Pakistan’s Rafatullah Mohmand is the oldest player from a Test country to make his T20I debut. A look at those just younger than him at debut

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2015Floyd Reifer Age: 37y 10d Debut match: v Bangladesh, Basseterre, 2009
When virtually all of West Indies’ top players went on strike in 2009, the board had to look around for replacements, and settled on Reifer, who last played Test cricket in 1999, as captain for a full series•DigicelCricket.comSanath Jayasuriya Age: 36y 350d Debut match: v England, Southampton, 2006
Unlike the previous two, who were panic picks, Jayasuriya still had years left in his limited-overs career. He was Man of the Match on his T20I debut, which was a precursor to a famous 5-0 mauling of England in the ODI series, in which he scored two hundreds•Getty ImagesInzamam-ul-Haq Age: 36y 178d Debut match: v England, Bristol, 2006
Towards the end of his international career, Inzamam played his only T20I match, leading Pakistan to an easy victory in their first game in the format•Getty ImagesMohammad Rafique Age: 36y 84d Debut match: v Zimbabwe, Khulna, 2006
The only Bangladesh player to take part in both their inaugural Test and their inaugural T20I. He did his bit in an easy win over Zimbabwe, thumping 13 off 5 balls, and then stifling the Zimbabwe middle order•AFP

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2015Malcom Waller then launched a counterattack…•AFP… striking the fastest fifty by a Zimbabwe batsman in international cricket•AFPJubair was taken for 17 in his first over by Waller but he came back to produce a double-strike•Associated PressAnother collapse undid Waller’s work as the visitors were bowled out for 131•AFPBangladesh lost Anamul Haque in the first over of their chase but Tamim Iqbal adopted a sedate approach•AFPHowever, Zimbabwe hit back through their spinners – Graeme Cremer and Tendai Chisoro•AFPMahmudullah and Mashrafe Mortaza, though, overcame the middle-order wobble to guide their team home with four wickets to spare•AFP

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2016Debutant Jasprit Bumrah then removed Steven Smith for 28•Getty ImagesGeorge Bailey and Shaun Marsh also failed as Australia were reduced to 4 for 117 within 22 overs•Getty ImagesDavid Warner and Mitchell Marsh, however, combined well to lift Australia with an 118-run partnership•Getty ImagesBoth batsmen hit centuries, but the hosts lost momentum in the death•Getty ImagesAfter having conceded only seven runs from the last two overs, India, led by Shikhar Dhawan, started positively in the chase of 331•Getty ImagesShikhar found good company from Rohit Sharma as they added 123 together•Getty ImagesThe partnership ended when Shaun Marsh took a brilliant catch off John Hastings to remove Dhawan for 78 off 56 balls•Getty ImagesRohit was soon dismissed, for 99, as Hastings accounted for India’s top three•Getty ImagesManish Pandey, though, played a fluent hand…•Getty Images…while Dhoni pitched in with 34•Getty ImagesPandey struck his maiden international century and helped India take 13 off the final over to guide his side to a consolation win•Getty Images

As assistant coach of Peshawar Zalmi in the inaugural Pakistan Super League, Andy Flower has dipped his toes into T20 franchise waters

