All posts by h716a5.icu

Bangladesh will be playing their second straight World T20, and have surprised Sri Lanka in the past. But the jarring truth is that they haven’t played enough cricket in the build-up to the upcoming global tournament

Shashank Kishore14-Mar-2016As Tamim Iqbal waltzed his way to a century in Dharamsala to give Bangladesh an entry into the Super 10s stage of the World T20, 15 women and their support staff were glued to their television sets at the team hotel in Bangalore. After the match was won, there was a celebratory dinner that encapsulated the mood of the entire nation.It was a throwback to 2014 , where Bangladesh Women let their hair down and celebrated their win over Sri Lanka, their first at the World T20. The win that was witnessed by over 10,000 fans in Sylhet was followed by a fashion show and fireworks display at the team hotel. But opportunities to celebrate wins like those have been far and few, as the team has hardly had any international exposure since then.Bangladesh will be playing their second straight World T20. In 2014, they secured a direct entry by virtue of being the hosts, but this time around, the team went through a qualifying round in Thailand in November 2015, and sealed their berth along with Ireland in the 10-team event. But the jarring truth is that they haven’t played enough cricket in the build-up to the upcoming tournament.Their last international match, before the WT20 Qualifiers, was in Pakistan in October 2015. South Africa’s limited-overs tour of Bangladesh was cancelled on security grounds in November, while the Under-19 World Cup in January and February meant they had to make do with training sessions under the purview of their own districts.Makeshift grounds, matting wickets and matches with Under-16 boys can hardly replace the kind of experience they would get by playing the top teams. And the ICC’s ongoing Women’s Championship, where the top eight teams play each other over a two-year period to identify four direct entries to the 2017 World Cup, means opportunities continue to remain far and few for Bangladesh.”That win will be very special, but we haven’t been able to play too many matches. I’m hopeful of doing something like that here too,” says Jahanara Alam, the Bangladesh captain, as she reminisces a win that catapulted the team into stardom. “People were garlanding us, celebrating it like we had won a World Cup. Visitors kept coming home for weeks after that. Now, we will be playing on television at a big event for the first time, and everyone is excited. Other teams are stronger than us, but we are still representing a passionate set of followers back home, and a win or two here will make us superstars.”Prior to their World T20 win, Bangladesh’s only claim to fame was their medal-winning performance at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, where they narrowly missed the gold medal after being outclassed by Pakistan in a close contest. India’s non-participation made it easier, but the weight of that achievement brought them recognition and funding.In 2011, they finished fifth, above Ireland at the qualifiers for the 2013 World Cup. While they narrowly missed out on an entry into the biggest stage in India, their ODI status was formally sealed, four years after the team came into existence. ODI status brought with it the need to bring up the team to acceptable standards. It was around then that Mamatha Maben, the former India captain, was made head coach. She later went on to become technical director of the BCB women’s wing.”Naturally, they were all athletic, which was surprising,” Maben says. “What they lacked was exposure outside Dhaka. Facilities weren’t up to the mark at the smaller centres, the players did not have physios or trainers to monitor them. They had to look after themselves and train with modest facilities. Some came through despite that, others couldn’t sustain.”Jahanara, who was yet to make her international debut when the team got ODI status, was one among those who made a switch. She had already represented her districts in volleyball and was on the brink of national selection, when she decided to become a bowler. It was a decision she doesn’t regret, even though she feels the sport has a long way to go in the country.”I used to play volleyball and handball, but chose cricket because of the following it gained 2007, where the men’s team qualified for the second round [in the World Cup]. Since the time I started playing, there has been a steady increase in enrollments at our academy. Right now, we are playing districts and division matches, and against Zimbabwe and Ireland. If we play more regularly, we can be a better team.”To give the players more match time, the BCB introduced a first-division league with eight teams in 2014. Six months later, a districts competition with 14 teams was introduced. Apart from a domestic league, the BCB introduced retainers to the top players. Under the scheme, five top players in Grade A take home a salary of BDT 30,000 a month, while those in Grade B and C draw 20,000 and 10,000 respectively.”From 400, there are nearly 1500 girls playing cricket now, but the number is still far less than other countries,” says Awal Chaudhary, the BCB women’s wing director. “Football is popular; athletics scene is improving slowly, so our challenge is to ensure girls are not leaving the game after two-three years of cricket. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has pumped in more money into the women’s wing, but so far our efforts of playing the top eight haven’t been economically viable. But it is an ongoing process. Our first aim is to break into the top eight of the rankings, which we can hopefully achieve by qualifying for the 2017 World Cup.”

