The latest round-up of how the Australia players are going in the UAE as the IPL starts to take shape

Andrew McGlashan12-Oct-20203:57

What’s behind the success of Anrich Nortje and James Pattinson?

While the Australian domestic season comes to life in Adelaide a group of players continue to ply their trade at the IPL in the UAE. It’s been a mixed week as the points table starts to take a bit of a divide between those pushing for the playoffs and those struggling for momentum. Here’s a round-up of some of the highlightsMaxwell’s frustrationsSo far it has been an IPL to forget for Glenn Maxwell – he has 58 runs from seven innings (and just 61 balls faced) for bottom-of-the-table Kings XI Punjab. Against the Sunrisers Hyderabad he again walked in with his team in bother at 58 for 3 chasing 202 and could only manage 7 off 12 balls before being run out. Against Kolkata Knight Riders he came in during the penultimate over with the Kings XI having made a mess of another chase and faced his first ball at the start of the last over needing 14 to win. When he was on strike for the final ball a six would have forced a Super Over and he came within inches of doing it, but he couldn’t quite get the distance against Sunil Narine. “Shattered,” was his succinct response on Twitter.

Shattered… #gameofinches

— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) October 10, 2020

Stoinis’ new role?Marcus Stoinis began the IPL by plundering 53 off 21 balls and he has had another productive week for the Delhi Capitals. His second fifty – coming off 24 balls – helped provide a critical late surge against the Royal Challengers Bangalore to propel an innings that had been losing its way although he was given three lives. Against the Rajasthan Royals he produced a telling all-round display hitting 39 off 30 balls before taking 2 for 17. Most of Stoinis’ T20 success has come at the top order – Australia coach Justin Langer said that was his best spot – but if he returns from the IPL with another string to his bow it will be very interesting to see where he finds a space in the T20I side to face India having moved around the order against England last month. Before the IPL, his strike-rate at Nos. 5 and 6 was 131.22 but in the this tournament it’s up at 175.00.Marcus Stoinis sent Hardik Pandya back for a duck•BCCIFinch’s Ashwin warningAaron Finch almost became the latest run-out backing up victim for R Ashwin when the Royal Challengers faced the Capitals. Australia’s limited-overs captain strayed a long way out of his crease as Ashwin prepared to bowl the fourth delivery of his opening over, but was spared when Ashwin offered a smile – and later a stern ‘warning’ to any other batsmen. There was much made before the IPL began of Ricky Ponting’s comments that he did not agree with the mode of dismissal and he, too, wore a smile from the dug out when Ashwin resisted. For Finch himself, he has yet to find his best form with just one significant score – his 52 against Mumbai Indians – in six innings.

Let’s make it clear !! First and final warning for 2020. I am making it official and don’t blame me later on. @RickyPonting #runout #nonstriker @AaronFinch5 and I are good buddies btw. #IPL2020

— Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) October 5, 2020

Smith fadesSteven Smith started the tournament in strong form after his return from the concussion that curtailed his series in England, but in the last couple of weeks the runs have been hard to come by. In his last five innings he has a top score of 24 amid a misfiring Royals top order and there have been some ugly hoicks among his dismissals. On Sunday he was run out for 5 against David Warner’s Sunrisers Hyderabad following a mix-up with Jos Buttler. As captain, though, he is now able to call on Ben Stokes who made his first appearance of the competition after returning from compassionate leave.Archer gets Warner, againIt is turning into another very consistent campaign for Warner – only one score below 28 in seven innings – although he has not hit the destructive heights he has shown in the past. His innings against the Royals was particularly hard work to begin with as he ended the Powerplay with 8 off 13 balls as part of a very sluggish 26 for 1. He started to move through the gears after that, but just as he was threatening something substantial his 2020 nemesis struck again: bowled by Jofra Archer for 48.

Looks like @JofraArcher will be getting a new console @xboxuk #SRHvRR | #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/tcVvDbnlk6

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 11, 2020

Ins and outsAlex Carey made his first appearance for the Capitals after Rishabh Pant picked up a hamstring injury and will likely get a few more games with Pant expected to be out for a week. AJ Tye was brought by the Royals but went 1 for 50 against the Capitals (and batted No. 7) before being left out again due to Stokes’ return. After two matches in the RCB XI, Adam Zampa is back on the bench. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Daniel Sams, Chris Lynn, Chris Green and Billy Stanlake are still yet to play.

On international debut at Commonwealth Games, Barbados draw on West Indies experience to beat Pakistan

Paul Muchmore29-Jul-2022Barbados may have been making their debut on the international stage tonight at the Commonwealth Games, but throughout their encounter with Pakistan, they showed they aren’t just in Birmingham to make up the numbers.With seven players capped previously by West Indies, six of them part of the squad that lifted the T20 World Cup trophy in 2016, perhaps it should be no surprise that they’ve beaten a full-member nation at their first attempt.The island nation leant heavily on that experience – all five players who batted have represented West Indies, and five of the six bowlers used were already international players. The other, Shanika Bruce, who bowled a solitary over, was the leading wicket-taker in the latest season of the T20 Blaze.Leading from the front in all departments was captain Hayley Matthews, the 24-year-old allrounder who anchored the Barbados innings with a 50-ball 51, bowled four tight overs, claiming 1 for 13, and effected two run-outs as Pakistan’s top order stumbled, with only Nida Dar threatening to take Pakistan close to Barbados’ total of 144 for 4.Related

