Who are the future stars and where are West Indies headed?

Andrew McGlashan in Melbourne09-Mar-2020Fielding standards must rise
Australia secured the title amid a superb display of outfielding at the MCG, but that was not the case for many teams across the tournament. A dropped catch in the opening over of the final was a moment India could not recover from. In the aftermath, Smriti Mandhana picked out fielding and fitness (the latter of those also covering running between the wickets) as the area India needed to focus on most. During the group stage there were some very poor fielding displays with Chamari Atapattu referencing 12 dropped catches during Sri Lanka’s campaign. Even South Africa, who made the knockouts, had a very poor day against Thailand which left captain Dane van Niekerk frustrated. While batting and bowling strength is down to the skill of players available, there is little excuse for not putting in the hard work to be a consistent fielding side and to be good runners between the wickets.ALSO READ: India haunted by dropped catches and poor batting form on big stageStars of the present and future
Shafali Verma had a difficult match in the final – a first-over dropped catch followed by a first-over dismissal – but the 16-year-old was one of the stars of the tournament. South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt played one of the innings of the competition with her half-century against Pakistan – and repeated the strokeplay in the semi-final against Australia – while Amelia Kerr, who has already been on the international scene for four years and is still only 19, impressed with bat and ball. These are just three names that could be part of a golden generation for the women’s game if they continue to be given the opportunity, both in investment and game time, to shine.Getty ImagesThe gap is closing
The four semi-finalists were teams who were considered likely contenders before the tournament. However, there were signs throughout that the gap is closing. Pakistan’s victory over West Indies was one of their best ever performances, while the fact they faced being toppled by Thailand in the final group match shows that no one could be taken lightly. Sri Lanka gave Australia a big scare in Perth, Bangladesh bowled New Zealand out for 91 and Thailand made 150 for 3 in their final match.ALSO READ: A celebration for Australia, a celebration for the women’s gameMore boards are now investing properly in the women’s game – if not to the levels of Australia and a lesser extent England – but there are others that still lag behind and may need assistance to further develop the game. It’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.West Indies a worry
Champions in 2016, semi-finalists in 2018, but West Indies were so far off the pace in this tournament – continuing a very poor run since the last T20 World Cup – as to raise serious concerns about which direction their game is heading. They made heavy weather of overcoming Thailand and were comfortably beaten by Pakistan and England. Their coach Gus Logie gave one of the most critical assessments of any side in the tournament when he called out his batters for being fearful. Hayley Matthews looked a shadow of the player she can be and, for more understandable reasons, Deandra Dottin could never get going on return from a serious shoulder injury. They face a tough road to rebuilding for next year’s 50-over World Cup and next T20 in 2022.Getty ImagesEnd double-header knockouts
The notion of playing both semi-finals on one day came from good intentions – and if it hadn’t rained in Sydney it would have worked – but putting two high-profile matches in the same location on the same day puts a lot of eggs in one basket. Also, there is an argument to say that the women’s game is growing enough to justify separate occasions for knockout matches. And there should certainly be reserve days.Power matters
One the major evolutions of the women’s game continues to be the increasing power on display. By one six (76 overall) this tournament had the most of any T20 World Cup. Megan Schutt said she had never been hit for a bigger six than the one struck by Verma in the opening match and Alyssa Healy sent one 83 meters in the final. Touch and placement remain a key part of the game, but they are no longer enough. Teams need to be able to compete with the likes of Healy, Verma, Nat Sciver, Sophie Devine, Wolvaardt and Atapattu. For Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka (aside from Atapattu) and Thailand – although their story of being here was inspirational – that is the side of their game they need to develop.Australia remain way out on topIt may seem a very obvious thing to say after victory by 85 runs in the final, but it’s the fact that up to that point Australia were challenged in every match – and with a host of different problems – that reaffirmed how good they are. Their much-lauded strength and depth was shown by how they covered for Ellyse Perry’s injury, they overturned 10 for 3 against Sri Lanka with composure and dug deep against New Zealand and South Africa with everything on the line. India were worthy winners of the opening match of the tournament, but there was a chasm between the teams in the final. That remains the challenge for everyone else: catch them if you can.

The more you watch the Ben Stokes dismissal, the more you break it down, the better it gets

Osman Samiuddin07-Aug-2020We’re running, you may have noticed, a Balls of the Century series at . The top 20 have been picked – and boo, down with recency bias and all that – but we may have to scrap it and restart the whole damn thing after Mohammad Abbas’ intervention yesterday.There’s nothing else that can be done about it because, as with every single ball in that list and in the best way possible, once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it. The more you watch it, the more you listen to it, the more you slow it down, the more you break it down, the better it gets, a little like .WATCH: Ben Stokes b Mohammad Abbas (courtesy ecb.co.uk)The thing about the ball to dismiss Ben Stokes is the impossibility of even imagining it happening. Every single moment in the existence of this delivery exists only to prove that it cannot possibly do what it ultimately ends up doing. If you think that’s hype, Nasser Hussain’s immediate reaction should be proof.Very little that happens on a cricket field is a surprise to Hussain but there’s just the tiniest hint that even he is thrown off by this.”Oh gone!” he lets out, almost involuntarily, before being drowned out by the s. He recovers quickly: “What a beauty… it takes something special to get Stokes out and that is special.” As ever, it is pitch-perfect for the moment, but that bit of surprise at the start is telling: something that even Hussain couldn’t account for has happened.ALSO READ: Abbas transforms contest to leave England’s outlook cloudy”Oh gone!” is not an inarticulate reaction, though this is the man who within eight seconds of it happening had given us the 11 immortal words that both caught a moment and scripted an entire history: “Pakistan cricket at its best, one minute down, next minute up!” (Three years on, my geese remain bumped.)Completely understandable, because bowled was the least likely mode of dismissal when this delivery began. Batsmen take guard outside the crease to Abbas often, which is not to say that it works. Aaron Finch did it in the UAE two years ago and it worked for as long as Abbas allowed it to. But Abbas to Finch is a different game, not only because it is right-arm over to a right-hand batsman. Stokes is a better Test batsman, in better form, and what’s more, had recent history in countering similar conundrums against Kemar Roach and Jason Holder. And unlike Finch, who opened, Stokes had the benefit of starting his innings having seen at least a little of what was happening. He was taking guard well outside the crease from the first ball.

