All posts by n8rngtd.top

Stats highlights from the third day of the fourth Test, which was completely dominated by Pakistan

S Rajesh13-Aug-20166 Test double-hundreds for Younis Khan, the joint highest for Pakistan, along with Javed Miandad. Overall, only five batsmen have scored more double-centuries in Tests: Don Bradman, Kumar Sangakkara, Brian Lara, Wally Hammond and Mahela Jayawardene.0 Number of Pakistan batsmen who have scored more runs in a Test innings at No. 5 than Younis’s 218. The previous best for Pakistan was 215, by Zaheer Abbas against India in Lahore in 1982. Younis’s was also the fourth-best Test score by any Pakistan batsman in England, after Zaheer’s 274 and 240, and Miandad’s 260.2 Batsmen who have scored more than two Test double-centuries after turning 35 – Younis and Sangakkara, who have three each. Ten batsmen have scored two double-hundreds after 35.8 Instances of Pakistan scoring more than 500 in a Test innings in England. Five of them have been at The Oval, as have three of their seven double-centuries in England.6 Instances of Pakistan taking a 200-plus first-innings lead in a Test in England – three times when batting first and three times when batting second. Half of those six instances have been at The Oval, in 1987, 2006 and 2016. Pakistan won two of those previous five Tests.97 The partnership between Younis and Mohammad Amir, Pakistan’s second highest for the ninth wicket in Tests in England. The best is 190 between Asif Iqbal and Intikhab Alam, also at The Oval, in 1967. That partnership came after Pakistan had slumped to 65 for 8 in their second innings.39* Amir’s score, his highest in Tests, and his fourth best in first-class cricket. His previous best in Tests was an unbeaten 30 in Hobart in 2010. He has two half-centuries in first-class matches – 66 and 60, both scored within ten days of each other in the 2015-16 domestic season.9 Scores of between 25 and 46 for Sarfraz in 13 Test innings against England. In the three-Test series against them in the UAE, he had scores of 2, 27, 32, 3*, 39 and 36, and he has continued in similar vein in this series, scoring 25, 45, 26, 7, 46*, 0, and 44. Against other teams, he has passed 50 ten times out of 13 instances when he has gone past 25.20.20 The combined batting average for Alex Hales and James Vince in this series: they managed a combined aggregate of 303 runs in 15 innings.281 Runs scored by Hales in 16 innings against South Africa and Pakistan, at an average of 17.56; in five innings against Sri Lanka earlier this summer, he scored 292 runs at 58.40. (Click here for Hales’ series-wise numbers.)13-216 Yasir Shah’s figures in the two Tests in London – 10 for 141 at Lord’s and 3 for 75 at The Oval. At Old Trafford and Edgbaston he had combined figures of 4 for 502.

With a bit of help from the conditions in Harare, Barinder Sran was showing what the selectors had seen in him when they included him in the squad for that Australia tour earlier this year

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Jun-2016Full, angling across the right-hander, swinging back in.. In his first tour as an India player, in an unforgiving Australian summer, Barinder Sran may have forgotten what swing looked like or felt like. He was still in the southern hemisphere now, but five months had passed, and this was Zimbabwean winter, an early morning start, and that mysterious atmospheric alchemy had got to work on his very first ball.It curled back in, late, and Chamu Chibhabha was in no position to play it. The bowler’s angle, from left-arm over, had dragged Chibhabha’s front leg across towards the off side, searching for the off drive. Chibhabha’s front leg had now become a barrier between the incoming ball and his bat. Denied a straight-line path, he had to bring his bat around and across, and by then he was too late. The ball struck his pad, low, as he overbalanced, falling over to the off side.It was the plumbest of lbws, and only Russell Tiffin, the umpire, didn’t think so.On his first ODI tour, Sran played three matches and took three wickets at an average of 56.66 while conceding 6.45 an over. It was a series played on flat Australian pitches where 300 was an inadequate, undefendable total.In Sran’s first two matches, George Bailey scored 112 and 76 not out. Sran should have had Bailey caught behind, down the leg side, off the very first ball he bowled to him, in Perth, but the Indian fielders barely appealed, and Richard Kettleborough ruled it not out. In those two matches, Bailey scored 37 off the 26 balls he faced from Sran.In that series, Bailey was experimenting with a new, unconventional stance, with his front shoulder pointing to extra cover and his front leg further across to the off side than his back leg. It proved wildly successful, and helped him cover the left-armer’s angle particularly well, but everything was simply going across him, with no change in direction. A bit of swing back in, and Bailey might have found himself uncomfortably, and dangerously, closed off. Like Chibhabha.Or like Peter Moor, who, off the last ball of that Sran over, got into a similarly closed-off position, and missed the inswinger as he tried desperately to play across his front pad. This time Tiffin raised his finger.Fifteen years ago, India took a 22-year-old left-arm quick to Zimbabwe, for his first full tour. In two Test matches against a far better Zimbabwe side, he picked up 11 wickets at 19.72, and much of his success was the result of the ball that swerved wickedly into the right-handers.Sran is a year older than Ashish Nehra was in 2001. He isn’t as quick or as skiddy, and is at a rawer stage of his development. But here, now, with a bit of help from the conditions, he was showing what the selectors had seen in him when they included him in the squad for that Australia tour. He has a long way to go, but he sure can swing it.