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Matthews will take over the West Indies captaincy from Stafanie Taylor in their next series later this year, but the Commonwealth Games has given her an opportunity to make her international debut as skipper with a group of players she has led at domestic level since 2019. While she admitted there were nerves, she was delighted to put them behind her and get a first win under her belt.”It was electric, man,” she said, “I’m always really well supported by the Barbados team. We have a special bond within the group but I really can’t say much more, it was special, that’s for sure.”You could forgive Matthews for feeling the pressure a bit more when Deandra Dottin fell to Diana Baig on the fifth ball of the match, caught trying to clear the infield after flying out of the blocks in true Dottin style.While Matthews’ half-century – her first in T20 internationals since May 2019 – may have been the slowest of her career, she explained it was a conscious decision to try and bat deep with Kycia Knight, with whom she built a 107-run partnership off 98 balls. The pair drew on their time at the crease together in the West Indies domestic season in June, where they were the top two run-scorers in the Super50 Cup.”I think when we were out playing our domestic season, what we tried to focus on really hard as the top four core batting group was batting really deep in the innings and that showed today,” Matthews said.”Obviously, we wouldn’t necessarily have as much depth as we usually would and experience as we usually would within a West Indies team. So backing all the other players 100%, we know that our top four or five batters are our main ones that are looking to score most of the runs, and it was really good that we were able to spend some time at the crease and bat really deep today.”Hayley Matthews en route to fifty•Getty ImagesWhile Barbados’ less-experienced players may not have made their marks on the scorecard on this occasion, they displayed an energy in the field that made it hard for Pakistan to push for twos, building pressure leading to mistakes. Matthews was keen to big up their impact and importance to the team.”I think what’s really good as well is our young players, they really take in as much information as they can, try to learn as much as possible and that’s exactly what you want in a group,” she said. “I keep saying we have a really tight group with a lot of experience and a lot of a youth mix.”A key theme that has emerged throughout the lead-up to the Games has been the pride players are taking in being part of a wider multi-sport team and Matthews echoed that sentiment: “It’s really good to know that we’re represent something so much bigger now”.Barbados only have 65 athletes across all disciplines at Birmingham 2022, so the cricket team represents a large share of the nation’s interest in the event. They were cheered on at Edgbaston by the netball team and “so many people” from the Barbados Olympic Association. And Matthews is well aware that the support for her team will extend far beyond the borders of her own island.”It definitely is really special going out there representing Barbados with that badge on our shirt. But at the same time, we know the entire Caribbean is supporting us 100% and we’re playing for everyone out there.”One big backer for Matthews as she embarks on her journey as an international captain is Taylor.”She messaged me this morning actually to tell me, ‘all the best, take it stride by stride’, and she has been a fantastic captain for me and the West Indies team for the last couple of years and I know she’s always supporting me 100 percent,” Matthews said.Next up for Barbados is a much tougher proposition – T20 world champions Australia. Matthews was realistic about their chances – the only time in 13 attempts West Indies have beaten them was in the 2016 World Cup final – but she encouraged her side to go out there and play their natural game and give everything they’ve got.”Looking at Australia, we know the kind of class players and athletes that they have in their team,” she said. “But at the same time, I think it’s really good that we can go there with no pressure on us. No one’s looking for us to win the match and I think it’s going to give us a really good opportunity to be able to head out there and free up and play some natural cricket.”We have some very special players within our team mixed with some youth players that are really full of heart and full of pride and ready to just give everything so I think that combination could hopefully help us to pull off something special against Australia as well.”With one win already on the board, one surprise victory against Australia or India could take them into the semi-finals, giving them a shot at a spot on the medal podium. If their blend of experience and underdog spirit can carry them onwards, Barbados could become one of the feelgood stories of the Games.

Hanuma Vihari relives his incredible SCG rearguard with R Ashwin, when he batted with an injured leg he couldn’t feel and a mind focused on playing out six balls at a time

Sidharth Monga21-Jan-2021What were you feeling when you were limping up the stairs at the SCG after saving the Test?
Two feelings came to mind. One was pain, the other was relief. The pain was there and sigh of relief that I could do the job for the team. It was sweet pain. The pain was all worth it at the end of the day. If I hadn’t been able to save the match, it would have hurt more. But because we saved the Test, the pain was not so painful.Did memories of Adelaide flash back at this time?

After the Adelaide Test, you won’t believe, we as a team we never spoke about the game. We only felt that it has never happened before, I don’t think it will ever happen again. It was a freak innings. So let’s move on and let’s look at it as a three-Test series from Melbourne. Now if you look at it, we have won the series 2-0. The Indian team, the character and the fight we show, we leave everything on the ground. That’s the hallmark of the Indian team. That’s exactly how we played.We looked at the number of times you were not in control while playing a delivery. In this series, it has taken, on an average, nine to ten not-in-control balls for a wicket to fall. In that innings [36 all out], it took just three to four. I am sure you know this instinctively as batsmen, but did you need such numbers to reinforce the fact that it was a freak innings that day?
I read that article but we knew it, that every time that a good ball came, we edged it and it went straight to the fielder. It doesn’t happen in cricket that way. If it does on a freak day, you accept it and move on. That is Test cricket at the end of the day. You can have days like that also. But we knew this would not happen very often – once in 60 years or so.Related

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How did the evening after the SCG Test go?
I hardly had any sleep. Again, with pain. One thing was pain and the other thing was I was happy and overwhelmed with the respect and love I got on the internet, in the messages I got. I think I slept for one hour and got up again at 6 in the morning. That is the kind of feeling I got. I would say for all the years of hard work I had done in first-class cricket, where there are no people watching you play and you have to go through the grind and struggle, and to have 1.3 billion watching back home and all the people in the world watching you save a Test match… That was the thought that came into my mind. Real satisfaction of going through the grind in the first-class arena and then achieving this, the satisfaction was really amazing.Have you ever been, at any level, in a match where your team has had so many injuries?
Never. This series has been a ride of emotions. We have been through the ups and downs, we have seen everything you can see in sports in one series. The way the support staff handled it… at no point were they panicked. At no point did they lose hope. They believed that whoever walked onto the park, we are “Team India” and we will get 100% on the ground.Because of the Covid situation, the squad was big. But losing players still upsets the balance of the team. Sometimes you don’t get the right combination. If you look at the Gabba Test, they took a punt on Washi [Washington Sundar] who never played first-class cricket in the last three years. Still they believed in the player. They knew his capability and ability. They have seen us play, they have seen us in the nets, they knew what we could do. Their task was to choose the right combination of players, and they believed whoever played could go and perform.

