Their arrival on the world stage is a watershed moment for women’s cricket and all 15 players know it

Annesha Ghosh in Perth21-Feb-2020″Long-on, long-off, Gade. Long-on, long-off…” rings out a reminder from Thailand’s captain Sornnarin Tippoch, who gestures at her batting partner Chanida Sutthiruang, to play in the ‘v’ more often. For the best part of this nets session at the WACA, Thailand’s first one at the venue that hosts their T20 World Cup debut on Saturday, Sutthiruang, the 2019 ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year, has needed little reminding. To Tippoch’s suggestion, though, she pays heed almost instantly as the next two balls are driven deftly down the ground. Within the ‘v’.The first of those two deliveries was bowled by Ireland’s Lara Maritz. In September last year, Maritz, with bat in hand, stood as the final barrier between Thailand and their entry into the semi-final of the T20 World Cup Qualifier. Ireland needed three off the last ball, but Maritz, on strike, would end up being stumped and Thailand one step closer to qualifying for the 2020 T20 World Cup.”They were the better team on the day, but this team looks even better than the one we played in the Qualifier,” Maritz, who moved to Australia after the Qualifier, says. She has been in touch with many of the Thai players since the tournament. “Something that looks quite different is the intent of their batters. They’ve always been a very nice bunch, but I don’t think I’ve seen them this confident. It just shows how hungry they are to do well at such a big stage.”Maritz’s assessment is testament to the focus that runs within the Thailand team, almost imperceptibly. Such has been the enormity of the elation, warranted in every way, around their impending debut alone, that unlike the build-up around most of their opponents in this ten-team World Cup, their quiet determination has drawn little commentary. Their tunnel vision, though, is the very virtue that has brought them to threshold of the biggest moment in their career, a watershed moment in the women’s game.

Looking at us, maybe Singapore or Malaysia or Myanmar will think, ‘Yes, even we can do it.’ That’s how cricket in our region will grow, and that’s how the sport will grow, and that will be an achievement for us when they get thereShan Kader, the Cricket Association of Thailand Development Manager

“We have one goal: to play good cricket and play fearlessly as we have played through the recent past,” Tippoch would tell ESPNcricinfo the previous night, two hours after landing in Perth from Adelaide, where they played their only warm-up, against New Zealand.”We are not looking at England as England or, say West Indies as [former] world champions; we are just looking at them as opponents we want to win matches against,” Tippoch adds. “If we get a good result, it’s great, if we don’t, it’s experience. We will keep growing, keep dreaming. We will work hard to go to New Zealand [next year, for the 50-over World Cup]. Our hard work doesn’t stop here.A bowling allrounder, Tippoch, 33, has led Thailand in all of their 35 T20Is, and many more before the ICC awarded international status to T20s between Member nations across men’s and women’s cricket, the Member women’s teams getting international status at the 2018 Asia Cup. Her first appearance for Thailand, though, came way back in 2007, in an Asian Cricket Council tournament, but under vastly different circumstances.”Two months of practice,” she says, smiling. “That was all the experience I had of playing cricket going into that 2007 tournament. I was studying sports science at the university at the time, but wanted to seriously try out cricket. So, I played it and we lost the tournament, but I was convinced I don’t want to play cricket for just two months. I knew I had to learn more, grow more.”Sornnarin Tippoch and Chanida Sutthiruang are all smiles after the win•Peter Della PennaMeanwhile, the lead-up to this T20 World Cup has seen many Thailand players engage in centre-wicket practice, match simulation, face quick bowlers in the range of 130kph on a tour of Pune, the home town of their head coach Harshal Pathak, last November and then spend time in Brisbane during December-January to acclimatise and hone their skills further.The packed schedule since the Qualifiers, says Tippoch, has brought the players positives aplenty. For players like Sutthiruang, some of those benefits go even beyond simple runs and wickets. “I come from a sports background,” she says. Her sister and aunt were sprinters while her father played football and sepak takraw – a variant of foot volleyball – locally. “But my family didn’t quite know what cricket is until we qualified for the World Cup. Now that we are here they want to know more about the game, understand what we do, what a World Cup means.”Both Tippoch and Sutthiruang, much like the majority of Thailand’s 15-member squad, hail from families with a farming background, often having to live hand to mouth due to dwindling growth in the sector or inclement harvesting conditions. Such financial hardships with the players’ community have often directly led to what, Shan Kader, the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) Development Manager, calls “loss of assets”.”At one point, we found ourselves in a position where we started losing a lot of players because they’d simply choose to give up the sport,” Kader says. “It takes about 10 years to become a good cricketer in Thailand. We pick and train many girls through the university level, so at that point when they are faced with having to decide whether cricket is a viable career option financially, many of them go away from the game.”To retain talent, the Thailand board started offering contracts to its women’s players in 2008-09. Tippoch and Nattaya Boochatham, both now senior members in the side, became the first two beneficiaries. By the end of 2019, the figure had peaked to 11, all of the contracted players subsequently making the World Cup squad.According to Kader, the retention of promising players lay at the heart of Thailand’s journey to the World Cup.”We have done it with a full ethnic side; that’s a big, big achievement,” Kader, who hopes Thailand’s qualification might inspire other South-east Asian countries to support home-grown talent, says. “Looking at us, maybe Singapore or Malaysia or Myanmar will think, ‘Yes, even we can do it.’ That’s how cricket in our region will grow, and that’s how the sport will grow, and that will be an achievement for us when they get there.”For now, though, Thailand’s focus remains on matching potential with performance on the field of play.”I dream of playing in the WBBL, and even in the Women’s IPL, when it picks up,” Sutthiruang says. “There’s always talk in the team about playing in such leagues. Our coach says at least five players from our squad have the talent to play in overseas leagues. If we can perform well at the World Cup, some of us can be snapped up by the franchises, and that would be a great chapter in our journey.”

