Under-used asset should be picked to perform for free-to-air TV outing

Matt Roller24-Jun-2021Whatever Eoin Morgan’s views on fiscal policy, it is safe to assume he places limited faith in the free market.When Moeen Ali’s name was called at February’s IPL auction, it sparked a bidding war between Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings, fetching him a fee of Rs. 7 crore (£690,000 approx.). It proved that while Moeen has been surplus to requirements for England’s T20I side for more than nine months, there is still high demand for his services in the biggest T20 tournament in the world, where competition for one of the limited number of overseas slots is fierce.And Moeen’s performances in the six games he played before the IPL’s curtailment vindicated Chennai’s faith in him. Batting at No. 3, he made 206 runs in six innings with a strike rate of 157.25 – only Prithvi Shaw and AB de Villiers made more runs at a quicker rate. With the ball, he bowled two overs a game on average, taking five wickets and conceding a miserly 6.16 runs an over.In an England shirt, by contrast, Moeen has not been required for nine consecutive T20Is and there is every chance that streak will extend to 10 games in Cardiff on Thursday evening (though Morgan has hinted there will be a handful of changes). He has played in just 12 of England’s last 37 T20Is and while he is certain to be named in the squad for the T20 World Cup this autumn, the fact he went unused during the five-match series in India in March was proof that he has been overtaken by Sam Curran as the luxury pick at No. 7, afforded by Ben Stokes’ presence in the top six. In all formats, Moeen has played only four times for England in nine months.England’s explanation for his ongoing omission is simply that conditions haven’t suited him. Pitches in Cape Town, Paarl and Ahmedabad offered very little turn throughout the winter and Cardiff, the venue for their thumping eight-wicket on Wednesday night, has such short straight boundaries that Morgan has always been reticent to use spinners there, particularly from the River Taff End. In Liam Livingstone – preferred to Moeen at No. 6 in the first T20I – he has a batter who can bowl both offspin and legspin in the same over, versatility which Moeen does not offer.But that rationale demonstrates the disconnect between how Moeen is viewed at club and international level as a T20 player: England see him as a second spinner who adds to their batting depth; Worcestershire, Chennai and Multan Sultans use him as a top-order batter who also offers an extra spin option when required. His offspin has been used increasingly sparingly in T20Is – he bowled a single over in each of his last six appearances and has been relatively expensive – but Morgan still refers to him publicly as their second spinner. For all England’s batting riches, it seems like a waste of his ability with the bat.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe elephant in the room is Dawid Malan’s form, which has dipped sharply since a superb innings of 99 not out against South Africa at the start of December. There is little doubt that Malan – still ranked the world’s No. 1 T20I batter by the ICC – would be a good option at No. 3 in a World Cup in Australia, where hard, bouncy pitches suit his strengths square of the wicket and off the back foot, but with the T20 World Cup due to be played either in India or on used pitches in the UAE, that has limited relevance.Malan struggled in India in March, being dismissed three times in 39 balls against spin, and with his runs drying up in domestic white-ball cricket, he is averaging 24.35 with a strike rate of 111.95 across all T20s since the start of the Big Bash. England’s unparalleled batting depth means that innings of 25 off 20 balls are significantly more damaging than early failures or flashy cameos, and Moeen – a quick starter, and a clean hitter of spin – looks like the ideal candidate to replace him if his lean patch continues.There is no guarantee he would have made a significant score, but it is hard to imagine Moeen nudging his way to 7 off 14 balls as Malan did on Wednesday night while England were cruising to victory. And if Morgan needs reminding about Moeen’s worth in Cardiff, he need only cast his mind back to his only T20I appearance there in 2015, when he hit 72 not out off 46 balls from No. 3 then dismissed Glenn Maxwell with the first ball he bowled.There is a wider context to consider, too. Thursday’s second T20I is one of two England men’s games shown live by the BBC on free-to-air TV in the UK this summer, and through no real fault of their own, the white-ball side has had limited opportunity to connect with the public at large since their World Cup final win.Related

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The first T20I last night was their first game in front of a home crowd since that Lord’s final nearly two years ago, and with the vast majority of their careers stuck behind a paywall, their players will want to serve up a better spectacle than Wednesday night’s; even Jos Buttler and Jason Roy – perhaps the most destructive opening partnership in T20I cricket – could do little to liven things up with such a low target to chase. The fact that tonight’s match falls on the first rest day in the Euro 2020 schedule means the scope to draw in casual viewers is all the greater.There are two moves to make. The first is that if they win the toss, England should bat first regardless of the conditions on what is expected to be a used pitch. Not only would it give their batting line-up valuable experience of setting a total before this autumn’s World Cup, it would ensure there is a chance to show off their wealth of batting options.And the second is to pick Moeen, if not for Malan then for either Curran or Livingstone, whose brief spell on Wednesday proved that Cardiff does not have to be a graveyard for spinners. The demand for him in the IPL suggests he is wasted carrying drinks, and there are fewer better sights in the game than Moeen’s smooth flow while hitting down the ground – it would be a missed opportunity not to open it up to a significantly bigger audience than usual.

South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi and his bowling coach Charl Langeveldt look ahead to the home series against India

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-20216:37

Lungi Ngidi: ‘If we get a good start against India, we can hopefully keep that up against England and NZ next year’

Lungi Ngidi is ready to start again. Again.At 25, Ngidi has already come back from several potentially career-ending injuries and now enters a home summer with no competitive game time under his belt after five months on the sidelines. He opted out of South Africa’s tour to Sri Lanka for personal reasons, did not feature in any IPL and T20 World Cup matches, and most recently, got Covid just as the 2021-22 season began.”I was looking forward to the Netherlands [ODI] series and was really excited to get some cricket, but then I got Covid,” Ngidi says. “Day four and five was probably when I had the worst of it, but other than that, it wasn’t that bad for me and it hasn’t set me back in any way. It was basically just taking another week of rest.”Ngidi didn’t miss much, since the first match of the series against Netherlands was washed out and the other two postponed after concerns over a new coronavirus variant, Omicron.He last played internationals for South Africa on their tour of Ireland in July, and though he has played four Tests this year, he has not featured in any domestic first-class cricket, and only ten red-ball matches in the last two years (including six Tests).Related

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Considering Ngidi made his Test debut almost four years ago, it may seem surprising that he has only played ten Tests in all. That’s not entirely unusual in South Africa, though. Most of the modern greats are eased in – in the time Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn played ten each, South Africa had played 32 and 25 Tests respectively. The team has played 26 since Ngidi’s debut.But Ngidi probably would have played more had injury not ruled him out of five Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2018-19 and four against England in 2019-20.Since maintaining full fitness, he has played in all South Africa’s Tests, two against Sri Lanka and two against West Indies, and he was just starting to get his bowling loads up when he was kept warming the bench by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and by South Africa at the T20 World Cup.Ngidi says he understood his exclusion. “With teams using different combinations, someone has to miss out and it happened to be me, but if that’s what it takes for the team to win, then so be it.”With CSK, I think Josh [Hazlewood] was doing really well for the team, so you don’t want to mess with a winning formula. At the World Cup, we started off a bit shaky against Australia, but after that we were on fire, so you wouldn’t have messed with something like that.”He says he works in the nets “even more when we are not playing because the trainer actually gets his hands on us and we have more than enough time to spend with him”.