The only opening Stokes gave to Abbas here was where he took guard, which is on and around leg. This is important because though he may move across the stumps significantly, because of where he starts off, there’s a paper-thin opening. Otherwise, there’s little else he does wrong through this

Abbas began from around the wicket, as part of the vogue or because he thought it made more sense in this situation. Two years ago, at Lord’s, he had trapped Stokes lbw from over the wicket, with a ball that DRS ultimately found to have pitched just in line with leg stump. Stokes was done for length there, one of those that you could stay back to, you could move forward to, but you could be out to in both scenarios.Different Stokes, different Abbas and rather than that dismissal what Stokes was doing here was geared to what Abbas was doing now with a newer ball (at Lord’s the ball was 54 overs old). He was putting Abbas off the lengths he bowls, yes – which is central to Abbas – but also negating what angle Abbas could create from round the wicket.In one of his two dismissals to Jason Holder – of similar pace but not skill as Abbas – Stokes had moved across rather than Holder from around the wicket, and edged behind. Holder was over the wicket for the other, Stokes again moving across to edge to gully.The only opening Stokes gave to Abbas here was where he took guard, which, as the screenshot below shows is on and around leg. This is important because though he may move across the stumps significantly, because of where he starts off, there’s a paper-thin opening. Otherwise there’s little else he does wrong through this.ECBIn other words, what that guard did, possibly, was to allow Abbas to see two stumps clearly and map out a delivery that could beat Stokes: angling in, cutting away, not hitting those stumps but beating him and catching an edge. Even then, the precision required is beyond the 10,000- hours-of-practice rule.Stokes is already well outside his crease but only makes his first move as Abbas’s right arm is beginning its arc to release, moving his back foot across and mostly forward.At the point of release, Stokes is further down and now showing Abbas one-and-a-half stumps. It’s too late for Abbas to adjust, though.ECBAs the ball pitches, Stokes has seen the line, worked out the length, and committed to the stroke, his front foot landing. It also appears as if he’s covering the stumps. This is where the optical illusion begins because just one stump is now visible to the viewer.ECBThe magic frame, as the ball reaches Stokes. The first part is done – Abbas has drifted it in so that the line is very tight. Between the last frame and this one, Stokes’ bat has moved closer to the body, probably accounting for the bit of swing in.And then it’s cut away. Still, there’s no way to see, from this moment on, this ball hitting off-stump. An edge – yes, off stump – no, especially because Abbas has pulled the length back and on this surface, there’s every chance it bounces over the stumps from there.ECBNow it’s gone past the edge. Still no, off stump – no way. Stokes has done most things right still, head in line, not over-balanced, but remember that paper-thin opening?ECBOnly now, a day later, we all know what happened next but on watching it live, the brain’s first reaction was to short-circuit. There’s a sound – is that a stump, an edge? In real time, I first thought the ball must have slipped under the toe of his bat, that Stokes had yorked himself because only that could explain how the ball hit the stumps at all. The expression forming on Stokes’ face below suggests, more than one brain was struggling to comprehend what happened.ECBData breaks down what happens in cricket better than ever before. Cricviz recorded this ball swinging in 0.2 degrees and seaming away 1.8 degrees but that’s like using numbers to explain love.

Oh yes @Mohmmadabbas111 pic.twitter.com/NioNE1spDR

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 6, 2020

Watch the dismissal all you want, and if it makes sense, great. If it doesn’t (not unlike Wasim Akram to Rahul Dravid), watch it anyway because there’s no limit to how much you can appreciate something, and appreciating something while not understanding it is perfectly acceptable. As, in fact, a slight paraphrasing of another Nasser Hussain gem shows us: no way, no, no way, you cannot do that, Mohammad Abbas.

The former South Africa women’s captain talks about cricket’s return, growing in the WBBL and why she thinks South Africa could be a world-beating side soon

Interview by Annesha Ghosh20-Jan-2021After making it to the semi-finals of the 2020 T20 World Cup, the South Africa women’s team return to the field from a ten-month hiatus to kick off their six-match assignment at home against Pakistan. ESPNcricinfo caught up with their senior batter and former captain Mignon du Preez to talk about the team’s rise in the recent years and her personal evolution.The rain-curtailed T20 World Cup semi-final at the SCG was the last time South Africa took the field. The Covid-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of your home series against Australia and the tour of England. How does it feel like to be back and playing the game again at the international level?
When you go through a time like the Covid-19 pandemic, and something you’re so used to doing all the time is taken away for you for a bit, I just think it makes you realise how you need to appreciate those times you get on to the park. For us, it’s definitely been challenging not being allowed to play.When the pandemic started taking hold, the break we got was somewhat nice, that we got some downtime. But once it started going on for months, you actually realise how much you miss it. For us, cricket is our life, and all of a sudden we couldn’t do it anymore.For me, it was good to reflect that it’s important to never take anything for granted. You never know when it’s going to be taken away. At this point, I think I’ve got this new hunger to want to get back on the field again. I’m extremely excited that Pakistan are here, as are the other girls who are all fit and raring to go. We are grateful we finally have the opportunity to represent our country.That 2020 T20 World Cup was a memorable one for South Africa – you made the semi-finals for just the second time in the tournament’s seven editions. How do you look back on the team’s campaign?
It was one of our best performances yet. Unfortunately the semi-final didn’t go our way. Australia played better than us on the day. But I do think we have a lot to be proud of, the way we played as a team, lots of individuals stepping up at different times for us in the competition. That was a really exciting aspect of our performance. The biggest highlight from the World Cup would be beating England for the first time at an ICC event.

