All posts by n8rngtd.top

The inquisitions will come, but the truth is there is not a lot India could have done in the face of flawless fast bowling

Sidharth Monga19-Dec-2020There is a reason why batsmen are treated as the favoured children in cricket, and it can be easy to forget that in an era dominated by limited-overs cricket.Test batting is a fickle occupation. It turns many of its practitioners to compulsive behaviour, which can be loosely defined as feeling compelled to do things that you know have no bearing on your pursuit but somehow make you feel they help you control the outcome. Some carry a particular-coloured kerchief, some put a specific pad on first, some make sure toilet seats in the change rooms are up when they are batting, the list is endless.That’s because there are so many loose ends in Test batting that you can’t possibly control them all with your skill, technique and preparation. Watching Test cricket on demanding pitches, it is hard to imagine a batsman who is neither a philosopher nor insane.There is just not enough space in the scorebook to say “nought, but got the first shooter of the match”, or “15 but fell to one that swung one way in the air and nipped the other way after pitching”. Or even, “135 but dropped five times”, or “75 but it was predominantly a slog”.Related

• How good were India in Australia? Let's look at the control numbers

• Modern batsmen don't focus on their feet and that's mostly okay

• Shami out of rest of Australia Test series with fractured forearm

• 'Carnage… unbelievable… wait, what happened?'

• 'Stunned' Josh Hazlewood lauds Pat Cummins, Australia's 'calmness' after Adelaide hurricane

At the end of the day, staring you in the face are cold numbers with their absolute finality. It is hard to find a trade that is less unequivocal and yet has such an unforgiving currency.And the cold numbers will forever remain 36 all out. Scores of 4, 9, 2, 0, 4, 0, 8, 4, 0, 4, 1. Terms such as “humiliated” and “embarrassed” will be used. There will be an obvious inquest into the techniques of the batsmen, into their preparation, even chauvinistically into other virtues such as courage, but perhaps there is a simpler explanation.Virat Kohli himself spoke of a lack of intent, but he is a proud participant of a Test match that was in his grasp. Not just any Test but a Test that Australia have never lost: the day-night fixture. He perhaps felt that if India had been more positive and had scored a quick 20-30 runs in the morning, that would have deflated Australia.Virat Kohli walks back, the key wicket in the middle of an India collapse•Getty ImagesHowever, the intent or the technique was not too different to how it has always been. Even in the last Adelaide Test, which India won, they capitalised on their 15-run first-innings lead with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane batting at strike rates of 34 and 47. In terms of technique, pretty much everyone batted similarly to how they batted in the first innings for a lead of 53 runs.However, a few things happened that were not in the control of these batsmen, and proud competitors are loathe to admitting they couldn’t have done anything about it. What happened in the first session of the third day is the textbook definition of a perfect storm. The ball actually seamed less than it did in any of the sessions before this, which is what Kohli acknowledged but to say that his batsmen should have done better. Less movement meant more balls hit the edge than beat it.Usually in Test cricket, it takes a little over 10 balls of not being in control for a batsman to lose a wicket to a bowler. In this innings, India lost nine of them by not being in control only 32 times. Since the start of 2010, only once has a team’s bowlers taken nine wickets in an innings with fewer mistakes made by batsmen. That is true of all such spectacular collapses. When Australia were bowled out for 60 at Trent Bridge in 2015, they were not in control only 40 times. The number was the same in their 47 all out at Newlands in 2011-12. Fewer plays and misses, more nicks.It is also true that such spectacular collapses happen against exceptional bowling sides who have been at it for long and suddenly reap the rewards in a bunch. And this Australian attack is an exceptional one with three fast bowlers with three different skillsets and a high rate of accuracy, followed by an all-time-great spinner, but even they will be the first ones to admit they didn’t bowl much better than they did two days ago.Josh Hazlewood, who took five wickets for eight runs, was too stunned to explain what happened. He compared this to the time they bowled England out for 67. The bowlers, he said, didn’t do much differently: perhaps a touch fuller, perhaps a touch straighter. Those are his words.India bat in the dying moments of their horror innings against Australia•AFP/Getty ImagesSo the ball is moving just the right amount to take the edge, the length is just full enough to let it move without letting the batsmen drive, the bounce is steep thus keeping the batsmen stuck to the crease, and the last piece of the jigsaw is the quickening of the pitch from day one, giving you less time to adjust and also carrying the edges to hand. The proverbial “one of those sessions”, but one that has left the magnifying glass on the batsmen.Replay after replay will show you the batsmen stuck on the crease when edging in this innings, but not the countless number times when they drove for boundaries with the same technique. Or even the edges that didn’t carry as recently as two days ago. Or the plays and misses than now became nicks. This is what happens at the start of most innings. On most days you make your early errors and make the correction. On this day, your first error was your last. People will ask questions of Kohli’s drive away from the body, but on flat pitches, in this scenario, you had to capitalise on any width you got, rare as it was.Of course, if there are technical flaws, they need to be addressed. In New Zealand, when Prithvi Shaw’s lack of foot movement was exploited in the first Test, he had corrected himself by the second, getting closer to the ball when driving in his 64-ball 54. Shaw will be the first one to want to correct it again. Questions need to be asked, for example, why India repeatedly fail to get the better of overseas spinners in their conditions even keeping in mind the pressure that is created by their seamers. Coach Ravi Shastri knows he will be judged by these improvements, the growth of the players, and not just by the results produced by an amazingly talented group of players.Tim Paine and Virat Kohli catch up after the game•AFP via Getty ImagesOf course, there will also be schadenfreude around the world, which Shastri and the team will know comes with the territory if you deal in unfounded bluster and run down your own country’s legends to try to talk your current team up without acknowledging the dominance you enjoy now in terms of resources and finances. This is the day Shoaib Akhtar will not be the only one to tell them to “bear it, bear the criticism, this is gonna happen to you now.”However, this might be the day to listen to Sunil Gavaskar instead, who has been accused of firing blanks when criticising the team in the past and might have had reason to be opportunistic now. Gavaskar, though, knows batting too well to ignore what happened.”Any team that gets out for its lowest-ever total, it is never good to see,” Gavaskar told . “Having said that, most other teams, if they had been facing that kind of bowling, they would have also got into trouble. Maybe not all out for 36, maybe 72 or maybe 80-90, but the way Hazlewood, Cummins bowled, and the earlier spell of Starc, that asked a lot of questions. So it is not fair to blame the Indian batsmen for the way they got out because it was just simply superb by the Australians. Most of the teams would have struggled.”If ever there was need for bluster, to talk the players out of the misery they will no doubt be in, also keeping in mind how long they have been on the road and in biosecure bubbles, it is now.