“As a sportsman you are always under pressure, for performances, for selection, and being stuck in a hotel room can really affect that, especially if it’s not going well”Ngidi on the mental-health challenges of playing in bubbles

South Africa’s bowling coach, Charl Langeveldt, wants Ngidi to bowl even more.”The big thing with Lungi is making sure he bowls a lot more than he used to, because he started playing international cricket a bit later than a guy like KG [Rabada],” Langeveldt says. “He went straight from school into first-class cricket, having played just 50-over cricket, and then suddenly having to play for four days, having to bowl a lot more overs and just being in the field, on his feet. The big thing is getting bowling-fit. That’s the key for Lungi. The more overs he bowls, the less niggles he gets.”In an age where bowling loads are monitored by the ball, Langeveldt’s push for Ngidi to bowl more may seem counterintuitive, but it works alongside a conditioning programme.”To have bowling, you need strength training, a good cardio base and to be bowling-fit, meaning he has to bowl overs,” Langeveldt says. “When he was at school, he used to play water polo and you can see he has got a big upper body, so we focus on the lower part of his body – legs, core, that’s key for him. Also, with Lungi being a lot taller [than other fast bowlers], the impact on his joints when he plays a Test match, especially, means he needs a lot more recovery. It’s about managing that.”Reading between the lines, it seems Ngidi may not be an automatic pick to start the summer as he works to get overs in his legs. Though he is among the incumbents, South Africa have eight fast bowlers to choose from.”We’ve got very good competition and I am really looking forward to it,” Ngidi says. “It pushes players. “I don’t think anyone can be comfortable in their spot at the moment.”While that type of discomfort is healthy, it adds to the difficulties professional sportspeople are already facing, limited to biosecure environments for weeks or months on end. Like so many others who have spoken about the mental-health challenges, Ngidi confirms he has also found some part of it tough.Ngidi has only played ten first-class games, including six Tests, since the start of 2019•Michael Steele/ICC/Getty Images”You try to find things you enjoy. Usually if you are having a tough tour, you can just get out of the hotel, have a nice dinner somewhere or just take a walk. Now all those things are taken away from us. You are pretty much around the guys 24/7,” he says.For Ngidi the best team-mate to live in a bubble with is Andile Phehlukwayo. “We get along really well. We’ve been playing cricket together since we were 13. I understand him as a person; he gets me.”And the worst? “[Tabraiz] Shamsi,” Ngidi says, laughing. “He is always up for a chat and he is really into his gaming at the moment, so sometimes I can hear him from his room just walking down the corridors and that will probably get on my nerves a bit.”Neither Phehlukwayo nor Shamsi is part of the Test squad, so Ngidi will have to find other company for the series against India, and he doesn’t expect it to be entirely easy.”The main thing is to find something that helps you kind of forget or release the pressure a bit. It is difficult, as much as people may not understand, as a sportsman you are always under pressure, for performances, for selection, and being stuck in a hotel room can really affect that, especially if it’s not going well. Those four walls start to really close in on you.”I have full respect for anybody who pulls out of a tour because mentally they feel like they cannot handle it. I probably have felt that at some stage but it didn’t get to the point where I was ready to go home. It does affect you a bit. We find different ways to release the pressure.”And pressure there will be plenty of. This is the first series South Africa will play in the 2021-23 cycle of the World Test Championship, and it is already being talked up as a defining one for this generation of players. There is no one remaining from the team that won the Test mace in 2012, leaving this group with a completely clean slate to work from.”A tour like this can really get the ball rolling in the right direction,” Ngidi says. “The processes we are following now are putting us in a good position to compete in this Test Championship [cycle]. We’ve been speaking about a rebuilding phase, but I think it’s coming together.”We’ve got a good crop of players now and we are experimenting a bit with different combinations for different conditions, so I think those brave decisions are putting us in a better position and we are actually getting the results. I don’t think we can ever stop saying we are rebuilding, but I think we are past that stage now. We’ve got the momentum going and we kind of know which direction we want to take South African cricket.”In the direction where they can start again.

Lahore 1987, Lord’s 1999, St Lucia 2010… Australia knew how to break Pakistan in World Cups

Danyal Rasool12-Nov-2021The Pakistan players are on their knees, some sprawled on the ground, all of them shattered after the cruel finality with which Australia – of course it’s Australia – have aborted their campaign prematurely. Imran Khan rambles on sometimes, but now he chooses his words carefully: “To Babar Azam & the team: I know exactly how all of you are feeling right now bec[ause] I have faced similar disappointments on the cricket field,” he tweeted. He knew what he was talking about.It might sound a bit platitudinous but that is the current prime minister of Pakistan actually baring a bit of his soul. He doesn’t follow cricket with any great interest anymore; he hasn’t for a decade. But it’s likely the memories of the 1987 World Cup semi-final were swirling around in his head after Thursday’s game, awakened generations after he thought he had put them to rest.Watch cricket live on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the USA. Match highlights of the second semi-final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

That was what Imran, at that time, thought would be his final World Cup, and Pakistan were well on their way to the final. They were up against Australia, who should have held no special fear for that Pakistan side, not in Lahore, not in 1987. Imran himself was in splendid form, the pick of the bowlers, but as captain he ended up leaving an off-colour Saleem Jaffar to bowl the 50th over. Steve Waugh plundered 18 runs off it.Four hours later, Pakistan lost by 18 runs.

