They have set down roots all over the world and made the international game feel increasingly superfluous. But ultimately the fans will decide

Osman Samiuddin07-Apr-2023Soon after India’s recent ODI series loss to Australia, in which they had been badly stung by injuries, Rohit Sharma was asked about the Indian team’s plans for workload management during the IPL. There are two world titles at stake this year for them – although every year nowadays there is a world title – and the IPL can be a gruelling tournament. The subtext: Rohit, how might the IPL affect India’s shot at international glory?”I mean, it’s all up to the franchises now,” he responded, as he searched for the right note to strike. This right note was important. “The franchises own them [the players] now, so we’ve given some indications or some kind of borderline kind of thing to the teams. But at the end of the day, it’s up to the franchise, and most importantly it’s the players, you know, they have to take care of their own body.”They [players] are all adults. So they have to look after their body and just, if they feel that it’s getting a little too much, they can always talk about it and have a break in one or two games. I doubt [if] that will happen but.”Related

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It was a coy little play, all knowing smiles, and for that last sentence, a raised eyebrow too. The franchises have control. India have a little say, and oh, sure, the players… lol, who am I kidding, it’s all the franchises. This being a post-game press conference, there was no chance of taking this conversation any further.No such restrictions here, though.Because what we had here was a slightly absurd situation. Here was Rohit Sharma, India captain, revealing that India had given some guidelines to IPL franchises to manage workloads of players India will bank on for their twin challenges this year; IPL franchises where – – Rohit Sharma is captain of Mumbai Indians, one of the most powerful and successful of those franchises. He was wearing the India cap when he said this. Soon he’ll be wearing the Mumbai Indians cap, and then, at an IPL press conference, if we’re lucky, he might be asked to respond to Rohit Sharma, India captain, and who knows, he might explain that India captain Rohit was right to doubt it, and that perhaps he had better be less coy about it next time.Different cap, different priorities, but same head. Whether it’s Rohit, Mumbai and their India players or another franchise is not as important as what this -esque scene distils – namely a future in which all that might be left is a calendar face-off between ICC events and the IPL.If at one level this was Rohit (Ind) talking to Rohit (MI), at another it was the BCCI talking to the IPL, all as a subtweet at the ICC. Usually this conversation and tension happens with and to other players and other countries. But now it’s the captain of the game’s richest, biggest member country suggesting that the biggest league in the sport, the second-biggest in all sport, where he captains the most expensive franchise, has an inevitable priority. The ICC can cope with the odd Australian, English or West Indian player missing their tournaments. Indian players, though? Players from the team that, we are forever reminded, remains the reason international cricket is alive?It’s a franchise world, we only live in it•Bikas Das/Associated PressThis might sound a little alarmist, and maybe right now it is. But take a moment to log the current breadth and span of the IPL and its franchises across the calendar. (Admittedly, the league, owned by the BCCI, and the franchises are somewhat distinct, and their interests not necessarily aligned, but that distinction is lost on a global calendar.) Between the end of the last IPL and the end of this year’s, Mumbai Indians – or a franchise owned by Mumbai Indians in another T20 league – will have played a minimum of 34 T20s. The same will be true for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals, both of whom also each own franchises in three other leagues. In that same period only India, of all international sides, will have played more T20s. From July, with the launch of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US, there will be a minimum of five more games for Mumbai- and Kolkata-owned franchises, as well as for Chennai Super Kings (who have teams in two other leagues).Consider that across those leagues, Mumbai Indians currently employ 62 different players, Kolkata Knight Riders 56, and Delhi Capitals 60. With 18-man squads in the MLC, and accounting for overlaps, that will be upwards of 70 players. IPL franchises, in other words, employ more players across the world, across the calendar, than any board and its central-contracts pool. Many more. We’re not even counting coaching and support staff.Yes there more international cricket in this FTP than in the last. But less and less of it with any meaning, and more and more of it feels secondary to this IPL footprint, spanning four major leagues, playing in total for nearly six months over the year, all of it with a point that is the point of all major sports: to win a league. Is this not the future that cricket has obsessed over since the start of the IPL – in which it takes over the international calendar? The future some have feared and some have eagerly awaited?Well, three new leagues, in South Africa, UAE and the US, all with significant IPL investment, popping up in recent months have dropped that future on the calendar like a bomb. But really, scanning through the last 15 years, everything has built gradually, inexorably, to this moment: the future by a thousand cuts, creeping up every time a tour game was cut from an itinerary; or a player arrived on tour two days before a game; or a second XI turned up for an international series because most players from the first were at the IPL. Whenever a central contract was turned down for freelancing; or three-Test series slowly died; or the IPL got a two-month window in the international FTP without anybody admitting explicitly that it had happened.That window is now two-and-a-half-months wide, though it’s also a bit of a red herring in this discussion. The number of IPL matches will in time increase to nearly 100, but the window itself might not. Not for a while anyway, with monsoons at one end of it and the WPL (another league with IPL involvement) hemming it in from the other.But that window doesn’t need to expand when the franchises are expanding instead, controlling calendar space wherever they go. And for all that they have already spread, there is more ground to spread upon. Both England and Australia have grappled – flirted? – for years with the idea of IPL investment in their major tournaments. The Hundred is making losses. The BBL has stagnated. IPL franchises are waiting with bated breath. How long before both the ECB and Cricket Australia decide, like the rest of the world, that private equity is the boost their tournaments need?Another territory annexed for the IPL: Sunrisers Eastern Cape celebrate their title win in the first SA20 tournament, earlier this year•SA20Once those dominos fall, what’s left? A lopsided, laughably tiny WTC, meaningless white-ball bilaterals and ICC events. In which case, how long before the calendar rationalises itself and squeezes out the bilateral international excess to leave just the IPL, its proxy leagues, and ICC events (which still hold some cachet)? It is only natural that fans will choose and keep alive only what they want, and that the rest of it – some leagues, maybe Tests, maybe international white-ball cricket – will wither away.Or how long before the BCCI forces that rationalisation on cricket, because, let’s be real now, this does hinge mostly on the good graces/proactivity of the BCCI. This is, after all, actually about control of the game India, between the BCCI, which owns the IPL, and IPL franchise owners. The former employs Indian players year-round, and the latter employ them for a part of the year but would love to start employing them in their interests elsewhere, where the presence of Indian players can make or break a league. Once is figured out, the international calendar is dust.For now the BCCI is either unwilling or unready to make a move, aware of the delicate balance of this moment – that Rohit answer, for example, the one that hints at the unsaid tensions here, has been edited out from the video of the press conference that is up on the BCCI’s site. It is the only answer cut from the entire interaction, as if taking it out might make it stop existing.Ultimately, it’s hard to sustain the argument that this might be all bad. Not when it gives players greater agency, treats them better and pays them better than ever before. Or when it provides fans a calendar with regularity, consistency and meaning, which they have never had. Nearly 200 years old and international cricket scheduling is still an abstract, as if each of the 12 Full Members arrive at scheduling meetings with their own 1000-piece jigsaws, shrug, throw all their pieces on the floor, pretend the mess represents a giant, completed jigsaw, and walk away, proclaiming it is the new FTP.We began with Rohit, so too we end. A couple of seasons ago he injured his hamstring in the IPL. There was an Australia tour soon after that season, the preeminent bilateral rivalry of this age. The BCCI’s medical panel, the coach and board president all advised him not to hurry back, to make sure he was fit for Australia. Rohit ignored them, trained, and returned to play in the IPL. Subsequently, he was not, it turned out, fit enough (with Covid quarantines an added complication) to make the start of the Australia tour. He made it in time to play the last two Tests but the choice that he made was clear.At least then it still felt like it was a choice, with inherent risks, and he had to make it. That jeopardy is gone now. It isn’t a choice anymore.

