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And how many batters have managed a hundred in each Test of a three-match series?

Steven Lynch04-Jul-2022Has anyone scored as many runs as Jonny Bairstow in the New Zealand series at a higher run rate? asked Mike Bullivant from England
In the three Tests against New Zealand, Jonny Bairstow scored 394 runs from 328 balls, a rate of 120.12 per 100 balls. No one has scored more runs in a series more quickly: the nearest is Bairstow’s current captain Ben Stokes, with 109.01 – 411 from 377 balls – in South Africa in 2015-16.The only man known to have scored 300 runs in a Test series at a faster rate is Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, who hammered 330 off 272 balls – 121.32 per 100 – at home against India in 2005-06. For the full list, click here (note that an asterisk, such as the one against Clive Lloyd’s run-rate figure, means our data is incomplete).I noticed that in a shortish career as opener, John Campbell has been at the crease several times when West Indies have won a Test. Which opener has done this most often? asked Davo Kissoondari from Guyana
The West Indian opener John Campbell may have played only 20 Tests so far, but has now been at the crease six times when the winning hit was made, including both matches against Bangladesh last month. This compares well with a rather more famous Jamaican opener, Chris Gayle, who was also in at the end of a West Indian win on six occasions – but played 103 Tests in all.Only eight openers have been batting at the moment of victory in more Tests, and the fewest matches any of them played was 74 (Michael Slater, who was there for seven wins). Another famous West Indian leads the way by some distance – Desmond Haynes was at the crease at the end of 18 Test victories. Matthew Hayden was there for 11, and Gordon Greenidge for ten.Haynes’ 18 is the most by anyone, opener or not: Ricky Ponting is second with 13, while Jacques Kallis was in at the moment of victory on 12 occasions.Daryl Mitchell scored a century in each match of the England series. How many people have done this? asked Kelly McLeod from New Zealand
New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell was the seventh man to score a century in each match of a three-Test series, following Ken Barrington (England vs Pakistan in 1967), Shoaib Mohammad (Pakistan vs New Zealand in 1990-91), Matthew Hayden (Australia vs South Africa in 2001-02), Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan vs West Indies in 2006-07), Ross Taylor (New Zealand vs West Indies in 2013-14) and Virat Kohli (India vs Sri Lanka in 2017-18).But two men have scored a century in each match of a four-Test series: Kallis, for South Africa against West Indies in 2003-04, and Steven Smith, for Australia vs India in 2014-15.No one has managed a hundred in each match of a five-Test series: Clyde Walcott did score five centuries for West Indies in the home series against Australia in 1954-55, but two of them came in the second Test in Port-of-Spain.Jacques Kallis made a hundred in each of the four Tests against West Indies in 2003-04•Touchline/Getty ImagesApparently only one Englishman has made two full Ashes tours of Australia and not played a Test there – who is he? asked Norman Davis from England
There’s only one man who fits the bill here – but he isn’t, strictly speaking, an Englishman! The tall Northamptonshire fast bowler David Larter toured down under in 1962-63 and 1965-66, but couldn’t force his way into the Test side on either tour. He was born in Inverness, in Scotland, but his family moved to Suffolk when he was ten.Larter did have some success in the ten Tests he managed between injury problems, taking 37 wickets, with a best of 5 for 57 – and nine in the match – on debut against Pakistan at The Oval in 1962.Northamptonshire wicketkeeper Laurie Johnson rated him highly. Interviewed for Larter’s 2021 biography Bowling Fast, he summed up: “It was always interesting keeping to David Larter, as he was different from other quick bowlers in that he could extract bounce from a length. He was a great trier and, on his day, when everything clicked and conditions were in his favour, he could be as quick as Frank Tyson (for whom I used to stand back the full length of the wicket).”Recurring injuries proved too much in the end, at a time when off-field support was less sophisticated than it is now. The unfortunate Larter retired from county cricket in 1967, still only 27. “It was useless trying to carry on,” he wrote. “I played only four games last summer because of a damaged left ankle, and it broke down again in our knockout cup game against Bedfordshire. If I can’t stand up for one match it’s pointless trying to play in three-day games. My ankle will just not stand being jarred.”It didn’t quite happen at Edgbaston, but when was the last time the captain batted at No. 11 in a Test? asked Rajendra Sharma from India
It didn’t happen at Edgbaston because India’s Jasprit Bumrah, in his first match as captain, went in at No. 10 rather than his customary 11 – and did rather well, breaking the record for most runs in an over in a Test.The last captain to go in last in a Test was Sri Lanka’s Suranga Lakmal, against England in Pallekele in 2018-19. The last to do it regularly was Courtney Walsh, on 14 occasions for West Indies in the late 1990s.For the full list, click here (this includes some innings where the captain was injured or did not bat).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Such was the impact of his 16-ball 42 that it felt like the innings of the match even though Conway scored an unbeaten 92 off 58

Andrew McGlashan22-Oct-2022When New Zealand were last in Australia for a World Cup match, the first over became famous for Mitchell Starc uprooting Brendon McCullum to the deafening sounds of a packed MCG.Seven years on, and it was a little different this time, albeit the trophy itself was not on the line. Still, it has already been loosened considerably from Australia’s hold. Second ball, Finn Allen cleared mid-on for four, next ball he goes further with the first six of the Super 12s and two deliveries later he leathers one straight down the ground. At the end of the first over, New Zealand were 14 without loss.By the end of the second, that tally was more than doubled. Fellow opener Devon Conway had got in on the act, tucking Josh Hazlewood’s first ball fine, then charging the No. 1 T20I bowler in the world to send him past mid-off. Allen capped the over by dismissing Hazlewood through the covers.Related

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And it didn’t stop there. The third over, Pat Cummins’ first, went for 17. Two more fours and a thunderous six over square leg for Allen. Australia’s big three were being taken apart. When Allen cleared the ropes for a third time, against Marcus Stoinis, New Zealand’s fifty was up in 3.5 overs.”Talking with [head coach Gary Stead] about how we wanted to approach the game, we sort of wanted to throw the first punch and take it with them whether it was with the ball or bat,” Allen said. “For me, looking straight early my innings is really important… It picked up my confidence getting one away early against Starc.”They are an intimidating attack to come up against, so it was [about] just trying to play the ball rather than the bowler. It’s what I try and always do, treat everyone the same in that respect. I guess everyone would agree that when you’re trying to whack it, it’s a bit more fun than blocking it around.”

