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Hayley Jensen makes step up from utility allrounder to new-ball menace

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Known for her change-ups with the old ball, she has shown a previously hidden facet of her skillset at the Commonwealth Games

S Sudarshanan03-Aug-2022Hayley Jensen has played 42 T20Is. Only four members of New Zealand’s squad at the Commonwealth Games have played more matches than her. But what exactly is her role in New Zealand’s T20I set-up?She’s handy with the bat, but she’s hardly the first name you’d think of when you think of New Zealand’s best batters. She’s a wily medium-pacer who often gets the better of batters on sluggish surfaces with her change-ups, but her name is probably not the first that pops into your head if you close your eyes and think of New Zealand’s seamers.Over the last couple of years, Jensen has been a plug-the-hole kind of player. Suzie Bates is unavailable, who do New Zealand open the batting with? Jensen. A couple of quick wickets have fallen; who could they possibly send in to lengthen their batting? Jensen, of course. Quick lower-order runs needed? Call Jensen, maybe?During the Commonwealth Games, she’s begun fulfilling another new role, of opening the bowling. Against South Africa, she was New Zealand’s most economical bowler, her four overs costing just 22 runs and bringing the wicket of Anneke Bosch. In the 45-run win over Sri Lanka, Jensen did even better, returning figures of 3 for 5 – her best in T20Is.If Sri Lanka were to make a match of their 148-run chase, Chamari Athapaththu had to be the protagonist. In her opening exchanges with Jensen, though, Athapaththu – to quote Jos Buttler – “came third in a two-horse race”. It could have been curtains for her off the very first ball when she failed to pick an inswinger and was rapped on the pads. New Zealand didn’t review the lbw call. After flicking the next inswinger to midwicket, she had a wild dash at a full and wide ball.Off the fourth ball she faced, Athapaththu walked at Jensen, only for the inswinger to dip under her bat and clatter into leg stump. The stuff of dreams for a swing bowler. Hasini Perera was next in line to succumb to her inswing, failing to put bat to five of the first six balls she faced from Jensen, flicking and missing repeatedly.Jensen was Player of the Match when New Zealand fought back from 91 all out to beat Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup in 2020•ICCJensen had never opened the bowling for New Zealand before the Commonwealth Games, and head coach Ben Sawyer was behind the move to give her this opportunity.”Ben’s come in and just wanted me to swing the ball up top,” Jensen said. “That’s what I have tried to work on. Usually I probably bowl variations and things like that. He’s just tried to keep it simple for me to swing the ball up top and then yorkers at the back end.”I do it for Otago back in domestic [cricket]. I haven’t done it for White Ferns as much but tried to get it back in my game. Ben’s really helped me with that. He was the bowling coach of Australia and so he’s really been helping me with my bowling.”Jensen returned for her second spell after the powerplay to end Perera’s misery before having Anushka Sanjeewani playing on with a full one in the 15th over.”We saw in the warmups that she was moving it a bit and, in training also, she’s been really swinging the ball a lot here in English conditions, and you want to make the most of it,” Sophie Devine, the New Zealand captain, said. “Today she was outstanding again. She’s probably a bit underrated and I think the teams are certainly going to start watching what she can do with the ball.”In the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, when New Zealand were dismissed for 91 by Bangladesh, Jensen led the way with the ball with 3 for 11 to eke out a 17-run win. A week before that, she had dragged Sri Lanka back after a strong start and helped keep them to a gettable total.From being the saviour with the older ball to setting the tone with the new, swinging ball, Jensen has shown she can do it all. And now that she’s gained success in this new, high-profile gig, her name might be the first one that comes to your mind if you were to close your eyes and think of a New Zealand player.

Abhishek Sharma ready for reboot, with a little help from Lara, Dravid and Yuvraj

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

His numbers aren’t great but they are on the rise, and the transition to the higher levels could well happen soon for the allrounder

Himanshu Agrawal11-Oct-20222:57

Abhishek Sharma: “Captaincy has helped me mature”

Abhishek Sharma appears fidgety at first glance. As we speak, he constantly tosses a bottle from one hand to the other. His eyes wander, too. And he gestures with his hands a lot.But as we talk, it’s clear that there is great clarity of thought in the young man. He talks about his goals. One of them is to win titles for Punjab; Abhishek is one of the key players of the Punjab team, and was their captain in the last Ranji Trophy.Related