Charles Reynolds in Dubai10-Feb-2016The last the world remembers of Andy Flower, he was watching his Rome burn around him. The England team he had transformed from 51 all out in the Caribbean into winners of three successive Ashes series – with a stint as World No.1, a World T20 title and a series win in India thrown in for good measure – were reduced to smouldering ruins by Australia.In the eyes of many he had morphed into a cartoon villain, the demon headmaster whose strengths had slowly become his weaknesses under the strain of five relentless years in charge.Where once he had been loyal, now he appeared obstinate, his determination had become belligerence and the respect he had once ruled with appeared to be approaching something closer to fear.He has, of course, not disappeared off the face of the earth. Within two months of his resignation he was safely ensconced in a new role at the ECB, as ‘technical director of elite coaching’, but it was out of the limelight – even if taking on the role of England Lions head coach in mid-2014 pushed him a little closer to the glare of the media.Now though he has a new challenge, as assistant coach of Peshawar Zalmi in the inaugural Pakistan Super League, a first dip of a toe into T20 franchise waters that feels slightly ironic given the friction they have caused the ECB in recent years.The role, though, seems to be one Flower is relishing, a smile – a sight all too often absent in the latter stages of his England reign – is firmly back on his face. There was even the odd joke, admittedly unlikely to trouble the scorers at the Perrier Awards, but the sign of a man clearly enjoying himself more than the last time he appeared before the media hordes.So what then of the differences between the international stage and his new job?”The assistant coach’s position is a nice job to have,” he said, with a smile, after a fairly long pause for thought. “You don’t have some of the other responsibilities that a head coach has and you can develop a different type of relationship with the players, so I’ve really loved my first few days here.”For Flower too this was an opportunity to shake off the image he had left behind, that of the stony faced captain joylessly steering his ship onto the rocks. When questioned whether his style was at odds with that of Peshawar’s maverick captain Shahid Afridi, he offered a wry grin.”I know him fairly well from playing against him a long time ago,” the emphasis on long almost certainly not a deliberate joke about the rumours surrounding his skipper’s age, but amusing nonetheless.”Reputations can sometimes be misleading and the things you read in the press can sometimes be misleading. There’s a nice easy atmosphere in the dressing room, so it’s a really enjoyable position for me to hold, it’s a nice coaching job,” he said, adding “thank you” as an afterthought as if pleased to be able to express the sentiment.This more relaxed edition of Flower seems to be a hit with his players as well. Darren Sammy, a man who could probably look laid-back and cheerful in a warzone – or in the WICB offices for that matter – has clearly benefitted from the input of his coach.Flower dusted off his trusty old dog-thrower for pre-tournament practice to give the big Saint Lucian a session of throw-downs – interspersed, you imagine, with more than the odd piece of sage advice. Lessons Sammy appeared to have taken onboard three days later when his rearguard innings almost snuck a win after his team’s fairly disastrous start.”He’s been great you know,” said Sammy after that narrow defeat. “Obviously it’s a big change between the roles he’s played before but he’s been fantastic. He has a good cricket brain and with the success he’s had coaching, especially with England, taking them to No.1 he knows a lot about batting, especially in these type of conditions, so I think he’s been good. It’s a great mix, the guys have gelled really well together, coaches and players.”They say players learn new things playing franchise tournaments, perhaps the same is true for coaches too, with Sammy’s natural ebullience rubbing off on Flower – it would certainly appear so given his new-found penchant for smiling.There has also been a reminder too of the man of real moral character, marked out, on this day 13 years ago, by his black armband protest with Henry Olonga in Zimbabwe, as he deliberately took the time to acknowledge the work his franchise had done in bringing 150 students over from the Army Public School in Peshawar – scene of a horrific terrorist attack in 2014.”It is nice being involved in a franchise and an owner that have included a cause greater than just winning a tournament.”This, then, appears to be Flower unchained, a man unburdened from the need to win at all costs and the never-ending grind of the international calendar, a man happy it seems to be slowly painting a new picture of himself.

West Indies and England have been explosive with the bat in this tournament, but West Indies’ spinners have done far better than England’s

S Rajesh02-Apr-20169-4 West Indies’ head-to-head advantage in T20Is against England; it’s the most games West Indies have won against any opposition, and the most England have lost against a team. In World T20s, West Indies have a clean 4-0 record against England, including a six-wicket win earlier in this edition.0 Number of times West Indies have batted first in this tournament: they have chased all five times, winning four of those games and losing once, to Afghanistan. England, on the other hand, have won two out of three games batting first, and two out of two while chasing. West Indies have also won the toss in every game in this tournament, while Eoin Morgan has got it right three out of five times.9.12 England’s run rate in this World T20 – they are the only team to average more than nine per over. Since the start of the Super 10s, the next best are South Africa with 8.78, while West Indies are fifth with a run rate of 7.78. As a bowling unit, though, England’s economy rate of 8.68 is the worst among all teams, while West Indies are second best at 7.41, next only to New Zealand’s 6.59. In terms of difference between run rate and economy rate in this tournament, though, there isn’t much to choose between the two finalists.