“As a batsman, once you get ahead of an opposition and you get ahead of the game…you can start dictating a bit. That’s what happened today. He [Allen] got off to a flier and put us on the back foot”Australia captain Aaron Finch

Though Allen’s innings ended in the fifth over when Hazlewood burst through him with a full delivery, his 16-ball stay may have been one of the most important for New Zealand in recent times.”The way we started up front, think Finn was pretty special,” Conway said. “He put the bowlers under some serious pressure and we just took that momentum throughout the game. It’s a serious effort from him. I’ve seen him perform a number of times like that playing with him at Wellington.”The New Zealand side is in the early stages of transition, and Allen is one of the newer faces in the white-ball teams. It might seem obvious, given his impact on this game, but New Zealand made an important call leading into this tournament by committing to Allen opening the batting ahead of the experienced Martin Guptill – a player who has taken apart many a white-ball attack during his career and averages 35.61 with a strike rate of 144.23 against Australia in T20Is.But in recent times Allen has looked like he should have the role. There had been a hint of it in Cairns last month when, with the ODI series lost, he came into the side for the final game and showed more fluency than any of the top-order batters.”He was fantastic. He came at us hard and took us on,” Australia captain Aaron Finch said of Allen. “We knew that he was going to do that. As a batsman, once you get ahead of an opposition and you get ahead of the game…you can start dictating a bit. That’s what happened today. He got off to a flier and put us on the back foot.”He had already made his mark in T20Is with a series of blistering innings – including 101 off 56 balls against Scotland – although opening against Australia in the first game of a World Cup was a new level of pressure. Not that it showed in the slightest. By the end of this innings, he held the highest strike rate in all men’s T20 for anyone who has faced at least 500 balls, moving ahead of Andre Russell. It’s quite the early marker in a career.2:10

Conway or Allen – who had the bigger impact?

“I certainly have to be okay with failing quite a lot,” Allen said. “The consistency sometimes can go up and down which is often tough at times, but there is where our management and Kane [Williamson] are so good at reassuring me that everything is all good and it’s not always going to come off…they make sure I know everyone backs me and take the positive option.”When asked if he always carries an air of confidence, he replied: “I try to, it’s not the worst mantra for life.”Australia never really recovered from the early onslaught despite managing some control in the middle phase. Such was the impact Allen had, that it still felt like the key innings of the game even though Conway then took over to reach an unbeaten 92 off 58 balls, the second time he had fallen just short of a T20I hundred against Australia. In contrast to the immense power of Allen, Conway uses angles and placement – his work against Adam Zampa was excellent, taking the legspinner for 32 in 17 balls. He now has the extraordinary T20I average of 57.38 but was happy to defer to his team-mate.”I have to give a lot of credit to Finn and the way he played,” he said. “The way he put them under pressure allowed me to get those balls that were slightly looser. In T20 cricket, if you put bowlers under pressure, no matter how good you are, it’s a tough gig. Ball two he hit one to the boundary and we were away.”There will be a few quibbles about Kane Williamson’s innings – a run-a-ball 23 – but making 200 for 3 and winning by 89 runs, with bowling success shared between pace and spin, against the defending champions on their turf does not leave many holes to pick. “For us, it’s close to a perfect game,” Conway said. If they put in some repeat performances, another MCG final may be within reach.

Sri Lanka’s seamers tend to be modest in foreign conditions, but they put together an impressive stretch of bowling on day two in Christchurch