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“Obviously, the ultimate goal is to play for India,” Abhishek says. “But I am also setting short, small goals for myself – like winning the [T20 Syed] Mushtaq Ali Trophy.”Abhishek started out as a left-arm spinner, like his father Rajkumar Sharma, a former cricketer. But his son’s multi-dimensional skills made Rajkumar work on Abhishek’s batting too.”Slowly, when he realised that I can bat as well – I must have been eight or nine – I started with batting,” Abhishek says. “My dad was the one who recognised my talent.” So we got Abhishek Sharma, the allrounder – a big-hitting lower-order batter who bowls accurate left-arm spin.But being a lower-middle-order batter in domestic cricket can be thankless. You are not always on the selectors’ radar, you rarely get enough balls to score big, and your failures tend to be amplified. But all those are things of the past now. Abhishek is now an opener for Punjab.Abhishek on Yuvraj – “When I look at the way I have been developing myself, I realise that his tips have been really helping me”•Abhishek SharmaIn his second first-class match for Punjab, he was batting alongside his idol, Yuvraj Singh. Before that, Abhishek had scored 94 on debut against Himachal Pradesh to earn plaudits from Yuvraj. Too tongue-tied then, Abhishek has struck an excellent rapport with Yuvraj since. These days, Yuvraj plays mentor to Abhishek and several Punjab players, even conducting camps and batting sessions in an unofficial capacity for them.”Yuvi knows me in and out,” Abhishek says. “When I look at the way I have been developing myself, I realise that his tips have been really helping me. Everything he tells me – starting from my stance, about [playing] short balls, my intensity throughout, and my strength – have helped me a lot.”And, like Yuvraj, Abhishek is clear that he wants to have an impact with the ball too.He has a good backspinning legcutter that leaves the left-hand batter, and he has been trying to expand his repertoire.”I have been working on variations because I think if I want to play all three formats, I need to work really hard on my bowling,” Abhishek says. “It was only last year that I started bowling with the new ball, and I felt really good. These were the factors I wanted to develop.”During this off-season – he was not a part of the India A side that faced New Zealand A and was also not selected for the Duleep Trophy or the Irani Cup – Abhishek experimented with a variation he learnt from a very successful offspinner.At Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek had the chance to pick Brian Lara’s brains: “When someone like him has faith in you, you get that confidence”•BCCI”Two years back, Mohammad Nabi taught me a particular ball, which is almost like a swinging ball. I understood it, but wasn’t able to bowl it as well as he does,” Abhishek says. “So I have tried that, and I think I have been doing well. With the new ball, I am currently working on three or four variations, which I think will be very useful.”Batting and bowling aside, there’s also the captaincy factor – not to forget, he is just 22.Abhishek has led Punjab at age-group levels and also captained India Under-19 in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup. How different is it to lead the senior Punjab side?”It isn’t, because I had been playing with some players in the Punjab team right from our Under-16 days,” he says. “But you also have seniors in a top-level side. That’s where your challenge is: how do you handle them, and create that atmosphere? Captaincy made me a more mature batsman and leader.”And, like with so many youngsters these days, there are icons of the game all around, ready to help if asked. When he was part of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup-winning side, Rahul Dravid was the coach of the team. Last December, he had an opportunity to pick Brian Lara’s brains after he was brought on as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s strategic advisor and batting coach.

“Lara sir and I had a very good tuning too. We always talk about cricket, and when there is a match going on, we text each other to discuss how someone is batting”Abhishek Sharma

“Rahul sir always told me to trust myself,” Abhishek says. “He never asked me to change anything about my batting; he always wanted me to bat till the end. He is one of the most positive persons I have ever met.”What about Lara, who has now been appointed Sunrisers’ head coach?”He was calling every batsman for a one-on-one meet,” Abhishek says. “He asked me, ‘What was common between openers who have done well over the past two years?’ I said, ‘They are all good players who play good shots’.”But he actually wanted me to play 30-35 balls every innings. Whenever I went out to bat, he told me, ‘I’ll see you in the [Strategic] Time Out’. So that stuck in my mind. When someone like Lara sir has faith in you, you get that confidence.”Abhishek had a good IPL 2022 with the bat. His 426 runs from 14 innings – at a strike rate of 133.12 – were the most for Sunrisers.Abhishek says Rahul Dravid “never asked me to change anything about my batting”•BCCIOn a day-to-day basis, though, Abhishek doesn’t get to speak to Yuvraj or Dravid or Lara, but a close circle of friends and seniors he trusts for inputs.”One is Shubman [Gill, an Under-19 World Cup team-mate], another is our ex-player Sharad Lumba, and also Gurkeerat Mann,” he says. “Lara sir and I had a very good tuning too. We always talk about cricket, and when there is a match going on, we text each other to discuss how someone is batting.”Abhishek is now into his fifth season as a domestic cricketer, having started out as a 16-year-old. He is at a stage where he is ready to make the big leap. His close mates from those Under-19 days – Prithvi Shaw, Gill and Arshdeep Singh – have all gone on to represent the senior team. Abhishek, however, has found the transition tougher.After 13 first-class matches, Abhishek averages only 29, with a highest of 98. His List A numbers are slowly on the rise, even if not up there: an average of almost 31 after 30 innings. And while he looks forward to pushing them up this season, there is a much bigger goal on his mind already.”Holding the World Cup for my country – for sure!”There is some way to go for that, but holding aloft a major domestic trophy isn’t impossible. And it could be the start of many good things.