“At one point we joked that it felt like we were in a war with wounded soldiers. We will play the fourth Test with whoever is left standing. At one point it felt like that, but jokes apart the medical team did a tremendous job”

The actual physio and trainers, what all did they have to go through? What were the scenes in the dressing room?
Huge credit to the physios and the trainers. They had a tough time dealing with so many injuries. At no point did I feel they were panicked or worried or anything like that. They were quite calm. Both the physios and both the trainers. At one point we joked that it felt like we were in a war with wounded soldiers. We will play the fourth Test with whoever is left standing. At one point it felt like that, but jokes apart the medical team did a tremendous job.But seriously, when did the team start believing you could save the Sydney Test?
If you look at the first session and most part of the second session, we were looking good for a win. The way Rishabh [Pant] and [Cheteshwar] Pujara played. To be honest, once they got out, I don’t think a win was a possibility. Even before my injury, Ash [R Ashwin] was struggling with his back, [Ravindra] Jadeja could have played only a few overs if needed. The draw came in when we knew that Ash couldn’t run, and then when my hamstring injury happened, we knew we just had to bat out time. And it is not an easy task [for one partnership] to bat out 43 overs. Australia, day five, against that attack.We batted one ball at a time, one over at a time, me and Ash. We had a conversation every over about what we needed to do. The strategy also helped. We got messages from outside but we had already decided that he was going to face [Nathan] Lyon and I would face the fast bowlers. One he was batting well against Lyon and also I couldn’t stretch against the spinner with my hamstring.It panned out well. He was facing Lyon with ease on a day-five pitch, and I was pretty comfortable against the fast bowlers.So before Pant got out, were you just batting normally or would you say you were actually going for the win?
No, no, not really. The talk in the huddle was let’s bat normally. If we get close, then we will look at it. Never thought of chasing the target or anything.But that’s how Rishabh plays, isn’t it? He just played his natural game. Other than that we were not thinking of drawing the game or winning the game. Ninety-eight overs is too long a time to plan or predict what will happen. We just have to see how the game will take its course and then react to the situation.”I knew straightaway that I had torn my hamstring”•Getty ImagesI mean if Pant plays defensively, he will likely get out. He also must know that…
You can’t play for a draw from the first session. You must remember he still played 130 balls. If he doesn’t play that way [his natural game], the bowlers will be on top from the first session. So really good on him to play the way he did.Did you immediately know your injury was bad and you could put yourself out for a long time if you pushed yourself?
I knew it then and there that it was the end of my series. I knew it wasn’t a cramp or anything minor. I knew straightaway that I had torn my hamstring. Because I have done that before, I knew how it feels. I couldn’t walk or run. I knew it was a tear.I knew whatever contribution I could make, whatever impact I had to have, it has to be in this time. In one way, the injury helped me with clarity of mind. I knew I just have to play close to the body and not try anything fancy because I am not looking for runs and I can’t run anyway. It made things simpler for me to just be there and block balls that come my way.When Ashwin got off the mark, he made you run that quick single. You were nearly run out…
Before that also I had told Ash I can’t run. Instinctively he ran and I didn’t have a choice. Before that run I didn’t know if I could jog, but when I took that run I told Ash, see, I can’t even jog. I can only walk. That too with pain. So he said, ‘Okay, let’s not run and play out the overs.’Does he speak better Telugu or do you speak better Tamil?
He can speak better Telugu. I can’t speak Tamil. I can only understand Tamil.But we could pick up only Tamil on TV.
He spoke Telugu too. In Tamil he said, “” is like play, play. He was speaking both. Main thing was . Think of ten-ten balls.Were you counting “ten-ten balls”?
I was counting my six. So if I play my six, I was waiting for Ash to play his six. I knew if I played my six balls, I would get four minutes of rest where he plays the other six. Six balls of my strike, six balls of his strike. We believed once when the session started, we just batted. But after that, in the mandatory overs in the last hour, we said we will focus even harder. We believed then that we could actually do it. Before that we were just batting and taking our time and making sure we get as close to 6 o’clock as possible. In that last one hour, we knew we could achieve something special.

“In the tea break I took the injection. After tea… I couldn’t feel my right leg at all. The numbness of the painkiller meant I didn’t have any pain when standing, but I couldn’t even feel my leg. And then when I ran it hurt.”