****

There was just one link between that Pakistan side and the one in 1999, when Pakistan took Australia on in the World Cup final. Wasim Akram was captain now, and he won the toss and opted to bat.This was a different kind of heartbreak. Pakistan and Australia had played one out a classic in the group stage, where Akram had broken the game open at the death, powering Pakistan to a pulsating ten-run win. In the final, Pakistan were cut to ribbons by Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath in what remains, in terms of balls remaining, the most one-sided knockout game in World Cup history. Australia won with almost 30 overs to spare. Against, arguably, Pakistan’s most gifted white-ball side.But it was the 2010 T20 World Cup semi-final – Michael Hussey vs Saeed Ajmal – that really defined the build-up to this latest one, a game that brought that historical heartache to the T20 generation, and the 21st century. That was a game Pakistan controlled for 39 of the 40 overs, only for Hussey to send Ajmal into the stands three times in that final over to send Australia into raptures, and Pakistan back home.Michael Hussey targeted Saeed Ajmal in the final over of the 2010 T20 World Cup semi-final•Clive Rose/Getty ImagesIf those memories had been on Babar Azam’s mind, he would have hoped to avoid them, on Thursday evening in Dubai, especially when, as in St Lucia, Australia won the toss and opted to field.This has been a T20 World Cup defined by the numbers, the extensive data-driven approach finally given the inclusive embrace it deserved. Pakistan, one of the latest adopters of the revolution, have benefited. On the night, even where the match-ups might have indicated otherwise, Pakistan, somehow, seemed to be edging the big moments. Fakhar Zaman took on Australia’s best death bowler and hammered 27 in seven balls to close out Pakistan’s innings at 176, the highest first-innings total in Dubai all tournament.Aaron Finch, as Shane Watson reminded everyone from the commentary box, averaged 173 against left-arm pace, but was trapped in front first ball by Shaheen Shah Afridi.David Warner had seen off the early hostility and looked imperious against Pakistan’s slower bowlers, greeting both Mohammad Hafeez’s double-bouncing first ball and Shadab Khan’s first with sixes.Shaheen Afridi sent back Aaron Finch in the first over of the chase•ICC via GettyWarner had little reason to fear Shadab, he hadn’t been dismissed by a legspinner all year. But he then appeared to nick Shadab through to Mohammad Rizwan and walked, another numbers-defying turn as the game twisted and turned to its climax. The irony as Australia coach Justin Langer’s face appeared on the big screen was delicious: in a famous chase against Pakistan in Hobart in 1999, Langer had been reprieved by the umpire after clearly edging behind; he famously went on to blame a “clicky bat handle”.

****

Here now, Pakistan were on top. The little scraps of fortune and the inherent randomness of knockout matches in T20 cricket were falling Pakistan’s way, and we’re not even getting into the impregnable numbers Pakistan did have on their side. Until Thursday, they had only lost two games defending a higher total in T20Is, and never in the UAE. Indeed, they sat pretty on a 16-match T20I winning streak in the UAE; the last time they lost here in this format, Babar was yet to play a single T20I.However, those aren’t numbers that felt like they matter in a fixture that, from a Pakistan perspective, history seems to cast a long, cursed shadow upon. The only numbers going around in a loop across Pakistan were 1987, 1999, and of course, 2010. Three generations of Pakistan cricket followers have at least one story to tell about World Cup heartbreak at Australia’s hands. And when you have been holding on to trauma that long and deep-seated, no amount of favourable Afridi match-ups at the death are likely to comfort you. The only match-up that matters is Australia vs Pakistan in a knockout game, and it doesn’t favour Pakistan.

****

Pakistan’s reputation of unpredictability carries the concomitant implications of carefree, uncomplicated cricket that doesn’t dwell too much on the past, but this fixture gives the lie to that myth. As Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade struck up that wondrous sixth-wicket partnership to plot, and complete, the heist, Pakistan’s fielders looked gripped by a sort of angst absent earlier, over five-and-a-half matches. Long before Pakistan missed run-out chance after run-out chance to leave Australia alive in the contest, Pakistan played as if aware of the weight of history against them. Indeed, long before Hasan Ali conceded 12 and 15 in his last two overs – and dropped the Wade catch that will likely make him the scapegoat – Pakistan looked like a team that wanted to get over the line, rather than one that knew what it had to do to do it.Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade’s joy knew no bounds as they completed a heist•Getty ImagesA slightly wayward bit of fielding at fine leg had seen Babar, normally composed in the field, lose his temper and remonstrate sharply with nobody in particular, while any boundary would be followed up by lengthy crowded huddles around the bowler’s run-up. Pakistan were firmly on top, but Hussey or Waugh or Warne, in some form, seemed to be pulling this game’s strings.So when Afridi was brought on for that penultimate over, the game still hung in the balance, but by now Australia’s conviction almost felt palpable. Eleven years ago, when Pakistan had brought on their best bowler against a middle-order finisher, Hussey had gone 6, 6, 4, 6 to put Ajmal on his knees. Wade went one better, following that reprieve with three sixes to seal the game, and passing on that old trauma to yet another generation of Pakistani cricket followers.Related

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Lahore 1987, Lord’s 1999, St Lucia 2010, and even Hobart and Sydney – 1999 and 2010 respectively – each broke Pakistan cricket in their own unique ways. And Pakistan cricket never really healed because it was easier to pretend they had never been broken in the first place. And so Australia knew how to break Pakistan again and again.Dubai 2021 is another one to add to a catalogue that Pakistan will try to shove away to the back of the mind. One day, they will hope to close that catalogue, for good. Until then, though, that grip Australia have over Pakistan in World Cups will only grow tighter, straddling the length of the country, right up to the prime minister’s doorstep.

One took four wickets, the other made 79 – but the contest between the two was the highlight of the day

Danyal Rasool22-Mar-2022If you’re a cricket fan who grew up in the ’90s, you have a certain view of the kind of cricket fan you are. You think you’re hip, fairly progressive, and young, unlike those who can’t seem to stop going on about how cricket used to be back in their day. Until you watch Naseem Shah bowl to Cameron Green on day two in Lahore.They are 19 and 22 respectively, part of the generation that will probably look upon the fan of the ’90s with the same benign condescension you probably reserved for the one that came before. But it’s perhaps why this particular match-up feels right up your alley. There’s Pakistani pace, Australian resistance, and above all, outrageous reverse swing. All the signs of Green’s nascent career suggest he could be a fixture in Australia’s middle order for several years, and Pakistan have found out why over this series. While across the first two Tests, the lasting impression he left came with the ball, here, unbeaten on 79 and having dragged Australia out of a slightly sticky situation overnight, he has shown that his batting is equally prodigious.But after a morning of what felt like aimless meandering for Pakistan, Babar Azam, of course, turned to Naseem with the old ball. The first ball to Green, whose technique had looked inviolable all morning, snaked in sharply off a length, looking to hone in on off stump like a guided missile. Green hunched his 1.98m frame just in time to keep it out, a thick inside edge saving him.Related