He is leading the run-charts for Saurashtra for the second straight season

Hemant Brar in Rajkot29-Feb-2020″You scored 700-800 runs last season…””Eight hundred and fifty-six [854].””This season also…””Approaching 750.””So, what do you think is lacking for an India A selection?””I guess you should ask that to the selectors whenever you meet them next.”This was Saurashtra’s Sheldon Jackson after a measured 69 not out on the first day of the semi-final against Gujarat in Rajkot.The day had started with Gujarat opting to bowl and Chintan Gaja putting the Saurashtra openers in trouble by consistently taking the ball away from a fourth-stump line. Twice Gaja was unlucky not to have Kishan Parmar’s wicket; the first time he overstepped when the batsman was caught in the slips, and then later Roosh Kalaria dropped a simple chance at long leg.Despite that, Gujarat managed to reduce the hosts to 102 for 3, with two wickets in back-to-back overs. With his side in a precarious situation, Jackson walked in. While the new-ball threat was over, Axar Patel was not only bowling miserly but also looking increasingly threatening, and had figures of 16-10-12-2 at one stage.It was a typical Axar spell, attacking the stumps and hurrying the batsmen with his pace. Jackson had a tricky task at hand. He not only had to avert the Axar threat but also stabilise his team. And how did he do that? In typical Jackson style, smashing two sixes in the spinner’s next two overs.Parthiv Patel brought Gaja back from the other end, and the seamer once again got purchase from the pitch. Jackson, though, showed great restraint against him, by either defending or shouldering arms. At one point, he had played ten dots in a row against Gaja.Playing at No. 4, Vishvaraj Jadeja supported Jackson well and the two took Saurashtra to 162 to 3 with their 60-run stand. But Arzan Nagwaswalla’s two wickets in two balls left Jackson with another rescue task.This time he found an ally in Chirag Jani. The duo faced a slew of dot balls during their unbroken stand of 55 but Jackson kept finding the odd boundary to keep the scoreboard moving. In the process, he brought up his half-century as well, and took the side to 217 for 5 at stumps.On a day, when an otherwise batting-friendly Rajkot pitch assisted seamers, Jackson’s knock kept the hosts in the contest. But with the second new ball only six overs old, even he knows the job is half done. But what he doesn’t know is why he hasn’t been selected for India A despite a good last season.He was the leading run-scorer for Saurashtra with a tally of 854 runs at an average of 47.44. In fact, no Saurashtra player made the cut for India A despite the side reaching the finals, and that led to an outburst on Twitter. This time, he is currently on 749 runs at an even better average of 57.61.”Because I don’t know [why I don’t get selected for India A] and I don’t want to get into all that, but next time, whenever you meet them [selectors], do ask them and if they give an answer, tell me as well.”But did he ask the selectors himself?”No, not formally, not even informally. I haven’t asked anyone why I am not getting picked.”Perhaps it’s the competition?”How many players score 700-800 runs consistently every year, can you give me a record of that,” Jackson argues. “How many such players are there in India? Not even a handful. You see Jaydev [Unadkat], [on a] flat wicket he takes five, seaming wicket he takes five, turning track he takes five. We are doing our bit. Getting picked, not getting picked is not in our hands.”Talking about the ongoing match, Jackson said with the top order not sticking around for long, and Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja unavailable, he had to shelve his aggressive game.”You see we get Chintu [Pujara] and Ravindra very on and off. When they are there, I can play my game and express myself more. When they are not there, I have to play these kind of innings where I have to construct and have to carry certain players with me because the more I bat, the more I make others bat, the more the team benefits.”But is he happy with his team’s position?”I will say 20-30 more runs would have made the total look decent. Had it been 240-245, we would have been happier. Let’s see how it pans out from here.”

Bumrah’s yorker, Jordan’s ‘long’ run, Agarwal’s effort in the deep, Ferguson’s rockets, and more

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Oct-2020Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, DubaiBumrah nails Rahul with a yorker – 17.3 overs
This was the ball that swung the match the Mumbai Indians’ way. It was the 18th over. Jasprit Bumrah had been hit for 15 in his previous over. KL Rahul was on 75 and in command. The Kings XI needed just 27 from the last three overs. Off the third ball, Bumrah went wide off the crease, and pitched the perfect yorker with a hint of reverse swing. Rahul moved in line to cover off stump, but the almost-149-kph ball swerved past the outside edge of the closed bat-face to hit off stump.Coulter-Nile denies boundary to Hooda – 19.1 overs
The Kings XI now needed just nine runs from the final six balls, and Trent Boult lined up to bowl. Deepak Hooda moved quickly wide outside his off stump to pick a fuller-length delivery that was angled away. Hooda thought he had flicked firmly as the ball was flying over square leg for a certain boundary. Except it did not – Nathan Coulter-Nile flung himself to his wrong side (left) to stop it, even attempting to pluck the catch with a reverse cup. Had Hooda succeeded, the target would have come down to five from five. But Coulter-Nile kept the Mumbai Indians in the contest.Chris Jordan took a long route while trying to complete the second run•HotstarJordan takes circuitous route – 19.6 overs
The Kings XI needed just two runs from the final delivery to win. Getting close to the stumps, Boult delivered a yorker at Chris Jordan’s toes. Jordan did well to push the ball to the empty mid-on area and immediately called for two even as Kieron Pollard, standing well inside the boundary at long-on, charged in. And Jordan, instead of running in a straight line after completing the first run, decided to take a long route back, which gave Quinton de Kock enough time to neatly collect a powerful throw from Pollard and whip off the bails. A straight dash, and Jordan should have made it. The match was a tie. It was the second Super Over on Sunday, the first time the IPL had experienced two on the same day.Mohammed Shami bowled the Super Over for Kings XI Punjab•BCCIShami’s own super over – Super Over 1
De Kock and Rohit Sharma just needed to get five runs. Mohammed Shami ran in for the first ball, went wide off the crease, and pitched the perfect off-stump yorker that de Kock could only nudge for a single. Having seen Bumrah succeed with the yorker and the low full-toss work in Mumbai’s Super Over, Shami’s aim, as Rahul revealed after the match, was to bowl six yorkers. He bowled five of them perfectly… It was one of the best overs of fast bowling, done with a smile and without any apparent show of nerves.KL Rahul runs Quinton de Kock out•BCCIRahul runs out de Kock – final ball, Super Over 1
It came down to two to win off the final ball for the Mumbai Indians, with de Kock facing Shami. He stuck to the wide yorker, and de Kock did well to chip it to the right of short cover where Ravi Bishnoi dived but failed to intercept the ball, allowing the batsmen to turn back for the second. Nicholas Pooran charged from the deep, but his throw was not on the stumps. But in a moment of brilliance, Rahul, who stood out in the field with the Orange Cap (for most runs this IPL) on, moved in front of the stumps, went down on his right knee to collect the off-target throw, and then flicked the ball back on to the stumps in the nick of time to beat the dive from de Kock. On to Super Over Part II.Mayank Agarwal converts a six into two with an acrobatic fielding effort•HotstarAgarwal denies Pollard 6 – Super Over 2
Jordan had done really well allowing just nine runs from his first five balls to the pair of Pollard and Hardik Pandya. Pollard was on strike for the final delivery, which turned out to be a low full toss. Pollard, ready deep in his crease, flicked the ball powerfully to deep midwicket, where Mayank Agarwal was stationed. As the ball looked set to go well over him, Agarwal used all his core strength to leap powerfully and somehow – stunningly – managed to connect with the ball mid-air and parry it back into the field of play. “Phenomenal,” Simon Doull, the commentator, burst on air – a befitting description of Agarwal’s fielding. It meant Pollard and Mumbai got just two runs instead of six and the target was 12.Chris Gayle puts one away in the second Super Over•BCCIGayle goes bam – Super Over 2
Chris Gayle did not waste time. The first ball from Boult was a low full toss, in the slot, and Gayle hacked it over deep midwicket for a big six. The pressure was off straightaway, and Agarwal finished the job with two crisp boundaries to put an end to a long but memorable Sunday.Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Abu DhabiUh oh… one of the most worrying sights for Eoin Morgan – Andre Russell looks like he’s injured himself•BCCIHobbling Russell takes match to Super Over – 19.6 overs
If the night was breathtaking, the evening had set things up nicely. Andre Russell has been hurting this IPL – both physically, and with his struggles on the field, especially with the bat. On Sunday, Russell had flopped with the bat again, hurt his hamstring in the field, but was sent back to bowl the final over of the match. The Sunrisers Hyderabad needed 18 runs. Their captain David Warner was at the crease with the young Abdul Samad. Russell’s first ball was a free hit. Warner then cracked three consecutive boundaries to bring the equation down to two runs from the final ball. Russell jogged in to hurl a 132-kph delivery into Warner’s pads. Warner attempted to hit down leg, but getting up taking just one leg-bye. Mumbai had just started batting in Dubai, as the match in Abu Dhabi entered the Super Over.Lockie Ferguson and Shubman Gill combine to dismiss Abdul Samad•HotstarFerguson-Gill combo denies Samad a six – 18.6 overs
This was the last over of the previous over. Samad had played a brilliant cameo, picking 23 from 14 balls. The last from Shivam Mavi was an easy low full toss that Samad hit flat towards deep midwicket. Lockie Ferguson, at deep square-leg, ran to this left, positioned himself sideways to pouch the catch safely with two hands just inches inside the boundary line. But with momentum threatening to put him off balance, Ferguson noticed Shubman Gill was close enough, so he lobbed the ball neatly to his team-mate, who completed the catch even as the New Zealander crossed the boundary line.Fast, furious, irresistible – Lockie Ferguson rearranges the stumps•BCCIFerguson rocks Sunrisers with three-ball trick – Super Over 1
Looking like a contestant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ferguson knocked the Sunrisers out in just three deliveries in the Super Over. First, he pitched a length delivery in the high 140s to knock back Warner’s off stump, and two deliveries – and two runs – later, bowled Samad with a brilliant change of pace. The target for the Knight Riders was just three runs.

