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So where does Russell’s exploits with the ball in the match rank in terms of Bowling Impact?

ESPNcricinfo stats team13-Apr-20211:44

Dasgupta: Krunal and Chahar brought MI back into the game

It’s not often that a five-for ends up being the subplot in a T20 game. Andre Russell’s record-equaling five-for in 12 balls was among the quickest five-wicket hauls taken in the IPL, but it was Mumbai Indians’ Rahul Chahar who was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for throwing Knight Riders’ chase in disarray with a four-wicket haul.ESPNcricinfo LtdESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats endorses Chahar’s impact on the game. Chahar earned 117 impact points for his bowling efforts (he earned six points for his valuable 8 with the bat). His impact on the game was 31 points clear of the next most impactful performance in the match. Chahar came on to bowl in the ninth over with the Knight Riders firmly in control of the chase. Each of his four overs produced a wicket: the top four of the Knight Riders’ batting order, including the in-form Nitish Rana. According to Smart Stats, Chahar’s four wickets in the game were worth 6.34 smart wickets. Smart Stats gives each wicket an impact value based on the quality of the batsman and the stage of the innings at which he is dismissed.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn contrast, four of Russell’s five victims were lower-order batsmen. Three of those wickets came in the last over of the innings, when the damage the Mumbai tailenders could’ve done was limited. Kieron Pollard’s wicket was the most valuable wicket that Russell took considering the context of the game. There were 17 balls left in the innings when Pollard was dismissed potentially stopping him from playing a match-changing innings. Pollard’s wicket fetched Russell 1.57 smart wicket value. However, his other four wickets contributed just 1.83 smart wicket value. In all, Russell’s five wickets in the match considering the match situation (based on the impact the batsmen dismissed by could’ve had) was worth 3.4 Smart Wickets. In fact, Russell’s exploits with the ball in the match ranked fifth in terms of Bowling Impact. Pat Cummins’ 2 for 24, Krunal Pandya’s 1 for 13 and Trent Boult’s 2 from 27 were considered more impactful than Russell’s given the context of the game.ESPNcricinfo LtdOverall, Suryakumar Yadav’s 36-ball 56 had the second-highest impact on the match with 92.4 points, followed by Krunal Pandya’s efforts with the ball and the bat, which fetched him 79.9 impact points.

Neither team has played much T20I cricket of late, and both have many niggles to sort ahead of bigger challenges

Firdose Moonda26-Aug-2021Focus on Stirling and O’Brien
For Ireland, the need is more urgent. They head to the T20 World Cup in less than two months with scant match time under their belts. Since the start of the pandemic in March last year, Ireland have only played three T20I games, against South Africa last month, and lost them all. There, they were asked to chase on each occasion, twice targets of 165 or lower, and once, 190. Ireland never managed more than 140 in reply.Related

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Batting big, and batting quickly, will be one of their chief aims in this series and they will pin their hopes on the two big names: Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien. Stirling struggled against South Africa but batted the Southern Brave to a trophy-winning total in the men’s Hundred, and Irish captain Andy Balbirnie is hoping he brings that confidence and form into this series.”Paul is so down to earth, you probably can’t even tell when he is on cloud nine,” Balbirnie said. “He should be playing in every T20 league in the world. He is that good. Apart from his parents, I am his biggest fan. This team is a much better team with him in it.”O’Brien is a bigger concern. He managed just two runs in three innings against South Africa, with two ducks, but Balbirnie is banking on him turning that around. “He is a confident guy, we all know that. He didn’t get the scores he wanted against South Africa but he is someone who is very important for this group. He has lots of runs in the bank and hopefully he can produce the goods.”This is Curtis Campher’s maiden T20I call-up•Getty ImagesThe search for match-winners
If the stalwarts don’t step up, Ireland have some youngsters waiting in the wings. Balbirnie confirmed that left-hand batter Neil Rock and South Africa-born allrounder Curtis Campher will both make their debuts in the series opener, with William McClintock set to feature at a later stage. “Exposure (for the new players) is an important thing,” Balbirnie said. “We want these guys to experience it (international cricket) here rather than on a big stage. This is a unique series in that we have a World Cup at the end of the summer and we want to make sure we have 15 players who can all win games.”Ireland will be without their most successful bowler from the South Africa series, Mark Adair, who will sit out the first few matches as he recovers from a back spasm. They have Craig Young, Josh Little and Barry McCarthy in the squad to make up the pace attack.The Williams factor
Zimbabwe’s gaps on the team-sheet are more glaring, with Test captain Sean Williams sitting out the T20 series ahead of his decision to step away from the international game after this tour. Williams arrived in Ireland six days after the rest of the squad and will only be available for the ODIs, leaving the squad without the experience of 47 caps. While newly appointed captain Craig Ervine was hesitant to be drawn into commenting on Williams’ decision, saying only “that is for him and Zimbabwe Cricket to sort out”, he stressed the need to have senior players in the squad. “It’s important to have senior players here. Having guys like Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams helps because they bring experience,” he said.Sean Williams and Lalchand Rajput have a chat during a Zimbabwe training session•Abu Dhabi CricketCoach under pressure?
Among the rumblings over Williams stepping away is an unhappiness with coach Lalchand Rajput. Zimbabwe media has reported that Williams is among several players who cannot see how the team will progress under Rajput and the stats may indicate why. Since he took over in August 2018, they have won two out of ten Tests, four out of 24 ODIs, and seven of 28 T20Is, making the shortest format their best. Rajput’s contract is up at the end of next month and it’s difficult to see him staying on unless results improve.For Ervine, the focus needs to shift to long-term planning for the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 50-over World Cup, sooner rather than later. “We have to look ahead and try to get as many games as possible. We also have to test out different areas,” Ervine said. “I don’t think we can wait to do that, especially because while the T20 World Cup will be going on, it will be a quiet period for us. We must use these T20s wisely.”While Zimbabwe are well aware of what their familiar names can do, now is the time for the next batch to stake their claim. Wessley Madhevere and Blessing Muzarabani are their headline acts but the likes of Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, whose career is just 14 white-ball matches old, Milton Shumba, who has played three Tests at the age of just 20, and Tadiwanashe Marumani, who has made his international debut this year, need to show they can step up.The five-match T20I series starts with two games in Dublin before moving to Bready, with the ODIs due to be played in Belfast.