The mid-season trades didn’t work, pace bowling was a problem, and their most successful spinner had a tournament to forget

Sreshth Shah21-May-20235:04

Moody: KKR’s issue was juggling of top order and uncertainty around XI

Where they finishedPosition on table: Seventh, with 12 points
Wins: Six
Losses: Eight
By the time they produced complete team performances in the last fortnight of the league stage, Kolkata Knight Riders were all but eliminated. Their expensive mid-season trades did not provide a positive payoff, they identified their best openers very late and their most successful spinner in IPL history had an ordinary season. Pace bowling continued to be a problem and if it wasn’t for a couple of brilliant individual performances from their domestic talent, KKR could’ve finished even lower.Related

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The good – Domestic talent impressVenkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh (alongside Andre Russell) provided a robust and attacking middle order that was dangerous both against pace and spin. Rinku and Rana were the most consistent among the four, and both batters are among the top five run-getters between Nos. 4 and 7 this season.Fast bowlers Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana showed promise even if their inexperience proved to be expensive in some games. Both showed signs that they can be regular new-ball bowlers in the future with their impeccable seam positions and stepped up when a lackluster Umesh Yadav was injured.Varun Chakravarthy, too, returned to his mysterious ways, taking 20 wickets this season. He was one level above the other KKR bowlers that also includes Sunil Narine. In fact, young Suyash Sharma on his debut IPL season impressed more than Narine with his 10 scalps in 11 games.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe bad – Unsettled at the top and trades underutilisedThere were a lot of things that went wrong for KKR. Shreyas Iyer’s injury at the start of the season did not help, but neither did their choice of trying nine different opening pairs in 14 games. N Jagadeesan, Mandeep Singh, Venkatesh, Litton Das and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were all tried without each of them getting long runs, and till Jason Roy’s late arrival and subsequent boost, their first-wicket partnership always felt like a walking wicket.Shardul Thakur and Lockie Ferguson – two expensive trades between seasons – were not used enough in comparison to how much of their budget was spent on the pair. Ferguson had three ordinary outings, taking only three wickets with an economy north of 12.50 while Shardul averaged less than two overs per innings.Overseas player availability was also a problem. Their two Bangladesh overseas players had limited availability in the first place, and that problem was compounded when Shakib Al Hasan didn’t even travel to India. Roy, their best overseas player alongside Russell, was not even in their original squad and was drafted into the squad as a mid-season replacement.Top performer: Rinku SinghIPL 2023 has been a season of finishers across all teams but no story has quite been like Rinku’s. Backed by KKR since IPL 2018 through poor form and season-ending injuries, Rinku was the man who consistently saved KKR the blushes while also making his own case for an India cap.Rinku racked up 474 runs in one season – the most in IPL history by a batter coming in at No. 5 or below – while maintaining an average of 59.25 and a strike-rate of almost 150. Each of his four 50-plus scores came while chasing and while he was out there, other teams felt the pressure. Rinku hitting five sixes in the 20th over to seal a win over Gujarat Titans is one of the IPL’s most memorable moments, but he also closed out an important game against Punjab Kings with a last-ball four. He very nearly left LSG on the mat too in his last game with an unbeaten 67.The highlightsShardul’s 29-ball 68 in a come-from-behind win against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Rinku special in Ahmedabad where KKR chased down 31 in the final over. The season double over RCB. And the win against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk after 11 long years.Poll

England’s less-is-more mantra will be tested like never before, but the pressure-off approach has worked so far