Ben Stokes' homecoming gives England chance to 'show the world how good they are'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

New Zealand series presents the latest challenge of Stokes’ tenure as captain

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Feb-2023On Thursday at the Bay Oval, Ben Stokes will captain England in New Zealand. Which is quite a big deal – because it isn’t.The boy from Christchurch turned twenty-something renegade is now the 31-year-old figurehead of the prim and proper world of English cricket. Even if he’s no fan of suits, he’s wearing the blazer damn well.There will be family and childhood friends to watch him, both here in Mount Maunganui and next week in Wellington. It’s not so much of a homecoming as a scheduled return given how often he comes back to the country, and how often these two teams seem to come up against each other. It can’t be long before Stuart Broad, on his fifth tour of New Zealand, qualifies for dual citizenship.One of Brendon McCullum’s go-to phrases since taking the big job at the start of last summer is “be where your feet are”. Yet with Stokes it seems the case that he is wherever his feet have been. All the places he’s experienced, all the things he has done, inform the decisions he makes in the here and now. And unlike most others, he leans more on the good times than the mistakes.That, ultimately, forms the bedrock of his captaincy. A record of nine wins out of 10 Tests to date has been built upon learnings from success, and the associated graft put in to achieve it. Beyond the 89 caps in the longest format are leading-man roles in two limited-overs World Cups and a documentary. He is one of the most sought-after personalities in the world when it comes to lucrative franchise opportunities and simply time. Now he wants all that for others.Stokes’ full-time tenure started with a whitewash of New Zealand•Getty Images”I’m at a stage now where I would much prefer to leave a mark on other people’s careers than look to make mine more established,” he said, sat among the English press pack. “I’ve played a lot of cricket and done some great things with some great teams over the years. I think that, being captain now, I’ve got a real desire to make the best out of the team that I’ve got here and players who will come in in the future if that does happen.”So that’s one of my goals as England captain: to hopefully let some of these guys in the dressing room here just have an amazing career and if I can influence that in any way shape or form then I’ll be happy.”You can already see that in play, with old and new. Broad and James Anderson, having considered retirement in 2022, now seem to be having the most fun in decades. Ben Duckett, who returned to the fold for Pakistan after six years out, believes “there’s no better time to be playing Test cricket for England”. All that is down to Stokes stripping away the pressures of the format without diminishing any of the privilege. He has pulled off a rare trick, not for the first time in his career.His influences are few and not contained to cricket, or indeed real life. He cited Paul Collingwood, his skipper when he broke into the first team at Durham, as someone who was “very open to allowing the players that he had to go out and express themselves… He understood that he did have a group of players at the time who needed that and they wanted to go out and take the game on.”

Eoin Morgan, who announced his retirement from all cricket on Monday, and was captain for 103 of Stokes’ 137 caps across ODI and T20I cricket is another. “Obviously I don’t need to go too much into how he did it,” he mused, with a knowing grin. Pretty much all of Morgan’s principles established during England’s white-ball revolution have been instilled during this red-ball transformation.The third and most surprising is Don Collier, a character played by Brad Pitt in , a film set in 1945 about a tank commander who has to inspire his crew to fight their way across Germany during the final weeks of the European theatre of World War II. “[It’s about] just trying to set an example by the things that you do and say,” Stokes said, “and if you do say something then going out and actually doing it because that’s when you get a really good response.”Stokes went on to say that sometimes, failing can be better for the collective. That does not quite play out as well in war. But in a sport where mistakes weigh so heavily, the manner in which Stokes operates on the field – particularly with bat in hand – reflects demanding as much of himself as he does of them. Especially when it comes to parking individual fear for the good and ambition of the collective. Though even that credit given to him is handed over to McCullum.”I think he’s taken a lot of his experience of the amount of cricket he’s played and just tried to release all that and then tried to take it off the shoulders of other players,” Stokes said. “And that not only comes from what we speak about on the field and what we try and do but away from the game as well.”Just letting lads go out there and really express themselves in a way that doesn’t add any more pressures on their shoulders. The expectations come from the guys in the dressing room and trying to not let any of the external noises outside our dressing room get into their head because I feel like in the past that might have crept in every now and again.”ESPNcricinfo LtdWins, of course, are the true measure of a successful team. As much as those involved and around this England team say otherwise, the fact they are enjoying themselves is heavily linked to three series win – and a series squared against India carried over from the 2021 summer – in the space of nine months. Even with the focus on attitude, Stokes admits sometimes the numbers go some way to reinforcing the upsurge in form and process.”At the end of the first game in Pakistan, when Colly read out all the records we’d managed to set or rewrite names into the history books, it was very… well, something to look back on and realise how special that game was in particular.”I wouldn’t say we necessarily go out there and try and break these records. I think it’s just something that comes with the way we’ve gone about it, I guess? But no, we don’t sit down before any series and go, ‘these records need to be broken, let’s go out there and try and do it’ because I’ve never been one for setting myself benchmarks of runs and wickets and stuff like that because if you don’t get those then you might feel like you’ve not performed well.”I will look back on my career when I’m finished and look at how many times I’ve affected a game for England to win rather than setting out runs and wickets. It’s something I like to do. But I just think everyone tries to play in a free way which allows them to show the world how good they are.”Related