And when players have a technical problem, fellow players are best placed to sort them out

Ian Chappell13-Feb-2022The Test touring parties of Australia and England both feature interim coaches, and this has raised more questions than provided answers.In particular, the demotion of Justin Langer caused Australian hysteria to reach the Monty Python comedy stage, where someone screeches, “He’s not the Australian coach he’s a very naughty boy.”Cricket fans tend to take more notice of who is or isn’t the coach rather than focusing on the important matter of the appointed captain. Pat Cummins and his charges take the wickets, make the runs and handle the chances. It is they, not the coach, who will win or lose the upcoming series in Pakistan.Related

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Cricket needs to start valuing selectors more than it does coaches

Anybody who thinks international players need coaching and mollycoddling 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is confused. International techniques don’t disintegrate. Players might encounter a problem along the way but what goes wrong is generally in the head. A decent natter with a preferred senior player in the team usually sets the cricketer on the right path.Why are fellow players the best international coaches? For starters they are playing against the same players. They are also out in the middle in the heat of battle and understand the trying consequences. They also see their fellow competitors regularly and will quickly notice any change in technique or mental approach.It’s much more important to have well-credentialled selectors choosing the right squad than it is to have the public ranting about coaches.Using the title “head coach” is a mistake. Anybody looking after a team should have the word “manager” in their title. If the captain, with the help of a few trusted aides, runs the cricket side of the game and the management concentrates on off-field matters, a team will be very competitive. An international coach should be something the Australian team travels in on a tour of England.Cummins is a smart cricketer. He is a good captain because he understands bowling, approaches the game with a common-sense attitude, and has tough competitors around him. He also competes fiercely on the field and has no time for any hijinks; his team generally plays in a similar vein.There’s no doubt Cummins will experience tougher days than those he encountered against England. He will also have to fight through the occasional frustration – that’s the life of a captain. Nevertheless he will establish his reputation as a good captain for the simple reason that he’s a solid leader. His captaincy will be recognised because of his own efforts.On the other side of the world England, under the temporary stewardship of interim managing director Andrew Strauss, have come off a monumental sacking spree. In addition to the three members of the hierarchy who bit the dust, Strauss’ contingent did away with eight players who toured Australia and appointed an interim coach, Paul Collingwood.There have been some good moves among those made by the Strauss group. The dropping of ageing stars Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad took courage and signalled a new direction for the team. The retention of an inconsistent Ollie Pope displayed faith in a talented but disoriented player. The elevation of a credentialled wicketkeeper, Ben Foakes, was welcome.However, the one move that could have made a real difference – a change of leadership – was avoided. There’s no doubt that England with good, strong leadership could be a side that improves a great deal on their recent showing in Australia. Joe Root deserves the title “prominent batter” but the team will not achieve its potential under his stewardship. He is not a good leader and never has been.Who could England nominate as captain? That is a major problem. Apart from Ben Stokes there’s not another name in the squad that stands out as a potential leader.Nevertheless England badly need to unearth a strong captain and do it quickly. If they don’t have a captain providing direction to the Test team, they will continue to struggle against the major cricket nations.

The left-arm seamer missed out at U-19 level in 2016, and then at senior level in 2021, but now he’s stronger than ever and raring to go

Deivarayan Muthu04-Aug-20220:58

Obed Mccoy: ‘Improved fitness has helped me be consistent’

The build-up to the second T20I in St Kitts was bizarre. The match, which was originally scheduled to start at 10.30am local time, eventually started at 1.30pm local time – around the time it was supposed to end – as the team kits and luggage arrived late from Trinidad.Once the action got underway, though, Obed McCoy turned up and ambushed Rohit Sharma, aka the master of the pull shot. The left-arm quick ran in hard from over the wicket, hit the pitch harder and got a back-of-a-length delivery to rear up and seam away outside off. Rohit was perhaps caught between pulling it and jabbing at it, but McCoy had so much going for him that he squared up the batter and snagged the outside edge near the shoulder of the bat. The ball ultimately landed in the hands of short third.Rohit, gone for a golden duck. In his next over, McCoy, generating speeds close to 150kph, surprised Suryakumar Yadav, too, and had him caught behind. India were 17 for 2 and suffocating.

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McCoy had started his T20I career as a slower-ball specialist at the death after having done that job in the CPL. He was West Indies’ sixth bowler on T20I debut and bowled overs 13, 15 and the 20 against England in Basseterre, the same venue, where he picked up 6 for 17 to knock India out. At the CPL, McCoy had perfected the big, dipping back-of-the-hand slower variation. In a way, it’s the left-arm version of Dwayne Bravo’s calling card.”I’ve been bowling that slower ball from about 14-plus years,” McCoy had told in the lead-up to CPL 2021. “I’ve realised the game was changing and I was telling myself that pace don’t matter anymore, unless you mix it up and keep the batsmen thinking. And I’ve been working on that for a number of years and in CPL 2017, I was actually scared to bowl it because I hadn’t perfected it as yet. It was pretty difficult to bowl – the control was pretty hard at first. I used to drop half-pitch, on my toes, over the batsman’s head, off the pitch, but I just stuck with it. Once I master the slower ball, I would have to keep the same arm speed and same action and try not to change anything about it.”