Stats highlights from the second day in Centurion, which South Africa dominated with bat and ball

S Rajesh28-Aug-20162 Number of times teams have scored more than 481, which was South Africa’s total here, in the first innings of a Test in Centurion. Both scores were by South Africa against West Indies – 604 for 6 declared in 2004, and 552 for 5 declared in 2014.154 Overs bowled by New Zealand in South Africa’s first innings; only eight times have they bowled more in the first innings after winning the toss and putting the opposition in. Their highest is also against South Africa: they bowled 200.1 overs in Auckland in 1999.2 Instances of the top five South Africa batsmen all scoring 50 or more in a Test innings – the only previous instance before this Test was also in Centurion, against India in 2010, when South Africa declared at 620 for 4 after bowling India out for 136. Overall in Test cricket teams have achieved this 23 times.16 Innings without a Test century for Faf du Plessis before his unbeaten 112 here. In those 16 innings he averaged 21.25, with only two half-centuries. His last hundred before this Test was in December 2014, when he made 103 against West Indies in Port Elizabeth.16.76 JP Duminy’s Test average in his last 14 innings before this one, stretching back to July 2014: he had only one half-century in this period – 55 against Zimbabwe in August 2014.95.66 Du Plessis’ average against New Zealand: in four innings against them he has scored 287 runs, including two hundreds.18.69 Neil Wagner’s bowling average in Tests in 2016: he has taken 26 wickets in five Tests, with three five-fors. Among bowlers who have taken at least ten wickets this year, only Mitchell Starc (15.16) has a better average.54 Wickets for Wagner in 11 Tests since the start of 2014; he has averaged 22.96 during this period, and taken his wickets at a strike rate of 44.2. In his first 12 Tests, he averaged 37.94 and had a strike rate of 66.6, while taking 39 wickets.10.83 Martin Guptill’s Test average in South Africa: in six innings he has scored only 65 runs, with 48 of them coming in one innings. In his other five innings, his scores are 1, 0, 1, 7 and 8.

From being pulled up for a suspect bowling action earlier this year, the 17-year old has rebounded to become the youngest player to take a five-wicket haul in T20s

Mohammad Isam03-Dec-2016Until Saturday afternoon, Afif Hossain was a virtual unknown who had trained with the Rajshahi Kings franchise in Mirpur. A few coaches and local scouts knew him from the group of Under-19 players who are training for the upcoming Asia Cup, which will be held in Sri Lanka later this month. It took Afif only four overs to announce himself on the big stage.Primarily an opening batsman, Afif claimed 5 for 21 with his offspin for Rajshahi against Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League, becoming the first Bangladeshi to pick up a five-wicket haul on T20 debut. At 17 years and 72 days, he also became the youngest bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in T20s.Brought into the attack in the fifth over, after Rajshahi opted to bowl, he was taken for back-to-back fours by Jahurul Islam, but Afif had the batsman leg-before off the third ball, umpire Nadir Shah giving Jahurul out despite an inside edge.In his next over, Afif bowled Chris Gayle with a full-length delivery for 5 off 15 balls, and let out a huge roar. Afif then took the wickets of Zakir Hasan, caught brilliantly by a diving Sabbir Rahman, and Saqlain Sajib and Imran Khan to complete his five-for.”Wait till you see him bat,” one of Afif’s teammates said, soon after he had finished his four overs.Afif, who recently made three tall scores in Under-19 practice matches, is a big-hitter. His coaches vouch for his batting talent, one of them even went on to say Afif reminded him of a young Tamim Iqbal.Afif, born in September 1999 in Khulna, is a student of the BKSP, Bangladesh’s premier sports institute that has produced many international cricketers including Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan.During the Dhaka First Division Cricket League last year, Afif managed only two wickets in seven matches for his school BKSP.He had been pulled up by the BCB for a suspect bowling action earlier this year, before getting it cleared in September.After the BPL he will re-join the Bangladesh Under-19 set-up to prepare for the Asia Cup. Afif will now be the most well-known member of the Under-19 side.