Matt Roller14-Jun-2023England’s Test team have adopted a simple, three-word mantra when it comes to their preparation: less is more.While Australia were getting ready for Friday’s first Ashes Test at The Oval, by thrashing India to win the World Test Championship, England’s players and management were playing golf in Loch Lomond. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, there is no training just for training’s sake.”It was perfect, trying to get away from cricket for a week or so,” Harry Brook told the BBC. “Then we’ve come back, hit the ground running and go hard at training. There was a bit of alcohol involved… it was more of a team-bonding week, and we all bonded very well.”The squad is full of golfers, with Zak Crawley – who plays off a handicap of one – said to be the pick of the bunch. McCullum is a tournament ambassador for the New Zealand Open and a regular in the annual Pro-Am event; his own handicap has dropped significantly since he took the job.Brook is not far off Crawley himself, and became partners with his Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Brian Lara in India. They took pride in an unbeaten record for the first half of the IPL, but were eventually beaten by Marco Jansen and the professional at Hyderabad Golf Club. He views golf as an opportunity to get away from cricket.”When you’re training, you hit it hard and train your nuts off,” Brook said. “Other than that, you get away from the game – and golf is a very important part of that. It takes you away from cricket. Professional sport as a whole can be very draining and tough, so to be able to play another sport and take the mind off it is perfect.”Related

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England cricketers have always loved golf, but some have feared the repercussions of being seen to play too often. “I used to play once every two weeks,” Graeme Swann said. “There was always the feeling that if I’m playing golf four times a week and I’m not performing, that’s an easy target; it’s going to get pointed out.”There is now a culture of individuals taking personal responsibility for their preparation, rather than being dictated to. Training sessions are optional; McCullum blares out an eclectic playlist over his speakers as batters swing as hard as they can. Players’ availability to play county cricket is largely left up to them, as is the final call on participation in franchise leagues.Take Joe Root. He has not played a County Championship match in over a year, and decided to enter the IPL auction at a low base price (INR 1 crore/£100,000) in order to maximise his chances of being picked up. He spent the vast majority of his two-month stint with Rajasthan Royals running drinks, but justified his decision to ESPNcricinfo during the tournament.Brendon McCullum bazballs on a Millbrook Resort golf course after England’s Test series against New Zealand•Getty Images”If you want to, you can look back at anything and say, ‘well if you didn’t do that then you might’ve done better here’. It doesn’t make any difference,” Root said. “It’s about how you turn up and you perform when those big games come around and that’s what you should be judged on, not the decisions you make prior to it, especially when you’re an experienced player.”Root has batted once in a first-class match in the last month, making 56 in England’s one-sided Test against Ireland. Brook’s only innings lasted seven balls. Jonny Bairstow last faced a red ball in a match a month ago; Stokes has not done so since February, and Moeen Ali since September 2021. McCullum had no qualms with Moeen missing training on Wednesday to collect his OBE from Windsor Castle.ESPNcricinfo’s data suggests that recent red-ball practice makes a slight difference in England – or at least, that it has over the last 15 years. Since 2008, England’s top-seven batters who have played at least one first-class game in the month before a home series have averaged 40.1; those who have not have averaged 38.1. England bowlers who have played in the month before average 27.0 in the series itself, compared to 28.3 for those who have not.But the differences are marginal, and for every example of a player who has struggled with minimal match preparation, there is a counter-example of one who has flourished. Much of the build-up to England’s first Test of the Stokes-McCullum era focused on Bairstow’s late arrival from the IPL, where he was short on runs; he responded with one of the all-time great summers by an England batter.”Every Test match I’ve played so far, I’ve felt like I’m ready two days out – and that’s the same today,” Brook said on Wednesday. “We’ve got another training day tomorrow so I’ll top up and see how I am before then. I haven’t not played any cricket… I’ve been playing IPL cricket and playing against the best bowlers in the world anyway. I feel like I’m ready and I don’t feel short of cricket at all.”The minimalistic approach to preparation stems, at least in part, from a recognition of Test cricket’s parlous state. “You can understand why people don’t want to play Test cricket,” Brook added. “There’s so many franchise competitions out there and there’s so much money you can get; it’s like being a footballer.”And so, England see no point ramping up the pressure in the weeks leading up to a Test match by turning them into an intense endurance test. Instead, they fall back on that simple mantra: less is more.

All the key numbers from India’s record win against Afghanistan

Sampath Bandarupalli11-Oct-20237 – Hundreds for Rohit Sharma at the men’s ODI World Cup, the most by any player, surpassing the six scored by Sachin Tendulkar. Four of those seven hundreds by Rohit came while chasing, while no other batter has more than two batting second.ESPNcricinfo Ltd556 – Sixes hit by Rohit in international cricket, the most by any batter, going past Chris Gayle’s tally of 553. Out of those, 297 have been in ODIs, the third most in the format.ESPNcricinfo Ltd63 – Balls needed for Rohit to complete his hundred against Afghanistan, the fastest by an Indian at the men’s ODI World Cup. The previous fastest was by Virender Sehwag, who took 81 balls for his ton against Bermuda in 2007.31 – ODI hundreds for Rohit, the third most in the format, going ahead of Ponting. Only Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (47) have more ODI tons than Rohit.ESPNcricinfo Ltd29 – …of Rohit’s 31 ODI tons have come while opening the batting. He now has the second-most hundreds in ODIs as an opener, going ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya’s 28 and only behind Tendulkar’s 45.21 – Number of centuries scored by Rohit since turning 30 in ODIs, the joint-most by any batter. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Jayasuriya also had 21 tons each in ODIs after turning 30.19 – Innings taken by Rohit for 1000 runs at the ODI World Cup, the joint-fastest batter to the milestone, equalling David Warner, who got there in 19 innings on Sunday against India.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 – Hundreds by Indian batters in men’s ODIs that were faster than Rohit’s 63-ball century in Delhi. It is also the sixth-fastest hundred for any batter at the men’s ODI World Cup.2 – Rohit’s 30-ball fifty was also the second-fastest for India at the men’s ODI World Cup, behind Tendulkar’s fifty off 26 balls against Bermuda in the 2007 edition.76 – Runs scored by Rohit in the first ten overs of the Indian innings. These are the most by a batter for India in a men’s ODI innings in the first ten overs since 2002. The previous highest was 70 runs by Robin Uthappa against West Indies in Chennai in 2007.6 – Player-of-the-Match awards for Rohit in the ODI World Cup. Only Tendulkar – nine awards – is ahead of Rohit, while Glenn McGrath also has six.35 – Overs India needed to chase down the target of 273, the fastest successful 250-plus target chase in the men’s ODI World Cup. The previous fastest was off 36.2 overs by New Zealand in the 283-run chase against England in the opening game of the ongoing edition.90 – Balls remaining when India reached the target, the third biggest win in terms of balls remaining in men’s ODIs when chasing a target of 250-plus runs. South Africa chased down 261 with 123 balls to spare against West Indies earlier this year, while England defeated Sri Lanka with 95 balls to spare in 2016 while chasing 255.

