cover got him to 19.It mattered, perhaps. It has been that sort of a month for the young man, after all.Tanzid was caught in the crossfire of the Shakib Al Hasan-Tamim Iqbal spat. He had nothing to do with it apart from being the left-hand opening batter who replaced Tamim Iqbal in the World Cup squad. His nickname also happens to be Tamim, but we will get to it a bit later.Related

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Against India in Pune, Tanzid reached 40 off 28 balls with a flurry of fours and sixes off Siraj and Shardul Thakur. Then to his fifty off 41 balls. Tanzid drove five fours in addition to his three sixes from a whip, a hook and a blast over the covers. Kuldeep Yadav brought an end to Tanzid’s breakout ODI innings, but not before the young batter made a big crowd go quiet for an hour and 15 minutes.It was the innings that Bangladesh’s cricket-watching public had been waiting for.Tanzid came with a big reputation after he helped Bangladesh win the Under-19 World Cup in 2020. In July this year, he struck three fifties in four innings in the Emerging Cup in Sri Lanka. He got a duck on ODI debut in the Asia Cup, and then struggled through the New Zealand ODIs at home, and the first three World Cup games.Every Bangladesh press conferences in the last 12 days had at least three questions about Tanzid or the “opening pair”. The team management stuck by him. Nobody really thought what it was like for Tanzid in the last four weeks.Like most cricket-obsessed kids from the subcontinent, Tanzid was trained very early in his life about tackling high-pressure situations. It starts at home. For Tanzid, it was when he was in sixth grade. In an interview to before the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, Tanzid told the story about the time when his father kicked him out of his house for playing cricket.Tanzid Hasan faced early struggles in his international career•Associated Press”My father, who worked in the public sector, brought me and my sister to Bogra for better education,” Tanzid said. “I was more into cricket, so one day he kicked me out of the house. I had just returned home after playing cricket when he scolded me, and then literally sent me out. My father used to think that playing will cost me my education. ‘I don’t want a son like you – I brought you here for your education, and you are wasting your time playing cricket,’ he told me that day.”Tanzid, though, quickly convinced his father that he was the real deal, with a lot of help from his mother. His big leap was when he joined the Bangla Trac Cricket Academy, 104 kilometres southwest of Bogra, in Rajshahi. Tanzid top-scored in the Dhaka First Division Cricket League in his first season, before making it to the Under-19 side. The country first noticed him after he made 80 off 84 balls against South Africa in the World Cup quarter-final.

****

His name, understandably, sparked curiousity too. Were his parents fans of Tamim Iqbal that they named him after the Bangladesh cricket hero? Tanzid was born in 2000 so there’s no chance of that happening – Tamim Iqbal made his international debut only in 2007. He is an idol, though.Being a left-hand batter, instead, came about following advice from a neighbour.”Sojol , my neighbour who taught me everything about cricket since I was in class three, got me to bat left-handed. He always told me that a left-hander has more opportunities in Bangladesh,” Tanzid said. “I started following Tamim later. I loved playing the cut and pull like him. I want to be a complete left-hand batter like Tamim .

“My parents gave me the nickname Tamim. I recognised Tamim when I started playing cricket in my childhood. I loved that my name was similar to Tamim ‘s, and that I bat left-handed like him. I am also an opener like him. But my parents didn’t name me after Tamim “Tanzid Hasan

“My parents gave me this name Tamim. I recognised Tamim when I started playing cricket in my childhood. I loved that my name was like Tamim ‘s, and that I bat left-handed like him, too. I am also an opener like him. But my parents didn’t name me after Tamim .”A few days before the big Shakib-Tamim fight in Bangladesh cricket, Tamim Sr gave his namesake the stamp of approval. “I have always been his fan,” Tamim Iqbal said. “Maybe everyone says that in press conferences but those close to me know that when the Under-19 team won the title, I always thought he was the best player in that team.”It is unfortunate that it took him so long to come to the national team, but I always believed he was the best batter in the team. It was great to see him score runs. It won’t take long. He is a quality player. Batting, fielding, approach, attitude – everything.”Now, in case you thought the coincidences and the Tamim connection ended there, not quite.Tanzid scored 51 against India in Pune. Tamim had scored 51 against India in Port of Spain in 2007. In 2007, Bangladesh had scripted what remains one of their most famous victories. It wasn’t the case on Thursday, of course.But the similarities end there.Tamim was a (a colloquial Bengali word for a hitter) in his early days, before he transformed himself into a technically strong and heavy-scoring opener. Tanzid is aggressive but only when the situation and opportunity calls for it. This is how the current generation learns from the previous generation and improves a cricket team. The world waxed lyrical about Tamim when he blazed India all those years ago. Tanzid may not get that much attention but his 51 will give him immense confidence, and a way out of the mess he involuntarily found himself in.