Both Steven Smith and Ravindra Jadeja had tried the wrong discipline in international cricket, and had been ridiculed for it. They are at the peak of their careers now. Who will come up on top this series?

Sidharth Monga in Pune22-Feb-2017One of the enduring images of Australia’s last tour of India was Steven Smith facing up to Ravindra Jadeja. In another world, it might have been Jadeja facing up to Smith.People have been building up the similarities between Smith and Virat Kohli, but it’s Jadeja that Smith shares a stronger connection with. Smith was once upon a time supposed to be the next Shane Warne when he made his Test debut as a legspinner against Pakistan and batted at No. 8. Jadeja had scored three triple-centuries in first-class cricket. India had tried to make him bat high in limited-overs cricket. Both Smith and Jadeja had tried the wrong discipline in international cricket, and had been ridiculed for it. In fact Jadeja’s recent Test debut had come on the back those triple-centuries. There were even memes when he struggled with the bat against England.In the 2012-13 series between India and Australia, though, the teams finally realised Smith was primarily a batsman and Jadeja a bowler. Four years later, Smith averages 60 with the bat, and Jadeja is only marginally behind the world’s No. 1 bowler, R Ashwin, on the ICC rankings. Their transformation has made for two of the loveliest stories in cricket over the last four years.Jadeja will now have Smith in his sights, for four years ago he helped start a pattern. Smith’s comeback began in in the third Test of the series as a No. 5 batsman. He scored an impressive 92 before Pragyan Ojha ripped one past his bat to have him stumped. In the next Test, on a rank turner in Delhi, Smith padded up to Jadeja, only to watch the ball go straight on to peg back his stumps. When you get beaten on either edge in such a short period, doubt is bound to creep in.In seven Tests in Asia, Smith has fallen to spin 13 times. Eight of those wickets have been to left-arm spin. On three of those occasions he has been stumped, but on the other five he been either lbw or bowled. That is the dismissal that plays with your mind. Add another one to that list when Yasir Shah got him lbw with a legbreak that didn’t turn. The balls that don’t turn, or the unpredictable amount of turn on the ball after it pitches, gives batsmen little time to adjust off the pitch. That is the biggest challenge for batsmen coming to Asia.Steven Smith was stumped for 92 by Pragyan Ojha in the 2013 Mohali Test•BCCI”I think that’s one of the big challenges of playing spin bowling in Asia is the uncertainty of what the ball’s sort of going to do off the pitch,” Smith said. “Playing spin in Australia, the bounce and the spin is generally pretty consistent. It’s here where there is uncertainties that we can become unstuck as a batter.”The plan obviously has been to make sure you don’t get beaten by the straighter ball. If the ball turns as expected and takes the outside edge, so be it, but the one that doesn’t turn shouldn’t beat your inside edge. “For us it’s ensuring we have a plan to play against the spin of [R] Ashwin, Jadeja and the other spinner that they are going to choose tomorrow,” Smith said. “It’s making sure that you have a plan in place for getting out a certain way almost. You have to be willing to give something up and take out one side of the bat. That’s my view of playing spin bowling. Everyone’s different but the guys have worked hard to develop plans.”Taking out the lbw or bowled is not that simple, though. For once you start playing inside the line, you expose your outside edge and also at times the off stump to ones that might turn sharply. You have to be prepared to cop that and hope you get enough runs before that happens.Smith went on to confirm that “most of the times” you can’t pick the straighter one out of the hand, unlike a legspinner’s googly. If Jadeja is listening, he must be smiling. He has been the No. 2 to Ashwin, both in the ICC rankings and in the Test team, but he has made it a bit of a habit to go after the captain or the No. 1 batsman of the opposition. In the last series against Australia, he dismissed captain Michael Clarke five times out of the six he got out. Against England this season, he took out Alastair Cook six times. When South Africa came to India in 2015-16, he planted several doubts in the heads of two of their batsmen, captain Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, flattening their stumps as they padded up.It’s the captain again. Smith has had his problems with left-arm spin. If there is any doubt, Jadeja exposes it ruthlessly with his accuracy and his relentlessness. These are two careers that are at their peak after they began to mend almost simultaneously. Over the coming month or so, one of them could hit a temporary bump.

