There are various roles to account for but the selectors have options for each of them. Here’s a run through, with an IPL lens for context

Gaurav Sundararaman21-May-2022

BATTERS
Role 1: Powerplay enforcer
Contenders: Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan
One of the key requirements of a T20 opener is the ability to maximise the powerplay. This is crucial for various reasons: conditions could get tougher for run-scoring later in the innings, and teams often try to slip in a few overs from a weaker bowler up front if the batters are conservative. Not to mention, the powerplay enforcer is critical to taking advantage of fielding restrictions to set a strong foundation and/or bring the asking rate down in a jiffy.

The chief executive and general manager, cricket, of the ICC talk about the next Future Tours Programme cycle and its many challenges

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin05-Aug-2022The ICC will soon publish the Future Tours Programme (FTP), the game’s new international cricket calendar for 2023-27. The squeeze on that calendar is the greatest it has ever been: more domestic T20 leagues marking out their own bits of territory, an ever-expanding IPL, more ICC events, more bilateral cricket.The ICC’s role in the discussions that led to this calendar is primarily as a facilitator. We sat down with two officials who played a lead role in that regard, the chief executive, Geoff Allardice, and its general manager of cricket, Wasim Khan, and talked about how and why the calendar is the way it is, the impact it has on player workloads, and the first-ever women’s FTP.Is international cricket in clear and present danger from T20 leagues?
Geoff Allardice: No. T20 leagues have been part of the cricket calendar for 15 years now. They have gradually been growing, but the number of countries putting on leagues – there have probably only been one or two new ones since the last FTP cycle [which ended in 2018].Related

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The time set aside has changed a little bit, but the countries who put on those leagues are also committed to international cricket and have reinforced that at ICC meetings.Wasim Khan: Once we do publish the FTP, you will see that there are more matches in the next cycle than in the current cycle. So, though you hear a lot about bilateral cricket being squeezed out, the facts probably don’t back that up. Yes, there’s additional ICC events, but that also helps with the sustainability of the world game, which is critical. Apart from two or three nations who play a lot of lucrative international cricket, there’s others that are striving for that. We just have to find a way of coexisting, and looking at the FTP, I think we’ve found a way for that to happen in the next cycle [2023-27].Is there a contradiction in members trying to have their T20 leagues but also trying to find space for international cricket?
Allardice: Even four years ago, a large number of the countries set aside windows where their national team players could play in their domestic leagues. It’s just a case of fitting in the international fixtures around them. The balance that each country puts into its FTP regarding the number of ODIs, T20Is and Tests they play is very much a country-by-country choice, and it depends on their market and what appeals to their fans and their broadcasters.Geoff Allardice: “The idea of players choosing certain formats over others is not something that’s just started happening”•Patrick Bolger/IDI/Getty ImagesIs it true that Sourav Ganguly, who is the head of the ICC cricket committee and on the ICC board as BCCI president, said at the chief executives’ meeting that there needs to be a review of the volume of cricket being played going forward? Could you talk about those discussions?
Wasim: The conversation really was around whether anything needed to give, and that was a conversation that the members had between themselves, which we tried to facilitate. Sourav had his own views on the amount of cricket being played. But I don’t think anything concrete came out of that. Again, it was just a healthy debate that they all had around.Allardice: And there are some countries that have got busy schedules and they probably use more players than some of the other countries. Any increase in volume is probably [about] some of the lower-ranked Full Members rather than the top teams.The FTP isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach in terms of what formats you play. The only real structure around it is in [terms of] the World Test Championship. We will say: here’s your six series over two years, and they go off and schedule those. Then they can do things outside that in any format. And really, the volume of ODIs and T20Is is something that is very much up to every member as to how the ratio or balance between the formats should be.Was any commitment made towards maybe looking at how better to streamline T20 leagues within international calendar?

Wasim: There was a conversation around looking at the next cycle, post-2027, just to have a bit more discussion about the amount of cricket that is factored into that next cycle. But nothing in terms of where we are now, because the FTP commitments are set in place in many ways in terms of broadcast and commercial deals. And everyone seems comfortable in terms of where they’ve got to in the FTP.Is it correct that in this upcoming FTP there are about 15% more Test matches, 16% more ODIs, and 6% more T20Is than in the last one?
Wasim Khan: I’m not quite sure of the percentages, but there’s certainly more matches being played in the next cycle. There’s more ICC events in the next cycle. With more teams coming into, or taking part in, the World Cups – we have got five new nations playing women’s ODI cricket, which is a huge step forward for us, there’s going to be a 20-team men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, which is going to be massive for the game.Here today, the other side of the world tomorrow: all the world’s an airport for top players these days•Albert Perez/Getty ImagesUnderpinning that, we’re putting a high-performance strategy together that’s going to support development and growth in those countries. Because for us as the ICC, with these new nations that are coming in, making sure they are competitive is really critical. So we are looking at how we can support them, and provide them with some real high-performance resources to help them, so that when they do get on the world stage, they do themselves justice and it’s a good spectacle.Player workload has become a serious topic of discussion. Virat Kohli raised it. Ben Stokes took a break, came back and played, and now has retired from ODIs and called on administrators to take a look at what’s happening. Does it become a concern for the ICC when big players drop out? When somebody like Stokes, Player of the Final in the last World Cup is not at the 2023 World Cup, is it a hit to the ICC’s World Cup as a product?

