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Karim Janat hits 58 not out off 28 to maintain new franchise’s perfect start

Aadam Patel27-Nov-2022Three wins out of three and it all seems nice and easy for Morrisville Samp Army on their first showing at the Abu Dhabi T10. They have taken to the format like ducks to water and they will go into the second week of the tournament as the only unbeaten side left in Season 6 of the competition.Set a target of 106 by Chennai Braves after captain Moeen Ali chose to bowl first, Samp Army timed their chase to perfection with Karim Janat taking centre stage with a quite superb unbeaten 58 off 28 deliveries.With 11 required off the final over, Janat gave Carlos Brathwaite a taste of his own medicine by sending him for two consecutive sixes to finish the job off in style. For all the might of David Miller at the other end, who combined with Janat to put on 76, it was the experienced South African who allowed the man from Afghanistan to take centre stage.Miller faced just 10 of the 35 deliveries during their partnership as Janat cashed in with six sixes during his match-winning knock. The pair came together at 31 for 2 in the fourth over and Braves simply had no answers for the power and timing of Janat.His first six came at the end of the fifth over as he smashed Sikander Raza over long-off and he took down Sabir Rao in the next over with two more maximums. In the penultimate over, Sam Cook began well, varying his pace, but Janat was equal to the task as he picked off Cook’s slower ball and pulled it over deep square leg for six. Miller then seized on Cook’s full toss to lower the equation to 11 off seven but he missed the final ball which meant that Janat was on strike.Perhaps it was seeing Brathwaite handed the final over that inspired Janat to wrap things up in boundaries and there was no sign of him delegating the duty to Miller. Janat heaved Brathwaite’s first ball over deep midwicket for six to bring up his half century, before dispatching the next ball down the ground and over the ropes to seal victory.Lance Klusener, head coach of Samp Army echoed his praises for Janat after the game, who has now scored 80 runs off 42 balls in the tournament at a strike rate of 190.47 without getting dismissed.”It’s not a surprise for me because that’s what he does. The talent has always been there and I’m just thrilled that he’s been able to deliver on that stage,” Klusener, his former Afghanistan coach, said. “There’s not many I know who try harder and work harder than him.”Janat himself insisted that Miller backed him to take on the bowlers during their conversations in between overs. “David’s experience was helpful and he told me to go for it,” he said.Go for it, he did. Samp Army’s run chase was the fifth successive target chased down in the tournament after the first eight games of the season were won by the side batting first and judging by initial impressions, they look like the side to beat.With a shrewd bowling attack containing the likes of Anrich Nortje, Sheldon Cottrell, Dwayne Pretorius and George Garton, combined with the leadership of Moeen, they have raced out of the blocks and got off to the dream start in their first campaign at the Abu Dhabi T10.In the first game of Sunday’s triple-header, skipper Rovman Powell smashed 76* off 28 balls to take his Northern Warriors side to their first win of the competition as they beat Bangla Tigers by six wickets.The final game saw a rematch of last year’s final as Deccan Gladiators came up against Delhi Bulls. Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s brutal 82* off 33 deliveries fired Gladiators to a total of 140 for 2 off their ten overs and despite Rilee Rossouw (28 off 15) and Tim David’s (48 off 24) best efforts in a partnership of 79, Bulls ultimately fell 18 runs short.

After his Test retirement, the England allrounder is using his time in the IPL to work on his bowling for the World Cup in India later in the year

Matt Roller17-Apr-2023Moeen Ali is in his sixth IPL season and his third as a Chennai Super King, but his first wearing yellow at Chepauk. The newly renovated stadium has been a fortress for CSK, who have won more than two-thirds of their games there thanks to a dominant spin attack – of which Moeen is now a key part.They started their home season with a clinical win over Lucknow Super Giants, in which he returned his best IPL figures, 4 for 26. And even in last Wednesday’s defeat to early pace-setters Rajasthan Royals, the home crowd were at their partisan best as MS Dhoni did his best to rescue a near-impossible run chase with a late flurry of boundaries.”It’s unbelievable,” Moeen says when asked about Super Kings’ home support. “To be representing Chennai at Chepauk, it’s honestly pretty special. The way they’ve done the ground up, it looks amazing. The crowd and the support is some of the best you’ll ever hear in your life. It makes you want to do really well for the franchise.”Related