Did that change your mindset now that you knew you were on the brink of something special?
Exactly. That’s when the communication was even more important. That’s when the Tamil and Telugu conversation happened. We hardly spoke before that. After that we knew we were getting close, we were pepping each other up, it was only a matter of time. That is when conversations happened.What did you do during the tea break?
I got a painkiller injection. And got taped up. In my mind, I knew this is the innings I have to give it back to the team. I was thinking in my mind I have to do something and show the character and grit and determination. That I have to go and bat for two-and-a-half hours.How many painkillers did you take?
One tablet when I first got injured and then the injection during the tea break.It takes 15-20 minutes for it to kick in, right?
Yes. In the tea break I took the injection. After tea, it stopped hurting me but I felt a weakness in my right leg. I couldn’t feel my right leg at all. The numbness of the painkiller meant I didn’t have any pain when standing, but I couldn’t even feel my leg. And then when I ran it hurt.Was there a phase when it felt like it might be slipping away?
Only towards the end when I was dropped [by Tim Paine]. Mitchell Starc bowled a brilliant spell. He was reverse-swinging the ball, and it was moving late. That was the only phase I thought I have to focus a little bit harder. If you look at the match, that was the only phase where they troubled us. Initially, Ash had trouble with the short ball but after that he was comfortable.Just overall, how difficult is it to face this Australian attack?
The thing is, the height they release from, and their pace, they hit the wicket hard. It is challenging but we showed in this Test series if you take up the challenge, then you can wear any bowler down. That’s exactly what we did. We wore them down and we capitalised on any loose balls we got. That is very rare from them. Only when they are tired or once you have batted 70-80 overs, then you tend to get some runs out of them.Especially Pat Cummins, he is like a machine. He gave nothing on the pads.
And he bowls those lengths. He bowls hard lengths. Not like he is coming and releasing it on a length. He hits it really hard. And it hits high up on the bat. So you have to be doubly focused on him.But people talk about strike rates and strike rotation. You must tell people what a big risk it is to force the pace against them.
You can only experience it. You can’t explain it. You can’t explain how it feels facing up against them.R Ashwin embraces Hanuma Vihari after the match ended in a draw•AFP via Getty ImagesAny technical adjustment you made during the series?
In the last [third] Test, against Josh Hazlewood, I made a small adjustment to bat outside the crease. He is someone who hits the length consistently, so I wanted to make him bowl a different length. That was a tactical change. But other than that I batted the way I did in West Indies and New Zealand. I always felt I was batting well throughout the series but the runs never came in the first two Tests – I got a pretty good ball in the first Test, threw my wicket away in the second and then got run out in the first innings in Sydney. That didn’t really help with the amount of runs I scored, but I always felt I was batting well.In hindsight, do you feel that run in the first innings in Sydney was on?
In hindsight, I wouldn’t say the run was on. It was an extraordinary piece of fielding from Hazlewood but still it wasn’t necessary on my part to take a risky single. The wicket was playing so well that I could have waited and ground them, had a partnership with Pujara and got a big score. But yeah that was a brain-fade moment for me.But if you think about it, can you find an explanation as to why this [being run out going for a quick single] happens in Test cricket?
I don’t think I can. Sometimes you feel there is a run. In a split second you make the decision. Because I have stepped out and the momentum was there and the danger end was also mine. I thought I could reach. I didn’t expect that kind of fielding from Josh. He was in the middle of a spell. He had bowled three-four overs in the spell and to come out and do that, we have to give credit to him as well. But as I said it wasn’t unnecessary.But when you pick out a fielder, even in that split second, do you know this guy is in the middle of a spell?
Yes. Exactly that is what I thought. But it didn’t pan out well.Just overall you have played only one Test at home, you are again missing a home series [against England], and you just get challenging assignments. Do you feel satisfied with what you have done at this point of your career?
I am really blessed to be part of this side. To be part of an Indian side winning abroad, winning twice in Australia, and the team management showing so much faith in me… The faith they show in me, I am really blessed and happy. I just want to repay that faith with good performances, whether it is home or abroad.Did you watch the whole final Test?
Yeah, yeah, I was waking up at 5am and watching it on TV. I didn’t miss a single ball. I was really happy and rooting for us to win.It must have been tough coming back alone after having been part of such a great series.
I was gutted that I wasn’t part of the historic Test at Gabba. You feel disappointed, but the reason I came back was I want to get fit as soon as possible and make sure I am available for selection for the last two Tests [against England]. That was why I came back.So you have to go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA)?

I am in NCA [in Bengaluru] already. I reached yesterday and will start rehab tomorrow.

Also, what do current table-toppers South Africa need to do to qualify?

S Rajesh28-Jul-2022How does the 1-1 series result impact the qualification chances for Sri Lanka and Pakistan?
Sri Lanka have moved back up to third place on the WTC table with the 1-1 drawn series, but they still have plenty to do to finish among the top two, given that their current percentage of 53.33 is well behind those of the top two teams currently. Sri Lanka have also already played five of their six series in this cycle, and their only remaining series consists of two Tests in New Zealand. If they win both, they will finish on 61.1%, but if the series finishes 1-1, their percentage will drop to 52.78.ESPNcricinfo LtdPakistan are currently in fifth place, jostling in an extremely crowded mid-table tussle: Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and West Indies currently have percentages between 50 and 53.33. The advantage for Pakistan is that their two remaining series are at home: three Tests against England and two against New Zealand. If they win all five, their percentage will shoot up to 69.05. If they collect 48 points from those two series (four wins and a loss), their percentage will be 61.9%.What do current table-toppers South Africa need to do to qualify?
South Africa are currently sitting on top with 71.43% points, but they have some tough assignments coming up: three Tests each in England and Australia, which will be followed by two home Tests against West Indies to round off their six series for this cycle.Even if they win both Tests against West Indies, they will still need more points to get their final percentage up to 60. If, for instance, they lose each of those overseas series 1-2 and beat West Indies 2-0, they will finish on 60%. If they win one of those series 2-1 and lose the other 1-2, they will go up to 66.67, which will keep them in the mix to qualify.Five out of Australia’s nine remaining Tests this cycle are at home•Getty ImagesAre Australia among the favourites to make it to the final?
Australia have as many as nine Tests to go in this cycle, the most among all teams. Five of those are at home, across two series – two Tests against West Indies and three against South Africa. However, their away series will be their biggest challenge – four Tests against India.If Australia win all five at home and lose all four to India, they will drop to 63.16 and India will leapfrog them if they win all six of their remaining Tests. If Australia manage a 6-3 win-loss record in those nine matches, their percentage will improve to 68.42, which should put them in a strong position to qualify.What are India’s chances of making their second final in a row?
India are currently in fourth place, but they should fancy their chances of getting plenty of points and moving up the table in their last two series of this cycle – against Bangladesh (two Tests away) and Australia (four Tests at home).If India score a perfect six on six, their percentage will jump up to 68.06, which will be more than Australia’s score even if they win their five home Tests. This means that if India and Pakistan win all their remaining games and if South Africa slip up, it could be an all-subcontinent final at Lord’s in 2023.What about England, New Zealand and West Indies?
The best that England can manage is 51.52 if they win their remaining six Tests, while New Zealand can only go up to 48.72. None of these three teams have a realistic shot. West Indies can theoretically go up to 65.38, but their four remaining Tests are in Australia and South Africa.