The reactions on Twitter following Pakistan’s close three-wicket win over Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2017Chasing 237, Pakistan’s semi-final hopes were looking up when they were 92 for 1. It started fading as the slide began: 92 for 2… 95 for 3… 110 for 4… 131 for 5… 137 for 6… and eventually 162 for 7. But Sarfraz Ahmed, their captain, and Mohammad Amir combined to see them home, much to the delight of their supporters.

What a wonderful performance from Sarfraz and Amir. Stunning batting under serious pressure. Well done Pakistan Zindabad

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) June 12, 2017

Congratulations Pakistan! This is how cornered tigers fight. Well played @SarfarazA_54. Pakistan all the way! #SLvPAK #CT17

— Inzamam ul Haq (@InziTheLegend) June 12, 2017

#CT2017 @TheRealPCB awww talk about kaboom! Drama galore in Cardiff Congrats to the skipper & Amir of the Green Machine' #ripperPakistan

— Danny Morrison (@SteelyDan66) June 12, 2017

It was such a roller coaster ride. Incredible effort from the entire team but @SarfarazA_54 knock was the cherry on the top. #SLvPAK #CT17

— Mushtaq Ahmed (@Mushy_online) June 12, 2017

Good to see Pakistan team into semi finals brilliant allround performance by @iamamirofficial & congrats to debutant Fahim Ashraf.good luck

— Kamran Akmal (@KamiAkmal23) June 12, 2017

Wow great inng by the skipper @SarfarazA_54 well supported by @iamamirofficial.its all abt believe,good luck for the semi final

— sohail tanveer (@sohailmalik614) June 12, 2017

Great win! Congratulations to all @SarfarazA_54 @RealPCB_Live #ChampionsTrophy2017 #SrivsPak

— Umar Akmal (@Umar96Akmal) June 12, 2017

@SarfarazA_54 you Beauty!!!!
Congratulations Pakistan #PAKvsSL

— Muhammad Wasim (@MuhammadWasim77) June 12, 2017

Before his composure with the bat, Mohammad Amir had begun the slide in Sri Lanka’s innings, removing the two set batsmen in Angelo Mathews and Niroshan Dickwella.

This victory is for the nation. This victory is for Pakistan. Nothing can beat you when you play with vigour,… https://t.co/R9GqwTmXTT

— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) June 12, 2017

Sri Lanka would rue the chances they missed on the field.

Disappointing loss. At the end forget @OfficialSLC batting or bowling the fielding let the team down badly. It was there to be won.

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 12, 2017

Like I said at the start it was important to nail the basics for @OfficialSLC to win.

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 12, 2017

Great fight back by the bowlers led by Lasith Malinga and @Angelo69Mathews. @OfficialSLC will be thinking for sure about what might've been

— Kumar Sangakkara (@KumarSanga2) June 12, 2017

Disappointing loss today for @OfficialSLC hard to take that all in. @TheRealPCB took there chances and got over the line.

— Allan Donald (@AllanDonald33) June 12, 2017

Lasith Malinga tried his best to fashion a win but his efforts seemed futile as Sarfraz Ahmed was dropped twice in six balls off his bowling.

Malinga's great strength was bowled and lbw. With reduced pace, has to rely on fielders and has been let down very badly

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 12, 2017

Catches win matches might be cliche….but it still holds true. Don't believe me? Ask Sri Lanka and Malinga. #CT17 #PakvSA

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 12, 2017

Malinga was the key match winner when SL had that great run in global events. He might not play in 2019. Didn’t deserve to go out like this.

— Andrew F Fernando (@andrewffernando) June 12, 2017

Was Sri Lanka’s performance one of the worst seen on the field in recent times?

Sri Lanka's players can now wash the butter off their fingers. Haven't seen such nervousness, so many mistakes in an ODI

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) June 12, 2017

Great match,but Sri Lanka pathetic in the field. One of the worst fielding performances ever at International level. Congrats Pak.#PAKvSL

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) June 12, 2017

The win extended Pakistan’s dominance over Sri Lanka in big tournaments.

Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka in 10 out of 11 games in ICC ODI tournaments. Seven out of seven in WCs. Three out of four in CTs. #CT17

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) June 12, 2017

The match was surely the best in the group phase of a tournament that had too many lacklustre contests.

There isn't a dull moment when Pakistan is playing cricket…ICC should consider charging more for their games. Too much excitement. #CT17

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 12, 2017

CONGRATS PAKISTAN!!

Retweet if u had any mini heart attacks whilst watching Pak today!!! #PAKvSL

— Maz Bonafide (@MazBONAFIDE) June 12, 2017

Time for apologies?

All those who abused the PCB and Team Pakistan last week should say SORRY.

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) June 12, 2017

Pakistan meet hosts England, one of the tournament favourites, in the semi-finals. Will it again be their day?

Do you think England have one bad batting day in them and Pakistan one good one? #CT17

— Bazid Khan (@bazidkhan81) June 12, 2017

South Africa are set to play 14 Tests in nine months soon, so both fast bowlers, despite being sent home from New Zealand, should not lose hope

Firdose Moonda21-Mar-2017South Africa went into this New Zealand Test series with six seamers in their squad. Less than halfway through, they released one, when Chris Morris was sent home on the second day of the Wellington Test. Two-thirds of the way in and they’ve let another go – Duanne Olivier returned to South Africa instead of traveling on to Hamilton.And now there are four.Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell remain, but that does not mean South Africa have established an exact order of preference for their quicks. It means the infant Test careers of Morris and Olivier, who have three Test caps between them, are not in danger if the pair are willing to be patient despite being dispensed with.Olivier may consider himself the unluckier of the two. Aside from an impressive debut at the Wanderers against Sri Lanka in January, he topped the first-class wicket-takers list with 52 scalps. For that reason, Olivier was thought to be in direct competition with Morkel for the third seamer’s spot at Basin Reserve but it went to Morkel despite a year-long, injury-enforced absence from the game.At the time, it was a gamble but South Africa took it after closely monitoring Morkel’s recovery and because captain Faf du Plessis is a firm believer in Test cricket being the arena for the experienced. He can’t be blamed for feeling that way. Du Plessis was witness to South Africa’s sobering summer in 2015-16, when they were without Philander and Dale Steyn, lost five of eight Tests – three in India and two at home against England – and fell from No.1. Morris was among the players they tried without much success that summer.Rabada provided some joy and has since then established himself in the South African side to such an extent that it is difficult to imagine a Test XI without him, which also means there is one less place for the likes of Morris and Olivier.However, workload is a constant concern for Rabada, especially as he is only 21. There was some discussion about resting him, with talk centering on the New Year’s Test against Sri Lanka after he appeared down on pace in the opener on Boxing Day or the upcoming Hamilton match where a spin-friendly surface may negate the need for three quicks. But even if South Africa are considering that, they have not showed their hand early by sending Rabada home and with New Zealand scrambling for morale, they shouldn’t. The longer the hosts think they will have to front up to Rabada, the better for South Africa.Duanne Olivier was impressive on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year•Gallo ImagesRealistically though – and looking beyond this series – Rabada may not be able to play all the time. South Africa will want to save him for the important stuff and therein lies opportunity for someone else.Philander and Morkel are at their peak but they are also in their 30s and may only have a few years left. While they are fit, they are first-choice but that doesn’t mean the door is closed to anyone else. Not even to Parnell, who has not played Tests since January. He was seen bowling on the practice pitch before the Wellington Test and the signs pointed to his inclusion ahead of JP Duminy – which may yet happen in Hamilton. Parnell, being a left-armer, offers a change of angle, which South Africa may feel they need at the moment, but that does not necessarily put him ahead of Morris or Olivier. Not yet, anyway. He still needs to prove his consistency has improved before he can be trusted as long-form player.So, all things considered, there is a strong chance South Africa may end up using only half of the seamers they brought on this trip. But that doesn’t mean it is an elite club that will never accept new members. It can’t be that. They play 14 Tests in nine months from July – four in England and ten at home against Bangladesh (2), India (4) and Australia (4) and the last eight could be squeezed into 12 weeks early next year. They will need more than three quicks to carry that load.Steyn is targeting a mid-year comeback with the England series firmly in his sights but he will need to prove his fitness, as Morkel did, over a sustained period of time. Although Morkel came into the New Zealand Tests with just two List A games under his belt this year, he played practice matches on South Africa’s tour of Australia in October and November, and spent many hours in the Newlands nets, bowling to national players. That’s how du Plessis knew Morkel was ready.Whether Steyn will do the same in England remains to be seen. He may seek out a brief county stint in a bid to be match-ready. He may not manage that as soon as he would like. Whatever the case, South Africa will need other options.Morris and Olivier should know that well enough and it seems they do. Though eligible by virtue of their scant Test caps, both players have provided separate assurances that they will not consider the Kolpak route. They need to remember, now that their Test careers seem to have stalled, particularly Olivier, who is not part of the limited-overs’ plans like Morris, that the queue they are in could move very quickly.

