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Pujara – back to the grind, back to grinding bowlers down

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

On Friday, he scored his 60th first-class century and displayed all the qualities that have made him the rock he is in long-form cricket over the years

Shashank Kishore07-Jul-2023Tucked away far north of Bengaluru, Alur is like an idyllic-village setting where people go about their work minus the hustle and bustle. Even star presence – and there are plenty in this Duleep Trophy game, like Suryakumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw and Cheteshwar Pujara – isn’t enough to draw people out on a week day.The few who climbed the boundary walls to watch were those on a short break from work at the nearby cement factory. The moment a siren went off, they were back to the grind. A bit like what Pujara was up to – he made a 278-ball 133, his 60th first-class century, on Friday.The only difference is, unlike those at the cement factory, this grind hasn’t been thrust on Pujara. It’s one he voluntarily chose to go through as soon as he found out he wasn’t going to be on the plane to the Caribbean with the India Test team.Related

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Now, a 103-Test veteran like Pujara has little to gain from one, or maybe two, first-class outings at this stage of his career. You score and they go, ‘but hey, what’s new?’. You don’t and they would probably go, ‘this is why he isn’t in the team’.For Pujara, though, this sort of chatter hasn’t mattered at the best of times, so it’s unlikely it would now, when he’s playing to derive joy out of this grind. Of batting attacks into submission, running them into the ground and then cashing in at the first sign of vulnerability. It’s admirable for someone to put their mind over matter this way at 35, even when he knows the road back to the top may not be all that easy.He missed out in the first innings, playing a loose shot after doing the hard work. He wasn’t going to let another opportunity pass. On Friday, the third day of the semi-final, Pujara’s approach was of someone starting afresh, even though he was unbeaten on 50 overnight. There was an opening spell to see off and he was determined to make it count.In seaming conditions, with Shivam Mavi and Avesh Khan asking probing questions, patience was the need of the hour. With Shaw, Priyank Panchal and Suryakumar all dismissed, Pujara brought his experience to the fore.Only once in the entire first session, Pujara played a shot he regretted, to the extent that he let out a cry of anguish and quickly patted himself in an attempt to refocus. He had just chased a wide delivery, around sixth or seventh stump, off Avesh. Pujara walked down the pitch for some gardening, took fresh guard and tightened up.

What stood out about Pujara was the unwavering belief in his methods, even if at times it seemed ludicrous that a veteran with millions of runs would actually put himself in the ring and challenge himself the way he did

The bowling was disciplined to begin with, and in the first 75 minutes of play, Pujara added just nine to his overnight score. Those runs came off three scoring shots – two back-to-back punches for four through extra cover and a single. He went through seven overs without scoring a run, but with a 92-run lead in the bag for his West Zone team, runs weren’t the main focus at that point. Taking time out, weathering the storm was.Against Saurabh Kumar, he made a slight change. The intent to play the left-arm spinner with the bat was evident. Especially when he stepped out and got the bat out well in front of his pad, while also ensuring a loose bottom hand in case the ball spun more and lobbed off the inside edge.In any case, odd deliveries were jumping off a length for Saurabh, who can be metronomic with his left-arm spin. A bit like Ravindra Jadeja, except Saurabh’s usually a lot slower through the air. This in-between length accounted for Sarfaraz Khan in the first over of the day when he was drawn forward by the length, only for the ball to jump, catch the edge as Sarfaraz jabbed at it, and go to Upendra Yadav, the wicketkeeper.Pujara wasn’t going to give Saurabh another chance. In stepping out and lunging to negate those tossed-up deliveries on a length repeatedly, he got the bowler thinking. Saurabh immediately went flat, sensing that Pujara was ready with a counter. It was a win as Pujara profited from two cuts behind point before Saurabh reverted to Plan A.2:55

Can Pujara bat his way back into the India Test team?

This discipline was evident even when he was facing up to Avesh, as he repeatedly wove out of short balls by dropping his wrists. What stood out about Pujara was the unwavering belief in his methods, even if at times it seemed ludicrous that a veteran with millions of runs would actually put himself in the ring and challenge himself the way he did.Until he got into the 90s, Pujara was hardly flashy. And then, he flicked a switch. Out came an inside-out drive against the turn through extra cover off Saurabh* (earlier mentioned as Saransh Jain) and then the moment he dropped short, Pujara cut him behind square for back-to-back fours to raise his century.The celebration thereafter was typically Pujara. Quietly raising his bat towards the dressing room and a look up to the heavens before refocusing. It wasn’t until the eighth wicket fell that Pujara was happy to premeditate. He used his feet a lot more, and unlike earlier, where the intent was to defend, he was willing to swing clean and pick the gaps.There were sweeps, even an attempted reverse sweep, a wry smile as he clobbered a one-bounce four – all signs that the floodgates had opened. After more than four hours of defiance and self-restraint, Pujara was finally enjoying hitting the bit and clean.With rain imminent, though, Pujara had a rare brain freeze. In pinching a run to farm the strike, he tapped the ball no more than a few yards into the off side and set off for a non-existent run, only to find himself short. It was a rare act of indiscretion on a day where he showed all the elements that have made him India’s rock at No. 3 for the better part of the last 12 years.

