All posts by h716a5.icu

The big prize on the horizon is the ODI World Cup, but it’s only nine months until the next men’s T20 edition takes place in West Indies and the USA

Firdose Moonda and Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-20233:47

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Dewald BrevisYou probably already know this name but if you don’t, remember it: Dewald Brevis. Tipped to become South Africa’s next big batting thing since finishing as the leading run-scorer at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, Brevis has had to wait 18 months to crack the senior side and has racked up a host of domestic accolades in the meantime. Apart from deals in the IPL, CPL and MLC, he was the 13th highest run-scorer in last season’s SA20 and the second-highest in the domestic T20 competition, where he smashed an incredible 162 from 57 balls against Knights – the fifth-highest score in the format ever. He is known for his audacious batting ability, fearless strokeplay and love for boundaries so expect some big shots if he gets to make his debut.Related

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Josh InglisAs is often the lot of the reserve wicketkeeper, Josh Inglis has carried a lot of drinks for Australia. It was something noted by George Bailey, the selection chair, when this squad was named. The three matches against South Africa will offer Inglis his best run of games since facing Sri Lanka in early 2022. Having initially been earmarked as a potential finisher around the time of the 2021 T20 World Cup, he impressed against Sri Lanka batting at No. 3 and No. 5. It seems likely he will again slot in higher up the order, with finishing duties left to the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Tim David. Inglis will want to take his opportunity, though, because Matthew Wade’s T20I is not as over as it appeared after last year’s World Cup and he is now with this squad as Glenn Maxwell’s replacement, although is not expected to keep wicket in the series.Matthew BreetzkeIt’s been a slow burn for top-order batter Matthew Breetzke, who has consistently been among the top domestic run-scorers but has not found a place in a national squad until now. In the 2021 CSA Provincial T20 Cup, he was the second leading run-scorer and went on to enjoy his most profitable summer the following year. In the 2022-23 season, he averaged just under 40 in List A cricket and close to 50 in T20s. He offers stability in the top three, safe hands behind the stumps and the experience of six years on the domestic scene and will hope he can use this series to start to establish him on the international stage.Dewald Brevis is one of the most talked-about young batters in South Africa•SA20Matt ShortAssuming David Warner reaches next year’s T20 World Cup as he has planned, there’s a spot vacant alongside him. The uncapped Matt Short, last year’s BBL player of the season after 458 runs and 11 wickets, is among the contenders and Steven Smith’s withdrawal from this series should ensure he gets an opportunity. It could be that he opens with Adelaide Strikers team-mate Travis Head in what may develop into a tussle for a World Cup spot. He is coming off the back of playing the Hundred for Northern Superchargers where he had a strike-rate of 166.66. Short’s offspin, which he has bowled in the powerplay, is another strong to his bow.Donovan Ferreira A surprise big-earner at the SA20 auction last year, Donovan Ferreira was picked up for R5.5 million (approx US$300,000) by Joburg Super Kings and was the fifth-highest purchase of the tournament. But the Chennai-backed squad knew what they were doing. Ferreira proved himself as a finisher with the bat in the previous two season’s domestic tournaments and has subsequently also earned IPL, CPL and Zim Afro T10 deals. In the last of those, he grabbed headlines when he hit five successive sixes in one match. With Quinton de Kock rested from the T20Is, he could take the gloves at least once, with Tristan Stubbs and Breetzke also likely to be given opportunity and should see this as a chance to be considered for next year’s T20 World Cup.Can Matt Short translate his BBL form onto the international stage?•Getty ImagesSpencer JohnsonFrom Australia’s perspective, no one is going to be watched more over the next few weeks than Spencer Johnson. At 27 he is starting to make up for lost time after a string of injuries; the speed of his elevation to the international stage is remarkable. The selectors have an eye on him as an option across all formats and he will now remain in South Africa for the ODIs due to Mitchell Starc’s groin injury. Given the condensed nature of the schedule he will likely play two of the three T20Is and then also be rotated through the 50-over matches.

There’s a BBA degree to complete, but cricket’s the priority right now for unlikely WPL auction star Vrinda Dinesh

Shashank Kishore09-Dec-2023The Karnataka Under-23 nets session in Raipur resembled a party for a while on Saturday afternoon, soon after Vrinda Dinesh earned a massive payday at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction. She started at a base price of INR 10 lakh, and three teams went all guns blazing before UP Warriorz landed the final bid of INR 1.3 crore, making her the second most expensive buy at the 2024 auction.Vrinda, who was bowling at the time, first had an inkling that “something big” had happened when she spotted her team-mate Shishira Gowda whispering something to team analyst Mala Rangaswamy. And then, before Vrinda realised, the entire Karnataka team had huddled around to greet her.”We were actually training; I was bowling, and I heard my team-mate (Gowda) whispering to another colleague of ours saying, ‘They got her for 1.30.’ I jumped in and asked, ‘What! 1.3 lakh?’ She said ‘nope’,” Vrinda told ESPNcricinfo from Raipur, where she’s representing Karnataka at the Women’s Under-23 one-day competition.Related