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Dhoni is the protagonist, still inspiring huge crowds across the country. There is a widespread supposition that this will be his farewell season – he is 41, and is nursing a knee injury. Moeen isn’t so sure. “He could definitely play again next year,” he says. “The way he’s playing, I don’t think it’ll be his batting that stops him from playing, even if it’s in two, three years’ time.”I wasn’t surprised at how he played [against Rajasthan]. I’ve been watching him in the nets, and he’s been batting unbelievably well. It’s just amazing to see from somebody at that age. It’s not easy when you come in so late – people forget that a lot of the time, but that’s what makes him so good at his role.”Moeen is among a select group of players who have played under two of the leading captains in modern white-ball cricket, Dhoni and Eoin Morgan. “They’re very similar in how clear and calm they are, but also very different,” he says. “Their interests and all that are very different.Moeen has got the better of Jos Buttler four times in all T20s, but he dismissed him for the first time in the IPL in a game CSK lost to Rajasthan Royals•BCCI”The biggest difference? MS does most of his captaincy on gut feel, on the day. It could be a bit like that with Morgs too, but he was also very data-driven. But they’re both so calm. In terms of mannerisms, they are very, very, very similar.”The best way I could describe MS is that he’s a very normal person. Obviously he has a massive following but there’s no big-headedness or anything like that. He’s very humble. You can talk to him about anything… he’s just as you see him on TV: approachable, calm.”Wednesday night’s defeat to Rajasthan was less successful for Moeen. A “terrible game myself”, he says of the match, in which he dropped two catches and was hit for back-to-back sixes by his England captain, Jos Buttler. He did have the consolation of knocking back Buttler’s off stump: “At least I can say I got him out again.”It remains to be seen if he will be an automatic selection when all of CSK’s overseas players are available, but he has played all three of the matches for which he has been fit so far, missing their comfortable victory at the Wankhede after a trip to a sushi restaurant in Mumbai ended with a bout of food poisoning.For Moeen, the next six months are geared towards “getting myself ready – in terms of batting, bowling, fielding, fitness – for the World Cup” in October-November, when England will attempt to defend the 50-over title they won on home soil four years ago. In particular, he wants to “start getting my bowling back to where I know it can be”.It is not reflected in his record, but Moeen believes his offspin has suffered over the past 18 months since his retirement from Test cricket. “I actually feel like there’s things I’ve been missing over the last couple of years,” he explains. “I’ve just started to get it back again: a bit of rhythm in my action.On the glut of England players in the IPL: “It just shows that we’ve been quality for a number of years in international cricket”•BCCI”At times in white-ball cricket, I’ve been a bit defensive. You always have an element of that, but it’s more about the action. I’m trying to put more energy on the ball. I always thought I was trying to spin it, but I wasn’t using my body as much. Everything’s got to click and get aligned together.”Sometimes that comes from actually not bowling enough. When I was playing Test matches, I always felt like I was bowling well in white-ball cricket. You can kind of lose that rhythm, I guess. I think I’ve got to have that mindset of still bowling with that same energy as I would have done in Test matches.”England left Moeen on the bench for the second half of the 2019 World Cup, in which spinners struggled throughout. This year, in India, it is unlikely they will do the same again: he will play a crucial role in supporting Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone as one of England’s main spin options.”It’s going to be really important that I do bowl, and that I get my bowling up to the best place it can be,” Moeen says. “It’s more than likely going to be my last 50-over World Cup, so I want to make sure it’s a good one – both for myself and for the team. We want to defend the title, and spin could play a massive role in the World Cup.”Since he first played in the IPL, Moeen has noticed “a big shift” in the number of his England team-mates who are not only involved in the tournament but playing key roles for their respective franchises: “It just shows that we’ve been quality for a number of years in international cricket.”Come the World Cup, the squad’s extensive experience playing in India – and adapting to the challenges posed by different venues – should stand England in good stead. “When you play somewhere, which we have done for years now, and you’re used to those conditions, it can only benefit you in international cricket,” he says. “It’s great.”On Monday night, CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangalore. For Moeen, that means a return to his old franchise – and a tough examination at the Chinnaswamy, the most punishing venue for bowlers in the tournament. “The wickets look unbelievable this year,” he says.”It’s always been a good place to bat, but I’m looking forward to bowling there too. They’re still the kind of challenges I really look forward to, bowling when it’s nice and flat. It’s a big derby as well, the South Indian derby; both teams have huge fanbases. It’s going to be a good one.”

Late finishes are the norm this season and have always plagued the league – this is not ideal for the viewers, the broadcasters and, by extension, the IPL itself

Sidharth Monga05-Apr-2023Even Jos Buttler has had it with the pace of play in IPL 2023.”Let’s speed up the pace of play,” Buttler tweeted, along with a folded hands emoji and the IPL hashtag, 43 minutes into the match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. That match started five minutes late because a resident dog strayed onto the Chepauk field, and the innings during which Buttler tweeted lasted an hour and 48 minutes. The match ended past 11.30pm.Get this, though: that was not even close to the longest innings in the first seven matches of this IPL. Royal Challengers Bangalore took two hours and two minutes to finish their bowling against Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Titans took an even two hours against Super Kings in the tournament opener after the match had already started two minutes late because the opening ceremony went into overtime.Related

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Not a single completed innings of 20 overs so far has had the last over begin inside the stipulated 90 minutes, which includes five minutes of timeouts. The IPL aims for matches to finish in three hours and 20 minutes, but no match has been able to achieve this target. Only two matches in which both sides have faced 20 overs each have taken under four hours to complete, and barely so. This is despite cutting short the 20-minute innings break.As a result the double-header days have been chaotic for those looking to follow both games, and night matches have gone well into after-hours, which can’t be ideal for the viewers who have to wake up for work the next morning. And that can’t be ideal for the IPL or the broadcasters.Time-keeping has perhaps been the stickiest in-game issue the IPL has had to deal with. It has tried various penalties to no significant effect, it has moved start times from 8pm to 7.30pm, which, in the opinion of many, including MS Dhoni, skews the matches in favour of the chasing sides because the dew has not yet set in by 7.30pm. Eventually in-game penalties had to be introduced, which means any overs not bowled inside the stipulated time will have to bowled with one fielder fewer outside the 30-yard ring.ESPNcricinfo LtdOnly one of the 12 innings that have run into overtime so far this IPL has featured this penalty though – when Super Kings bowled to Super Giants – and that tells you a lot about the nature of delays during the games. With no evidence to point otherwise, it is safe to assume the match officials have seen mitigating circumstances to make allowances for such inordinately long delays. One culprit is the added DRS reviews for wides and no-balls, which the league might want to re-evaluate if it wants to provide a crisp product.These are early days in the competition’s proper homecoming. It probably can’t be as streamlined as it was when played at a limited number of venues without full houses over the last three years. However, it is pertinent that teams get their acts together – or are forced to do so – and not play a slow brand of cricket that loses spectators towards the thrilling final moments just because the match went on till too late in the night.In 2018, the reported, quoting Star Sports’ managing director, that IPL TV ratings began to dip after 10.45pm and took a nosedive post-11pm. These numbers essentially say that viewers just don’t keep watching till that late.Granted, a lot of slow over-rates occur because of the competition. Competitive teams want to recover enough before bowling the next ball so that they can be at their best. But when one of the said competitors, Buttler in this case, tweets out that even he is finding the pace of the game too slow, you know the IPL needs to do something about it.