South Africa look to find ways to deal with 'noise and red mist'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Bowling coach Eric Simons on Jansen’s struggles against India: “None of them are technical. It’s really about being under pressure”

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-2023Angelo Mathews being timed out. Shakib Al Hasan defending his decision to appeal and then leaving the World Cup with a fractured finger. Glenn Maxwell batting on one leg to score a double-hundred in Australia’s highest successful World Cup chase. England and Netherlands fighting for a Champions Trophy place. A lot has happened in the last 48 hours at this World Cup, so it’s no wonder South Africa have been “talking about the noise.” Of a different kind.Bowling coach Eric Simons has channeled his inner psychologist in an attempt to understand why his bowlers, the second-best in the tournament in terms of wickets taken and average, came apart against India at Eden Gardens at the weekend. The question Simons is asking stems from psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s work on bias, which considers why human judgement in instances such as court cases or doctors’ diagnoses, which should be the same, can vary according to time of day or point in the week. Essentially, the “noise,” as Kahneman identifies it, is the variation in what should be an objective analysis. Now Simons is asking the same thing of some members of the attack.”What noise in the system has created the gap between how he actually bowled and the way we know he can bowl?” Simons has asked himself and Marco Jansen, who went from being the leading bowler in the powerplay across seven matches to running into Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill and completely losing his lines and lengths.Related

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The answer is contained in the question itself. Before the match, Jansen told the media he was “very nervous,” about the prospect of facing India at Eden Gardens doubtless because of the reputations of their players and enormity of occasion. He did not know how to quieten the internal noise and Simons noticed that he “went from concentrating on himself to concentrating on the opposition, which sometimes happens in those pressure moments.”And that means that Jansen’s issue is a fairly easy fix because there’s nothing about approach to the crease or his action that needs reworking. “It’s not a technical conversation. There’s potential and there’s performance and he has bowled at a certain level, and then you see performance that is a little bit off,” Simons said. “We’ve got four points that have come out of our conversation that we will focus on. If he gets under pressure again, we will address them. None of them are technical. It’s really about being under pressure.”1:56

McClenaghan: Jansen is a strong prospect for SA

The four points were not divulged to the media but they all seem to be all which has also required the input of high performance coach Tom Dawson-Squibb, who has traveled with the squad to India. Dawson-Squibb has helped Jansen address issues like this in the past and encouraged him to channel any anxiety into positive energy. Having struggled to do that against India, Simons believes he will be better equipped for future assignments. “It’s a great learning for him. I had said to the bowling group – to their frustration – that I was hoping we would have some tough situations and we did. It’s not that he isn’t capable of bowling the way he has done, it’s a case of getting him back there,” Simons said. “He is a young cricketer, he is new in the game and these things will happen.”In the two days since, Simons has not been able to put an arm around Jansen’s shoulder, “because it’s too high and I can’t reach,” but he has created several metaphors for South Africa to mull over. Handling the noise is one of them; dealing with “red mist” is another. An oft-used expression for the feeling of extreme frustration that can cloud judgement, similar to white-line fever, it can often manifest in misdirected aggression. Jansen didn’t have any against India but he has previously got into it with Jasprit Bumrah (see the Johannesburg Test of January 2022) and has had some words with batters through this tournament.While not discouraging his competitiveness, Simons wants to see it lead to something productive as the tournament comes to its most crucial stages. “When the red mist starts creeping in, you want people to identify it and for conversations that have taken place off the field to take place on the field and calm decisions are made in those moments,” he said. “Otherwise, when you have those moments when red mist can slip in, you look back you will realise you weren’t calm and you weren’t in the moment.”And if you haven’t quite had enough of buzzwords, here’s one more. “Disruptor,” is what Simons has labelled batters like Rashid Khan, Roelof van der Merwe and Maxwell. With South Africa set to come up against two of those in the next week, he wants the bowlers to have a plan for how to limit their capabilities.”The important thing for us is that we do not allow the batters to dictate our tactics. Someone like Rashid Khan is what I call a disruptor. The way that he bats is very disrupting. He hits the ball in strange areas and can take you off your game plans” he said. “That’s something that’s very important for a bowling line-up to not allow.”South Africa have one more opportunity to practice Simons’ methods in their last group game against Afghanistan on Friday before their semi-final against Australia next week which looks increasingly likely to be played in Kolkata (unless Pakistan sneak into the last four) and the familiarity of place, space and conditions is what Simons hopes will help them reduce the noise and stay consistent. “We are very fortunate that we played that match (against India) at what looks like the semi-final venue and we are playing the match against Afghanistan at what is going to be the final venue. We are trying to gather as much information as possible.”

Pradosh Ranjan Paul – the next big batter from Tamil Nadu?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

After scoring a hundred for India A in South Africa, he’s gearing up to impress against England Lions and in the Ranji Trophy

Deivarayan Muthu11-Jan-2024He was tipped to be the next big batter from Tamil Nadu, even before B Sai Sudharsan emerged on the scene. After scoring hundreds for a giggle in age-group cricket, he made a serene half-century on Ranji Trophy debut against Delhi in Chennai in 2019. But then Covid-19 hit and put his career on pause.Four years on, Pradosh Ranjan Paul’s career is in fast-forward. After his first full Ranji Trophy season in 2022-23, where he was Tamil Nadu’s highest run-getter with 631 runs in nine innings at an average just under 55, he broke into the India A sides in first-class and List A cricket. On India A debut in Potchefstroom, the 23-year-old scored 163 off 209 balls against a South Africa A attack that included Dolphins swing bowler Eathan Bosch and Lions allrounder Evan Jones.Paul had a skittish start with Siya Plaatjie hitting the outside edge near shoulder of the bat, but he responded with crisp back-foot punches and drives. He is particularly strong at driving and flicking on the front foot, but on a bouncy Senwes Park pitch, he adapted to the conditions and scored on the back foot. Even during the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, which preceded India A’s tour of South Africa, Paul had trained with the red ball to fine-tune his back-foot game.Related