How do the two squads square up against each other?

Andrew McGlashan15-Dec-2020

Top order

Warner’s loss for Australia is huge. Coupled with Burns’ woeful form there is a strong chance the home side go in with a makeshift opening pair. Agarwal is certain to play and spent useful time in the middle in Sydney. Gill is a superb talent but may not yet force his way past Shaw. For both sides, the No. 3 is shaping as pivotal with Justin Langer having confirmed Australia won’t risk weakening a strength by moving Labuschagne to open. Two years ago, Pujara was the batting star of the series and with Kohli only around for one Test he may have to do it again.Who wins? With Warner, Australia. Without him it’s too close to call

Middle order

There was no Smith vs Kohli two years ago and this time there will be just one Test of it before Kohli heads home. From a purely cricket point of view it’s a massive shame. There is almost nothing to split them as, along with Kane Williamson, the finest of the current generation. The runs from the rest will be just as vital. Rahane has an excellent record overseas, averaging 44 in Australia, and is likely to captain from Melbourne onwards while last season it felt that Head was settling as a Test batsman. Wade is viewed as the most vulnerable although the opening issues may force a reshuffle. Green’s potential debut is one of the more eagerly anticipated of recent times for Australia. Vihari played a useful role in the 2018-19 series and India may be bolstered by Rohit for the last two Tests.Who wins? With Kohli, too close to call. Without him, Australia

Wicketkeeper

Rishabh Pant soaks in the applause of the SCG crowd after bringing up his 2nd Test century•Getty ImagesThe comparisons here are slightly different because for Australia, Paine has the captaincy. His batting, often unfairly maligned, was not needed much last summer but he did play a very important hand against New Zealand at the MCG with one of his most assertive Test innings. Also scored a century in the Sheffield Shield earlier this year. Pant can be destructive in the middle order, as he showed in Sydney two years ago, especially if he has a foundation to build on. Do we need anymore babysitting banter? Probably not. Saha is a fantastic wicketkeeper, the best gloveman out of the three, but Pant is likely to be preferred.Who wins? India, just

Pace bowlers

The two pace attacks could be the battle of the summer. It is just a shame that Ishant Sharma is missing for India because him in support of Bumrah and Shami makes a formidable trio, but Umesh should not be underestimated. Australia have the best collection of fast bowlers currently going around; whether the big three can play all four Tests remains to be seen but Pattinson is a handy first reserve and Neser would be deserving of a Test cap. Cummins and Hazlewood rarely bowl poor spells and Starc’s Test mojo returned last summer.Who wins? Australia, but watch out for Bumrah

Spinners

R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon share a laugh•AFPIn so many ways Lyon is the key to how this Australia attack, and team, have been able to operate. He is two bowlers in one, able to support the quicks and then grab his chance to win a game. He and Ashwin are the two finest finger spinners in the game. For India, Ashwin also has a key role to play with the bat at No. 8 (as would Jadeja). Kuldeep took five wickets at the SCG on the last tour.Who wins? Australia, but if Lyon was injured they would have a problem

His maiden IPL five-for is a reward for the new dimensions he’s added to his bowling

Saurabh Somani10-Apr-20212:08

Harshal: ‘RCB were clear with me about my role’