Allardice: The idea of players choosing certain formats over others is not something that’s just started happening. When I started working in cricket, players were choosing Test cricket over ODI cricket or vice-versa, so that is going to happen.The only other caveat I’ll throw in is, the calendar at the moment is still playing a little bit of catch-up from Covid, in that there are series in the schedule that probably in a new world wouldn’t necessarily all be arranged in the way that they are. And it is because of tours being postponed or rescheduled, and trying to fit them into the period of this FTP or broadcast-rights cycle. There is still some of that going on at the moment and probably will be over the next nine months or so as well.But certainly, the balance of players playing international cricket versus domestic leagues will continue to evolve. I’m hoping that the best players play international cricket as often as they can. Playing international sport is a huge ambition for most players. They want to play in World Cups and ICC events, but if the economics of the domestic leagues change, then there’s going to be a continual juggle of the balance between those two things from an administrative point of view and players’ point of view. It’s a case of finding that balance in how they spend their calendar year, across which international competitions, which series and which leagues they should play.Wasim Khan: club vs country is not a dilemma that affects only cricket•Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty ImagesHow much concern do the members have about the workload of their own players? Is that something that keeps coming up?
Wasim: The workload question – and I’m talking with my old hat [as PCB CEO] on as well – that’s something that you have to manage as a cricket board. You are always trying to strike a balance between the issues that the players’ associations might have and those conversations that take place with the cricket boards, and to try and find a balance.In countries that don’t have a players’ association, that’s really the responsibility of the cricket boards to kind of look at the scheduling and balance it with playing enough cricket so the fans are satisfied and there’s enough commercial income being generated, while also looking at the health and well-being of players. That’s modern sport now, whichever way you look. You take football in England, for example. You are seeing players pulling out of playing for England – [it’s] the club-versus-country issue.In your experience with the PCB and the ICC, do you think members are by and large getting that balance right?
Wasim: Everyone’s trying to find it. Is it perfect? No. But is it something that the cricket boards are conscious about? Absolutely.At the end of the day, you are dealing with human beings, players. You want your best teams out there, but at the same time you want to make sure that you are trying to strike the balance. You are starting to see more countries now putting out two sides. We have seen recently ODI teams and Test teams [of one country] are playing simultaneously and that might be something that happens more and more as everyone tries to find a balance.Allardice: There are only some countries that are going to need to do that. There’s a lot of countries wanting international fixtures. There’s no shortage of demand for international cricket among the members.Like with the FTP for men’s cricket, the first FTP for the women’s game provides a frame, in the form of the Women’s Championship, and leaves the rest up to the individual boards•Mike Owen/Getty ImagesWasim is right in that the management of each player and their workload, what they do for the national team, what they do in domestic leagues, what they do in national domestic cricket, it’s very much an issue for each of the members to juggle themselves. The management of their players, it’s not something that necessarily bounces off to the ICC on any sort of regular basis.When the FTP is announced, each country will have its own message around that, in the way that they have structured it, who their opponents are, what their commercial arrangements might be, what it means for their players. For us to try and answer on behalf of each member and have that answer apply to all members isn’t really realistic; it’s going to be country by country.Has there ever been a thought given about the ICC having conversations with leading international players or captains on cricket issues?
Allardice: A long time ago, 10-15 years ago, there was the odd occasion when there were captains’ meetings around events. But these days getting people in one place at one time is a bit of a challenge. In today’s world, it’s more doable through virtual means, and it’s something we’ve discussed with FICA [the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations]. So if your question is, are we open to it, the answer is yes.Wasim: There’s a number of issues that could be discussed with the captains. There’s a huge amount of discussion at the moment around neutral umpires, for example. As Geoff said, we are always open to looking at that, it’s just making sure we can logistically make that work so that we can get a host of topics on the table – use those opportunities with the brains that are there to say: well, here’s three or four other areas that we’d like to get your feedback on. Because, you know, getting a broad spectrum of feedback from stakeholders to help us, inform us more about the game and therefore make more better decisions, is really, really important.Cricket has got to the point where the icon player of the last World Cup will not be on view in the next tournament, though he will be playing other formats•NurPhoto/Getty ImagesAre we soon going to see the end of the all-format player? And if so, will it hurt the quality of cricket?
Allardice: There’ll still be all-format players. Whether they play every match that their country schedules in those formats is a different question.The FTP comes about from a lot of members working in their self-interest to see what their calendars look like. Does that extract a cost in terms of a loss of collective vision for the game? Is that how cricket is?
Allardice: It is certainly at the moment, yes, in that [it’s] here are the global events, here are the competitions that you have all agreed to participate in, and beyond that, how you promote cricket within your territories is your decision. And that then comes down to management of players, the fan preferences, the broadcaster preferences, the seasons, the venues available, all those types of things. And if ICC was to try and have sort of a top-down calendar approach, it certainly wouldn’t satisfy all the countries because each of them would have their own things that they would prefer to do.Recently Ravi Shastri suggested that bilateral T20 series should be scrapped. Is there discussion about limiting bilateral T20 series to a few matches in the lead-up to a T20 World Cup?
Allardice: As an example, you may find one country decides that it wants to focus on T20 cricket – international and domestic. And if we decided that we are not going to play T20Is, then what’s that country going to do? Their whole strategic focus might be on that format. Another one might say, well, we want our domestic [T20] league to be the focus, and we will play ODIs only. And some other people are saying, we shouldn’t play ODIs, we should wind back ODIs. So that’s why there’s no right answer, there’s no one answer that works for everyone.Wasim: And again, the game is going to continue to evolve. Where the game is and what it might look like in four years’ time after the next cycle, it’s likely to be very, very different.Having captains’ conferences is something the ICC is open to. Wasim Khan: “Use opportunities with the brains that are there to say, well, here’s three or four areas that we’d like to get your feedback on”•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesThe conversation then could be different: Where is the world game now? How are we balancing player welfare with having the right sort of mix of different formats? These are the sorts of conversations from the current cycle that we are already getting, and in four years’ time it’s going to evolve further.The first-ever women’s FTP – that is a fairly big achievement, a big shot in the arm for women’s cricket.