I’ve realised the game was changing and I was telling myself that pace don’t matter anymoreObed McCoy

It was that back-of-the-hand slower ball that hoodwinked Australia when they had toured the Caribbean in 2021. Bravo was often at mid-on or mid-off, mentoring McCoy during that series. West Indies’ grand plan was to pair McCoy up with Bravo in the T20 World Cup that year in the UAE. Remember, how McCoy was originally picked in the main squad ahead of Jason Holder? But, a shin injury put him on the sidelines and limited his World Cup stint to just the opening game.This was history repeating itself. McCoy had been in contention for the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, which West Indies won, but a split webbing on his bowling hand days before the tournament ruled him out.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe 2021 injury also denied him the chance to play in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2021-22. So all that was left was the IPL. McCoy linked up with Rajasthan Royals, who managed him carefully and opted against rushing him back into action.”At RR we had a well-structured program, which helped Obed ,” AT Rajamani Prabhu, the strength and conditioning coach of the franchise who has also worked with R Ashwin as his personal trainer, tells ESPNcricinfo. “For specific strength training we had Steffan Jones, for bowling skill training there was [Lasith] Malinga sir and my role was to develop the general strength and endurance and recovery of the player. I think per day Obed used to do one session each with us. As a team, we decided that we had to reduce his load to the leg and overall workload since he is coming back from the leg injury.”Obed is generally a strong guy, normally all West Indians are. But our main goal, at the start of the season, was to make him available for all nets and training sessions and slowly build strength by reducing impact. We took a lot of care and I think in about four weeks he was on the field and ready for matches, bowling important overs for us. The more the bowlers bowl in matches, the better they get. Obed just got better and better.”Credit to Sanga [Kumar Sangakkara] sir and the management because we didn’t have soft-tissue injuries and those who came in with injuries like this improved after training.”Obed McCoy was part of a Rajasthan Royals team that went to the IPL final in 2021•BCCIHaving turned heads in the IPL, the Vitality T20 Blast for Sussex and more recently for West Indies, this is now . And, after bagging the best bowling figures by a West Indies player in T20Is, he attributed his recent success to his focus on fitness.”[Fitness has helped] a lot because it has helped me be consistent,” McCoy says. “I’ve been experienced in Indian conditions and England. Different batsmen play different shots and conditions have taught me that I’ve to be smarter and also have a clear head.”I’m proud because I’ve been putting in the hard work after having the injury for many months. That kind of made me depressed in a way. I wasn’t playing cricket and the hard work I’ve been putting in… that actually helped a lot. I just can’t really explain the feeling [of holding this record for West Indies]. All I can say is hard work pays off.”McCoy has done all of this while his mother is ailing. He even dedicated the record haul to his mother after beating India’s IPL superstars to square the series at the time. Rajamani, however, isn’t surprised by how McCoy has overcome setbacks – both on and off the field.”I used to sit in the back row of the [team] bus along with Obed and [Shimron] Hetmyer,” Rajamani says. “I don’t think many knew about him dealing with this problem [his mother’s illness] at the start. He is always calm and focused on his training, recovery and bowling. He was very open-minded and I think he was enjoying every moment with the team.”

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Had Sheldon Cottrell been fit, McCoy might not even have got the opportunity to bowl with the new ball in the ongoing T20I series against India. Having blown away India’s top order with pace and the middle order with the lack of pace, McCoy is now the front and centre of West Indies’ revamped attack. He is fitter, stronger and finally ready for a World Cup.

For once, the sport is not the primary unifying agent in a country now wracked by economic and political crisis

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Jun-2022If you were watching on TV, you might wonder what the big deal was. Khettarama, one of cricket’s great party grounds, overflowing as it almost always is for T20 internationals, roaring for Sri Lanka lbw appeals, vibing to even through rain breaks, generally being its regular rambunctious self. On the field, a dramatic batting collapse is unfolding. Even this feels like a familiar and comforting companion to Sri Lankan life. Even this only slightly dampens the mood.But right now this is just a snatch of normalcy in an otherwise relentlessly upsetting time in the history of the island. The kilometres-long fuel queues on the way to the ground are the most obvious signs, but there is much worse. Businesses are shutting down all over, no longer able to afford the imported supplies they depend upon, or failing to hold on to staff who can no longer afford the commute. Hospitals are so desperately short of life-saving medicines, doctors in one of the most vaunted medical systems in the developing world have been forced to beg for basics.Children have been hit particularly hard. Working- and lower-middle class families have been cutting back on nutrition for many months. With transport costs what they are, and the price of school supplies having soared, survival is a daily struggle, and education has become an afterthought. Don’t even start on the plight of tourism operators. In 2019 there were the Easter Attacks, then two pandemic years, and now an economic crisis and associated political turmoil, which is once again keeping visitors away.Related

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What is cricket up against this much suffering? Some Australia players wondered that themselves, and asked whether it was appropriate to play cricket in a country that is gasping for air the way Sri Lanka is right now. When the tour began, and videos of Khettarama’s heaving stands made its way around the internet, Sri Lankan voices also began to throw shade at the crowd’s merrymaking.Let’s start with what cricket isn’t. At this moment, it is no longer the primary unifying phenomenon on the island. This is a good thing, since silver linings are at a premium right now. Cricket has long been the one Sri Lankan passion that cuts across ethnicity, religion and class, but it has too often been merely an icebreaker – something that strangers from opposite sides of the various Sri Lankan spectrums can talk about, while being aware that they are not talking. We might agree that a certain burly left-hander played too many ODIs for Sri Lanka, for example. But that gets us no closer to agreeing on matters of real importance.