Dangerous driving in the damp leaves innings on the skids, but runs on the board

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Jul-2023There’s something to be said for Test matches like these, when the terms are so clear.Everyone knows the Ashes are beyond England’s reach. Australia have them safely tucked away, already packed in their cases for when they board their return flight home after three months on these shores.Even at 10am on this first morning of the match, the Bee Hive pub – a Moeen Ali flicked six away from the Kia Oval – was rammed with punters spilling out into the streets. All to be expected on a Test-match Thursday. Routines are routines, and each of us has our own. Right down to whether you choose to get out at Vauxhall or Oval Tube Station.It was also clear this was going to be a different fifth Ashes Test to 2019’s version. That also began with Australia 2-1 up, but the backdrop was far less invigorating – subdued, almost, given the limp manner in which England had surrendered their Ashes hopes at Old Trafford after the high of Stokes’ Headingley heroics.This one, however, was going to be different. The tourists had a wrong to right by winning a series here outright for the first time since 2001. England’s motivation to triumph was geared towards boasting of a superiority on points, depending on which of the judge’s scorecards you wanted to believe the most. Even after a physically and emotionally taxing six weeks, both groups have spent the days between Tests talking up their respective aims. At the very least, this was an opportunity to go at each other one last time (one last time ever, in the cases of the senior core of both teams) and be done with it.Yet, arriving here on Thursday morning, there was a whiff of uncertainty about the place. The skies were overcast, yet the sun burned bright enough to shine through and let us know it was here. Wednesday’s rains now hung in the air, creating a humidity you only appreciated when the chilled winds picked up. Pat Cummins, despite suggestions from team-mate Marnus Labuschagne to call heads this time, was finally rewarded for five calls of tails with a first toss win of the series.Given the conditions, there were no qualms about asking England to bat first. And, as ever when such a call is made, to be batting by the end of day one, on 61 for 1 after 25 overs, vindicated Cummins. A straightforward decision had produced the desired result. Australia thought they had a decent day.Typically, so did England. But for the actual scoreline, it would be hard to gauge who is ahead in this “well, actually” of an Ashes series. And as their first innings of 283 all out from 54.4 overs swirled around with ice in their glasses at the end of the day, their appraisal – certainly that of top-scorer Harry Brook – seemed sincere.Moeen Ali was bowled by Todd Murphy for 34 after stepping up his tempo following a groin strain•Getty Images”We were all talking about 250 being a decent score at lunchtime and got 33 more than that,” Brook said, after top-scoring with 85 from 91 deliveries. “We were happy with the way we scored our runs.”As were those in the stands, for the most part. The runs came at 5.17 an over, the 12th time an entire England innings has come at a pace in excess of five since Ben Stokes filled this old car with his rocket fuel and Brendon McCullum kick-started it with a flick of his cigar. Only one other team – Bangladesh against Afghanistan last month – has done similar in that period.The 11th, last week in Manchester, was the most spectacular. The trio of Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were taken for hundreds each as England peeled off 592 in their only innings of the rained-off fourth Test. But with the elements in their favour this time, the same three recalibrated their lines, pulled back their lengths – but not by too much – and asserted control. And yet there were still moments when they were put on the racks.How you reflect on those moments is based entirely on your own opinions of England’s approach to batting in this era. Much like the viral phenomenon of whether the dress is black and blue, or white and gold, Bazball is either the reason they made it to what looks a decent score on a tough wicket, or why they spurned the chance for a hundred more runs.They made hay early on, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett strumming to 52 after 10 overs – only the second time England had reached that stage without losing a wicket, for their highest score, no less. Having made it to 62 for 0, three wickets fell for 11 in 22 deliveries, before a further stand of 111 off just 18 overs between Brook and Moeen Ali, whose untimely groin injury persuaded him it was time to “tee off”. Then came the second collapse of 4 for 28, before Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, the heroes of the Headingley chase, reunited for 49.Pick your fruits or poison among all that. There were stunning boundaries, whether it was Duckett charging Hazlewood and almost flaying him through Crawley’s shins, Brook’s flipped six off Hazlewood in the penultimate over before lunch, or a lame Moeen lifting Cummins over square leg, struck sweetly off the middle of a bat that had earlier been used as a walking stick for a “quick” single.Related

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But among the good passages seemingly relinquished – notably 184 for 3, and Brook’s chasing of a wide Starc delivery when looking nailed on for a first century of the series – were other incidents for Australia to rue. Duckett was dropped on 30, Brook on five, who then benefitted from a wayward throw from Cummins which should have run the Yorkshireman out on 50. There were edges through gaps, balls passing just past stumps as batters gave themselves room to thrill. And by stumps, the match was in a very familiar position of not quite knowing who was the more correct of the two teams, but knowing this argument of philosophies had chalked up another thrilling day’s play.It’s worth looking at the scorecard of this corresponding Test in 2019 for some contrast rather than context. England were inserted in similar climes and eked out 294 from 87.1 overs. They are in broadly the same position in the match, yet with more to lament given how they had things their own way. But you always have to remember, this approach is taken with the view that – had they opted for survival, with straight bats down the line of the ball – they probably would not have made it to a competitive score in the first place.As ever with this England team over the last month, winning this match will dictate they were right. And losing it might, too.If 2019’s Oval Test had an end-of-term feel, this was very much the Last Night of the Proms. A few classics from the last months, and still some familiar hits to come from what has been a show-stopping series.