Allardice: The three things we want to do with women’s cricket is: get a calendar where people know what’s coming, and it’s coordinated. Secondly, we cover it, whether it’s streaming, broadcasts, whatever – make it as widely available and valuable as possible. And thirdly, run campaigns around making heroes out of the women players.This Commonwealth Games has been a fantastic opportunity to do that. We had a panel session with seven of the captains [during the ICC conference]. They were very excited about the opportunity, and it is great for us in that women’s cricket is front and centre. Cricket at the Commonwealth Games is the best female players in the world.The structure of the women’s FTP is the Women’s Championship. And then what they do around that is very much the members’ call.Is there more Test cricket in this women’s FTP?

Wasim: Firstly, in the Women’s Championship, it’s four home and four away series over a period of time [2022-25] for each team. Series of three matches each.The Champions Trophy makes a comeback into the FTP from the upcoming cycle•AFP/Getty ImagesAs for Tests, look, there has to be something that drives your game and grows your game. We as the ICC made decisions quite a while ago that to drive the men’s game, the format that we would focus on would be T20 cricket.Now there’s absolutely nothing stopping [women’s] teams if they want to play four- or five-day Test matches. That’s entirely their decision. We have certainly never restricted them and said there to be four- or five-day matches. The countries that wish to do it will do it. I mean, New Zealand made a strategic decision that they wouldn’t play [Tests]. That’s their personal decision.One thing that there was some discussion around is looking at domestic structures. When you leap from one thing to another, you have to show that there’s a foundation that’s going to support that. A lot of countries now turn their attentions to: what does our domestic structure look like if we have ambitions to play the longer format in the future?Allardice: Same answer as with the men’s: how you use the three formats to promote the game in your country or your local audience and with your potential players in the future is up to you. Some countries like multi-format series [Tests, ODIs, T20s, or at least two of those three formats, in one tour]. We don’t tell them that you should do this or that.The only structure we put in place was in the [women’s] ODI game, and that dates back to 2014. And what it’s done is given more countries a consistent volume of cricket, a consistent fixture list that is now the backbone of their FTP.

“What we have not done well will take care of itself as long as we keep improving what we do really well”

Shashank Kishore26-Aug-2022″If I talk sense, they listen to me. If I talk bulls**t, they don’t. It’s as simple as that.”That was February 2017. Sridharan Sriram was being succinct, as usual. Just minutes earlier, Steve O’Keefe, the left-arm spinner, had spoken glowingly about Sriram’s influence and strategic inputs after his 12-wicket haul in Pune had consigned India to one of their heaviest Test defeats at home in recent times.With the Australia men’s team, where he worked with as spin consultant for seven years until two months ago, Sriram had time to build relationships with the players. As Bangladesh’s de facto T20 head coach, he will barely get three training sessions to try and lift a team stuck in a rut in the format.Related

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Since 2021, Bangladesh have lost 23 of their 35 T20Is. This includes losses in all their Super 12 games at last year’s World Cup and series losses to Pakistan, Afghanistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe. It’s an unenviable position to be where Sriram is, but he has the methods, picked up while being a part of the entire coaching spectrum over the past decade.Bangladesh’s set-up is a complex one. For all the powers or freedom a head coach may have, there’s always the board president’s shadow looming. That is enough pressure to contend with. We aren’t even factoring in the weight of expectation from the fanatical supporters.Sriram, though, isn’t fussed. He loves challenges and embraces them. He has had to put in the hard yards to evolve. Sriram’s first-class record will tell you he made nearly 10,000 first-class runs. But, as coach, it’s his expertise in spin bowling that has made him famous.”I’ve just forgotten the fact that I was a player, it doesn’t matter how many runs I’ve scored,” he said in his first media interaction since being appointed by the BCB. “I’m here to help other people. Probably one of my biggest strengths is I don’t carry baggage of my playing days, or frustrations, or my past into coaching.Sridharan Sriram worked with Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2022•Royal Challengers Bangalore”[As coach] you see others with a completely different set of eyes, and my experience dealing with different cultures at the IPL [with Kings XI Punjab – now Punjab Kings – and Royal Challengers Bangalore], with the Indian boys, the Aussie set-up will help. There is a good mix of the east and the west [in my education]. Coming into a culture like Bangladesh, I understand their upbringing, the way they approach the game.”At the same time, I can bring in that professionalism. I can really set clear expectations on what is required at this level from a professional standpoint, so it’s a good culmination of all these [factors] and I’m really looking forward to it.”Mike Hesson, director of cricket at Royal Challengers, has had a ringside view of Sriram’s methods. The two first together for a season at Kings XI Punjab [as it was known then] and then later came together at Royal Challengers where they continue to push the bar. Together, they’ve lifted an underperfoming unit to a consistent one; they’ve now made the playoffs for three seasons in a row.”Even though Sri is experienced, he’s always looking to get ahead, challenge the norms and that’s important in a coaching group, where you want to break boundaries and look for new methods techniques to get that advantage,” Hesson told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s always looking at trends of the modern game. He always comes back refreshed with ideas to add to the group.”One of Sriram’s strengths is building relationships with players he works with. His speciality is spin but he has got enough batting expertise that makes his inputs in that area invaluable too.