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Green had his wake-up call, and while Naseem repeated the feat with his next three deliveries, it was time for the Western Australian to demonstrate his defensive solidity. Perfect head position, proactive footwork, assured blocks. So Naseem went again, this time pushing his length ever so slightly forward. It forced Green forward, and the banana inswing he was generating by now zipped through the tiny gap Naseem had drawn with the forensic precision of a key into a lock. That off stump could be shielded no longer.”The pitch was slow and the ball wasn’t quite pinging off the surface,” Naseem said after the day’s play. “But when you put effort into it, you managed to get reverse.”My plan was to keep things tight and keep bowling in the right areas. I’ve worked on bowling with the old ball. When you bowl with the old ball, your line and length gets corrected and your speed doesn’t dip. It’s given me the opportunity to reverse swing the ball. It’s a very difficult skill because you have to grip the ball a certain way. So much so that it gave me problems with my run-up initially.”It gives me a lot of joy to perform with Shaheen [Shah Afridi]. We played together against Bangladesh in Pindi and then Sri Lanka in Karachi. It was a good combination, and we combined to take four each here, too.”Green made 79, his highest overseas score, before being bowled by Naseem•AFP/Getty ImagesShaheen, who like Naseem, would finish with four wickets for the innings, said the bowlers were looking to the 19-year old as an example for how to bowl with the ageing ball. Shaheen, among the best new-ball bowlers in the world, is still coming to grips with handling a ball once the shine wears off, which has happened especially quickly this series. That has meant the ball reversing sometimes as early as the 20th over, expanding Naseem’s importance to a side he suddenly looks an irreplaceable part of, particularly while Hasan Ali works on regaining his form and confidence.”We bowled well as a unit,” Shaheen said. “If you bowl in the right areas, you can get wickets. There isn’t much help with the new ball, but if you can reverse the ball well, you can get results, and the way Naseem bowled deserves a lot of credit. He’s improved his game a lot and he’s promising for Pakistan cricket’s future. We all hope to bowl as well as Naseem did this innings.”But perhaps the most satisfying doff of the cap came from the man Naseem had bested in that enthralling, five-ball duel. Green looked completely untroubled by every other bowler Pakistan deployed against him, having seemingly put his side on course for a secure first-innings total. While 391 might still have put Australia out of danger – they have never lost a Test against Pakistan after posting as many in the first innings – Naseem ensured Australia couldn’t quite pull away. Green called his action “perfect for these conditions” and lauded his consistency.”He bowled really well all day,” Green said. “He was getting the ball to reverse pretty largely both ways. Unfortunately, just lack of concentration when you’ve been batting out there for a while. I thought I saw the ball go away from me, but it came back in. That’s kind of what you face over here. He bowled beautifully. Obviously, his action is perfect for these conditions. When it’s not bouncing much you just keep attacking the pegs and he was so consistent. Credit to him.”It was a day when proceedings developed a touch stodgily, bar that little spell triggered by Naseem’s wonder over to Australia’s boy wonder. Bails flew, and a young Pakistani bowler with luxuriant hair reeled away in celebration as an opposition lower order was skittled out. The man born in 2003 had made it feel like it was the ’90s all over again.

The Gujarat Titans coach talks about the franchise’s auction strategy, the building of the squad and what he expects from the team’s first IPL season

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi27-Mar-20223:23

Nehra: ”The most important thing in IPL is how you react in pressure situations and close games’

Gujarat Titans went into the IPL mega auction having picked Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill as the core of the team, but came out of the auction with a squad that appears thin on paper. Their head coach, former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra, disagrees, and believes his team can be a contender.This is Nehra’s second coaching stint, after two seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore. His colleagues at Titans, mentor Gary Kirsten and team director Vikram Solanki, have all worked together previously at RCB in 2019. In this interview Nehra lays out Titans’ strengths, the vision for the franchise, and reaffirms his belief in Pandya, who is making his captaincy debut.You were previously with a well-established team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, where you were bowling coach, whereas this time you start from scratch. Does this make you excited, nervous, or both?

I would say more excited. I am more excited this time because here we are talking about a team where you can start everything from scratch, and getting a team after retaining three players at a big auction.I would say it’s good to be nervous. It’s good to be under pressure. When you talk about any sportsperson, when there’s pressure on you, you always excel.RCB was completely different, but that was also great learning, great fun. There were so many things we learned from there that we can use here.Related

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What would you say is the key strength of Gujarat Titans?
The most important thing is the kind of squad we’ve got: we have a mix of youth and experienced guys, and you’re looking to build a team for the next few years. Yes, IPL is that kind of a tournament [in which] from year one you would like to do well, and you can do well because everybody has the same purse. We have enough allrounders, we have a good bowling unit, we have a young, exciting captain. There will be things over a period of time we will learn, but right now if somebody asked me, “Are you happy with your squad?”, I’m very pleased the way things have gone.Titans’ auction strategy was a bit curious. You bid for 37 players and bought 20. Only Royal Challengers bid for fewer players (35).
We didn’t go to the auction thinking that so and so is a must and we are willing to pay anything for him. There were a few franchises that went in with that mindset and they had that requirement because they wanted their previous players. But other teams also wanted them, which meant the price went really high. Our mindset was not like that because there were so many good players in the auction and also there were ten teams. We are happy with our squad, as we got what we wanted. If you go into the auction or the field with a clear mindset, the chances of you doing well are better.

“IPL is the kind of a tournament in which from year one you can do well because everybody has the same purse”

At the same time you also bid hard for Ishan Kishan, Kagiso Rabada, Shreyas Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Mitchell Marsh and T Natarajan, but pulled out eventually. Why did you not go full throttle?
We had already retained three players. Two of those players, Hardik Pandya and Rashid Khan, I had paid Rs 15 crore (about US$2 million) for, and Rs 8 crore ($1.06m) for Shubman Gill. Yes, I would have liked to have all of these guys but we have only so much money. For example, for Washington Sundar or Shreyas Iyer, we were ready to go up to a certain price. [But] we are talking about a team sport. Yes, you need match-winners, you need players with that X-factor, but there’s a price to it. Then we got Lockie Ferguson, Jason Roy and Mohammed Shami. Club them with the three players we had retained, then build a team around this group.Would it be fair to describe your squad as thin on experience on paper, but which also allows you, as a coach, to build towards something new?
I would not say that. Somebody else also asked this question. I said, “What is on paper?” You look to make a good team at the auction, but at the same time there are players who you [the franchise] believe in. Everyone’s thinking and mindset are different. I don’t see it as thin on paper from any angle. When you look at our bowling, there is experience in Shami, Rashid and Ferguson. We have the experience of Matthew Wade or David Miller. Even Gill is an experienced guy. He might be 22, but this will be his fifth IPL. You can count on your fingers five to six guys with so much experience. Pandya too. He first played in the IPL in 2016, and now in 2022 he is the captain of a franchise and one of the bigger-name players in cricket. He has never led in the past.
There are two sides to a coin. If you have an experienced captain, things work differently. But everyone has to start somewhere. When Gary Kirsten took charge of the Indian team as head coach, it was not like he had been coaching prior to that for five years. Or when MS Dhoni took charge as Indian captain, it was not like he had been leading Jharkhand for a good four to six years. Hardik Pandya might not have captained previously, but both of us will learn from each other as we start spending more time together during the season. He is very excited and very positive. He is taking it as a very big responsibility. At the jersey launch he said a very nice thing: “I have been talking to all my players and I’m just telling them, a win is yours and a loss is mine.” So I told him that we want to give you responsibility, yes, but it shouldn’t become a burden. It should be enjoyment coupled with responsibility. I am not someone who will judge everything only by the results. The teams that have kept their process proper, gelled well, have had a good work ethic, kept things simple, have been successful more often than not. We want to follow a similar approach.”We didn’t go into the auction thinking, ‘We must get this player and we are willing to pay anything'”•BCCIHardik has now got the opportunity to be captain of Gujarat Titans in his home state. It is a win-win situation for everyone. In all my conversations I have not seen him once being stressed or talking about captaincy being a burden. He is ready to take up the challenge. More than ready; he is very willing.You could see that at Mumbai Indians or for India, Pandya was always in the ear of Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma.
But this time there will be people in his ears ().Will you be the first one?
Yes, we are here to make the strategy and help him, but he has to make his own decisions. He has to express himself. He is someone who has just taken charge, he will learn things over a period of time. So many times you take decisions on the spur of the moment and later realise you could have done things better.One could be [the kind of] person who does not say anything or just says only that much. But I prefer having a good discussion with mutual understanding and respect. That is most important, and then you can have discussions. Not only when you are losing; I’m someone who, even if we are winning the games, wants to see what else we can do better.You had a short camp recently in Baroda with a few players, including Pandya. He said he wants to keep it a surprise, but where is he in terms of his bowling?
When I saw him in Baroda, he was good, bowling around 80%. That was a few weeks back and he was feeling really comfortable. Since then he went to the NCA [for his fitness test] and has been practising non-stop. He has used this word, “surprise”, once or twice, so I jokingly asked him, “What is this surprise? For me the only surprise can be if you are bowling 145-plus. Apart from that, what is the surprise?”What did he say?
He said nothing. To be realistic, if he can bowl around 134-135kph-mark – he has the heavy ball, has a lot of experience – he is more than an asset if he can bowl, be it for India, for the franchise, or himself. But from day one I have been saying, in any T20 squad, I will take Hardik Pandya as a pure batter. As far as our franchise is concerned, I am looking at him more as a captain and batsman. And maybe that is why he is saying [his bowling] is a “surprise”.