For moments during the first innings, especially when Kuldeep Yadav was attacked, the home side were under some pressure but they responded in style

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Oct-20231:48

Bond: New Zealand gave up on getting Kohli out

Beneath the colossal Dhauladhar mountain range, the snow on the peaks and ridges set aglow by the setting sun, New Zealand are hustling. They have been hustling most of the afternoon.Since 19 for 2 in the ninth over, Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra had raced their twos, been alive to tight singles, and sped out of their creases, stopped when the ball was fielded in the ring and zipped back to safety, each of their actions rapid and electric.This is only part of their hustle, because New Zealand being New Zealand, there is also a manic fight on the strategy front.India have only five serious bowlers this match, and New Zealand have planned to take one of them down. On a pitch that favours seamers, the spinners are the obvious targets, and between Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, Kuldeep is the softer one.Related

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Partly this is because Kuldeep is less experienced; Jadeja is now a hardened veteran across formats. Partly this is because wristspinners are an infamously fragile breed.Shane Warne, the greatest to ever do it, proclaimed repeatedly that a wristspinner’s first objective should be to bowl a decent-enough first over their captain would keep them on for a second.Between 21 December 2019, and 27 March 2021, Kuldeep went through a patch when he went at over six runs per over in six of eight ODIs, and 5.5 or more in the other two. This sounds like a small sample size, but these are the margins of error when you play for this India team. New Zealand will know Kuldeep has a history of being rattled. They’ll also know he’s been rattled less lately. But they have to try.Because Mitchell is a right-hander Kuldeep’s stock ball spins to him, he takes the lead in upsetting Kuldeep’s figures and by extension – he hopes – India’s bowling plans. He runs at Kuldeep and launches him for huge sixes down the ground. As New Zealand are scrapping for advantage and this is still not enough, Mitchell repeatedly tries the reverse sweep against the turn as well. But he is beaten on two of the four times he tries it against Kuldeep.Kuldeep Yadav was under pressure but still had an impact•Associated PressThat’s the game, but when you’re searching this desperately, you miss some.Still, New Zealand are winning this battle. Kuldeep has leaked 35 from his first four overs. When he comes back on for a fifth in the 31st over of the innings, he gives away another 13.Most captains would swap him out here, right?”That’s it. You’re done for a bit.””Let’s get some control back here. Get someone in who can bowl some dots.”Go into damage control. Who else is around who can roll their arm over?”Not India. Rohit keeps Kuldeep on for two more overs in this spell. In the next over, Kuldeep should have had Mitchell caught at long off, but Jasprit Bumrah drops it. In over after that, Kuldeep nails Tom Latham in lbw front of leg stump. As wristspinners are a famously mystical breed, it is not clear whether this was a slider or a front-of-the-hand flipper.

Mohammed Shami, the first bowler with two men's ODI World Cup five-forshttps://t.co/wm8y4HuhSE #INDvNZ #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/OG010nc0SY

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 22, 2023

Then Kuldeep goes out of the attack.At some point, you begin to realise that no amount of hustle will work. That this is not a cricket team that responds to the usual cues. Bowlers don’t get bashed into oblivion here. India have dropped three catches by this stage, but no falling apart as England did two nights ago is happening.What happens instead is an irresistible rallying. In Kuldeep’s first five overs he gave away more runs than he had in his full quota all tournament, but in his last five overs he bowls wickedly fast deliveries that threaten the stumps, takes two wickets and concedes only 25. Mohammed Shami in his first game in the tournament takes five wickets and is almost unhittable at the death, while Jasprit Bumrah does spectacular things like bowling a 49th over brimful of yorkers, which concedes only three runs.Mitchell and Ravindra had put on a stand of 159 off 152 balls for the third wicket – the biggest ever partnership for any wicket at this venue. Yet in the last 16 overs of the innings, so spectacular is India’s bowling that New Zealand – supremely placed to provide a blistering end to this innings – can manage only eight boundaries.New Zealand’s total always seemed light, but India’s chase was too smooth to believe. They would continue to hustle late into the night, black uniforms shooting like pinballs over a mottled green outfield that England had complained about a week earlier, but New Zealand’s fielders had no problems diving on.The run out of Suryakumar Yadav was spectacular – Mitchell Santner, perhaps the best fielder of this tournament so far – backhanding a ball while rolling over to bowler Trent Boult, who backhanded it to the wicketkeeper while his own body was twisting around. A play so perfect, it deserved to win the match.2:44

Mitchell: ‘The way India bowled was pretty special’