“Bangladesh’s average is one of the best in the world [when it comes to picking up] the first three wickets. It’s not about what they have not done well, it’s about reiterating what they are doing well and getting the best out of them”Sridharan Sriram

Marnus Labuschagne’s rapport with Sriram is a good example. When on his first tour to India, with the Australia A team in 2018, an eager Labuschagne got help from Sriram to six a specific weakness against spin. Sriram helped prepare the appropriate surfaces, devised plans to help him employ the sweep and, at times, even facilitated extra sessions, beyond the stipulated time, to get Labuschagne ready.In Nathan Lyon, Sriram found a fiercely competitive bowler who bought into his ideas whole-heartedly, while also challenging him and identifying areas he could get better at. Sriram convinced Glenn Maxwell that he was not making the most of his bowling ability, apart from helping him adopt a few tweaks to make him a more complete batter against spin.
The other aspect Sriram has worked hard at is in trying to keep up with the evolving trends. Data and analytics are an integral part of his coaching methodology.”From a technical point of view, data has a huge role to play. [But] data without context is like money without food. Sri has taken it to another level where he is able to correlate data with visual evidence,” Malolan Rangarajan, talent scout at Royal Challengers, told us. “He’s always with his iPad or laptop, looking at videos and planning for the next game, the next scenario.”Like in the first game in this year’s IPL, the plotting of Mayank Agarwal’s wicket to Wanindu Hasaranga: I know Sri watched a number of videos, but there wasn’t too much data to dictate the kind of fields we set. It was based more on the bowler’s strengths, and we came up with an unorthodox field to get him [after the powerplay]. And we had him an over later. I’m not saying Sri is the only guy who does it, but to see such plans come to life in person is amazing. As a coach, when you come up with plans that work, it’s distinctive.”Sridharan Sriram scored 9539 first-class runs, but it’s his knowledge of spin that has made him famous•ESPNcricinfo LtdFor Sriram, each challenge is defined by the end goal. And the process to achieve that begins with solid groundwork. This includes having chats with players to understand what has brought them where they are, what works for them and what doesn’t, their habits and routines prior to matches, and in general developing an understanding of where their game is and where they want to elevate it to.”I’m coming in with a fresh set of eyes. I carry no baggage,” Sriram said. “I’m bringing in my ideas and fresh energy, wanting to get the team together and start afresh.”I was looking at this stat: Bangladesh’s average is one of the best in the world [when it comes to picking up] the first three wickets. It’s not about what they have not done well, it’s about reiterating what they are doing well and getting the best out of them.”My focus is to be on their strengths and build on what they do really well. What we’ve not done well will take care of itself as long as we keep improving what we do really well.”Sriram’s, in many ways, is a modern-day approach that could deliver the desired results for a team struggling to create its identity. The question is if Bangladesh, so keen to chop and change when things don’t go well, are willing to give him time.

Two epic West Indian performances in World Cup finals, and two Pakistanis stepping up on their way to glory in 2009

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2022Voting for these match-ups has ended. Carlos Brathwaite’s 3-23 & 34* and Shahid Afridi’s 51 & 2-16 move to the semi-finals.Marlon Samuels’ 78 & 1-15 vs Carlos Brathwaite’s 3-23 & 34*78 (56) & 1-15 vs SL | Marlon Samuels | Colombo (RPS), 2012
Marlon Samuels produced one of the finest T20I innings ever on the biggest stage of them all. West Indies were 14 for 2 after the powerplay and 32 for 2 after ten overs, but on a night when their big T20 guns failed to fire, Samuels shone the brightest to turn the tide. Samuels’ assault, despite wickets falling around him, was breath-taking, and included five sixes off Lasith Malinga. He then conceded only 15 off his four overs as West Indies won their first T20 World Cup title.3-23 & 34*(10) vs ENG | Carlos Brathwaite | Kolkata, 2016
Nineteen to win in the final over. Four balls, four sixes. “Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name”! Those hits at Eden Gardens will forever remain part of cricketing folklore. What gets forgotten is that Brathwaite was effective with the ball too: he picked up the key wickets of Jos Buttler and Joe Root to finish with figures of 4-0-23-3. He then came in at No. 8 with West Indies 107 for 6 in 15.3 chasing 156, and took them to their second title in the company of Marlon Samuels.ESPNcricinfo LtdUmar Gul’s 5-6 vs Shahid Afridi’s 51 & 2-165-6 vs NZ | Umar Gul | The Oval, 2009
New Zealand were 72 for 4 when Umar Gul, Pakistan’s death-overs specialist, came on in the 13th over, and took five of the next six wickets to knock out the opposition for 99. Gul’s impact was instantaneous and devastating: he dismissed Scott Styris and Peter McGlashan with his third and fourth deliveries, sent Nathan McCullum’s leg stump cartwheeling in his next over, and ended with the dismissals of James Franklin and Kyle Mills – again off consecutive balls – in his third over.51 (34) & 2-16 vs SA | Shahid Afridi | Nottingham, 2009
Pakistan’s sole T20 world title had their starman at its heart, with Afridi delivering back-to-back memorable all-round performances in the semi-final and the final, but the first of those two acts was more impressive. Against an in-form South Africa, Afridi’s innings was a blend of aggression and maturity, keeping a hostile attack at bay, and gave Pakistan 149 to defend. He followed it up with a frugal spell, which included the wickets of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, as Pakistan snuck home by seven runs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