What is cricket up against this much suffering? Some Australia players wondered that themselves, and asked whether it was appropriate to play cricket in a country that is gasping for air the way Sri Lanka is right now

Right now, thanks to protests across the island, cricket is not having to do the “national unity” heavy lifting it is largely unqualified to do. The minority grievances that have been aired at protest sites have in many ways been unprecedented, because for the first time, majority Sinhalese appear to be receptive to (or at least tolerant of) calls for justice for the devastation the state has inflicted on these communities. The idea that politicians intentionally seek to exploit divisions in order to gain power has become a mainstream conversation. The universal appeal of a Muthiah Muralidaran spell, or an Aravinda de Silva hook shot, are great, but in the most heartbreaking way, they do not stand up to the shared experience of struggling to feed your family.And as long as Sri Lanka Cricket is in charge of the sport, matches will also struggle to be a site of anti-establishment sentiment, because there are few organised bodies in Sri Lanka that are more subservient to the political establishment than the cricket board. At Khettarama, fresh signs across the stadium banned horns, helmets and cigarette lighters, but also, snuck in near the bottom, was a ban on placards and banners. Don’t bring your anti-government signs here, was the directive, with police (who have water-cannoned and tear-gassed protesters all around the country in recent months) gleefully confiscating any materials that could be used to show dissent.Empty gas cylinders line the street outside a filling station in Colombo that has been closed for lack of fuel•Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesThey couldn’t stop spectators shouting, of course, but when chants of “Go home Gota”, aimed at president Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, began, the Khettarama DJ would quickly intervene to drown out their voices with stadium pop. It may be worth noting here that SLC is not merely an extension of the Sri Lankan government, it is a manifestation of its worst inclinations, controlled as it is by elites who have long been deaf to calls for serious reform.So what can cricket do? Well, not a lot really, but perhaps what little it can do is enough. The tour is clearly bringing some money into the country. Not only are local hotels, caterers and transportation staff getting much needed work, the broadcast earnings from a full Australia tour are also significant. (This is why, despite consternation, the matches are being played at night; earnings from playing the games during India’s prime-time television slots are thought to be worth the diesel that powers the generators running the floodlights.)But in a nation that wakes up to fresh hurt every day, the normalcy that watching their men’s team play (or as the case may be, suck), is not for nothing. People going through difficulty deserve this too. If in a country that lurches from crisis to crisis to crisis, cricket is a distraction, then let it be one.

Everywhere you turn in Karachi, you see proof of how much the people love the sport

Matt Roller24-Sep-2022Barely 300 metres away from the turnstile exit at England’s team hotel sits Karachi Gymkhana, a members club brimming with Pakistani cricketing history. Once a regular first-class venue, it now hosts club matches on three days of the week but remains a thriving sports facility.The Gymkhana was the venue in 1951 when Pakistan secured a win which still ranks among their most important: inspired by Fazal Mahmood, Khan Mohammad and Hanif Mohammad, they beat MCC by four wickets in a result which effectively secured their Test status the following year.Hanging on one wall in the clubhouse is a framed scorecard from a tour match England played there against a Sindh XI in 1978, featuring an understated footnote. “Against agreed norms, Sindh captain Aslam Sanjrani accepted England captain JM Brearley’s request to allow fast bowlers full run up,” it reads.The next line makes clear that this was a serious error: “JM Brearley had his left arm broken in the fifth over by a rising ball from Sikander Bakht, putting him out of the tour.” Sindh won the 35-over friendly by three wickets but England escaped with a draw in the third Test against Pakistan a few days later, which meant the series ended in a 0-0 stalemate.Alec Stewart and ‘Abdul Thorpe’ in a practice match in Karachi•EMPICS via Getty ImagesEngland returned 18 years later during the 1996 World Cup, using the ground as a training base before their defeat to Pakistan at Karachi’s National Stadium. Michael Atherton’s side played against – and lost to – a Karachi XI which featured Jack Russell and Graham Thorpe (wearing ‘Abdul Thorpe’ on the back on a makeshift shirt), leaving them “squirming with embarrassment” according to one touring journalist.More recently, South Africa used the Gymkhana’s facilities to quarantine and train for their series against Pakistan in early 2021, while security officials visited earlier this month to explore the possibility of New Zealand using it as a training base during their upcoming tour in December-January.Matches at the club are sleepy affairs now, with a handful of spectators wandering around the running track on the perimeter of the boundary, but used to attracted crowds of thousands. It is hard to locate footage of the ball Bakht – who had played a solitary Test at the time – bowled to Brearley but it feels unlikely that those present will have forgotten it.Tape-ball games are all the rage in Karachi•Getty ImagesA short walk around the corner is the Polo Ground, where hundreds of locals play tape-ball games every weekend, all of them obsessed with the sport. Walking around the park on a Sunday morning is a hazardous occupation, ducking for cover and weaving between games that participants treat as their own World Cup final.It is right next to Gymkhana but at the same time worlds away: no memberships, no entry fees – other than to bring a motorbike past the gatekeeper – and no barrier to entry, with old and young playing alongside one another. It is the sign of a truly national sport that the same game is played in both places.Not far down the road from Gymkhana, next to the old Frere Hall, there is a sign which describes Karachi as ‘The Cricket City’. It is a moniker which Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan would doubtless contest but for an English journalist who has grown up in the era of the national team hidden away behind a paywall, everything in here feels like it is geared towards cricket.The sign says it all•Getty ImagesMeanwhile, five minutes away, the lobby of the Movenpick hotel is filled with England players whose VVIP status and presidential-level security means their tour has been hotel-ground-hotel on repeat. Luke Wood is watching footage from Thursday night’s game on a laptop while debriefing with assistant coach David Saker; Moeen Ali and Harry Brook are drinking coffee; Alex Hales and Ben Duckett are in the poolside team room, playing another round on the golf simulator.”That’s the sad thing, actually about the tour,” Moeen said. “It’s not easy when you can’t go out… you want to see the country as much as you can when you tour. Sometimes it can feel like you could be anywhere in the world. You’re in the hotel, and you’re stuck in it: you could be in Barbados.” It did not come across as a complaint, more a genuine sense of disappointment that he will be unable to explore Pakistan.Security outside the England team hotel in Karachi•AFP/Getty ImagesThe players are aware of the money that has been poured in to keeping them safe and recognise the need for an abundance of caution. The PCB is spending millions on their security even though the British High Commission’s data suggests that Pakistan is as safe as it has been since 2004, but the consequences of anything going wrong would be unthinkable.There is no prospect of the security detail changing in time for December’s Test tour but perhaps next time England visit – they are due to come for three Tests in October 2024 – there will be a chance for the players to explore the Gymkhana ground and to wander through the park. After 17 years away, at least now they can say with confidence that there will be a next time.