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“I knew that there would be lots of bounce on the South Africa wickets compared to Indian pitches,” Paul told ESPNcricinfo. “I was prepared and understood that there would be scoring options on the back foot – and not much on the front foot.”I actually feel preparing with the red ball also helps my white-ball game. It was more or less the mindset shift for playing in South Africa. It’s about choosing what shots you want to play and what not to play.”The left-handed Paul lined up Bryce Parson’s left-arm fingerspin, jumping out of his crease and sweeping him flat and hard over the leg side. Paul’s century gave India A the first-innings advantage after South Africa A had scored 319. During the tour, Paul also realised his dream of taking a picture with his idol Virat Kohli, who was with the senior team in South Africa.”From my childhood, he [Kohli] has been my inspiration and I was lucky enough to talk to him and get some ideas from him,” Paul said. “It was the first time I clicked a picture with him. I’ve always dreamt about it. I’ve had opportunities during NCA camps in Bangalore, but in my mind, I was always adamant that the first time I click a picture with him will be when I become his team-mate. So, it was emotional when I clicked that picture and spent time with him.”

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The hundred in Potchefstroom, where there was both lateral movement and bounce for the quicks, has put Paul in a good space going into India A’s home series against England Lions – and the Ranji Trophy – in more familiar conditions.”To think that I’ve scored runs in some other country and conditions which I’m not used to, it gives me confidence,” Paul says. “Definitely at the back of my mind, I will carry a lot of confidence from that 150 in South Africa, but then every match is like a new match. In every match, you face new challenges, and I’m not going to live in the past, but yes I will take confidence from that and just look forward to the upcoming games.”The confidence is a departure from his nervous approach during the early half of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season. After Paul didn’t get a chance to bat against Hyderabad, he played a loose shot and fell for a duck in a tense chase against Andhra in Coimbatore. After Tamil Nadu suffered a heart-breaking eight-run defeat, he felt like he would never play for the state again.”The Andhra game was a difficult one. I felt that was an eye-opener for me,” Paul said.” I choked in the crunch situation there; if I had a partnership with Washington [Sundar] we would have sealed the game, but I played a poor shot and I got out. Because of that shot, I played the next game as my last Ranji Trophy game. I felt like I was out of the team.”In the next game, though, Paul made a first-innings hundred in Delhi and followed up with a second-innings 169 in Mumbai. His knock helped Tamil Nadu avoid an innings defeat and salvage a point at the Brabourne Stadium.”Yeah, it came in a difficult situation, but it was my first game in Mumbai through all age-group cricket and Ranji Trophy,” Paul said. “The vibe at the Brabourne Stadium was great and I was taking it in. I wasn’t focusing too much on the game – tactically I was focusing yes – but it was a great experience to bat there. So, I didn’t think too much about the pressure and just wanted to enjoy playing at the CCI (Cricket Club of India).”

“To think that I’ve scored runs in some other country and conditions which I’m not used to, it gives me confidence.”Paul on his India A tour of South Africa

It was this passion that drove Paul into professional cricket. After his family moved from Odisha to Tiruppur, a textile-manufacturing town in Tamil Nadu, he enrolled at an academy run by V Ramesh Kumar, who is now a curator at Chepauk. Ramesh has been Paul’s mentor since.”My dad got transferred here to Tiruppur in 2012 and then I started my professional career here,” Paul said. “My dad was a cricketer and he represented his university in Odisha. Being a sportsman, he understood me and gave me confidence since I started my professional career at 12. Even those days, I didn’t regularly go to school and I used to train the whole day. He gave me the freedom to pursue my career and I’m always grateful to my parents for that.”Ramesh sir has always looked after me and my cricket from those days. When I was new here [in TN], he was the one who guided me and my family at Tiruppur School of Cricket. After Covid, my TNPL and first-division cricket didn’t go too well. Ramesh sir helped me get past it and he has always dreamt about me playing for the country at the highest level.”Paul averages 70.21 after 12 first-class games, and has played just four List A games so far, but insists he isn’t a one-trick pony. During TNPL 2023, he played some inventive shots and his name was also called out during the accelerated round of the IPL 2024 auction, though he went unsold.”Before Covid, I was honestly a better white-ball player than red-ball player,” Paul said. “In age categories, I’ve got runs and I’ve just got a few games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It’s about time and getting more experience. I heard talks behind me that: ‘Oh! he’s only a red-ball player’ but I’ve got runs in age categories. However, one place where I am yet to prove myself is the TNPL, so I feel it’s just a matter of time. It’s a chance to learn my flaws in the T20 format. Last season, I had a good start with Chepauk [Super Gillies], but I couldn’t finish it well.”Your shots have to evolve. Cricket keeps evolving and I just can’t be in my comfort zone because bowlers are also coming up with new ideas. You have to break those plans and ideas. For example, in the past people used to question you when you played the reverse-sweep or switch-hit. Now, I feel it’s much needed and you see a lot of players playing it in red-ball cricket as well.”Paul is now a calming influence in the Tamil Nadu batting line-up. In the opening round of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, he got starts in both innings against Gujarat, but couldn’t press on. He has another chance to impress the selectors when he comes up against the England Lions in Ahmedabad.

What's the lowest Test innings total to include two individual hundreds?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

And who has made the highest score in their final ODI?