At just 22, the India batter has played two World Cups, the Commonwealth Games, and won the inaugural WPL title, but she’s just getting started

S Sudarshanan07-Jul-20231:21

“Wicketkeeping has helped me pick deliveries out of bowlers’ hands better while batting”

Yastika Bhatia has featured in only 13 of the 35 women’s T20Is India have played since the start of 2022. Two of those were crunch matches – the Commonwealth Games final in August 2022 and the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final in February this year. While it said a bit about how Yastika fit into India’s T20I plans, it also revealed the management looks at her as someone who can hold her own under pressure.”I am still learning about how to play in that situation,” she says, ahead of India’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh. “That usually comes only from experience.”In the CWG final, Yastika walked out to bat at No. 9, with India needing 17 off 11, as a replacement for the concussed Taniya Bhatia, and was the last player out for a five-ball 2. She was trapped lbw when she missed a reverse sweep against Australia’s Jess Jonassen, and India fell short by nine runs.Related

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“Anybody can sit outside and say you should have done this or that,” she reflects. “When you are inside, you know what’s going on and how to tackle the situation.”If that shot had come off and it [had] been a boundary, everybody would have said something else. I just take it in my stride, whatever has happened. My intent was to win the match for the team. That will always be there. I will always put my best foot forward, never anything else.”Tackling pressure at the international level is vastly different from that in domestic cricket, Yastika says. She scored 223 in six matches in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, 212 in six outings in the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Trophy, and 203 in four outings in the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy in the 2022-23 season. She often stayed unbeaten in tricky chases, including in the final of the T20 Challenger Trophy for India D.Yastika doesn’t rue her missed chance in the CWG final: “If that shot had come off and it was a boundary, everybody would have said something else”•Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press”At the domestic level, if you face four dots and then if you hit a boundary on the fifth ball, you can cover up,” Yastika says. “But at the international level, you don’t get boundaries easily. You have to be on your toes from the first ball and cannot afford too many mistakes. That is what brings the best out of you. If you just play for Baroda, how would you understand your capacity? You understand that only at the international level.”Yastika is coming off a successful Women’s Premier League (WPL), where she was part of Mumbai Indians’ title-winning outfit. She formed a potent opening pair with West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, scoring 214 runs in the tournament. She flourished at the franchise under India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and a coaching set-up that made her feel valued.Head coach Charlotte Edwards’ clear message to Yastika – that she would play all games in the season – helped, giving her a “boost of confidence”, she says.”You must have seen in the WPL how that translated!” she laughs. “She gave me a lot of freedom. [Edwards said] ‘You just go out and play like a youngster would, without any pressure. There are a lot of good batters after you, so you need not just rotate strike. Just play your game and go for fours and sixes.'”At 22 and in only her second year of international cricket, Yastika has played an ODI and T20 World Cup each, the Commonwealth Games, and a Test – a checklist that many aspire to tick over a long career. She is well aware of what works for her and which of her skills she needs to hone.”If I focus on one thing, I more often than not accomplish it. That has been one of my biggest strengths since childhood and I am proud of that,” she says, reflecting on her learnings from the World Cups.”It is not always that [the expectations at world events] get fulfilled because the other team is also there [to win] after [putting in] a lot of effort. Perhaps our efforts may not be enough, and we need to do more. It is about learning from other teams or by looking at players from your own team; what they have done better, we can learn and apply [those lessons]. You only understand these once you go through those situations. Playing World Cups showed me what I am and what I need to do better. That was an important experience for my career.”Yastika was Mumbai Indians’ fourth highest run-scorer in the WPL, with 214 runs from ten games•BCCIAnd for times when things don’t go to plan, Yastika has her support system to lean on.”I vent to my parents – they listen and don’t say much, but I know they are there for me. They don’t judge me at all and are like ” [You have overcome multiple obstacles, so this is also something you can get through]. My coaches Kiran [More] sir and Santosh [Chaughule] sir help me in terms of what’s lacking in my game. For them, I am their kid.”You will treat your child the same, whether they have scored a century or a zero. Their [the coaches’] behaviour is the same and they shower me with a lot of love. That gives me belief that my support will be the same irrespective of results.”The white-ball tour to Bangladesh next month is the start of a busy season for India, one that features Tests against England and Australia, apart from white-ball series against South Africa and New Zealand. One eye will also be on the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh next year. Yastika has had a taste of it all, and she wants more of it.