Out of the XI for long periods with Australia recently opting for conditions-based attacks, the seamer showed he has plenty to offer

Andrew McGlashan07-Jan-2023It had been two years since Josh Hazlewood bowled a delivery in Test cricket on his home ground. He could barely have produced a better display to mark his return.It would be stretching things to say that Hazlewood needs a good performance – there is plenty of credit in the bank with 217 Tests wickets at 26.16 before today – but there is certainly competition for Australia’s fast-bowling spots, especially when only two are included. Scott Boland, holder of Test average 12.21, is watching from the sidelines this week.For Hazlewood this has been another frustrating summer interrupted by a side strain as the 2021-22 Ashes also played out. This is only his sixth Test in two years with conditions-based selection also keeping him out of the XI.However, before this game he was confident the pecking order remained intact and this display was vintage Hazlewood.With his second ball an edge from Dean Elgar flew wide of third slip and the South Africa captain was twice beaten before the over was complete. In Hazlewood’s next over, a similar pattern with two skimming past the outside edge.Related

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Hazlewood then took the edge from the first delivery of his third, with Steven Smith diving low to his right to hold what would have been one of great slip catches only for the third umpire, Richard Kettleborough, to decide after much deliberation that it was not quite a clean take. “I had a pretty good look and thought it was definitely out and think most the people out there did,” Hazlewood said.But Elgar, who has had a forgettable tour, was living on borrowed time. He almost fell to Pat Cummins when he fended a short ball off his gloves and it dropped just in front of short leg.However, Hazlewood would not be denied. In the fifth over of an exacting spell he produced a brutal short ball from around the wicket which Elgar could only glove through to a leaping Alex Carey. With one innings left for the tour, Elgar held an average of 9.20 having been South Africa’s main hope of standing up to Australia’s bowlers.It was reward for high-quality Test bowling, but Hazlewood was modest about his return performance.”Was quite windy at times and it swirls here and it can be quite tough to get your rhythm, we probably saw a couple of no-balls from me and Patty, maybe due to that, but felt decent all day,” he said. “Think your first hit-out back, you start blowing a bit quicker than normal just with a bit more excitement. It’s different in a game to the nets so it’s good to get that day out of the way and zero in tomorrow.”Dean Elgar was bounced out by a snorter from Josh Hazlewood•Getty ImagesHazlewood had one more over in his first spell and thought he had got through Henrich Klaasen but on the DRS there was ruled to be inconclusive evidence as to whether he had hit it, and it looked to be striking outside the line as well.He was held back briefly after tea, but it did not take long when he was brought on to add to his success. In the channel outside off that has been the hallmark of his career he drew Temba Bavuma into a poke.How many Tests in a row Hazlewood can string together remains uncertain and will depend on the conditions which present in India. Mitchell Starc is touch-and-go for the opening Test in Nagpur, but when he is available it is him and Cummins who will be first-choice if only two are picked, judging by how Pakistan and Sri Lanka played out.While those sorts of decisions can only be made when they see what’s in front of them next month, it may be worth Australia recalling how the 2004 side earned their series victory in India with a three-one attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne.Although the weather in Sydney has not allowed the pitch to break up as it might, the way that South Africa struggled against the brilliance of Hazlewood and Cummins suggests that Australia might have been better served with Boland to call on but there is a belief spin will still be key.”Think it’s the right call,” Hazlewood said on the balance of the attack. “Would have been interesting to see the wicket after a full four day’s play, think it would have been a nice wicket to bowl spin on. Still think it will be, but with a lot more traffic on it…think it’s the right attack and the ball spinning into the bat is more dangerous.”If the fourth day was any indication, Hazlewood and Cummins will have a hefty workload as Australia seek to enforce the follow-on and take the 14 wickets that would secure victory. Neither will shirk the challenge and, after watching others take the spoils in the preceding four Tests, Hazlewood will no doubt savour his chance to at the centre of the action.”You are there in that XI to win that Test match,” he said of a potentially heavy final day. “Whatever it takes to win it, then you see how everyone’s pulled up afterwards. In the back of your mind a little bit is we have three weeks off so we can burn ourselves tomorrow.”

