The New Zealand fast bowler on coffee, Italian food and what possibly did the tourists in against England in the first Test earlier this month

Interview by Alan Gardner23-Jun-2022This interview was conducted ahead of New Zealand’s Test series in EnglandWhat’s your go-to meal?
Probably Italian. There is a place that my partner and I go to in Auckland that does a lovely duck risotto.What about cooking – do you have a speciality in the kitchen?
I’ve tended in the last couple of years to go more down the path of eating out and enjoying someone else’s expertise rather than my own. Especially when we travel a lot, you get a chance to try some new places and different sorts of foods.Which cricket venue has the best catering?
I think a lot of people would say Lord’s but I’m going to go either Hagley Oval or Bay Oval.What edges out Lord’s?
It’s in New Zealand (). Yeah, I think it’s probably just being at home – you get to experience those places a bit more. I’ve only been to Lord’s once, so maybe it’ll shift in a couple of weeks’ time. But I’m happy to stick with some homegrown food.Related

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Was there anything that Lord’s did well when you went in 2021?
I remember having some prawns as an entrée and they were outstanding. Can’t remember what sauce was with them, but if we have those again, there could be some full stomachs going out on the field after lunch.Which team-mate is the best in the kitchen?
Matt Henry. He whips up some pretty good food. I think he’d probably be up there.Does he do good pasta?
I’m not sure, he hasn’t actually cooked for me! But he’s not afraid of sending a few snaps about it.Who’s the biggest coffee hipster?
It’s hard to go past Ticks [Blair Tickner] – he’s got his own café. But I think most guys tend to enjoy their coffee. Everyone’s got their own coffee machine at home. Had some pretty good brews since we’ve been here [in the UK], as part of our walk to the ground. It’s probably hard to find someone that doesn’t enjoy coffee, rather than the other way around.Is there anything you can’t go on tour without?
We travelled around with coffee beans last year, and little AeroPresses to make our coffees, but we haven’t had to take that on tour this year – we’ve been able to go out and grab one. I wouldn’t say there’s too much, food-wise. I’m pretty happy to go out and try things from where we are in the world.

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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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In Sri Lanka's hour of economic and political crisis, their cricketers have spoken up

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.

The upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy could give players the chance to fast-track a spot in the IPL, and potentially, India

Shashank Kishore10-Oct-2022Over the years, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s domestic T20 competition, has helped identify several promising players who have gone on to play in the IPL. As scouts from across teams make a beeline for the seven venues to look out for players, here’s a list of those who could usher in the next chapter of their professional careers over the next three weeks.Mukesh Kumar, Bengal
When Mukesh Kumar came into the Bengal set-up from Bihar – his home state – in 2014, doctors pronounced him anemic. He would bowl a few overs with intensity and then get tired. He would play one game and miss three. It was the story of his first season as a Bengal cricketer trying to break into the domestic setup there. He was later diagnosed with bone edema – accumulation of fluids – in his knees. Over time, he has gained considerable strength and has become part of an impressive Bengal pace attack also consisting of Akash Deep and Ishan Porel.Mukesh Kumar, featuring for India A last month, was the joint-highest wicket-taker against New Zealand A•Mallikarjuna/KSCAMukesh had a prolific maiden stint with India A against the visiting New Zealanders just last month, where he was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the three red-ball games. He is currently part of India’s Shikhar Dhawan-led ODI squad taking on South Africa at home. That he has gotten this far without featuring in the IPL makes it an unreal rise.Mukesh is known for his robotic control – of the kind Josh Hazlewood is known for – hitting good lengths and deceiving batters with minute deviation off the deck. He was called up by Royal Challengers as a net bowler last year but missed out due to Covid-19. A good tournament here could well put him on the road to the IPL in 2023.Mujtaba Yousuf, Jammu & Kashmir
A tall left-arm seamer with a strapping action, Yousuf can dart the ball both ways and bowls in the high 130s. He’s also known to have excellent slower variations and cutters. In 14 T20s so far for Jammu & Kashmir, he has picked up 13 wickets at an economy of 7.38. Two years ago, he broke through during the course of a memorable first-class season with Jammu & Kashmir made the Ranji Trophy knockouts.As a package, he has impressed Irfan Pathan, the former India allrounder, who worked as a mentor for J&K two years ago. In 2021, he was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders as a net bowler. Earlier this year, he was with Royal Challengers Bangalore. A good SMA T20 could well see him join his state-mates Abdul Samad and Umran Malik in the IPL club.Raj Bawa, Chandigarh
Pace-bowling allrounders are rare – even more so in India – which is why when Raj Bawa first made a mark at this year’s Under-19 World Cup during the course of a title-winning campaign, he made heads turn with bat and ball. Bawa offers bristling pace with his skiddy action and is known for his six-hitting with the bat.Raj Bawa’s all-round performance in the Under-19 World Cup final earned him the player-of-the match award and India the trophy•ICC via GettyAt the Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean, he hit the high notes with his five-for in the final that subdued England. He was also one of only eight batters who made over 250 runs in the tournament, 162 of those coming in a single knock against Uganda.A maiden IPL call-up came his way when Punjab Kings signed him at the auction, but opportunities have been far and few. It’s perhaps a mark of his talent and ability that the selectors fast-tracked him into the India A white-ball squad for the three one-dayers against New Zealand A. He performed well, picking up five wickets in two games, including a best of 4 for 11 in the third one-layer.LR Chethan, Karnataka
If the Karnataka selectors are daring to look beyond established veterans like Karun Nair, it’s because the younger crop – including LR Chethan – have made a beeline for selection through their exploits. Chethan’s explosive batting up top in the Maharaja T20 Cup helped lead his team, Bengaluru Blasters, to the final.Chethan LR hit 40 fours and 26 sixes in the Maharaja T20 League•Maharaja T20He ended the tournament with 447 runs in 12 innings, the second-most in the tournament after Mayank Agarwal, at a strike rate of 173.25. He hit one century and three half-centuries; struck 40 fours and 26 sixes, the second-most in the season. Based on those performances, he has already been called up for trials by at least two teams during the off-season and a good performance in his maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament could well fast-track his IPL dream.Yash Dhull, Delhi
India’s Under-19 World Cup winning captain from 2022 is part of Delhi Capitals, but in his maiden season, he had to watch from the sidelines. However, if he continues to rack up runs like he has across formats, it’s unlikely things will remain that way in the IPL for long. He has made heads turn with his calmness and strokemaking and has struck hundreds on debut in both the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy. He’s racked up 783 runs in eleven first-class innings, including four centuries and a best of 200 not out.At Capitals, the presence of a packed top order comprising Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitch Marsh and Rishabh Pant meant opportunities were barely available. That said, a big domestic T20 tournament could further enhance his white-ball credentials and put him in the fray, at least as a back-up batting option. He is uncapped in the white-ball format, but has an opportunity to make a name for himself in a strong batting order consisting of the likes of Nitish Rana, Anuj Rawat, Ayush Badoni and Lalit Yadav, all of whom have taken the long route to the IPL.

