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.

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

Firdose Moonda and Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-20233:47

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

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

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.”

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

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

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

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

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

Did Warriorz miss out on a really big buy?

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

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

Osman Samiuddin23-Oct-20232:38

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

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

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

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

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

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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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