The rebuilding of the national side, young players to watch out for, and other talking points

Firdose Moonda30-Oct-2020Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj and Rassie van der Dussen will be on an audition of sorts when South Africa’s four-day franchise competition kicks off on Monday. The quintet is considered to be in the running for the national Test captaincy and although only Bavuma is leading his franchise, the form and influence the rest have on their teams may play a role in who new convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang chooses for the most prestigious job in South African cricket.Mpitsang, who starts work full-time on Monday, will also be looking for an opening batsman after last season saw Pieter Malan fill in for an injured Markram, an opening bowler after Vernon Philander’s retirement, and potentially a middle-order batsman depending on how much longer Faf du Plessis wants to play international cricket. All that makes this season’s domestic competition even more crucial for the rebuilding of the national side. Here’s our team-wise preview and what to expect when things kick off.LionsThe defending champions have bulked up their squad with bowlers from the Cape, including Sisanda Magala and Lutho Sipamla from the Warriors and Tladi Bokako from the Cobras. They already have Beuran Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius and Kagiso Rabada in their ranks, which gives them an arsenal of fearsome quicks to call on at the spiciest pitch in the country, the Wanderers. Though they won’t want it to be too green and mean as many Lions batsmen need to be among the runs for the national side. Bavuma, who played only one Test last summer, leads the pack but van der Dussen and Reeza Hendricks are not far behind.Last season standing: WinnersCaptain: Temba Bavuma Coach: Wandile GwavuKeep an eye on: Wiaan Mulder did not feature for South Africa in any format last summer as he battled injury, and his team-mate Dwaine Pretorius got the Test allrounders spot and Andile Phehlukwayo the white-ball role. But at 22, and with a strong skillset, Mulder is one to watch out for the future.TitansThe Titans lost their coach Mark Boucher to national duty in the middle of last season but managed a strong second-place finish under Mandla Mashimbyi, who has taken over full-time. They are the franchise that could hold the key to the Test top-three, with Markram, Elgar and Theunis de Bruyn all calling SuperSport Park their home. Further down the order, Heinrich Klaasen also has national ambitions. Lungi Ngidi headlines their attack which includes the experience of Junior Dala and the youth of Lizaad Williams, Okuhle Cele, Dayyaan Galiem, Matthew Arnold and Ryan Cartwright.Aiden Markram pulls•Getty ImagesLast season standing: Runners-upCaptain: Grant ThomsonCoach: Mandla MashimbyiKeep an eye on: Thando Ntini moved upcountry from the Cape over the winter and the Highveld conditions are expected to bring out the best in him. But we may have to wait a while to see what Ntini has to offer as he is nursing a hamstring injury.WarriorsJon-Jon Smuts’ elevation to the national team meant the Warriors selected a new four-day captain for this summer. Yaseen Vallie, who is also among the senior-most members of the squad, has been asked to lead the franchise’s red-ball team. The line-up also features last summer’s second-highest run-scorer Edward Moore, who opens the batting, Rudi Second, who brings experience, and youngsters Sinethemba Qeshile and Matthew Breetzke, both of whom are regarded as future internationals. Having lost Sipamla and Magala to the Lions and Andrew Birch to retirement, the challenge for the Warriors will be to have an attack that can step up. Anrich Nortje, Wihan Lubbe, Mthiwekhaya Nabe’s roles will be crucial in that regard.Anrich Nortje lets out a roar in celebration•BCCILast season standing: ThirdCaptain: Yaseen VallieCoach: Robin PetersonKeep an eye on: Glenton Stuurman has been touted as a ready-replacement for Philander because of his ability to move the ball both ways and his miserly average.KnightsThe only franchise with a new coach this season found the highest-profile one they could. Allan Donald has returned to Bloemfontein to take on his first head coaching gig at home and has a talented group of players to work with. Young tearaway Gerald Coetzee, who was named as one of ESPNcricinfo’s 20 players to watch in the 2020s, will lead the attack, which also includes Migael Pretorius, who has moved from Johannesburg. Equally exciting is their batting line-up which has the experience of Pite van Biljon and Farhaan Behardien, who had left the Titans to go Kolpak but has since returned to South Africa, and youngsters Matthew Kleinveldt, Jacques Snyman and Wandile Makwetu.According to Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee has the potential to be a ‘South African great’•Getty ImagesLast season standing: FourthCaptain: Pite van BiljonCoach: Allan DonaldKeep an eye on: Raynard van Tonder was the leading run-scorer of the tournament last season and must be among the contenders for a Test call-up, whether as an opener or a No. 3.DolphinsIn Durban, the Dolphins have been steadily building towards becoming a more competitive unit and they have the ingredients to be serious challengers this summer. David Miller has expressed an interest in pushing for a Test spot but Keegan Petersen, who was selected for net sessions under Jacques Kallis’ tutelage last summer, may beat him there. Their attack revolves around their spinners, which include Maharaj, last season’s leading wicket-taker, Prenelan Subrayen, and two-time Test cap Senuran Muthusamy, but there’s a batch of quicks bubbling under. Almost two-metre tall Kerwin Mungroo, Daryn Dupavillon and Lifa Ntanzi make up the pace pack.Keshav Maharaj celebrates a wicket•BCCILast season standing: FifthCaptain: Marques AckermanCoach: Imraan Khan Keep an eye on: Ackerman and Grant Roelofsen were respectively the third and the sixth leading run-scorers last season and although neither of their names has come up in the public discussion around the Test team, the numbers may do the talking for them and force their case.CobrasAs the only team that did not win a single four-day match last summer, the Cobras will enter this season with a point to prove. They’ve revamped their squad with the acquisitions of top-order batsman Tony de Zorzi, allrounder Corbin Bosch and offspinner Imran Manack, all from the Titans, and allrounders Calvin Savage, from the Dolphins, and Onke Nyaku, from the Warriors. They’ve also ploughed their own depths to sign Jonathan Bird, Ziyaad Abrahams and Isma-eel Gafieldien. In the Malan brothers, Janneman and Pieter, new captain Zubayr Hamza and Jason Smith, the Cobras have all the makings of a strong side but they’ll want victories to show for it.Zubayr Hamza in action for the Cape Cobras•Cape CobrasLast season standing: SixthCaptain: Zubayr Hamza Coach: Ashwell PrinceKeep an eye on: George Linde was named the South African Cricketers’ Association’s (SACA) Most Valuable Player last season, in recognition of his all-round excellence across formats. Linde earned a Test cap in India last October and although Maharaj will be difficult to dislodge from the South African side, Linde provides strong competition.