No point in judging spinner by his statistics, but his central importance to team is clear

Vithushan Ehantharajah10-Dec-2022There is no question Jack Leach is a different bowler under Ben Stokes.The left-arm spinner is a far more accomplished and braver bowler. Stokes as captain spent the summer reinforcing his confidence with praise and testing his mettle by refusing Leach’s requests for boundary-saving fielders. He took the first ten-wicket haul of his Test career in the summer at Headingley against New Zealand, within that coming his first two five-wicket hauls on home soil.The overall numbers, however, do not reflect the strides he has made this year. Under Stokes, Leach currently averages 40.17, higher than his overall of 33.75, and his 31.88 under previous skipper, Joe Root. Even after his successes in the first innings at Multan, his strike-rate under Stokes remains nine points higher than it was under Root.Test cricket is the format that judges such stats more harshly than any other, but within the current England set-up – a team with such an absolute focus on winning that its bowlers are happy for their economy rates to go up so long as the opposition’s wickets are going the same way – Leach’s make for unusually misleading numbers. Even so, on day two in Multan, he finally got a haul that worked in his favour, figures of 4 for 98 in 27 overs that helped established a crucial first-innings lead of 79.”Don’t look at my stats,” Leach said, when asked how to disconnect the thriving cricketer from the questionable statistics. “Do you know what, I’ve never felt this so much – as a team, we just want to win. And we’ll do everything we can to do that.”I really start to understand that we’re going to take a few more risks to maybe take a wicket, and that might require going for a few more runs.”There is one piece of data, however, that underlines not just what Leach is doing well under Stokes, but the perseverance that he has required to do it. No spinner has taken a wicket immediately after getting hit for a boundary as many times as Leach. His dismissals of Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan on Saturday in Multan took him to 12 overall and four under Stokes alone. Moreover, they were Test wickets 100 and 101.It might seem a little convenient to extrapolate character simply through tuning the dials on Statsguru. And it is, no doubt, though only because the real takeaway is how much thicker his skin has had to become. Leach’s story is about plugging away in the face of adversity, whether through his battles with Crohn’s disease and the assorted ailments he has picked up as a result, or the professional bumps he has experienced since his debut back in March 2018. Now, 30 caps on, that thick skin is almost a weapon in its own right, especially in the midst of England’s new era.On Friday evening, with Pakistan still trailing by 174 after closing on 107 for 2, England’s attack reflected among themselves that they had been cut too often – and Leach himself had been a particular culprit, with a drag-down from the first ball of each of his first two new-ball overs. Returning on Saturday, they reiterated a plan to bowl straighter and force the batters to hit to areas that weren’t their first choice, with men waiting in the deep, strategically placed three-quarters of the way to the fence.Leach was right in the thick of things in the moment of victory in Rawalpindi•AFP/Getty ImagesIronically, their key morning breakthrough was nothing to do with this plan. Ollie Robinson, with only his second ball of the match, ripped an inswinger through Babar Azam’s defences to take out middle and off. That was the first of eight wickets to fall for just 60 runs, with Leach building on Robinson’s momentum by taking the next three.Saud Shakeel’s loft down the ground was followed, one ball later, by a drag to midwicket that James Anderson caught brilliantly running back towards the boundary. Leach had tucked his length back a fraction to force the left-hander to reach a little more than he’d have liked. The dismissal of Mohammad Rizwan, however, was a touch of class mixed with a bit of anger, after Leach had been driven immaculately down the ground.”It felt good coming out of the hand, definitely,” Leach said of a delivery that pitched on leg and took middle. “He’d just hit me for four over the top so I maybe tried to put a little bit more on that one. And when he went back, I thought, that’s good, I might have him in a bit of trouble.” He did.Mohammad Nawaz then chipped Leach to a gleeful Stokes at a catching mid-on, taking him to 103 wickets with plenty prospects of improving that figure before the Test is out.There was plenty generosity of that type on offer from Pakistan’s batters. But even so, from the drying-up of scoring opportunities to the subsequent clatter of wickets, it took a rare level of collective confidence to take such assured control of the game. And on a red-letter day for Leach, he was not only the main exponent, but for once the main beneficiary.He is, in many ways, the surprise totem of the McCullum-Stokes era, if only because he’s not outwardly the kind of cricketer you’d expect to fit in among this group. And no, it’s not because of the glasses. For starters, being a finger-spinner is hardly the sexiest pursuit, especially in a group that rally against convention.He has been the only bowler to play in every match under McCullum and Stokes – and that includes his concussion substitution in their very first match at Lord’s, which might have been an excuse to look elsewhere, but proved to be quite the opposite. Similarly, when it looked like he might miss the first Test in Rawalpindi with illness, Stokes went and visited his room to convince him to pull through. Leach ended up taking the final wicket of a famous win and went on to thank Stokes for his insistence earlier in the week.Their bond had existed long before their date with destiny at Headingley, but that day in 2019 took it to the next level. At the end-of-season PCA dinner, Leach bid £8,000 on a portrait of Ben Stokes from that innings against Australia, with the pair hugging like loons on stage when it was successful.Related