Scrappy contest sealed in final over as Pakistan rue lack of urgency with bat

Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2023There’s always that point at a World Cup when the trophy becomes secondary to the smaller goals teams have set for themselves, and for West Indies and Pakistan this encounter was it. They both targeted their match against the other as the one that would prove they are moving in the right direction.For West Indies, beating Pakistan would add an 11th victory to their tally over them, from 17 meetings, and underline a dominance they don’t have over any other side. For Pakistan, a win would continue a World Cup record in which they have beaten West Indies in the last two major tournaments – the 2020 T20 World Cup and last year’s 50-over World Cup.Only one of them got what they wanted, in a scrappy, low-scoring affair that should never have become the thriller it did after West Indies managed only 116 for 6. Hayley Matthews assessed the total as being “at least 20 runs” too short. There were times when Pakistan made it look that much too many.They made much harder work of the chase than they should have, even given the slowness of the surface and the quality of the West Indies spinners. Pakistan went from needing less than a run a ball at the start of the chase, to eight an over after 11 overs, to 10 runs an over for the last three and 18 runs off the last over.Asked if it left her with too much to do, Aliya Riaz, who came in with 57 runs needed off 41 balls, conceded that it was probably a stretch for her when her captain Bismah Maroof was dismissed. “We were a little bit slow early on, and the wickets also fell fast. The way (Nida) Dar was playing and was set, she could have taken it well, but unfortunately, she got out there. But my whole effort was to take the match with Bismah and then Bismah got out. If we had played a little bit faster, then maybe we would have won.”In hindsight, Pakistan may look at their best partnership – of 44 runs between Maroof and Dar which took 8.5 overs at a scoring rate of 4.98 – as the passage of play where the chase went wrong. Bismah’s strike rate of 78.78 in this match will be scrutinised, especially as she also hit two fours, which means that she scored 18 runs off the remaining 31 balls she faced, and Pakistan’s overall ability to rotate strike should be in their post-tournament analysis.While West Indies faced 48 dot balls and hit nine fours, Pakistan saw off 51 scoreless deliveries and hit eight fours. Given the margin of defeat, you may point to the boundary count as the difference but a closer look at the match will tell you that Pakistan had many chances to pick off the four runs they needed for victory. Their running between the wickets was too hesitant too often and there were several occasions where they had the opportunity to turn a single into two, but refused.Aliya recognised there is work to be done in that department. “There was a bit of miscommunication. The calling between the batters could have been better,” she said. “And the strike rate can be improved. The target was not so high and it could definitely have been chased.”Matthews agreed and said West Indies knew “Defending 116 was never, ever going to be easy,” but reminded her team of the importance of this match. “We really wanted to win this game against Pakistan, not taking away from any of the other games. We knew walking into this tournament, this was one of the games where we knew if we really put our head down, we had a serious chance,” she said. “After being disappointed in that first innings with the total we put up, everyone knew that the 70% we might have given with the bat, we had to take that extra 30% and give it in the field. That’s what really motivated us.”Related

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West Indies achieved that and have completed their allotment of group matches, and while progression to the knock-outs is not impossible (they need England to beat Pakistan and Ireland to beat India by approximately 59 runs or with 47 balls to spare), it’s unlikely. So while they spend the next two days “sitting back and waiting and seeing what the other results go like in this tournament,” they will soon have to turn their attention to the future and how to catch up to teams like Australia and England.For Matthews, the key may lie in franchise leagues like the WPL, where she is the only West Indian player in the mix, the Hundred and the WBBL. “A lot of people look at these leagues as negatives taken away from international cricket, but for a team like West Indies that may not have the best domestic system, these leagues can be very fruitful and very helpful for us,” Matthews said. “I know they certainly helped me from a young international player growing up and I can only hope that for the rest of the team, the girls get the opportunity to do the same things. And you know, I experienced playing cricket all over the world and learning from it as well.”Pakistan’s players are entirely excluded from the WPL and have to wait until September for a WPSL to kick off, but they still have something to play for in this tournament. They take on England in their last match on Tuesday and like West Indies, it seems the tournament could end for them there. Unless they beat England and Ireland beat India, Pakistan will exit at the group stage, but that is not as much of a concern for them as making one last statement after failing to do so against West Indies.”We will try to finish the tournament on a good note,” Aliya said. “The way we played the first two matches – attacking cricket, with the same strike rate, fast and quick, we will play that match in the same way.”