Suryakumar will find a way, or make one

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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

  • Suryakumar hundred, Kuldeep five-for demolish South Africa

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.

Chandika Hathurusinghe: I want to take the pressure off new captain Shanto

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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.

Hridoy delivers on the promise of 2023

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

He crosses 400 for the second successive BPL season – a consistency that’s rare among young Bangladeshi batters

Mohammad Isam27-Feb-2024It is not that Comilla Victorians would have lost out on any strength if they had continued with an identical set-up to their 2023 title-winning side. When they signed Towhid Hridoy midway through 2023, Bangladesh’s most improved cricketer not only had to live up to his previous season with Sylhet Strikers but ensure none of that quality dropped off when playing for the BPL’s most successful team.Hridoy certainly hasn’t disappointed anyone this season, except the opposition bowlers. In his last seven innings, he has scored 305 runs, including his maiden T20 century, against Durdanto Dhaka.His superb 64 in the first qualifier against Rangpur Riders helped him cross his 407-run tally from 2023. With 447 runs, he is currently the leading run-getter this season, slightly ahead of Tamim Iqbal. Such was the attractiveness of Hridoy’s innings against Rangpur that it impressed even Litton Das, Bangladesh’s most elegant batter.Related

Litton, Hridoy power defending champions Comilla into BPL final with 143-run stand

Litton himself scored 83 as the pair added 143 in 14.5 overs after Sunil Narine fell on the first ball of the chase. Comilla, who otherwise rely a lot on their overseas batters, chased down 186 with six wickets and nine balls to spare.”It was certainly an outstanding effort,” Litton said. “I think this is the best partnership I have batted in, in my life. He batted amazingly. He was great to watch from the non-striker’s end. He relieved me from all the pressure, which is ideally what a batting partner is supposed to do. We rarely chase such big runs. It is certainly great that two Bangladesh players have done it. I hope we can continue in this way.”Litton said that Hridoy’s great quality is his ability to attack deliveries on the stumps, which he believes is the hallmark of successful batters.”He can hit the good ball for a six, which is rare among batters from our country. He hits the ball that’s on the wicket, which is what most good batters do. All successful players around the world play well against the delivery that’s on the stumps. It is his biggest plus.”He can look small but he hits them big. From what I can see up close, he thinks about cricket. He is very hard-working. He is always in the gym, always working on something.”

“He can hit the good ball for a six, which is rare among batters from our country. He hits the ball that’s on the wicket, which is what most good batters do”Litton Das on Towhid Hridoy

Narine’s wicket didn’t deter Hridoy or Litton. They kept an attacking mindset, particularly when Hridoy took 22 off a Hasan Mahmud over in the powerplay. According to Litton, that over turned the match in their favour.”They had Fazalhaq [Farooqi] and Shakib as their new-ball bowlers,” he said. “Both are wicket-taking bowlers but Hridoy played his game. He charged both Fazalhaq and Shakib . I played a different game. I knew that their main strength was Shakib , so I didn’t want to expose Moeen too early. It would bring offspinners like Shak Mahedi [Hasan] and [Mohammad] Nabi . I wanted to have two right-handers at the crease for as long as possible.”We turned the game in the fifth over. We knew they didn’t have good death bowlers. Hasan got hit in his first over, so he was on the back foot. I think these things contributed to our approach.”Litton said they decided to field first as they were without their best death bowler, Mustafizur Rahman, who suffered a head injury during training in Chattogram last week.”We were without Mustafiz so I knew we would be under pressure while defending a total,” he said. “That’s why I decided to field first. We had two relatively new fast bowlers. We wanted to chase as we have a strong batting line-up.”Comilla are hoping Mustafizur returns for the final. But they will also bank on Hridoy carrying his form with the bat. After a breakout 2023, he has shown consistency this season as well, a rarity among young Bangladeshi batters.

Why Bengaluru brings few home comforts for RCB

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

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

  • Chennai to host IPL 2024 final on May 26

  • RCB come home, but power-packed Kings might hold the advantage

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.

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