“The mindset is part of the process. That’s one of the biggest elements when it comes to your power game, because it requires you to believe you can actually do it”

Your unbeaten 15 in that game was one of the most impactful innings of the tournament. Where does that knock rank for you among your best innings across formats?
It would be right up there, probably among the top three for me, personally, just for the reason that I’ve never really been seen as a big hitter. I think if anybody had to put money on who would be the one hitting the six in the final over, I doubt my name would be among the ones on top.It’s something I’ve been working on over the last few years of my career. I’ve really worked up my power game, and been playing with a lot of freedom. But then it’s different when you have to do it at the right time. I think it was the first time it came together. I know it was not a big knock, not a fifty or a hundred that was a game-changer, but at that moment we needed those six runs. And facing a world-class bowler like Katherine Brunt at that, in my 100th T20I. To step up for my team when they needed me most definitely made the knock special and it was something I will remember for a long time.Related

• Mignon du Preez may have quit internationals but she's still in cricket full-time

• du Preez holds nerve in 100th T20I to seal thriller

• South Africa find their voice as du Preez steps up

• Sune Luus named SA captain for Pakistan series

• du Preez: van Niekerk, Tryon's absence a 'challenge'

Eight months later, you would go on to sharing the dressing room with Brunt, who was debuting for Melbourne Stars in the WBBL. You were playing your fourth season for the Stars. What was it like to have Brunt as a team-mate?
She is a phenomenal team-mate. She is one of the world’s best players and one of those who wears their heart on their sleeve. She is immensely passionate about the game. It doesn’t matter where she is playing or what team she’s turning out for, she gives it her everything and leaves everything out on the park. And contrary to her intimidating on-field personality, a lot of people don’t realise that she actually is a softie, something you can tell easily if you spend some time with her. It’s nice to have her in my team rather than having to play against her, and we’ve had an amazing time together at the Stars.We had one conversation about that T20 World Cup over in the bus. It was like me against her (). She insisted it was a top edge. I kept telling her it came off the middle of the bat; it was a good shot! She had to get back on video and get some of the girls into the conversation, saying, “Listen, can you please look at this footage and tell us if that was a top edge or she did indeed middle it.” So we had a bit of banter in the bus on our way to and from training sessions.What are the other knocks in your top three?
An innings against the Brisbane Heat in the 2019-20 WBBL; it was one of my highest scores in the competition – 88. I’d probably rank it top of the lot. Internationally, my highest score was against Ireland. It was one of those days when you get to the middle and think about a shot you want to play, it just comes off, if you identify a gap, it just works out.Du Preez’s 88, her highest score in the WBBL, came in a losing cause against Brisbane Heat in 2019•Getty ImagesAside from the power hitting, what aspects of your batting have your honed since stepping down from captaincy in June 2016?
The mindset is part of the process. That’s one of the biggest elements when it comes to your power game, because it requires you to believe you can actually do it. I also started doing a lot of range hitting. A lot of times the likes of Lizelle Lee, Dane van Niekerk, Chloe Tryon would in their training sessions spend time in the middle and do range-hitting and I’d always just stand there and go, “W-o-w! Look at this.” And, then, I just actually told myself, “Let’s try this. I need to challenge myself.” It might not go as far in the first few hits, but actually getting out there, getting a sense of how far you are hitting it, are you timing it, all of that is important. I realised I should not be thinking of hitting the ball hard and instead focus on timing the ball, because if I focus on hitting the ball, I tend to lose my shape. To just think of timing the ball helped me hit it a lot further than I thought.One of the other aspects I’ve changed in my game is to identify space, not think about a specific shot and instead identify an area I can target. That allowed me to get into a better position. And over the last few years a lot of people would have probably seen that I’ve started to use the crease a bit more, whether it’s giving my stumps away to allow my hands to move freely or whether its going deeper back to get under the ball – it just helps play a bit of a mind game with the bowlers. And I definitely think the big thing is to have a strong base. That’s something I’m still working on. I tend to get it a bit wrong every now and then, tend to fall over sometimes. And, most importantly, the biggest change: just enjoying it more than ever and having fun. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? ()How much of an influence has the WBBL been in your growth as a batter?
The WBBL has been amazing, especially the last season where I got to work with Trent Woodhill. He is an amazing coach, both in the men’s and women’s environments. Also playing alongside somebody like Meg [Lanning] and just seeing how different players go about their game. Overall, the tournament has been great because it’s quite a long competition; you play 14 games, and it gives you the opportunity to play the best players in the world consistently.If I look at the South African players who have had the opportunity to play in the WBBL, I’d say it’s taken everybody’s game forward. In the first few years [of my career] especially, we basically never had the opportunity to play against Australia. We only saw them once every four years in a World Cup event. All of a sudden you start playing against these players regularly. The gap that was there between the top and the bottom teams around the world – the WBBL has been helping narrow it down and almost help put others on an equal footing with them. It has taken my personal game forward, too, helped me play with a lot of freedom, been a highlight of my career. The enjoyment aspect is also crucial. The WBBL is the IPL [of the women’s game] at the moment; going there and playing is a lot of fun. They invest a lot of money in it to make the competition enjoyable for the viewers and players alike.