When Harshal Patel stood with arms aloft, looking at the skies, after getting his fifth wicket in the innings, it felt like a release. Indian players who haven’t played international cricket yet do have their moments to shine in the IPL, but it’s rare for someone who hasn’t been a regular in IPL XIs to have a moment quite as stunningly successful as Patel did.Since 2016, he had played a total of only 18 IPL games – barely a season’s worth spread across five years. And yet, traded back to the Royal Challengers Bangalore after three years with the Delhi Capitals, Patel responded by taking 5 for 27, the IPL’s first-ever five-wicket haul against the best T20 side in the business – the Mumbai Indians.What made Patel’s feat impressive was not just the opponents it came against, but the manner it was achieved in and the batsmen he conquered. Together, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya form the most lethal middle order in the IPL. There is no set of batsmen in any other side manning positions four to seven who can match up to this quartet, each one demonstrably capable of match-winning innings on their own.Patel not only dismissed each one of them, he did it in ways that left no doubt that the bowler had won the battle against the batsmen. He did it by bowling yorkers that tailed in late with reverse swing, by changes of pace that the batsmen failed to detect and thus hit the ball where he wanted them to. Crucially, he did it at the death, where Mumbai have devastated and pulverised opponents, oftentimes a combination of these four doing the heavy hitting.Death bowling was expected to be the Royal Challengers’ biggest gap in IPL 2021, and they were up against the most fearsome death-overs batting line-up in the competition. Three of Patel’s overs were held back for the death, and before he began his second spell, ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster pegged Mumbai’s expected total at 182, with five overs to go. That it ended up on 159 instead was entirely due to Patel.”When we gathered for the first camp there was a very clear instruction to me that I’m going to bowl at least two overs at the death,” Patel said at the post-match press conference. “That gave me a lot of clarity and confidence to work on my skills and develop plans against the batters I’m going to face in the death overs in various teams. It made my preparation a lot more concise.”The slower ball is something Patel has had for a long time. In fact he had two varieties, an off-cutter and one from the back of the hand. When he was told that he would be filling up the Royal Challengers’ death bowling gap, he set to work to develop the yorker too.Harshal picked up IPL’s first five-for against the Mumbai Indians•BCCI/IPL”My slower balls have been my biggest strength for almost ten years now and the yorker is something I’ve been working on,” he said. “If you need to bowl in the death overs you definitely have to rely on the yorker. You can’t just keep bowling length balls and slower balls, people are going to line that up. It’s important to have that one delivery which can get the batsman off strike. It gives you options at the death.”My yorker is something I’ve been bowling for a long time but I was not confident enough to take that into the game. But now, in the last 15-20 days I made sure I put myself in situations where I have to bowl a yorker and get confident at it.”His captain, Virat Kohli, was in no doubt about the quality of Patel’s spell. “The last six overs for us, probably the best we’ve ever had,” Kohli told Star Sports at the post-match presentation. “I think his spell was the difference in containing those 20-25 runs at the end. He is going to be (our designated death bowler). And he’s relishing the responsibility. Very confident of what he wants to bring to the table, and as captain you want guys with clarity, confidence.”The wickets that he got weren’t fluke wickets, he actually wanted the guys to hit where they ended up getting caught. That was the hallmark of his game, because he was very clear in what he wanted to do.”The pitch at Chepauk was uniquely conducive to Patel’s bowling  too, but none of what he has achieved has been a fluke. In 2019-20, Patel went on a tear through India’s domestic circuit, playing three formats back to back and achieving the following: in nine first-class games, 292 runs at an average of 22.46 and 52 wickets at an average of 14.48 and a strike rate of 27.1. In eight List A games, 39 runs at 5.57 and 10 wickets at 19.80 and an economy rate of 5.07. In 12 T20 games, 374 runs at an average of 31.16 and a strike rate of 165.48, to go with 19 wickets at an average of 15.94 and an economy of 7.04.The tally of runs in List A makes it seem authentic, because otherwise, these are returns more suited to scripting rooms than playing fields. But that’s exactly what Patel did. He had an okayish start with the Vijay Hazare Trophy 50-over games, caught fire when the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 matches took place, and continued to scorch the field during the subsequent Ranji Trophy. And he did it while leading his state, Haryana.It should have been the launchpad to bigger and better, but as soon as the Ranji Trophy was done, Covid-19 struck. Instead of carrying that red-hot form into the IPL that was scheduled next, Patel had to endure a lull like the rest of the world. When IPL 2020 finally happened, he linked up with the Delhi Capitals, but could get only five games for them. The Capitals having gone with a strategy of two overseas pacers in Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje meant the space for an Indian seamer was constrained.It’s the lot of domestic cricketers in India. The overwhelming riches of talent that gather at the IPL mean that you will most likely be considered for bit-part roles, even if you come in on the back of a season that Patel had. Until you break through with that blockbuster season which drags you from the footlights to the limelight. Patel is not there yet, but with his first game, he’s given himself the opportunity of rising beyond bit-part roles.

BBC anchor keen to “get the balance right” between satisfying traditionalists and bringing in new audience

Matt Roller20-Jul-2021Few sporting events have split opinion in the way the Hundred has since its soft-launch in April 2018 but its loudest critics and most brazen proponents agree on one thing, at least: its dominance of the English cricketing calendar over the next month is a seminal moment for the game in this country. Between the fifth Ashes Test in 2005 and the 2019 World Cup final, live cricket was hidden behind a paywall and unavailable on free-to-air TV in England; a handful of games have been broadcast live by the BBC or Channel 4 in the last two years, but the Hundred will be freely available on television in a way not seen in this country for the past 16 years.Wednesday night’s opening match between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals sees domestic cricket broadcast live on a main BBC channel for the first time in the 21st century; the most recent is believed to be Lancashire’s nine-wicket win against Derbyshire in the NatWest Trophy final in 1998, when one-day cricket was played over 60 overs with teams wearing whites and using a red ball. The level of coverage across platforms is vast: every match in the competition – men’s and women’s – will be broadcast live by Sky, every women’s match and a “significant number” of men’s matches will be streamed on Sky’s YouTube channel, and the BBC is broadcasting 10 men’s and eight women’s fixtures.”It’s a real privilege to be involved and part of an amazing broadcast team,” Isa Guha, who will front the BBC’s coverage, tells ESPNcricinfo. “What the BBC brings is that fact that it can play out to the masses, and that is what is really exciting about our TV and radio coverage. People might be tuning in for the Olympics but then stumble across the Hundred, and I think cricket fans will tune in anyway because there will be intrigue around the new format and how it works. I think it will cut through.”There are challenges to navigate. The BBC’s coverage of recent England men’s T20Is against Sri Lanka and Pakistan was pitched mainly at existing cricket fans but with some interludes designed to make the game more simple, and there is an obvious tension between getting stuck into the game’s intricacies or the tactical nuances of the new format and trying to appeal to the new audience that the ECB is so desperate to attract. That was made particularly evident in April when the revealed a plan to replace the word “wickets” with “outs”, which sparked a backlash strong enough for the term to be dropped a week later.Related

• Sandeep Lamichhane asks ECB for 'clear answer' after visa issues scupper his Hundred plans

• English cricket's atomic option highlights failure to capitalise on T20 revolution