Steven Lynch26-Mar-2024In the recent Test at Sylhet Sri Lanka had two individual centuries, but their total was only 280. Was this the lowest completed Test innings to include two hundreds? asked Zaheer Ahmed from the United States, among others

Sri Lanka’s first innings in Sylhet, in which both Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis made 102, is the second-lowest completed innings total in Tests to contain two individual hundreds. But it’s very close: New Zealand’s 279 in the first innings against India in Hamilton in 2008-09 included centuries from Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori.West Indies made 275 for 9 against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in 2014-15, with Marlon Samuels and Kraigg Brathwaite making centuries. The lowest Test total of all to contain two individual centuries, ignoring the qualification of a completed innings, is Pakistan’s 230 for 3 as they beat New Zealand by seven wickets in Hyderabad in 1984-85, with hundreds from Mudassar Nazar and Javed Miandad.Sri Lanka’s 280 in Sylhet was the lowest completed total to include a partnership of 200 or more in a Test, beating New Zealand’s 283 against West Indies in Kingston in 1984-85, when Geoff Howarth and Jeff Crowe put on 210 for the second wicket. Australia’s 262 against England in Sydney in 1881-82 included a stand of 199 between Alec Bannerman and Percy McDonnell.De Silva and Mendis both also scored centuries in the second innings. This was only the third time two batters from the same side had scored hundreds in each innings of the same Test, after Ian and Greg Chappell for Australia against New Zealand in Wellington in 1973-74, and Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq for Pakistan vs Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014-15.Who has made the highest score in his final one-day international? asked James Holland from England

*No fewer than 15 men have scored a century in their final one-day international (that includes four current players who will probably appear again). Highest of all is the West Indian opener John Campbell, with 179 against Ireland in Dublin in 2019. Next comes New Zealand’s James Marshall, who hit 161 against Ireland in July 2008 in Aberdeen, where he shared an opening partnership of 274 with Brendon McCullum, who was out first for 166.The Dutch pair of Klaas-Jan van Noortwijk and Feiko Kloppenburg both hit hundreds in what turned out to be their last ODI, against Namibia in Bloemfontein during the 2003 World Cup. For the full list, click here.I noticed that Andy Flower averaged more than 94 against India in Tests, and even higher in India. How does this compare with other players against India? asked Mark Coulson from Zambia

Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower did indeed have a splendid record against India. In nine Tests against them overall he averaged 94.83; the only man with a better average who played more often was the brilliant West Indian Everton Weekes, with 106.78 from ten matches, including seven centuries.The England batter-turned-commentator David Lloyd tops the table – he averaged 260 against India, but was only out once. Next comes Don Bradman, who averaged 178.75 in his only series against India, in Australia in 1947-48, when he was 39.Flower actually averaged 117.14 in his five Tests in India, a figure exceeded only by West Indies’ Jimmy Adams, whose mark of 173.33 is bolstered by three not-outs from his six innings. Weekes averaged 111.28 in India, and another great West Indian, Garry Sobers, 99.88 from eight matches there (more than anyone above him). For that list, click here.Captains Merissa Aguilleira (left) and Jodie Fields were also their teams’ designated wicketkeepers in 2013, the last instance of this before Healy and Nigar in Bangladesh recently•Getty/ICCBoth captains in the first women’s ODI between Australia and Bangladesh last week were also wicketkeepers. Has this happened in women’s cricket before? asked Taimur Mirza from Australia

The captains in the one-day international in Mirpur last week were Nigar Sultana of Bangladesh and Australia’s Alyssa Healy. This was the eighth time that the captains in a women’s ODI were also the designated keepers, a number which includes both matches between Australia (Jodie Fields) and West Indies (Merissa Aguilleira) in the 2013 World Cup.There are 11 similar doubles in women’s T20Is, but none in women’s Tests. There have been nine men’s Tests in which both captains kept wicket, plus 61 ODIs and also 24 T20Is. (This is counting designated wicketkeepers only, not anyone who might have taken over during a match.)I noticed that when the United States played New Zealand in the Champions Trophy in 2004, they had two 40-year-old debutants (both called Johnson!). Was this unique? asked Maxwell Williams from New Zealand

The Johnson & Johnson who played for the United States against New Zealand in the Champions Trophy at The Oval in September 2004 were wicketkeeper Mark (born October 28, 1963) and seamer Howard (August 16, 1964). They were both born in Jamaica, but I don’t think they were related.This was the USA’s first official one-day international, and their side also included Barbados-born Tony Reid, who was 42. Also there was 42-year-old Clayton Lambert, but he had previously played ODIs for West Indies.Surprisingly perhaps, this was not the first ODI side to contain three 40-year-old debutants. When Netherlands contested their first such match, against New Zealand in Vadodara during the 1996 World Cup, their team included Nolan Clarke (the oldest debutant of all at 47), Flavian Aponso (43) and captain Steven Lubbers (42). These are the only two ODIs to contain more than one debutant aged 40 or over. For the full list, click here.There have been a lot of mature newcomers in T20Is. Turkey’s side against Luxembourg in Ilfov County in August 2019 included three men who were aged 54 or over, and 59-year-old Osman Goker made his debut for them later the same day against hosts Romania.*March 26, 2024, 07:50 GMT: This answer replaces an earlier one, which was wrong after an incorrect database query.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Venkatesh Iyer, Manish Pandey pull off rescue operation for KKR

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Their unexpected union took KKR from 57 for 5 to a score they could defend despite dew setting in

S Sudarshanan04-May-20242:02

Was sending Pandey as impact sub the right call?