“We all know how amazing Meg [Lanning] is, but also sometimes she is just human. There are times she would say, ‘Oh, Mignon, I tried to hit that ball for 12! I am trying to hit too much of it when I should just try to time it'”

Trent Woodhill has, for a long time, been at the forefront of innovations in the 20-over format. Could you break down his coaching style and approach to women’s T20 cricket?
He is a really relaxed coach. He has this laid-back, informal attitude which kind of flows through the squad. It’s easy to have a chat with him and he loves sharing his knowledge.The biggest thing that stood out for me was he said, “Power over placement. When in doubt, try to hit the ball hard.”I have, for a long time, thought that it’s more about hitting through the gap. But he just said, “You know what, when in doubt, just try and get into a good position and hit the ball as hard as possible.” That actually allowed me to play with a bit more freedom – at times, when I get in trouble, it’s probably because I’m indecisive over whether to take the bowler on or just hit the gaps and pockets and try and run hard. But by just giving all of the players that freedom to go out and hit the ball because no matter the result it won’t be held against us, Trent brought back the big element of having fun. Every player that walked to the crease expressed themselves freely, and beyond too. He encouraged us to enjoy the environment and each other’s company, both on and off the field. He created an environment where everyone could flourish.Also, he outlined everyone’s role clearly and made it clear that everyone has their uniqueness, which can help each other complement well, so there’s no need to compete with the person next to you. He is extremely good at understanding what every individual needs to make them tick, to get the best out of them. He’s helped bring about a transformation in several individual players and the Stars women as a unit. Even Meg Lanning, her game has gone to another level. Even though we thought there’s no room for another level for Meg (), she still managed to take it there. She and Trent worked really well together.Walk us through the experience of watching Lanning go about her job as the Stars’ premier batter and captain since her return to the club after two seasons with the Perth Scorchers.
To be captained by her – she’s phenomenal on and off the field. It’s easy when a player leads by performance and example. She always does. The big thing about Meg is she knows her game and doesn’t over-complicate it. Playing with Meg in the first season of the Big Bash, when she was a bit younger, to where she is at now, I can also see a transition in her preparation and the way she goes about the game.This season, the key thing I noticed was that pre-match and the day before, she knew what she had to do. Many young batters, at times, including myself when I was younger, always thought I had to do more. I had to get that much in the last session to make sure I am ready for tomorrow. Meg has that clarity. She got in the nets, knew what she had to work on today, and she got out. That’s all with her. She backs her preparations. And after that she’d always be around to throw some balls to other players and have some chats.”It’s easy when a player leads by performance and example. Meg Lanning always does”•Getty ImagesShe knows how to get the best out of her players. She is really calm in the middle. Batting with her was fun. She’s taken her power game to the next level. I remember she scored a fifty inside the powerplay or something in a game. It was one of those days where we got to see the best of Meg.It’s always special being at the non-striker’s end, getting to watch her bat. We all know how amazing Meg is, but also sometimes she is just… human. Sometimes she would say worriedly, “Oh, Mignon, I tried to hit that ball for 12! I am trying to hit too much of it when I should just try to time it.” So, even someone like Meg doesn’t middle it every now and then.Actually, the big thing for me was to see Meg in her relaxed moments. She was having a good time off the field, I think. Getting to know her as a person was really special for me.There were eight South Africa players – the largest overseas contingent from one country – at the 2020-21 WBBL. That, along with the team’s 2020 World Cup campaign, has led to talk about how the stage is set for South Africa women to win their maiden world title at the 2023 T20 World Cup at home.
I was initially a little bit sad that it got postponed. I was looking forward to a really jam-packed 2022 since we’ve lost so much time in 2020 due to not being able to play. But now the excitement gets to last a little bit longer, I guess. As for gearing up for the tournament, even last year we really thought we had the squad to make it all the way to the top. From where we were a few years ago to where we are at the moment, it’s worlds apart. So we can imagine what another year or two as a group can bring to the table for the 2023 T20 World Cup. And, truly, what better time to win a World Cup than on home soil and make sure the trophy stays in South Africa.The girls are training with that goal in mind. We all know we are good enough cricketers. It’s just that in the past we weren’t able to manage to get that perfect game. It was either our batting department firing and bowling and fielding not being up to the mark, or vice-versa. Last year’s World Cup was probably the first time we got everything to click. Hopefully in another year or two we will be on the top of the world.What have been the key factors in South Africa’s rise as a force to be reckoned with?
Sune Luus and Ayabonga Khaka were phenomenal in the Women’s T20 Challenge. So many of our girls are now WBBL regulars. These opportunities around the globe are helping the girls measure themselves against the world and say, “Listen, I am right up there, because I’m also good enough.” The [opposite] attitude was a big thing in the past.