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Mar-2023Before we begin, a quick appraisal of the Sri Lanka seam attack:Lahiru Kumara, 26Pros Is rapid. Bowls above 140kph on the good days. Can touch 150kph on his best ones Top inswinger (to the right-hander). Good bouncer Appears to be built like a Toyota HiAceCons Has tended to lack control, relieving pressure that other bowlers have built Maybe a LADA in the shell of a HiAce. In December 2020, he broke down in the middle of a Test. Then did the same in the only Test he started the next year. Then did the same in the only Test he started the year after thatKasun Rajitha, 29Pros Tall, reasonably sharp (mid 130kph range) Has shown good control, across formats From the Suranga Lakmal school of seam movement, in that he is able to move it either wayCons Broke down in that same December 2020 Test that Kumara broke down in, and didn’t play a Test for 17 months Inexperienced, having played only 13 Tests before this one From the Suranga Lakmal school of growing facial hairAsitha Fernando, 25Pros Has a mean yorker The kind of high-effort bowler who can summon life even out of dead pitches Has the best bowling average of the three Sri Lanka frontliners in this game (24.55 before this match)Cons Even less experienced than Rajitha (seven Tests) Looks the least like a fast bowler of the three Sri Lanka frontliners (i.e. the man’s not tall)This is not a bad set of seamers. There is variety here – Lahiru Kumara’s pace, Kasun Rajitha’s movement, Asitha Fernando’s intensity. But it is not a set of seamers you expect wonders from either. They are without a serious spearhead, Lakmal having long since retired. And attacks more promising than this one have gone to New Zealand and failed to keep the hosts in check.There is perhaps less heft and grit to this New Zealand batting order since the likes of Ross Taylor and BJ Watling retired, but there remains some quality. Tom Latham averages over 41. Kane Williamson is almost inarguably their greatest ever. Devon Conway had a rollicking start to his Test career. Daryl Mitchell has perhaps had an even better one.Tom Latham was bowled by a searing Asitha Fernando yorker•Getty ImagesBut aside from the brief period of about 40 minutes after tea, in which Sri Lanka opted to bowl Angelo Mathews and spinner Prabath Jayasuriya in tandem, there was no stretch of day two in which New Zealand’s batters had it easy.In fact, on either side of tea, these seamers put together an impressive stretch of bowling, frequently testing the outside edge, often prompting brave leaves on length, raising lbw appeals, needling relentlessly. New Zealand lost three wickets for nine runs in that period. And that is without Rajitha – the best bowler in that passage – even managing a breakthrough.Mitchell (who was most severely tested by Rajitha) and the set Latham fought through that examination, but just when that partnership appeared to be settling into a comfortable rhythm, Asitha produced the delivery of the day. Coming around the wicket to Latham, he beat the batter in the air, rattling his stumps.Not long after, Rajitha claimed a wicket off the kind of delivery he specialises in – angled in at the right-hander, straightening in the air just a touch, then leaping up off the seam. Tom Blundell (who averages 45, by the way), had to play at that delivery, and had a faint edge collected. New Zealand were 151 for 5 at that stage, then 162 for 5 when play ended.And where two of New Zealand’s four frontline seamers had gone at more than five an over, each of Kumara, Rajitha, and Asitha ended day two having maintained economy rates of less than 2.5.There is a school of fast bowling that is about glory balls, and banana swing, sending stumps cartwheeling, and veins popping out of your face in celebration. Then there is diligence, discipline, and patience. We know which one Sri Lanka’s seamers subscribed to on Friday.A day-two appraisal to finish:Cons Sri Lanka seam attacks tend to be cute, but ultimately modest in foreign conditions, partly because they play there infrequentlyPros On day two, Sri Lanka’s seamers had the better of a pretty good New Zealand top order

Extras were part of the main cast in a Test where 18 wickets fell to short balls

Sampath Bandarupalli02-Jul-20232001 The previous instance of England going 0-2 down after the first two matches of a home Test series was in the 2001 Ashes. The ongoing series is only the eighth for England at home, where they lost their first two Tests. Six of those eight home Test series have been the Ashes.2The number of Test matches lost by England since 1950 despite scoring 300-plus runs in both innings, including the Lord’s Test against Australia. The other instance was against India in 2008, where they made 316 and 311 for 9 in Chennai.0 No player had scored more than 150 runs in the fourth innings of a Test match while batting at No. 6 and lower, before Ben Stokes’ 155 at Lord’s on Sunday. The previous highest was an unbeaten 149 by Adam Gilchrist against Pakistan in the 1999 Hobart Test.Ben Stokes’ nine sixes are the most by a player in an Ashes innings•Getty Images1 Only one player has a highest fourth-innings score for England in the Ashes than Stokes’ 155. Mark Butcher, who scored an unbeaten 173 at Headingley in 2001, sits at the top.9 The number of sixes hit by Stokes during his 155 – the most by a player in an innings in the Ashes. He surpassed his record of eight sixes during his match-winning effort at Leeds, in 2019. Stokes is now also the leading six-hitter of the Ashes with 33 hits, going past Kevin Pietersen’s 24.5 The number of sixes hit by Andrew Flintoff against South Africa during his 142 in 2003. That was the most number of sixes in a Test innings at Lord’s until Stokes’ nine against Australia. The nine sixes by Stokes is also the most in a Test match at Lord’s, surpassing Graham Gooch’s seven sixes against India in 1990.Short balls accounted for 18 wickets in the Lord’s Test•Getty Images504 Short balls bowled by the pacers at Lord’s are the most for a Test match since 2015, as per ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball logs. The previous highest was 426, during the 2017 Wellington Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh. The 18 wickets that fell off those 504 bouncers at Lord’s are the joint-most for a match, alongside the 2015 Hamilton Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.8 Player-of-the-match awards for Steven Smith across 34 Ashes Tests, the most for any player in the Ashes. Smith has a total of 13 of these awards in Test cricket, the joint-most for any player since his debut in 2010, alongside Joe Root.74 Extras conceded by England at Lord’s. Only once have England conceded more extras in an Ashes Test – 83 at The Oval in 1934. It is the sixth-highest among England’s tally in all Tests and the most by any team in a Test since England gave away 82 extras against New Zealand in 2015, also at Lord’s.

At the end of the second week, Patriots were the only team without a win and they’ve also lost Linde to concussion

Rvel Zahid28-Aug-2023Irshad-Amir duo hogs the limelightSalman Irshad gave Jamaica Tallawahs an early advantage by picking up three wickets in an over and nearly got a hat-trick against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. He also registered his career-best figures of 4 for 27 in T20s. First, he got Andre Fletcher poking at a snorter outside off to the keeper and then dismissed Corbin Bosch, who spooned the ball to backward point. Irshad then dismissed Ambati Rayudu for a duck in his first CPL innings. His final wicket came off a teasing delivery that lured Joshua Da Silva into playing a false shot.Mohammad Amir was among the wickets too, giving Tallawahs a rich Pakistan flavour along with Imad Wasim who smashed 63 off 36 balls against in Tallawahs’ next game against Guyana Amazon Warriors.Warriors open accountAfter their first match was washed out, Amazon Warriors started the week with a bang against Patriots, with Saim Ayub scoring a breezy 31. His no-look shot lit up the PSL, but he got out to that shot in the CPL as he exposed his leg stump a bit too much and saw his stumps getting flattened. Shai Hope then laid the foundation for an above-par score with a fluent fifty. Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd all pitched in with cameos to lift Amazon Warriors to 197 for 7.Related