He will play his final Test at the SCG like many others but ending a career unlike any other

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-20243:51

Warner: ‘It’s been surreal to be here for 112 Tests’

David Warner has made it to Sydney. It has been one of the longer retirement build-ups and with Warner on Monday saying the end could have come at Lord’s, there was no guarantee that he was going to reach this point.It raised a few eyebrows when he laid out his preferred finish so clearly, although it wasn’t the ultimatum it was sometimes made out to be. There had been a window for a farewell 12 months ago after he had scored a double-century in his 100th Test against South Africa with the next game at the SCG. However, the lure of tours to India and England (which ultimately included the World Test Championship final) was strong.India was ended after two Tests due to injury then England, it appears, was a game-by-game scenario for much of the time. Half-centuries at Lord’s and The Oval were just enough to keep the wolf from the door. His 164 in Perth a few weeks ago meant his path was secure.”I know that people have been gunning for him for a period of time but for us internally, we’ve seen the great value in what he brings to the table, hence why we’ve kept picking him,” coach Andrew McDonald said last week in a clear indication that it has been the potential of what he still do that swayed things his way.Related

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The uncertainty over who will replace him has been a reminder that, even with the blemishes on his overall record, he has been among the highest calibre of player. An all-format great, without doubt, if probably a notch below in Test cricket alone given his struggles overseas.”Personally, I think of him when he first came on the scene and really changed Test cricket,” Pat Cummins said. “Walking out there and taking the game away from the opposition in the space of an hour or two, and doing it for over a decade. His longevity is something that gets overlooked.”So now the final stage of his Test career will play out against Pakistan. “Warner week”, Cummins termed it. It’s rare, especially in Australian cricket, for a player to be able to map out their finale although the SCG has seen a few by dint of normally being the final Test of a summer.In 2007, the ground witnessed a trio do it when Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer bowed out. A few years earlier, Steve Waugh brought down the curtain in 2004 against India having set the ground alight the summer before with his last-ball-of-the-day hundred against England.”For Davey, his 112th Test match, the impact that he’s had on Australia, the way he’s gone about the game, has been incredible,” McGrath said ahead of the Test that continues to raise millions for the Jane McGrath foundation. “Hopefully he can go out on a high.”It’d be great to see him get a hundred here in front of his home crowd. It sort of takes me back to my final Test match with Justin Langer and obviously the late great Shane Warne. So many incredible memories there and just the way people came out and supported us during that final Test match, I’m hoping they do the same for Davey.”2:13

McGlashan: ‘The game will be less interesting without Warner’

Warner has divided opinion like few others. You just have to witness the fallout from Mitchell Johnson’s column a few weeks ago. But the ovation at the MCG last week sounded genuine, even if a quick glance at social media (not often a wise thing) suggested differences remained. On Monday he offered to have a beer with anyone who had an issue with him. There will still be those who won’t be sorry to see him go, but even they will struggle to make a case that he won’t be a loss to the spectacle of the game.What happened in 2018 will always be part of Warner’s story and there remains a chance that skeletons will reveal themselves in the future. At his retirement press conference he said he had become “disconnected” with the game beyond the bubble of international cricket.”Davey has been exemplary over the last four or five years,” Cummins said. “I think we’ve all grown up a lot over the last four or five years. Davey is a leader in our squad and he’s led the way along with a lot of other senior guys on how we want to behave on and off the field. He’s been outstanding.”Warner’s career has tracked a path through the most dramatic evolution the game has seen. He was ahead of the curve when he made his T20I debut before playing any first-class cricket. Whatever else will be said, it has been an extraordinary feat to compile the three-format returns he has managed.When he plays his next T20I, which could be against New Zealand in March, he will bring up 100 appearances in all formats. There’s a handful of others who will likely achieve that (Tim Southee is very close), but given the direction of travel for Test cricket Warner could be among the last of his kind.In Test cricket, his average has not been below 40 since December 2013. From then on, it peaked at 51.34 in early 2016. There was a period through 2014 and 2015 when few could touch him for a combination of volume and speed of scoring: across 23 Tests he averaged 61.30 with a strike rate of 83.09 including 11 centuries.”Warner has made the life of his dozen opening partners much easier with his belligerent style,” Greg Chappell wrote in a column for newspapers. “With a strike rate of 70, Davey took the opposition on. By doing that, he allowed his partners to go about their business sedately, without having to worry about the scoreboard. Doing the heavy lifting came naturally to him.”The scoops, the flicks, the ramps, Warner’s array of strokeplay was often breathtaking. And even amid the leaner times of the last few years he has still had it in him, as he showed in Perth when he scooped Shaheen Shah Afridi over fine leg.His record at home has been immense – an average of 58.11 going into his final outing – with his numbers abroad more modest. His overseas returns are propped up by his impressive performances in South Africa in 2014, in conditions which closely resembled home, and two handsome Tests in Bangladesh. In England (26.48), India (21.78), Sri Lanka (25.22) and the West Indies (26.90) it was a struggle. But even in some of those contests, he has been part of compelling storylines, not least Stuart Broad’s dominance of him in 2019.The level of fitness he has maintained is also worthy of note. It was his fielding against Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup that was a catalyst for Australia’s resurgence. There have been few quicker between the wickets than him, or a better judge of a run. And he has remained an excellent close catcher.But amid all the focus that Warner week will bring, this isn’t quite the end, although confirmation that he was also closing the chapter on ODI cricket brought it a step closer. There remains the unknown of what he will say when he finally hangs up the bat for good, what he is saving for the book and who should be worried. He will make a swift move into the commentary box. Still, whatever your views on him, he has never been dull. And however the closing stages of his career play out it’s unlikely to ever be so.