“The gap that was there between the top and the bottom teams around the world – the WBBL has been helping narrow it down and almost help put others on an equal footing with them”

I think we must also give credit to the ICC for starting the Women’s ODI Championship. Ever since that began [in 2014], although it’s just in the 50-over format, we actually started playing on a consistent basis against the bigger teams in the world. There was this big gap in the past: South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka played against each other, and Australia, England, New Zealand and India among themselves. Fortunately with the ICC Women’s Championship, all of these teams were forced to play against each other.Last year was the first time we toured New Zealand. I have been playing for my country since 2007 and I hadn’t done that before. We were really looking forward to hosting Australia on home soil last year but unfortunately that was cancelled due to the pandemic. All of these factors have played a part in narrowing the gap and there’s no team you can take lightly anymore when it comes to big events.With three major multi-team events lined up between 2022 and 2023, what are your goals for the immediate future?
I’m extremely excited about the Commonwealth Games next year and that South Africa will be part of it for the first time in my career. Now I just need to make sure I make the squad () and get to represent my country in it. It will definitely be one of the highlights of my career. And then, like you mentioned, the 2023 T20 World Cup on home soil and next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.I’ve been around for so long, and I feel we have got the squad, but I want to put my hands on a World Cup trophy. That’s definitely the aim for the next two years: to make sure I finish on a high and then, obviously, still enjoy playing in the clubs around the globe – the WBBL, the Hundred in England and, hopefully, a Women’s IPL, too. That’s what we’re all hoping for in the near future. The most important thing for me would be to stay fit and healthy and make sure I’m in a position to be picked in the team at all times and lead by performance and example.How about this series against Pakistan?
We haven’t played ODI cricket in a while, so I’ve decided this time around I’m going to change my focus a bit in terms of goals. In the past I’d put down a specific number of runs I wanted to score during the series, but this time around, after speaking with one of the coaches, we have come up with the number of balls I should be looking to face. And I know if I am in the middle long enough, I will actually be able to score those runs, because spending time in the middle will allow me to play with freedom in the back end. And all the 20-over cricket we’ve played for the past couple of years could help me change gears and bring in the T20 spark, because if I bat through the middle overs, I can be someone the rest of the team can play around. I could play the anchor role.Du Preez’s 15 runs, eight of which came in the last over, off Katherine Brunt, helped South Africa seal their first victory against England in an ICC World Cup•AFP via Getty ImagesSpeaking of limited-overs formats, the FICA Women’s Professional Cricket Global Employment Report 2020 found out that 63% of players surveyed for the study view ODIs as the most important format of the game. With Tests in women’s cricket remaining limited to the Ashes-playing nations, where do you stand on the debate?
I am in the middle. I still enjoy both formats. I suppose from the ICC’s point of view, the T20 format is the more exciting one to draw a bit from viewership from. In men’s and women’s cricket, there comes a part in ODIs when nothing really happens, so you kind of lose interest. Just because T20 cricket is short, sharp, quick, and the leagues around the globe have adopted and innovated in the format, it’s more fun. But for us, because we [non-Ashes-playing nations] don’t get to play Test cricket, the 50-over format is very important. Significance-wise, the ODI format is Test cricket for us.As for Test cricket, I’ve only played one Test match in my career so far, against India. I do want to play more of it more often. I don’t think I’m ready for what the men play – three or five Tests and then go into ODIs and T20Is. I reckon maybe one a year or a few as part of a series or two would be cool.Who among your current team-mates do you think could excel in Tests?
There are a few of the girls I’d like to watch play Tests. The first name that comes to mind is Laura Wolvaardt. She is an amazing cricketer. It would be such an amazing experience to watch her just bat and bat without any scoreboard pressure. I would love to get on the sidelines and watch her bat for at least a couple of days. That’s the reason I want more such talented young players to get the opportunity to play Test cricket. It would be great if women got to play more Tests.

Highlights of India’s pace spearhead from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in which he has taken 11 wickets in three Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2021Joe Burns, lbw, Adelaide, 1st innings
Bumrah started the Test series bowling a little too short but made an immediate adjustment and went fuller and straight in his second spell. He got one right up, almost yorker length, to Joe Burns and trapped him in front of middle. The ball tailed in a little and was bowled at 141.3kph, enough to beat Burns’ attempted leg-side flick and leave Australia in trouble at 29 for 2.Joe Burns, c Rishabh Pant, MCG, 1st innings
After Australia won the toss and chose to bat in the second Test, it was important for India to get early wickets. Bumrah provided one with a delivery that was angled in at Burns and then held its line to take the edge. Bumrah chose to go with a line just outside off to Burns early, but the angle, delivered from wide and coming back into the right-hander, forced the batsman to play at most balls.Travis Head, c Ajinkya Rahane, MCG, 1st innings
Head had got himself in and helped take Australia past 100 with just three wickets down. His partnership with Marnus Labuschagne was looking ominous for India when Rahane brought Bumrah back for a third spell. What made this dismissal impressive was the set up. Bumrah bowled three sharp short balls to Head from around the wicket, pushing him onto the back foot. Then came one slightly fuller and outside off. Head was stuck on the back foot and pushed at it tentatively, getting a thick edge that carried to gully.Steven Smith, bowled, MCG, 2nd innings
Bumrah had attacked Smith’s stumps often through the series and at a crucial juncture at Melbourbe went back to the tactic. Smith exposes his leg stump when he walks across but is rarely actually bowled around the legs. This delivery from Bumrah, though, was quick, at 140.2kph, and on the perfect length. It beat Smith’s attempted leg glance and just clipped the bail. Australia were already under pressure after conceding a big first-innings lead and losing their best batsman just when he was looking good put them in a difficult spot.Pat Cummins, c Mayank Agarwal, MCG, 2nd innings
India had reached a dominant position in the Boxing Day Test after reducing Australia to 99 for 6 in the second innings, but Cameron Green and Pat Cummins put up some resistance with a 57-run partnership. Bumrah ended it on the fourth morning with a brute of a bouncer that hit Cummins on the glove as he looked to fend, went on to hit the helmet and looped up to second slip.Cameron Green, lbw, SCG, 1st innings
Australia were in a dominant position on the second day at the SCG before Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets to leave them 232 for 4. Then, Bumrah got his hands on the new ball and pursued the line that had been so productive for him, attacking the stumps. He got India right back into the game with two quick strikes. One seamed back off a length at Cameron Green and hit him in front of off to send him back for a duck.Tim Paine, bowled, SCG, 1st innings
Four overs later, Bumrah clean bowled Tim Paine through the gate. This one swung back a bit in the air and was pitched full. It seemed to beat Paine for pace too and went between bat and pad to hit off stump.