Thursday evening, Wankhede Stadium. The harsh afternoon heat was giving way to a pleasant evening when Kolkata Knight Riders’ practice session got fully underway. Manish Pandey was among the first to take guard in the second of the two nets. Seeing him time some of the shots, one wondered why he had not played a match this IPL.Pandey faced all types of bowling plus throwdowns at his disposal. Between the deliveries, he even had a banter with some of the bowlers, and by the end of his nearly 30-minute stint, he walked out of the nets all drenched in sweat.Friday evening, Wankhede Stadium. Left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya marked his run-up on either end. A one-match suspension for fast bowler Harshit Rana had meant KKR had a slot in the XI for an Indian seamer. Even though Pandey was among five potential Impact Players for a sixth successive game, all indicators pointed towards Sakariya making his KKR debut.Related

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But when Nuwan Thushara’s triple strike had KKR reeling at 57 for 5 in the seventh over, they had to change their plan. So out walked Pandey as Impact Player, replacing an already dismissed Angkrish Raghuvanshi.KKR had never beaten MI at the Wankhede since 2012, so you wouldn’t blame MI for thinking they had things in control, especially on a slightly two-paced surface. Venkatesh Iyer, who hit a century against MI at this venue last year, had started with two fours in his first four balls and was on 13 off 8 when Pandey joined him. But the next four overs produced just one boundary.In the 11th over, Iyer flicked Piyush Chawla through fine leg for four and then smacked Gerald Coetzee for a four and a six to signal a move-on.Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer’s 83-run stand rescued KKR•AFP/Getty ImagesPandey took the cue and capitalised on his favourable match-up against Jasprit Bumrah in the 14th over by taking 12 runs off him. It included a flicked four – replays indicated it went off Pandey’s thigh pad and Bumrah wasn’t happy about it the entire over – through fine leg and a ramped six over deep third to leave their head-to-head reading thus: 80 runs, 42 balls, no dismissals.Pandey fell for 42 off 31 when he miscued one to cover but Iyer carried on. At the death, he pre-empted what the bowlers were attempting and hit crucial boundaries to bring up his second half-century of the season. He deposited Hardik Pandya over wide long-on before hitting a six and a four via reverse shot off Thushara in the 19th over.In a bid to scoop Bumrah on the penultimate ball of the innings, Iyer lost his balance, and middle stump, and was the last batter dismissed for 70 off 52 balls. But despite KKR losing their last five wickets in 29 runs, his 83-run partnership with Pandey, off 62 balls, had steered them to 169.Heading into the game, KKR were the most expensive side in the powerplay this season, and had conceded the second-most sixes at the death. Given Mitchell Starc’s poor form, MI’s long batting line-up, and the dew, a target of 170 did not look challenging.But Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine derailed their chase, with identical figures of 2 for 22 off four overs. Starc, who came into the match with seven wickets from eight games at an economy of 11.78, also picked up 4 for 33, including three in the 19th over to seal KKR’s seventh win in ten outings.”Venky’s been fantastic for us,” Starc said at the post-match press conference. “He has certainly not been out of touch, he has been hitting the ball nicely through the games and certainly at training. Tonight was the night he got the runs to reward that hard work. Not our best start with the bat but the way he went about his innings to absorb some pressure, still keep the scoring rate pretty healthy and build a fantastic innings for us alongside Manish Pandey, that was a really key partnership.”They showed their experience. Obviously, Venky has got good memories here from last year, scoring a hundred. That partnership tonight was what got us to a total we thought we could defend. He used all parts of the ground pretty well, he fought his way through the innings.”

Stats – Rare England innings win in Asia, Pakistan losing streak continues

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Records tumbled in Multan, with Pakistan becoming the first team to score 500 in a Test and lose by an innings

Sampath Bandarupalli11-Oct-20241 Pakistan are now the first team to lose a Test match by an innings margin despite scoring 500-plus runs in an innings. The previous highest total to end up in an innings defeat was 492 by Ireland against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2023.2 Pakistan are only the second team in all first-class cricket to lose by an innings despite a 550-plus total. Leicestershire were the first such team, losing to Glamorgan by an innings and 28 runs despite a first-innings total of 584 in 2022.3 Instances of England conceding 550-plus in a Test innings since Brendon McCullum became their head coach in May 2022. England won all three Tests, with the previous two in 2022 – the Nottingham Test against New Zealand and the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.Pakistan’s 556 all out in their first innings in Multan is now the joint-fifth highest total to end up in a losing cause in Test cricket. Two of the top four Test totals in defeats also have been by Pakistan.2 Innings wins for England in Tests in Asia, including this latest win in Multan. The other instance was against India in 1976, when they won by innings and 25 runs in Delhi.6 Consecutive Test defeats for Pakistan, a streak that began in December last year. It is their joint-longest losing streak in Tests, alongside the six consecutive losses they sustained in 2016-17 and 2018-19.ESPNcricinfo Ltd11 Consecutive Test matches at home for Pakistan since their last win in 2021 against South Africa. It is now Pakistan’s joint-longest streak without a win at home, equaling their 11-match streak without a win between 1969 and 1975.6 Test matches as captain for Shan Masood – Pakistan have lost all six. Only four other captains have lost six or more consecutive Test matches from their captaincy debut – Khaled Mashud (12), Khaled Mahmud (9), Mohammad Ashraful (8) and Graeme Cremer (6).2004 Last instance of Pakistan losing a Test by innings margin in Pakistan – against India in Rawalpindi. Pakistan’s last innings defeat at home (in Pakistan or the UAE) came in 2014 against New Zealand in Sharjah.2.87 Partnership average of Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub in Test cricket, the lowest for any opening pair in the format with a minimum of eight innings.Four of the eight partnerships between Shafique and Ayub have been nought, the most for an opening pair for Pakistan in Test cricket.41 Babar Azam’s highest score across 17 Test innings since 2023. Babar is the only batter without a score of fifty-plus among the 38 players with 15 or more Test innings while batting in the top six since 2023.1379 Runs scored by Pakistan and England in their respective first-innings in Multan. It is the third-highest first-innings aggregate for a Test match and the highest to have ended with a result.The previous highest first-innings aggregate to produce a result was 1236 runs in the 2016 Chennai Test between India and England, and the 2022 Rawalpindi Test between Pakistan and England.