Fast bowler also talks about the difficulty of having multiple quarantines ahead of the tournament in Dubai

Annesha Ghosh03-Nov-2020India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami is looking forward to playing alongside West Indies allrounder Deandra Dottin, Bangladesh spinner Salma Khatun and Thailand opener Nattakan Chantam – all first-time overseas participants in the Women’s T20 Challenge – when the three-team tournament begins in Sharjah on November 4.”I’ve never played with Deandra Dottin previously. This is going to be the first time I share the dressing room with her. [I’m] really excited to play with her,” Goswami, who will turn out for the Trailblazers in the four-match series, said to ESPNcricinfo. “She is a specialist in this format – very strong, very tough. She can clear the boundaries [at will], and has a record hundred in this format. She is a very good cricketer and could be a great asset to our side.”While Dottin, one of 12 overseas players in this season’s T20 Challenge, will be expected to open the batting for the Trailblazers alongside captain Smriti Mandhana, Chantam, the 24-year-old Thailand opener who impressed with her quality stroke-making during her side’s maiden T20 World Cup appearance in Australia earlier this year, is also a contender for the role.ALSO READ: Bangladesh trailblazer Salma Khatun ‘feels lucky’ to play in the 2020 Women’s T20 Challenge“A girl coming from Thailand to play in our league, having done so well in the T20 World Cup – it’s a very good addition to the Women’s T20 Challenge,” Goswami said of Chantam, who during the T20 World Cup became the first Thailand player to score a fifty in a global tournament.”Earlier we never quite thought Thailand would go on to play the World Cup, but there they were, playing courageously and playing some good competitive cricket – there’s no doubt about it – it’s been a great journey for Thailand Women. More so because before their men’s team, their women’s team qualified for a cricket World Cup. A good batter from that World Cup team playing for Trailblazers is amazing. I am looking forward to knowing about her culture, her ideas, and bowling to her in the nets.”Goswami has been part of the Trailblazers side since the first year of the tournament, 2018, when her team suffered a last-ball defeat against the Supernovas in the one-off exhibition match in Mumbai.She is also looking forward to catching up with England left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone, the No. 1 T20I bowler in the world, and offspinner Khatun, the Bangladesh captain.

“The lockdown and quarantine taught me that all of us need to be very patient and value the little things in life that you would otherwise ignore”

“Last year I played alongside Sophie Ecclestone in this competition, and I am glad this time too she is in our squad,” Goswami said. “It’s a very interesting mix and I am looking forward to playing with them, and most importantly, learning about their cultures, their processes, how they prepare, especially for the big matches. I’d be open to incorporating those [new learnings] in my process.”A year shy of completing two decades on the international circuit, Goswami, who turns 38 later this month, last played a competitive match on March 8, in the inter-state senior women’s one-day league. That same day women’s international cricket came to a halt following the Australia vs India T20 World Cup final at the MCG as Covid-19 spread worldwide.India’s withdrawal from the white-ball tour of England in July meant Goswami, who retired from T20Is in 2018, and the rest of the India players were left without any opportunities to regroup until the three squads for the T20 Challenge landed in Dubai on October 21 (after a nine-day quarantine in Mumbai for the Indian players).Goswami said returning to training after the long break was difficult on the body.”I had to start from zero. Absolute zero. Initially my legs were feeling tired, body was a bit stiff, the swiftness of movements was missing slightly. For most of these past eight months, there were hardly any opportunities to bowl with your full, regular run-up, so I could only bowl with short run-ups, which doesn’t quite allow for the natural rhythm of a pacer. The intensity was not there.ALSO READ: Sophie Ecclestone chose WT20C over WBBL over bubble fatigue concerns“I had been trying to manage my training to whatever small degree was possible since August, in both my hometown, Chakdaha, and Kolkata [where she currently lives]. I would go to the ground early morning, around 6:30-7am, do my running at the Jadavpur University ground [in Kolkata]. For the majority of that period, it wasn’t 100% [intensity], but for athletes, something is better than nothing.”Another challenge for the players has been the multiple quarantines before they could meet up to practise in Dubai, forcing a break in physical training and also taxing the mind.”This schedule of quarantining in one’s [home] country and then in another, like we did in Mumbai and then in Dubai for around 14 days in total, can upset players’ rhythm. You resume training, regain some of that swiftness, then go into quarantine – your body has to do a lot of switching on and off. Whatever training you did for a month and a half back home, because of those 14 days, everything comes to a pause again.”You’re cut off from everyone, cooped up in one hotel room. It is really challenging, mentally. Sure, you can do a lot of phone and video calls with your squad members and family, but to remain confined within an unfamiliar space for over a week can certainly ask a lot of questions of you. It’s not easy. One needs a lot of mental courage to get to the other side of it. For cricketers or athletes, who are mostly outdoors, it can be particularly difficult.”ALSO READ: How the next generation of Thai women’s cricket is being shaped in PuneGoswami also pointed out that while the training sessions in Dubai would help all 45 cricketers participating in the T20 Challenge to get back in the groove, players from the subcontinent, South Africa and Thailand were at a disadvantage when compared to those from West Indies and England.”If you look [at the pandemic-affected women’s cricket landscape], most of us didn’t have any matches to play. Australia, England, New Zealand and even the West Indian girls have had some proper game time. We didn’t have any camps [either] in all these months in India because of the [Covid-19] situation. Those girls have some recent [muscle] memory of competitive cricket [to fall back on]. That could be a difference. Adaptability will be key.”As cricket moves into a bio-bubble era, Goswami said players would have to prepare to adapt to unfamiliar situations.”The lockdown and quarantine taught me that all of us need to be very patient and value the little things in life that you would otherwise ignore. That’s been the biggest lesson I’ve learnt. [It’s as] important for experienced players as youngsters to realise that you have no choice but to accept the situation.”We don’t know how long this might last in sport or cricket – quarantine, bubbles, and all these protocols – but the reality is, this is how things are for us for now. If you start cribbing, it’s not going to help. I just kept telling myself that it’s better to look forward to what you love the most: to play cricket. That’s the best motivation you can give yourself.”

For one thing, they’re both cool

Alan Gardner16-Apr-2021It’s that time of year again, when cricket’s alpha and omega go head to head to win hearts and minds. On the one hand, a 130-year-old first-class period piece, steeped in history and tradition (actual market value: negligible); on the other, a plucky T20 tamasha entering its teenage years and desperately seeking any gulp of publicity it can get. If you see Lalit Modi, please tell him to get in touch.Currently, both the County Championship and the IPL are being played out in echoing stadiums to an audience of two security men and a sniffer dog – a situation, it’s fair to say, they are more used to at Wantage Road than the Wankhede. But while we might tend to focus on the obvious differences between the competitions, and the types of fan they each attract, there are actually plenty of endearing similarities in the familiar rituals and rhythms that accompany the start of each new season.Related

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The IPL may have all the street cred, but county cricket is so cool, it actively disdains popularity. So cool it’s ice-cold, in fact – the Championship in April is almost comically inhospitable to players, never mind fans (when they are allowed in). Two games in last week’s opening round were snowed off, which is a concept so farcical it needs no further embellishment for inclusion in a semi-humorous monthly column. But for many of us, there’s nothing so warming as the sight of professional sportsmen standing shivering in a field, bobble hats on heads, hands thrust into pockets, hoping the ball doesn’t come their way.Franchise T20 is more needy but no less predictable. Nothing tells you that another IPL is in the offing more surely than videos of gormless, grinning white blokes doing the lightbulb dance, the shoulder wiggle, and sundry other Bollywood-inspired acts of cultural misappropriation. The blizzard in this case is one of #content (don’t forget the hashtag), be it lavish kit unboxings, inspirational Insta montages, candid nets footage, even promos for branded face masks.But just when you’re considering a spot of social-media distancing, up pops Ricky Ponting giving a team talk like he’s rehearsing for Al Pacino’s role in the remake of , or Rahul Dravid coming over all Michael Douglas in to promote some app or other, and suddenly the chills are back – and not just because you left a window open while watching the county livestream earlier.Society would tell you that you have to pick a side, join the jocks or the nerds (you can decide among yourselves which is which). But like peanut butter and jelly, or Richie and Greigy, the Light Roller thinks they can and should be enjoyed at the same time. And if high school movies have taught us anything, it’s that tribal loyalties are only worthwhile if they can be transcended for the greater good. (Besides, cricket fans are clearly mathletes at heart, so we should therefore all stick together.)