Club see spinners’ success in Sri Lanka as vindication of decision to prepare helpful home pitches

Matt Roller18-Jan-2021It would be unwise to get too carried away about Dom Bess and Jack Leach’s combined match haul of 14 for 307 in Galle. Tougher challenges lie ahead for them this winter – it seems unlikely that India’s batsmen will be quite as generous with their wickets as Sri Lanka’s were on the first day – and, by their own admission, neither bowler was at his best after a short preparation period following months without competitive cricket.But it is a rare thing for two England spinners to take a five-wicket haul in the same Test match. Before Bess and Leach’s efforts this week, the most recent occasion was 1982, when John Emburey and Derek Underwood managed it – coincidentally, also in Sri Lanka. For this most-recent success to have helped seal a fourth consecutive England Test win away from home made it better still.As a result, there is sense of excitement and pride in the southwest this week. After 21 appearances together in first-class cricket – 19 of them for Somerset, two for the England Lions – Bess and Leach lined up in the same England team for the first time in Galle, with a third local in Jos Buttler behind the stumps.”I think everyone associated with the club feels a huge amount of pride when those two spinners are representing England,” Tom Abell, Somerset’s captain, said. “It’s been a hell of a journey for both of them, for various different reasons, so to see them working in tandem playing Test cricket is amazing for everyone to see.”Jack Leach and Dom Bess celebrate Somerset’s escape from relegation in 2017•Getty ImagesFor Leach in particular, it has been a heartening return to the England side. His struggles with illness last winter and his frustrating time in the bubble during the home summer are now well-documented, but it is worth dwelling on his bowling stats across his Test career to date: 40 wickets at 29.10 in 11 appearances.”Nobody knows the amount of work that he’s had to put in behind the scenes to get back to where he is,” Jason Kerr, Somerset’s head coach who spent many hours in Taunton’s indoor school with Leach before he left for Sri Lanka, said. “I’ve got no doubts that going into the Test, there would have been a little bit of anxiety and a few nerves with so many weeks and months out of the game, but he got better and better the more he bowled.”Abell added: “They’re both quality performers, and it’s always nice as captain to have the option to spin the ball away from either the right- or left-handers at any point in time. But of course, there have been some pretty tough decisions: there have been times when we’ve not been able to play them both, and that’s never been easy.”Somerset have always preferred Leach to Bess when picking a single spinner, prioritising his control and experience over Bess’ abilities with the bat and in the field. With Bess reasoning that he had to be his county’s first-choice red-ball spinner when returning from international duties – and with Roelof van der Merwe and Max Waller ahead of him in the white-ball pecking order – he signed a four-year deal with Yorkshire in September, despite Somerset’s attempts to keep him. The situation evoked Buttler’s departure in 2013, when he had been the club’s second-choice wicketkeeper behind Craig Kieswetter.Bess and Leach celebrate a Sri Lanka wicket in Galle•SLC”Ideally you’d want to keep him and try to make things work for the betterment of the club, but for him as an aspirational individual, it was the right decision to get that competitive cricket across all formats,” Kerr said. “You want tough decisions as coach, and it’s important that I make those decisions with the team’s best interests at heart. I love Bessy to bits and understood his desire to play, but I’ve got no regrets in how we’ve managed the situation.”Abell described Bess as “a huge figure at the club” but said it was difficult not always being able to accommodate both. “I think it was the best move for him, being honest. As much as I’d love to have him at Somerset – he’s one of my best friends and has been a huge part of our success – but equally, I want to see him playing for England in all formats.”Bess and Leach’s success in county cricket has not come without controversy. Since 2016, 400 wickets have fallen to spin at Taunton across four County Championship seasons and last year’s Covid-enforced spin-off, the Bob Willis Trophy; no other ground has seen even 250. While the quality of Somerset’s spinners must be considered, Taunton’s “Ciderabad” moniker was not earned without reason.ESPNcricinfo LtdSomerset will start next season with a points deduction after preparing a pitch rated as “poor” for the 2019 title decider against Essex, and had previously been accused of “treading a very fine line” when escaping punishment for their spin-friendly pitches. But while other counties have been vocal in their criticisms, Kerr and Abell are quick to defend the ploy.”As a philosophy, we want to produce surfaces that allow for really good cricket, and help to develop international cricketers,” Kerr said. “Some of the surfaces that we’ve played on have certainly been talked about unfairly, but then there’s no doubt that some have spun significantly. When Bessy first came into the team, the surfaces were conducive to helping a young spinners, and the confidence that gave him has doubtless helped him on his journey.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Some of the best spells I’ve seen from both of them, but particularly from Leachy, have been away from Taunton – I can think of spells at Headingley and Trent Bridge early in the season, and I think it’s important that we recognise their development as cricketers and the skills they’ve developed.”Surfaces need to be good enough for four-day cricket, definitely, but ultimately you want to encourage skill development and make sure that batters are prepared to go to somewhere like Sri Lanka, and perform as well as they do in Australia or anywhere else in the world. Yes, we want to win competitions, but to me, domestic cricket is there to help make the England team as strong as possible.”Related