Not against India. Virat Kohli produced an innings so sweet it gave him time to turn down a single and look for the big 49th century. This is after openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill had put on a 71-run partnership against the likes of Boult and Matt Henry, who have statistically been the best opening pair in the past few years.All this while the crowd roared for India, shouted Bumrah, Siraj, and Shami’s names in the last 10 overs, and clamoured as one for Kohli as he approached his century, even cheering a Jadeja forward defence so Kohli would have enough runs left to chase in order to get to triple figures.If you are an opposition team, even one that has won four in a row as New Zealand has, how do you possibly combat this? You are playing a cricket team every bit as forbidding as the colossal peaks that surround a stadium that is packed with supporters whose clamouring for India’s success is voracious and relentless.After the match, New Zealand’s best batter, Mitchell, said he and his team-mates were grateful for the chance to play at a venue such as this, and have experiences such as this, since his is a team that hails from “the bottom of the world”.But from among the New Zealand side, Mitchell will know, most of all, how teams as spectacular as India are now, intimidate opposition on their home soil.Mitchell’s father, John, is a former coach of the All Blacks, whose home crowds turn up to stadiums with far greater capacity than Dharamsala, dressed all in black – a sporting phenomena known as “the blackout”. At Eden Park, the All Blacks have not lost in 29 years. They have won a World Cup final there in that stretch.On Sunday, India and their ocean of blue shirts were almost as scary. The next-best team in the competition so far, had a run at India missing their key allrounder. By the end Kohli was turning down singles in his quest for a hundred. No amount of hustle got New Zealand close.

Their progress after a poor World Cup showing will have to withstand the test offered by a true Chattogram pitch

Mohammad Isam17-Mar-2024Bangladesh’s fast-bowling unit has the opportunity to stamp their authority in an important match on Monday. The ODI series against Sri Lanka is level at one-all in Chattogram, where the conditions have been stacked heavily against bowlers under lights. The dew has been omnipresent in both games, leading to the chasing side winning convincingly despite losing three wickets in the first powerplay.That will not be the case in the final ODI – a day game at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium – scheduled for a 10am start. While the pitch there is generally regarded as one of the better batting wickets in the country, the fast bowlers will still be relieved that dew won’t be a factor.The game is particularly crucial for the Bangladesh fast bowlers after an ordinary ODI World Cup campaign in India last year. The fact that it came after an impressive run-up to the major tournament made it all the more disappointing. They bounced back a bit in New Zealand in December, and now they have the chance to carry their progress at home against Sri Lanka.Related

Bangladesh drop Litton from squad for third Sri Lanka ODI

Madushanka to miss rest of Bangladesh tour, initial stages of IPL 2024

Tanzim Hasan Sakib ruled out of third ODI due to hamstring injury

However, both pace units have been dealt one blow each ahead of the game. A couple of hours after Sri Lanka lost Dilshan Madushanka to a hamstring injury on Sunday morning, Bangladesh’s Tanzim Hasan Sakib, too, was ruled out by the same issue, and Hasan Mahmud flew in to Chattogram as a replacement for the third ODI, on Sunday afternoon.It is likely that Bangladesh will bring back Mustafizur Rahman in the three-man attack that already has Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam. Sri Lanka may have to bring in allrounder Chamika Karunaratne to aid Lahiru Kumara and Pramod Madushan in the pace attack.Both pace attacks stack up interestingly on paper. While Sri Lanka’s attack has variety and depth – more so than all other departments – Madushanka’s absence leaves them without a unique mix of skills – left-arm pace with swing.Kumara is a hit-the-deck bowler while Madushan lacks consistent control despite getting good swing. Karunaratne will have to come in, and he is useful with the ball. But the loss of Madushanka, who struck in his first over in both the games, makes Sri Lanka’s attack less penetrative.Injuries are the main factor hampering their depth. Matheesha Pathirana, whose hamstring injury came at Sylhet, is probably not yet ready for ODIs in the short term. Dushmantha Chameera is another big miss. Nuwan Thushara, who got a hat-trick in the third T20I against Bangladesh in Sylhet, is very good with the new ball but probably needs to work on his death bowling.Shoriful Islam has been a key cog in Bangladesh’s attack•AFP/Getty ImagesBangladesh’s fast bowling is also coming up on similar depth but still have a long way to go, particularly in tough conditions. Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is one such place where influencing a deciding match would go a long way in establishing the fast bowlers’ overall confidence.Allrounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz said that the fast-bowling group was impressive in both ODIs in different ways. Although they couldn’t close the deal in the second game, they were still effective in the dew-y outfield.”Our fast bowlers are bowling very well. The way Sakib made a comeback in the first game, it was very important for us. We hadn’t made a good start. He got us three wickets, which was wonderful. The fast bowlers gave us three wickets in the powerplay in the second game. But we didn’t get breakthroughs because of dew. I think overall our bowling unit is doing well.”We are aware of the conditions. The day game will give us extra help. Night matches depend a lot on the toss here. Winning the toss becomes an advantage. It is not good for spinners obviously. Maybe one more wicket in the second match would have helped us, so we are working on these things,” said Mehidy.Bangladesh are increasingly playing a lot of white-ball cricket in Sylhet and Chattogram where conditions are visibly better for batters. They now have a firm belief that to do well in major tournaments where they often encounter true, batting pitches, they have to keep playing in these two venues at home to get used to such conditions.”I think playing on these wickets is a huge advantage. We usually look for results. We don’t win here always. But when we go to big tournaments, we have to play on true wickets, so it is a good habit to play on these wickets. We have to practice how to chase 300-plus runs or defend a 300-plus score. It will give us an advantage in big tournaments like the Asia Cup and World Cup. I think this is an ideal wicket,” said Mehidy.It is on these true wickets that the fast bowlers are slowly finding their feet in white-ball cricket. The Bangladesh team management will still look for a spin-dominating pitch in Tests but fast bowling is becoming their go-to mode of attack in ODIs and T20Is. Taskin and Shoriful will have their work cut out to stop a rampant Sri Lankan top-order. Their growth as a unit has brought along expectations too, can they withstand it in Chattogram?

As the IPL starts to take shape, here’s a recap of the main storylines involving the Australians

Alex Malcolm08-Apr-20241:10

Will Mitch Marsh be dropped?