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“I also kind of knew 1.3 lakh was impossible. Then I was like, ‘What? 1.3 crore?’ She was like, ‘yeah’. Then, suddenly, everyone, batters who were batting, the keeper, everyone ran towards me and hugged me for a long time. Everyone was genuinely very happy. It felt great to have such team-mates around.”Back home in Bengaluru, her parents were watching TV excitedly. Vrinda’s younger sister, a trained classical Bharatanatyam dancer, had requested their father to pick her up early from college so she could join the rest of the family to follow the auction.”My aunts, cousins, grandparents, all of them were watching it together,” Vrinda said. “I actually thought I’d return to the hotel and check my phone, but it just kept ringing. There was a point where I had to answer. I called my parents, they were so happy, they even had a few tears. It makes me so happy that they are happy. My team-mates have asked me for a big treat, I’ve promised them one.”The price Vrinda went for must have surprised many, but there was little doubt that she would be picked. In June, she had been invited for trials by all five franchises. A few of the scouts contracted to these franchises had seen Vrinda play a blinder in the final of the ACC emerging tournament in Hong Kong for the India Under-23s in June.Interestingly, Vrinda wasn’t a first-choice pick in that squad, and was only called up after fast bowler S Yashasri was ruled out because of an injury. The chances of her featuring in the final seemed remote, until a quirk of fate handed her an opportunity.When batter Muskan Malik’s kit didn’t arrive at the ground, Vrinda made the cut, and she responded with a gutsy 29-ball 36 in a low-scoring match on a sluggish surface. It not only proved to be a match-winning effort against a strong Bangladesh side, but had far-reaching consequences, since the knock was followed by scouts who eventually shortlisted her name for the trials later in the month. Prior to that, she was the third-highest run-getter for Karnataka in the senior women’s domestic one-day competition, making 477 runs in 11 innings.

“My dad always asked me to study and play. I’m yet complete my degree, but he understands cricket takes a lot more time than he expected. He’s okay with me and supports all my decisions. And I need that to go forward. I just have some backlog exams to finish”Vrinda Dinesh

“Once we finished with the emerging camp in May-June, the India Under-23 team was announced and I didn’t get picked,” Vrinda recalled. “I didn’t have the heart to unpack because I had a strong feeling that I had to be there. Then, midway through the tournament, I got a call from the manager. He said, ‘you might be travelling – either it’s going to be a vacation [in the Bangalore hotel] or you will join us in Hong Kong for the next game.'”And the day I got called up, I was practicing. I quickly went back home, packed, and left. The next two games were called off and the night before the final, I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t had a single training session, I’d only seen the ground, it was muddy and wickets were always covered.”On match day, when I was actually in the XI, I was anxious. Just before walking in to bat, I told myself, ‘You’ve trained so long, you know what to do, just be brave’. I enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed fielding, [and] in the end, when we lifted that trophy, it was an amazing feeling. I ended up getting both the holiday and the title win. We went to Disneyland in Hong Kong for a team outing, so yeah, I enjoyed the best of both worlds on that trip.”A hard-hitting top-order batter, Vrinda began playing seriously in 2014, as a 12-year-old, when her father enrolled her for a summer camp at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket. Later that year, she registered for the state trials and would soon make the Under-19 probables as a 13-year-old. It was when she was “16 or 17” that she decided cricket was what she would pursue. Vrinda had been “woken up” by Harmanpreet Kaur’s epic 171 in the World Cup semi-final in 2017.”My father, cousin, uncle – they have all played cricket, but I’m the only one to have taken it forward,” Brinda said. “I first started off at a summer camp in 2014. In September that year, my friend called to tell me there were Under-19 trials for women, so I registered for it, and got picked into the probables and made the state team. I realised at 16-17 that I was going to take the sport seriously, by then I’d played three years of state cricket. I met my coach Kiran Uppar in 2018-19; that was the turning point for me. It’s been five years now. I’m grateful to have found a coach like him.”2:21

Did Warriorz miss out on a really big buy?

Vrinda and Shreyanka Patil are trainees at the NICE Academy in Bengaluru. She spends upwards of three hours on the road to get to training and back, but the sacrifices, she says, are worth it. “My travel from home to the academy is 45 kilometres every day, I spend hours together in traffic. Our academy has always given me everything I need. Centre-wicket practice, quick bowlers, turf nets any day, any time. Sometimes I bat till 6.30 in the evening, so late that groundsmen wait for me. Sometimes before a tour, if I need to practice, they prepare wickets for me. I sacrifice everything around my cricket to be able to go there and give my heart out. Coaches throw some 100 balls, they never complain. I’m so grateful to be able to do this.”Vrinda is also trying to set aside time to complete her business-administration degree. She has completed the course from the Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College in Bengaluru, but has a number of exams to complete within a year.”My dad always asked me to study and play. I’m yet complete my degree, but he understands cricket takes a lot more time than he expected,” she said. “He’s okay with me and supports all my decisions. And I need that to go forward. I just have some backlog exams to finish.”Cricket and travel leave Vrinda little time to pursue other hobbies. But she isn’t complaining. “On an off day, the best thing for me is to have a relaxed family breakfast and then spend the rest of the day playing with my two dogs. It’s that simple a life. Nothing really changes.”On her immediate agenda are runs, a chance to play with Alyssa Healy, and, of course, organising the treat for her Karnataka team-mates.