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Abell said: “Everyone is going to have an opinion on it and I certainly have my own. At home, you want to play a brand of cricket that suits your team. Having two world-class spinners, it would be silly not to take that into account. A lot gets made of the wickets, but I think more should be made of their abilities and their qualities as cricketers.”As a Somerset side, we want to be winning games, and I don’t think it should be frowned upon to play in seaming conditions, spinning conditions, or whatever suits a team. And these guys play on wickets that don’t assist them as much and still perform. There also becomes a pressure and an expectation to take wickets, and they’ve had to learn to deal with that as well.”Regardless, the upshot is that Bess and Leach will be key to England’s success this winter, with one of them likely to come out of it as the side’s No. 1 spinner. Much as they have both improved under the tutelage of Richard Dawson and Jeetan Patel within the England set-up, among others, it would be churlish to ignore Somerset’s role in their development.”They worked really well together at Somerset, and there’s no doubt that there has been competition for that spot in the England team,” Kerr said. “They’ve got a really good friendship and working relationship, where they definitely help and push each other in practice but have the ability to be friends and support each other away from the ground as well.”Abell also suggested their relationship from developing at the same club would only be beneficial for England. “I’m very close with both of them, and I want to see both of them succeed,” he said. “I think everyone at the club does. Of course, the last few years have come with their challenges, but ultimately the two of them push and drive each other on to be better, which is a great thing as well. It’s brilliant to witness them doing so well.”

Australia has always been the land of the legspinner but Lyon has shown the more conventional art can succeed

Daniel Brettig14-Jan-20212:34

Nathan Lyon: I’ll continue bowling the way I do – with a smile on my face

In the week of his 100th Test match and perhaps his 400th wicket, Nathan Lyon finds himself on familiar ground: the unsteady kind.Lyon is currently mired in one of the worst series of his career, as India take him for near enough to 60 runs per wicket with one Test to play. He is facing the types of critiques that have been familiar throughout a tenure in which he has not bowled a doosra or carrom ball, and occasionally lapsed into bouts of predictability that have caused observers to pine for that more traditionally Australian variety of spin bowler: the leggie.Perhaps the most indecipherable wristspinner of them all, Muttiah Muralitharan, chimed in via an interview with Michael Vaughan: “Will we see another golden age of Test spin bowling? Will a spinner reach 700 or 800 wickets? Ashwin has a chance because he is a great bowler. Other than that I don’t think any younger bowler coming in will go to 800. Maybe Nathan Lyon is not good enough to reach it. He is close to 400 but he has had to play many, many matches to get there.”The reference to R Ashwin was pointed, given that in this series, India’s offspinner has had comfortably the better of things, with plans and execution that have at times run rings around the likes of Steven Smith and, most dramatically, Matthew Wade. By contrast, Lyon has found himself bowling too straight and perhaps at times too fast, while also losing the sort of drift that might have usually dragged Indian bats away from their front pads for bowled, lbw or caught in close.Most critically, Lyon was unable to bowl India out on the final day of the SCG Test, not helped by uncharacteristic dropped catches by his captain Tim Paine, and also the lack of a sizeable foot hole outside the off stump to the right-handers. Such scenarios have followed Lyon around to an extent over his career, from Adelaide against South Africa in 2012, to Headingley against England in 2019 and now the SCG against India.Related

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So the reaching of the 100 Tests milestone only previously achieved by Shane Warne among Australian spin bowlers is cause for reflection that, paradoxically, should help Lyon move forward from his current malaise. No matter what Muralitharan or others might think, the evidence carved in hard Test match numbers is that Lyon is good enough, and has proven to be more so than any other Australian offspinner this side of Ashley Mallett or perhaps Bruce Yardley.”I have had a chance to reflect on it, because when I first made my Test debut I thought ‘jeez how amazing is this’ – I was very grateful and humble to play one Test for Australia, but after completing my 99th a couple of days ago, and looking forward to Friday, it’s been very exciting,” Lyon said. “I look at the 12 other guys who have played more than 100 Test matches of cricket for Australia and they’re pure legends in my eyes. Not just for Australia, but all around the world.”I’m going to pinch myself each and every day to see my name up against those fellows and being the 13th player to do so, it’s pretty amazing. I’ve tried in the past not to look too far ahead, but I’m pretty excited about this one. I’m really hoping we can play the positive brand of cricket that we know we can play and walk away with a series win.”ESPNcricinfo LtdA return to the Gabba for the final Test of the series is fitting, for it is here that Lyon, like Warne, has prospered so often because of the bounce on offer. In the Brisbane Ashes Tests of 2013 and 2017 Lyon put on two of his finest displays: the latter arguably his best on home soil, combining sharp spin, devilish drop and a perceptible change to a quicker pace that made it even harder than usual to dance down the pitch.Where some Australian batsmen of recent vintage – notably Michael Clarke and David Warner – have rightfully been questioned for major differentials between their home and away records, Lyon’s achievements as an orthodox offbreak bowler on a selection of the hardest pitches for spin bowlers in the world really should be cause for greater celebration. As summed up by Paine, Lyon has been defying perceptions for a decade.”The first time I saw him was in a Big Bash game, watching it on telly,” Paine said. “And I thought ‘geez this bloke looks pretty average, he’s lobbing up these off-stump offspinners and getting a bit of drift’. He didn’t look that flash, old Gaz. But then not long after he was picked sort of from nowhere on a A tour to Zimbabwe of which I was captain, the one-day part of it. He absolutely bowled the house down.”And within two or three games, we knew that he had something special in his hands and literally the next tour he was picked to play in the Test in Sri Lanka so my very first impression was geez, I hope that bloke plays against Tassie because I’ll line him up and two months later I was wicketkeeping to him in Zimbabwe and I had a completely different opinion of him. He’s amazed everyone with his journey. For a guy Darren Berry picked off a roller at the Adelaide Oval it’s an amazing story.”