The star-studded XI represents five of the six teams, with no entrant from Karachi Kings

Danyal Rasool19-Mar-20241. Saim Ayub (Peshawar Zalmi)
345 runs, 31.35 ave, 157.53 SR, two fifties, eight wickets, economy 7.45Ayub’s season was about as complete as it can get for a 21-year-old. He partnered up with Babar Azam for the most formidable opening combination of the season, with his explosiveness embellishing Zalmi’s strong opening starts. Two fifties might sound like an indifferent return, but Ayub crossed 30 three times more, and the damage often lay in his strike rate. He added another potent layer to his formidable T20 repertoire, sometimes sending down a few tidy overs in the powerplay. He also picked up valuable top-order scalps.2. Babar Azam (Zalmi)
569 runs, 56.90 ave, 142.60 SR, five fifties, one hundredWell, what’s new? Babar dominated the runs charts once more, topping that list for the third time in the last five seasons.. Ayub was the perfect foil alongside him, but Babar added an element to his own game too. This is now not only his highest run tally in the PSL but also his highest strike rate. The Zalmi captain showed he didn’t have to sacrifice one for the other, and thrived as a sandwich between hard-hitting Ayub and Mohammad Haris.3. Usman Khan (wk, Multan Sultans)
430 runs, 107.50 average, 164.12 strike rate, two fifties, two hundredsUsman Khan was arguably the surprise of the tournament. A couple of years ago, he went unpicked and switched allegiances to the UAE but this time around lit up Multan Sultans. He wasn’t in the starting XI at the beginning but ensured he was nailed on by the end with a breathtaking mix of devastation and accumulation.Related

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He would finish behind only Babar in the run charts but at nearly twice the average and a much superior strike rate. He hit two of the season’s four centuries and his runs in the final allowed Sultans to have a fighting total in the final.4. Shadab Khan (capt, Islamabad United)
305 runs, 30.50 ave, 142.52 SR, three fifties, 14 wickets, economy rate 8.54He didn’t have an elite tournament as a bowler, but Shadab Khan’s runs ensured his all-round combinations didn’t go away. As Islamabad United captain, he came in at No. 4 in all but one match and demonstrated he was good enough to bat there. Three half-centuries and an impressive ability to attack spin after the field restrictions kept United moving. With the ball, his 14 wickets made him the fourth-best spinner, but an economy of 8.54 would be one to improve.Rassie van der Dussen struck the season’s first century•Associated Press5. Rassie van der Dussen (Lahore Qalandars)
364 runs, 72.80 ave, 154.89 SR, three fifties, one hundredRassie van der Dussen was as close as Lahore Qalandars got to greatness, with the team’s torrid season vastly different from the form he personally showed. Sometimes their lone runmaker, van der Dussen was near-invincible during the seven games he played with the Qalandars, making up for a misfiring top order with a dazzling array of shotmaking from lower down.His unbeaten 104 was one of the best innings of the season and left the campaign with a player-of-the-match award in Qalandars’ only win.6. Iftikhar Ahmed (Sultans)
259 runs, 64.75 ave, 193.28 SR, one fifty, two wicketsWith the highest strike rate of the season, Iftikhar Ahmed demonstrated he is still at his best in T20s. Most runs came as valuable cameos that either got Sultans out of trouble or stretched their advantage. Iftikhar truly demonstrated what an impact player was, and all that’s best about him shone through in the final. He hit an unbeaten 20-ball 32 that kept them in the final before he chipping in with his only two wickets of the season.7. Imad Wasim (United)
12 wickets, economy rate 6.60, 126 runs, 21.00 ave, 128.57 SR, one fiftyThe player of the final, Imad Wasim stormed back into national reckoning with a sensational all-round season. The overs he sneaked in at the top for barely over run-a-ball were a total outlier. Imad was the steel to United’s flair with bat in hand too, with handy contributions, none more so than an unbeaten 13-ball 30 that gave United a last-ball win to keep them alive in the group stages. He saved his best for the finale, becoming the first bowler to take five-for in a PSL final, and hanging around with bat in when the winning runs were hit.8. Akeal Hosein (Quetta Gladiators)
15 wickets, 20.53 ave, economy rate 7.70Quetta Gladiators’ only entry in this list, Akeal Hosein provided reliability to his side’s bowling attack. He rarely went for too many runs and almost always chipped in with wickets. The fifth-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, Hosein’s value lay in his ability to bowl at any stage of an innings. He finished with the second-lowest economy among spinners.Usama Mir had a high-flying season•PSL9. Usama Mir (Sultans)
24 wickets, 15.87 ave, economy rate 8.13The economy rate is skewed by one poor showing, but Usama Mir was the most prolific bowler of the tournament by a distance. No one else managed even 20 wickets, nor could anyone match his balls-per-wicket ratio of 11.7. Mir shook off an indifferent winter with the national side and found a level of control of his flight and variation that troubled every side. He was also responsible for the tournament’s only six-wicket haul and went wicketless in just one of his 12 games.10. David Willey (Sultans)
15 wickets, 20.40 ave, economy rate 7.46Arguably the canniest draft pick of the tournament, David Willey’s economy was second only to Imad. And no bowler who took more wickets comes close to being as economical as the Englishman. Willey gave Sultans dependency at the top or the tail of their bowling innings, and his variations on slowing pitches made him near-unhittable at times. Add his wicket-taking prowess, and he was one of the pillars in Sultans’ impressive run to the final.11. Naseem Shah (United)
15 wickets, 22.20 ave, economy rate 7.56Naseem Shah is fine. That, in itself, is a win for a Pakistan bowler returning from a serious injury. But Naseem was more than fine. Leading United’s attack, he demonstrated he’s still the same bowler, in pace, accuracy, and mentality. He conceded 36 in his first game and was never as expensive again. Never one to hide, he opened and closed off United’s bowling frequently, and bowled two of the seven maiden overs of the tournament. Don’t forget the nine-ball 17 in the final that levelled the scores and teed up his younger brother Hunain to hit the winning runs.