• Wickets could become 'outs' in bid to attract wider audience

• Hundred promises 'world-class cricket' despite spate of withdrawals

• Dobell: A Hundred reasons why the ECB has failed the game

“It’s about getting the balance right,” Guha says. “You don’t want to offend cricket traditionalists but at the same time, you’re trying to bring a new audience in. We’ll still have the same vibe in terms of the fun we want to bring to it – the energy and banter between commentators – but we want to bring out the personalities of the domestic players who might not necessarily get much exposure on television, too.”We’ll be navigating through the new tactics with everyone else. What I found with the Big Bash in Australia last winter with the new rules that were applied was that we were working it out on commentary at the same time as the players and coaches on the ground, which is exciting and interesting for existing fans. But for the new audience, it’s a great entry-level format; it’s about educating people on things like fielding positions and cricketing lingo but not being too hard to understand.”There is a tension too between the ECB’s public commitment to present the men’s and women’s competitions as equal and the fact that only three of the eight games the BBC is broadcasting live will be available on a linear TV channel, with the other five online-only. “There are a lot of online users anyway,” Guha responds. “I think we will still get a good audience as long as people know where to find it. The biggest thing is being able to direct people towards it, but then again, there are a lot of online users that would be watching BBC Two on digital platforms anyway.”A BBC publicist jumps in at this stage, saying: “Those games will be on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and online – and the same people who can access BBC Two can also access any of those with the touch of a button.” But realistically, the women’s competition will rely on viewers knowing where to find it; if a child with no interest in cricket stumbles across the Hundred while channel-surfing, it is highly likely that they will come across a men’s game.On the flip side, the BBC is hoping to promote the tournament through as many platforms as they can: James Anderson’s podcast with Greg James and Felix White, which has grown and nurtured a cult following in recent years, will be a key component of the broadcast coverage, and players are expected to pop up for radio and TV interviews during chat shows. A number of players involved in the tournament including Heather Knight, Tymal Mills, Alex Hartley and Carlos Brathwaite have also signed as commentators, and the live music that will be played at grounds in an attempt to create a family-friendly matchday experience has been sorted through a partnership with BBC Music Introducing.”When you’re at the ground, that partnership will help create that buzz and atmosphere that people have been starved of in the past couple of years,” Guha says. “We saw in the Euros how much excitement and energy people get from being at a stadium and to have that music around it is going to make it feel like a full day out, a full entertainment package. It should boost the coverage.”As with the tournament as a whole, it is difficult to know what will count as a success for BBC’s coverage of the Hundred: audience figures and demographics will be monitored closely but the real test will be the ability to retain new viewers in years to come, using the Hundred as a gateway to other formats. Perhaps the enthusiasm of a free-to-air broadcaster to show a significant chunk of games in primetime slots constitutes success in itself, but the English game as a whole can hardly afford the next month to go wrong.The Hundred will be on BBC Two, radio and online from Wednesday, July 21

Australia have a good attack, established stars with the bat, and a new captain who is the best man for the job

Ian Chappell05-Dec-2021This is the hardest Ashes series to decipher.First, there are the controversies to be assessed on both sides; the Tim Paine crisis and the Azeem Rafiq Yorkshire debacle. Then, neither team has played much serious cricket in the build-up and therefore it’s hard to equate the successors in each side.However, it’s still the Ashes and one team will gain an advantage over the other. It seems that England has to quickly establish their credentials at the Gabba or they will be overrun by an Australian team in the ascendant.England have that opportunity in the first Test. There is an unknown quantity about the pitch, Ben Stokes is making his comeback as a full allrounder, and Pat Cummins is yet to establish his captaincy credentials.Related

• Pat Cummins is as much the ideal captain as Joe Root isn't

• The best of Nathan Lyon: Galle debut, Bengaluru eight-for, Adelaide game-changer, and more

• Cummins' captaincy talking points

• Smith's vice-captaincy may not be universally popular

• Green vs Stokes? Let Cam be his own man

The last point is the most crucial for Australia. Cummins is the right choice as captain. He is by far the most inspirational cricketer in Australia. If a team-mate is not inspired by Cummins’ heartfelt leadership, he’s playing the wrong grade. However, Steven Smith as vice-captain is a controversial choice. How come Smith’s leadership punishment carries a different weight to that of David Warner?Cheating is cheating and both players indulged in the crime at Newlands in 2018. That being the case, their punishments should be identical but they are not. I can only assume Smith received the lesser punishment, in terms of not being disbarred from the captaincy, because someone at Cricket Australia (CA) didn’t like Warner. Like and dislike cannot be part of any selection dilemma and CA should have made a complete break from the past with a brand new leadership duo.England need to establish authority quickly at the Gabba because the wicket may help them early on. If Stokes can then put himself in the mind of the Australians, this will undermine their confidence and may create some unwanted doubts in Cummins as a leader. Even if England don’t win the first Test, they need to finish the game on top to head into the Adelaide day-night affair with a full head of steam. If, on the other hand, Australia win or at least establish authority in Brisbane, a shaky English outfit will struggle to regain a winning psychological advantage.Joe Root’s leadership qualities are tenuous at best. As a captain he lacks imagination, which can be a necessary quality in Australia. England’s best hope is that Stokes can establish himself as a player of authority and that his advice will be well received in the Test side. Stokes’ assertive nature, if Root accepts his input, would make a big difference to England’s on-field leadership.Australia have three established stars with the bat: Warner, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. They have three others who are a gamble, with Cameron Green the most likely to succeed. Marcus Harris and either Usman Khawaja or Travis Head are the players who are most likely to be found wanting.Australia’s best attribute is a strong bowling attack which will fare well if Alex Carey provides the expected input as keeper. England, on the other hand, have an attack well suited to home conditions but one that has plenty of question marks over it when it comes to a series in Australia. If Stokes establishes his credentials as an aggressive bowler in Australia, this will improve England’s chances immensely.On the batting side only Root and Stokes are confirmed English players of Ashes quality. The rest of the side need to make their mark. The most changes in the series are likely to occur in the England batting, and if this happens Australia will have triumphed.Australia don’t have much wiggle room in their batting, and this is one reason why a hard-fought game in Brisbane is critical.I expect Root’s leadership to wane over the series and Cummins to establish his authority by the end of the five matches. If this happens, Australia will comfortably finish the series winner.