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Despite the subdued nature of this two-match tour, it could be one reflected on positively for a few reasons. England have not won a series or even a Test here since 2008, and success could enhance the positive vibes heading into a summer featuring a one-off match against Ireland before a bumper yet concentrated Ashes series.There is also the challenge of the pink ball under lights to consider, along with some unpredictable weather due to Cyclone Gabrielle. In many ways, the anomaly of this upcoming fixture compared to what lies ahead over the next year is a blessing. It provides another robust test of the now ingrained in-game values of this team, particularly when you consider England have lost five of their six day-night matches.And yet even with those previous missteps, it is hard to see past an England win over the next fortnight, partly because of weakened opposition, partly because of the belief and application of this group of players who have taken a vow to be spurred on rather than burdened by history. The latter is without question the driving force, one they are assuming from their selfless, everyman leader.

Rashid, out of form? Try telling Royals that

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Rashid, the master of deception, might be off his best, but his 3 for 14 on Friday showed that he is still a cut above the rest

Matt Roller05-May-20232:09

Muzumdar: Noor and Rashid didn’t allow batters time to adjust

R Ashwin crouched forward and took two small, tentative steps with his front foot, first planting it with his toes pointing towards cover, then towards mid-off.After being beaten on the outside edge by consecutive legbreaks – one just outside off stump, one much wider – Ashwin played for the googly, rolling his wrists as he looked to work a single through midwicket.He heard the clunk of ball on wood, then looked around to see his off stump lying flat, thrown back towards fine leg. Rashid Khan ran away with his brow furrowed and his tongue out, pointing towards the uprooted stump. As Rahul Tewatia caught up with him for a high-five, he broke into a familiar grin.Related

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In his next over, Rashid had Riyan Parag in his sights. At 63 for 4, Rajasthan Royals felt as though they had no choice but to add to their batting line-up, but that meant bringing in a batter who had not played in two weeks after a lean start to the season to face T20’s leading spinner.Parag, like Ashwin, had no idea which way the ball was about to turn. And how could he? Even the world’s best players will tell you how difficult it can be to pick the white ball under floodlights, let alone when facing Rashid. Parag played down the wrong line, was smashed on the pad by a googly; a reluctant review projected the ball would have taken out middle stump.Soon after Parag’s dismissal, the TV broadcast showed a split-screen of Rashid’s legbreak and his googly, which illustrated just how hard they are to tell apart. Viewed from the batter’s stance, his wrist position looks fundamentally the same for both deliveries. Unless you can spot the seam – under lights, from 20 yards away – then it is like guesswork.”It’s just about making sure you don’t give that much of a signal to the batsmen to pick you and make it easy for them,” Rashid explained at the post-match presentation. “I am just trying my best, for the last one-and-a-half, two years, to minimise that difference between the legspinner and the wrong one… I’m trying my best to hold that in the same grip.”The one possible tell is his left hand. When Rashid bowls his googly, he tends to point his left forefinger towards the direction the ball will spin, perhaps as a signal to the wicketkeeper; when he bowls his legbreak, his forefinger and middle finger are both slightly bent.Rashid Khan takes off after cleaning R Ashwin up•BCCIIt sounds like something that batters should be watching – that is, until you remember that his left hand is at thigh height, about three feet under the ball itself, which batters are fixated on. You could study footage of Rashid for weeks and still be deceived.”The speed with which he bowls [means that] if you don’t pick it up that early, you’ve already missed it,” Aashish Kapoor, Titans’ assistant coach who has worked closely with their spinners, explained. “If you’ve not picked his googly, and you’re going to play off the wicket, it’s going to be really difficult.”It’s not like the days where we used to play, where you’d plant your leg in front, it would hit your leg, and the umpire would give you not out. These days, the moment you miss in line with the stumps, 99% [of the time] you’re gone. It’s hitting the stumps.”When Rashid was brought back for his final over, the 15th, Royals were just trying to bat the full 20. They were 96 for 7 with Shimron Hetmyer, their lone remaining recognised batter, on 7 off 12 balls. Hetmyer lunged forward, survival his only intention, but the hint of turn meant he was beaten on the inside edge.Rashid threw his right arm up in the air like a goalscorer wheeling away to celebrate, and was nearly in line with the popping crease as he turned around to implore umpire Virender Sharma to give him the verdict. He did, and with no reviews left, Hetmyer had to trudge off forlornly; either way, the decision would have been upheld on umpire’s call.At 24, Rashid has already played 400 T20 matches around the world.