Right up until the moment they haven’t – the story of how Afghanistan never got the memo

Osman Samiuddin23-Oct-20232:38

Mumtaz: Panic should have set in for Pakistan during the Asia Cup

Right. Two hundred and eighty-two on the board. A bit ropey there at one stage but solid recovery. Ninety-one runs in the last 10, looking forward to the Iftikhar memes and the ‘Shadab Khan is a batter’ think pieces.Pakistan have got this.It’s Afghanistan: 7-0. Seven losses but 70 different ways of snatching defeat from the mouth of victory. Sure, they beat England but every World Cup has an upset or two. Not three. It brings some colour, a bit of hope.Anyway, here comes Shaheen Afridi and he more than anyone has got this. Back in form, back in the wickets, Mr Mojo risin’. Pace is up from the last few games too. He’s going to pick up a couple of early wickets finally and Afghanistan’s batting is all about those early wickets. Break through them and game is done.Related

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Bowls that first over. Looking for That First Over again. Starts, as he’s been doing for a while, too straight. Four down fine leg. Temporarily corrects lengths. But goes full again, this time outside off. Four more. Loosener. All good.Hello Hasan Ali. Been a bit floaty through this entire tournament. Only here because Naseem Shah isn’t. But he’ll be fine. He’s smart. Old hand. Been around. Enough tricks in the bag to see this through.Three tight balls. Good disciplines. Too much width next two balls, two fours. Not so good disciplines. All good though. Early days.Seven overs gone now, Shaheen and Hasan not breathing fire truth be told. Barely a chance, barely a sniff, just one overturned decision. No worries though, Haris Rauf’s been brought on. Pace will do for them. Express. He’s gone for plenty this World Cup but remember how he ripped through Afghanistan two months ago in Hambantota? Fifty-nine all out chasing 202. Good days those.Oh dear.The good news is that this first over isn’t as expensive as his first over against Australia. The bad news is I’m lying and there is no good news as it’s gone for 17 unless, I guess, that’s progress from conceding 24? Afghanistan racing here. It’s fine, it’s Afghanistan. The same openers raced to 227 in less than 40 overs against Pakistan also in Hambantota two months ago. Somehow, they only managed 300. Somehow Pakistan chased it down. With one ball to spare. One wicket to spare. Naseem Shah. Good days those.It’s the 11th over now. No wickets but it’s Chennai. Spin it to win it. It was spinning when Afghanistan were deploying their quartet of spinners earlier (RIP, incidentally, Bishan Singh Bedi, Afghanistan are doing your art proud). Usama Mir’s coming on. Impossible I know, like forgetting your name, but forget that drop in Bangalore. He bowled well in parts against Australia. Spun the ball, sometimes more in one ball than the accumulated degrees of turn generated by both Shadab and Mohammad Nawaz combined in the month before. This pitch is perfect for him.

Afghanistan 130 for 0. All bowlers used. Slightly alarming but like your five-year-old repeating a swear word they heard you use, not an irretrievable situation in life. I said ‘shucks’ darling

Though, hmmm. Seven off the over and Afghanistan have barely broken sweat and not breaking sweat in Chennai is some hitherto undiscovered massive hack in the physiology of human reactions to Chennai humidity. Usama’s lengths are a little all over the place. Not much turn either. Dew? The lights? Different pitch?Just throwing this out there, but the fielding’s been a little off. Overthrows. Diving over balls. Not backing up. Looking a bit spent, all of them. So, what you’re saying is that it’s going to be on the bowlers then because, lol, when is it not?Pakistan’s bowling has been the problem so far but this is Afghanistan, they’ll find a way to make them look good. Pakistan have got this.Shadab this. Here’s the story. Shadab returns, first fires with the bat, puts in a proper spell of legspin, a couple of wickets because it’s Chennai, and be all supercool in the field. The only problem will be not getting too giddy because it’s Afghanistan.Getting some nice dip immediately, a little full but this is promising. At least there’s been no…. oh wait, there it is. Filthy long hop. Third ball. Only thing filthier is the Shaheen effort at long-on. Four. Upside: at least was beaten by the spin.Drinks now. Afghanistan 105 for no loss. Pakistan have used five bowlers. You know what that means though right? Ifti is in the house, boys and girls. This is his day. He’s been bowling little spells here and there and not been a disaster. Against Australia he was 8-0-37-0 in a total of 367. It’s up there with not sweating in Chennai.He’s going to do this. It’s written. Good over to start too, only the second in the last eight to not concede a boundary. The strangle is on. Until second ball of his second over, it’s not. High and handsome over his head for six, as easy as taking a single.Afghanistan 130 for 0. All bowlers used. Slightly alarming but like your five-year-old repeating a swear word they heard you use, not an irretrievable situation in life. I said “shucks” darling. Anyway, Pakistan are much better with the ball after half an innings. Pulled it back against Sri Lanka. Pulled it back even harder against Australia. This is where it begins.A dejected Babar Azam walks back after Pakistan conceded their first ODI loss against Afghanistan•ICC/Getty ImagesShaheen’s back and here we go. Wicket first ball. Even better sign: Usama’s held a steepler at third man. is where it turns. Scrappy, unconvincing win incoming, Pakistan caravan rolls on. Well played Afghanistan.Shadab’s also on. Fast bowler and leggie, leggie and fast bowler, the Real Pakistan Way. Then Haris is back and Usama’s on. Fast bowler and leggie, leggie and fast bowler, also the Real Pakistan Way.Except, did anyone send that manifesto to Afghanistan, because there’ll be trouble if they didn’t? Did they hit ‘Send’ because it really feels like they didn’t. It’s been nine overs since the wicket. They’ve put on 41. They’ve just hit Usama for back-to-back boundaries. Cut, then pulled, you say (. Two overs, only four runs, one maiden. Even Athers is talking about it on air, willing it into reality. Pakistan are going to pull a rabbit out and you better get your ’92 on.And here’s Hasan, bemused like all of us, watching this one sail back high over his head. Lucky not to sprain his neck. Six. Afghanistan need a run a ball with eight in hand. Panic? Nah. This is just the most elaborate set-up to the punchline of how Afghanistan lose this one, perhaps the best one yet.You watch. Babar’s got this under control. Pace, spin, spin, pace, he’s making changes like a Grandmaster whirling pieces around the board in a game of speed chess. Eight lightning-fast changes of bowling in 10 overs since that six and now Afghanistan have taken 19 off two overs with just one boundary and it’s gone from 54 off 48 to 35 off 36 and now 19 off 24 and wait, who’s got this under control?There’s an edge for four and Hasan’s whiplashing his neck again watching another fly off over him and remember your five-year-old? She’s now teaching you swear words.Afghanistan have got this. They’ve had this from ball one.