The occasion – a home Test against Australia – was great. But the game itself fell flat

Danyal Rasool08-Mar-2022Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique got together in the middle, and had a little chat and a fist-bump. It ended as it had begun with Pakistan’s openers at the crease and Australia’s bowlers toiling away. If something happened in the middle, you’d be forgiven for forgetting it; history certainly will.Five days, 1187 runs, 14 wickets, and lots of existential dread after this history-making Test started, the umpires put the players out of their misery. If Pakistan believed the reticence of the so-called Big Three (Australia, England and India) to visit this part of the world was detrimental to Test cricket, the last five days were an odd way to make the point.It was wholesome enough watching Australia touch down on Pakistani soil for the first time in overs 23 years, have the touring party gush over the hospitality and food, and listen to the CA and ACA chief executives talk about how safe everyone felt here. But the real proof of a corner being turned – and Pakistan Cricket’s end-goal – isn’t the wall-to-wall coverage of a box office side playing Test cricket in Pakistan. It’s for tours like this become so routine they no longer make newspaper headlines.The PCB might be relieved we’re not at that stage yet or the scrutiny on this surface would have been significantly more forensic, the criticism much more pointed. That the cricket is still secondary to the event has been the saving grace of the past week. Because, while Australia’s visit has been handled almost to perfection, the preparations for the cricket – you know, the reason they were here in the first place – have been rather more ham-fisted.Related

• Pakistan and the consequences of fixing what wasn't broken

• PCB summons ex-MCG curator ahead of Lahore Test

• Babar expects Pakistan to take 'momentum' into second Test after 'dominating' in Rawalpindi

• Rawalpindi pitch gets 'below average' rating from ICC match referee

• Imam: 'When we go to Australia, they don't make pitches consulting us'

There are myriad factors contributing to the orgy of ennui that consumed the ether around the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but what’s most unforgivable is how utterly unnecessary this was. Pakistan cricket may have a million issues, but the Pindi pitch isn’t one. There have only been two other Test matches where a side had a worse strike rate than Australia’s 478 balls per wicket and they happened 64 and 50 years ago respectively. It’s little short of travesty that Rawalpindi will now rank so high up in a list it has no business belonging to.Recall that the most recent Test on this surface was one of the matches of 2021. South Africa’s stockpile of quality seam bowling is more intimidating than perhaps any other nation’s and so there was substantial angst about whether there was any home advantage to speak of. But despite Pakistan’s efforts to tame the natural predispositions of the strip, the need to ensure a quality contest was always at the forefront. In a game where the momentum ebbed and flowed, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi took nine of the ten South Africa wickets in the fourth innings, a time when the home side might have wanted the surface to start breaking up.Injuries to Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Faheem Ashraf may have played a part in Pakistan sedating their most lively pitch•PCBThe memories of that game had left a particularly tantalising aftertaste, and the brouhaha of the context of Australia’s visit aside, it was the prospect of similarly engrossing cricket that made the first Test feel like such a grand occasion. Australia’s well-rounded pace attack was equipped to adjust to the varying conditions Pindi throws up, and since Faheem Ashraf’s return to the Test fold, Pakistan’s inveterate problems with balancing their side appeared to have melted away. If you enjoyed the buzz around an Australian visit, there was plenty in it for you. And if you wanted to nerd out over Test cricket, you were still nicely sorted.However, as Pakistan’s injury list piled up, the furtiveness around the pitch grew. Haris Rauf contracted Covid-19 and was ruled out. Hasan Ali, Test player of 2021 for Pakistan, was also injured. And, it appears, once Ashraf’s absence became official, so too did any realistic hopes of a positive result for Pakistan in Rawalpindi. When the covers were removed on the morning of the first Test, they revealed a flat, dried out husk of a deck, not a blade of grass in sight.After becoming PCB chairman, Ramiz Raja had singled out the state of domestic pitches as one of the key reasons holding Pakistan cricket back. “Until the pitches are fixed in Pakistan, our cricket won’t rise. Pitches must be competitive, and there must be a balance between bat and ball. My mission statement is that I want Pakistan to defeat Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.” With a reputation for micromanagement, Ramiz went on to say he thought of himself as a curator and had a brochure he read every day called “How to Prepare a Pitch”. Turns out it might take more than a brochure to become a curator.Sports fans have fickle memories, and if Pakistan find themselves in the World Test Championship final, the decision to sedate the liveliest pitch in Pakistan might look like a masterclass rather than a miscalculation. But where Pakistan have yelled themselves hoarse reminding other nations of their wider obligations to cricket, they would do well to remember they are not exempt from those very obligations.Ultimately, the expense, the hassle, the stress, the inconvenience to residents, commuters and spectators, the security risks are all considered a fair trade in Pakistan so people can throng stadiums and huddle around TV screens enjoying what most countries take for granted: international cricket in their nation. Tour dates are announced with breathless excitement; every update is a headline, every press conference a moment. Ticket websites crash as they are overwhelmed; fans line up hours ahead of the start and brave excessive security measures.It’s hard to argue those crowds – it was one of the best-attended Test matches in Pakistan in ages – weren’t heavily short-changed. Even a captain as diplomatic as Pat Cummins couldn’t stop himself saying “it was probably clear” there was an “effort to nullify the pace bowling”, and that it wasn’t a fair contest between bat and ball.There has been reputational damage to Test cricket in general and the Pindi pitch in particular. This is the surface Pakistan supporters have used as evidence that the country offers a diversity of conditions not seen elsewhere on the subcontinent to this degree. They might find it’s suddenly become much harder to make that case after what the cricket world was subjected to over the last five days.It seems like a fair bit to lose for four World Test Championship points.