“The teams that have kept their process proper, gelled well, have had a good work ethic, keep things simple, have been successful more often than not in the IPL. Gujarat Titans want to follow a similar approach”

How much of a concern is it that two key players, Pandya, and Gill, who is likely to open and is one of your main batters, have not played cricket for several months?
I wouldn’t say it is a concern. We are having a preparatory camp right now where we look to play two to three practice games. More game time is always better for somebody who is coming back from injury. With these two guys, they just need a game or two and they will settle in quickly.And Pandya will be your middle-order lynchpin?
Unless he wants to open (). Yes, he is a middle-order batter, but in IPL, based on the situation or some condition, you might also see him bat at No. 3.What role do you want Gill to perform? At Kolkata Knight Riders there was debate about him and his strike rate. But here, is he the main specialist batter?
When you discuss strike rate in T20, it all depends on the conditions and the match situation. Sometimes that strike rate is good for certain grounds, for a certain player of a certain team. You are talking about his strike rate of 130-135 [123.00]. Majority of the guys, even Virat Kohli [129.94] or Rohit Sharma [130.30], are around 130-135, if I am not wrong. Here you are talking about Gill, who is 22. He is only going to get better. He had a great three-four years with KKR. But from our side it is not only about the numbers – that your strike rate has to be this [much]. I mean, there can be a turning wicket and it could be only a 130-run game and he scores a 50-ball fifty… you have to consider such things and then analyse.On some days he can be the aggressor. At a ground like Wankhede, the par score is 180-190, and teams are chasing that easily.For a batter, the quicker you understand [the situation] that is the most important thing. One is the player’s skill and the other part is to assess the situation better. Shubman Gill is great at doing that. On these grounds you might see a different Gill with a strike rate of 140, 145, 150, who knows, on some days. Or if it is a slow wicket, you will have him scoring at a strike rate of 100, which could be a match-winning innings.Gujarat Titans team director Vikram Solanki (left) and captain Hardik Pandya at the team’s jersey launch•Gujarat TitansIs Rashid the vice-captain?
We have not decided that yet. But the value Rashid Khan brings as a player and what he brings to the table and the kind of person he is, I don’t think I can explain in words, or I don’t think I need to.In terms of options is it a bit of a concern that barring Rashid there are not many experienced bowlers in the middle overs?
No. We have Rahul Tewatia. And then you have Hardik Pandya. We have Lockie. We have Shami. Then we can play another fast bowler. We have the choice of playing R Sai Kishore. We have the choice of Jayant Yadav. Vijay Shankar is there, if needed. We have seven-eight bowling options. I have seen teams in the IPL playing with five or six bowling options with just four pure bowlers. We have the luxury of going in with five pure bowlers, and I count Rashid as an allrounder.In T20 you have always followed the mantra that a team needs good bowlers who can bowl well upfront and also at the death. Guess that role is fulfilled by Shami and Ferguson for you?
They are strike bowlers. Shami, I have always valued him. As a strike bowler he looks to take wickets upfront, which is a huge bonus in any format. And Lockie, again, who can bowl anywhere, he has got pace and how. That’s why he got that kind of a price. And he has been an X-factor player wherever he has played, especially for New Zealand.Shami has been in the form of his life. How excited are you to work with him?
I have played with him in my last few years. In the last three or four years the kind of experience and the kind of maturity he has shown… the two fast bowlers in India we always discuss are Shami and [Jasprit] Bumrah. And it is not one or two series. The kind of fitness he has shown, the kind of long spells he has shown [he can bowl], it is really exciting to see. The price we got him for was a steal. And if he had gone for more, we definitely would have tried to push for that also, I can say that.For this team he is a senior pro. The last couple of years, when he was playing for Punjab [Kings], he has bowled a few Super Overs, he struck early even in high-scoring games. He is someone that a guy like Varun Aaron, who has played for India previously, or even a young guy like Yash Dayal, will look up to.

“From day one I have been saying, in any T20 squad, I will take Hardik Pandya as a pure batter. As far our franchise is concerned, I am looking at him more as a captain and batsman”