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Independent of Stokes, he now commands a greater standing in the dressing-room, even if he was always a popular member of it. He’s not the most vocal, but appears to have taken Moeen Ali’s role as the king of the one-liner, breaking any tension with a wry comment here and there. After besting India comprehensively at Edgbaston, a fourth consecutive chase of the McCullum-Stokes era, Leach quipped to his skipper that “teams will be better than us, but they won’t be braver than us”. Stokes repeated the line in his post-match media engagements, with credit. It has since become a buzz phrase that the team has rolled out so often that Leach could have earned a central contract’s worth of royalties had he copyrighted it.He’s bought into the batting side of things, too. Once the proud owner of the longest, most revered single since Meatloaf, he’s expanded his horizons, with the switch hit now his weapon of choice. He was lamented by Somerset coaches for playing it in a Championship match earlier this year – it went for six – but he pulled it off again against South Africa at Emirates Old Trafford. Friday’s attempt in Multan was, frankly, an abomination, but the willing to exist outside of his comfort zone is clear.That extends to golf, an immensely popular pastime with both white- and red-ball teams – and cricketers full stop – but it’s something that Leach has little time for. Every now and again he’ll tag along, provided he can nab a free set of clubs from the course for the round. He is learning to embrace it, and is apparently eyeing up lessons in the new year.Ironically, it was because of Leach that England were able to approach their second innings with a degree of old-world sensibility. Commitment to the new brand would have meant a thrash and a declaration to be back bowling again at Pakistan before the day was out.Instead, there was a throwback to a more old-school third-innings canter: 89 for 3 after 25 overs at tea became 202 for 5 by stumps. No one struck in excess of a run a ball, Ben Duckett’s 79 off 98 was a slow-burn show of aggression by his recent standards. Harry Brook (74 from 108) and Stokes (16 off 25) will no doubt flex their wares on Sunday to bump their current lead of 281 up beyond Pakistan’s reach.The key here is, unlike Rawalpindi, England do not necessarily need the hosts to play ball. There are three full days remaining and Duckett’s dismissal – a ball from Abrar pitching back of a length and hitting as low as halfway up off stump – showed just how much the pitch has deteriorated already.The requisite ten wickets for a second victory, and a series win achieved with a match to spare, should not be too hard to come by. Not for the first time this year, Leach will be front and centre of that.

History made, class evident, underpinned by a defiance cloaked by a Boy Next Door visage. This is Kane Williamson

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Feb-20230:40

Fulton lauds Williamson’s ‘drive and determination’

The Barmy Army’s rendition of Jerusalem had just finished by the time the ball had bumped into the boundary sponge at midwicket. The applause around the ground had dissipated by the time the announcer switched on his microphone to commemorate the four, returning with supplementary cheers which highlighted how few people were on the banks and benches of the Basin Reserve. It was 10:35am on a Monday morning. New Zealand were now 20 behind in their follow-on innings. And Kane Williamson was now New Zealand’s all-time Test run-scorer.How did he celebrate? With a bit of gardening and a re-marking of his guard. A look around to check for any subsequent field changes rather than to survey those sending acclaim his way.About five hours later, the bat was raised and the helmet off. Though not for long: century number 26, off 226 deliveries – 78 after passing fifty – was subdued because there was work still to do. Williamson always seems to have more work to do.Related