Fast bowler strikes twice in the powerplay and then removes Pooran at the death to tip a thriller Super Giants’ way

Sidharth Monga04-Apr-20220:50

Avesh Khan – ‘My plan was to focus on my yorkers’

Avesh Khan played the last season of the IPL in an attack that had Anrich Nortje breaking speed record, Kagiso Rabada threatening the purple cap, and the spinners R Ashwin and Axar Patel displaying their guile. Yet it was Avesh who bowled the most balls for Delhi Capitals at the death. In fact only Harshal Patel bowled more in that phase in the last IPL. That’s more than not just his team-mates but stellar death bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar among others.That intense bidding war, which ended up at INR 10 crore, was well-earned, with Avesh having delivered those 23 overs for under nine an over. It’s just a sweet coincidence that the team that Lucknow Super Giants eventually pipped was Sunrisers Hyderabad, who suffered at the hands of Avesh on Monday.Before this match, though, there was his debut for Super Giants when he failed to defend 10 in the last over, which he said left him sad. Then, though, comes the realisation that as a bowler bowling at the death in the IPL – often with a ball that resembles a bar of soap – you can’t win them all. “I knew there are 14 matches in the IPL, and there would be opportunities again, so I have to be ready for them,” Avesh said.ESPNcricinfo LtdAs luck would have it, the opportunity arrived in Super Giants’ third match. Avesh had already put Super Giants ahead in the game with the wickets of openers Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma. Williamson fell trying to ramp a slower ball, a delivery Avesh knew was going to work because he had seen some grip when his side was batting.During the strategic timeout in the second half of the match, Super Giants’ mentor Gautam Gambhir told Avesh he had to win the match for the team. “Just bowl your best ball,” Gambhir told him, according to Avesh. “Just pick your best ball, back yourself and execute it. Gautam , Andy Bichel, Andy Flower, KL [Rahul] – they always tell me you are our main bowler. You will win us matches.”When Avesh began the 18th over, a win looked distant. Sunrisers needed 33 with Nicholas Pooran looking dangerous and six wickets in hand at the ground that has seen the most sixes this IPL.Avesh tried to repeat what he had learned earlier and bowled into the pitch only for the ball to sit up nicely for Pooran to hit a six. That took Sunrisers’ win probability well beyond 60%. And if you have been at the receiving end not long ago, you can start doubting yourself.”I still had five balls to bowl,” Avesh said. “I thought I have to focus on executing them. I thought I will bowl just the yorkers now. It worked.”These weren’t the perfect yorkers. The one that got Pooran was a thigh-high full toss. The one that accounted for Abdul Samad was just short of being a yorker. But that’s how cricket goes sometimes: there will be days when he will nail the yorkers but they will run away for four off the inside edge. That he had been trusted to do just this by his last franchise, that four franchises fought over him at the auction, that he got this over despite the defeat two matches ago tells you this is no fluke.On the ESPNcricinfo smart stats metric to measure a player’s impact on the result, Avesh ended up with a score of 121.57, which was 40 more than the next-best. He is consistently being chosen to do the most difficult job more often than established superstars. His teams certainly seem to know his worth.

On a hot and humid opening day, his knock puts Sri Lanka in a strong position

Mohammad Isam15-May-2022During the first Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Test in Chattogram, there were four players who had debuted in the 2000s. Among those, Angelo Mathews was the most capped one, and he had to squeeze out every bit of that experience to get Sri Lanka out of early trouble, consolidate in the middle, and then dominate by the end of the day.While Sri Lanka have many young players in their squad, a senior figure like Mathews finishing the day unbeaten on 114 is significant for the dressing room. Youngsters will soak up the lessons from his innings, which must have inspired those as well who are not-so-young but yet to hit their peak. Through his 213-ball stay, he added 92 in a third-wicket stand with Kusal Mendis and 75 in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand with Dinesh Chandimal, ensuring both Mendis and Chandimal could bat around him.In his early days, Mathews was a big six-hitter, a nifty seamer and an acrobatic fielder. But years in the international grind and several injuries meant that these days he is more of a quiet presence. His expression of experience and responsibility reflected in the way he batted on the opening day of the Test. He mostly played straight and didn’t fiddle with his wrists much. He tried to drive every full ball within his reach, covering whatever spin the Bangladesh spinners imparted on the ball, by showing the full bat face.Experienced players have their own way of showing their intention to opponents, and Mathews wasn’t any different. He struck Nayeem Hasan, who had just taken both Sri Lanka wickets in the first session, for a straight six to start the second session. He would hit four more boundaries down the ground, which forced Mominul Haque to send the mid-off and mid-on back. That itself deflates a spinner who would prefer the batter to miscue a drive to those fielders inside the circle.Mathews hit drives through covers, mid-on and midwicket quite regularly, while the rest of his fours came off filthy deliveries down the leg-side. There was not one boundary with the cut shot, which was hardly surprising since he was only reacting to what was being bowled to him: full and mostly straight.Mendis said that there was great value to Mathews’ innings, particularly in the situation they found themselves in at the fall of the second wicket. He also praised Mathews for his knock in this oppressive weather.”[Angelo Mathews] made a hundred, but [because of the heat and humidity] it can count as 150 or 170,” Mendis said. “There was so much heat. It is a little bit more than Sri Lanka. He played very well. He is the most senior guy in the Sri Lanka team. He played a dominating innings. I think it would be good if he goes on to make 150 or 200 tomorrow. The wicket was good, so we [told each other] that we can’t panic. A batter struggles for the first ten balls, but after that, he can play well.”There was praise from across the dressing room too. Mathews’ old team-mate Rangana Herath, who is now Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach, said the 34-year-old has a lot of drive to do well at the top level.”I know Angelo very well,” Herath said. “We have played a lot of games together. He always has the hunger to play for his country. Whether he is 34 or 36, he is always looking for a challenge. To be honest, as a Sri Lankan it was a fantastic hundred in the heat. I am sure he will continue to do a lot of things for Sri Lanka.”Herath said that the Bangladesh spinners did well for the first day of a Test in Chattogram, where the pitch was mostly unresponsive, on top of the heat.”Especially on the first day of a Test match, I am happy with how the bowlers did. Shakib and TJ [Taijul Islam] bowled well. Nayeem also took two wickets. He hasn’t played much cricket in the last 18 months but he has been practising a lot. In that case, I saw that he needed a bit of confidence, but when he got that wicket off the first ball, his confidence [was restored]”Bangladesh are hoping to shut Sri Lanka down within another 120 runs, but the visitors are targeting a 500-plus total on this pitch. If Mathews continues to play the way he did on Sunday, it will make things much easier for them. Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis and the tail have to give him company for as long as possible, but Mathews knows what he has to do. Experience matters. You can’t put a price tag on what Mathews brings to the table.