Marsh’s hamstring concern

Mitchell Marsh is set to be confirmed as Australia’s T20I captain for the World Cup but there is a major concern over his fitness after he missed Delhi Capitals’ loss to Mumbai Indians on Sunday with a hamstring injury. Capitals’ assistant coach Pravin Amre called it a “worrying sign” for Capitals but it is a greater concern for Australia given his injury history.”He has gone for a scan and the physios will give us a report in a week’s time,” Amre said. “Then we will come to know what the exact situation is. Whether he can [play the entire season] or not depends on the reports.”Related

• Hamstring injury rules Delhi Capitals' Mitchell Marsh out for at least a week

• The curious case of RCB's struggling overseas batters

• Maxwell on Mayank: You don't often see someone of his pace

• Starc: 'Personal stuff aside, the team's start has been fantastic'

Cricket Australia’s medical staff will be kept in the loop but there is no indication yet of whether he would be withdrawn from the IPL to rest for the World Cup. Marsh has been very carefully managed by CA over the last 12 months since returning to being a three-format player, culminating in being named Allan Border Medallist as Australia’s best-performed player in all forms over the last year.His form prior to the injury was a concern for Capitals with talk of his place being in jeopardy after scores of 20, 23, 18 and 0. But his performances would not have concerned Australia’s selectors given he has still been making fast starts without going on with it. He is playing the style of cricket Australia’s hierarchy will want him to play in the powerplay during the World Cup.

Maxwell and Green struggling at Royal Challengers Bengaluru

2:19

Moody: Both Green and Maxwell are under pressure

Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green have both had tough starts to the IPL at Royal Challengers Bengaluru and their form has had an impact on the team’s performances as a whole. Maxwell has scores of 0, 3, 28, 0, and 1.In the last match against Rajasthan Royals, he walked out in a situation set-up for a Maxwell masterclass but was cleaned bowled backing away. Opposing teams have used high pace against him early with great success, which will be a theme he will see a lot of heading to the World Cup. He told ESPN’s that he has had trouble adjusting to Bengaluru’s two-paced pitch. Maxwell has bowled very well in the two matches he has been used. He credited work with RCB assistant coach and current Victoria bowling coach, Adam Griffith in helping him get more overspin and bounce which has yielded four wickets at an economy rate of 7.37.Glenn Maxwell is having a lean time at the IPL•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile Maxwell’s form will not concern Australia’s selectors, Green’s form is not helping his bid to make the T20 World Cup squad. He was already on the fringes of the final 15 for the tournament but he has been unable to make a statement in a new role for RCB. Having had an excellent debut season for Mumbai Indians last year batting at No. 3, and having had some brief T20I success as an opener, Green is struggling to find his feet at No. 5 with scores of just 9 and 5 not out in the last week. He lost his off stump to the pace of Mayank Yadav and then had no impact at the death against Rajasthan, unable to find the boundary in six balls faced.His best innings of the tournament so far came at No. 3 against Kolkata Knight Riders where he made 33 off 21. In his three innings at No. 5 he has struck at under 100 across 37 balls. He has also struggled to make an impact with the ball. He did take two wickets in the first match of the tournament but has gone wicketless since. Green did not play any T20 cricket at any level between last year’s IPL and this one as Australia’s selectors kept him focussed on red-ball cricket. That lack of exposure may play against him when the selectors sit down to pick the final World Cup 15 later this month unless he can find some form for RCB.

Stoinis and David power up

2:21

Why Stoinis came in to bat before Pooran

While Maxwell’s out of runs, Australia will be pleased by the performances of Marcus Stoinis and Tim David for their respective teams on Sunday. Stoinis muscled a match-winning 58 from 43 balls in Lucknow Super Giants’ low-scoring win over Gujarat Titans while David clubbed 45 not out off 21 balls in Mumbai’s mauling of Capitals.The form of Stoinis will especially please Australia’s selectors. He was promoted to No. 4 with LSG having lost momentum outside the powerplay and picked his moments to attack to give them a winning score to defend on a surface that became slower throughout. He also played an important hand in the previous win for LSG making 24 off 15 against RCB. He took a wicket in that game but has strangely only bowled one over for the tournament. He was subbed out after his half-century against Titans.David’s start to the tournament had been very unusual. He was demoted to bat behind legspinner Piyush Chawla in Mumbai’s previous game against Royals. But he was back at No. 6 against Delhi and smashed four sixes as he and Romario Shepherd ransacked 42 from the last eight balls of the innings as Mumbai finally broke their season drought.Mitchell Starc was finally among the wickets in IPL 2024•BCCI

Starc bounces back, Cummins keeps on keeping on

Mitchell Starc’s expensive start to the IPL after his expensive auction purchase had raised some eyebrows but he fought back last week with wickets against Capitals. He claimed 2 for 25 from three overs including the scalp of Australia team-mate David Warner who chopped on the ball after smashing Starc for six over cow corner. Starc was unperturbed by his expensive start to the tournament claiming “a little bit of luck” had gone against him in the first two games.Meanwhile, Pat Cummins is looming as a key man for Australia at the T20 World Cup given he is bowling superbly at the IPL. He produced another frugal display in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over Chennai Super Kings including the key wicket of CSK’s form batter Shivam Dube.