It’s evident that spin stocks are at an all-time low in the country of champion tweakers

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Apr-2021It is often said that a Test pitch should not be judged until Sri Lanka have had the chance to collapse on it. But unless the surface changes substantially over the next day, this pitch seems collapse-proof even for this Sri Lanka, who unveil a new monument to batting incompetence once every Test (in their last 12 innings, they have been all out for less than 200 five times).Early on day one, the ball at its hardest, the pitch at its freshest (and generally springiest), wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella was collecting the ball at knee height and lower. Batters played and missed occasionally, but not often, with little movement on offer either off the deck or in the air. Even if there had been edges, there was a decent chance they would have bounced before a catch could be claimed behind the wicket. By mid-morning, the batters were confidently pulling and hooking Lahiru Kumara’s 140kph-plus bouncers in front of square.All this on the grassiest Test-match pitch seen in Sri Lanka in at least five years. In South Africa, surfaces of this hue are called green mambas – the ball, leaping, spitting, biting off a length. On day one, this pitch was so lame it was more like a green earthworm, the kind that reproduces asexually and lives its life entirely in the dark, presumably in its parents’ basement.Related

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So how have Sri Lanka wound up with what appears, for now, to be a dud of a surface? Aren’t the island’s pitches supposed to be devious on day one, treacherous on day three, unplayable on day four? (No draw has been played out on the island since 2014.) And, uhhh, don’t Sri Lankan pitches turn, usually? Turn so much that seamers are frequently made redundant?After play on day one, Sri Lanka’s batting coach Grant Flower said the surface did not offer as much as Sri Lanka’s seamers had hoped for. This much was already clear. But he also said Sri Lanka broke tradition and went for a greener pitch in order to “give our seamers a chance for a change”. Essentially, Sri Lanka felt their best chance for victory lay with their quicks, all of whom average over 35. Another way to put this; Sri Lanka’s spin stocks are so depleted for this series, that the seam attack suddenly emerged as their primary weapon. Their only viable weapon?It’s possible we might have seen a drier surface if left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya had been fit for this series. Yes, he’s got only 11 Tests on his ledger, and sure, that average in the high 30s doesn’t suggest he’s a hook you can hang your attack on. But still, in his last series at home, Embuldeniya claimed 15 wickets in two Tests. Increasingly, Sri Lanka appear as though they trust him to develop a certain match-winningness. But then, the moment he is injured, boom! That’s enough of this dusty stuff. Roll out the green carpet please. What does this say for the remainder of Sri Lanka’s spin stocks? Can’t be a lot, right? Their specialist spinner in this match is Wanindu Hasaranga, and he is far from becoming a reliably wicket-threatening legspinner. Dhananjaya de Silva is in there as support, but is rocking modest part-timer numbers on the Test front.

Sri Lanka, it would appear, no longer have the kind of world-class spin-bowling weaponry that kept even Herath largely out of the national side for almost ten years. So dire has it all become, that in this Test, they have banked on seam and wound up with a pitch they didn’t want

Elsewhere in the squad, Sri Lanka have one other frontline spin option: 22-year-old left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who has played all of ten first-class games. He was picked because another uncapped slow left-armer, Duvindu Tillakaratne, was injured, and another one – Prabath Jayasuriya – failed a fitness test. In an 18-member squad for a Test series at home, these are the spin options Sri Lanka have strung together – a list so bleak, it would have been almost unthinkable even five years ago. This is the nation of Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath; of flight, dip, spin and catchers milling around batters like vultures around a carcass they are about to devour. If there is one area in which Sri Lanka ought to have a reliable production line, what else than this?If this surface turns out to be as docile as it threatened to be on day one, add it to list of crimes Sri Lanka’s domestic system is responsible for. Although slow bowlers dominate first-class cricket, their pile of wickets come against frequently hapless batters, on pitches that rage from ball one. Against better batters, whom they must bowl longer spells at, and defeat with guile and subtlety rather than merely with the help of the surface, Sri Lanka spinners tend to struggle.Coach Mickey Arthur spoke about this in an interview this week: “Some [domestic] performances get amplified a little bit, so for example, on turning wickets, a guy might get a batch of five-fors, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has the weapons to walk in and be a good international player. Yes, he’s got the ability, but does he have what it takes to transition? I’m talking about skill level, about fitness level, and the ability to take the pressure and the scrutiny that comes with international cricket.”In the past few years, Sri Lanka have rifled through spin options: Tharindu Kaushal went into decline when his doosra was banned, Malinda Pushpakumara seemed only a fraction as effective in internationals as he does in domestics, Lakshan Sandakan hasn’t quite cracked Tests despite having been around for five years, and Dilruwan Perera has entered what may be a terminal decline. Sri Lanka, it would appear, no longer have the kind of world-class spin-bowling weaponry that kept even Herath largely out of the national side for almost ten years. So dire has it all become, that in this Test, they have banked on seam and wound up with a pitch they didn’t want.