At most times, Russell would have backed himself to face the final ball of a close chase, but here he had enough faith in Rinku’s abilities

Sreshth Shah09-May-20232:07

Dasgupta: Russell’s faith in Rinku reflects KKR’s confidence

Andre Russell has done the improbable with the bat for Kolkata Knight Riders for over half a decade. As long as Russell is in the middle, the possibilities are endless. When Russell is gone, so are KKR’s hopes.That’s one of the reasons why, possibly, Russell walks back looking frustrated, angry and disappointed when he gets out during a close finish. But against Punjab Kings on Monday evening, Russell did no such thing despite being run-out on the penultimate ball of the match. He was a picture of calm walking back after scoring 42 in 23 balls, even though KKR were one ball away from potentially being out of the playoffs race.That’s because Rinku Singh was still there, and on strike, for that last ball. Rinku did not disappoint Russell, or KKR, finishing the game with a four. It was a moment that not only displayed Rinku’s growing stature as a finisher but also the passing of the finisher’s baton in KKR.Related

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“In any other game, with any other batter, I’m not sure if I would run [a bye in the penultimate ball],” Russell told reporters after the match. “I’ve never really done those things before. I would back myself to bat the last delivery and get the job done. But when you have a guy like Rinku, who has been so successful in the last couple of overs for us, and when you have such a fearless player who has a shot to counter any delivery, I was definitely confident.”I gave him a hug and said, ‘listen, bring home the bacon for us; at the end of the day, we need you at this point’, and he said, ‘okay, big man, no worries’. Happy days.”Russell and Rinku had just got themselves set when Arshdeep Singh was tasked with bowling two of the last three overs. KKR needed 36 in 18, and even though Arshdeep conceded ten runs in the 18th over, one four from Rinku was a streaky one, and the bowler’s assortment of wide yorkers and short balls made it tough for the two batters to tee off.Then, with 26 needed off 12, all Arshdeep needed was for Sam Curran to leave enough runs for him to defend in the 20th. Russell looked to hurt Curran, and succeeded with six, six, dot, six in the space of four balls. That over went for 20, and the target of six in the last over made KKR overwhelming favourites.”Sam Curran was trying to bowl into my body so that I hit the big side of the boundary, that was their plan,” Russell said. “I hit him for two sixes over the big side but as a bowler, because I think like a bowler too, so I knew he wasn’t going to bowl in that area again. The short ball that he bowled, I missed out on it, but when he bowled the slower cutter into the wicket, I just gave myself that little room and just used my hands to get it over the field.”He didn’t have any third man, it was the short side, and that wasn’t part of their team plan. But when you conquer a team’s bowling plan, then their Plan B is in the batter’s zone most of the time. So T20 is tough and you have to make sure you, as bowlers and batters, stay calm in any situation.”But Arshdeep executed his plan perfectly for the first five balls of the last over.Russell was welcomed with a yorker, followed by a wide yorker that he could only slice behind square. Rinku then found a thigh-high full toss too tough to put away and Russell followed it up with a drive to cover for two. That made the equation two off two, and with Russell on strike, the penultimate delivery was high stakes.Arshdeep bowled a terrific wide yorker that was too good for Russell. He swung at it and missed as the ball bounced to the keeper. But Rinku had sprinted across to the other end to ensure he would face the last ball. Russell, slow to take off, was run-out, leaving KKR still needing two off the final ball.But Rinku on strike. The Eden crowd, which was until then cheering for Russell, started their “Rinku, Rinku, Rinku” chant.Arshdeep went with a leg-side plan for the final ball. The leg side was the shorter side and there was little chance of KKR’s batters making it back for two if the ball went there to a fielder. The bigger off-side region had big pockets for twos, so Arshdeep was not going to go there.Rinku Singh leaps in joy after hitting the winning boundary•BCCIKnowing all that, Rinku moved to the leg side even before Arshdeep delivered the ball. If Arshdeep bowled the ball he wanted to, it would have landed around leg and Rinku had the option of going inside out over cover for two. Instead, Arshdeep missed his length, his attempted leg-stump yorker becoming a thigh-high full toss, and Rinku swivelled a shot off his hips that went for four past fine leg. Like after his celebrations against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Rinku opened his helmet and ran towards the dug-out, with his team-mates mobbing him for his match-winning unbeaten 10-ball 21.”The key to Rinku’s performance is being very calm,” Russell said. “As a batter, you have to have an open mind and be relaxed. You can’t expect just a full-pitched delivery. You have to expect the slower ball, the yorker, the short ball at the head, and Rinku has a shot for every delivery. That’s the key to his success. His technique is very simple… and I’ve been encouraging him whenever I get a chance to talk to him to stay humble.”Because no matter how many people keep shouting ‘Russell, Russell, Russell’, I always just stay humble. Because when you get swell-headed, that’s when you lose it. He’s a great guy, I love him like a brother, and I hope he keeps doing what he’s doing.”

Home and away fixtures? A 34,000-seater stadium in New York? If the league can build on the momentum it has already generated, why not?

Peter Della Penna02-Aug-2023When considering that USA’s first home ODI in September 2019 only drew 19 people, that too for games staged in the country’s only ICC-accredited venue at the time, in Florida, the bar of expectations couldn’t have been set lower for what constitutes success when it comes to getting fans to turn out for a domestic cricket event in the USA. In a sense, the only way to go was up when starting from that foundation.That’s all the more reason why the events of the last three weeks, in which the first season of the Major League Cricket T20 franchise tournament routinely played to sold-out venues in North Carolina and Texas, were all the more startling. What many people, including the organisers themselves, thought might take several seasons to gain momentum in terms of fan attendance and player buy-in wound up being more supercharged than a case of Red Bull in season one.Related