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2016But Parthiv Patel (81) and Ambati Rayudu (65) made the most of their chances to put Mumbai on top•BCCIThe pair added 137 off 85 balls to lay a strong platform•BCCIJos Buttler capitalised with a 13-ball 24, and helped Mumbai post 189 for 6•BCCITim Southee and Jasprit Bumrah took a wicket each in the Powerplay, as Kings XI were reduced to 32 for 2•BCCIHowever, a stand of 89 off 61 from Shaun Marsh and Glenn Maxwell kept Kings XI in the hunt•BCCIMarsh fell in the search for quick runs, but Maxwell continued his onslaught, hitting five fours and a six in his 39-ball 56•BCCIBumrah, though, effectively killed the chase with the wickets of Maxwell and Nikhil Naik in the 18th over as the required rate continued to climb•BCCIMitchell McClenaghan picked up two wickets in the 19th over as Mumbai wrapped up a 25-run win•BCCI

Visibility is good, so is durability, and while it does swing a fair amount, it ought to spin as well

Aakash Chopra22-Jun-20165:42

Chopra: Pink ball visibility not a problem for anyone

Hardly anything is perfect when tried for the first time, but if you don’t ever try anything new, you’ll make no progress. It’s the same with the pink ball.In the only day-night Test match played with it, in Adelaide, it swung a little too much under lights. There were issues with the visibility of the seam – the green thread used to stitch the ball together at the time didn’t stand out as prominently as the white thread on the red ball did. Also, there were apprehensions about how long the ball would last in slightly drier conditions.The Cricket Association of Bengal deserves applause for conducting India’s first ever multi-day match with the international standard pink Kookaburra ball. While Kookaburra has made significant changes to the ball that was used for the match in Adelaide last year, CAB chose to be slightly cautious (at Kookaburra’s behest) and left a reasonable amount of grass on the pitch for the Super League final.Does it swing too much?
Since there was a decent grass covering on the pitch and the surface was a little moist underneath, everybody expected the ball to move prodigiously, both in the air and off the ground. And it did do a fair bit. There was some swing available in the air for the first 10-12 overs and seam movement till about the 30-35th over. If the bowler was willing to bend his back, he found bounce and carry too.But before passing judgement that the pink ball moves a lot more than the red, please remember that even the red Kookaburra moves about when it’s new. It’s the SG Test ball that doesn’t move appreciably early on, and so it’s unfair to compare its behaviour with that of the pink or red Kookaburra. On the other hand, the SG (if maintained well) keeps moving in the air for a lot longer into a match than the Kookaburra. As far as seam movement is concerned, we can attribute that to the pronounced seam, coupled with extra grass.The pink ball will swing a lot more at the start of a game than the SG Test ball, but movement in the air and off the surface (assuming Test pitches in India will be quite barren) will disappear after the first hour.Is it easily visible?
The pink ball passed this test with flying colours. The change Kookaburra has made in the colour of the thread used for the seam, from green to black, has made a significant difference in sighting the ball. I spoke to some of the batsmen who played in the game, and the wicketkeeper, about whether they were able to follow the seam from the bowler’s hand, and all of them said that they were.Some sensational catches were taken in the slip cordon, and that tells us that sighting the pink ball hasn’t been an issue for the fielders either. As for the commentators, it has been a lot easier for them to spot the ball under lights as compared to even the white ball.The change in the colour of the thread used for the seam, from green to black, has vastly improved the visibility of the pink Kookaburra ball•AFPDoes it last?
That’s the key question that needed to be addressed in this game. The main reason for India not using the red Kookaburra is its longevity (or lack of it) in Indian conditions. Also, the seam on the traditional Kookaburra is blunted and sinks into the surface of the ball by around the 40th over, which makes it almost impossible for the spinners, especially fingerspinners, to make an impact, since they are not able to grip the ball as well as they otherwise might, and nor does the seam grip the surface of the pitch on landing. Since spin is India’s main weapon in the longer format, it’s unlikely that any ball that doesn’t assist spinners will find favours.To address this issue, Brent Elliott, the managing director of Kookaburra, informed us (the Star Sports commentary crew) that they have tried to emulate SG by using a thicker thread to stitch the latest version of the pink ball. We followed the ball closely through the game and were pleasantly surprised to find the seam fairly intact even after the 75th over. Unlike the old Kookaburra, the seam on this new ball didn’t disappear. It could easily be a combination of the thicker thread and the grassy pitch that enabled the seam to stay intact. So the ball needs to be tested on barren pitches before passing a verdict on this aspect.In addition to the thick thread, Kookaburra also had four coats of pink on the ball, for it to last the distance. Usually a big issue with playing under lights is that as soon as the top layer of colour comes off, the ball starts picking up dirt and taking on the colour of the grass, and that affects its visibility. But with extra layers of pink added, visibility was not an issue at any stage of the game, including at twilight.The flip side of having extra layers of pink is that there was negligible wear and tear on the ball – both sides looked almost identical even after the 75th over. If one side doesn’t get scuffed up, it’s impossible to get the ball to reverse-swing, and that element was missed in this game. Once again, it’s expected that the ball will wear faster on drier pitches, but how much and how soon can only be known after further testing.Does it spin?
R Ashwin is India’s best new-ball bowler, for he has dismissed more openers than any other bowler in the current Test side, including the fast bowlers, since his debut. For day-night Test cricket to become a reality in the subcontinent, Kookaburra has to come up with a ball that suits Asian conditions too – that is, one that is spinner-friendly. While spin hardly played a role in this game, the general feeling among the players is that the pink ball will turn on spin-friendly pitches. Since the seam stays pronounced till late in the innings, there’s no reason why it won’t turn if there is some soil (and not grass) to hold on to on landing.It was noticeable that the pink Kookaburra was hard right up until it was replaced by a new one. The ball didn’t go too soft even after it had been hit for hours.How does it react to dew?
Besides the factors mentioned above, there’s the matter of dew in the evening hours, for the bulk of the cricket season in India is in winter. Since there was no dew in Kolkata for the Super League final, we don’t know how the pink ball will behave when there is dew. However, the good thing is that it can’t be too tough to find a couple of Test venues across the country that are not affected by dew at any given time.Overall, the pink ball has got a big thumbs up from everyone involved in the trial, and it looks like a matter of when and not if before the first day-night Test is played in India.The author was a part of the Star Sports commentary team for this game, and had access to additional information by virtue of that role