The team management sent mixed signals by picking four openers and leaving out Riyan Parag for the third T20I against Zimbabwe

Raunak Kapoor12-Jul-20243:44

Takeaways: India’s confusing selection calls

“That’s how we want to play and go forward,” Rohit Sharma said on June 22.Go hard from ball one, yet be smart with the bat; trust others to do their job in a bid to optimise your batting resources; and with a little bit of luck, you will win more than you will lose.The first T20 World Cup that India fully committed to with this new approach, they won.While Rohit and Virat Kohli have retired from T20Is, and Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach has ended, the future seems to be in safe hands. The template is set, the culture arguably transformed, and the baton passed on to an exciting new generation of batters, most of whom have learned the best habits of T20 batting at their IPL franchises.Related

• Rathour on India's transition: Needs to be done gradually, in a controlled manner

• No-holds-barred Jaiswal typifies the new and aggressive India

• Questions to answer for both India and Zimbabwe

• Rohit on batting vs Bangladesh: 'That's how we want to play and go forward'

• Gautam Gambhir unveiled as India's new head coach

Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as the new head coach fuels that belief further, and Shubman Gill, with the opening slots now vacant, understands the job description.However, if you glance at the scorecard of the third T20I between Zimbabwe and India in Harare, it seems like one out of time. India raced to 49 without loss in the first four overs. But in the next eight overs, they got just 40 for the loss of two wickets. After 12 overs, their run rate was 7.41, with Gill on 40 off 33 balls and Ruturaj Gaikwad on 2 off 4.In fitting the three T20 World Cup returnees – Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube – in the XI, India played four openers on the day, and Gaikwad came to the crease in the 11th over ahead of Samson, Dube and Rinku Singh. Inexplicably, Zimbabwe chose part-time offspinner Wessly Madhevere, who bowled for the first time in the series, for the 13th over. It cost them 19 runs.Gill eventually top-scored with 66 off 49 at a strike rate of 134.69. Gaikwad, in an unfamiliar role, did well with 49 off 28. Samson, having shown his wares as a top-order batter in the IPL, walked in at No. 5 with two overs to go. Rinku made his way out with just two balls to go, after having scored a 22-ball 48 in the second T20I. Dube did not even bat.Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a 28-ball 49 batting at No. 4 in the third T20I vs Zimbabwe•AFP/Getty ImagesIndia posted 182 for 4 after 31 runs came off misfields and dropped catches, as per ESPNcricinfo’s logs. Their bowlers and fielders got the job done but the eventual margin of victory was 23 runs.Gill acknowledged that finishing below 200 with the resources India had was disappointing, but said that the surface “was a bit double-paced” and “it wasn’t easy to hit balls off a length”. In his defence, this may be a one-off.In the previous game, albeit on a different surface, India – led by Abhishek Sharma’s 47-ball 100 – posted the highest T20I total at the Harare Sports Club, hammering 129 in the middle overs (seven to 16). One could argue that Abhishek should not have been the one moving away from the top after an innings like that to make room for Jaiswal. At the same time, Jaiswal’s return shouldn’t be up for debate. He was India’s reserve opener at the World Cup. The new philosophy is the only philosophy he perhaps knows.So why not bat Gill at No. 3? India perhaps wanted a left-right opening combination. Or they felt Abhishek was better suited for the No. 3 role as even during his hundred, he was on 27 off 23 before going on a rampage. Perhaps this was not about who bats where but how they bat.At the World Cup, India showcased flexibility with Kohli dropping the desire to bat deep and match Rohit’s intent. Rishabh Pant then disrupted the right-handedness at No. 3, with Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya to follow. Three of those are likely to command their way back into India’s full-strength T20I XI. So the batters that join them must display the same intent.Abhishek Sharma scored a blazing hundred in the second T20I•Associated PressInterim head coach VVS Laxman must ensure that the new batch is given the same message, and Gill must then lead the way as captain and batter.But the messaging has been mixed. Replacing Khaleel Ahmed with Sai Sudharsan after one defeat was akin to buying unnecessary insurance. In the following game, they left out Riyan Parag, who has established his credentials at No. 4 in the IPL, to retain Gaikwad. That Gaikwad did well is a credit to him, but it makes little sense to look at him as anything other than a top-order batter in T20Is.Parag and Abhishek were the two players who commanded India call-ups after dominating Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023-24 and IPL 2024. Their inclusions also gave India two batters in the top five who could bowl. By leaving out one of them and pushing the other down the order, India created a slight confusion in the roles, which was at odds with the philosophy that made them champions.Gill has shown he can carry that philosophy forward seamlessly as a batter. At 24, he will rely on experienced hands around him when it comes to team selections and communicating clear roles to players as well as making them understand when tough calls are made. In time, he may well be a successor to Rohit in more ways than one. For now, it is up to the team management to ensure India stay on the path Rohit and Co established last month.

India were far ahead of the field than what the conventional numbers suggest

Shiva Jayaraman01-Jul-2024India played at five different venues in the 2024 T20 World Cup, in varied conditions that ranged from spin-friendly with low bounce to pace-friendly with awkward bounce. Their batters were challenged and bowlers tested, but how good really were they? Conventional numbers in cricket won’t answer this question convincingly.India averaged 25.55 with the bat and 15.87 with the ball. The difference of 9.67 between their batting and bowling averages ranked only third best among the 20 teams that played in this World Cup. India’s batters scored runs at a strike rate of 133.14, which was only the fifth best. There were teams that were more economical than India with the ball. Their economy of 6.65 ranked only 9th in this World Cup.That’s why we turn to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, which gives meaning to the runs scored and wickets taken by players by contextualising performances. Smart Stats’ Batting and Bowling Impact consider match situations, match scoring rates and the quality of opposition, among other things, to award points to each run scored, wicket taken and dot bowled.Smart Stats rated India’s performances in this World Cup as the best: they earned the highest average Total Impact points (a sum of Batting Impact and Bowling Impact) among all teams. It would seem a no-brainer that they topped this list given they won the tournament, but India are at the top because they didn’t give in any quarter to their opponents. For instance, South Africa, who were the only other unbeaten team going into the finals, aren’t at No. 2 on this list. This was largely because South Africa weren’t at their best, nearly lost to Nepal and just managed to scrape home in a couple of other matches.