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Continuing with the theme, there’s a new kid in class and once again the rumours are flying. “Every generation is afraid of the music that comes from the next,” says Lindsay in , and it turns out the same, pretty much, holds true of cricket formats. No, genuinely, we’re all terrified of the Hundred. The latest flash of Loads-o-Balls inspiration is that “wickets” could be replaced by “outs” in order to broaden the game’s appeal. But why stop there? With just a subtle tweak of the size and configuration of the stumps, you could just as easily call them “goals”. Shorten the game a bit more, say, to around 90 minutes. Maybe increase the size of the ball, so that it’s easier to see from the stands, do away with bats (an expensive “barrier” to entry) and encourage more kicking. Before long, the ECB will be running the most popular sport in the country.

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Fakhar Zaman said, “The fault was mine as I was too busy looking out for Haris Rauf.” Temba Bavuma said, “It was very clever from Quinny.” The MCC said, “It’s up to the umpires to decide.” Various others weighed in on “the obvious deception” that was “completely against the spirit of the game”. Having observed Quinton de Kock’s supervillain smirk at the run-out of Zaman during the second Johannesburg ODI, it’s easy to see why people started asking questions. But was it fake fielding or fake news? The Light Roller can’t help feeling the obvious answer is being overlooked. Let’s put it this way: de Kock might be viewed as a genius in certain regards, but he’s not exactly Niccolo Machiavelli, is he? No further questions, your honour.

Northern Diamonds begin quest to go one better, but other contenders could emerge

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2021Southern VipersLast season: Winners
Director of Cricket: Adam Carty
Coach: Charlotte Edwards
Captain:Georgia Adams
The Vipers stormed to the title in the inaugural season of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, winning all six group games and defending 231 in the final against Northern Diamonds at Edgbaston. They had the competition’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in Georgia Adams and Charlotte Taylor respectively, and were the dominant force throughout the season.The challenge this year is to back those performances up when England players are available for a greater proportion of the season. The Vipers will be boosted by the returns of Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss but it will be a major test for their less experienced players to come up against internationals on a more regular basis.Both of those returning England players bring intrigue. Wyatt, a T20 firestarter by trade, has never quite cracked ODI cricket and has struggled for international runs since the start of 2020. She was given Lisa Keightley’s backing despite a lean series in New Zealand earlier this year, but comes into this season under scrutiny; with Adams anchoring the innings alongside her, she should have licence to play her shots. Elwiss, meanwhile, has not made it onto the field in an England shirt since July 2019, and missed the whole of last summer with a back injury. She will be desperate to provide a reminder of her all-round worth.Key player: The biggest test of the season will come if Adams’ domestic form is rewarded with an England call-up. Her captaincy last year – in combination with Charlotte Edwards’ leadership as head coach – galvanised the squad and her consistency with the bat has not gone unnoticed. She might well have been considered for England’s tour to New Zealand over the winter but for shoulder surgery, and if she is named in the squads for the India series – likely to be announced in within the next two weeks – then the Vipers will feel her absence keenly.One to watch: Lauren Bell is a tall seamer who bowls hooping inswingers and finds sharp bounce from a good length. She took seven wickets in four appearances last season, spending most of the summer in England’s training group in the Derby bubble, but should have the opportunity to lead the attack alongside Tara Norris throughout this year. Still only 20, she is one of England’s best young seam-bowling prospects, alongside Central Sparks tearaway Issy Wong.Georgia Adams lofts one over the leg side•PA Images via Getty ImagesNorthern DiamondsLast season: Runners-up
Director of Cricket: James Carr
Coach: Danielle Hazell
Captain: Hollie Armitage
Beaten by Southern Vipers in the final, the Diamonds are looking to go one better this year. Having reached 74 for 1 in the decider, the Diamonds’ collapse to 96 for 6 hurt them as they were bowled out for 193 inside 43 overs at the hands of Charlotte Taylor’s stunning six-wicket haul.If they can take advantage of having the likes of England stars Katherine Brunt and Nat Sciver in their ranks for the early part of the season, the Diamonds should be able to inflict some damage on their opponents. From there, it will be down to those that are left to kick on once international duty calls.Among them, Jenny Gunn provides vast all-round experience, Beth Langston was their leading wicket-taker last year with 12 at 19.41 and Dutch player Sterre Kalis offers big run-scoring potential. After three ducks in a row last season, Kalis struck three consecutive fifties to lead the team ahead of Hollie Armitage and Gunn. If Kalis can press on from the outset, it will stand her side in good stead.Key player: Lauren Winfield-Hill is on a mission to make an England opening berth her own again and she started well with an unbeaten 140 for England Women A against England Women in a pre-season warm-up earlier this month. Time in the England squad bubble restricted her to just three matches in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy last season, with a highest score of 72 in her overall tally of 93 runs. Having finally settled into a treatment regimen in recent months for Crohn’s disease, she is feeling and performing better physically, which can only mean good things for the Diamonds, if not England.One to watch: Bess Heath, the 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, signalled her early form with a quick-fire 30 off 20 balls in a recent pre-season friendly against England Academy, including four fours and a six. Home-schooled throughout her secondary education, often through hands-on outdoor learning, Heath’s love of cricket was forged through playing the game with her three older brothers. With eight catches, she had the most dismissals of any keeper in the competition last year.Lauren Winfield-Hill hopes a good start with Northern Diamonds will lead to England selection•Getty ImagesWestern StormLast season 2nd, South Group
Director of cricket Lisa Pagett
Coach Mark O’Leary
Captain Sophie LuffWestern Storm spent the Kia Super League years vying with Southern Vipers to be considered the dominant force, and that rivalry extended into the inaugural RHF Trophy. Storm won four out of their six matches in the group, but twice went down to the Vipers, who pipped them to top spot and went on to lift the title after an unbeaten campaign.Although the squad has changed a fair bit since the KSL days, and highly rated former head coach Trevor Griffin is now at Sunrisers, Storm retain an air of white-ball knowhow: margins of victory by 86 runs, 47 runs, seven wickets and six wickets in their other group games hint at how strong they were. In captain Sophie Luff they had the tournament’s third-leading run-scorer, while few sides could match the all-round depth provided by Georgia Hennessy (209 runs, 11 wickets), Fi Morris (115 runs, 11 wickets) and Alex Griffths (141 runs, three wickets).Experienced offspinner Claire Nicholas is on maternity leave, but with their three England players available for the opening half of the tournament – captain Heather Knight taking her place in the ranks and Anya Shrubsole and Katie George primed for action after injury-disrupted winters – Storm are once again likely to be among the leading contenders.Key player: Still waiting for a chance with England, Luff is a giant of the domestic scene in the West Country. Storm’s No. 3 has shone in the pre-contract era, twice a KSL winner and mainstay with Somerset. At 27 and playing as well as ever, there is still time to make an unanswerable case for inclusion at the next level.One to watch: Nat Wraith, 19, is a “wicketkeeper who gets on with it with the bat”, according to Knight. Bristol born and currently studying at Cardiff University, she cites South Africa’s Quinton de Kock as her favourite player. Wraith played all six games in last year’s RHF Trophy, tallying 111 runs at 22.20 – including 68 off 75 against the Vipers – and winning an ECB domestic deal.Sophie Luff clears the front leg•Getty ImagesCentral SparksLast season: 2nd, North Group
Director of cricket Laura MacLeod
Coach Lloyd Tennant
Captain Eve JonesThe Sparks finished runners-up behind RHF finalists Northern Diamonds in 2020, and were the only team to beat the Headingley-based outfit during the group stage. Opening batter and captain Eve Jones led from the front, although they were perhaps over reliant on runs from the top order – only Jones, Marie Kelly and Gwenan Davies managed to pass 100 for the campaign.To kick on, the Sparks will hope for greater returns from a clutch of young batters including Poppy Davies, Chloe Hill – the pair who made sure of victory over the Diamonds with an unbroken 46-run fifth-wicket stand at Headingley – and Milly Home. Allrounder Clare Boycott was fourth in the run-scoring with a mere 53, and she was also joint-leading wicket-taker with eight, alongside legspinner Anisha Patel. On their day Liz Russell, who claimed 4 for 28 against the Diamonds, and Issy Wong, wrecker of the Thunder top order at Edgbaston, could be match-winners with the ball, too.The availability of their England pair, aggressive wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones and legspinner Sarah Glenn, who is also looking to burnish her allrounder credentials, should give them even greater cutting edge. Ria Fackrell, a top-order batter and offspinner who arrived over the winter from Lightning, also adds to their options.Key player: With 334 runs at 66.80, including a century and two fifties, to finish fourth on the competition run-scorers’ list, Eve Jones was in fine form last season. If she and namesake Amy (no relation) get going against the new ball, it could be a case of keeping up with the Joneses for opposing teams this year.One to watch: Look no further than Issy Wong. The 19-year-old joined England’s tour to New Zealand over the winter in a development capacity, and as a pace bowler has ambitions to hit the 80mph mark – never previously achieved in women’s cricket. With her penchant for a funky haircut and ability to solve a Rubik’s cube in circa 30 seconds, there’s plenty to like.Issy Wong appeals•Nathan Stirk/Getty ImagesSouth East StarsLast season: 3rd, South Group
Director of Cricket: Richard Bedbrook
Coach: Johann Myburgh
Captain:Tash Farrant
The Stars’ first season in the regional domestic structure was a mixed bag: they were beaten home and away by the top two in the South Group, but cruised to wins against bottom club Sunrisers to finish third. They used a competition-high 18 players, and the result was that there were few standout performers: Tash Farrant, the captain, won an England recall thanks to her nine wickets in six games, but no batter managed to score 150 runs across the season.As a result, improvements with the bat will be crucial to their chances this summer. They have two teenagers with great potential in Chloe Brewer and Alice Capsey, while Aylish Cranstone – who will have made significant strides forward over the winter as a contracted player and Susie Rowe – back in the game after several years focusing on her hockey career – bring some experience. Sophia Dunkley, who is almost certain to receive more England opportunities this season, will be vital in the early stages.Related