Gus Atkinson stays grounded as maiden century shows head for batting heights

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

England bowler not getting carried away despite startling success in first series at No.8

Matt Roller30-Aug-20240:35

Gus Atkinson proud of century after ‘frustrating’ year with the bat

Joe Root’s grin as he sat on the Lord’s outfield made clear that his outlandish comparison between Gus Atkinson and Jacques Kallis was tongue-in-cheek. But while Atkinson is unlikely to graduate to official allrounder status anytime soon, there was no questioning the talent he showed in making his maiden Test – and first-class – hundred.Atkinson has shown glimpses of his batting abilities in his international career, thrashing 35 off 21 balls in England’s heavy defeat to South Africa at last year’s World Cup and twice belting 21 from down the order against West Indies in his maiden Test series this summer. Even still, he looked a spot high at No. 8 when England reshuffled their side to cover Ben Stokes’ absence.Yet at Lord’s, he lived up to his promotion to reach 74 not out on Thursday evening, twice lofting Prabath Jayasuriya over mid-off and pulling Lahiru Kumara’s tired short ball over midwicket. “Being at the other end when he hit those straight sixes, they were unbelievable,” Root said, laughing, at the close of play. “It’s like watching someone like Jacques Kallis play.”It only took him 22 balls to convert his overnight score into a hundred, though not without a scare. After hitting the first two balls of the morning for four – a flick off the pads and a punch through cover – he was given out lbw by Paul Reiffel, only for a review to save him, with the ball shown to be missing leg. Marcus Trescothick, England’s batting coach, punched the air in relief on the balcony.Atkinson showed no such emotion, characteristically unflappable as he cruised to three figures. He has worked hard on his basics with Surrey’s coaches Gareth Batty and Jade Dernbach, trying to stay as still as possible with his eyes level on release. His practice came to fruition with the shots that took him from 95 to 103, crisp drives either side of mid-off.Finally, Atkinson allowed himself to smile, beaming as he charged towards the pavilion with fists clenched. His father, Ed, watched in disbelief from a hospitality suite in the Grandstand, and his team-mates stood to applaud from the balcony, all grinning as they shared in the unlikely success of a man averaging 6.71 in the County Championship this season.Atkinson had dinner with Zak Crawley and Harry Brook on Thursday night, and was gently ribbed by them about the prospect of reaching three figures. “There was a bit of pressure on from them, but thankfully I got there,” he said. “It was just pure elation. I was so happy, so relieved. It was a pretty surreal moment.Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes applaud Gus Atkinson’s century•Getty Images”I was pretty happy [last night],” Atkinson added. “I’d scored 70-odd already, so I tried to not put too much pressure on myself: if I got out, I got out. I just wanted to continue to play the way that I played yesterday. Thankfully it came off for me today. I feel like I hit quite a few boundaries today, so it was nice just to get there quite quickly this morning.”The innings put Atkinson in esteemed company, making him one of six men to take both a ten-for and hit a hundred at Lord’s, following his 12-wicket debut haul against West Indies last month. This was also the first century from England’s lower order (No. 8-11) for more than a decade, since Matt Prior in 2013; and, excluding innings which involved nightwatchmen, the first since Stuart Broad’s 169 against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010.Related

  • Root 143 repels Sri Lanka before Atkinson 74* turns screw

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  • Kamindu fights for Sri Lanka but England seize control after Atkinson hundred

That Broad averaged 15.64 after that hundred, with eight fifties and no hundreds in his 199 subsequent innings, should be a reminder that Atkinson will not always have things this easy. For all his poise, he was up against a four-man attack with 57 previous Test caps between them: batting may look a little less straightforward next year when he comes up against India and Australia.Atkinson, however, does not seem the type to get ideas above his station, and made clear that he is not looking for a promotion. “I’m happy at eight; eight is good,” he said. “I haven’t thought about it too much… obviously missing Stokesy this series gave me the opportunity to bat No. 8, and thankfully I scored a hundred. Going forward, obviously I’d like to bat as high as possible.”I’ve been frustrated with my batting this year: I haven’t really scored many runs for Surrey at all. But I know how good a player I can be. I feel like I’ve got so much natural ability with the bat and I felt like I was moving really well and hitting the ball really cleanly. It was just one of those days where it comes off for you.”In the long term, his emergence with the bat might enable England to make bold decisions away from home: Atkinson becoming a regular contributor from No. 8 would empower them to leave Chris Woakes out overseas without unduly compromising the balance of their side. More immediately, it has put them on the cusp of a fifth win in a row, and a second series victory of the summer.

BPL primer: Chittagong Kings back, Comilla Victorians out, Rangpur Riders flying high

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Also: more Pakistani talent, local Under-19s on show, and questions over Shakib and Mashrafe’s participation

Mohammad Isam28-Dec-2024

Who will challenge Barishal for the title?

Fortune Barishal have another strong line-up for 2025. Tamim Iqbal leads a team that is nicknamed the “national team”, for the number of Bangladesh stars in it. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah continue to be their middle-order mainstays, while Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy have joined this year.Ariful Islam is their exciting new batting talent. Rishad Hossain and Ebadot Hossain add to their bowling strength. Their overseas firepower includes Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nabi, Kyle Mayers, Dawid Malan and Pathum Nissanka.Rangpur Riders, meanwhile, are cock-a-hoop after their successful Global Super League (GSL) campaign. Alongside the likes of Nurul Hasan, Soumya Sarkar and Mahedi Hasan, they have enlisted Alex Hales and Saurabh Netravalkar. They also have Pakistani recruits Khushdil Shah and Iftikhar Ahmed, and Afghanistan’s AM Ghazanfar and Sediqullah Atal.Durbar Rajshahi and Dhaka Capitals are new franchises while Chittagong Kings are making a comeback. All three have acquired exciting cricketers from home and abroad. Khulna Tigers and Sylhet Strikers are banking heavily on local talent.