It’s not good for the health of the game that India, England and Australia have comprehensively pulled away from the rest

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jan-2024Is men’s Test cricket finally on its deathbed? Has England’s pounding away at its chest with Bazball defibrillators not been enough to rouse it? Is Gen Z too obsessed with Instagram reels and Tiktok to understand the beauty of a Test match session in which runs are scored at 1.34 per over, one wicket has fallen, and even the old guys in the stands have slumped into beer comas?We do not have the answers to much of this. But we do have statistics.Test cricket’s demise has long been expected, but to many, Cricket South Africa’s naming of a squad mostly comprising newbies for a Test series in New Zealand seemed like a line in the sand, given one of South Africa’s great Test achievements was their incredible away record between 2007 and 2014.Is serious Test cricket doomed to be played between only India, England, and Australia ten years from now, as many claim?Let’s look at the numbers.The most obvious sign of ill health is probably a drop in the number of Tests played. The ICC has helped create context and a structure for Test cricket in the last five years with the World Test Championship (WTC). But even before the WTC, the “Big Three” teams – India, Australia and England – were playing more Tests than everyone else. And the “Next Six” teams – South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies – were roughly as active as they are now. (Zimbabwe have not been included in this analysis as they have only haphazardly been active in Tests over the last 15 years. Afghanistan and Ireland have not been included because they are not established Test nations yet.)While England, Australia and India have over the last 15 years played roughly 12 Tests a year, which is about 50% higher than the number the Next Six play, there hasn’t been a massive drop-off in the numbers for the Next Six. In the 2018-23 period, they each played a little over eight Tests a year on average. Compared to the previous five-year periods, teams such as South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka might have seen a very modest decline in the number of Tests they played in the 2018-23 period, but this has been offset by the increasing number of Test matches Bangladesh have begun to play in the same period.So for starters while it’s clear that there is more appetite for Test cricket among the Big Three sides, it is difficult to argue that there is declining appetite among the Next Six teams, as far as scheduling goes at least.This is not the case with results, however, as the next graphs will show.When it comes to away Test matches where Big Three sides play Next Six sides, the Big Three have always won considerably more often. That gap has only grown over the past ten years. South Africa’s immense away record against Australia and England propped up the Next Six’s away stats in the 2008-12 period. But their falling away since has been reflected in the collective numbers of the Next Six.The most recent great Next Six team – New Zealand – have only won one series away against the Big Three this century, when they beat England 1-0 in 2021.(Since these stats are based on win-loss ratios, Tests in January 2024 until the 18th have been included in the figures for the 2018-23 period.)At home, though, is where the differences between the two levels are really stark. Since the start of 2013, which is to say the last ten years roughly, Australia have lost just two Tests out of 29 at home to a Next Six side. India have zero losses out of 24. England are not quite as formidable at home, but have improved substantially away, thanks partly to their better handling of spin, which is reflected in the previous graph. (Bazball might have played a role too.)So essentially we have arrived in a Test cricket world in which some Next Six sides are capable of winning matches away from home against other Next Six opponents, but appear unlikely to ever challenge the Big Three sides at the Big Three’s home venues. This is also a world in which Big Three teams tend to win Tests in Next Six home nations, even if they don’t always clinch the series. But the only serious challenges to Big Three nations at home are from other Big Three teams.In fact, India and Australia dispatch Next Six teams so swiftly in their home series, there is a serious argument for them hosting four-day Tests for all Next Six sides, which would free up valuable days in the calendar. India, for example, needed four days or fewer (emphasis on “fewer”) to trounce most of their Next Six opponents since 2018.Australia weren’t quite so rapid with their hammerings, even if the South Africa side that lost to them inside two days at the Gabba disagree. But getting to day five was a serious achievement for Next Six sides in Australia too.Increasingly, only other Big Three teams can even challenge the Big Three teams at home, and the Next Six sides are increasingly defeated at home by Big Three teams. Perhaps the WTC has been one of the few things levelling the field over the past few years, but even on the WTC table, India, England and Australia have been in the top four in both tournament cycles so far.Many have suggested that only these three teams will still be playing Test cricket ten years from now. Perhaps it is unwise to predict the death of a format that has defied many premature obituaries. Yet statistics seem to point to the emergence to two classes of Test nations.Test cricket needs to ask itself if it is a better, more profitable product when more teams can meaningfully compete. This is a foundational tenet of many sports leagues around the world, who either through draft-pick placements or salary caps, or both, attempt to impose on their leagues a semblance of egalitarianism.England’s newfound attacking philosophy has helped them improve their record away from home•Getty ImagesCricket West Indies CEO Johnny Grave recently put it this way to colleague Firdose Moonda, after West Indies named what seemed to be a modest outfit to play Tests in Australia: “In percentage terms [of board expenditure], we will spend more than anyone on red-ball cricket,” he said. “So I would argue against any narrative that the West Indies aren’t interested in Test cricket.” West Indies playing an average of 8.5 Tests a year between 2013 and the end of 2023 would suggest CWI has indeed shown some commitment to Test cricket.Increasingly, though, cricket broadcasts in India increasingly dominate the market. The SA20, which has prevented South Africa’s top Test players from travelling to New Zealand, is contested solely by franchises that have roots in India, and has scheduled matches at times that work better for the Indian viewership than for South Africa’s local fans.And if Test cricket can be so besieged by these voracious market forces, what happens to the international versions of the limited-overs formats? Seven of the last 11 ICC men’s trophies have been won by either Australia, England or India. Only once in that period did a Big Three side not compete in a final, in the 2012 T20 World Cup final in Colombo. Are T20Is not going to succumb to pure economics eventually too?There are always miracles in sport, but better-resourced teams tend to outperform the rest. And as the economic chasm grows in cricket, Test cricket is where this disparity is most evident. Pakistan’s Tests in the UAE were counted as home Tests for them, but other neutral Tests weren’t part of the home/away analyses