Once upon a time, only two years ago actually, batting in Rawalpindi was hard work. Now not so much

Danyal Rasool02-Dec-2022The razzmatazz of Bazball masks the ennui surfaces like the one in Rawalpindi tend to produce, but by the time Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq were set, no one was under any illusions. There was so little seam movement on offer – even for a master like James Anderson – that England took out a slip as early as the second over. The Barmy Army’s morning excitement had given way to afternoon lethargy, and the crowd amused themselves by calling out to boundary fielders until, finally relenting, they ended up waving back.

****

After half a dozen questions about the pitch on Friday, Ramiz Raja threw his hands up. “I don’t know why all of you are padded up and ready, coming after me about the pitch,” he exclaimed. “As if everyone here’s an international cricketer.”The PCB chairman was speaking to a throng of journalists in the press box at lunch, his back turned to the ground. The scoreboard, had Ramiz cast a sideways glance, would have shown that England had posted 657 in 101 overs, amassed the highest first-day score in history, and become the first side to have four century-makers on the opening day of a Test match. Perhaps it would have gone some way towards clearing up that mystery.Related

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Why did Pakistan sedate Rawalpindi, their liveliest Test pitch?

Ramiz’s faux confusion might only have been mildly amusing, but the revisionism that would follow was rather more frustrating. Over a number of media engagements through the day, he acknowledged the pitch here was poor, but doubled down on his insistence that this has been a long-running problem in Pakistan cricket.The most recent Test at this ground before Ramiz took over, though, is where that argument hits a snag. The second Test of Pakistan’s series against South Africa produced scores between 200 and 300 in all four innings. It featured early seam movement to the fast bowlers, and when the pitch flattened out, the spinners came into the game, with George Linde and Keshav Maharaj taking eight of the ten wickets in the third innings. By the final day, pace was by far more potent, and Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali bagged nine wickets between them as Pakistan secured a famous win.As Shafique and Imam coasted along to an unbeaten 181-run stand by stumps, it felt scarcely credible that that Test had taken place less than two years ago. More recently, the two had also put on an undefeated 252 on day five against an Australian attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon before, recognising the utter pointlessness of it all, the two sides finally shook hands.At the time, Ramiz, stung by the criticism that had come his way, put out a YouTube video, claiming Pakistan sedated the surface to neutralise the threat of Australia’s three-pronged pace attack. Never mind, though, he promised. That was a one-off. England, after all, don’t pose the same kind of menace. They even went into the game a bowler light, with Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Jack Leach the only specialists in the XI. The potential for the pace of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf to prove a point of difference was ripe.A happy bowler – quite a rare sight over the past two days•AFP/Getty ImagesPakistan cricket might have had 99 problems when Ramiz took over, but the Rawalpindi pitch wasn’t one of them. And with every ball that Shafique and Imam kept out, almost appearing to bat on autopilot, the consequences of trying to fix what wasn’t broken were thrown into ever sharper relief. Even the promise of drop-in pitches – that mythical search for a silver bullet that always seems just out of reach – has now been rebranded.Ramiz said the cost of importing the surfaces was prohibitive, but why that wasn’t apparent after the most cursory research when the idea was initially floated 15 months ago remains a mystery. Instead, he said, Pakistan would focus on a different kind of drop-in pitch, one that is prepared in Pakistan and can ostensibly shapeshift on command.”That way, we can prepare square turners or bouncy wickets depending on what we want,” he said.Ramiz also appeared to write off the prospect of any excitement for the entire home season, warning fans to expect similar pitches across all three Tests this series, and the two that follow when New Zealand visit at the end of the month. Nine months earlier, though, he had been rather more upbeat about this season.”It takes five-six months to prepare pitches, and during the off-season, you will see – soil is coming from Australia; we’ve experimented, consulted soil experts and prepared soils, and we will redo 50-60 pitches all over Pakistan once our season ends in March-April,” he said at the time.On the evidence of what has transpired over the previous two days, they might have saved themselves the hassle and expense.

All you need to know about the Australian quick, who was signed by Punjab Kings for INR 14 crore at the IPL 2021 auction

Alex Malcolm18-Feb-2021Tearaway teenager
Richardson hails from Perth in Western Australia and despite his small frame he developed a reputation for producing express pace as a teenager when playing for Fremantle Cricket Club, the home of the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, and Ashton Turner. He made his List A and first-class debuts at 19 for Western Australia and played one game in the BBL in 2015-16 for the Perth Scorchers. But he announced himself the following season when he was Player of the Match in the BBL final as the Scorchers claimed their third BBL title under coach Justin Langer.International debut
Later that summer, in February 2017, Langer was seconded to stand in as coach for Australia’s three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka while full-time coach Darren Lehmann and the Test squad headed to India. With a number of first-choice players away there was an opportunity for some of the best performers in the BBL to get their international breaks and Richardson played in two of the three games, debuting in a nail-biter at Geelong.The following summer he consistently took wickets in all formats but bowled superbly in a Sheffield Shield fixture for Western Australia against a full-strength New South Wales side that featured the then Australia captain Steven Smith. Richardson took six wickets in the match, including David Warner in the second innings, and bowled a lot to Smith during his second-innings century.That performance led to his ODI debut, and he was later selected for his first Test squad, on Australia’s infamous Test tour of South Africa in 2018. He had played just five first-class games before going on that tour.Fresh face in a new era