Records tumbled as Sri Lanka and South Africa played out 127 scoreless balls between them

Sampath Bandarupalli03-Jun-202477 – Sri Lanka’s total against South Africa in their Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 clash in New York is their lowest in men’s T20Is. Their previous lowest was 82 all out against India in 2016 in Vishakhapatnam.It is also the lowest total by any team against South Africa in men’s T20Is. The previous lowest was Afghanistan’s 80 all out during the 2010 T20 World Cup.7 – Runs conceded by Anrich Nortje on Monday, the fewest by a bowler completing their four-over quota in the Men’s T20 World Cup. The previous fewest was eight runs, by three bowlers – Ajantha Mendis (vs Zimbabwe in 2012), Mahmudullah (vs Afghanistan in 2014) and Wanindu Hasaranga (vs UAE in 2022).Related

• South Africa up against their bogey team in batter-unfriendly New York

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• Highlights – SA vs SL – SA score full points on testing NY track

Nortje also conceded the fewest runs by a South Africa bowler in their four overs in a men’s T20I.3 – Hauls of four or more wickets for Nortje in T20 World Cups, the joint-most by any bowler at the tournament, alongside Saeed Ajmal and Shakib Al Hasan.4 for 7 – Nortje’s figures are the best for South Africa at the Men’s T20 World Cup, bettering his own record of 4 for 10 against Bangladesh in 2022.Nortje’s figures are also the best by any bowler against Sri Lanka in the men’s T20 World Cup and the third-best in all men’s T20Is against them.Most dots in a men’s T20 WC match•ESPNcricinfo Ltd20 – Dot balls bowled by Ottniel Baartman, the joint-most by a bowler in a Men’s T20 World Cup game. Kemar Roach bowled 20 dot balls against Ireland in 2010, while Ajantha Mendis did the same during his six-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in 2012. Baartman’s 20 dots are also the most for South Africa in a men’s T20I.1 – Nortje and Baartman became the first pair to concede less than ten runs apiece in an innings at the Men’s T20 World Cup (while bowling their full quota of four overs).Only twice before have a pair of bowlers from Full Member teams done this in men’s T20Is – Chris Mpofu and Ray Price for Zimbabwe against Canada in 2008, and Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra for New Zealand against Bangladesh in 2021.11 – T20 World Cup matches played by Nortje, taking at least one in each. It is now the longest wicket-taking spree for any bowler in the Men’s T20 World Cup. Nortje bettered Ashish Nehra, who has taken at least one wicket in all ten T20 World Cup matches.4.42 – The scoring rate in this South Africa vs Sri Lanka match was the lowest for a Men’s T20 World Cup game (min: 150 balls). None of the previous 252 T20 World Cup matches lasting 25-plus overs finished with a run rate below five an over.127 – Dot balls played out on Monday were the most for a Men’s T20 World Cup match. The previous highest was 123 dots in the 2007 game between South Africa and India, and by Oman and Namibia during last night’s tie.Sri Lanka’s batters played out 72 of the 127 dots, the joint-most by a team in a Men’s T20 World Cup game, alongside Afghanistan against England in 2012.

Opener uses vast experience to demonstrate attacking “balance” sought by Jon Lewis

Valkerie Baynes19-May-2024It’s the halfway point of the innings and England are doing okay on 69 for 2, then Danni Wyatt appears to flick the switch.Up to that point she had contributed 42 of her team’s runs. Then she charges at Nida Dar and lifts the ball towards the long-on fielder who backpedals over the boundary rope as the ball sails beyond. She thrashes the next delivery through square leg to bring up a 34-ball half-century. Not done there, she helps herself to two more boundaries – making it 20 runs in all off the over – to seize control of the game.She was the only England player to do so, with Amy Jones their next-highest scorer with 26. But a lofty target of 177, thanks to Wyatt, proved beyond a Pakistan side whose batting depth has been wanting despite a doughty effort in this match.What this series has shown England is that they are building good depth with different players contributing with bat and ball throughout. In the opening match at Edgbaston it was Jones, Heather Knight and Dani Gibson who rescued them from 11 for 4 before Sarah Glenn’s four-wicket haul. At Northamptonshire Alice Capsey, Maia Bouchier and Nat Sciver-Brunt all made runs without pressing on to big scores before a strong all-round bowling display led by Sophie Ecclestone bundled Pakistan out for 79.Related