No Comilla this season

The record four-time BPL champions are missing this year because of their political connections. AHM Mustafa Kamal, the former ICC and BCB president who owned Comilla Victorians was also Bangladesh’s finance minister during the Awami League reign. That government has been overthrown and Kamal has been missing from the country since its fall on August 5.Dhaka and Barishal have signed three players each from last season’s Comilla squad. Dhaka took Litton Das, Mustafizur Rahman and Johnson Charles, while Barishal now have Towhid Hridoy, Tanvir Islam and Rishad Hossain.Chittagong have taken Moeen Ali and Aliss Al Islam while Khulna have signed up Mahidul Islam and Imrul Kayes. Jaker Ali, who got into the Bangladesh team last season after his exploits for Comilla, is going to be playing for his native Sylhet this time.

BPL free of PSL schedule clash

The good news for the BPL this year is that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has shifted from its usual February window to April and May. That frees up the BPL franchises to sign Pakistani cricketers for possibly the entire season. Before the tournament begins, they have signed up 20 Pakistani cricketers including Shaheen Afridi. The BPL however will continue to clash with the ILT20 (January 11 to February 9), SA20 (January 9 to February 8) and Big Bash League (December 15 to January 27).

NCL T20s provide BPL with starlets

The BCB holding the National Cricket League (NCL) T20s just before the BPL has been a blessing for plenty of cricketers and franchises. The tournament was a success in itself as local players finally found a competitive ground to showcase their many skills. The franchises, as a result of the tournament, find most of their players in form – or at least with match time under their belts – going into the BPL.Thanks to the NCL T20s, the franchises were also able to identify and pick up young talent: five Under-19 cricketers including captain Azizul Hakim and pacer Iqbal Hossain Emon were signed. They were part of Bangladesh’s Under-19 Asia Cup winning squad recently and put up eye-catching performances at the NCL T20s.

What about the big five?

At the other end of the age scale is the uncertainty surrounding the participation of the veterans, Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza. Shakib – also formerly aligned with the Awami League government – couldn’t play his farewell Test in Bangladesh in October after students protested his return. Mashrafe has also not made a public appearance since that day, as he, like Shakib, was a member of parliament with the Awami League. Mashrafe has more substantial political connections, so it remains to be seen if he will turn out for Sylhet Strikers. Shakib is part of the Chittagong Kings squad.Tamim meanwhile continues to lead the Barishal franchise, having led them to their maiden BPL triumph last season. He will have Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur in his team. Tamim credited Mushfiqur for his contributions as a fielding captain last season. Mahmudullah retired from T20Is earlier this year, but is in a rich vein of form in ODIs.

Ravindra and Bracewell win the middle overs to knock out Bangladesh

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Twice New Zealand made comebacks in this game, Bracewell leading the recovery with the ball, and Ravindra getting the job done with the bat

Mohammad Isam24-Feb-20251:45

Steyn: Class players like Ravindra hit good balls for four

If joint Player-of-the-Match awards were in vogue, Rachin Ravindra might well have been receiving it alongside Michael Bracewell on Monday night in Rawalpindi. Bracewell was given the award for his pinpoint offspin that helped New Zealand keep Bangladesh to 236 for 9. Ravindra then boosted his reputation as one of the game’s brightest young talents with a 105-ball 112.Ravindra also extended his love affair with ICC 50-over tournaments; all four of his ODI centuries so far have come at ICC events. The first three came in India at the 2023 World Cup, before his sparkling century in this game, which shut the door on Bangladesh and put New Zealand in the semi-finals.Curiously, Ravindra might not have played this game at all. He had missed New Zealand’s previous three ODIs over the last couple of weeks after taking a blow to the forehead while fielding in the Pakistan tri-series. But Daryl Mitchell reported sick on the morning of the Bangladesh match, and Ravindra was back.Related

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He walked out to bat when they were 15 for 2 in the fourth over, Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana looking red hot with the new ball. He played straight to blunt them, had a bit of luck when Bangladesh missed a direct hit that would have ended his stay on 25, lost Devon Conway at the other end in the 16th over, lost his rhythm at times, but, importantly for New Zealand, kept at it. Having the experienced Tom Latham for company for most his innings was a huge plus.”It was a little bit of a tricky wicket at times,” Ravindra said afterwards. “The ball held up in there. They bowled some good stuff at times. Tommy is a great man to have in the middle. He has so much experience. It was about building a partnership and to try to take it deep. The beauty of chasing 240 is that you don’t need to push the accelerator too much on good wickets and fast outfields. We were just trying to play good cricket shots and work on five-run blocks.”There were definitely times when I struggled for timing. They strung together dot balls. They bowled really well. They didn’t give any width. The beauty of batting in one-day cricket is that it goes through ebbs and flows for a long period. There are periods when you can play freely, and then there are periods when you don’t.”I was leaning on Tommy a lot in those periods. We kept each other accountable, knowing what our options are. I tried to play good cricket shots, got into good positions and, when they missed their lengths, I was able to hit the gaps. I think I didn’t force the ball, which is why it looked a bit simple. It is definitely not simple when you are out there.”Rachin Ravindra embraces Tom Latham, his main support on the night•ICC/Getty ImagesLatham and Ravindra added 129 off 136 in partnership, and when they were separated in the 39th over, New Zealand needed just 36 more. They had steadied the ship and won the battle in the crucial middle overs, hardly letting the Bangladesh spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Rishad Hossain settle on a length.For Bangladesh, it was the reverse. They had reached a solid 97 for 2 after 20 overs, and New Zealand might have been wondering if they had made the right choice in choosing to bowl first. Then Bracewell took control of the middle overs, and the game. He had been brought into the attack early – the ninth over – to counter the left-hand pair of Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto. He had Tanzid caught at midwicket with his second ball of the match, and then kept things tight, but Bangladesh were still decently placed. That changed over the course of Bracewell’s next four overs, which produced figures of 3 for 5.”Bangladesh started really well in the powerplay. I think their openers kept the tempo going. We were under the pump on a good wicket. But Beasty [Bracewell] put the chokehold on, bowled the good balls. He was amazing with his consistency,” Ravindra said. “I think Beasty bowled out of his skin today. His development as a cricketer in the last few years has been amazing to watch. We have played together five or six years ago in Wellington. He is learning his craft so well. His consistency gives so much depth to our spin attack. [Mitchell] Santner is one of the best in the world and having someone like Michael supplementing him is great.”Bracewell finished with career-best figures of 4 for 26, having bowled 43 dots. Bangladesh played out 178 dots overall to New Zealand’s 142. That made a difference. New Zealand had recovered twice in the game, both times in the middle overs. That, certainly, made a big difference.