Shakib is in charge of a team that isn’t performing well, and the scrutiny – and interference – from the BCB bigwigs won’t help

Mohammad Isam24-Aug-2022On Monday, speaking about Bangladesh at the upcoming Asia Cup, BCB president Nazmul Hassan said, “There’s not going to be a head coach. We have a batting coach, a spin coach, fast bowling coach and fielding coach. We have the captain. We also have a technical consultant for T20s. He will give the game plan. We will have the team director, Jalal [Yunus, the BCB’s cricket operations chairman] and myself. Who else do we need?”Related

• Rashid: Since we play a lot of T20 leagues, we get to learn from the best

• Bangladesh turn to Shakib and Mushfiqur, again, as Farooqi threat looms large

• Methodical and professional, Sriram is ready to 'challenge the norms' with Bangladesh

• Shakib just wants 'the improvement graph going up'

• Bangladesh add Mohammad Naim to Asia Cup squad

It might have sounded odd, but Hassan was just being honest. The BCB has called Sridharan Sriram the “technical consultant for T20s”, but he is the de facto T20 head coach, with Russell Domingo out of the picture in the format for the moment. Their back room does have Jamie Siddons, Rangana Herath, Allan Donald and Shane McDermott, as well as team director Khaled Mahmud. And, well, the Bangladesh team management, in reality, extends right up to the BCB president. If Hassan feels that line-up means having a designated head coach is unnecessary, it’s only the truth about how the Bangladesh team operates.But decisions being made by a group of Very Important People with Very Important Designations weigh heaviest on the captain. Right now, that’s Shakib Al Hasan. He will take the on-field decisions, and match result notwithstanding, will be answerable to not just the coach/es or the selectors, but the board chief and the directors. As if having an underperforming team to shepherd wasn’t tough enough.

****

The situation isn’t new to Shakib, but that won’t make it any easier.The fact is that everything goes back to – and has for a while – Hassan in Bangladesh cricket.The players know it. The coaches are aware. The selectors have had to get Hassan’s sign-off on squads since 2016. Hassan has, in the past, openly criticised the team management for not consulting him on playing XIs. Hassan has exercised his power to make “drastic changes” to the coaching staff less than two weeks before a major tournament. Hassan can instruct players to appear in certain series and he really doesn’t like it when they retire when he doesn’t want them to.He slams performances during and after series. It goes without saying that Hassan sits in on team meetings. He regularly calls players and coaches to his residence for discussions. And, of course, he likes to speak to the media about it all.If Shakib Al Hasan can lead the team well in these times of chaos, he might be rewarded with a bit of peace and quiet.•AFP/Getty ImagesThe BCB has had this reputation of being meddlesome when it comes to team matters for more than a decade, ever since AHM Mustafa Kamal became the board chief in 2009, actually. He liked to be in control of all matters to do with the national team. Unwittingly or otherwise, Hassan picked up the trait a couple of years into his reign. Over nine years as the board chief, he has established that whoever the coach or captain are, Hassan and the board directors will call all the shots.

****

So where does that leave Shakib, or Bangladesh cricket captains in general?On August 19, Hassan was asked about Shakib’s roles and responsibilities.”Remember one thing, there’s never an issue about who the coach is when Shakib is captain,” Hassan said. “He decides the best XI. You should know this. He decides it on his own. Of course he takes the advice of the coach. But the coach also prioritises the captain in regards to the best XI. He probably explains the game plan that he can do. Even if we don’t have a head coach, we will have Khaled Mahmud and Jalal Yunus.”When asked on Monday how difficult it is to captain a side in such unique circumstances, Shakib was diplomatic. “Challenges exist everywhere, whether it is our team, franchise cricket or another cricket board,” he said. “There are different degrees of this challenge, regardless of the size of the cricket board or the franchise.”Playing it safe? Of course. The way BCB has treated some captains in the recent past is enough of a warning, even for someone of the stature of Shakib.Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladesh’s most successful captain, was pushed out of the T20I team in 2017, and the ODI team in 2020. Mahmudullah, handed the T20I captaincy when the ICC banned Shakib, was sacked last month. When the controversy over Shakib endorsing a betting company erupted, Hassan named Mahmudullah as one of the captaincy candidates. Shakib backtracked. Now he is the captain.A pep talk for the players? Nazmul Hassan does a bit of that too•BCBMominul Haque couldn’t handle the Test captaincy on and off the field. On the field, his form suffered. Off the field, he appeared a nervous wreck. Eventually, he resigned from the role just days before the team left for the West Indies in June.Among the current lot of captains, Tamim Iqbal is in the strongest position. He has led Bangladesh well in ODIs, keeping them in second position in the World Cup Super League table, winning five of their six series in the league. He has also been a prolific scorer during this run, but Tamim will be aware that things can go pear-shaped any moment. He has done well to continue the work of Mortaza with a side that loves to play ODIs. The 2-1 series loss against Zimbabwe recently was a blip, but since it didn’t involve Super League points, it has escaped scrutiny.