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In the second innings, it was Amazon Warriors’ spin duo of Gudakesh Motie and Imran Tahir who inflicted the most damage. Tahir picked up two wickets, including that of Sherfane Rutherford, to help Amazon Warriors dismiss Patriots for 132. The 44-year-old South African is still so good. He must have some sort of deal in place with his telomeres to slow down the ageing process.In the same game, George Linde suffered a collision after colliding with Andre Fletcher, with Kofi James coming in as a concussion sub. James could only manage seven off four balls in the chase. Patriots also have to deal with another change, with Rutherford taking over as captain from Evin Lewis.Former Knight Rider Pierre spins out Knight RidersFaf du Plessis slammed an authoritative half-century for St Lucia Kings against Trinbago Knight Riders. Once he fell, Sikandar Raza, who will succeed du Plessis as captain, didn’t let the scoring rate decelerate much and raced to 32 to help Kings post 167 on a two-paced track that had plenty of assistance for the spinners. In reply, Knight Riders lost Martin Guptill, Chadwick Walton and Nicholas Pooran in the powerplay. Kieron Pollard briefly rescused the chase, but Knight Riders folded for 113 inside 15 overs, with former Knight Rider Khary Pierre taking four wickets. Overall, Kings’ spinners combined to take nine wickets which is the most by a team’s spinners in a CPL match.George Linde suffered a concussion after colliding with Andre Fletcher•CPL T20 via Getty ImagesPatriots yet to get off the markPatriots’ Fletcher clobbered some mighty hits in the powerplay against Barbados Royals but he was not comfortable against Qais Ahmad. The Afghanistan legspinner turned the ball sharply and ended with excellent figures of 4-0-16-2. Nyeem Young bowled well until he was shouldered with the responsibility of the last over, in which he conceded 34 runs before he was taken out of the attack for bowling two no-balls. Bosch and Drakes stitched together an unbroken 54 off 18 balls for the seventh wicket to take Patriots to 197.The chase started with Rahkeem Cornwall hitting a 15-ball 38 which set the template for the team. Royals lost some wickets in the middle but Rovman Powell’s unbeaten 67 and his 74-run partnership off just 35 balls with Alick Athanaze put them back on the path to victory.Patriots also lost their next match to Knight Riders on Sunday, registering their fourth successive defeat in six games. They are only team without a win this season.Hetmyer, Paul, Shepherd sparkleOn Sunday, Amazon Warriors roared back into the contest against Tallawahs, after being three down in four overs, thanks to Keemo Paul and Shimron Hetmyer. Paul went berserk, notching up his fifty in 23 balls and putting on a 99-run partnership while Hetmyer top-scored with 60 off 45. The duo took the total to 210 – the second most runs scored after the fall of the third wicket in a CPL innings.Tallawahs also had a shaky start, losing their top four for 13 runs. Wasim breathed some life into the chase with 63 off 36 while Fabian Allen hit 47 off 25. However, despite the late blows, irreparable damage had already been done.Romario Shepherd was the pick of the bowlers, snaring three vital wickets for seven runs in his three overs. Junior Sinclair chipped in with two wickets in his three overs. It was the first time 300-plus runs were scored by the players batting at No.5 and lower, the highest for any T20 game. The match also witnessed more than 350 runs being scored after the fall of the third wicket – the highest for a T20 match.

South Africa got it right just once in three games, and their biggest positive from the series was on display in that match – Tony de Zorzi

Firdose Moonda22-Dec-20234:51

Will the century revive Samson’s international career?

Sanju Samson can flex, and he did when he reached his first ODI hundred – a dozen years since making his debut for Kerala in domestic cricket, but only 16 ODIs into his international career. He doesn’t lack talent – but hasn’t always had a lot of opportunities – and with a bend of his elbow and a gesture to his bicep, Samson indicated that he still had strength to keep going; and his team-mates agreed.”He has been a phenomenal performer over the years, and hasn’t gotten enough chances for different reasons,” India’s captain KL Rahul told the host broadcaster at the post-match presentation. “There are world-class players [in the Indian side]. Given this opportunity, he capitalised.”As an IPL and a domestic-cricket regular, Samson’s skillset is fairly well-known to followers of Indian cricket: play aggressively from the get-go, and don’t slow down. And that has also been the story of his brief international career. Before Thursday, Samson had played 15 ODIs, scored 402 runs, including three half-centuries, at an average of 50.25, albeit magnified by five not outs.Related