When Langer took over as coach of Australia following the South Africa tour, Richardson was part of a new team of fresh faces for Langer’s first assignment, a five-match ODI tour of England. He was part of the attack that gave up a world-record ODI score at Trent Bridge.He went on Australia’s subsequent T20I tour of Zimbabwe and played in all five games but he was not selected for the Test or T20I tour of the UAE in October of 2018. Instead, he went back and dominated for Western Australia taking 27 wickets in the first five Sheffield Shield games including a career-best 8 for 47 against New South Wales.He returned to the ODI team in January 2019 and took 4 for 26 in game one against India including the prize scalp of Virat Kohli. Just two weeks later he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in the absence of Josh Hazlewood. He took five wickets for the match and gave Australia’s much-vaunted Test attack some more variety. It looked, at the time, as though he may become a permanent fixture in all three formats for Australia heading into the Ashes and the World Cup.Jhye Richardson took five wickets in his debut Test against Sri Lanka at the Gabba•Getty ImagesInjury setback
Richardson dislocated his right shoulder while diving in the field during at ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in the lead-up to the World Cup. The injury ruled him out of the World Cup and the subsequent Ashes series. He made a quiet return to domestic cricket later in 2019 but didn’t immediately reach the pace he previously had and also struggled to throw in the field.He had a solid BBL09 campaign and got better as the tournament progressed, which led to his selection for Australia’s limited-overs tour of South Africa in early 2020. He made his international return in the third ODI at Potchefstroom when Mitchell Starc flew home to watch his wife Alyssa Healy play in the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne.Second surgery

When the Covid-19 pandemic put a halt to international cricket, Richardson elected to have further surgery to stabilise his troublesome shoulder.He missed the first part of the Sheffield Shield season later in the summer as he was still building up to a full return. That decision paid dividends for the Scorchers in the BBL where he starred as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, producing devastating spells in the Powerplay and Power Surge which caught the eye of IPL owners and Australia’s selectors. He also played some excellent cameos with the bat, proving to be an inventive strokemaker in the death overs coming in at No. 8.Such was Richardson’s form, he was talked about as a possible inclusion in Australia’s Test squad to South Africa but his lack of red-ball cricket over the previous 12 months meant that he was instead selected for Australia’s five-match T20I tour of New Zealand, which begins on Monday.Expert eye
“He’s been magnificent for us. He bowls all the tough overs. He bowls up front, he’s bowling in every power surge and he’s often got one at the death as well. Not only is he the leading wicket-taker, but I think he’s also got one of the better economy rates in the competition.”

Key numbers from the third ODI between Sri Lanka and South Africa

Sampath Bandarupalli07-Sep-202116 – Wickets for the spinners in the third ODI – eight each for South Africa and Sri Lanka. Only once spinners have claimed more wickets in an ODI – 19 during the 2011 Bangladesh vs Pakistan match in Chattogram.4 – Maheesh Theekshana became the fourth Sri Lankan bowler to take a wicket with his first ball in ODI cricket. Charitha Buddhika (vs Zimbabwe in 2001), Kaushal Lokuarachchi (vs Kenya in 2003) and Thilan Thushara (vs West Indies in 2008) are the other three.5 – Theekshana’s bowling figures of 4 for 37 are the fifth-best on ODI debut for Sri Lanka and the best by any spinner for them. Wanindu Hasaranga’s 3 for 15 against Zimbabwe in 2017 were the previous best by a Sri Lanka spinner.21 years and 37 days – Theekshana’s age on Tuesday makes him the youngest spinner with four or more wickets in an ODI for Sri Lanka. Muthiah Muralidaran was 22 years and 354 days old when he claimed his maiden four-wicket haul in ODIs, in 1995. Theekshana is also the second youngest of the ten spinners with a four-wicket haul on ODI debut.125 – South Africa’s total is now their second-lowest in an ODI against Sri Lanka, behind 121 in 2018, which also came at the R Premadasa Stadium. It is also the third-lowest ODI total for South Africa in the last ten years, all those coming since the start of 2018.203 for 9 – Sri Lanka’s total in this game, the lowest they have successfully defended in ODI cricket since their 152 against Zimbabwe in 2008. It is also the lowest that South Africa have failed to chase since the 2011 World Cup when they faltered in a chase of 172 against England. (Not considering shortened games)40 – Overs bowled by South Africa’s spinners in this game, the most by them in an ODI. The 33 overs against India in 1996 were the previous most for South Africa spinners in an ODI. The eight wickets taken by their spinners in this game are also the second-most for them, behind nine against West Indies in 2016, where Imran Tahir bagged a seven-wicket haul.

His spin-bowling team-mate talks about the India No. 3’s method, and a nickname he gave him

R Ashwin14-Feb-2023The first time I bowled competitively to Cheteshwar Pujara was in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in 2008-09. I took five wickets but he scored a hundred.The first thing about him was how quick he was on his feet. The moment you tossed it up a little, he’d step out and get to the pitch of the ball. He wouldn’t hit it in the air. If he wanted to make runs – he’d still hit it along the ground, but ferociously. Puji is one of the greatest at playing percentages against spin.During all these years of knowing him, I have learnt that his game is just an extension of his personality. And his personality is stubborn. You just can’t win an argument with him. He never concedes a point. I enjoy seeing his stubborn side, so I try to lead him into arguments while others around say, “Ash, you know you are not going to win.”Related

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M Vijay, according to me the greatest opener for India outside of Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag, and Puji are quite similar in that they haven’t been celebrated enough. They also had some of the most hilarious arguments. They used to do the most difficult job in Test cricket – play out the new ball in testing conditions, as we tend to need to do whenever we go abroad – so it is par for the course to have a few eccentricities emerge from that kind of partnership.They could spend a whole session break arguing over a call that Puji wouldn’t have responded to. Vijay would try to get others to back him, but Puji would stay firm and say, “There was no run.” You can get witnesses and evidence and attorneys, but Puji never changes his mind. Nor does he get frustrated with these debates.Pat Cummins bowls good ball after good ball, changing the angles, trying a bouncer, trying a sucker ball, but all he gets from Puji is the leave or the dead defence. Actually I don’t recall thinking Puji had a great defence when I first saw him, but his stubbornness is such that he has broken down the best of the attacks with his defence.4:17

Pujara: ‘Nothing more satisfying that playing an inspiring innings’