ESPNcricinfo rounds up the highlights from the latest matches in the NatWest T20 Blast

David Hopps14-Jul-2017BBC TMS commentator Charles Dagnall was derided as a “PC pansy” by a Twitter troll for suggesting, perfectly reasonably, that it was time to investigate the potential for protection for bowlers after the horrific injury suffered by Luke Fletcher at Edgbaston.Fletcher is out for the season and feeling lucky to be alive after headbutting a ferocious straight drive from the Warwickshire batsman Sam Hain, fortunate to come away with nothing more than concussion and the chance to exercise the dry wit that makes him one of the most popular characters on the county circuit.Dagnall, as a former county bowler – and one, dare it be suggested, of a method which occasionally invited a straight drive – need not lose sleep over the response of an armchair critic who has probably never bowled a burger at a beer glass and who, one wagers, is not about to volunteer for some throwdowns in a T20 net session.Fortunately, at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, efforts are already underway to assess expert advice and determine whether some sort of protection is possible which does not inhibit a bowler.Research, though, is far from conclusive. Rugby Union is one sport which has found that not everybody supports the use of protective headguards. Dr Mike Loosemore, a consultant at the English Institute of Sport, specialises in head injuries and concussion and he has previously warned that headguards might be counter-productive by giving an illusion of safety.Concussion results not from the blow itself, but the way the head – and the brain – swashes around after the blow. A strong neck offers some protection and Fletcher, a formidable figure looks as if he has one of the strongest necks in the business. No wonder he enquired after his blow about the health of the ball.

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The Colonel has a new lease of lifeThe picture of Gloucestershire running out at Cheltenham College to play Twenty20, in front of a school pavilion modelled on a 19C Indian railway station, was a grand sight.Few State schools have a cricket pavilion modelled on a railway station – unless you count the stations that disappeared in Dr Beeching’s ill-advised rail network cuts in the 1960s.But another picture caught the eye – although we shall desist from terming it a grand sight unless suitable liquid bribes are offered – that of Phil Mustard at the crease, looking in the best physical shape he has been in for years after his release by Durham and move to a new county.An enterprising innings at the top of the order made a big contribution to Gloucestershire’s first win of the season against Kent.The life of a professional cricketer is not easy when your family is 250 miles away in the north east but The Colonel, now 34, who has also stood in as Championship captain for Gareth Roderick this season, wins nothing but praise from his director of cricket, Richard Dawson.”He has brought something different to our changing room,” Dawson said. “We have a lot of quiet players and he is a personality who adds a bit of spark. He has a straightforward approach to the game and that can be a really positive influence.”

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Phil Mustard, looking dapper•Getty ImagesWakely gets down with the fansNorthants haven’t got the biggest staff in county cricket (merely the biggest team), but it was quite eye-catching to see their captain, Alex Wakely, briefly fulfil the role of assistant marketing manager after the NatWest Blast tie against Yorkshire was washed out at Wantage Road.”Match abandoned. Anyone that has tickets, please send them to the club with your details. Refund or swap for another match is available,” came the message on Wakely’s Twitter feed, making excellent use of his modest 4,000 followers.County captains with such a connection to their fan base deserve to be followed by half-a-million. Wakely, clearly a modern-day People’s Champion, tweets from @AlexWakely1. He will be praying for no more rain so he does not have to delve ever more into the small print of Northants’ ticket arrangements.A good home atmosphere can make the difference over the season, as football clubs have known for ever and a day, and recognition is now dawning on county clubs as the NatWest Blast attendances continue to grow.