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Dunkley is one of a number of players who could be lost to England duty, and international call-ups could well have a significant impact on the Stars’ season. Farrant, Freya Davies, Alice Davidson-Richards and Bryony Smith may all miss fixtures at some stage, leaving a big hole in the bowling attack. As a result, it is vital that they hit the ground running while all of them are available and hope their uncapped players can cover the gaps later in the summer.Key player: Farrant’s performances and subsequent England recall last year were crucial in demonstrating the clear new path from domestic success to international cricket, but also set the tone for the rest of the Stars’ attack with the new ball. Her ability to chip in with some lower-middle-order runs and her captaincy will be vitally important, too – though if she is picked for England’s series against India, she will be a huge loss.One to watch: “If you want to know who’s going to be opening the batting for England in five years’ time, have a watch of the London Cup live stream right now,” the journalist Raf Nicholson tweeted last summer. “Her name is Alice Capsey.” Still only 16, Capsey is particularly strong hitting down the ground and through midwicket, as she demonstrated in a nerveless 73 not out off 75 balls in a successful chase against Sunrisers last summer. Having batting at No. 4 last season, she may shuffle further up this year.Alice Capsey flays through the off side•Getty ImagesThunderLast season: 3rd, North Group
Director of Cricket: David Thorley
Coach: Paul Shaw
Captain:Alex Hartley
Thunder got the better of Lightning twice in as many meetings last year, although that proved to be of more meteorological than RHFT significance, as both sides finished off the pace in 3rd and 4th place respectively in the North Group.If Thunder are to improve on that showing in 2021, then you can expect their gun spinner Sophie Ecclestone to be in the thick of the action. Still only 22, Ecclestone has risen to the top of the ICC’s T20I rankings, having married impact and economy to devastating effect, and in what is still a young squad, her experience will be invaluable.Regardless of how many games Ecclestone is available for, the Thunder squad won’t be lacking spin options. The skipper, Alex Hartley, is another left-arm purveyor, as is Hannah Jones, who played all six of their RHFT matches last season and was awarded a full-time professional contract in the winter. And then there’s Liberty Heap, a 17-year-old offie whose 3 for 34 was instrumental in the second of their wins over Lightning.But the squad’s success is likely to be defined by their other departments – notably the batting, which never really fired in 2020, with just three half-centuries, two of which came in their opening fixture as they posted 200 for the only time in the competition. Much will be expected of Emma Lamb, earmarked to bat at No.3, and Ellie Threlkeld, the wicketkeeper and No.4, as well as powerful Laura Marshall at the top of the order.Key player: Kate Cross has been there or thereabouts in the England set-up for years now, but with Freya Davies now edging ahead of her in the pecking order, she may well be on hand to lead Thunder’s seam attack through their campaign. If the pitches at the first-class venues turn out to be true, spin alone may not cut it.One to watch: Given the whippersnappers in her midst, Natalie Brown is a relative old sweat at the age of 30. But she was the team’s most consistent source of runs throughout the 2020 campaign, with 189 at 31.50. And what’s more, she passed 25 in five of her six innings, but made a top score of 52, which implies there’s more to come if she can apply herself with similar discipline this time around.Kate Cross in action for Thunder during the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy•Getty ImagesLightningLast season: 4th, North Group
Director of Cricket: Ian Read
Coach: Rob Taylor
Captain: Kathryn Bryce
A tough campaign in last year’s RHFT, marked by the loss of a glut of tight contests, was enlivened only by Lightning’s twin victories over their Midlands rivals, Central Sparks, as they finished rock-bottom of the North Group. However, theirs is a squad with sufficient pedigree to make a better fist of things this year, not least thanks to the Sister Act on which their 2020 campaign was pinned.Captain Kathryn Bryce was the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps at 15.42, and chipped in with 141 runs at 28.20, while her younger sister and fellow Scotland international, Sarah, bossed their runs-charts with 395 at 79.00, second only to Southern Vipers’ trophy-winning Georgia Adams.And, assuming Bryce Minor maintains those levels, then the prospect of her teaming up with the returning England star, Tammy Beaumont, at the top of the order is mouthwatering. Kirstie Gordon, another Scot within the Lightning squad, albeit one who has long since pledged her allegiance to the Sassanachs, claimed just three wickets with her left-arm spin but was the squad’s most economical performer.Kathryn and Sarah Bryce talk mid-pitch•Getty ImagesKey player: Beaumont was available for just two Trophy fixtures last season due to the concurrent West Indies series, but she proved her eye is still in on the recent tour of New Zealand, averaging 231 in the ODIs with three consecutive half-centuries, before a further matchwinning 63 in the second T20I.One to watch: The South Africa-born Michaela Kirk, 21, has hopes of using her dual-passport to one day play for England, but for the time being she arrives with a big reputation and a big opportunity to seize the limelight, having also been signed as one of Trent Rockets’ overseas players for the Hundred. A hard-hitting batter in the mould of her mentor Mignon du Preez, she’s been playing top-level domestic cricket since making her debut for Northerns as an offspinning 13-year-old in 2012.SunrisersLast season: 4th, South Group
Director of Cricket: Danni Warren
Coach: Trevor Griffin
Captain: Amara Carr
A young Sunrisers side – they range in age from 17 to 29 – went winless throughout the 2020 season but Danni Warren, their director of cricket, believes they will have grown from experience and exposure in the competition as well as six months training in a fully professional set-up, which includes Trevor Griffin, coach of reigning WBBL champions Sydney Thunder and a two-time KSL-winning coach with Western Storm.Up-and-coming England spinner Mady Villiers and Fran Wilson, with 64 international appearances to her name, add depth alongside the likes of full-time contract holders Naomi Dattani, Cordelia Griffith and captain Amara Carr who are all former England Women’s Academy members.Right-arm seamer Sonali Patel, who has just turned 18, was the team’s leading wicket-taker last season with seven, including 4 for 52 against South East Stars, while fellow right-arm seamer 20-year-old Katie Wolfe also took seven wickets, which bodes well for the future.Cordelia Griffith is one of five Sunrisers to earn a full-time professional domestic contract•Getty ImagesKey player: Jo Gardner, Sunrisers’ leading run-scorer last year with 193 at 32.16, is among five women in the team who are expected to take the next step in their careers as full-time professionals. Gardner also claimed seven wickets with her off-breaks and is no slouch in the field. A keen golfer, Gardner has also secured a spot with Oval Invincibles for the Hundred.One to watch: Now just 17, Grace Scrivens was second on Sunrisers’ run-scoring charts last season with 137 at 22.83 and a highest score of 72. She also claimed three wickets with her off-spin and will undoubtedly have benefited from her experience playing all six matches of Sunrisers’ campaign. This season, Scrivens scored 191 runs in six matches, including an unbeaten 94 off 62 balls against Surrey, as her Kent side went undefeated to win the Women’s County T20 South East Group.