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In ten of those innings, he batted at No. 5 or 6, though he has spent the bulk of his domestic career at No. 3. So Rahul is right in that limited scope to use Samson in places where he is most effective may have impacted his numbers and performances. But in Paarl, that changed.Samson was carded to bat at No. 3 and was called on in the fifth over, which meant he had most of the innings to show what he could do. With time on his side, he was patient, and he read conditions and circumstances well. His first three boundaries relied on timing rather than power, and came in the space of 22 balls – an indication that he was not going to go after settling down.”I think that’s the trick,” he said as he accepted his Player-of-the-Match award. “This format gives you some extra time to understand the wicket, [and] understand the bowler. It gives you an extra ten or 20 balls to figure things out.”He brought up India’s hundred in the 19th over, which was also when Rahul was dismissed, and Tilak Varma, playing in his fourth ODI, came to the crease. At that stage, the innings needed consolidating, and despite their lack of international inexperience, Samson and Tilak rebuilt. They went ten overs without scoring a boundary, and Keshav Maharaj bowled four of them.”As the ball got old, it got a bit slower,” Samson said. “When KL got out, we had a momentum shift, and Maharaj bowled really well.”But Samson and Tilak got through that period. Tilak hit his first four in 39 balls when he slogged Beuran Hendricks to deep midwicket in the 30th over, and things started to open up but not entirely. It was only in the 40th over that Samson and Tilak “decided to go a bit harder,” as Samson put it; and it was Samson himself who got that started.”This format gives you some extra time to understand the wicket, [and] understand the bowler” – Sanju Samson•Associated PressHe pulled Nandre Burger on to the grass banks to start a ten-over period in which India scored 93 runs, and up his own scoring rate, which had hovered in the 60s throughout the innings. After working his way to 50 off 66 balls, 64 off 90 balls and 86 off 101, Samson scored 22 runs off the last 13 balls he faced – a reminder of old, maybe, and a nod to the potential he has always had, and which, some will say, has remained unfulfilled.”Really interesting and emotional,” was how he described the feeling of reaching an ODI century in the immediate aftermath. “I have been putting in a lot of work always.”And he showed that with his celebration. His strong-man display could be interpreted as an indication that he has been exercising his muscles – and his mind – and has played some small part in helping the team move on from the disappointment of losing the World Cup final.De Zorzi is a glimpse into South Africa’s futureNo one can ever equate a series win in South Africa – even though it is only India’s second – to the feeling of winning a tournament; and no-one needs to. Fifty-over cricket was the centre of this sport’s world at the World Cup, but it will take a backseat over the next year. And that’s also why South Africa could afford to be “maybe a bit pap [soft] after a World Cup,” as stand-in captain Aiden Markram put it at the post-match press conference.”Guys put everything on the line, and we didn’t achieve what we wanted to,” he said.And so, maybe, they are a little spent. But the concerns that cropped up in that campaign were brought home: do they always make the right decisions at the toss, and can they chase confidently?Tony de Zorzi knocked off a half-century in 54 balls in the last ODI•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the first ODI, Markram opted to bat in bowler-friendly conditions at the Wanderers, and South Africa were shot out for 116 inside 28 overs.Then he chose to bowl first in 35-degree heat in Paarl, where his attack conceded 296.He was adamant that neither of those were decisions he regretted, and the defeats that came from both were down to a lack of execution and application.It’s worth remembering, though, that in the middle of those two results, he got it right. In Gqeberha, Markram put India in, South Africa restricted them to 211 and won by eight wickets. Their biggest positive from the series was on display in that match.”Tony de Zorzi is the stand out. He played the type of cricket that we are looking for,” white-ball coach Rob Walter said at the post-match press conference.A century in his fourth ODI, and 81 off 87 in his fifth, saw de Zorzi finish as the leading run-scorer in the series, by more than 100 runs from his nearest rival – B Sai Sudharsan. At a time when the future of South Africa cricket, especially their white-ball outfits given that seven of their ODI World Cup squad are over the age of 30, is up for discussion, de Zorzi is a glimpse into the future.Like India, South Africa will only turn their attention to fifty-over cricket midway at some point after the T20 World Cup next year; but when they do, both teams have players to peg their batting blueprints on. If anything came out of this contest, that has to be it.

He has the backing of the Bangladesh head coach, but lack of game time in domestic cricket will be a hurdle he’ll have to overcome

Mohammad Isam07-Mar-2024Rishad Hossain is one of a rare and endangered species in Bangladesh – a legspinner.Even as other countries have embraced legspinners for decades and developed them into potent weapons across formats, Bangladesh has largely ignored them, even in domestic cricket where left and right-arm orthodox spinners are preferred. It’s because of the widespread perception among the country’s officials, coaches and captains that legspinners are expensive in limited-overs cricket. Young leggies are advised to switch to offspin or to concentrate on batting. Dhaka clubs and first-class teams will shun you otherwise, they are told.So Rishad, a lanky 21-year old from the country’s northernmost region Rangpur, has made it to where few legspinners have got to before. He played the first two T20Is of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, was consistent with his lengths, got hit a few times, and took a wicket. Nothing remarkable.He had begun well in the first game in Sylhet before conceding 18 in his third over. It should have been the end of his spell but his captain Najmul Hossain Shanto brought Rishad back in the 15th over. A brave move considering Rishad’s lack of cricket this season; in fact he’s played only 52 competitive matches in the last six years. He dismissed Kusal Mendis, beating him with flight and having him caught at long-off, and ended with 1 for 32 in four overs.In the second T20I, Shanto bowled Rishad in three single-over spells. He conceded only one six and one four on a very good batting pitch. “His length has improved a lot,” Shanto said about Rishad. “He can bowl more consistently now. He is working on his variation too. He can bowl better if he continues in this vein.”Related

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Shanto, however, worries for Rishad, who is unlikely to play a lot of games in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League. It is considered Bangladesh’s most important domestic tournament and Rishad has played only five matches in its last five seasons. He is supposed to represent defending champions Abahani Limited, who used him in two games last year.