Match abandoned. Anyone that has tickets, please send them to the club with your details. Refund or swap for another match is available.

— Alex Wakely (@AlexWakely1) July 11, 2017

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Wanted: a man with a degree“The first I really knew about it, was when the penalty was given – I was pretty much in the dark,” said stand-in captain Jade Dernbach about the 12-run penalty for a slow overrate that almost cost Surrey victory against Somerset at Kia Oval.Dernbach made some valid points that consistency is needed if run penalties are to apply, and that includes controlling the pace of a batsman’s walk out to the middle and the end-of-over discussions. It is not too hard to imagine a batting side deliberately slowing things down in the hope of some bonus runs at the back end of a chase.Maintaining the pace of Twenty20, though, is imperative to keep the pace in a game that is much to the liking of the paying public.Even the most experienced county captain needs a trusted assistant advising on the niceties of run rates and fielders inside the circle. Keith Fletcher, who was one of the shrewdest captains around during his long leadership at Essex, recognised that only too well when rain tables first made their way into the game.Fletcher took one look at the sheets of rain tables and handed them over to a team-mate. “Here, you can do this,” he said, “because you’ve got a degree.”

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Ryan Higgins part 2The opening Twenty20 Vision column lauded the emergence of Ryan Higgins who claimed a tie for Middlesex against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham after they were looking down the barrel, with eight down and 64 needed off the last 26 deliveries.Zimbabwean-born Higgins certainly does not mess about. 6-4-W was the sum of his latest innings as Middlesex survived a calamitous collapse to steal a one-wicket win in the Thames derby before before 27,200 at Lord’s.Higgins came in with 28 needed from 27 balls with five wickets left. He departed with the target cut to 18 from 24 balls with four wickets remaining. It is debatable whether that position represented an improvement, but Middlesex, under the New Zealand management team of coach Dan Vettori and captain Brendon McCullum, insist that they are committed to attacking cricket.It will certainly bring excitement. It might even take them to Finals Day.

The India captain now slots in behind only Sachin Tendulkar for the most centuries in ODI cricket

Bharath Seervi22-Oct-2017Virat Kohli is reaching new highs with almost every match, with every ODI century. In the series opener against New Zealand at the Wankhede, the India captain brought up his 31st century playing in his 200th ODI. He became only the second batsman after AB de Villiers to get to a century in the 200th ODI. He’s now the second-highest hundreds scorer in ODI history behind only Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 tons. Kohli has got there playing just 200 games. No other batsman has had better career figures than Kohli after their 200th ODI.

With 8888 runs at average of 55.55 and 31 centuries, Kohli has the most runs, best average and highest number of centuries for any batsman when completing 200 ODIs. Previously de Villiers was the most prolific batsman in his first 200 ODIs, having 8621 runs at 54.56 with 24 centuries. Currently, Hashim Amla has 26 centuries in just 158 matches with 7381 runs at 51.25. Among India players Sourav Ganguly had the most runs (7747) and joint-most centuries with Tendulkar (18) at that stage of the career. The Indian duo averaged 43.03 and 41.74 respectively at that point of their careers.In getting to his 31st century, in humid conditions, Kohli batted almost the whole innings – he came in in the sixth over and was dismissed in the 50th. The second-highest scorer for India made 84 runs fewer than Kohli. Kohli’s contribution of 43.21% of the runs India scored in this innings was his second-highest contribution percentage-wise among his 12 century innings in the first innings. This was the fourth time India scored less than 300 in first innings of an ODI that included a century by Kohli, and three of these instances have come in last 24 months.

Kohli’s numbers have only got better and better as his career has progressed. He had averaged 45.67 in his first block of 50 ODIs, 51.81 in the second, 57.83 in the third and 68.10 in the fourth set of 50 ODIs. The past two years – 2016 and 2017 – have been particularly highly productive for him: he has amassed 2057 runs in 34 innings in this period, at an average of 82.28 and a strike rate at 99.03 including ten centuries.ESPNcricinfo LtdPreviously, Kohli had more of an influence while chasing targets. But in recent years, he has contributed in both innings. Till end of 2015, his second innings average (61.34) was 22.31 runs better than in the first (39.03). But the numbers have changed. Since 2016 he averages 74.58 when batting first and 89.38 when chasing, which is a difference of 14.80. He had taken 7.67 innings per century in first innings’ of games till 2015 but that rate has gone down to 4.67 since then. Last year he had made 50-plus in each of the four innings in which India batted first, this year he has done it five times in 10 innings.