Stats highlights from West Indies’ thrilling one-wicket win against Pakistan in Jamaica

ESPNcricinfo stats team16-Aug-202115 One-wicket wins in Test history. This is the second such instance in West Indies-Pakistan Tests, following West Indies’ one-wicket win in Antigua in 2000. West Indies have featured in five of these 15 instances, defeating Australia in 1999, but losing to Australia in 1951, and to New Zealand in 1980. Pakistan have a 2-2 record in these matches, with wins against Australia and Bangladesh, apart from the two losses against West Indies. England have four one-wicket wins, the most by any team, while Australia have the most losses (6).12 Wins for the home team, out of the 15 matches that went down to the last pair standing. The three instances of overseas wins were by England against Australia in 1908, by England against South Africa in 1923, and more recently, by Sri Lanka against South Africa in 2019, when Kusal Perera made that stunning unbeaten 153.ESPNcricinfo Ltd7 Instances of the last wicket adding more than the 17 that Jayden Seales and Kemar Roach put together in this thriller. The two highest partnerships in last-wicket wins both happened in 2019, when Perera and Vishwa Fernando added 78, and Ben Stokes and Jack Leach added 76 against Australia at Headingley. The only other 50-plus final-wicket stand in a win was by Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed, who added 57 against Australia in Karachi in 1994.0 Instances of West Indies losing a Test when chasing of target of 200 or less. In 62 such chases, they have won 56 and drawn six. Of those 56 wins, 20 were achieved when the target between 100 and 150, and 10 when the target was more than 150. Their lowest target in a defeat is 204, against Bangladesh in 2018.18 Wickets for Pakistan’s fast bowlers in this match, at an average of 18.66. This was the 19th instance of their pacers picking up 18 or more wickets in a Test, but only the second time in a loss. The previous such instance was in Dunedin 1985. Their average of 18.66 is their best in a defeat when they have taken at least 15 wickets.19y 336d Seales’ age at the start of the match in which he took his maiden five-for, which made him the youngest West Indian to take a five-for in Test cricket. The record was previously held by Alf Valentine, who was 20 years and 41 days old at the start of the Test when he took his first five-for in England in 1950.8 Catches for Joshua Da Silva in the match, only the fifth instance of a West Indies wicketkeeper effecting eight or more dismissals in a Test. He was just one short of the record of nine, by David Murray, Courtney Browne and Ridley Jacobs.

No surprise Joe Root was happy to lose the toss, knowing the nature of the Headingley pitch of late

Sidharth Monga25-Aug-20211:57

Rishabh Pant: ‘We could have applied ourselves better’

As far as famous last words go, Virat Kohli’s surprise at being able to see the surface as opposed to just grass a day before a Test in England is right up there, the underlying suggestion being that the hosts have chosen less spice having burnt themselves previously. Then you win the toss, put your money where your mouth is, bat first, and end the day in deficit without even taking a wicket, the first time it has happened in Test cricket since the last Test of 2010.It won’t be an overstatement that India misread the conditions at a ground each one of them was playing for the first time. While England extracted more seam and more swing early in the innings than they have done so far in the series, by the time India got to bowl, the conditions had settled down so much that India didn’t even manage to draw one false response per over as against 1.75 per over in India’s innings, the highest rate for the series. Forget the wickets, if an evenly matched opposition is drawing one more mistake per over than you, you have got the wrong end of the conditions. In this case, you chose it.It is no surprise Joe Root was happy to lose the toss. Root knew the nature of the pitch at Headingley of late has been to be extremely difficult on day one before getting better and better to bat on, but he probably didn’t have the conviction to put India in after losing at Lord’s having done the same. He called the surface “tacky”, and the early seam movement was consistent with that description. So he said he was unsure what he would have done. He probably would have bowled anyway.Joe Root found a reason to smile despite losing the toss to Virat Kohli•Associated PressHaving said that, this is hardly the first time a side has been caught on the wrong side of such conditions in England. Even England themselves chose to bat in the 2009 Ashes at Headingley, and were bowled out in 33.5 overs only to watch Australia score 445. Batting first is seen as the noble thing, the brave thing, to do in Test cricket. Nasser Hussain is lampooned for bowling first at the Gabba, but not Andrew Strauss for that call at Headingley.Some of India’s big wins – be it as old as Headingley 2002 or as recent as Wanderers 2017-18 – have come after choosing to bat first on a tricky surface. You have to weigh putting your batters through that tough period against the incentive you get bowling last: Headingley of late has not made it worth the trouble.Quite rightly, India have strived to become so good that they become immune to selection mistakes and such calls at the toss because there is no fool-proof way to be accurate with decisions that have to last five days. So having made the decision they did, India needed to either last that early help or hope that the help lasted well into England’s innings.Neither happened, something you can’t predict, which puts onus on the way India batted much more than the fact that they batted. The latter is anyway keeping in with uncontested cricketing wisdom that you bat first barring exceptional conditions, the kind you see in New Zealand where pitches just keep getting better to bat on with time.India came up against a new-ball spell of a master, who was now operating with an inverted form of attack but with characteristic high accuracy. James Anderson usually bowls outswingers looking for the outside edge and changes up with balls that come in, be it the traditional inswinger or the wobble-seam ball. India’s openers have frustrated him this series by leaving alone a lot of those outswingers.Here Anderson kept bringing the ball in, taking away that leave, getting India into a habit of playing more at the ball. Also England showed better grasp of the conditions. Sony, the broadcasters in India, showed how the average wicket-taking length at Headingley has been significantly fuller than at other English grounds since 2010. That usually points to assistance. England were not shy to get it right up there.A mix of inswingers and that full length got KL Rahul driving in the first over. The ball seamed away after swinging in in the air, which is a really difficult ball to play, but the question Rahul and India will ask is if he needed to play at that ball even before finding out if there was seam movement available. Rahul has been a revelation on this tour, and has been a major part of the reason India are 1-0 up in the series, but he has done so by leaving a lot of balls before committing to drives. Was this early drive an extension of their assessment of the pitch?Related