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New Zealand had posted their highest total in a follow-on innings, though the ask for England’s fourth innings was within their recent reach. More to be done and only really one man entrusted to do it.Then came his demise for 132, which even then ended up being more about everyone else, beyond the rest of the batters to come to build on his work, which didn’t really happens. England had opened up an end from which they would take the remaining 4 more wickets for just 28 more. And even then, the identity of the wicket-taker (Harry Brook bowling what Joe Root described as “filthy seamers off the wrong foot”) and the manner of the dismissal (caught down the leg side) elicited a ground-wide guffaw that drowned out what ovation Williamson had as he walked off.History made, class evident, underpinned by a defiance cloaked by a Boy Next Door visage. Yet despite his on-the-day brilliance (which actually began the previous night), England were in pole position to successfully chase for the seventh time under Ben Stokes, with a target that will slot in as the fifth highest in that time.Williamson had the opportunity to sneak past Ross Taylor’s tally of 7,683 on Sunday evening, but resisted the urge – if he gets urges, or even has vices pertaining to self-gratification – to sleep four shy of top spot on 25 off 81 deliveries. He probably could have knocked it off last week on his home patch, but only managed 0 and 4 at the Bay Oval. Ah heck, maybe he was never going to do it among his own. Too showy. More attention was paid to Trent Boult, the Bay of Plenty resident in absentia.How good would that have been, though? For Mount Maunganui to celebrate their favourite son putting numbers behind what has been all but fact for some time – that he is New Zealand’s greatest? Back in 2014, after Williamson’s seventh Test hundred – a 161 against West Indies in Bridgetown – the late Martin Crowe said he’d be the best ever this nation produced. Which was noteworthy because saying someone is better than Martin Crowe is heresy in these parts, even if you’re Martin Crowe.Kane Williamson acknowledges the applause for his century•AFP/Getty ImagesEven being in the Mount for the 10 days around that first Test was to get a snapshot of why he is how he is. As it happens, his niece, who bears a striking resemblance, works as a waitress at one of the local restaurants. One set of diners from the UK, having cottoned on to this fact, couldn’t help ask if indeed she was a Williamson. “Yes,” she replied. “How do you know the Williamsons?” Presumably the family crest is an arrow pointing elsewhere.As far as Englishman on the field were concerned, all eyes were on the Williamson in the middle, in far less hospitable mood. He was integral in partnerships of 55, 75 and 158 with Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, respectively, frustrating bowlers and fielders to no end in attack and defence.

“New Zealand cricket is very lucky he [Williamson] is still playing and to offer another level of leadership. He’ll possibly go down as our greatest-ever leader.”Brendon McCullum

Every boundary, aside from the back cut laced through third man that took him to three figures, seemed to be timed well enough to both make it all the way and drag a fielder along with it, convinced they could stop it. The dead-batting of anything remotely threatening he had to play was arguably worse. Williamson’s own bowlers talk about being frustrated in the nets by a bat that seemingly turns to a pillow and puts the ball to sleep, thanks mainly to wrists so soft he must have E45 mixed in with the ice coursing through his veins. At one point, Stokes employed four fielders in catching positions between square leg and midwicket who had nothing of note to do beyond retrieving balls that had already stopped and tossing it back to the bowler. Having been in the field since just before lunch on day two, it was hard to know which was under the more pressure: the England captain’s knee or the ironclad self belief he has instilled in his charges.The latter survived, and was replenished upon Williamson’s dismissal and the ensuing collapse. There is still much to do for New Zealand, and Williamson’s part in all this, beyond whatever match-turning nuggets he can pass on to his successor Tim Southee, is basically done.Has there ever been a more “I’m him” performance for one so humble and yet obviously brilliant? Monday was yet another reminder of a great hiding in plain sight. But in a New Zealand side undergoing a transitional phase following the brilliance of those he led to the World Test Championship, Williamson will become ever more visible.Should New Zealand pull off just the fourth victory for a team asked to follow on, it will elevate this day and Williamson’s part in it further. New Zealand Cricket announced Tuesday will be free entry, and all who arrive with Kiwi allegiances will arrive with the prospect of watching something truly remarkable.The last time they queued around the roundabout this ground sits upon to see something similar was nine years ago when a certain Brendon McCullum went on to become the first Blackcap to score a triple-century. That he is here on the opposing balcony adds a little extra on Williamson’s accomplishment.McCullum once explained the difference between him and Williamson was “you sit down with him for a meal and it takes him 45 minutes to finish”. Even if McCullum preaches otherwise, he must have had a wry smile as his old mate diligently chewed for 447 minutes to give this match what could be a satisfying finale.”New Zealand cricket is very lucky he’s still playing and to offer another level of leadership,” McCullum said during his first tour briefing a couple of weeks ago in Hamilton. “He’ll possibly go down as our greatest-ever leader.”Williamson already had the Blackcaps record for most Test centuries, led the team to their greatest ever success and, now, stands astride at the top as their leading run-scorer in the format. Next on his work docket are continuing as the main focal point in a batting line-up and a totem for a team recalibrating their standing in the global game.None of that is any less important but comes with fewer ground announcements, less acclaim and no title to boast about. Is there a better man for the job?

But there was more, like the lack of home advantage, and the rise of the homegrown finisher

Hemant Brar31-May-2023Home advantage is no advantageThis was a strange season where teams failed to take advantage of their home conditions in quite the same way as before. Of the 69 completed games in the league stage, home teams won just 27. That win percentage of 39.1 was the poorest in any IPL season. The previous lowest was 44.3% in 2012.Only three teams – Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans – had a positive win-loss record at home. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings fared the worst, managing just one win each from their seven home matches respectively, while Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals won two each.