Mumbai Indians kept bowling short and often varied the pace to strangle Kolkata Knight Riders’ chase

Dustin Silgardo06-May-2018How did KKR’s chase fall apart?
After 12 overs, they were going at 9.25 runs an over and needed 8.87 an over to win. With eight wickets in hand, that should have been straightforward. But after losing Robin Uthappa, KKR scored 33 from the next 33 balls and left too much to do in the last two overs. A lot of that was down to intelligent bowling from Mumbai Indians. Hardik Pandya mixed short balls with slower ones and wide yorkers while legspinner Mayank Markande gave the batsmen no room. Mitchell McClenaghan and Jasprit Bumrah also bowled short balls to make life difficult for KKR. But from KKR’s point of view, there are a couple of worrying trends emerging.ESPNcricinfo LtdFirst is Nitish Rana’s habit of slowing down as his innings progresses. He strikes at 142.68 in the first 10 balls of his innings, but that drops to 112 from balls 11-20 and 127.59 from balls 21-30. On Sunday, Rana raced to 22 off 11 balls, but then didn’t hit a boundary for the rest of his 27-ball innings. In his last 16 balls, he faced seven dots, and his strike rate by the end was only 114.81.Second: Andre Russell has been dominant in the death while batting first, but he has not yet fired in a chase. He has been striking at 130.67 in chases, compared to 246.67 in the first innings. In the death overs of chases, his strike rate drops to 78.50. Once Rana was out, Dinesh Karthik looked to rotate the strike and stay till the end while Russell went for the big shots, but he did not find his timing against the slower balls from the seamers and Markande’s legspin. Russell managed only nine off 10 balls before holing out. He has only batted in four chases, so KKR will hope he can buck the trend.ESPNcricinfo LtdShort stuff works for Mumbai
If you were listening to the radio commentary of the first few overs of KKR’s chase, without context, you would be forgiven for assuming this was a Test match at the WACA in the 1990s rather than a T20 game at the Wankhede. Bumrah, McClenaghan and Hardik Pandya hit the deck and targeted the batsmen’s body. The ploy got Chris Lynn to top edge a pull to short fine leg.As the innings progressed, Mumbai’s seamers kept bowling short of a length, often taking the pace off as they dragged the ball in to the pitch. Of the 84 balls they bowled, 69% were short or short of a length. They conceded at 7.75 an over off that length and took three wickets with it. If you take Ben Cutting, whose short balls Uthappa put away, out of the equation, the other three seamers went at just seven an over off short balls.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhy didn’t Mumbai send in Cutting?
The sight of Ben Cutting padded up, helmet on, awaiting his turn in the dug out is becoming an emblem of Mumbai Indians’ problems this season. They have all these dangerous weapons, but can’t seem to find the right moment to use them. Against KKR, Cutting had been ready since Krunal Pandya walked in to bat. But by the time Krunal was dismissed, it was clear Sunil Narine would bowl two of the last four overs. While Cutting strikes at 172.5 against pace, he manages just 118.33 against spin in T20s. And he would be facing one of the best T20 spinners, so Mumbai sent in JP Duminy instead.Why Narine was held for the death?
For the first time this IPL, Sunil Narine was given two overs at the death. KKR have had their problems in that period – coming in to this game, they were the third most expensive team in the last five overs.They also had a debutant fast bowler, Prasidh Krishna, and there was always the chance he would have to be protected from the slog overs. KKR captain Dinesh Karthik knew he could have two overs from Mitchell Johnson at the death, but he did not want to bowl Andre Russell then, because he has gone at 12.50 an over in that period. KKR have been getting one over from Piyush Chawla in the death, but against Mumbai there was the chance he would bowl to Krunal, who smashes legspinners at a strike rate of 200-plus. So, if Karthik wanted to give Krishna not more than one in the death, he had to get two from Narine, who ended up conceding 20 and taking a wicket in the last five.Narine also dismissed Rohit Sharma in his first over to the batsman. Narine had dismissed Rohit six times in 15 innings before this match, so that was clearly a match-up KKR wanted. Had Rohit survived the 12th over, Karthik may have given Narine another over at him, which would have meant changing his death-over plans.