You don’t have to ignore the stereotypes, but you can see how South Africa have done things differently this time, and that brings with it hope of a plot twist

Firdose Moonda26-Jun-20241:08

Morkel: ‘Nervy finishes building nice character for South Africa’

If you’re a discerning follower of South African cricket, you’re either frustrated or bored with the narrative that your team can’t or won’t win a World Cup, because they don’t know how to deal with the pressure. You may recognise that even though it’s a stereotype that’s stuck for a reason, it’s also too easy to haul out for mass-readership, and lacks in critical analysis. And you will know, and even admit, that although there has definitely been some choking in the past, there have also been times when they have just been outplayed, or erred in selection, or failed to adapt to conditions, or just had rotten luck.You would have hoped – no, you would have believed – each time would be different. And you have reason to, because South Africa’s tournament-play record is excellent. They have won 75 out of 111 matches in group stages or preliminary rounds, which equates to just more than two-thirds of the matches they have played. India, who have two ODIs and one T20 World Cup to their name, have won 85 out of 124 matches, which is roughly the same victory percentage. Only Australia, with 90 out of 126 wins (71%) have done better.While you already know South Africa fall short in knockouts, but just in case you need a reminder of how short: they have won one of ten – the 2015 ODI World Cup quarterfinal. That record is worse than any team that has played more than one knockout match. And South Africa, the men, have never got to a World Cup final.Related

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If World Cups were played like leagues – competitions without finals – South Africa might have won many. But they are not. So they are about consistency, but equally about an alchemical combination of form meeting fortune.Which is what seems to be happening to South Africa at this event.They have got a perfect record – seven out of seven – but could have lost six of those.Netherlands, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA, England and West Indies all pushed South Africa to breaking point, and each time they found a way. David Miller carried the chase against Netherlands, Ottneil Baartman bowled a clutch penultimate over against Bangladesh, Quinton de Kock’s game awareness and a random deflection provided victory via a run-out against Nepal, Kagiso Rabada’s death-bowling maturity kept USA at bay, and Marco Jansen held his nerve with ball against England and bat against West Indies. There have been different match-winners in different match situations and, seemingly, a sprinkling of magic that has never before scattered itself so generously on South Africa.Seven times now, a cricket-loving nation has collectively held its breath, expecting the worst. And all seven times, they have been able to exhale and celebrate. This is uncharted territory, and who knows where it may lead?2:10

Shamsi hits back at ‘ridiculous’ critics

Those who ascribe sentiment to superstition will look at things like the fact that Aiden Markram captained the South Africa men’s Under-19 side to the World Cup win ten years ago – which was also the last time South Africa made a T20 World Cup semi-final – and see some element of destiny in the fact that it’s Markram again. Others will view the win over Netherlands after two losses to them in the last two global tournaments as the sign that things will change. Or that the rain delay that lasted 75 minutes in what was a virtual quarter-final against West Indies earlier this week was a case of weather gods aligning on South Africa’s side.All that adds to the flavour and folklore of our sport, but none of it is fact.What is, is that South Africa have done things their own way this time. From coach Rob Walter selecting a squad by himself – his prerogative as the only selector – to Markram making left-field decisions that surprised even Walter.Walter has walked a tightrope, between angering politicians with a squad that only included one black African player and embarrassing his employers by forcing them to admit transformation had not worked as hoped, and trusting his gut. Essentially, all of that was down to one decision: the inclusion of Anrich Nortje ahead of Lungi Ngidi despite his long absence through injury and expensive returns at the IPL. Walter backed Nortje’s pace and has been proved right, mainly because of Nortje’s ability to change that pace.Aiden Markram is an understated captain off the field and an alpha competitor on it•ICC via Getty ImagesMarkram is an understated captain off the field and an alpha competitor on it. His catches to dismiss Mahmudullah and Harry Brook, both at stages where the game was about to be taken away from South Africa, gave no numerical value on the scoreboard but are worth their weight in wins. And they were no flukes. Markram has been taking stunners all year. In the SA20, Markram has 14 catches, the joint-highest across two tournaments, which includes a one-handed wonder in the qualifier to dismiss JJ Smuts this year.Though he is not scoring the runs he would want, his captaincy has made up for that. His tactics in the West Indies game was one of the best examples of flexible thinking displayed by a South African leader because: he bowled 12 overs of spin (never done before at a T20 World Cup by a South African team), and he did that before he introduced Kagiso Rabada, in the 18th over, the latest Rabada has ever bowled his first over in a T20 game.Those two examples show that Markram is willing to do what South Africans have historically not been able to, and move away from a bull-headed belief in pace despite conditions. Of course, he is only able to do that because of the quality of the spinners at his disposal and, in particular, the reliability of Keshav Maharaj. Though Maharaj doesn’t have South Africa’s best economy rate or their most wickets, it is difficult to think of an XI without him because of his ability to control stages of the game. Maharaj seldom makes the headlines but he is always part of the story and allows the rest of the attack to play around him.If there is an area where South Africa could come undone, it’s in the batting. Their top three have been inconsistent and the middle order has only shown glimpses of the reputation they came into the tournament with. But all that has to be caveated. South Africa played three of their four group matches in New York, where batting was so difficult that Walter is willing to discard those returns when he assesses his players and chooses his semi-final team. Walter said that specifically in reference to the form of Reeza Hendricks, the lowest run-scorer in the top six. Which indicates he will keep his place. “Reeza has been one of the standout T20 batters in our line-up for a while now. And he deserves the opportunity to make a few errors, but still feel trusted in our line-up.”2:02