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Another batter who will be disappointed with himself is Cheteshwar Pujara. There are limitations to his batting, but there is a big strength too: he plays under his eye. There might be 99 flaws with his game, but pushing away from the body is not one of them. Over this summer, though, he has done that to get out in the World Test Championship final, in the Lord’s Test, and now here. This outswinger seamed away a touch after pitching, but Pujara will know his hands shouldn’t have followed the movement. More than the lack of runs, this manner of dismissal repeating itself will irk Pujara.Kohli fell to the same set-up as at Trent Bridge. Anderson bowls the wobble-seam ball that swings in – this time later than it did in Nottingham – and then leaves him after pitching. In Kohli’s case, the shot selection is not the problem. He played drives at this same ball in 2018, and got away with it. He has scored all the thousands of runs he has done playing this shot. This is not the first time this shot – or the defensive push to wide balls – has got him in trouble, but his attitude has been: I will not shelve the shots, but will play them better. That is an internal tussle we have not seen the last of this summer.Rishabh Pant played the way he has been playing for a while now, a way that is not too unusual for a wicketkeeper-batter. Just that he is not enjoying as much luck these days as he did in, say, Sydney. Dismissals outside these four were normal responses to long spells of tight bowling in helpful conditions.Pant probably summed the day up the best: “They took the heavy roller, the wicket was much more settled down, and they batted nicely also. But when we batted, the wicket was slightly soft, and they bowled in good areas, but we could have applied [ourselves] much better…”As is the case often with such collapses, it is the perfect storm of excellent bowling, tough conditions, most mistakes getting punished – India were bowled out in 71 mistakes, England didn’t lose a single wicket in 34 – and some lack of application. What should worry India more is how some of India’s bowling was insipid and made the pitch look easier to bat on. It is easier to come back in a series from batting collapses than from successive ordinary bowling days.

And where does Chris Cooke’s unbeaten 205 figure in the list of highest scores by a wicketkeeper-captain?

Steven Lynch28-Sep-2021Apparently Ollie Pope was averaging 100 at The Oval before he was out cheaply in the Test against India. What is his average there now? asked Richard Walker from England
Surrey and England’s Ollie Pope was averaging 100.71 on his home ground at The Oval before the recent Test against India, when he made 81 and 2, which reduced his average to 93.31. A subsequent Championship match there against Essex produced scores of 5 and 27 not out (the average was now 89.70), which meant Pope went into the last innings of the season – against Glamorgan last week – needing to make 275 (or 175 not out) to get his Oval average back into three figures. And he very nearly managed it: when he became part-timer Hamish Rutherford’s maiden first-class victim on the final day, he had scored 274 – one short of the magic number. It left him with the Bradmanesque average of 99.94 at The Oval.Only five men have managed a three-figure average on a single ground, given as many as Pope’s 18 completed innings. New Zealand’s Devon Conway currently averages 103.07 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, while that man Don Bradman averaged 103.17 in Melbourne. Vijay Merchant scored 5060 runs at 105.41 at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay, while George Headley averaged 105.42 at Melbourne Park in Kingston, Jamaica. But the overall leader is something of a surprise: India’s Ashok Mankad averaged 106.30 at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay, with 12 centuries (including two doubles) from 37 innings, 14 of them not out.What’s the highest score by someone in their first IPL match? asked Muammar Ahmed from India
The highest debut score came on the very first night of the IPL, back in April 2008, when Brendon McCullum smashed 158 not out, from 73 balls with 13 sixes, for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru. It remains the second-highest score in the IPL, behind Chris Gayle’s 175 not out (66 balls, 17 sixes) for RCB against Pune Warriors, also in Bengaluru, in April 2013.The only other debut century was by Michael Hussey, with 116 not out for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali in April 2008. That was also in the inaugural season of the IPL, when obviously many players made their debuts: other notable scores came from Shaun Marsh (84), James Hopes and Graeme Smith (71), Swapnil Asnodkar (60) and Gautam Gambhir (58).If we leave aside that initial season, the highest first-up scores since have been Owais Shah’s 58 not out for KKR against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai in March 2010, Devdutt Padikkal’s 56 for RCB against Sunrisers in Dubai in September 2020, and Ambati Rayudu’s 55 for Mumbai Indians against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai in March 2010, the day after Shah’s knock.The best bowling figures on debut are also the best in IPL history: the West Indian fast bowler Alzarri Joseph’s 6 for 12 for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers in Hyderabad in April 2019. Oddly, Joseph has so far played only two more IPL games – and failed to take a wicket in either of them. In the last, a week after his stunning debut, his three overs against Rajasthan Royals disappeared for 53.Where does Chris Cooke’s unbeaten 205 come in the list of highest scores by a wicketkeeper-captain? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England
Glamorgan’s captain – and wicketkeeper – Chris Cooke made a career-best undefeated 205 in a run fest against Surrey at The Oval last week, in the final round of 2021 County Championship matches. Meritorious as it was, Cooke’s innings is a little way down the list of the highest scores by keeper-captains, which is headed by the Australian Billy Murdoch, who made 321 for New South Wales against Victoria in Sydney in 1881-82. The only higher score than Cooke’s in the Championship is 266, by Dane Vilas for Lancashire against Glamorgan – captained, as it happened, by Cooke – in Colwyn Bay in 2019.The Test record is 224, by India’s MS Dhoni, against Australia in Chennai in 2012-13. The only other Test double-century by a keeper-captain came only a few days later, when Mushfiqur Rahim hit 200 for Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in Galle. There have been only 14 other hundreds: for the list, click here.Ollie Pope’s current average at The Oval, after his last innings against Glamorgan, is 99.94•Getty Images for Surrey CCCHow many men have been run out for 99 in a Test? asked Raju Suresh from India
Sixteen men have now suffered this fate in a Test. The first was the Australian opener Bill Brown, against India in Melbourne in 1947-48 (this was not one of the occasions he was famously run out at the bowler’s end). And the most recent instance involved another Australian, Shaun Marsh, also against India in Melbourne, in 2014-15. It’s also happened five times in one-day internationals.Rikki Clarke, who has just retired, played his last Test match as long ago as 2003. Has anyone played on longer in first-class cricket after their final Test? asked Mick O’Brien from England
The long-serving Surrey allrounder Rikki Clarke, who has retired just short of his 40th birthday, played two Tests for England, against Bangladesh in 2003-04. He signed off with 55 in the second match, in Chittagong (now Chattogram).Clarke played on for almost 18 years after his final Test, which is especially notable as he was a county regular for all the remaining time. There are around 40 men with longer apres-Test careers, but few of them were regular players by the end. One such was Warwickshire’s Willie Quaife, who played his last Test in 1901-02, but carried on at county level until 1928, when he was 56 (he scored a century in his only match, after a full season in 1927). Two others have longer spans: Lord Harris captained England in his fourth and final Test, against Australia at The Oval in 1884, and turned out for Kent against the Indian tourists at Catford 27 years later in 1911, aged 60 – but he had not played regular county cricket since the mid-1880s.The overall leader is the legendary Indian CK Nayudu, whose last Test was at The Oval in August 1936: he played a first-class match well over 27 years later, in Nagpur in November 1963, not long after his 68th birthday; he had been a Ranji Trophy regular until 1956-57, when he was 61.Clarke’s last match was the run-soaked encounter mentioned above, against Glamorgan at The Oval. Showing a wry sense of humour, Clarke tweeted after the second day, having fielded through Glamorgan’s total of 672: “Didn’t have 177 overs in the dirt planned for my last game.”Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions