Jason Holder slips from the perch, concedes top spot among allrounders to Ravindra Jadeja

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2021Quinton de Kock’s 96 in the first innings of the second Test, after he scored 141* in the first, against West Indies has put him back in the top ten – at No. 10 – in the Test rankings for batters. He was last in the top ten back in December 2019, but after top-scoring with 237 runs in the two-Test series, which South Africa won 2-0, he has moved above Babar Azam and Dimuth Karunaratne.Related

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Rassie van der Dussen was a distant second to de Kock in the run-scorers’ list, with 125 runs, while Jermaine Blackwood was third with 88 and Dean Elgar fourth, with 87, and the three of them made gains on the table too: Elgar was up one spot to No. 19, van der Dussen up 31 spots to No. 43, and Blackwood one place behind him at No. 44, a rise of 12 positions.Jason Holder started the series as the top-ranked allrounder in Tests but average returns – 34 runs in four innings and six wickets (four of them in the first, which was before the period used in the latest rankings) – have pushed him down to second place behind Ravindra Jadeja, who is currently playing the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton.Kagiso Rabada was the player of the match in the second Test for his haul of five wickets, and moved up one place to sixth as a result, while Keshav Maharaj’s seven wickets, including a hat-trick, helped him go three places up to 28th. Lungi Ngidi also picked up three wickets in the game, and went up three places to No. 41.Kemar Roach was by far the best West Indies bowler on show, returning 3 for 45 and 4 for 52, and that took him close to the top ten for bowlers, as he finished at 12th place.

The allrounder wants to be back to peak bowling fitness in time for the T20 World Cup later this year

Varun Shetty06-Jul-2021Hardik Pandya is inching closer to his goal of bowling “in all games at the T20 World Cup”, with his team-mate in Sri Lanka, Suryakumar Yadav, confirming that the allrounder has been sending down more and more deliveries in training ahead of the limited-overs series.”He did bowl in the England series [at home earlier this year]. I was part of it – in all the T20 games, he bowled,” Yadav said ahead of the series. “In the decider ODI also he bowled when the team was in a crunch situation, so it was good.Related

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“I think that the team management and Hardik knew their responsibilities really well, so they were taking a call. Here, in the intra-squad game, he did bowl in the nets. He is bowling. It is his and the team management’s call how they want to go about it. But yes, he is bowling and it is a very good sign.”Pandya was not picked for India’s long Test tour of England, which included the World Test Championship final, as part of the long-term project to get him to full bowling fitness following back surgery. As Yadav pointed out, Pandya did bowl in some of the games against England, but not for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021, which was pushed back after 29 matches following reports of multiple Covid-19 cases among the teams.Pandya last played a Test in 2018, in England. His utility, particularly in overseas Tests, has been recognised but for that, he has to be in full bowling capacity. For now, Pandya is focussed solely on the T20 World Cup later this year.”I started bowling in the IPL and my focus is on the World Cup,” Pandya said in a chat with last month. “I want to make sure that I will be able to bowl in all the games at the World Cup. I am just trying to be smart and make sure that I don’t miss that. On the bowling front, what matters is how fit I am.”Even after my surgery, I didn’t drop my pace. I was not able to drop my control. My bowling is related to my fitness. The fitter I get, the better it comes out. As a fast-bowling allrounder, I tend to get injuries. It is bound to happen and I am okay with it.”For India, I have realised that my bowling brings a lot of difference because the balance changes. In IPL, I am lucky to have a franchise where there is so much love that I was able to pick my batting and make sure that for India, I am able to be at my best. I have to make sure I am fit to be able to bowl and if I bowl, that brings balance to the side.”

Nottinghamshire, already assured of a home quarter-final, suffer only second defeat of season

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2021Nottinghamshire Outlaws, already assured of a home quarter-final, suffered only a second defeat of the season in the Vitality Blast as bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire Foxes won by two wickets with two balls to spare.Josh Inglis and Arron Lilley were joint top-scorers with 42 and though the Foxes suffered some jitters after needing 35 from 25 balls and six off the last over, Naveen-ul-Haq hit back-to-back fours off former Leicestershire fast bowler Zak Chappell to get them over line after Steven Mullaney had taken 3 for 33 and Calvin Harrison 2 for 21.The Foxes had dismissed Nottinghamshire for 173 in 19.2 overs, Naveen picking up 3 for 33 and Colin Ackermann 3 for 35. Joe Clarke hit 57 in 27 balls and Ben Duckett 45 off 27 but the Outlaws lost their last six wickets for 22 runs, Lilley holding four outfield catches.Ackermann claimed an early blow for the Foxes after winning the toss when Alex Hales hit a full toss straight to deep midwicket but Clarke launched Gavin Griffiths for back-to-back sixes and Naveen for three consecutive fours as the Outlaws ended the Powerplay on 62 for 1.Clarke struck two more sixes off Ben Mike as he reached fifty from 24 balls and cleared long-on for a fifth six as Ackermann returned, only to follow Hales in finding Lilley at deep midwicket. Three fours in a row by Duckett off Ackermann advanced the total to 110 for 2 at halfway.Lilley then applied the brakes with the ball, conceding only 20 in his four overs of off-spin and dismissing Mullaney as the Outlaws innings fell apart. The demise of Duckett, leg before sweeping, sparked the loss of their last six wickets for 22 in 23 deliveries, Naveen taking three wickets in seven balls.The Foxes lost Rishi Patel early but with Inglis hitting sixes off Dane Paterson, Chappell and Matt Carter and Lilley another off Samit Patel, the home side were ahead of what was needed at 75 for 1 after six.Inglis and Lilley fell in turn to Harrison, both perhaps guilty of taking liberties with the young leg-spinner, Inglis hitting straight to long-on, Lilley comfortably stumped, yet at 107 for 3 after 10 overs, the game was there to be won.Scares followed for the home crowds as Harry Swindells was caught behind off a bottom edge, Ackermann sliced to short third man, Lewis Hill ramped straight to short fine leg, Louis Kimber was caught at midwicket and Callum Parkinson at cover but Naveen picked up four off the edge before pulling Chappell for the winning boundary.

Hazlewood now has Root eight times in 14 Tests and Cummins seven times in 11

Andrew McGlashan08-Dec-2021Pat Cummins took an early lead in the head-to-head with his opposite number, Joe Root – the No. 1 men’s Test bowler and batter in the world – on the opening day at the Gabba with Australia delighted they were able to follow the “blueprint” which has previously brought them success.As soon as Root walked out, Cummins brought himself on – removing Mitchell Starc from the attack after he had taken a wicket with the first ball of the series – but never got the chance to bowl at the England captain as Josh Hazlewood found the edge with a perfect delivery that was full enough to draw Root forward.Both sides pointed out that it was just one innings out of 10 Root might play this series, although Australia were able to acknowledge that from a position of much greater strength, but such is the weight that Root carries in this England order that it was one of the day’s significant moments.Related

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“It’s only the first innings of a five-Test series but it’s a huge reason why we were able to knock them over for 147,” Cummins said. “Walk into lunch having them four down, that’s big, by the time the ball gets softer you are already into the batting line-up. One of a number of the batters who were big wickets, after his year and being captain it’s probably a little bit bigger but it’s only the first time he’s batted this series.”Root has not scored an Ashes hundred since Trent Bridge in 2015 and his trip to Australia in 2017-18 was a story of unfulfilled promise as he passed fifty five times. Hazlewood now has Root eight times in 14 Tests and Cummins seven times in 11.”Josh and Pat have almost brought that blueprint from the previous Ashes over in England where they seemed to have their plans down pat to Joe,” Mitchell Starc told during the rain delay. “Fantastic to get off to the start we did and have him for nothing.”Hopefully that continues throughout the series, but those two have carried that blueprint on from four or five Tests in England to now at the Gabba. To stay on top of the opposition captain is a big one and we’ve certainly started off in that fashion today.”Although Cummins missed out on an early bowl at Root, he was able to claim the next-best thing when Ben Stokes edged to third slip shortly after the first drinks break. Stokes, playing a first-class innings for the first time since March, had lined the ball up well during his brief stay, got one boundary away through the covers and hit mid-off a couple of times before playing one from round the wicket he might have left on length.”It’s nice when they don’t get a good look, face too many balls,” Cummins said. “They are a huge part of their batting line-up. Thought Joshy Hazlewood, that’s the blueprint to bowl to Joe Root, high quality relentless bowling and nice to get Stokes’ wicket. Everything went to plan today.”Josh Hazlewood dismissed Joe Root for a duck•Getty Images

Ollie Pope, who was part of England’s best partnership of the innings alongside Jos Buttler, was not reading too much into a lean opening day for Root in a year where he has 1455 runs.”He’s on the back of an amazing summer, sometimes you play and miss, sometimes you nick them,” he said. “Wouldn’t say it dents the confidence of the team at all. Joe’s an amazing player and he’ll come back strong. We don’t look into that much, it’s nice when the captain gets runs but we have enough quality around him to score the bulk of the runs we need.”One of the other big talking points of the day came from England’s selection. It was already known that James Anderson would sit out this Test, but Stuart Broad was also sidelined which meant for the first time since 2016 neither was in the line-up – and the first time in an Ashes Test since the MCG in 2006-07.”Not sure if you asked anyone a couple of days ago if that was going to happen that anyone would believe you,” Starc said. “To take 300 Tests and over 1000 wickets out of their side is pretty interesting. Glad I don’t have to pick any side let alone that, or tap those two on the shoulder to say they aren’t playing but we certainly enjoyed conditions out there.”It meant England’s attack had eight Tests of experience in Australia – four apiece from Stokes and Woakes – and they might have liked the first opportunity on the sporty Gabba pitch.”I thought either one of those two would play in every game,” Cummins said. “Probably surprised but they have plenty of other bowlers to step in. It’s a big day for those bowlers on Thursday.”

Mohammed Shami’s five-for negates India collapse to Lungi Ngidi on full day of cricket

Sidharth Monga28-Dec-20212:47

Cullinan: Shami’s bowling reminded me of Pollock

Stumps With the whole second day lost to rain, Centurion practically made up for the time lost with the most wickets it has produced in a day of Test cricket, 18. India lost their last seven wickets in 69 balls, which is not usually considered ideal, but it was just the result they needed as it suggested the pitch had significantly more life in it than on day one. Mohammed Shami then led India’s bowling – missing Jasprit Bumrah for 49 overs because of an ankle injury – with his second first-innings five-for in Test cricket to give India a lead of 130.India now held all the keys to dominance in the Test, provided no further weather interruptions in the remaining two days. Things looked similar at the end of day one, but the washed-out second day left them needing an innings win or a transformed pitch if they were to force a result. The Centurion pitch, which usually gets quicker after the first day, responded with both pace and uneven bounce for the new ball.What resulted was the second-quickest collapse in Test cricket (where fall-of-wicket information is available) in terms of number of balls, when the first four wickets of a team had batted 90 overs or more. India’s first new ball looked just as lethal with four wickets falling in the first 13 overs before the pitch settled down enough for South Africa to recover from 32 for 4 to end up with 197.Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi caused the havoc early doors, hitting the pitch hard and drawing the inconsistent bounce. Ngidi ended with his second six-wicket bag in Centurion. Once the overnight batters, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane fell, both to extra bounce, the approach of the rest of the batters suggested they felt safe with what they had on the board in practically a four-day Test. They probably fancied bowling out there instead of taking time out of the Test by merely surviving. There was good reason for it: after just 60 false response in the first 90 overs of the Test, 28 came about in the next 15.3 overs. India took 55 runs in those overs, and unleashed their attack.As early as the first over, Bumrah produced an unplayable delivery to send back captain Dean Elgar: a full ball that shaped in and then nipped away just enough after pitching to take the edge. In the half hour that India had before lunch, they looked to swing the ball, but didn’t find much. They came back a mean machine: repeatedly bowling the fullest length that can’t be driven, mixing in the odd lifter into the ribs.Mohammed Shami celebrates the wicket of Temba Bavuma•AFP via Getty Images

Keegan Petersen responded with an error immediately as soon as India changed the lengths. Still looking for the drive, he was well away from the pitch of the ball, which seamed back to take the inside edge and knock over his stumps. When Aiden Markram had his off stump pegged back by one that held its line, it wasn’t the first unplayable ball he was facing. This was an interrogation of the highest order.After Bumrah twisted his ankle and walked off in the 11th over, Mohammed Siraj cleverly checked Rassie van der Dussen out on the drive with two sucker balls. One edge fell short of second slip, and the second went straight to gully, a dismissal that should leave the batter disappointed.As the ball began to grow softer, it began to misbehave less, allowing Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock to build a partnership. They applied themselves well, and took toll every time India overpitched. They added 72 for the fourth wicket, the only stand of 50 or more, but this is where India’s decision to play five bowlers came in handy. The duo saw off R Ashwin’s first spell and also a Shami spell, but Shardul Thakur came back to have de Kock play on the first ball of a new spell. This was just before tea, Bumrah had come back on the field, but there were still close to two hours to go before he could bowl again.It was hard work post tea too with the ball not doing much. This is when Shami put in a spell of 4-0-19-2 to take out both Bavuma and No. 7 Wiaan Mulder. They both looked comfortable at the wicket, Bavuma even reached his half-century, but they both made errors against the impeccable accuracy of Shami. Mulder played a loose drive to a half-volley, and Bavuma defended a wide one outside the line of his head.Rabada and debutant Marco Jansen now added 37 for the eighth wicket, managing to make it look easy, but again Thakur produced the breakthrough just before Shami and Bumrah came back on. He had Jansen playing inside the line of what looked like a straight ball. Shami had Rabada for his five-for, his 200th wicket. He is the only Indian among the 11 with 200 or more with a strike-rate of under 50. Bumrah finished things off with the wicket of Keshav Maharaj, caught at fly slip.In the half hour possible before stumps, Jansen managed to get the wicket of Mayank Agarwal, with India ending the day effectively at 146 for 1. At the end of day three on such a pitch, you back yourself to win, but there is some forecast for rain on day five, which will make for an interesting watch on India’s declaration should they get themselves into a position to do so.

Former England batting coach will continue to work with Middlesex through 2022 summer

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022Mark Ramprakash will work alongside Middlesex’s batters this summer after the club extended his consultancy.Ramprakash, who began his playing career at Middlesex before moving south of the river to Surrey, was England’s batting coach between 2014 and 2019. He subsequently took up a role a director of cricket at Harrow, which he has combined with media work, before being brought in by Middlesex over the winter.”Since Ramps joined us at the start of our winter training programme, the impact he’s had has been incredible,” Middlesex’s head of men’s performance cricket, Alan Coleman, said. “He has brought an energy to our sessions that not only engages the players but constantly challenges them to improve.Related

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“I share Ramps’ view that you don’t want to waste a single session and that getting in the nets isn’t simply about hitting balls. He raises the intensity, puts the players under pressure in scenario-based sessions, where every ball counts and every shot matters.”He has engaged the group, who are showing plenty of signs of responding well to his methods, and in Ramps we have a coach that completely gets what we’re trying to achieve as a playing group and coaching team and cares deeply about the club.”I’m thrilled that he has committed himself to the group for the rest of this season, and I can’t wait to see what we can collectively achieve with him as an important part of the coaching unit.”Ramprakash scored more than 35,000 first-class runs in his career, including 114 centuries, although he was viewed as an unfulfilled talent after averaging 27.32 across 52 Tests for England.He spent a period as Middlesex’s batting coach after retiring from playing in 2012, and returns with the club seeking to improve fortunes after a difficult 2021 that saw Angus Fraser, the long-serving director of cricket, moved sideways into a new role and Stuart Law sacked as head coach. Coleman now heads a new coaching structure, with Richard Johnson – a former Middlesex team-mate of Ramprakash – appointed as first-team coach last month.In particular, Ramprakash will look to raise batting standards among a top order that has struggled to regularly post big scores in Championship cricket, with Middlesex losing eight out of 14 red-ball fixtures last season.

BCCI anti-corruption unit helps player lodge police complaint

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jan-2022Former Tamil Nadu batter R Sathish has filed a police complaint in Bengaluru after allegedly being approached on social media to fix a match.In the complaint, filed on January 14 and seen by ESPNcricinfo, Sathish has mentioned that on January 3 he was approached by a person named Bunny Anand, who “offered” the player INR 40 lakh (USD 53,000 approx) to “fix” a match. In the complaint, filed in the Jayanagar police station in Bengaluru, Sathish has also alleged that Anand told him “two other” players had “already agreed” to fix the match. The statement said that Sathish politely declined to entertain the offer.Sathish also declined to respond to ESPNcricinfo when asked about which match or tournament Anand was referring to concerning the alleged fix. While Sathish, who turned 40 on January 14 (the day he lodged the complaint), last played on the Indian domestic circuit in 2017, he has continued to be an active player featuring in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Premier League, where he represents Chepauk Super Gillies.Having received Anand’s message, Sathish is believed to have alerted all the concerned authorities, including the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the BCCI, before being advised by the board’s anti-corruption unit to approach the police. According to BCCI ACU chief Shabir Hussein Khandwawala, the board’s ACU officer B Lokesh facilitated Sathish in lodging the FIR. Khandwawala said that the BCCI had informed the ICC’s ACU. “For the offer made of 40 lakh in an attempt to fix the games, abetting a crime and thus cheat the game of cricket, the complaint is accepted,” the police’s first information report (FIR) said.Sathish gained more prominence in the first half of the 2010s, when he featured in the IPL. In all, he played for three IPL teams. He was part of Mumbai Indians in 2010 and 2011, having been picked up after the players who had joined the banned and now-defunct Indian Cricket League were allowed back into the BCCI’s fold. He then played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2013, and his final IPL stint was with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016.

Rizwan’s half-century helped Multan canter to a six-wicket win despite a brief early stutter against a depleted United

Danyal Rasool20-Feb-2022There was very little riding on this game, and perhaps that shone through in the way it played out. Islamabad United, hobbling on as injuries continue to ravage them, limped to 105 in 20 overs, before an unbeaten 42-ball 51 from Mohammad Rizwan helped Multan Sultans canter to a six-wicket victory despite a brief early stutter. But for the unlikeliest of miracles United were assured progression to the last four, though the depleted state in which they eventually get there perhaps raises questions about their ability to be competitive.United, like Quetta Gladiators, who won earlier against Karachi Kings, finish with four wins in ten, but had the cushion of a vastly superior net run rate to sneak through to the eliminator. Making half a dozen changes – goodness knows how many enforced – they were no match for a ruthless Sultans bowling line-up, who bent them to their will all innings. Besides Liam Dawson and Muhammad Musa, no Islamabad batter managed better than a run-a-ball, with Asif Afridi, Imran Tahir, and even Tim David chipping in with wickets.Azam Khan in the middle order was United’s best hope of a big total, with superstars and power hitters in short supply elsewhere. But he ended up struggling most of all, put out of his misery by a ripper of a catch at deep midwicket by Shan Masood, who can’t seem to put a foot wrong in this competition. Skipper Asif Ali’s wretched PSL with the bat continued, with Masood once more taking the catch at deep midwicket to burrow into the lower order. Only a devil-may-care cameo from Musa, who finished unbeaten with 26 in 21, helped his side get to three figures, setting the Sultans 106 for victory.They needed to get there in an almost mathematically impossible 3.4 overs if United were to be eliminated at the Gladiators’ expense. Instead, they got a brief scare of their own when three early wickets by Dawson reduced them to 18 for three, and Tim David fell cheaply. But a situation like this is tailor-made for Mohammad Rizwan, who was happy to steer his side towards the target. In David Willey, he had a partner who understood the situation, and shelved his big shots for a sensible, game-appropriate knocking, finishing unbeaten with 28 off 32.It was a game that seemed to be dragging on interminably, and the Sultans stretched it out till the 18th over before finally putting United, and indeed the contest, out of its misery. There was still time for Rizwan to give his phenomenal career numbers another shot in the arm, getting to 50 with a glorious six over cover for the winnings runs. The Sultans now get ready for a likely blockbuster against the Sultans on Wednesday, with United left licking wounds both literal and metaphorical.

Royal Challengers will be without Harshal in the game against captain du Plessis’ former side

S Sudarshanan11-Apr-20222:35

How do RCB cope with Harshal’s absence? Who should be CSK’s overseas four?

Big Picture

One has to go way back to 2010 to find the last time Chennai Super Kings lost four IPL matches on the trot. And they’ve never lost four at the start of the season. In this ten-team tournament, they are already in a situation where another defeat could all but end their season. Their opponents, Royal Challengers Bangalore, are being led by one of their own in Faf du Plessis and are in the top half of the table with three wins in four outings.Super Kings are indeed missing the du Plessis touch at the top with the bat. A struggling Ruturaj Gaikwad has taken sheen off the quick, fiery starts Robin Uthappa has been getting off to, which has hampered the side. That head coach Stephen Fleming lamented the batting, bowling and fielding after the loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad indicates that the self-belief of the four-time champions is on shaky grounds.But Gaikwad takes a liking to Mohammed Siraj’s pace, having a strike rate of 147 against the fast bowler without being dismissed. He also enjoyed playing Wanindu Hasaranga with a strike rate of 162 in three innings.Related

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Super Kings have a run rate of just over seven in the middle overs – between the seventh and the 16th overs – just a shade better than that of the low-ranked Mumbai Indians. Royal Challengers, on the other hand, have been accelerating in the same phase, as evident from their run rate of 9.13, which is the second-best.But throw in a Siraj and a Siddarth Kaul, who could make his way in for a bereaved Harshal Patel, against MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu, the picture could be a touch different. Rayudu’s strike rates against Siraj and Kaul are 158 and 174, with Dhoni’s corresponding numbers reading 182 and 172.Even though both teams haven’t picked up wickets in clusters in the powerplay – Super Kings have one while Royal Challengers have four to show – the latter have managed to keep the run-scoring under eight while the former have conceded runs at 8.62 an over. Eight sixes have been hit against the Super Kings bowlers in the first six overs, which is the joint second-most in the season so far.With Anuj Rawat also showing his six-hitting prowess in the game against Mumbai Indians, Super Kings have another top-order left-hander to contend with after Abhishek Sharma pummeled them into submission. With Dinesh Karthik striking at over 200 – the most by anybody to have batted at least in three innings – Royal Challengers seem to have their batting sorted, with all of du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Shahbaz Ahmed having contributed in one game or the other. Karthik also strikes in excess of 155 against Chris Jordan, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja.While the Super Kings have had the upper hand over their southern neighbours winning 18 off the 28 encounters, the time seems opportune for Royal Challengers to better that record.Shivam Dube muscles one over the leg side•BCCI

In the news

Royal Challengers will be without Harshal Patel, who has left the bubble due to the demise of his sister. It is not known yet when he would return. In order to re-enter the IPL bubble, he will have to undergo a three-day quarantine. Australia quick Josh Hazlewood is available for the game.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Robin Uthappa, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Shivam Dube 6 Ravindra Jadeja (capt), 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Dwaine Pretorius 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Mukesh Choudhary/Tushar DeshpandeRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Faf du Plessis (capt), 2 Anuj Rawat, 3 Virat Kohli 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 David Willey, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Siddarth Kaul, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Akash Deep

Strategy Punt

Out of Wanindu Hasaranga’s eight wickets thus far, seven have been against right-handers. He has an economy over nine against left-handers and Super Kings have three in Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube, who can pose problems. In the two matches where Dube got a score of note – 57 versus Punjab Kings and 49 against Lucknow Super Giants – he had come in to bat in the sixth and eighth over respectively. Super Kings need to back Dube to bat more overs by having him enter around the seventh or eighth over mark. That could help them minimise the Hasaranga threat as the legspinner is not quite at home against left-handers. Moreover, Dube’s strike-rate against spin since IPL 2021 is 135 and he has been dismissed by spinners just three times in 12 innings.

Stats that matter

• Moeen has been out to Glenn Maxwell twice in four innings and averages just 5.5 against him with a strike rate of 73.
• Dhoni has scored 51 off the 28 balls he has faced against Mohammed Siraj and is yet to be dismissed by the pacer.
• Although Dinesh Karthik has a strike rate of 155 and 159 against Dwayne Bravo and Jadeja, he has been dismissed three times each by them.
• Super Kings will be the sixth team to play 200 IPL matches after Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.

Limited-overs job would have been too “cushy” given strength of England’s white-ball teams

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2022The challenge of lifting England’s Test cricket from “rock bottom” instead of a “cushy” role with the limited-overs side is what attracted Brendon McCullum to his first red-ball coaching job.McCullum was confirmed as England’s Test head coach on Thursday and will take up the position in time for the series against New Zealand next month after he concludes the current IPL season with Kolkata Knight Riders.He admitted that initially it was not a job he had given much thought to but as the interview process progressed the opportunity “kind of smacked me in the head.””I looked at the two roles, the white-ball didn’t interest me as such because the team is flying, one of the best teams in the world, they’ve got Eoin Morgan who is a very good friend of mine and I know has built a structure and system which will continue well after he finishes playing,” he told radio station SENZ.Related

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• McCullum on his coaching philosophy

• Timeline: McCullum's journey from NZ captain to England coach

“I wasn’t really interested in a cushy kind of gig, for me if you are prepared to change your life for something then it’s got to be something a bit grunty, a bit meaty, and the challenge of trying to bring a team which is rock bottom at the moment, and try and build something long term that is sustainable and successful, that is more where the challenge lay.”McCullum added that it was vital for the health of Test cricket that England, who have won just one of their last 17 matches, were strong in the format. The four-year deal he has signed will take him up to the end of the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia.”For me, Test cricket is on a downward trend in terms of its popularity and where it sits and while I’m lucky enough to have a career in franchise cricket and white-ball cricket, Test cricket is my real love,” he said. “If anyone is going to be able to reinvigorate Test cricket and get it popular again then it’s going to be England.”If you can be at the forefront of that by playing an attractive brand of cricket, play with a smile on your face and try to entertain, then Test cricket has a chance. Once you strip that out it was like, crikey, I’ve got to give this a chance if they think I’m the right person.”McCullum was excited about striking up a partnership with new captain Ben Stokes – jokingly noting that it was now two New Zealanders in charge of the Test team – and called the opportunity given to him “humbling”.”The way Ben Stokes plays the game is pretty similar to how I play and how I love coaching, which is to play with a bit of freedom and try and put pressure back on the opposition,” he said.However, it did not pass him by that there may be some strange feelings on the opening day of the first Test at Lord’s on June 2. “That’s going to be a little interesting, I will say that, but at the same time there’s something kind of cool about it too.”