‘SA’s batters need to take more responsibility’

The turn of phrase is both cute and crucial. T20 cricket is about allowing players the freedom to take risks without constantly being in fear of losing their place. That is not typically the South African way. This is a country where taking a chance, in life and in sport, can have serious consequences. Walter’s challenge has been to create a space for creativity while building a scaffolding of support so his players can try things and sometimes fail while still being part of his plans. So far, he has succeeded. His next challenge is to replicate that in an environment of expectation that has usually suffocated South Africa: a semi-final.What may work for him is that Afghanistan are a team they would have been happy to play if offered the choice. South Africa will see Afghanistan as a less intimidating prospect than Australia, for example. But they will also need to guard against that kind of thinking.Though Afghanistan’s batting may not seem like they can stand up to express pace and bounce, South Africa have done so much work to show that they are about more than that that they shouldn’t fall into the trap of playing to stereotypes. That also means their batting should not be spooked by Afghanistan’s spin. That would be too convenient a way to end a tournament that seems filled with new beginnings. South Africa will have to remind themselves that they have played in a most un-South African of ways and could script perhaps the most un-South African of endings. And that is the kind of plot twist their discerning fans want.

After a number of years of drought, the promise of renewal has arrived with four centurions on this tour of Bangladesh

Firdose Moonda30-Oct-2024If it feels like it’s taken a long time for South Africa’s batting line-up to find some solidity, that’s because it has. Since May 2018, of teams in the World Test Championship, only West Indies have a lower average runs-per-wicket figure, and South Africa’s batters have scored the fewest hundreds. Over the last two weeks, that seems to be changing.In the Chattogram Test, South Africa have posted their highest away total in 12 years, with three of their batters scoring their maiden Test centuries. Numbers aside, they also appear to have found an opening partner for Aiden Markram who can balance batting time and scoring runs, a No.3 who fits the role, a middle order that does not melt at the sight of spin, and a lower-order allrounder. This seeming overnight success has been about a year in the making.Related

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Sweeping success – Stubbs takes the cue from de Zorzi

Rabada's strikes, Mulder's century pile on the pain for Bangladesh

Stats – Three first-time Test centurions in South Africa's batting feast

“It probably started with Shukri [Conrad, South Africa’s Test coach] against India [in the 2023-24 home summer]. That was a tough series against a really good side, and there was a young team as well, and guys put their hands up in different situations. So, I think it’s just been building on that,” Tony de Zorzi, whose career-best 177 is South Africa’s highest individual score away from home since Graeme Smith’s 234 in Dubai in 2013, said after day two in Chattogram.”There’s a few young guys but a lot of them play around the world so guys are coming in with different types of experiences. It might not necessarily be in age, but they’re all pretty mature and clever about how they go about things. And even though we haven’t been playing for a while and we’re maybe not 30 or 40 years old, we have our own experiences which allow us to perform.”Tony de Zorzi’s 177 demonstrated his ability to weather an intense physical toll over a long period•AFP/Getty ImagesLet’s start with de Zorzi’s example. He made a promising start to his career for the then-second-tier Pretoria-based side Northerns in the 2016-17 season but then dropped off the radar once he graduated to their senior side, the Titans, and moved provinces to the Western Cape. There, he flourished with an average of 49.42 in the 2021-22 domestic four-day competition and 101.40 in the 2022-23 season to earn a Test call-up. By then he had also played four first-class games for South Africa A.Then he had to start all over again, but his experience through the domestic system meant his development at the highest level has come quicker. He scored a promising 85 in his second Test, an important half-century in his fifth, and now, in his eighth Test, a daddy hundred that showed what he can offer long-term.Technically, de Zorzi’s ability to adjust to conditions, especially the amount of spin being bowled, stood out. Mentally, his capacity to stay at the crease, even when battling cramps in his hand, forearm, side and legs on the first day, and for a total of seven hours and 12 minutes, was impressive. This can be developed with the practice of time in the middle and de Zorzi has some marathon domestic innings – including a triple-hundred two seasons ago – to draw on. “Once you get in, it becomes pretty much just [about] your decision-making and your ability to stay focused. It’s definitely mental but you also have to be physically fit enough to be able to do it and be able to concentrate for long periods of time; be able to switch on and switch off,” he said. “I’d say to do it for a long time, you’ve got to be 100% present as much as you can and focused.”Wiaan Mulder has had a similar experience in biding his time. He made his Test debut in February 2019, a year-and-a-half after getting his ODI cap. Batting at No. 7 behind the likes of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, and bowling second change after Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier may have made it tough for Mulder to fully carve out a role for himself. He didn’t play another Test until that December and then only made sporadic appearances until being recalled for the West Indies tour this winter, as a levelled-up batter in particular.Tristan Stubbs has vindicated Shukri Conrad’s move to promote him to No. 3 after just one Test match•AFP/Getty ImagesIn 2022, Mulder played for Leicestershire, batted at No.6, and made 689 runs at 49.21, scoring two hundreds including a career-best 235 not out. Last summer, he was promoted to No.5 for his South African domestic team, the Lions, and in six matches scored two hundreds and two fifties to average 54.90. The results of the work he has put into his batting over the last two years all showed in his innings today, which was well-paced and purposeful, with plenty of powerful shots. The twin sixes he hit off Mahmudul Hasan to bring up South Africa’s 500 and push himself towards 70 were highlights. “This is the pinnacle for me,” he said afterwards. “That’s why I get up in the morning – to try and score a hundred in a Test match.”Tristan Stubbs, whose century was sandwiched between those of de Zorzi and Mulder, had the same feeling. He called his innings his “favourite hundred”. Before this he had one in ODIs and eight in domestic cricket, including one at first-class level, and he has repaid the faith Conrad showed in him. Conrad gave him a Test debut when he had only played 15 first-class games, and announced he would promote Stubbs to No.3 after one Test. Whatever Conrad saw has come to fruition and the results that are showing in the batting is as much a credit to Stubbs’ work as it is to his selection and the knowledge of the 66-Test-capped Ashwell Prince, who is the batting coach. It helps that Prince also has recent experience of coaching in Bangladesh.It may be premature to suggest South Africa’s batting blues are behind them but the numbers from this series are a move in the right direction. Their 575 in Chattogram is their highest away total since they scored 637 for 2 at The Oval in 2012, where they were on a journey to win the Test mace. The closest they have come to that trophy since then is now. South Africa are four wins away from the WTC final, and while there is still much cricket to be played between now and then, their fate is in their own hands.With de Zorzi, Stubbs and Mulder adding to Kyle Verreynne’s 114 from the first Test in Dhaka, South Africa have, for the first time since 2018, four different centurions in a series. The last time they had more than two hundreds in an away series was in Australia in 2016. Both the 2012 and 2016 teams were built on big stars and enjoyed strong success. South Africa will hope, as Mulder said, that the “stars are aligned,” for the same to happen again.