Most batters add to their game when they are successful or cut out some elements when they are failing, but Puji keeps trusting his method. You can’t convince him to change. I used to use a Tamil nickname for him with Shankar Basu, our previous trainer: Mirugam, the beast. Just like a beast focuses single-mindedly on its prey, Puji focuses on batting.One of the arguments I lost to Mirugam was in trying to get him to expand his game. I always believed he could have been an excellent one-day batter. He had the natural ability to rotate the strike in the middle overs.With all the knowledge he has acquired over the years, I felt he could have been a more explosive batter, but I can also understand his challenges. He has had two career-threatening injuries, he has been in and out of the only format he plays, so I can see why it is not easy to veer away from what he knows the best.Especially considering what he knows made him a batter spinners found impossible to bowl to between 2012 and 2017. You pushed it up slightly and he would step out, but never be beaten in the flight. If you bowled a fraction flat, he would go back and whack you through the off side.There was an inevitability to Puji’s runs in this period. Even on the green top at the SSC in 2015. I felt bad for him that he didn’t play the first two Tests because I really rated him. He had played beautifully in Australia too. The moment we knew he was playing the series decider, I told Basu: the Mirugam is hungry and he will feast. It was written all over that match that Puji would score a hundred. That match happened just so he could score that hundred.

“I have not batted a lot with Puji, but we have had a few crucial partnerships. I regret not having been at the other end when he cut loose against the Australian attack in Adelaide “

Puji’s stubbornness has helped him play some of his more memorable knocks, be it the hundreds in Southampton, Adelaide and Melbourne, or the fifties in Johannesburg and Sydney.I have seen a lot of criticism that Puji doesn’t move the game forward and that there is no scoreboard pressure on the bowlers when he gets out, and how that contributes to the dismissal of the new batters. By the same token, those critics should attribute hundreds made by other batters to Puji when he plays out the new ball and leaves behind tired bowlers.We joke that Puji’s dad, Arvind, didn’t teach him the whole sport of cricket. He has taught him this: there is a round object, it is red in colour, people will hurl it at you, and you have to hit it. Hit it in a way that the ball doesn’t fall far from your feet. The other aspects of the sport he doesn’t even see as cricket. He just sucks all the energy out of the bowlers. I am waiting for the day when someone runs in and bowls fast and Puji defends it so softly that the bat falls out of his hand upon impact.When Vikram Rathour and I watch Puji bat, Vikram , for some reason, is always optimistic Puji will hit in the air. He tries to manifest it, but Puji never yields. I tell him if he hits in the air, Puji’s dad won’t let him come back home. In fact, we joke that his house doesn’t have a lock combination. His dad and his wife throw a few balls at him, and he has to knock them back along the ground. Only then is he allowed in. I am sure by now Aditi, his daughter, is also throwing balls at him.R Ashwin: “Critics should attribute the hundreds of other batters to Puji when he plays out the new ball and leaves behind tired bowlers”•AFP/Getty ImagesI have not batted a lot with Puji, but we have had a few crucial partnerships. I regret not having been at the other end when he cut loose against the Australian attack in Adelaide, but then again, I doubt he will take risks like that as long as even a half-decent batter is at the other end.Not that Puji doesn’t think of runs. His long-term planning is way ahead of anyone else. We see he stays in the moment and defends, but in his mind when he is defending Dale Steyn in the first session, he has already planned for JP Duminy after tea. He doesn’t know what score he’ll be on at tea, but he knows he will get at least one or two overs from Duminy and he knows he will go right of midwicket once, left of midwicket once, and he’ll cut him once. So he has 12 runs parked there when you think Steyn is building pressure.We have many other complimentary jokes about Puji but it is no joke for someone with two surgically repaired knees to play for 12 years and get to 100 Tests in a country as full of competition and talent as India.As a spinner who needs runs to play with and an important lower-order batter, I am a nervous watcher when we are batting. The one time I do take a coffee break or a loo break is when Puji is batting because I know when I come back, Puji will still be doing his thing.In your 100th Test and beyond, Puji, my friend, my leg-slip and backward short-leg ally, the single-minded Mirugam, I will be thankful for the value you bring to the team, and the peace and calm to the dressing room.

Virat Kohli scaled more peaks in the IPL, while Shubman Gill keeps improving his best

Sampath Bandarupalli22-May-20237 Virat Kohli’s hundreds in the IPL, the most by a batter surpassing Chris Gayle (6). Four of Kohli’s seven centuries have come at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the most by a batter at an IPL venue.2 IPL matches with batters in each team scoring a hundred. Heinrich Klaasen and Kohli were the first to do it, when RCB defeated Sunrisers in Hyderabad on Thursday, and Kohli and Shubman Gill did it during the game between RCB and Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru.4 Players with back-to-back IPL hundreds after Kohli and Gill scored centuries on Sunday. Both of them had scored hundreds in their previous game – against Sunrisers. The first batter to score back-to-back IPL tons was Shikhar Dhawan in 2020, and Jos Buttler did it in 2022.198 The target that Titans chased down against RCB, their highest successful chase. Titans have batted second in 17 games across two seasons so far, and won 14 of them.8 Kohli’s T20 hundreds – the joint-third highest, behind Chris Gayle (22) and Babar Azam (9).104* Gill’s score against RCB is the highest for Titans, surpassing his 101 in their previous game against Sunrisers. Gill has four of the top five individual scores for Titans, and three of them have come in their last four league games this season.939 The runs Kohli and Faf du Plessis scored during their partnership this season, the joint most by a pair in the IPL, equalling Kohli’s 939 runs with AB de Villiers in 2016. Kohli and du Plessis had their eighth fifty-plus stand of the season on Sunday, which is also a record.4 Gill’s centuries in T20 cricket and all of them have come in 22 innings since November 2022. Only one player had scored as many T20 tons by the age of 24 – Glenn Phillips.