On Friday night, Rashid returned to his Jaipur hotel room as the joint-highest wicket-taker this IPL and his franchise three points clear at the top of the table. If this is meant to be a decline, just wait until he’s back to his best

“Sometimes, if you’re playing day in and day out, in every league in the world, then you’re playing for your country, it becomes monotonous,” Kapoor said, “and you forget that you’re doing some mistakes. Some bad habits just creep in.”What he felt was, he was running in a bit too fast, because of which, his hand was dropping and the ball was falling short. All we wanted was, the ball should pitch on the good length, and you’ll see what happens after that.”Rashid said that he had studied his pitch maps from earlier this season, and responded by “spot-bowling” in training on Thursday evening. “He bowled at a single stump for one hour,” Kapoor said with a smile. “I just keep it simple,” Rashid said, straight after that simplicity had bamboozled the batting line-up of last season’s runners-up.Meanwhile, his compatriot and protege Noor Ahmad was doing his best to emulate Rashid at the other end. Both of Noor’s dismissals – knocking out Devdutt Padikkal’s off stump and pinning Dhruv Jurel lbw – were mirror images of Ashwin and Hetmyer’s dismissals. No wonder Kapoor described Noor as “a left-handed Rashid”.Hardik Pandya, Titans’ captain, leaves Rashid and Noor to speak to one another in Pashto when they are playing alongside one another. “He is so happy that I am there with him [Noor] and can translate those things into Pashto for him,” Rashid said. Noor asks Rashid so many questions that he says he is “like Google for me”.4:24

Aashish Kapoor: Noor Ahmad is a left-handed Rashid Khan

When Trent Boult heaved Noor over midwicket in the 16th over for one of only three sixes in Royals’ innings, the ball dropped on a cameraman, named Manoj, who doubled over in pain. Without a second thought, Rashid jumped over the advertising display to see if he could help. He is much more than just a bowler.If you’ve been following IPL 2023 closely, you might have heard some chatter about Rashid. That he’s struggling for control this season. That batters have realised they can camp on the back foot against him. That he’s leaking more runs than ever before.And there has been some truth to it. Rashid has had two expensive outings this year, conceding 46 against Royals and 54 against Kolkata Knight Riders; they rank fourth and second among his costliest IPL spells.Imbued with extra batting depth on flat pitches, teams have attacked him more than they used to, particularly off the back foot. His highest economy rate in a full season is the 6.73 he recorded in 2017, his debut year. This year, he has gone at 8.05.Yet, on Friday night, as Rashid returned to his Jaipur hotel room, he did so as the joint-highest wicket-taker this IPL – along with his Titans team-mate, Mohammed Shami – and his franchise three points clear at the top of the table. If this is meant to be a decline, just wait until he’s back to his best.

Stats – Defending champions New Zealand's sharp slide in a forgettable WTC cycle

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Drawing a blank overseas, slumping pacers and wasting home advantage have left them at eighth out of nine teams in the points table

S Rajesh07-Mar-2023With just one series to go for them in the current cycle, it would be fair to say that New Zealand’s defence of their World Test Championship crown has gone rather badly. They are currently languishing in eighth place out of nine teams; and in fact, their opponents in this last series, Sri Lanka, still have the chance of making the final if they win both Tests.ESPNcricinfo LtdUnder normal circumstances, you would scoff at the possibility of Sri Lanka winning two out of two Tests in New Zealand. After all, they have won only one out of nine Test series in New Zealand, and that victory came way back in 1995. In 19 Tests in the country spanning 40 years, Sri Lanka have won exactly two; now they need to double that tally in a couple of weeks to give themselves any chance of qualifying for the final. However, thanks to New Zealand’s poor form in this cycle, Sri Lanka might fancy their chances of pulling off the improbable.How did New Zealand fall so steeply from being champions in the last cycle to rank eighth in the current one? Here are the key numbers comparing their previous campaign to this entirely forgettable one.No longer unbeatable at homeWhat should give Sri Lanka the greatest encouragement is the fact that New Zealand were beaten by Bangladesh in a home Test last year. They recovered to win the second Test and draw the series, but their eight-wicket defeat encapsulates their dismal defence of the WTC crown.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn six home Tests in the current cycle, New Zealand only have a 3-3 win-loss record, with drawn series against Bangladesh, South Africa and England. This includes the two Tests against England which isn’t part of the WTC. Had England scored two more runs in that Wellington chase, New Zealand’s home record would have been 2-4. That is a huge slide from the 2019-21 cycle, when they had a 7-0 winning record in eight Tests at home.Drawing a blank overseasIn the 2019-21 cycle, New Zealand had a 3-4 win-loss record overseas. They were clean swept 3-0 in Australia, but won a Test in Sri Lanka and two in England, including the WTC final (Their 1-0 win in England in 2021 wasn’t a part of the WTC).

Since that final, New Zealand haven’t won any of their seven overseas Tests, though they came close twice in Pakistan. Their results in England illustrate their slump: in 2021 they triumphed 1-0, but a year later they had no answers to England’s new-found aggression in a 3-0 series defeat. Surprisingly, since 2019, New Zealand have a 3-1 record against England in Tests which are not a part of the WTC, but 0-3 in Tests which are part of it.The pace slumpTim Southee took 70 wickets in 14 Tests at 21.2, Neil Wagner’s 55 wickets came at 22.87, Kyle Jamieson took 46 wickets at an incredible 14.17 and Trent Boult’s 46 wickets came at a slightly higher but still respectable average of 28.34. Together, New Zealand’s famed pace attack led their march to the WTC title in 2021, taking 242 wickets in 16 matches – that’s 15 per Test – at 24.16 (including the four Tests that weren’t part of the WTC).