Everything you need to know about the IPL auction and retention rules

Nagraj Gollapudi and Yash Jha30-Sep-20243:53

IPL auction 2025 retention rules: All the big questions answered

How many retentions have been allowed?
Franchises can retain up to six players from the 2024 squad – including a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped Indian players – before the mega auction. This is the highest number of retentions ever allowed by the IPL and the main reason for doing so is to give franchises an opportunity to retain the core set of players.Is there a cap on the number of Indian or overseas players retained before the auction? For the first time, the IPL has imposed no nationality limit on capped players: all five capped retentions can be Indians or overseas exclusively, or a combination of Indians and overseas.Related

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Will there be a right-to-match (RTM) card option available? Yes, franchises are free to choose their combination of outright retentions and RTM cards to keep hold of up to six players from their 2024 roster. A franchise that retains no players will enter the mega auction with six RTM cards at their disposal; a franchise retaining all six players will have no RTM cards to use at the auction.The RTM card option was introduced at the mega auction ahead of IPL 2014. It was then retained for the next mega auction ahead of IPL 2018 but discarded before the 2022 season. A maximum of three RTM cards were allowed at mega auctions previously.While a few franchises had as many as eight RTM options on their wishlist, the rule has seen a significant modification which could play a massive role this time.What is the modified RTM rule? The RTM card allows the franchise to buy back a player who was part of their squad in the previous season by simply matching the price at which that player is sold at the auction. In previous mega auctions involving the RTM card, once a player was declared sold, the auctioneer asked the franchise the player belonged to the previous season whether they wished to buy him back; if they did, they secured the player for the amount of the final bid made in the auction.However at the upcoming auction, if the previous franchise wants to use the RTM card, the franchise that made the final bid will be given an additional opportunity to raise their bid. In case that happens, the original team would need to match that bid using the RTM card to secure the player.For example, say Venkatesh Iyer isn’t retained by Kolkata Knight Riders. Another team or teams including KKR are engaged in a bidding contest at the auction for Venkatesh, and the bidding stops at INR 6 crore with the winning bid not by KKR but another team – say Mumbai Indians. The auctioneer will check with Knight Riders if they want to use the RTM card. If they do, then Mumbai Indians will be given a one-time chance to raise the bid beyond the INR 6-crore mark. In case MI decide not to raise the bid, KKR can retain Iyer using the RTM option. However, if MI raise the bid, then KKR will need to match that raised bid using the RTM card to secure Iyer. If they decline, Iyer will go to MI.The Chennai Super Kings table at the IPL 2024 auction•BCCIWhat is the auction purse? The IPL has increased the auction purse to INR 120 crore, which is a 20% increase from the INR 100 crore that franchises had at the 2024 auction. The purse available at the last mega auction, in 2022, was INR 90 crore, to which increments of INR 5 crore were made every subsequent year.What are the retention slabs?The IPL has put in salary caps based on the number of retentions. In a marked shift from previous mega auctions, where every subsequent retention could come at a lesser price, franchises will now have to shell out larger amounts to go beyond three retentions.For the first three players retained, the salary cap will be INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore and INR 11 crore. The salary cap for the fourth retention will be INR 18 crore. The salary cap for the fifth retention will be INR 14 crore. Uncapped Indians will have a salary cap of INR 4 crore.So if a franchise retains five capped players before the auction, it will need to spend INR 75 crore – nearly two-thirds of its purse. For context, teams had to shell out just under 47% of their total purse to make the maximum permitted retentions (four) ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.While the IPL has once again agreed to the wish of several franchises to retain the core group of players, it has posed them a two-part riddle: do you want to spend a massive chunk of purse to retain five players ahead of the auction? Or do you release the player(s) you want to retain into the auction where you can use the RTM card option, but remain vulnerable to bids going above the value at which you wanted to retain the player?Is it true that a former international player can fall in the uncapped category?Yes, the IPL has revived a rule it had scrapped after the 2021 season, which allowed capped Indian players who had retired or not played international cricket in the last five years to be categorised as uncapped players. This means five-time champions Chennai Super Kings can now retain MS Dhoni as an uncapped player. Not just Dhoni, this rule will allow several other India internationals who were part of the IPL in 2024 to be retained as uncapped players, including the likes of Piyush Chawla, Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma among others.While CSK will tell you they are happy to pay any price to retain their former captain, a smarter business move would be for them to retain Dhoni at INR 4 crore, the salary cap IPL has put in place for uncapped retentions before the auction.What is the deadline to finalise retentions?October 31, 2024 is the deadline for teams to finalise their retentions ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.For the purposes of retention, any player who makes his international debut before October 31 will be considered capped. If a player is retained while uncapped, he will remain in the uncapped slab even if he plays an international match before the auction.1:19