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2016Jason Holder shouldered arms to Mohammad Amir and lost his wicket•AFPDevendra Bishoo partnered Brathwaite for a 60-run stand that helped West Indies take the lead•Getty ImagesWahab Riaz snuffed out West Indies’ last three in quick succession to finish with a five-wicket haul; West Indies were bowled out for 337 and led by 56•AFPBrathwaite joined an elite club, becoming only the fifth West Indies batsman to carry his bat; he finished on 142•Getty ImagesHolder ended an opening stand of 37 when he had Sami Aslam caught off a short ball•Getty ImagesHe then dismissed Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan for ducks to reduce Pakistan to 41 for 3•AFPRoston Chase had Misbah-ul-Haq holing out to deep-backward square leg•AFPAzhar Ali held firm with an unbeaten 45, and added 39 for the fifth wicket with Sarfraz Ahmed. Pakistan ended the day on 87 for 4, leading by 31•Getty Images

In part two of the interview, Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur talks about the attacking brand of cricket he wants his team to embrace

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi14-Sep-2016Read part one of the interview herePakistan have 14 ODIs scheduled between now and next September, the cut-off date for qualifying directly for the 2019 World Cup in England. How realistic are their chances of making it to the World Cup without having to play the qualifiers, given they are ranked No. 9?
I have to be realistic. We haven’t got the time, but we have started the journey now. We will have to start again. I have got a really good feel for the personnel and the areas we need to improve on. I have looked at people we can work with, people we can bring in, and I am comfortable we will be okay.Do you reckon Pakistan are behind the curve compared to the modern ODI teams?
With the brand of cricket they are playing, definitely. We can’t play that brand of cricket anymore. We have to be brave. You have to take the game on.Not playing in the IPL and other premier T20 leagues – do you reckon that has hurt their understanding and development of limited-overs cricket?
And facilities and the domestic competitions, which are average. You can’t blame them. Then they are potentially fighting for places all the time. There has been no stability [in the ODI side]. They start playing for themselves. We have a massive challenge in our ODI team.Fitness is amplified in one-day cricket – fielding, running ones, twos, threes. Sometimes in an over you are running six twos. If you are not fit enough, you can’t run those runs. It is to the detriment of the team. Without a doubt, that message has started getting across. But it can only go across to the players if I am consistently delivering it. I am not going to tolerate players turning up unfit. They are professional athletes representing a country. It is not good enough [being unfit].

“I want us to play an attacking brand of cricket, a brand that is good to watch, a brand that inspires the players to play and gives you so much more gratification from your supporters”

Why was Mohammad Irfan not played in the Ireland ODI series? A bowler like him could have done with some overs under his belt considering he had not played for a few months?
Irfan came into the ODI squad as a replacement for [Mohammad] Hafeez, so he wasn’t with us [in Ireland]. That made it even worse for me because your replacement players are the ones with the fresh legs. They are the people who up the ante, who bring in fresh energy. And he comes in and starts cramping. That potentially cost us an ODI [in Cardiff].But he just got off the plane. That could have played a part in the cramps, considering his height. And about two days later he plays in the Cardiff ODI. Can you entirely blame him?
Funnily enough, a couple of bowlers cramped in the same ODI, but they were fit enough to get back and finish their overs with the intensity required.I don’t want to harp about Irfan. It could be about any other player that joins the squad in the future. I get disappointed when players arrive and are not at peak condition. Ultimately that is the reflection of the set-up I run. Ultimately that is the reflection of me and my support staff. We are judged by that, so I am not going to tolerate guys that jeopardise that. And it is not a Mohammad Irfan thing. It is an integral part of the Pakistan system. If I can change and make it 10% or 15% better, we have a better chance of success. I sat down the T20 squad and told them: when you arrive, you need to understand the standards demanded by this set-up; that you come in and meet minimum requirements. And those minimum requirements are lower than what South Africa or Australia have. I am taking baby steps at this point of time.Discipline is another aspect where you think things can improve. Can you talk about the example of Yasir Shah turning up two days late for camp when you first arrived in Pakistan?
We thought he was arriving on Friday, but he came on Sunday. I had just arrived at the NCA. I am not sure what the communication between him and the PCB was, but I asked him, “Hey Yas, weren’t you supposed to be here on Friday?” He said, “Yeah, coach, I’m just two days late. It’s okay.” We both had a laugh and I went back to my room and thought, “Gee, he is being serious.” I hope he was joking.”To be able to close off a run chase or finish off when you are setting a target is a real skill. And I wanted Shoaib Malik to do that”•AFPThat sort of thing will not happen again even if it was true?
Absolutely not.Are you going to take hard decisions in terms of players?
I think we have to. If we keep picking the same [players], we are going to get the same, and we will be sitting at No. 9 in the world. We have nothing to lose. We just have to invest in some players. I know for a fact that from the first ODI to the fifth [in England], we changed the whole brand and style of cricket.In the first ODI, in Southampton, we played like cricket was played back in 2002. By the last ODI, in Cardiff, we chased down 302 with overs to spare. We took the attack to England. That is how we have to play. If we play the way we did in Southampton, we are not going to win the game.Grant Flower said he sensed insecurity among some ODI players, which was holding them back from expressing their game openly. Have you seen the same?
Maybe there was [a sense of insecurity] with the old regime. In fact, probably there was. I would like to be able to think we can identify the players we can take forward and then invest time in them. Create clear roles for them and hopefully we will get the results. Because if we want them to play high-risk, high-octane stuff, we ought to back them for a period of time as well.You have seen various players in the PSL. What do you think of the pair of Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad making a comeback in the ODI set-up?
They have to prove that they are not going to be a disruption to the team, because clearly in the past they have done things that weren’t right. I was not there, but clearly they have. They have to conform to the standards and requirements of the team.