He is not your conventional T20 bowler, but at the death he was one of the better bowlers in the last IPL. And he does not use slower balls, he just sticks to his strengths.
That is very important, not just for a bowler, even for a batter. First things first, you need to see what your strengths are, and then you look to improve and do new things. Shami and I are on similar wavelengths – we keep things simple. The good thing with Shami is, he knows his strength and that strength works for him. That’s what you call experience.Shami is an aggressive bowler, a wicket-taker. Even Lockie. They should stick to their strengths. They are not people who just want to bowl two overs for less runs, because the team is looking at them to pick up wickets. That should be their main aim. We are talking about two experienced guys. I’m sure they know what to do and how to do it.The first season is all about finding your feet. What kind of approach do you want Titans to adopt?
I am not sure [if I agree with] finding feet, that it’s okay, we are a new franchise, we’ll give our players two or three years and slowly we’ll start qualifying [for the playoffs]. In the end every franchise had an equal purse to make a team, and we were lucky enough to retain those three players. Of course, it takes a little time, the way things are with Covid and all that, to gel [as a group]. But from year one, you should be looking to win the tournament. As a team you must always think positive. It is not like Gujarat Titans has come up with a completely new team, where out of 20, 15 players have never played IPL or international cricket. Then you can say that [about finding feet]. All these guys have been part of the IPL and have also played international cricket.Over a period of time, consistency is the main thing in the IPL – what you have done in the last five years, how your team has shaped up, that’s the key. For that, of course, you have to start from year one.Are CVC, Titans’ owners, on the same page? Do they agree with your vision?
I hope so, that’s why they got me ().”We have a good, young squad, we have X-factor players – I don’t think as a coach I can ask for more than this”•Gujarat TitansIt’s been really smooth, considering we are a new franchise. When you have Vikram Solanki and Gary Kirsten as mentor and an experienced guy like Aashish Kapoor [assistant coach] who has worked in the IPL, it has made my life easy. From where it started and in so little time, it has been phenomenal.So the owners have left the cricketing decisions to all of you?
Yeah. More than 100%, which is great.Corporate set-ups work towards targets. Have they set a target for the coaching staff?
I don’t think they need to set any target. As I explained earlier, it is the players who want to win the most. The owners understand that very well, and they have seen in the last few months the thinking of the support staff and players and where they want to take the team. Yes, they also would like us to win, and they have seen us working for long hours to achieve that goal.What are the few key things Titans need to do to build a winning rhythm and stay consistent?
The most important thing in the IPL is how you react in pressure situations and in close games. Those two points are key [to success]. I am not saying that our aim is only to qualify, but if you want to go step by step [for playoffs], you should know how to win those close games and how to make fewer mistakes. This team has so much talent, but you have to be patient and you have to work together. In the IPL, if I’m not wrong, around 75% games go really close; I would say around 50-60% games go to the 20th over. It is for the players to understand those situations and what the team needs at that point of time.

India batter shrugs off Bevan comparisons as he works on becoming whatever his team needs

Shashank Kishore08-Feb-20221:22

Suryakumar Yadav: ‘We are going to bat the same way we did in the last game’

“Michael Bevan, huh?”Suryakumar Yadav laughed off the suggestion that “people had started labelling him as a finisher”, just like the former Australia batter.”Sir, I’ve just played five games. Or maybe seven,” he responded with a grin. “Let me remain Suryakumar Yadav (laughs). Whatever number I can bat, whatever situation I am in, if I can make the team win from there, that will be my focus. But I want to be fearless as I am, always.”On Sunday, Suryakumar walked in after India had lost 3 for 31 following a bruising batting performance from Rohit Sharma in an 84-run opening stand. They had just lost Virat Kohli and Rohit in the same over. Then, three overs later, Ishan Kishan holed out to deep square leg.Between the two dismissals, Suryakumar received friendly banter from his IPL mate. “Show us those flicks you play in the IPL,” Kieron Pollard is believed to have said.”I didn’t get a chance to sledge him though, he was in a hurry,” Suryakumar laughed.When in full flow, Suryakumar can be a head turner. He has a 360-degree game that is a result of years of trying. It has helped that he is no longer the insecure “always having to prove a point” cricketer, riddled with self-doubt and anger.Related

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Now he can arch back and ramp the ball over third man if it’s short. Walk across and scoop it over short fine if its full. Even hook his first ball for six, like he did off Jofra Archer in international cricket.From a generic IPL and domestic player who was yo-yo’ed up and down the batting order since 2011, Suryakumar has conditioned his game to the extent that he is seen as a middle order lynchpin for whichever team he plays for.He can shun the itch to be inventive. He can temper his game to milk runs. He can stem early damage, play the middle-order enforcer, or take on the mantle of a finisher. With India having lost four wickets, a combination of these traits was on show as he made a polished unbeaten 34 to kill the chase alongside debutant Deepak Hooda.”Things were really clear, he (Hooda) has played a lot of domestic cricket, so he knew the situation really well,” Suryakumar said. “We were having little conversations and setting little goals (in our partnership). His confidence was spot on though.”Suryakumar’s composure and reading of situations have made him more complete. So complete that he is now seen as a back-up middle order batter in the Test squad, apart from being a regular in the white-ball set up.It has been a remarkable transformation for the 31-year-old, who two years ago began to wonder if the India cap would bypass him. But he didn’t lose hope. “I strongly feel I’m going to push the door this year,” he said and that’s what he did, at every available opportunity.Having made the batting switch, he is now regularly turning his arm over in the nets too. India are looking for a top-six batter who can also bowl. Suryakumar may not be there yet but he’s never been one to miss a chance to contribute to his team.”I’m bowling in the nets,” he said with a smile. “Whenever the opportunity comes, I’ll be ready. Whenever they feel they can use me, I’m always available.”

And who holds the record for the most consecutive Tests at the end of which his average has gone up?

Steven Lynch18-Jan-2022 Who holds the record for the most consecutive Tests at the end of which his average has gone up? And what about the opposite record – average going down? asked Muhammad Hashir Hassan Khan from Pakistan

Two batters share the record for improving their batting average in the most successive Tests. Brian Close did so in 11 consecutive matches for England leading up to August 1963, and he was followed by Sarfaraz Ahmed of Pakistan, in 11 in a row to November 2014. Four players improved their average in ten successive Tests: another Pakistani, Mudassar Nazar (up to January 1983), Mike Gatting of England (up to August 1985), the South African fast bowler Andre Nel (to April 2006), and Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews (to December 2014).The opposite statistic was being discussed during the just-completed South Africa-India series, as both Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli seemed to be in ever-decreasing circles, and went into the third Test in Cape Town after 14 successive matches in which their averages had gone down. Kohli stopped the rot at Newlands, but Rahane made it 15 in a row. Only Zimbabwe’s Grant Flower lies ahead – his average dropped in 16 successive Tests leading up to November 2000. Five others match Kohli in going 14 Tests with a declining average: John Edrich (to August 1972), Darren Gough (July 1997) and Alastair Cook (July 2014) for England, Mark Greatbatch of New Zealand (October 1995) and Pakistan’s Azhar Mahmood (May 2001).Scott Boland finished the recent series with 18 wickets at less than ten apiece. Was this a record for the Ashes? asked Peter Daniels from Australia

Australia’s incredibly impressive newcomer Scott Boland finished with 18 wickets at 9.55. Only four men have had a lower average in an Ashes series in which they took more than 12 wickets – and all of them were in the 19th century, when pitches were less trustworthy and batting techniques more rudimentary – although some might say England’s haven’t improved much since then!Top of the list is the Yorkshire and England slow left-armer Bobby Peel, who took 24 wickets at 7.54 in the three-Test Ashes series of 1888. Another left-arm spinner, Lancashire’s Johnny Briggs, took 17 at 7.76 in 1886. The Surrey seamer George Lohmann claimed 16 at 8.56 in Australia in 1886-87, while his Australian opposite number Charles “Terror” Turner had 17 at 9.47 in the same low-scoring series (the highest total in the two Tests was 184).Just behind Boland comes the Surrey and England offspinner Jim Laker, who reaped no fewer than 46 wickets in the 1956 Ashes series at an average of 9.60. That included 19 victims – the Test record – in the fourth match at Old Trafford. No other bowler has averaged under ten in an Ashes series in which they took at least 13 wickets: England’s Richard Ellison comes next, with 17 at 10.88 in the last two matches in 1985.Has there ever been an instance of more than one batsman being dismissed for a pair in the same Test match? asked CJ Marland from New Zealand