****

But the next few months are different. Bangladesh have at least two matches – and a maximum of six – to play before the T20 World Cup, and a poor lead-up wouldn’t just disappoint fans, it will put pressure on Shakib. With Hassan expected to travel to the UAE, the Bangladesh media contingent will expect a generous flow of news. He likes to host press conferences after every other game. If the team loses, like at the World Cup last year, there could well be hell to pay, especially for the captain. And the players learnt straightaway that they are not permitted to question, forget criticise, Hassan.Shakib will play it cool. He will hope to engage constructively with the board chief and the directors, and get the team to focus on matters on-field, rather than on Facebook Watch. Mashrafe turned around a tough campaign in the 2015 ODI World Cup. It can be chaotic, but Shakib will hope for a similar turn of fortunes, and prove to the team and the board that he can lead through this chaos. If he can, he might be rewarded with a bit of peace and quiet.

Pakistanis dominate overseas slots while Taskin is the only one picked from the bottom three teams

Mohammad Isam16-Feb-2023Najmul Hossain Shanto (Sylhet Strikers)
After five seasons of mediocrity, Shanto has finally broken through with a solid showing. He became the first from Bangladesh to cross 500 runs in a BPL season, through which he ended as the tournament’s top run-getter. His unbeaten 89 against Fortune Barishal was his highest score this time, although his fifty in the final, his fourth of the season, was a crucial effort. The highlight though was his consistency, something that he would like to transfer to the international stage.Rony Talukdar (Rangpur Riders)
This was Talukdar’s best BPL season, beating his 317 runs at 140.26 strike rate from 2018-19. He was all about fast starts for Rangpur Riders. He averaged 61.50 in the Powerplay, having been dismissed four times during the first six overs. His position among the top run-getters in the competition puts him in direct competition with the likes of Mohammad Naim, Munim Shahriar and Anamul Haque who are among those knocking on the T20I team’s door. Could it be Talukdar’s time when Bangladesh pick their squad for the England series next month?Towhid Hridoy (Sylhet Strikers)
If he hadn’t picked himself up for this season, Hridoy would have been a BPL footnote: the one who lost the 2022 final because he couldn’t hit the last ball for a boundary. But he restructured his T20 game and produced his first big performance at any level. He has added a number of shots to his armoury this season, including the pick-up over square-leg and the carves over point and extra cover. He even recovered from a hand injury to continue batting in the same way. The duck in the final would be a disappointment but it doesn’t diminish his effort.Related

• Litton, Charles help Comilla Victorians to fourth Bangladesh Premier League title

• Bangladesh's Below-Par League needs an overhaul, and quick

Shakib Al Hasan (Fortune Barishal)
He has made it to ESPNcricinfo’s BPL XI for the seventh time, the most by any cricketer in this competition. Shakib led Fortune Barishal very well, especially in the first half of the competition when they could do no wrong. But he made a bit of a misstep in their last match – the Eliminator – when he kept going down the order and didn’t even get to bat. With the ball, he remained the ace in the pack, regularly picking up wickets, and giving away very little.Iftikhar Ahmed (Fortune Barishal)
If all the rage about Iftikhar this month was about his six sixes in a Wahab Riaz over in an exhibition match, one must also look at how he fared in the BPL. He played arguably the most entertaining innings, the 45-ball unbeaten 100 against Chattogram Challengers, including a 25-run over against Shamim Hossain. He struck two other unbeaten fifties as he grew into a middle-order giant for Barishal. They surely missed him after February 7, as they bowed out from the competition in the Eliminator match.Khushdil Shah (Comilla Victorians)
Another big-hitting middle-order presence in the BPL, Khushdil not only entertained with his sixes, he also bailed Comilla Victorians out from their early struggles. It took him a little while to get used to the Dhaka pitches, but when he did, Khushdil finished his time in the BPL with a 161.48 strike-rate. He also bowled handy left-arm spin, and was more than a safe fielder.Imad Wasim (Sylhet Strikers)
Only the Strikers will know just how valuable Imad was bowling with the new ball. He has always done well in the BPL, but this time it has counted towards the Strikers’ push to the final. Imad has the lowest economy rate (5.11) among bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 150 balls in the competition. In fact, his 5.11 economy rate is also the second-lowest in a season (minimum 240 balls) among all bowlers behind Sunil Narine’s 4.57 in 2017.Azmatullah Omarzai (Rangpur Riders)
Riders dropping the fast bowler Omarzai for the Eliminator match provoked shocked reactions around the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Of course the legendary Dwayne Bravo replaced him but Omarzai was a vital cog in the Riders’ league stage. He was the most effective with the new ball, taking 13 of his 15 wickets in the Powerplay. Those numbers get better with his 11.07 average and 5.53 economy rate in the first six overs. Omarzai’s 13 wickets is also the third-best in the Powerplay in a BPL season. Something worth looking at for T20 scouts from other leagues.Taskin Ahmed (Dhaka Dominators)
Taskin is the second player after Shakib to be a repeat occupant in ESPNcricinfo’s BPL XI. He remains Bangladesh’s best all-format fast bowler, after doing well in Tests and ODIs in the last two years. He played for the struggling Dhaka Dominators, and in that backdrop, his 4 for 9 against Khulna Tigers, defending 108 runs, equalling the second-lowest total defended successfully in this competition’s history, really stood out.Tanvir Islam (Comilla Victorians)
It is hard to stand out as a left-arm spinner in Bangladesh but that’s exactly what Tanvir’ did in this season’s BPL. His accuracy and effectiveness in all phases helped the Victorians greatly. Tanvir even has an action, with which he gets a lot of dip into fastish deliveries. He has a fine celebration too, unique within the BPL. If a smart scout is looking out for a good bowler in all phases of a T20, Tanvir can be that bowler.Hasan Mahmud (Rangpur Riders)
He may have a high average and economy rate compared to the other bowlers, but fast bowler Mahmud got the Riders what they really wanted: wickets. Captain Nurul Hasan and coach Shohel Islam ensured he bowled mostly in the right moments for them. For example, Mahmud is the best death bowler in the BPL this season. It is one of his strengths, particularly the yorker. But he has showed other deliveries too, and continues to grow into a strong performer with the white ball.