“I have been involved in building two world-class legspinners: Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha. I know how much investment went towards their careers. When I saw Zampa in 2011, he was just another player. He turned out to be world-class. We don’t understand the value of a legspinner here. We are suffering because of that”Chandika Hathurusinghe

“I think it is quite difficult for him. He doesn’t get to play a lot of domestic matches,” Shanto said. “It is unfortunate that teams don’t use him. We don’t know why that happens. He has bowled well in all of his international matches. He has done well against really good batters. He prepares himself quite well. He tries to execute the plans we give him. I am hopeful that he gets a bit more domestic cricket under his belt.”Despite his lack of opportunities in domestic cricket, Rishad has played ten international games since his debut in March last year. He’s taken four wickets in seven T20I innings with an economy rate of 7.00, and gone wicketless in 12.2 overs in his two ODIs so far. His chances have coincided with the return of Chandika Hathurusinghe as Bangladesh’s head coach. Hathurusinghe is the only person in Bangladesh cricket who has genuinely supported legspin.In the first year of his first stint as Bangladesh coach in 2014, Hathurusinghe gave a Test debut to the little-known Jubair Hossain. Hathurusinghe had spotted Jubair in the Bangladesh nets a few months after his appointment as head coach. He was soon making his first-class debut for Bangladesh A against Zimbabwe A, and a Test debut came a few weeks later.Hathurusinghe had fought in vain with chief selector Faruque Ahmed to pick Jubair for the 2015 ODI World Cup. He was considered too inexperienced for such an important campaign. It was also felt that some local coaches were shunning Jubair because Hathurusinghe was so insistent on the legspinner. Jubair didn’t play international cricket for much longer and his domestic presence has been minimal over the years. Before Jubair, there was Alok Kapali, who took 31 international wickets including a hat-trick, but he was always considered a part-time bowler.Rishad Hossain is likely to get more opportunities for Bangladesh•BCBIn a recent interview, Hathurusinghe said legspinners were of tremendous value in international cricket.”I have spoken to the people who matter,” Hathurusinghe said. “Not only this time, the previous time [when he was coach] as well. Sometimes when those things haven’t happened, I have had to take an unconventional route. As you know, Jubair played Tests without playing much first-class cricket. Rishad has also been fast-tracked, but coaches and captains need to understand the value of legspinners. How to use legspinners.”We need to have systems in place to identify the proper pathway for them. I have been involved in building two world-class legspinners: Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha. I know how much investment went towards their careers. When I saw Zampa in 2011, he was just another player. He turned out to be world class. We don’t understand the value of a legspinner here. We are suffering because of that.”Rishad has played five first-class matches this season and four games in the BPL. He took a four-wicket haul in his first outing for Comilla Victorians but found himself out of the XI at the business end of the tournament. “Rishad is one for the future,” Hathurusinghe said. “I am really trying to back him as much as we can. Unfortunately we are not getting enough support from local cricket. He is not even playing the BPL. I am very disappointed with that.”There are only a few legspinners in the Bangladesh cricket ecosystem at present. Aminul Islam, who played ten T20Is between 2019 and 2021 as a bowler, generally plays domestic cricket as a batter these days. Wasi Siddiquee was an exciting prospect for a while last year but didn’t play any matches in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup in January. Mehedi Hasan Sohag and Jehadul Hoque made List A debuts this season but they didn’t bowl enough to make any impact.Rishad is likely to play a few more international matches this season. He is in the limited-overs squads against Sri Lanka, and will get a fair chance as long as Hathurusinghe is around. But the wider question remains: will he be given chances to develop in domestic cricket and is there a future for legspin in Bangladesh?

They’ve been the lynchpins in Australia’s Test and ODI global titles, and every team will be fearful of what the triumvirate can do in T20Is

Melinda Farrell08-Jun-20246:22

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Cricket has always had iconic fast-bowling double-acts. Lillee and Thomson, Anderson and Broad, Wasim and Waqar, Marshall and Garner. There’s a particular thrill in watching a batter under the most fearsome examination from both ends. No respite, no way out. Sometimes the heat-wielding duo thrives with the red ball, sometimes with the white. Rarer and more precious are those who can intimidate with both.But has there ever been a trio of quicks quite like Australia’s Big Three? You don’t even need to name them; we all know who they are.There have been better, faster, more skilled individual bowlers. There have been more potent opening bowling partnerships. But three? In one team? In all three formats?Related

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If Mitchell Marsh’s men are triumphant in the Caribbean, Australia will hold every ICC title apart from the Champions Trophy – that campaign must wait until next year. And central to their success are the Big Three, oh alright, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.They keep coming at you, opponents will say. See off Starc’s potent swing in one over and Hazlewood is there to nag away. Survive that and then try not to be blown away by Cummins’ pace or crafty cutters. A rotating carousel of pressure.But this triumvirate did not emerge fully formed. In the early years of their respective careers, there were even doubts all three would ever play together. A mix of injury, rotation or suitability always kept one or the other out of any given side.Starc’s prowess as a white-ball genius was never in doubt; his first ball to Brendon McCullum in the 2015 World Cup final dismissed any that might have existed. But some still felt he was too wayward or too expensive for Test cricket until his value, only heightened by the presence of his cartel bros, was truly understood.Hazlewood, conversely, seemed a natural for Tests. His metronomic lines and length – gifts within that format – were considered a weakness in the shortest form, in which unpredictability and possession of a swag of variations were more enticing. But on the West Indies tour in 2021, he kickstarted a run of impressive performances, developed a few tricks, and found a way to shape his Test strengths into T20 weapons.Cummins 1.0 was always injured and it was feared his first Test could be his last. There were a smattering of white-ball games in green and gold but it was only after the more durable Cummins 2.0 arrived in 2017 that he prospered as an all-format genius.After the 2023 ODI World Cup: Australia’s three quicks celebrate another silverware•Getty ImagesAll three were there when Australia won the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. They were there again in Ahmedabad last year when captain Cummins lifted the ODI World Cup. Hazlewood was left out of the XI that triumphed in the World Test Championship final at The Oval but his contributions in the series that led them there cannot be overlooked. And let’s not forget the bilateral victories they have collected along the way.Between the 2022 T20 World Cup and the start of the current edition they have played just eight T20Is between them; Hazlewood four and two apiece for the others. Only once have all three bowled together in T20Is during that period, during Australia’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year.While England have more clearly delineated their overall white and red-ball set-ups, from coach to captain to players, Australia have taken a more fluid approach. Nathan Ellis is one of several white-ball specialists to have played since the 2022 campaign, but there was never any doubt which three quicks would be first in that column for Mission ‘Caribbean 2024.’ And who needs succession planning when they can be brought in for the big show, not having to worry about those pesky bilaterals that don’t determine world champions.Cummins was rested for Australia’s opening victory over Oman; they wanted him ‘cherry-ripe’ for the match against England. Instead, Ellis stepped in. His T20 repertoire of skiddy pace, deceptive slower balls and pinpoint yorkers at the death is highly respected by team-mates and opposition alike and has made a solid case for retention.There’s a chance Ellis could play at Kensington Oval against England for the first time should conditions and match-ups align. A day out from the game that could have huge implications for Group B, Marsh all but confirmed Cummins’ selection. So if Ellis is in, it will be Hazlewood or Starc who drops out.But if Australia find themselves needing to punch their way out of a corner in this tournament, the jab-jab-cross combination that has felled so many contenders stands ready, winning key moments on the biggest stage, whatever the format, now a muscle memory.After all, who wouldn’t bring the band back together, when collectively they land the biggest hits.