• Bell: 'There's no going away from England's attacking approach'

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• Danni Wyatt 87 sets up England for 3-0 series sweep against Pakistan

It also shows there is work to be done with a T20 World Cup looming in Bangladesh later this year, given that Pakistan are six places below them on the ICC T20I rankings.Wyatt was dropped by wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali on 12 then, having overturned an lbw decision on 35 when DRS showed she’d hit the ball, was put down twice more in the space of three deliveries, Aliya Riaz grassing a chance at mid-off when she had 79 and Sadaf Shamas unable to hold on as she ran in from deep cover. Sadaf made amends two balls later, however, when Wyatt smashed Diana Baig straight to the same region to fall for a blistering 87 from 48.Wyatt, who joked that she was making a beeline for the casino after play, felt she was due a meaningful innings after previous scores of 1 and 6 in this series and a highest score of just 21 in five innings across both white-ball formats on the recent tour of New Zealand.”I failed in the first two games so I really wanted a score today,” Wyatt said. “But I also wasn’t getting too stressed about it. I’ve had ups and downs most of my career and I think it’s the way I play with intent. I’m going to fail more times than I come off, but Lewy wants us to go out there and take the game on from ball one, which is what I do when I’m at my best.”It was the type of aggressive innings Jon Lewis, England Women’s head coach, has set about instilling in this group since taking on the role some 18 months ago. It also carried the sort of risk-and-reward element he says his side is still seeking to balance. Before Sunday’s third and final T20I against Pakistan at Headingley – which England won by 34 runs for a 3-0 series sweep – Lewis told Sky Sports: “It’s the balance between forcing the game and playing really smart shots.”Asked how to find that balance Wyatt, a veteran of 266 international games, indicated that she leaned heavily on experience. “It’s just about making smart decisions and not being reckless. For me, I play my best when I’m showing intent but I do it in a calm and relaxing way.”Obviously you want to feel good going into games, but most of it is up here [tapping her temple]. I’ve got a lot of experience. I’ve had ups and downs most of my career and every batter will say there’s always a score around the corner and cricket is a brutal game, you’ve just got to keep going and back yourself.”Wyatt believes her first century in the format – during the 2017 Ashes in Australia – was the innings that really got her batting going.”I showed the world what I could do and I always knew I had that in me,” Wyatt said. “People forget I was actually a bowler the first half of my career. I used to open the bowling, which I really enjoyed, and then started to get lower-back trouble and my bowling just went downhill. Then my batting was overtaking. So I always knew deep down I was actually more of a batter. But I used to be a pinch hitter and I knew deep down I was a better batter than a pinch hitter.”She also revealed that while in the 70s she allowed herself to think about scoring her third T20I century, although she was at pains to point out that it hadn’t cost her wicket. Had she done so, she would have become only the third woman to reach the milestone, after Fatuma Kibasu of Tanzania and UAE’s Esha Oza. She is among eight players with two.”I’ve been after that third T20 hundred for years,” she said. “I just thought, ‘I’m just going to keep going.’ That was the easiest way to play on that pitch. Hopefully I’ll get there one day.”

How will it affect selection for the Border Gavaskar Trophy and why will North India get games earlier?

Deivarayan Muthu and Vishal Dikshit10-Oct-2024

Ranji Trophy with timeout

The Ranji Trophy will be played in two phases this time, with the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy sandwiched in between. There are quite a few reasons behind the Ranji season being split including minimising weather-related disruptions especially in northern India as well as to look after players’ workloads and manage better the fitness of fast bowlers.Each team will play five league games during a five-week window between October-November before the focus shifts to the two white-ball competitions. Several players, especially fast bowlers, have endorsed the first-class tournament being split into two phases because it could potentially facilitate better recovery.Related

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After going through the grind of five Ranji Trophy league matches, the fast bowlers could attune their bodies to bowl shorter spells in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which will begin on November 23, and then steadily ramp up their load and prep again for the second phase of the Ranji Trophy, which will commence on January 23, 2025, five days after the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. As for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it will conclude on December 15.Last season, when many teams had just a three-day break between Ranji matches, Mumbai allrounder Shardul Thakur was critical of the schedule, saying “there will be a lot of injuries across the country”. The BCCI has taken the suggestions from the players and coaches on board introducing an extra day’s gap between matches for better workload management in the forthcoming season.While the focus will move quickly to the white-ball tournaments, the initial leg of the Ranji holds a lot of significance for several players on the fringes of national selection. The selectors would be keenly following the initial rounds with an eye on both the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia as well as the shadow red-ball tour by India A which will be played between October 31 to November 10.

Players for whom this season could mean a big deal

As far as India selection is concerned, this Ranji season could be particularly significant for the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad and B Sai Sudharsan.After having lost their central contracts in February earlier this year, both Iyer and Kishan are back in the domestic mix in their quest to return to India’s Test team. While Kishan marked his domestic return with 111 off 126 balls in the Duleep Trophy in Anantapur, Iyer has made three fifties in his last four first-class games, including a first-innings 57 in Mumbai’s Irani Cup win.