36 Sixes for West Indies in this tournament, the highest among all teams since the start of the Super 10s; England are next with 34, and these are the only two teams with 30-plus sixes during this period.33.85 England’s dot-ball percentage, which is lower than all teams except South Africa (33.48) since the start of the Super 10s. West Indies’ dot percentage of 45.44 is the highest.65.34 Percentage of runs scored in boundaries by West Indies, the highest among all teams; England are next at 62.93. Among the players expected in the starting line-ups on Sunday, eight batsmen across the two teams have scored 50-plus runs with a boundary percentage of more than 60: Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales. Joe Root, the second-highest run-scorer in this tournament after Virat Kohli (since the Super 10s), has scored 56.4% of his runs in fours and sixes.

5.73 The economy rate for West Indies’ spinners in this tournament, the best among all teams since the start of the Super 10s. England’s spinners have an economy rate of 9.36, which is the worst. No other team has had spinners conceding more than eight per over. West Indies’ spinners have averaged 21.36 runs per wicket, compared to England’s average of 31.22.5.68 Samuel Badree’s economy rate in this tournament, which is third among the 34 bowlers who have bowled at least 12 overs since the start of the Super 10 stage. Sulieman Benn is fifth on the list, with an economy rate of 5.78.

9.50 England’s run rate in the Powerplays, the best among all teams in this tournament. They have struck 38 fours and seven sixes during this period, and averaged a boundary every four balls. West Indies have averaged 6.46 runs per over in the Powerplays, with a boundary every 5.4 balls.8.46 England’s economy rate in the middle overs (6.1 to 15.0), the poorest among all teams since the start of the Super 10s. West Indies’ rate of 6.24 is second only to New Zealand. England’s two spinners, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, have a combined economy rate of 8.66 in the middle overs (9 for 234 in 27 overs), while Benn and Badree have a combined economy rate of 5.26 (7 for 121 in 23 overs). Badree has outstanding figures of 5 for 45 from eight overs during this period.12.27 England’s run rate in the last five overs, also the best among all teams in this tournament. Buttler has scored 91 from 41 in the last five, Moeen 47 from 28, Morgan 36 from 20, and Root 35 from 18.

2 Wins each for the teams batting first and the teams chasing in four matches at the Eden Gardens in this tournament. Pakistan and New Zealand beat Bangladesh after batting first, while India and Sri Lanka chased successfully against Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both the night games here were won by the teams chasing, while the afternoon matches were won by the teams batting first.

It was normal for Steven Smith but something else for everyone watching, an off-side leg glance that showed just how in control Australia’s captain was

Jarrod Kimber in Mohali25-Mar-2016The leg and middle stump are showing. He looks over his shoulder at the field. There are two men behind square on the leg side inside the circle. He moves further to the off side, now showing all three stumps. He looks back to find a gap in the off side, just as a back-up. But it’s the leg side he wants. He taps his bat a couple of times and then clearly just thinks, ‘Why not?’ and moves further to the off side. And he’s leaning even further.Everyone at the ground knows he is going to go to the leg side. Earlier he had taken a ball that was a wide outside off to the leg side. His whole batting style is showing what he wants to do, what he will do. He’s not timing the ball very well, at the other end Shane Watson is crushing the ball, so all he needs to do is play smart.Steven Smith has done that all day.Wahab Riaz, Pakistan’s best bowler so far, has the ball in his hand. Wahab can see all the stumps, and a channel outside off stump. He had already hit the stumps twice, one with a deadly yorker to Usman Khawaja. He knows his field, knows Smith and everyone else knows what he is going to do. It isn’t just today that Smith has played shots like this. Since his form became superhuman, he has played so many shots when he runs across his crease, even in Tests.His wrists seem want to play to leg side almost without him being involved, like his wrists just prefer to turn. But it’s more tactical and brutal than that. Smith likes to hit the ball where fielders aren’t. Which sounds smart, but it isn’t how all batsmen play, and even fewer will take it to the degree Smith will. And without his eye, it just wouldn’t be possible for him to play the way he does.And it still shouldn’t be possible. You can see how Wahab will just castle the base of his stumps. You can see how he should.Smith isn’t even finished moving. Before Wahab hits his delivery stride, Smith’s back foot disappears beyond the wide crease line. It almost touches the return crease. And his body weight is slipping over with it. Further and further from the stumps. Had the ball been bowled near the stumps, he may not have been able to reach it.Wahab doesn’t bowl near the stumps. He is sucked into Smith’s gravitational pull. When the ball reaches Smith, it’s beyond the return crease. It’s off the pitch. It’s also a full toss. Wahab has essentially bowled a ball to Smith’s new off stump line, but one that is off the pitch. If the ball had ever bounced, it would have done so almost a metre wide of the pitch.Instead Smith whips it away. If he hadn’t moved a metre and a half to be there, it would be a simple turn to the leg side. But it wasn’t, it was something else. Something amazing. It would have been even if it didn’t fly off the bat into a gap for a boundary. It would have been if, like some of his shots from way outside off to the leg side, it only went for a single. But the timing, the impact, and his location made it something else.His team-mates laughed. Wahab just took his hat and walked off shaking his head. The thing is, for all the impact the shot made, on Pakistan, Australia and everyone who watched it, it was actually just a slight exaggeration on a normal Smith shot. Which is still extraordinary by normal human standards.It was Steven Smith, so it wasn’t normal.His innings, as the top order struggled to go on, allowed Watson to come in and hit Australia beyond a total that Pakistan could score. His fielding set the tone for Australia, especially when he ran at full speed and dived forward to pick up a half volley and then in one motion threw it straight back in. His field placements were exceptional, and he used his bowlers very well even as they struggled.And even when he wasn’t playing shots that shouldn’t be allowed, perfectly, he was just outplaying Pakistan, completely. In every way, in every facet. Had he come on and bowled, he probably would have picked up wickets as well. He showed them his stumps, he showed them his class.

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2016Johnson Charles and Darren Bravo rebuilt the innings …•AFP… before Mitchell Marsh ended the 44-run partnership when he had Bravo caught at extra cover in the 12th over•AFPTwo overs later, Starc bowled Charles with an inswinger to reduce West Indies to 59 for 3•AFPNathan Lyon picked up two wickets in two balls to leave the hosts tottering at 70 for 5 in the 17th over•AFPThe spinners extended their dominance as Adam Zampa returned figures of 3 for 16, including having captain Jason Holder bowled for 1•AFPWest Indies were eventually bowled out for 116 in the 33rd over when Carlos Brathwaite holed out to long-on for 21 off 48 balls•AFPAustralia’s openers – David Warner and Aaron Finch – got the chase off to a brisk start with a 44-run stand•AFPHowever, just before the dinner break, Holder trapped Finch in front for 19•AFPUsman Khawaja, batting at No. 3, struck 27 in an innings that featured five fours•AFPWarner continued to bat fluently, even as Khawaja spooned a catch to midwicket•AFPSunil Narine caused a late wobble with a double-wicket maiden …•AFP… but Warner stayed unbeaten on 55 to help Australia secure a bonus-point win•AFP

Stats highlights from fourth day’s play at Old Trafford where England sealed a huge win against Pakistan to draw level in the series.

Shiva Jayaraman25-Jul-2016330 Runs by which England won this Test – their second-biggest win by margin of runs against Pakistan. Their record margin against the visitors came at Trent Bridge, in 2010, when they won by 354 runs. This is also the second-biggest win for a team, by runs, at Old Trafford. The hosts had lost to West Indies in 1976 by 425 runs, which is the biggest at this venue.289 Wickets taken by Glenn McGrath in Tests in Australia, which were the previous most taken by a fast bowler at home. James Anderson passed this tally with the dismissal of Azhar Ali in Pakistan’s second innings. Anderson has now taken 291 wickets at an average of 25.51 in Tests in England. Click here for a list of bowlers who have taken the most wickets in Tests at home.325 Runs scored by Joe Root in this Test – the fifth-highest by an England batsman in a Test and the second-highest ever by an England batsman in the last 50 years. Graham Gooch’s 456 runs against India in the 1990 Lord’s Test remains the record.6 Number of Man-of-the-match awards won by Joe Root. Among England players, only Ian Botham had won more such awards by the age of 26. Botham won nine such awards before he turned 27. Stuart Broad is third on this list with five such awards before turning 27. Click here for a list of most Man-of-the-match awards won by England players.24.50 Chris Woakes’ bowling strike-rate in this series – the best for any England bowler to take at least 15 wickets in a series in Tests since 1950. Overall, in this period, there have been only seven other instances in which a bowler from any team with at least 15 wickets in a series has struck more frequently. Woakes’ 18 wickets are also the joint-most wickets taken by an England bowler in the first two Tests of a series in the last fifty years. Ashley Giles took 18 wickets in the first two Tests of the series against West Indies in 2004. James Anderson also took 18 wickets in the first two Tests of England’s previous series, against Sri Lanka.Only once have England beaten Pakistan by a bigger margin in Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd540 Runs scored by England’s top three batsmen in this Test – the fourth-highest they have made in a Test. While Alastair Cook added 181 to Root’s 325 runs, Alex Hales contributed 34. The highest England’s top three have made in a match came at Lord’s in 1990 against India, when Gooch alone contributed 456 runs to the tally of 608 by the top three.13 Number of times Cook has made two fifty-plus scores in a Test. Cook followed up his first-innings century with an unbeaten 76 in England’s second innings. Only Ricky Ponting (15) and Jacques Kallis (14) have made two fifty-plus scores on more occasions. Kumar Sangakkara is next in this list with 12 such instances.1 Number of higher fourth-innings targets that Pakistan have been set in Tests than the one set by England in this match. West Indies had set a target of 573 runs for them in the Bridgetown Test in 2005, which remains the highest. The 565-run target is also the fifth highest ever set by England.266 Runs conceded by Yasir Shah in this match – the third highest by a bowler with one or no wickets in a Test. Australia’s Chuck Fleetwood-Smith conceded 298 runs for one wicket at The Oval in the Ashes Test in 1938. Relatively recently, India’s Rajesh Chauhan conceded 276 runs in exchange for one wicket, against Sri Lanka in 1997.21 Tests won by Cook as captain – the third-highest by an England captain. He passed Peter May’s 20 Test wins with this latest win against Pakistan. Only Michael Vaughan (26) and Andrew Strauss (24) have won more Tests as captain of England.2001 The last time England were beaten in a Test at Old Trafford, which was against the current visitors Pakistan. Since then, however, they have remained unbeaten in ten Tests at this venue and won eight of them. In Tests since 2002, only Australia’s 11-0 record at the Gabba is better than England’s at Old Trafford. This win for England’s is their first in eight Tests against Pakistan. They had previously won at Lord’s in 2010 by an innings and 225 runs.

In the past year, the Karnataka seamer put injury setbacks behind him and made his international debut; his performance against Delhi befitted a player with an India cap

Shashank Kishore in Kolkata20-Oct-2016Twelve months ago, S Aravind’s answer to what had changed in the last year or so would perhaps have dealt with him recovering from one of the several injuries – back stress fracture, hamstring, knee and a torn ligament in his leg – he has suffered during his stop-start career. Today, you’re met with a smile that accompanies, “the India cap”.Aravind was called up to the national squad in 2011, as a replacement for Zaheer Khan during the home series against England, but had to wait till October, 2015, to make his India debut. It came against South Africa in a T20 international in Dharamsala. While he hasn’t added to that debut cap, he is “a better bowler from that experience”, as his attitude and planning on the field show.A key member of the Karnataka seam attack that plotted many downfalls during the last three seasons, an injury-free body and a mindset that focuses on “being happy in the present” has helped him reap rewards. On Thursday, Aravind, playing his first first-class match since December last year and replacing the injured Vinay Kumar, bowled like a man who merited the India cap and sent Delhi packing for 90 – their lowest total against Karnataka – on a green Eden Gardens surface.To watch him set up Gautam Gambhir, open-chested but compact and in form since the season-opening Duleep Trophy in August, was a treat. Pace isn’t Aravind’s forte, but it is his determination to not allow that to hamper his bowling that has made him a threat in first-class cricket. And he proved why he is highly regarded in the Karnataka camp, despite having missed a number of matches owing to team combination.Cover is one of Gambhir’s most profitable run-scoring areas. By leaving it open, Aravind was throwing an open challenge to the Delhi captain. Minute deviations after pitching in that “in between” zone that makes batsmen apprehensive to hit through the line forced Gambhir to leave five deliveries.In Aravind’s next over, Gambhir was subjected to a string of inswingers from wide of the crease. Aravind bowled around the sixth-stump line, which allowed Gambhir the luxury to leave. Aravind had bowled eleven dot deliveries across two overs. Abhimanyu Mithun, relentless in his attack from the other end, didn’t make run scoring easy either.Then, before his third over, Gambhir was perhaps slightly irked by a small cloth that distracted his line of sight above the bowler’s arm. A small break in play resulted. Aravind signalled to Karun Nair, the captain who was fielding at mid-on, to move midwicket to fourth slip. With vacant spaces at square leg and midwicket, the pull shot was on the cards, or so it seemed.Aravind attempted a short ball that stuck in the pitch. Gambhir, early with the pull, connected off the toe end as the catch lobbed to Nair at mid-on. If the plan was to open up the leg side and trick Gambhir into playing the pull shot – as it seemed to be – it had worked. The end result was a first spell that read 5-2-7-1.Then, in his second spell, Aravind’s decision to bowl to the right-handers from around the stumps and get the ball to straighten worked. This, after he had rapped the batsmen on the pads on a couple of occasions, only to be told that the ball had pitched outside leg. Milind Kumar nicked to the slips, while Varun Sood and Ishant Sharma’s misjudgement of line brought about their downfall. The three wickets and five maidens in a six-over spell were as much a result of awareness and experience as they were about planning.By the end of it all, Karnataka had opened up a 41-run lead, and with the surface likely to be at its best for batting on the second and third days, their batsmen could bat Delhi out of the contest. But, even if that happens, Aravind’s contribution is likely to remain the biggest of them all.

Stats highlights from Day 1 of the Perth Test, where David Warner’s bruising half-century notched his average at WACA to over 100

Gaurav Sundararaman03-Nov-201619 Wickets in the first over of an innings across all formats for Mitchell Starc, the most for any bowler since 2015. Next on the list, with seven wickets each, are Lasith Malinga, Dawlat Zadran and David Willey.18 Number of batsmen Starc has dismissed for a duck in his career. Eight of them are openers.2006 The previous instance of South Africa losing three wickets inside the first 10 overs of a Test match in the first innings, against Sri Lanka at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. Today they were 27 for 3.0 Number of specialist spinners to debut at WACA before Keshav Maharaj. Before Maharaj, only nine overs of spin was bowled by a debutant in Perth. Dean Elgar was the last one to do it. He bowled one over during the previous Test between the teams here.78.40 Quinton de Kock’s batting average in 2016, which is the highest among all South Africa batsmen. He has scored three fifties and one hundred this year.50 Number of wickets taken by Starc at home. He is the fourth left-arm fast bowler to take 50 wickets at home. Since 2015, Starc has taken 22 wickets from five matches at 23.40. Before that, he had taken 28 wickets at 31.28. Mitchell Johnson leads the list with 171 wickets.106 David Warner’s average* at the WACA from eight innings. He has three hundreds with a highest score of 253. The only instance when he did not score a hundred was against South Africa in 2012.12 Number of times out of 38 fifty-plus scores Warner has made a fifty at under run-a-ball. Ten of those, including today’s 39-ball half-century, have come in Australia. Since Warner’s debut no other batsmen has made as many fifties under a run-a-ball. Brendon Mccullum is next with seven such instances. No other batsmen has had more than three such instances.76 Average opening partnership for Australia at home in the last one year. The next best is New Zealand with 43 runs. Warner and Marsh have added 105 so far.*At end of the first day’s play