There have been four Test matches to date in which three batters from the same side have bagged a pair. The first was in Auckland in 1954-55, in the match in which New Zealand slumped to 26 all out against England, the lowest total in Test history: Matt Poore, Ian Colquhoun (a king pair) and John Hayes were all out for 0 in both innings.It happened next to England, against Australia in Adelaide in 1974-75, when Dennis Amiss, Derek Underwood and Geoff Arnold all bagged pairs, then to Pakistan against Australia in Perth in 1978-79 (Majid Khan, Wasim Bari and Sikander Bakht). The most recent occasion came in Chandigarh in 1990-91, when Marvan Atapattu, Rumesh Ratnayake and Graeme Labrooy all made two noughts for Sri Lanka against India. There have been exactly 50 other Tests in which two members of the same side bagged a pair.There is one other Test that contained three: at Headingley in 2014, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dhammika Prasad bagged pairs for Sri Lanka, while Jimmy Anderson collected one for England (his second innings nonetheless lasted 81 minutes and 55 balls, and Sri Lanka won when he was dismissed by the fifth delivery of the last possible over). There are 18 further Tests in which a batter from both sides collected a pair.Paul Stirling (left) has a little over 600 runs more than team-mate Kevin O’Brien in T20Is•ICC via GettyKevin O’Brien is on the verge of completing 2000 runs for Ireland in T20Is. Has anyone from a non-mainstream country made more? asked Sean Griffiths from Ireland

Kevin O’Brien has so far scored 1973 runs for Ireland in T20Is, which puts him in 15th place on the overall list. His compatriot Paul Stirling is above him – he’s currently sixth on the list with 2606 runs. Just above O’Brien at the moment is Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan, with 2015 runs. All the others with more runs come from long-established Test nations. It remains to be seen whether O’Brien will add to his tally. His 38th birthday is fast approaching, and he was omitted from Ireland’s T20I squad for their recent matches in the United States.Apparently one of the relations of England’s new wicketkeeper Sam Billings is a world champion – in what sport? asked Robin Downing from England

The Kent wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings received England cap No. 700 before the last Ashes Test in Hobart. Slightly confusingly, he’s actually the 699th man to play an official Test for England; the Glamorgan opener Alan Jones was recently presented with cap number 696 by the ECB, to mark his one and only appearance for England, against the strong Rest of the World side at Lord’s in 1970.Billings’ cousin, Tom, has been the world champion is the sport of rackets (sometimes spelled racquets) since 2019, when he won the title in Detroit. He succeeded Bermuda’s James Stout, who had beaten him in the 2017 final. For more details about Tom, click here.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

The world’s leading limited-overs bowler talks about wanting to win a World Cup, her approach to left-arm spin, and her ambition of batting at No. 7 for England

Annesha Ghosh24-Jun-2022″It funny to think I started as a seamer,” says Sophie Ecclestone, the No. 1-ranked bowler in women’s ODIs and T20Is.”Funnier even to see how much has changed since I was 16-17 when I made my senior debut [for Lancashire] and for England. I’m really happy [the way] I’m going. It has, honestly, been a great career for me so far and, hopefully, I can continue that with so much cricket to look forward to now.”Top-ranking, a century of international caps, and a rapid climb to sixth spot on England’s all-time wicket-takers’ chart, Chester-born Ecclestone has ticked boxes by age 23 that many cricketers only dream of checking by the end of their careers. But after having twice finished on runners-up sides in two World Cups, Ecclestone says she is mindful of the distinction that eludes her.”A massive one for me is that, as a team with me in it, I have not really won a major trophy yet.”Ecclestone was part of the England sides that were losing finalists to Australia in the 2018 T20 World Cup in West Indies and the 2022 ODI World Cup in New Zealand. Prior to those, in 2017, Ecclestone had come very close to featuring in a World Cup-winning England team, but in the end she watched the team’s title-clinching victory from the stands at Lord’s.Related

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“I had to get my A-levels [exams] out of the way, so I couldn’t be available for the World Cup squad selection, which was a hard thing to digest initially,” remembers Ecclestone, who even bowled to the team in the nets ahead of the final against India.When the next ODI World Cup came around, Ecclestone’s imprint on England’s campaign was unmissable. Spinning her way to the top the wickets chart, she finished the tournament just two shy of equalling Lyn Fullston’s all-time record of 23 wickets from the 1982 edition.”I was in the crowd watching last time in 2017, so to be playing in the 2022 World Cup final was quite a big thing for me,” Ecclestone says.”It was disappointing to not be able to retain the title, but that World Cup was still an amazing experience for me: to get all those wickets and reach the final and for the team to get there because we had lost three games at the start.”Ecclestone had a solid hand in England’s spectacular turnaround from a winless start to a five-match unbeaten streak leading into the final. During that undefeated patch in the league stage, she took three back-to-back three-wicket hauls, and followed them up with a career-best 6 for 36 in the semi-final.0:54

Ecclestone on going from playing cricket for enjoyment to doing it professionally