A big loss to New Zealand and a narrow win over Pakistan have left India’s World Cup campaign needing a major overhaul in terms of approach

Shashank Kishore07-Oct-2024It was the 16th over of India’s chase against Pakistan. They had just lost the wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh off consecutive deliveries to Fatima Sana. India were four down, but there was no imminent danger of losing, even though the equation had turned into a slightly tricky 26 off 27 balls.Having not even threatened to get out of second gear, this was India’s opportunity to be braver. They had brought in the big-hitting S Sajana to replace Pooja Vastrakar – who was carrying a niggle – in the XI. It made sense.While Sajana can offer two-three overs with the ball, it’s her big-hitting, like in the WPL 2024 opener when she hit a last-ball six to win a thriller, that had gotten her the World Cup ticket.Related

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Two boundaries at that stage could have killed off the game, accelerating India’s push for victory to somewhat help their net run-rate. It was the time to unleash Sajana. Instead, it was Deepti Sharma who walked out at No. 6 to join Harmanpreet Kaur.Deepti milked four singles and a two off seven deliveries. Even with three runs needed off 11 balls, she employed her tried-and-tested half-sweep/nudge with two fielders back to pick up a single. Sajana did come in and whacked her first ball to the cover boundary to close out the game, a ball after Harmanpreet had retired hurt with a sprained neck.This safety-first approach wasn’t just down to India losing a clutch of wickets. It was the overarching theme of their small run chase. India didn’t hit a single boundary in the powerplay; in fact, they only attempted three aggressive responses in the first six overs. Were they cautious because their barnstorming approach had caused much distress against New Zealand? Or was the surface playing tricks?Fair, the heat will make pitches drier than usual, but that’s a given. And the absence of dew – whether at training or in their first night game – has largely negated the win-toss-win-match scenario that had made the men’s T20 World Cup in 2021, also played here, utterly predictable. And on Sunday evening, shortly after India scrapped home, West Indies razed down Scotland’s 99 with 50 balls to spare.Smriti Mandhana admitted India could have approached the chase differently. “A better start with the bat would have been good, but we will take that win,” she said at the post-match presentation. “We did think about it [NRR].”Me and Shafali [Verma] could not time the ball [in the powerplay]. We didn’t want to end up losing a lot of wickets. We were a little calculative. The net run-rate is in our head. Sri Lanka [who India play next] have been playing good cricket, but this game will give us the momentum.”Momentum is very subjective. India’s 58-run defeat against New Zealand and their second- and third-gear approach against Pakistan, even though they got two points, have put them in a precarious position. And making up for lost ground against Sri Lanka, who they lost to at the Women’s Asia Cup final, is far from a given.But, even if they do beat Sri Lanka, India will be left tempting fate.As if playing Australia in a knockout isn’t tough enough, India might face a scenario of having to beat them by a certain margin to qualify. Unless New Zealand do India a favour by beating Australia on Tuesday, hoping for that halfway into their group-stage campaign isn’t a great position to be in. But it’s one India have brought upon themselves.If Harmanpreet Kaur isn’t fit for the Sri Lanka game, it will create a new headache for India•ICC/Getty ImagesRun rates aside, India’s catching and batting order, especially over the No. 3 spot, have been under sharp scrutiny. Harmanpreet, who was all but confirmed for the No. 3 role prior to India’s campaign by head coach Amol Muzumdar, was replaced by Rodrigues against Pakistan.And now Harmanpreet has a neck spasm. If they need to bring in a new batter, Yastika Bhatia is the obvious replacement. The only issue around Yastika, though, is the lack of match time recently. She is coming off a long injury layoff and wasn’t part of the shadow tour of Australia nor the first two warm-ups. To suddenly throw her in at the deep end could mean a massive shake-up.How they bring out their A game while grappling with a number of niggling issues will make for interesting viewing. This much is sure: they are not looking like a champion team at all.Harmanpreet has spoken of wanting to emulate Rohit Sharma’s team. After India’s semi-final exit at the 2022 T20 World Cup, Rohit had banished the notion of converting middling chases into tricky ones, like India did on Sunday.Rohit laid down the marker with an intent-laden approach that the entire team bought into, culminating in their inspired run to the 2023 ODI World Cup final, and later to the T20 World Cup title this June.How much of that has been discussed by Harmanpreet & Co, we don’t know, but it’s an approach they would do well to adopt before it is too late. And for that, the captain will need to lead from the front. Like Rohit.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also want to “work on batting” after below-par performances at the T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda15-Oct-2024Pakistan will seek new batting talent in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup, where they once again failed to make it out of the group stage. Their exit was confirmed after they were dismissed for 56 by New Zealand to add to a string of poor performances at the event.”Our problem area is batting, our line-up, and I think it’s about time we move forward,” Mohammad Wasim, their coach, said after the last group-stage match. “We need to change the mindset of this team, especially in batting.”We have seen glimpses of that but we haven’t seen it consistently. If we talk about the next World Cup, we will have to go for fresh blood, and we will have to do some new inductions in the team. The seniors in the team have to step up. Unfortunately, the seniors have not stepped up in the crunch batting moments. So that’s why I said that we need to move on and bring some new faces.”Related

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The places of former captain Nida Dar, who was replaced by Fatima Sana six weeks before the tournament, and others such as Sidra Amin and Iram Javed may be at risk. Dar batted at No. 5 in the first two matches, No. 4 in the third and No. 7 in the last game, and did not cross 30 in any of her innings. She last managed a 30-plus score 24 innings ago, against South Africa in September 2023, and has not scored a half-century since November 2022. Amin had a high score of 12 at the tournament and has one score over 30 in her last 12 T20Is, while Javed has recorded five ducks in her last ten T20I innings.While Wasim values the experience these players bring to a team, he also wants them to contribute more. “Consistency is the key for everything, to be honest,” he said. “But when you talk about consistency, then there’s a limit also. There’s a limit for the players also. We have changed many coaches. We have changed most of the staff. But it’s about time we need to look at the player side also.”He suggested Pakistan would look at their age-group structures as a starting point for new talent, especially as they have recently had an Under-19 tournament and another is ongoing.”If you look at this year’s domestic cricket schedule, you will see that women’s cricket is getting more importance than before,” he said. “There are U-19 matches starting, then there will be matches for seniors and different formats. So I hope we will get talent in the future. This is not an excuse that you have no talent, so carry on with the same thing.”When results are not coming, then you see what other options you have. It’s not that we don’t have talent. We are doing domestic; we will closely watch what replacements we have. Because we have time before the next event.”That next event is the ODI World Cup in India, which is exactly a year away. Pakistan have not automatically qualified, and currently sit seventh on the Women’s Championship table. India, as hosts, and the top five teams, are guaranteed a spot. Since Pakistan have played all of their matches, they have no chance to advance without finishing in the top two of a six-team qualifying tournament to ensure they make a fifth successive 50-over World Cup appearance.Bangladesh’s batting was their undoing at the T20 World Cup•ICC/Getty ImagesBangladesh, Sri Lanka also look for batting liftThat tournament will also be on the minds of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who too depart the T20 World Cup but remain in the running for one of the six automatic ODI spots. Bangladesh are in ninth place, with six matches left to play – three each against West Indies and Ireland – and must win at least five of those matches. The importance of that was not lost on their captain Nigar Sultana, who turned her attention to it as soon as their T20 World Cup campaign was over.”We want to play the ODI World Cup without qualifying, that’s why we need some points. So our eyes are on that right now,” she said after their defeat to South Africa on Saturday.Like Pakistan, Bangladesh’s batting was their undoing at this tournament, where they won their opener against Scotland, but could not get more than 106 against any of England, West Indies or South Africa. While Sultana celebrated the lone victory, she was critical of their lack of intent in run-scoring.”We’ve been waiting for a win for the last ten years, and we got that. But as a batting unit, we learnt a lot of things,” she said. “We should be more positive, and what happened is that we were behind sometimes in the middle overs. Our thought process was not working. Sometimes we went away from our thought processes, so this is what we need to work on.”Sri Lanka seemed over-reliant on their captain Chamari Athapaththu•Getty ImagesSimilarly, Sri Lanka also identified their batting as a weak spot after they were held to under 100 in their first three matches, and then made only 115 against New Zealand in their last match. Sri Lanka lost all four games, which made it the first time they have not got a win in a T20 World Cup, and their defeats stung all the more because of the expectation with which they entered the tournament: over the last 18 months, Sri Lanka have beaten England and South Africa in series away from home, won the Asia Cup, and cruised through the World Cup qualifiers.”Everybody expected us to be not the top dog but [rather] the top underdog, so to speak, as the team which would beat the best teams. I think the expectations got to the team,” Rumesh Ratnayake, their coach said after their loss to New Zealand.He blamed “poor cricket in all three departments” for their underperformance, but was also repeatedly asked about their batting over-reliance on captain Chamari Athapaththu. Ratnayake acknowledged that she is key to Sri Lanka but also pointed to other important performances, such as Harshita Samarawickrama’s 69* in the Asia Cup final, and believes there will be more players to come.”The pathways are sort of sorted out back home and those things are happening,” he said.Sri Lanka’s increased focus on development through their school and age-groups structures is welcome news after they were graded “amateur” by the global player association FICA’s (now known as WCA) 2022 Women’s Global Employment Report, released ahead of last year’s T20 World Cup. Their domestic programmes were described as “underfunded”, and that “developing a depth of talent and progression up the rankings remains a significant challenge”. But in a short space of time, that has changed.Pakistan and Bangladesh were categorised as “fledgling professional”, with the hope that a women’s PSL and more investment into the game in Bangladesh, respectively, would aid growth in these nations. The former has not yet happened, and Bangladesh has since been through civil unrest which resulted in the ongoing T20 World Cup being moved out of their country while the economy took a hit. Ultimately, the lack of structural and financial support may only explain why these countries have performed poorly at the tournament.The three teams, and subcontinental giants India, have all not progressed to the semi-finals, despite suggestions that conditions would suit them. Their bowlers, especially their slow bowlers, made batting particularly difficult for opposition line-ups but their batters were unable to respond. All four will need to go back to the drawing board and rethink their approach to tournament cricket while the ongoing World Cup concludes without them.