He will always be associated with this team, a team that has created its brand and its identity around him

Matt Roller27-Apr-2023Walking along Cubbon Road in Bengaluru at six o’clock on Wednesday evening, I had a stray thought. Is this what Naples was like in the time of Diego Maradona?Everyone in front of me has the same thing written on the back of their shirt: 18 VIRAT. Every ten metres I walk, someone else is trying to sell me a cheap replica of a Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey, each and every one emblazoned with the same print.If it was not already clear who the 40,000 fans at the Chinnaswamy Stadium had come to see, it was confirmed by his emergence for the warm-ups. As he walked on to the outfield, Virat Kohli’s face popped up on the big screen, and the crowd came to life.Related

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I had witnessed the same love for Kohli during the previous Sunday afternoon’s game, a hard-fought victory over Rajasthan Royals. After his dismissal, pinned lbw first ball by Trent Boult, the ground fell silent. The TV broadcast cut to an older woman in the stands, who put her hand on her head then turned to her neighbour in utter disbelief.But all was forgotten by the time he was patrolling the long-on boundary, temporarily back as RCB’s captain, with Faf du Plessis managing an injury. Kohli blew a kiss to the crowd, towards the executive box where his wife Anushka Sharma was sitting; the big-screen, slow-motion replay drew a louder cheer than the catch itself.Having witnessed Sunday’s game behind the insulated glass of the press box, I moved to the stands on Wednesday night to hear the crowd at full throttle. The Chinnaswamy is an old, enclosed, concrete stadium with remarkable acoustics; it seems to amplify the noise created by its crowd, which is invariably a sell-out for IPL games.As Wanindu Hasaranga bowled the fifth over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ innings, Kohli positioned himself at mid-off. After each delivery, as he walked back towards the edge of the ring, the lower tier of C Stand cheered as one, hoping beyond hope that he would acknowledge them. He only touched the ball once, but was still the centre of attention.’18 VIRAT’: Who wouldn’t want it?•Associated PressThe PA announcer knows who is in charge of this city, and plays up to it. In the previous over, he had declared to the fans that it was time for an apotheosis: “When I say ‘King’, you say ‘Kohli’!” he instructed, and so they did. It is a remarkable status for anyone to even begin to live up to.But Kohli is RCB, and RCB is Kohli. He is the only player to have featured for the same franchise in all 16 IPL seasons, playing in all but four of their 235 IPL matches. He was here as a 19-year-old boy on the competition’s opening night, playing for the same team against the same opposition, and he is still here now as a 34-year-old man. He will always be associated with this team, a team that has created its brand and its identity around him.When Kohli gave up the RCB captaincy 18 months ago, he appeared to unilaterally and indefinitely extend his contract with the franchise: “I will only play for RCB until my retirement,” he had said in a statement. Nobody batted an eyelid. As if they would ever dare to let him leave?He is front and centre of every sponsorship photoshoot, his face plastered on every billboard in the surrounding area. Kohli is not only a cricketer, but also a brand: you can buy suitcases, tyres, wellness supplements, orthodontic aligners and air-conditioning units which come with his seal of approval, and are reminded to do so every time you switch on your television.So when Kohli came out to bat alongside du Plessis, a 201-run target in their sights, there was a sense that this was why everyone was here. KKR’s innings had felt like a necessary inconvenience, a support act to warm the crowd up before the main event.As he has throughout this season, Kohli started positively. He slashed the first ball he faced to deep third for four, and after hitting Suyash Sharma for back-to-back fours at the start of the fifth over, he had raced to 30 off 15 balls with five boundaries, strutting around the crease with a characteristic swagger.Silence enveloped the ground after Virat Kohli was given out against KKR•Associated PressIn doing so, Kohli set a new record for the most runs by a T20 batter at a single venue. The landmark went largely unnoticed, but was fitting: along with MS Dhoni playing for Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, and Rohit Sharma representing Mumbai Indians at Wankhede, Kohli playing for RCB at Chinnaswamy is one of this league’s iconic combinations.But after the soft dismissals of du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell, the two other superstars in this RCB batting line-up, Kohli was almost on his own. There were few qualms about his now-characteristic slowdown against spin; given the circumstances, it seemed their only chance of hauling down this target was for Kohli to bat deep into the innings.When Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror and Suyash Prabhudessai’s names were read out, they hardly drew a response. The contrast in reception for RCB’s big three and the rest of their middle order emphasised the over reliance on a select few that this franchise has always faced, one reflected in their supporters’ adoration of their established stars but apparent ambivalence towards their young players.Lomror provided an effective foil. He dominated a 55-run stand with Kohli for the fourth wicket, hitting 34 off 18 balls before he was caught on the rope, falling just short in an attempt to strike back-to-back sixes off Varun Chakravarthy.Kohli’s method – trying to build a partnership to attack at the death after losing three early wickets – left the game in his hands. And when, on 54, he swung Andre Russell out towards midwicket after a lull, there was a brief moment when he seemed to have got enough power into his pull shot to clear the ropes.He hadn’t. Venkatesh Iyer dived forward and clung on to a difficult catch, and the game was as good as done. Silence enveloped the ground as the TV umpire confirmed that Iyer’s catch was clean. Kohli trudged off, taking a realistic chance of a third consecutive victory with him.Forty-five minutes later, Kohli was in front of the cameras again, sending his team a rocket after a sloppy performance in the field. As he spoke, Cubbon Road was full of people again. They traipsed towards the metro station or hailed auto rickshaws, having witnessed a defeat that must have been all too familiar for supporters of a franchise who have always fallen just short.But those same supporters had witnessed a hero in the flesh, cutting and pulling, living and breathing. And in three weeks’ time, when RCB return home after five consecutive away games, there is no doubt that the road will be filled with shirts emblazoned with ’18 VIRAT’ on their backs once more.