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“My thought was we’ll start slow, we’ll get some fans in, we’ll entertain them, we’ll put out a good product, and then we’ll build upon it year on year,” MLC co-founder Sameer Mehta told ESPNcricinfo after the conclusion of the tournament final in Texas. “I feel like we’ve skipped a couple of years now in our journey and we can start doing the things now which we’d be doing two years from now.”According to MLC tournament director Justin Geale, league officials were counting on the opening night and the final to be sold out, but had no expectations as to everything in between, particularly from the seven match days in Grand Prairie, Texas. What unfolded was way beyond his cautiously optimistic expectations. On average, Grand Prairie Stadium wound up playing to more than 80% capacity across the nine match dates held at the 7,200-capacity venue, while the six-day slate of fixtures at the 3,000-capacity Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, all sold out. It meant that more than 70,000 fans – generating $2.8 million in ticket sales revenue – came through the gates to watch season one of MLC, a staggering number for any matches on US soil not involving India’s routine visits to Lauderhill to play T20Is against the West Indies.The Texas Super Kings were by far the best-supported franchise in year one, with all their home games selling out•SportzpicsPerhaps the most remarkable part of all of this is that these numbers were possible in spite of dismal attendances for the three afternoon games held as part of scheduled double-headers at Grand Prairie Stadium, which were shoehorned into the calendar in spite of the oppressive daytime heat – temperatures regularly hovered over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (mid 40s Celsius) – in order to squeeze the tournament into a tight window following the end of the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe and before the start of the Hundred in England. Addressing that is a key priority heading into season two.Two solutions have been floated by MLC officials, either moving the afternoon match back to an early-morning start on days where two matches need to be played, or scheduling double-headers in different cities on the same day, one in the east coast time zone in the late afternoon or early evening before coming back to Texas for a 7:30 or 8 pm start. The fact that a split-venue double-header is even plausible despite the added broadcast production costs – one source tabbed it at a minimum of $350,000 – shows how supercharged the plans are for season two just days after the conclusion of season one.Now that MLC officials have the proof of concept that they can sell out a 7,200-seat venue multiple times in the space of a week, they aren’t holding back with bigger-picture ambitions. Among those is a goal to “piggyback” off the proposed plan put forward by the ICC last week to have a 34,000-seat pop-up venue in New York City at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. If that proposal gets greenlit by NYC officials for the ICC to proceed with as one of three venues in the USA when it co-hosts the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Mehta says he is already in discussions to make it the home venue for reigning champions MI New York in MLC season two next July, immediately after the T20 World Cup final scheduled for June 30.”That would be very very desirable for us and we have indicated as much to the ICC,” Mehta said. “We’d love to collaborate with them not just on venues, but also in marketing and other aspects. If 2024 is going to be a watershed year for both MLC and the ICC, from our perspective a longer season and a much more impactful season and a season where we have some time and space to properly market and properly showcase the product. From the ICC’s perspective, the World Cup is a huge event. So we’d just love to collaborate with them on venues and marketing and a few other elements. And they’ve indicated a reciprocal desire to want to make sure that we utilise next summer to completely evangelise the sport here.”The crowds that poured in to watch season one far exceeded MLC Tournament Director Justin Geale’s (middle) pre-tournament expectations•Peter Della PennaThe Texas Super Kings were by far the best-supported franchise in year one, with all their home games selling out. But the sold-out final – in which an extra 800 standing-room-only tickets were put on sale in the 48 hours before play began, to expand capacity by another 10% to accommodate a late surge in demand from MI New York fans – highlighted the biggest priority of all for the next few years of the league, according to Mehta. Long-term stadium infrastructure plans are now of paramount importance in the short term if the league is going to not only sustain but build on this year’s success.”We need home and away venues,” Mehta said, alluding to the lowest-attendance match of the season between San Francisco Unicorns and LA Knight Riders at the end of the first week of matches in Texas, which saw approximately 2,500 fans turn out in Grand Prairie. “I think all the team owners saw it clearly. It’s one thing to put it up in a presentation and to raise funds. It’s another thing for team owners to see directly themselves that here’s what happens when you have a home venue, because all American franchise sport is built around home venues and a home-and-away concept.”So they are far more enthusiastic now and now that they’ve seen it firsthand about building home venues and quickly building them. So that’s been the number one benefit of this season. The reception the Texas Super Kings got was frankly something that all the owners had to see for themselves to understand that now they need to put their plans into action very quickly.”There were other teething issues that the league adapted to on the fly during season one. But often they were good problems to have – and certainly not the kind that US cricket administrators have ever thought they’d encounter – such as fans waiting too long in lines to get through the entrance gates. Other fan experience enhancements were added as the season progressed, whether it was a T-shirt-launching cannon shooting freebies into the crowd during breaks in play or free giveaways to fans coming through the gates.The fervour shown by the fans, though, is something money can’t buy. For anyone who thought MLC was going to be a one-and-done afterthought, think again.

Simple message brings devastating results as quick rips through Australia with 5 for 34

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Jul-20230:32

Does Mark Wood think he can reach 100mph?

Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum are about simple, clear messaging. Cricket is a complicated enough sport, and English cricket a pressurised enough environment without introducing anything that may elicit doubt. Especially at a time when England need as few distractions as possible to overturn a 2-0 deficit.Ahead of this third Test at Headingley Chris Woakes, for instance, was told “you do you” before his first Test in 16 months and did exactly that. With his usual accuracy and nip off the pitch, the 34-year-old picked up three vital wickets in Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and centurion Mitch Marsh in Australia’s first innings.Mark Wood’s instructions were even clearer. Long before he had the ball in hand for the seventh over from the Pavilion End, even before he went to bed on Wednesday evening ahead of his first match of the English summer, and first Test since December 2022 in Pakistan, Stokes relayed a straightforward brief. Bowl rockets, don’t fret about the runs. A simple message brought devastating results as Wood ripped through Australia with 5 for 34.This was not just about wickets, even if they were pretty spectacular. Usman Khawaja lost his leg stump at the end of a four-over opening spell where no delivery dropped below 91mph. Then an entire tail was lopped off inside 16 balls to snuff Australia out for 263. Yet the real power and truest glory of Wood’s exploits today was the emotion he evoked.Related