“I didn’t think of it much as a semi-final,” she says of that fixture against South Africa, in which her figures eclipsed team-mate Anya Shrubsole’s 6 for 46 from the 2017 World Cup final as the best in a women’s World Cup knockout. “I told myself I should just keep it simple and enjoy it.”I play my best cricket, I am at my best when I enjoy it, so when I came out with 6 for 36 – that doesn’t come around very often in a World Cup semi-final, never mind playing for England – I was so happy with that, and reaching the final was very pleasing.”Being mindful of not “overcomplicating” her bowling has been a key ingredient in her success, she explains: “Keeping it simple is a massive thing for me because whenever I overcomplicate, I don’t bowl my best. So, thinking straight and bowling my best balls is what I stick to.”In pursuit of clarity of thought, she says she often makes it a point to switch off from cricket during the off season and between series: “I think a lot of people stay in the game and keep training, but I’m one that likes to get away from the game and do something different – spend time with family, go take my dog for a weekend away, or go watch Everton play football on Saturday. It’s just quite a nice change. It’s just getting a bit of head space mentally and have energy for the season.”Then there are the more visible strengths that underpin her bowling. Her high release point is one of them. “I am quite a tall spinner, so my height has a key impact for me, getting the bounce that I get on when it’s a good wicket.”One of the most accurate spinners going around when it comes to varying lengths especially, her bag of tricks includes a deceptive arm ball.Ecclestone has featured in two World Cup finals – in 2018 and 2022 – and ended on the losing side in both of them•Kai Schwoerer/ICC/Getty Images”I usually to try to get it at yorker length and hit the toes and try to get it in late. I use it as my out ball. People say it’s quite quick, so it works to my advantage.”Besides her precision, Ecclestone offers reliability in her dual role as strike bowler and container. Her 76 wickets in 47 ODI innings have come at an economy of 3.71 runs per over, and her 68 wickets in 49 T20I innings have come at an economy of 5.94.Her T20I average, 15.94, is among the best by a spinner in the women’s game since her debut in the format in July 2016. Among other things, it speaks of her ease of operating in all phases of a T20 innings.”In T20s, my favourite format, it’s always evolving, so it’s all just being [mentally] ready,” Ecclestone says. “Heather [Knight, the England captain] always brings me on when we need a wicket or some things happen, so it’s massive for me to do the basics right, like, staying alert, keeping that concentration throughout and just performing well when I’m asked to.”A highly sought-after name in domestic leagues, Ecclestone attributes much of her evolution into a premier bowler in world cricket to her cricket-playing elder brother, James, and personal coach, Gareth Breese.”My brother taught me to play cricket and football when I was growing up. It’s all down to him why I am so successful to do this today and, hopefully, it continues,” she says. “And there’s Gareth, my spin coach in England, whom I started working with when I was 19 or so. It’s down to him, really, that I am the bowler that I am.”I think people used to joke that I can whack a ball, but I do really want to go bat up the order for England”•FairBreak Global”What his focus with my bowling is mostly, like, on the day, the pitch might be different and a slower ball might be turning more or might be doing a bit more, and on another day, when it’s a good wicket, bowling a bit quicker. It’s just adapting to the conditions on the day and bowling as well as I can do and talking it through with Gareth.”Her graph as a bowler has been on an upward trajectory across formats, including Tests, where she has 15 wickets from four matches, for a while now. But recently in white-ball cricket, including domestic leagues like the FairBreak Invitational T20 and the Women’s T20 Challenge, she showed consistent glimpses of a newly cultivated power-hitting element in her batting.”A few years ago, you could be good at one aspect, you could just be a very good bowler, but now you’ve got to be good at two out of three or, ideally, three out of three [disciplines], so my batting’s been a massive thing for me to improve.”I’m hoping when Katherine Brunt retires, I can take the No. 7 spot [in the England line-up]. That’s the ultimate aim, so I’ve just been working really hard at it. I think people used to joke that I can whack a ball, but I really want people to take me seriously now and I do really want to go bat up the order for England.”Ecclestone will have plenty of opportunities to grow into a well-rounded cricketer in the upcoming big-ticket home summer. A multi-format series against South Africa begins later this month before women’s and T20 cricket make their debut in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July-August. That will be followed by the Hundred, and then limited-overs series against India.”South Africa and India are both very good teams. Our bilateral series against them will be good contests,” Ecclestone says. “And obviously, the Commonwealth Games are going to be huge. To be competing for gold medals is going to be quite a big thing and for it to be in England is quite big too. I am really excited for the occasion and, hopefully, to get a gold medal.”The 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa is the second major event on the women’s international calendar in the next eight months. For Ecclestone, it will be yet another chance at ticking boxes on her to-do list.”Winning a major trophy – be it a T20 World Cup win or even the Commonwealth Games – will be absolutely huge for me,” she says. “That’s a short-term goal I want to achieve soon. Obviously, [I want to] win an Ashes as well – we have a few draws and a few losses in that. Winning a major trophy is a major goal ahead of me now.”

He is an old-school legspinner, relying on flight and dip, but batters are starting to get wise to that

Shashank Kishore05-Sep-20222:00

What’s gone wrong for Chahal in the Asia Cup?

This time last year, ahead of the T20 World Cup in UAE, Yuzvendra Chahal found himself at a crossroads. The selectors had lost faith in his loopy legbreaks. Pace on the ball became the new mantra. For perhaps the only time in his tenure, chief selector Chetan Sharma explained the reasons behind a player’s -selection. India “needed a spinner who can find grip and deliver with slightly more speed.” They dialled Rahul Chahar.Twelve months on, Chahar is on the sidelines and Chahal is back to being the lead spinner once again, following a sensational IPL where he topped the charts with 27 wickets in 17 matches. He outperformed fellow legspinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Rashid Khan. In fact, Chahal’s performance had been one of the contributing factors in Rajasthan Royals making an inspired run to the final.Now, as India build towards this year’s T20 World Cup, Chahal has endured a slight dip again, on the very shores where he was ignored. Three matches at the Asia Cup have brought a solitary wicket at an economy rate of 7.75 and strike rate of 93. The economy isn’t particularly worrisome, the lack of wickets is. And with Chahal, when he’s in form, he picks them up in bunches.Related

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One of the reasons for the dip has been his predictability. On Sunday, in India’s Super 4 clash against Pakistan, Chahal bowled 16 deliveries on a length. But because he was bowling it slower through the air, the batters found it easy to play him off the back foot and access the square boundaries, one of which was barely 60 metres.Chahal also struggled to land them, and on two occasions when he tried to slow it down even further, probably to tempt the batter into stepping out, he ended up bowling full tosses that were carted for boundaries.Yuzvendra Chahal has picked up only one wicket in three matches at the Asia Cup•AFP/Getty ImagesCheteshwar Pujara touched upon Chahal’s pace on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out show.”What I feel is that he’s a lot slower through the air which has worked for him, but he needs to vary his pace a bit more,” he said. “On slow pitches, I think he needs to bowl a bit quicker. Not every ball, but he needs to vary that pace. He’s a little predictable, his lines are quite [wide] outside off stump and many batters are predicting that. They’re not stepping out against him and waiting for him to bowl that line outside off. I feel that if he can vary his pace a bit against right-handers, he’ll be more effective.”Chahal wasn’t the only legspinner India played on Sunday. There was also Ravi Bishnoi, who is diametrically opposite in the manner that he operates. Where Chahal relies on flight and dip, Bishnoi relies on being quick and skiddy. It was the quick and skiddy bowler that India called on to bowl a couple of tough overs – one in the powerplay and another at the death.Are these alarming signs for Chahal? Not according to Robin Uthappa. “He’s been going through a tournament where he hasn’t been bowling well, I don’t think any less of him as a bowler, the skills are still there. It’s just a matter of getting a wicket. Sometimes in a tournament like this, you just want to get that one breakthrough to get your juices flowing. He’s not far away.”Yes, he’s predictable in the sense that when he bowls slower, when people start going after him, he bowls even slower. So like Puji [Cheteshwar Pujara] said, when you’re out of form what do you do? You need to be ahead of your curve and have variations within your game.”For a batter, it could be ‘I have two-three shots up my sleeve. I feel like I can throw that onto the opposition who are predicting what I’m doing’. Similarly, maybe a variation of pace could be useful for Yuzi at this point in time, bowling slightly quicker through the air, a bit more flippers that oppositions don’t really anticipate.”Earlier in the year, in the home series against South Africa, Chahal went through a similar patch where his apparent struggles threw up questions over his effectiveness, only for him to completely shred those perceptions with a match-winning haul of 3 for 20 to keep India alive. Tuesday’s game at the Asia Cup carries even greater significance. India will hope their ace legspinner can bounce back once again.