Notable player transfers

• Mandeep Singh – from Punjab to Tripura

• Wriddhiman Saha – from Tripura to Bengal

• B Aparajith – from TN to Kerala

• Rajneesh Gurbani – from Vidarbha to Maharashtra

• Kuldeep Sen – from TN to MP

• R Samarth – from Karnataka to Uttarakhand

Meanwhile, Easwaran, Gaikwad and Sudharsan are in a three-way race for the reserve opener’s slot for the tour of Australia. If recent form is anything to go by, Easwaran has pulled ahead with three centuries in his last four innings, including his 191 in the Irani Cup. He will feature in his 100th first-class game, at home, in the second round before he potentially boards the flight for India A’s tour of Australia.

Don’t forget the old horses: Pujara and Rahane

By picking 60 of the “finest players” from the country [as was stated in the BCCI release] for the four Duleep Trophy squads last month, the Ajit Agarkar-led election committee had chalked out the pool of players they were keeping tabs on and grooming for the near future. And even though there is a tour of Australia around the corner, they left out two batters who played massive roles in winning the last two Test series there – Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Both are 36, both coming off fairly successful county stints in the UK, and now both will get back to the platform budding players use to vault to the Indian team.Cheteshwar Pujara currently has 20,899 first-class runs•PTI They have barely anything left to prove in domestic cricket with nearly 21,000 first-class runs to Pujara’s name and over 13,500 to Rahane’s, along with Ranji titles in recent years, and all the respect they can earn in the domestic circuit with their feats . Yet, it is their passion for the game that will bring them back in the whites in this October heat. It could also be certain personal goals, perhaps the fading dream of playing 100 Tests for Rahane – like he had said last season – but it is India’s domestic circuit that becomes richer with their presence at the end of the day as it makes the tournament more competitive and worth following for the big names.

Scheduling tweaks – north India first, the rest later

The last Ranji season had commenced on January 5, in the extreme and biting cold of many parts of India, after the white-ball tournaments had concluded. Not surprisingly, many red-ball games were affected by weather interruptions such as fog and bad light. There were a fair few games in the early rounds where not a single ball was bowled on the first day in Meerut, Mohali and Chandigarh which irked the home teams as it poured water on their chances of progressing to the next round. There were several hours of play lost in Lahli, Jammu, Delhi, Kanpur, Mullanpur and other cities as well.When the first leg kicks off this time – October 11 to November 16 – a bulk of the matches will be held in Srinagar, Delhi, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Rohtak, Chandigarh, Shillong, Dehradun and Mullanpur before the winter season kicks in properly, and they’re unlikely to get interrupted by poor weather. That will bring respite to the host teams like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Services, Uttarakhand and Punjab, and give them a chance to play completed matches instead of seeing out forced draws. For the second leg in January, hardly any matches have been slotted for north India when the race for the knockouts heats up.The knockouts will be played from February 8 to March 2.

Punjab Kings created a new record by defending 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025

Varun Shetty16-Apr-20252:07

Rayudu: ‘Chahal bowled to get a wicket, not to defend’

111

PBKS vs KKR, Mullanpur, 2025
Punjab Kings (PBKS) went from failing to defend 245 one game to defending 111 the next. Chasing 112, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were 7 for 2, then 72 for 3, and then 95 all out. Chahal was clattered for 16 in his last over by Russell, who kept KKR in the game for a little longer, but the legspinner ended with 4 for 28, which proved pivotal. Marco Jansen and Arshdeep Singh chipped in at the end to close the job. The ball turned and gripped but not enough to explain how a team chasing 112 went from cruise control to losing six wickets in 5.2 overs.

116/9

CSK vs KXIP, Durban, 2009
This was back when 116 in T20 cricket could still be competitive, especially if Muthiah Muralidaran was on your side. Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) batting spluttered on a slow pitch, but Kings XI Punjab’s (KXIP) chase was less of a reply and more of a slow surrender. R Ashwin and Suresh Raina bowled eight overs for 30 between them, taking four wickets. Muralidaran went for eight in his four and also took two wickets. KXIP never looked in a hurry.Siddarth Kaul’s three-for helped Sunrisers Hyderabad defend 118•BCCI

118

SRH vs MI, Mumbai, 2018
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) came into this match missing Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Billy Stanlake, got bowled out in 18.4 overs and then produced one of the sharpest defensive bowling displays seen in the IPL. Rashid Khan bowled 16 dots in his four overs, taking 2 for 11. Siddarth Kaul hit hard lengths during his three-for and dismissed Mumbai Indians’ (MI) last hope in Hardik Pandya, whose 3 off 19 was a painful crawl. Basil Thampi closed it all out after dismissing the set Suryakumar Yadav in the 16th over. MI lasted a ball more than SRH but made only 87.

119/8

KXIP vs MI, Durban, 2009
KXIP’s three-pronged pace attack bowled canny spells to rock MI’s chase, and despite a composed half-century from JP Duminy, KXIP hung on to complete a nerve-wracking three-run victory. MI hardly set a wrong foot forward from the time they lost the toss, striking early through spin and keeping their hands on the jugular through Lasith Malinga’s late strikes, but they failed to chase 120. Earlier, Sangakkara had kept the KXIP innings alive with an unbeaten 45 and it proved to be decisive.

119/8

SRH vs PW, Pune, 2013
Pune Warriors (PW) needed 19 off 19 balls. They had six wickets in hand. And then Amit Mishra happened. He took a hat-trick and ended with figures of 4 for 19, after making an important 30 off 24 earlier when SRH themselves were 44 for 6. PW batted only 13 off those last 19 balls to lose their remaining six wickets. Mishra walked off with a shrug. It was the third hat-trick of his IPL career.