They were particularly impressive at home, but didn’t do badly abroad either: Southee’s 70 wickets included match hauls of 6 for 78 in Colombo, 9 for 162 in Perth and 7 for 80 at Lord’s; Wagner took 17 wickets from three Tests in Australia at 22.76.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the current cycle, though, Southee’s form has gone south – 45 wickets at 37.11 – while the others haven’t picked up the slack either. The absence of Boult and Jamieson hasn’t helped, and all these factors have contributed in the pace average dropping by almost 35%. Even when New Zealand have played their best attack, opposition batters have still found a way: Bangladesh scored 458 in that famous Mount Maunganui victory against a New Zealand attack consisting of Southee, Boult, Jamieson and Wagner.Batters waste home advantageNew Zealand’s 7-0 home record in the 2019-21 cycle was built on solid contributions from their batters all the way down the order, from Tom Latham to Jamieson (226 runs at 56.5), Mitchell Santner (174 at 58) and even Wagner (117 at 39). Overall, their batters averaged 47.84 runs per wicket in eight home Tests (including the runs added through extras, that average goes up to 51.26.)

But in the last couple of years, that average has dropped quite significantly to 31.58. Their former captain and batting talisman Kane Williamson has had a relatively quiet period. He has played only seven of New Zealand’s 13 Tests in this cycle, and just two out of six at home. Williamson has scored 557 runs at 46.41 in these 13 Tests, but 332 of those – 59.6% – came in two innings, including an unbeaten 200 in Karachi. Seven times he was dismissed before reaching 25.

However, in the previous WTC cycle, Williamson was the standout batter at home, scoring 895 runs at 99.44. Six other batters scored 200-plus runs at 40-plus averages. Add their pace-bowling strength at home, and it isn’t difficult to see how New Zealand built the results they did. This time around, only Devon Conway and Tom Blundell have shown outstanding form at home. Latham’s average of 41.7 is boosted by an innings of 252 against Bangladesh, as in seven out of ten innings, he has been dismissed under 20.With the fast bowlers fading as well, the defending champions have fallen rather quickly from their pedestal. Thankfully for them, they have a chance to start afresh after this two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

Markram and South Africa smash World Cup records

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

All the landmarks and milestones reached by South Africa – some in tandem with Sri Lanka – in a run-fest in Delhi

Sampath Bandarupalli07-Oct-2023428 for 5 – South Africa’s total against Sri Lanka in Delhi is the highest in the men’s ODI World Cup, surpassing the 417 for 5 by Australia against Afghanistan in 2015. It is also the highest ODI total against Sri Lanka, surpassing India’s 414 for 7 in 2009 in Rajkot.8 – Totals of 400-plus for South Africa in ODIs, the most for any team. Three of those have come at the World Cup, while all the other teams have two 400-plus scores in total.3 – Hundreds in South Africa’s innings, the first such instance in the World Cup – Quinton de Kock (100), Rassie van der Dussen (108) and Aiden Markram (106).3 – Previous instances of three players scoring hundreds in the same ODI innings. Two of them were by South Africa in 2015 – against West Indies in Johannesburg and India in Mumbai. England had three centurions when they made 498 against the Netherlands last year.100 off 49 balls – Markram scored the fastest hundred in the ODI World Cup, breaking the 50-ball mark set by Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien against England in 2011.4 – Consecutive 300-plus totals for South Africa in ODIs; they had scored three in a row during the recent home series against Australia. It is the first time South Africa have made 300-plus totals in four consecutive ODIs.204 – Partnership runs between de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen, the highest for South Africa against Sri Lanka in ODIs.17 – ODI hundreds for de Kock before his maiden World Cup century on Saturday against Sri Lanka. No batter has scored more ODI tons before a maiden World Cup century.4 – Number of specialist Sri Lanka bowlers who conceded 80-plus runs against South Africa – Kasun Rajitha (90), Dilshan Madushanka (86), Matheesha Pathirana (95) and Dunith Wellalage (81). It is the second instance of four bowlers conceding 80-plus runs in a men’s ODI innings. Netherlands suffered the same when they faced England in Amstelveen last year.754 – Runs scored in total by South Africa and Sri Lanka in Delhi, making it the highest aggregate for a men’s ODI World Cup match. The previous highest was 714 runs between Australia and Bangladesh during the 2019 edition at Trent Bridge.31 – Sixes hit by South Africa and Sri Lanka in Delhi, thejoint-second most for a World Cup game. The 2019 game between England and Afghanistan in Manchester featured 33 sixes, while New Zealand and West Indies collectively hit 31 sixes in Wellington in the quarter-final of the 2015 edition.

'Afghanistan, you have pulled off the biggest upset in World Cup cricket'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Sachin Tendulkar, Ian Bishop, Mithali Raj, Shoaib Akhtar and others react to Afghanistan’s stunning win over England

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2023

Phenomenal stuff from Afghanistan to turn over the defending champions tonight so convincingly. They put the hopes of a nation on their shoulders and made everyone proud. Well played @ACBofficials.

— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) October 15, 2023

Afghanistan outplayed England in all disciplines on the day. Rahmanullah Gurbaz unleashed a fearless display of power-hitting that asserted their dominance from the beginning – he made 80 off 57. Ikram Alikhil, on his World Cup debut, drove them ahead with 58 off 66 as Afghanistan posted a competitive 285.

Exceptional play by Team Afghanistan today, securing a thrilling win against England The team's determination and skill shone brightly. Well played boys!#AFGvsENG @ACBofficials @rashidkhan_19 pic.twitter.com/jazGbPqQkT

— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) October 15, 2023

A historic triumph for Afghanistan! Their spin attack was a delight to watch on this Delhi track, Shahidi marshalled his troops brilliantly. A perfect tribute to @MohammadNabi007, who was playing in his 150th ODI today. England choosing to field first worked against them. A… pic.twitter.com/KRJDiddISG

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) October 15, 2023

In return, England’s batting never really took off, as they struggled against Afghanistan’s seamers and spinners, surrendering for 215 in the 41st over. Afghanistan’s spinners accounted for seven wickets, with Mujeeb picking up the crucial wickets of Harry Brook – who was England’s top-scorer of the day – and the in-form Joe Root.

Salute you AFGHANISTAN. You have pulled offff the biggest upset in WC cricket. If not in the history of the game. Respect. @rashidkhan_19 @Mujeeb_R88 #CWC2023 #ENGvsAFG pic.twitter.com/o59wpS6Sxc

— Ravi Shastri (@RaviShastriOfc) October 15, 2023

This Afghanistan team plays modern day cricket. You can see that in their batting in first 10 overs. Same with bowling. Lots of things there to learn from.

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) October 15, 2023

Bahot mubarak Apko Afghanistan. You out played England every department. Gurbazzaaaa you were amazing Ikram Alikhil looked good in the middle overs. Bowling has been top notch from Afghans. #ENGvAFG

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 15, 2023

Switch Hit: Time for a brief spin-terlude

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

England went back to Abu Dhabi between the second and third Tests – and nearly lost Rehan Ahmed at border control. The pod sat down to discuss

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2024After a break in Abu Dhabi, England have returned to India ahead of the third Test – although not with another visa hitch. Ben Stokes hopes to have Rehan Ahmed available for selection in Rajkot but could the situation have been avoided? Alan Gardner, Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah discuss this and more on the latest episode of Switch Hit. Will Mark Wood come into the XI as part of a shift in tactics? Can England cope without senior spinner Jack Leach? And how should we view Stokes’ greatness on the eve of his 100th Test?

Riling up Rilee – how Rajapaksa scrap added fuel to Rossouw fire

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

A heated exchange put the South African “in the zone” as he hammered a belligerent century to win Jaffna their fourth title

Madushka Balasuriya22-Jul-2024Bhanuka Rajapaksa kept Galle Marvels in Sunday’s Lanka Premier League final with an 82 off 34 deliveries, but his most consequential role in the game might have been in riling up Rilee Rossouw.It’s not uncommon for athletes to search for added motivation in high-pressure contests. This was revealed about Michael Jordan, for example, in the Last Dance documentary, which showed him picking fights and sometimes even conjure slights out of thin air to help fuel his game.On Sunday, Rossouw might have just taken a page out of Jordan’s book, as he produced a knock of utmost belligerence – an unbeaten 106 off 53 deliveries – to fire Jaffna Kings to a fourth title in five years. The catalyst for Rossouw’s outstanding play, however, had taken place a little earlier.Related

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It was the 18th over of Galle’s innings, and Jaffna were reeling from Rajapaksa’s epic counter-attack which had peaked just minutes prior when he ransacked Charith Asalanka for 28 in a single over. With emotions fraying and Galle in the ascendancy, the third ball of the 18th saw Rajapaksa complete a single after Kusal Mendis’ throw had ricocheted off the stumps. So far, so innocuous.But when the second throw also deflected, this time off Rajapaksa just as he was creasing at the non-striker’s end, the point of contention arose as Rajapaksa turned and hurried through for a second run.The Jaffna players immediately protested, citing that the ball had deflected off the batter’s body. Rajapaksa, to his credit, had initially put his hand up to stop his partner Dwaine Pretorius from coming back for the second before eventually running once he realised his partner wasn’t stopping. He had even sought to seemingly apologise to his national mates, Mendis and Asalanka, but when the second bye was eventually awarded to Galle, matters boiled over.Rossouw, stationed at mid-off, took a particularly dim view of the incident during a heated exchange with Rajapaksa. Following this, the umpire ushered Rossouw and Jaffna skipper Asalanka over to address the matter, but Rossouw wasn’t backing down. Some amateur lip-reading suggested that the South African was pointing out that that he did indeed know the rules. He was then seen facing up to umpire Kumar Dharmasena as well, before proceedings eventually simmered down.But Rossouw was seething.