“I get disappointed when players arrive and are not at peak condition. Ultimately that is the reflection of me and my support staff. We are judged by that, so I am not going to tolerate guys that come in and jeopardise that”

Azhar Ali, Pakistan’s ODI captain, is a committed player. But is he really a modern ODI cricketer?
He is. He is getting better. He is a fantastic batsman. Azhar’s batting ability is brilliant, which means he can adapt without a doubt. Again, in the ODI series against England, he adapted throughout, so he is good enough.What about Shoaib Malik? He is the most experienced, yet that is not reflected in his numbers (in ODIs he averages 26.80 with the bat outside Asia, 38.72 in Asia, 24.41 in Australia, where Pakistan go on their next tour, and 12.94 in 19 innings in England, where the next Champions Trophy will be played next year).
He knows where he stands. I was so happy to see him come out in Cardiff and play with a real intent that had probably been lacking just a little bit. I am talking about intent in his defence, intent in his attack. He committed to every shot. He was committed to that innings. I was so happy he came through that.Is there a reason he bats in the lower order?
That was me. I wanted a guy that could finish for us. No. 6 is such an important and tough position in the batting order. Michael Hussey did it for Australia for a period of time. To be able to close off a run chase or finish off when you are setting a target is a real skill. And I wanted Shoaib Malik to do that. We promoted him to No. 4 in Cardiff and he gave us what he wanted, so maybe his role changes now, going forward.”If we keep picking the same players, we will be sitting at No. 9 in the world”•Getty ImagesYou said this recently: “I don’t want us to fear failure. I think any team that fears failure is a team that struggles.” Why did you say that?
I don’t want us to be tentative, whether it is with bat, ball or in the field. I want us to be 100% committed to the decisions we make, because if we do that, we’ll have a lot more chances of success than failure. I want us to play an attacking brand of cricket, a brand that is good to watch, a brand that inspires the players to play and gives you so much more gratification from your supporters. It must be a brand that challenges, a brand that stimulates, but it must be a brand that is encapsulated by fun.You need time to help build and grow that kind of brand. Is the PCB willing to give you that?
I am pretty sure the PCB will give me the time. Definitely.Read part one of the interview here

A look at MS Dhoni’s major achievements as India’s limited-overs captain, including the most runs in ODIs by a keeper-captain, and a staggering batting average in winning causes