Moody: Overseas players need to commit to the IPL ‘through thick and thin’

What is it that we hear about overseas players potentially facing bans for missing the IPL?Overseas players who make themselves unavailable for an IPL season after being signed at an auction without legitimate reasons will be penalised with two-year bans. As reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier, all ten IPL franchises had requested to act against late pullouts by overseas recruits during their meeting with the IPL governing council in July.Additionally, an overseas player who does not register for the mega auction will not be allowed to register for the subsequent mini auction, with exceptions only made in case of injuries and/or medical conditions confirmed by the player’s home board.And there’s a cap on how much overseas players can make at mini auctions?That’s right, the IPL has decided to impose a “maximum fee” for overseas players at mini auctions. Any overseas player’s auction fee at a mini auction will be the lower figure out of the highest retention price [INR 18 crore] and the highest auction price at the mega auction.For example, if the highest auction price at the mega auction for IPL 2025 is INR 20 crore, then the maximum fee allowed for an overseas player at the next mini auction will be INR 18 crore. But if the highest auction price at the mega auction is less than INR 18 crore – say, INR 16 crore – then the cap will be INR 16 crore.How does that affect bidding for overseas players at mini auctions? The auction process for the overseas player(s) will continue as normal until the player is sold, and the final auction amount will be deducted from the team’s auction purse. But the incremental amount over the “maximum fee” will be deposited with the BCCI.For example, let’s say franchises take an overseas player’s bid at the next mini auction beyond INR 16 or 18 crore, eventually stopping at INR 24 crore. The player’s fee in this case will be the “maximum fee” (as explained above) – so, either INR 16 crore or INR 18 crore. The incremental amount above that – in this case, INR 8 crore or INR 6 crore – will be deposited with BCCI and utilised towards players’ welfare.Can the franchises modify the prescribed retention amounts? Yes, franchises can pay more or less but that will impact the auction purse effectively. Both instances happened ahead of the mega auction in 2021. Punjab Kings retained two players: Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh, who then was uncapped. As per the IPL retention rules, if a franchise retained two players, INR 14 crore would be deducted for the first player, and for an uncapped player it was INR 4 crore. So even though PBKS eventually paid Mayank INR 12 crore and Arshdeep INR 4 crore, their purse going into the auction was 72 crore.In contrast, Delhi Capitals retained four players: Rishabh Pant (12 cr), Axar Patel (9 cr), Prithvi Shaw (7.5 cr) and Anrich Nortje (6.5 cr). The slabs set by the IPL in case of four capped retentions were: 16 cr, 12 cr, 8 cr and 6 cr. Though DC spent INR 39 crore overall, in the case of Nortje they had paid 2.5 crore more than the prescribed limit. Consequently, DC’s purse was deducted by INR 42.5 crore.Can players refuse to be retained?Players have the right to refuse to be retained in case they prefer the auction route.

Dunkley was the poor prop in King’s magic trick as Australia went onto whitewash England 16-0 in the Ashes

Alex Malcolm01-Feb-2025Whenever Shane Warne bowled, every bowl felt like an individual event. You couldn’t take your eyes off it because something special might happen.In this series, every ball Alana King bowled felt like an event. At the MCG she delivered an individual “money can’t buy” experience for the lucky fans who were watching. Luckily for those who weren’t, social media will ensure the delivery will live in perpetuity, consumable as a clip at any moment as often as wanted.Sophia Dunkley was the poor prop in King’s magic trick. Unlike Mike Gatting, she knew the moment she heard the death rattle exactly what had happened to her. She dared not look back. But the replay will be kind to her, no matter how deflating it will be to watch.King said after day one she hoped Warne was watching from on high and enjoying her ripping a few legbreaks in front of the MCG’s southern stand that bears his name. Warne would have loved this one.King bounced into Dunkley, and in her words “fizzed” a beautiful legbreak out of her fingers at 72.1kph. It drifted and dropped outside leg stump. Dunkley leaned forward and presented the full face of the bat. From a surface that had 9mm of grass on it, that seamers have dominated on in the men’s game, the pink-ball gripped and spun sharply past Dunkley’s bat at the hit off stump.

Alana King, legspin magic

Shane Warne would've enjoyed that one #Ashes pic.twitter.com/BFjsxo4vG0

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 1, 2025