“Rilee had told Bhanuka that he had brought the game into disrepute, to which Bhanuka had responded – and then exchanged some words”Charith Asalanka

“Hundred per cent,” Rossouw said after the game when asked by Roshan Abeysinghe if his altercation with Rajapaksa had spurred him on. “People that know me don’t abuse me… it just puts me more in the zone.”As these words were uttered, the camera panned to a stone-faced Rajapaksa. Penny for his thoughts indeed. But boy was Rossouw in the zone. Nine fours and seven sixes meant 78 of his 106 came in boundaries, and some of those strokes exuded disdain – a couple of cross-batted swipes in particular had more than a tinge of anger about them.And so impactful was his knock, it shifted the pendulum considerably in terms of the Player of the Tournament stakes, moving away from tournament top-scorer Tim Seifert and Jaffna’s middle order enforcer Avishka Fernando – the overwhelming favourites pre-game – to Rossouw. His hundred, his second of the season, was by far his best and shot him up to second in the run-scoring charts, while his strike rate moved up enough notches to be the best of those in the top ten.Asalanka was questioned on the incident after the game as well, and he sought to play it down as would be expected.”Usually batters don’t run after something like that, but I think to give Rajapaksa the benefit of the doubt, he was called through for the second and he just responded,” he explained. “Rilee had told Bhanuka that he had brought the game into disrepute, to which Bhanuka had responded – and then exchanged some words.”But you suspect there was not much Rajapaksa could have said in any case to change the outcome. Rossouw, after all, had found his fuel.

Two great cricket rivalries have fizzled out at the T20 World Cup, but there's still one to watch

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The 2024 tournament has produced some exciting matches albeit on dodgy pitches

Ian Chappell15-Jun-2024Two of cricket’s greatest rivalries – India vs Pakistan and Australia vs England – were played in a 24-hour period during the 2024 T20 World Cup.While these fierce rivalries still generate great excitement, the Australia vs England bout fell short of expectations, with Australia winning the T20 match comfortably. India versus Pakistan always creates hysteria and once again this was the case even in New York as there are plenty of expats from both countries living in the USA.Going into the heavyweight bout India had only lost one World Cup contest to Pakistan and that was in the T20 format in 2021.Related

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India versus Pakistan, but different

This imbalance was partly explained years ago by a decorated Indian cricketer: “Pakistan tries to impress India,” he explained, “while we are only interested in having an impact on the West.”Pakistan cricket’s previous history may also help explain India’s stranglehold in their World Cup encounters. In early 1973 the Pakistan team were described as “Panikstan” because of the suicidal nature of their 92-run loss to Australia at the MCG. They then confirmed their newly acquired nickname by losing the third Test at the SCG by 52 runs despite only chasing a moderate target of 159.The “Panikstan” moniker was to the fore again in the 2024 World Cup as Pakistan lost a crucial contest to India in New York. After manoeuvring into a strong position where they were predicted to win, Pakistan capitulated and lost a low-scoring encounter by six runs.This was yet another typical big-brother-over-little-brother victory and that syndrome has weighed heavily on Pakistan in World Cup encounters.

There’s a highly competitive cricket rivalry still to be played in the Super Eight – India vs Australia. This has become a blockbuster contest in recent years.

Yet in Toronto in 1996 the two teams mixed amicably in a series at the suitably named Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club. The five-match series was tied at two-all when one Indian player hilariously noted: “The soldiers are lined up at the border armed with rocks but they don’t know which way to throw them.”So well did India and Pakistan get on that I asked a mixed group of players, “Why do the two countries fight wars when the players socialise comfortably?”The answer was revealing and yet concerning. “We understand each other and eat similar food,” said an Indian player, “and the people generally get on well but the politicians of each country like to keep the aggro simmering.”The pitches in the USA again generated controversy, particularly the New York venue, which attracted a lot of negative publicity and proved to be difficult for batters. In many cases a score just exceeding 100 proved to be a match-winner.The USA reputation for providing dodgy pitches isn’t a recent one. In September 1999, I covered an India A vs Australia A five-match series in Los Angeles, where the respective skippers were VVS Laxman and Adam Gilchrist, both of whom went on to enjoy illustrious international careers.The pitches on that occasion could only be described as “ropey”, especially when genuine pacemen like Brett Lee operated. Dodgy pitches were accepted with a shrug of the shoulders in 1999 but, with the USA team qualifying for the Super Eight and being promoted as a viable cricket nation, this is not good enough. Mind you, USA cricket has long been wracked by organisational turmoil and this could be yet another example of the chaos that exists among their administration.While T20 pitches should never totally favour batters, there’s no excuse for surfaces that are considered dangerous.There’s a highly competitive cricket rivalry still to be played in the Super Eight – India vs Australia. This has become a blockbuster contest in recent years.Even if these two teams provide yet another exciting contest, it shouldn’t camouflage the USA problem. If cricket wants to make headway in the USA it has to vastly improve the administration and their pitches, while also convincing locally born players it’s a game worth playing.

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