Shiva Jayaraman04-Jan-20171 Number of captains to have won all the three major ICC limited-over tournaments. MS Dhoni is the only one to do so. Under Dhoni, India won the 2007 World T20, the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Dhoni’s four wins in the finals of limited-over tournaments involving five or more teams are the joint-highest for any captain. In addition to the three aforementioned events, Dhoni also led India to the Asia Cup title last year.110 ODIs won by Dhoni as captain – the second-most after Ricky Ponting’s 165. Allan Border is the only other ODI captain with at least 100 wins. Dhoni led India to 20 wins more than Mohammad Azharuddin, who is the next India captain on this list.41 Wins for Dhoni in T20Is – the most for any captain in the format. Darren Sammy comes second with his 27 wins as West Indies captain. Dhoni has also captained in 72 T20Is, the most by anyone.199 ODIs in which Dhoni has led – the most for an India captain and the third-highest overall. Only Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming captained in more ODIs. Among India captain, Azharuddin is next with 174 matches. He is the only captain to have led an international team on 50 or more occasions in each format.110-74 Dhoni’s win-loss record in ODIs; among India players to have led in at least 20 ODIs, Dhoni’s win-loss ratio of 1.486 is the best. Rahul Dravid’s win-loss record of 42-33 is the next-best.6633 Runs in ODIs for Dhoni as keeper-captain – more than thrice the number of runs scored by the next player on this list. Kumar Sangakkara is a distant second with 1756 runs. In T20 internationals, Dhoni is the only keeper-captain with over 1000 runs. Dhoni has played as keeper-captain in 271 limited-over internationals – the most by any player. No one else has played even 100 matches as keeper-captain in limited-over internationals. Sangakkara’s 67 matches are the next highest.53.92 Dhoni’s average in ODIs as captain – the second-highest for any batsman to have scored at least 1000 runs, after AB de Villiers’ 65.92. Among the seven captains who have scored at least 5000 runs, Dhoni’s average is more than 11 clear of the next-best – Ponting.7-4 Dhoni’s win-loss record in the finals of multi-team ODI tournaments – the best among India captains who led in more than one such final. Azharuddin is second with a win-loss record of 11-8.70.83 Dhoni’s batting average as captain in India’s ODI wins. Among the 32 captains with at least 1000 runs in winning causes, Dhoni’s average is the third-best. Only de Villiers and Sachin Tendulkar averaged higher. Dhoni made 3754 runs in India’s wins, including three hundreds and 29 fifties.12 Number of times Dhoni was unbeaten in successful chases as T20I captain. George Bailey is second with five such innings. In ODIs, too, Dhoni leads the list with 26 such innings.

Plays of the day from the third ODI between New Zealand and Australia in Hamilton

Brydon Coverdale05-Feb-2017The boundary-line acrobatics
After his heroic century in Australia’s unsuccessful chase in Auckland, Marcus Stoinis needed something spectacular if he was to live up to his new reputation. He very nearly provided it in the penultimate over of New Zealand’s innings, when Tim Southee smashed the ball high towards the midwicket boundary, where Stoinis leapt high and clutched the ball above his head, then threw it back in just as he landed. Stoinis’ momentum carried him over the boundary and Pat Cummins nearby was unable to complete the catch. After a series of intensely scrutinised replays, the third umpire decided the back of Stoinis’ foot had kissed the boundary while the ball was still in his hand, and for all of his magnificent athleticism, it was ruled a six.The non-review
One of the peripheral tasks that a stand-in captain must handle in international cricket is the decision whether to review umpiring decisions in the field, and Finch faced that challenge early in this match. In the very first over of the game, Mitchell Starc produced an excellent inswinging yorker that trapped Tom Latham dead in front, but umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge turned the appeal down. Finch opted against a review. It cost Australia little, though: Latham was out in Starc’s next over, without having scored.The comeback
Dean Brownlie had not played an international match since 2014, and he certainly impressed on his return with an innings of 63 opening the batting. However, Brownlie was almost unrecognisable to viewers who had last seen him clean-shaven in his previous incarnation as an international batsman. Here, he sported a magnificent beard in the WG Grace tradition. It was as if he had spent his two years in the metaphorical wilderness in the actual wilderness.The drop
Kane Williamson brought himself on to bowl at an important time in Australia’s chase, with Aaron Finch starting to look threatening. It proved an inspired piece of captaincy, for Williamson’s first ball was driven in the air back towards the bowler – the problem was that Williamson was slow to react and couldn’t make the catch. As if to rub it in, Finch dispatched the next two balls for a four and a six.

The IPL auction has often been partisan to potential and recent form over reputation and aura. Here’s a look at some superstars who found themselves unsold over the years