'He's playing beautifully' – Is Green Australia's new T20 middle-order fulcrum?

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Green has made three half-centuries in his last three T20Is when batting at No. 4, all in successful chases, and has struck 14 sixes across those innings

Alex Malcolm24-Jul-20251:38

Watch – Green hammers back-to-back fifties for Australia

Fitting the giant puzzle piece of Cameron Green into Australia’s best XI in each of the three formats has been one of the more vexing challenges the national selectors and coaching staff have faced across the all-rounder’s career to date.They have yet to find the right spot for him in Tests, with their latest attempt to settle him at No. 3 returning some dividends after previous stints at No. 6 and No. 4. But whether he stays there remains to be seen especially when he returns to bowling later in the year.They aren’t the only team to have trouble finding his optimal role in T20 cricket specifically. He batted in four different positions in his first seven BBL games for Perth Scorchers. He debuted for Australia in T20Is at No.6 but then opened in his next seven games.Related

  • 'Warming Heady's seat' – Maxwell expects opening role will be short-lived

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  • Australia to trial new combinations as T20 World Cup build-up begins

  • Australia's Ashes questions: Open season, two allrounders, four quicks?

Mumbai Indians (MI) paid AUD 3.15 million for his services ahead of the 2023 IPL and bounced him through four different spots, despite having success at No.3 including scoring an unbeaten 100 off 47 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.MI released him and Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on the challenge in 2024 and used him in four different positions including batting in three different spots in his last three games of that season.But as Australia looks to regenerate their T20I line-up ahead of the 2026 World Cup following the retirements of David Warner and Matthew Wade, Green looks like he may have become the new fulcrum at No.4.Once the exclusive domain of Glenn Maxwell, who now looks set for a slightly different role as a specialist spin-hitter in certain scenarios given his indifferent play against pace bowling in recent times, Green looks to be thriving in what is arguably one of the toughest roles in short-form cricket.Four of his last six innings have come at No. 4, either side of a ten-month layoff due to back surgery. In those innings he has scored 36 off 29 and 62 not out off 39 against Scotland last September, and 51 off 26 and 56 not out off 32 against West Indies in the first two T20Is in Jamaica. The last three of those innings have come in successful chases. Against Scotland he walked in during the powerplay at 18 for 2 with Australia needing 150.Cameron Green and Josh Inglis put up a big stand•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty ImagesAgainst West Indies in the first T20I, he walked out in the powerplay again and watched Australia slump to 78 for 4 chasing 190. In the second one, he again entered in the powerplay chasing 173 and shared a record third-wicket stand with Josh Inglis.”He’s playing beautifully,” Inglis said after Tuesday’s win at Sabina Park. “He’s been champing at the bit for this series. At the end of the Test series he was so excited to get into the colours, and he obviously hasn’t played much T20 cricket in the last few years. So I think to do what he’s done so far in this series has been outstanding. He’s put the bowlers under pressure, but I think he’s read the situations of the game really well also.”There has been some luck involved. But what has been noticeable is Green’s ability to hit both pace and spin from the outset. In game one, he walked out to face a fired-up Alzarri Joseph who was bowling quicker than anyone had in the game and launched three of his first five balls for six whilst getting pinned on the shoulder in between. There was a sizeable gulf between the way Green handled the pace and bounce compared to Maxwell at the other end.

“He’s put the bowlers under pressure, but I think he’s read the situations of the game really well also.”Josh Inglis on Cameron Green

But when spin was thrown at Green and Mitchell Owen straight out of the drinks break, Green picked up three twos into the leg side with good placement and sharp running to complement Owen’s power at the other end before later unleashing himself.Green has hit nine sixes in the series out of Australia’s 29 across the two games so far. They have out-hit West Indies, who won two World T20 titles with a power-based brand, by eight across the two matches. Green has struck 16 sixes across his last four innings at No.4 in T20Is. What will impress Australia’s leaders the most is his fearlessness, especially when contrasted against his tentativeness at times in his Test career. His form at the back-end of the Test series in brutally challenging conditions, combined with his experience in the IPL will have no doubt boosted his confidence ahead of this series.It is very early in Australia’s build towards the T20 World Cup next year in India and Sri Lanka. They have three more games in this series plus another 12 (and possibly more) before the tournament starts. But one of Australia’s key targets across those games was to bed down a middle-order combination that could succeed the one that won them the 2021 T20 World Cup.A power combination of Green, Tim David, Owen and Maxwell in some kind of order looks ominous for opponents, with Marcus Stoinis still in consideration to come back in at some stage. That would follow a likely top three of Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and Inglis. Green could be the man to gel it all together if his form at No.4 continues.

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