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Undoubtedly, everyone here witnessed the best day of the series so far. So much of it was in keeping with the last 11 days’ play: just as either team looked like they were getting in front, the other pulled them right back. On balance, Australia have the ascendancy, leading by 195 after removing three of the host’s top order.Just as in England’s attack, the point of difference was a bloke charging in and slinging down such fire it made the heat emanating from the Western Terrace feel like a cool breeze. Wood was seen as the ideal weapon to unleash against Australia after the last few days of English discontent following the final exchanges at Lord’s. In the end, he was edge-of-your-seat distraction.Stokes used him in bursts: four overs then two before lunch, before three in the middle session and 2.4 at the end. For a player who has subsisted on those workloads this year, with a last competitive outing coming in the IPL on April 15 for Lucknow Super Giants against Punjab Kings, it was the only way he could be used. And Wood responded by bringing his best, averaging 90.7mph across his 11.4 overs and, moreover, covering for four dropped catches that allowed Australia to regroup from 85 for 4.It wasn’t all his own way, particularly in the middle session when Marsh swung him away in front of square for six. Though even that period had a whiff of showdown about it. As the Western Australian put it, an upbringing on fast Perth decks made him all too aware this was a moment where he had to sink or swim. Wood was the only bowler to drive him to such limits.Mark Wood blasted out Pat Cummins for a duck•Getty ImagesTo watch Wood anyway is to sense a bloke charging to the crease like this may be his last delivery. The ankle and elbow surgeries, and the other parts of the body fast bowlers break and rebreak for our entertainment will eventually overpower his spirit. But based on today’s efforts and outcome, we are not as close to that point as previously feared.The ferocity of his deliveries was such they did not simply rap glove (both of the batters and Jonny Bairstow) or crack timber (bats and stumps) but stripped the context of the moments in play with the brutality of flesh blasted off bone.A routine developed among those in the stands for every delivery from the 33-year-old’s first four overs. A look to the person to your left or right to make sure they saw it too and you weren’t dreaming, then a glance at the big screen to check the speed. The “whoops” and “ooohs” for each reading finally turned to meaningful roars when Khawaja’s leg stump was taken out emphatically with the final act of that spell.People often talk about how pace bowling was better in “their” day, as if the current generation are too weighed down by oat milk and the crippling weight of a world around them falling to bits to either purvey or appreciate this lost craft. The truth is, few cherish it more than those watching this generation of cricket. Partly because the game is slowly tearing itself apart. But mostly because, well, bowlers have never been quicker.A case in point: those initial four overs from Wood came at an average pace of 92.90, which slots it into No. 2 of the fastest spells in an English Test since 2006 (when accurate ball-tracking data was available). He has four of the top six in that category – Brett Lee has the third and fourth – all from a single Lord’s Test against India in 2021 in which Wood returned previous best home figures of 3 for 51. No. 1 was 93.41mph which Wood was on course to bettering before the last two deliveries in that sequence.Throw in the fact he also sent down the fastest four-over spell in T20 World Cup history in a group game against Afghanistan in 2022 and it is clear while the gap between appearances are frustrating, the upside is unrivalled. For a man from Ashington who grew up in a world of swing, seam and elbow grease, lusting for Ferrero Rocher and possessing what his closest friends describe as “noodle arms”, it is a remarkable feat of endurance above all else. When considering the greatest speedsters over the last 20 years, he must feature.Ultimately, being part of those conversations are what it is to be at this level of sport. But the man himself acknowledges his case is not as strong as others. When told his opening burst had set an Ashes record, bettering Brett Lee’s 92.4mph offering at Old Trafford in 2005, Wood cherished the feat and the company but understood where the true measure of worth lies: “I’d rather have his wickets.”The Australian’s 310 are unreachable, given Wood is still five away from triple figures. But Thursday represented an important step towards rectifying a peculiar quirk of being far more effective away from home.Considering the Dukes is an English bowler’s best friend, it has never quite taken to Wood’s charm. The previous 14 appearances at home left him with an average of 39.63, while his 49 overseas dismissals have come at 24.18, six lower than the career average of 30.57.Even with the love of Test cricket in this country, it still suffers from the usual issues of distance and timezones dictating relevance. Wood might have impressed on the previous Ashes tour with 17 wickets and an impressive 6 for 37 in the final Test at Hobart, but performing through the winter nights ring-fenced his brilliance from the broader conscience. It also did not help that it was a chastening and utterly forgettable campaign from an English perspective. Stuart Broad even tried to void it.As Wood strode off with the match ball for the first time in England, raising it for a fourth time in his career but first towards his mother, Angela, and father, Derek, it felt like we were witnessing a personal moment for an individual and public relief for the team.Mark Wood holds up the ball after claiming a magnificent five-wicket haul•Getty ImagesHaving taken the winning wicket at Trent Bridge in the 2015 Ashes – a photo of the Nathan Lyon dismissal takes pride of place in his home – he missed the entirety of 2019 after tearing his side in the World Cup final. An injury picked up during the last of his 10 overs before making it worse when he put in one of the worst dives in humankind as he attempted to cross the line at the nonstriker’s end for the winning run.He was desperate to play the first Test of this series at Edgbaston only for Stokes to decide to save him for the second. Then, in the lead-up to Lord’s, the right elbow operated on twice last year began swelling. With the extra week’s grace, he has put in what could prove to be his most impactful display for his country.England has always come first for Wood. So much so that when Lucknow were preparing for an IPL fixture against Chennai Super Kings, he was reluctant to reveal too much about how to combat two of their upcoming opponents, Stokes and Moeen Ali.Here at Leeds, he has done them a huge favour by, for now, covering up some shortcomings. Drops of Smith, Head (off Wood in his pre-lunch dart), Marsh and Carey are, at this juncture, not as terminal as England’s previous 13 missed chances across the first two defeats. And they managed to largely contain Australia – Marsh notwithstanding – despite being a bowler light after Ollie Robinson left the field midway through his 12th over with a back spasm.That’s the key thing about breathtaking pace. It strips context, enriches the game, lifts your team-mates, scares your opponents and, well, always gives you a fighting chance. Exactly what England need from here until this Ashes is over.