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2017Brian Lara, 2011 auctionBase Price – $400,000Lara had largely been out of action for nearly three years when he put his name in for the 2011 auction. At 41, Lara’s only experience of T20 cricket had come in the form of three matches in Zimbabwe’s domestic circuit the year before, and he was trying to make a comeback of sorts. Unfortunately, he would find no buyer at the auction, missing out on joining the growing list of players to have been part of both the Indian Cricket League and the IPL.Sanath Jayasuriya, 2011 auctionBase Price – $200,000Despite going at half of Lara’s base price and a smashing opening season to back it up, Jayasuriya’s was another case of older, non-performing players being snubbed. A poor 2009 season, which he finished with just 221 runs from 12 matches , and higher standards for overseas selections due to the limited spots available, meant his time in the tournament was all but over.Sourav Ganguly, 2011 auctionBase Price – $400,000Dropped by his home franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sourav Ganguly attracted no bids at such a high base price. While he would later be snapped up by Pune Warriors in the middle of the season as replacement for the injured Ashish Nehra, it was yet another reminder that form, age and potential carried much more value than reputation and star status.Chris Gayle, 2011 auctionBase Price – $400,000Having rejected the West Indies Cricket Board’s annual retainer contract on the eve of the tournament, Gayle found himself in the “unsold” bucket, largely due to his high base price and uncertainty over his availability for the entire season due to international commitments. But, like Ganguly, his time would come just two weeks into the tournament, called up by Royal Challengers Bangalore after Dirk Nannes picked up an injury. He went on to blast 608 runs, including two centuries, in the 12 matches he played. Since then, there has been no looking back for the Jamaican superstar, as he continues to plunder bowling attacks at will for his franchise.Irish hero Kevin O’Brien was much sought after following his blistering performances in 2011•Getty ImagesKevin O’Brien, 2012 auctionBase Price – $50,000The one player on this list who cannot compare to the rest in terms of star value, O’Brien is precisely the kind of story franchises have embraced time and again in the past. After performances such as that manic century that sunk England in the 2011 World Cup, O’Brien had shot into prominence, and Kochi Tuskers Kerala had already approached Cricket Ireland to sign him up as a reserve player for the 2011 edition. Unfortunately, he was ineligible as per IPL rules, having not enlisted himself in the long list for the auction. O’Brien, however, continued to enhance his reputation and smashed the fastest domestic T20 hundred in English cricket, and looked like a shoo-in for franchises at his base price. Surprisingly, though, he was unsold, and his reputation has since taken a hit.Aaron Finch, 2013 auctionBase Price – $200,000Finch had just had a lean run in Australia’s three home T20 internationals after completing one of his better seasons in the Big Bash League for Melbourne Renegades, when a combination of recency bias and high base price rendered him team-less for the 2013 season. Eventually, like all near-misses do, he was called up by Pune Warriors as replacement for his national team captain Michael Clarke, who was ruled out with a back injury. Finch has since found buyers at all auctions, and now plays for Gujarat Lions.Kumar Sangakkara, 2015 auctionBase Price – INR 1 Crore (approx. $150,000)Sangakkara’s run of 120 runs from 9 games in the 2013 season, followed by his opting out of the auction in 2014 due to international commitments, meant his goal of securing a better contract in 2015 proved fruitless. Franchises had swiftly moved on, as they have often shown. Besides, after retirement from international cricket, Sangakkara’s stock seemed to be on the wane, at least amongst franchise owners. Two years on, he continues to ply his trade across the world in similar franchise T20 competitions.Martin Guptill has found the going tough at IPL auctions in recent years•BCCIMartin Guptill, 2016 auctionBase Price – INR 1 Crore (approx. $148,000)Guptill was one of only eight “marquee” players unsold at the 2016 auction. He could not find a buyer even when franchises requested for a second round under the hammer. His New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said he would have picked Guptill if he owned a team. And then, in the third week of the tournament, he finally took the flight to India, replacing the injured Lendl Simmons in the Mumbai Indians squad. This year, Guptill was picked up during the second iteration, and it was Kings XI Punjab that broke the eerie silence in the room.Imran Tahir, 2017 auctionBase Price – INR 50 Lakh (approx. $75,000)Despite his unassuming base price, the No. 1 ODI and T20 bowler in the world went unsold this year. After three patchy seasons with Delhi Daredevils, it was another reminder that international form and achievements count for little beyond a point. Tahir, however, has now found a home, with Rising Pune Supergiants calling him up after Mitchell Marsh pulled out with an injury.Ishant Sharma, 2017 auctionBase Price – INR 2 Crore (approx. $300,000)Ishant has not played an international limited-overs game in over a year, and last played a T20 international in 2013. He also has not particularly stood out for his consistency in the IPL. While that only makes his base price inexplicable, Indian cricketers in the IPL have got away with such outrageous numbers in the past, considering each side has at least seven starting slots to fill and a minimum of 14 slots in the squad. With a number of India’s international stars now pulling out of the tournament due to injuries from a long home season, he could yet have a shot at playing some part of this year’s edition.

The tears flowed – on and off the match, before and after the match – as an emotional day was decided in a devastatingly close finale

Firdose Moonda at Bristol18-Jul-2017There were tears.At the beginning, they were tears of joy. Chloe Tryon and Marizanne Kapp, playing in their second and third World Cups respectively but first knockout match, could not hold back their emotions when the national anthem was played. They were overjoyed, they were expectant, as was a nation.Today is Nelson Mandela day. The great man would have been 99. Incidentally, it is also WG Grace’s birthday. He would have been 169. Perhaps more to the point, it is Ayabonga Khaka’s birthday. She is 25. And she gave South Africa as good a chance as they could have wanted in an attempt to defend 218.Khaka’s 10 overs, delivered in one spell, cost just 28 runs and she picked up two wickets, including the biggest one. Tammy Beaumont, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, had her middle stump taken out by Khaka as she tried to heave a full delivery down the ground. Before that, Khaka had Lauren Winfield caught off a top-edge at point. Before that, South Africa did not really seem to have a chance.England put on 41 in the first eight overs and the South African bowling and fielding appeared to be overwhelmed. The wicketkeeper, Trisha Chetty, dropped a catch, and then cost Kapp five wides when she could not get to a ball that slid down leg, Shabnim Ismail overstepped, on the free-hit overstepped again, and on the next free-hit overstepped a third time but the umpire didn’t spot the last offense. The first eight overs confirmed 218 was not going to be enough.Anya Shrubsole tries to console Dane van Niekerk•Getty ImagesSouth Africa had suspected that at the break when they thought they were 30 runs short.From the sidelines, it looked more like 50 runs short. And those 50 runs were not unachievable for their line-up, even though they lost Lizelle Lee early. South Africa have batsmen who can score more substantially than they have managed at this event but who have had the same handbrake holding them back. As soon as they lose a few wickets, they panic. And when they panic, they don’t communicate. And when they don’t communicate, they run themselves out.In this tournament, South Africa have had eight run-outs, more than any other team. Run-outs have made up 18.6% of their 43 dismissals, more than the overall run-out average of 11.48%.Today, Kapp was run-out three balls after the departure of Laura Wolvaardt, whose 66 had been her fourth fifty of the World Cup, and so the middle-overs were needed to rebuild, not push on. Still Mignon du Preez saved her best for the big occasion and her unbeaten 76 was her highest score of the tournament. But she didn’t have a lot of support at the end, so South Africa had to settle for a below-par total.There were tears in the middle as well. The South African team huddled before taking the field, prayed as they always do and van Niekerk delivered what looked like a rousing speech before leaving the circle wiping her eyes. But she quickly had to dry them and find a way to pull England back from their strong start, and she could not have done that without Khaka.Though not as celebrated as Ismail or Kapp, Khaka has been crucial to the South African cause because of her ability to hold an end. She has been the most economical of the South African seamers in this tournament, conceding just 3.85 an over – only van Niekerk, with an economy rate of 3.46, has been tighter. In the semi-final, they bowled eight overs in tandem between the 16th and 24th overs and gave they gave away only 30 runs at 3.75 an over. They brought South Africa back into the game, but they needed wickets to keep them in it.van Niekerk leaves the field teary-eyed•ICCIt was not until the Suné Luus double-strike in the 35th over that South Africa really looked as though they believed they could win. Their gestures became more animated, they started to scold each other for misfields, and praise each other for saving runs. They were clapping and talking and giving van Niekerk ideas of what to do next. Maybe too many.With the required run-rate at six an over, van Niekerk employed what looked like an uncertain strategy of switching the seamers’ ends around and not using herself because she was convinced the quicks knew what to do at the death. But Kapp’s ninth over cost eight runs and Ismail’s ninth over cost 10, and they just did not have that many to play with. Of course, there were other issues, Trisha Chetty’s keeping being the main one, but mostly South Africa needed more to scrap with, and they didn’t have it.Of course, there were tears at the end. When Anya Shrubsole threaded the third-last ball of the match through the gap at point to the boundary, the South African side slumped to the ground just as their men’s team had done at Auckland in 2015. And they cried. Kapp hid her face in her hands from that moment until she left the field, well after the media engagements were over. Ismail cried, and maybe swore, and was immediately consoled by the England batsmen. Khaka and Daniels cried on their own. Tryon and Lee cried together.Hilton Moreeng, the coach whom van Niekerk credited with being the main reason for the team’s massive improvement between the 2014 World T20 and now, cried on the sidelines and then ran onto the field to envelop van Niekerk in a hug so they could cry as one. Even Danie van den Burgh, the representative from the Momentum, the company whose sponsorship allowed the women’s game in South Africa to professionalise and thrive, and who flew in specifically for the semi-final and only booked his return ticket for Monday because he believed the girls would be in the final, cried. He confirmed, through his tears, that he was more proud than sad and said there was “no way” the company would not continue to back the girls.After van den Burgh joined the squad on the field, they all cried and the team prayed and cried some more. In the change-room afterwards, they cried. Van Niekerk was still crying a little at the press conference, her tears a salty mixture of pride and disappointment. “Losing in a game so close just makes it hurt even more,” she said.Every time they think about just how close they came – one catch, fewer extras, a couple more runs – they may all cry a little again. You can hardly blame them. Take the context out of it and this will go down as just another semi-final failure. Put the reality into it and a senior South African team, of either gender, has still yet to reach the final of a World Cup.This team thought they could change that. This team came so close to changing it. So damn close. In a few days’ or weeks’ or months’ time, knowing that should make them smile.

It was always going to take at least two players to even come close to replicating what one of the great allrounders offered and at Trent Bridge that pair may have been found

Firdose Moonda at Trent Bridge17-Jul-2017″Absolutely not.”Vernon Philander had to deny the comparison Faf du Plessis made between him and South Africa’s best. “He is becoming the new Jacques Kallis the way he is batting. We joke about it because his technique is becoming the same as Kallis’ as well,” du Plessis said.”Absolutely not.”Of course not. Kallis was South Africa’s highest Test run-scorer and fifth highest wicket-taker. For more than a decade he was the ultimate luxury. Kallis gave South Africa a 12th man in an 11-man team and attempting to replace him had proved futile.Because top-order seam-bowling allrounders are a lesser-spotted species, South Africa have had to settle for compromises in their search for team balance. Most commonly, they fielded a three-pronged pace attack with a spinner and seven specialist batsmen but occasionally they went for an all-pace line-up and sacrificed the spinner entirely. They have been reluctant to cull a batsman, except on two occasions – on a green-top in Centurion March 2014 and on a big tuner in Mohali in November 2015 – and both times it backfired badly. Now they have an exception.Nottingham 2017 is where South Africa might have found the beginnings of a solution to the Kallis-sized problem that crops up every now and then. They still needed to find two players, but two allrounders, to do the job someone like Kallis would have done and it worked. Philander and Chris Morris scored 90 between them in the first innings and 55 in the second – more than a fifth South Africa’s total runs – and took 10 wickets. Together, they played a key role in securing a crucial win.Philander’s performance with the ball should hardly come as a surprise. Since making his Test debut at the end of 2011, he has been consistently threatening with the new ball, even more so in conditions which offer a little something. In Hamilton during 2012, in Hobart last November and now here at Trent Bridge, Philander has out-bowled home bowlers and outfoxed home batsmen in their own conditions.His strength is in his discipline. Philander lands the ball in the same area outside off stump almost all the time. It’s not glamourous, it’s not fast, it’s not flashy and it’s definitely not new-age. Philander doesn’t steam in or snarl, his veins don’t pop, his eyes don’t dance, he doesn’t bounce anyone and maybe he doesn’t like someone who should be tearing through sides. But he asks the same question over and over and over again and batsmen, especially batsmen who aren’t entirely sure of themselves, don’t have answers.In this Test, Philander was particularly impressive in his approach to left handers. He burst through Keaton Jennings’ bat-pad gap with a ball that came back in from off stump and then insisted on a review when he had Gary Ballance stuck in the crease and struck on the pad by a ball that straightened. Philander’s instincts were correct and the review well-used.Philander believed England’s top three may continue to find it difficult to play him. “With the moving ball here it’s difficult because you can’t just leave me, with the odd one nipping back. I’m looking to attack off stump consistently and that makes life difficult for those left-handers.”But that is not his only job. Philander was also asked to bat a place higher than usual – No. 7 instead of No. 8 – and to contribute runs as a genuine allrounder would. It’s a task he takes seriously. With two fifties in two successive matches, Philander has shown temperament top-order players would envy. His technique is solid, if not Kallis-esque, and he puts a high price on his wicket. For du Plessis that’s what made Philander’s Trent Bridge performance so special.”In this game he had a new challenge on his shoulders. We left a batsman out to play two allrounders and with that comes extra responsibility on his shoulders,” du Plessis said. “We gave him the promotion to seven because I back his technique and his batting and he responded beautifully by getting crucial runs for us. The ball will always be the ball for him, he is a machine but now he is doing it with the bat as well.”Vernon Philander’s set-up of Keaton Jennings in the second innings was world class•Getty ImagesAnd it’s not entirely wrong to compare him with Kallis, at least not in England. In this country, Philander averages 40.28 with the bat, with three vital fifties to his name, and 21.60 with the ball. Kallis, who played more 10 more Tests in England than Philander’s five to date, averaged 35.33 with the bat and 29.30 with the ball. Not much in it, is there?Philander’s challenge will be keeping up with Kallis’ numbers and many will expect him not to. He is entirely used to being under-rated. “You will always be judged and have people making comments but that’s something we have to put out of our minds,” he said.For a lot of his naysayers fitness is an issue and his stumbling in the field at Trent Bridge didn’t help, but whatever physical condition he may appear to be in, Philander is not as clunky and as he looks. He can bowl longer spells or return for a fourth or fifth spell; he didn’t because he has come off an injury that could have ruled him out of the first Test but South Africa were desperate for him to play, so desperate that they managed him.”Going into that Lord’s Test I was probably a bit undercooked,” he admitted. “I had a chat with the higher powers but they wanted me to play. I’ve just got back from an ankle injury and literally bowled that week before the Test match. I found my rhythm in this one. Hopefully I’ll be a bigger threat for the last two.”South Africa’s whole attack is thinking that. Their success at Trent Bridge will likely mean that they keep the four-seam attack for The Oval with Duanne Olivier dropping out for Kagiso Rabada and Morris keeping his place. That means Morris will be rewarded for pace and persistence and given an opportunity to work on consistency, which he has shown he could have.After three wayward overs in a first-spell in which he “got excited” according to du Plessis by the amount of swing and overwhelmed by the options available to him, Morris returned to deliver a solid second spell at the end of the first innings and two of the best balls of the match in the second to get rid of England’s two best batsmen. He bowled Joe Root with a yorker which straighten late to beat the edge and had Alastair Cook in a tangle against a vicious short ball, signs of how quickly he learnt from his first three overs.”What happened was that Chris is new to Test cricket, the ball was moving all over the place and he got excited by how much it was swinging,” du Plessis said. “There was a lot of thinking going on: ‘Okay I want to bowl inswing, outswing, I want to seam the ball. I want to keep the run rate down, not go for boundaries.’ So there was a lot of information going on in his head. I thought at the time it was important for him to clear his head completely. I could see his head was spinning. So I said just bowl as fast as you can, and after that hopefully your action will come through.”Philander also saw that Morris could offer something and told du Plessis, “we should just trust him and give him an opportunity” and Morris rewarded that trust. “His control surprised me. We know he is an x-factor bowler, so to see now that he has some consistency creeping in is huge for us. That adds to our x-factor as a team now that we have four very high quality seam bowlers.”So do they have anything close to Kallis? The answer is not absolutely not.