“I know when I finish my career I’ll be able to sit there with a smile on my face and say I gave it my all, but this is my 100th and I’m far from being done in my eyes”

Only five spin bowlers in history have taken more than 100 Test wickets in Australia; Warne’s 319 at a strike rate of 60.8 is unsurprisingly at the top of the list, given his standing as one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th century. But after him, Lyon is the only other one to have claimed more than 150 wickets down under; 197 wickets taken every 66.2 deliveries. These are, in terms of contemporary spinners, magical figures.For one thing, the rest of the top five are all legspinners. Stuart MacGill was most unfortunate to have lived his cricketing life in Warne’s shadow but still fizzed past 135 batsmen at home with the eye-popping strike rate of 53.3 balls per wicket. Clarrie Grimmett’s mastery between the world wars was neatly balanced by Bill O’Reilly, who is only a little further down the list, and Richie Benaud’s commitment to the craft brought some rewarding days but plenty of hard graft: 104 victims, sure, but only arriving every 86.9 balls bowled.Yardley and Mallett have stood as twin peaks among recent Australian offspinners, with Nathan Hauritz and Tim May not far behind them. Both took more than 70 balls per victim in Tests at home, but did so with plenty of economy, the better to work in concert with the pacemen more commonly seen as dominant forces in Australia. Lyon has managed similar feats as a support bowler, but over a far longer period of time against batsmen with far more licence to clear the boundary and, in many cases, shorter distances over which to do so.While the figures for overseas visitors are somewhat warped by the vagaries of how much and how often the Australian Cricket Board and then Cricket Australia deigned to host them, there are remarkably few success stories to match Lyon’s. Since the 1940s, Anil Kumble’s strike rate is closest, but at greater cost, 37.73 runs per wicket. Bishan Bedi’s 35 victims at an average of 27.51 and a strike rate of 68.3 mark him as a truly singular talent, with Erapalli Prasana not too far behind. Otherwise, though, it is a tale of the sort of mediocrity Lyon is too often accused of.Take Ashwin’s overall record in Australia: 39 wickets at a strike rate of 86.2 including the current series. Graeme Swann, something of an inspiration for Lyon as a fellow classical offspin bowler, required 98.5 deliveries for each of his 22 wickets. As for Muralitharan, spooked as he was by being called for throwing at the MCG in December 1995, 12 wickets in five matches required 131 deliveries each to prise out.The 2017 Ashes Test in Brisbane was one of Nathan Lyon’s finest at home•Getty ImagesThis is not to say that Lyon is without problems at the current moment. He has not done well enough against India’s left-handers Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, and his lines to the right-handers have seemed to aim too much for catches at leg slip rather than slip, gully, silly point or in the covers. He will also be dealing with the heavy cloaks of bubbles and back-to-back Tests, meaning among other things that the usual Brisbane one-on-one with his mentor John Davison was not possible even before the coach joined the Sydney Thunder.Appearing in the rearview mirror, too, is the first serious rival for Lyon’s place since he ended speculation about his spot once and for all on the 2017 India tour. In the early part of the season, Mitchell Swepson was a dominant force for Queensland in a Sheffield Shield bracket Lyon was also part of. Swepson’s leg breaks, top spinners and occasional flippers scooped 23 victims at 21.17, striking every 52.5 deliveries, to place Lyon’s own return (nine wickets at 43.55, strike rate 84) very much in the shade. A Gabba renaissance will be vital on lots of levels.”It’s the amazing thing about Test cricket, it’s an amazing ride. Lots of ups and downs but I know when I finish my career I’ll be able to sit there with a smile on my face and say I gave it my all, but this is my 100th and I’m far from being done in my eyes – I’m still hungrier than ever,” Lyon said. “I want to go out there and play as much cricket for Australia as I can, and keep playing my role and hopefully win a lot of Test series for Australia.”Lyon did, in time, emerge from the shadow of Warne, proving himself to be the spin bowler Australia wanted as well as needed. But not even a tally of wickets that goes well beyond 400 will truly break the notion that on hard wickets down under, it is the extra rip provided by a wristspinner that will ultimately have the national selectors looking again for a fourth innings saviour. Lyon’s achievements, then, have been extremely hard won, not only in the face of conditions but also perceptions.

In Pakistan, no one seems more capable of destroying an attack. But no one’s place has been under as much scrutiny either

Danyal Rasool08-Apr-2021Fakhar Zaman occupies an odd place in Pakistan cricket. He is, at once, a man whose role is so unique that just about no one else in Pakistan can replicate it, but also the batsman whose place in the side is only as secure as his last couple of performances. When he finds himself in the zone, few other batsmen in world cricket look as capable of sending every delivery over the heads of any fielders placed between long-on and midwicket. Equally, when that confidence dips, no other Pakistan cricketer finds himself needing to prove they have the technical mettle to compete at this standard.Just a week ago, he had to prove that point all over again. After becoming the fastest man to 1,000 runs in ODI cricket history (18 innings), he had partaken in another 29 without doubling that tally. He fell early on in the first ODI, chopping a ball back onto his stumps when targeted in that tight off-stump channel, and questions about his place in the side were openly being asked.Related

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And then, Zaman found himself in the zone once more. He made 294 runs over the next two innings, including a record-breaking 193 in Johannesburg, and reminded everyone once again why Pakistan have such unshakeable faith in him.”There’s no player who hasn’t been through a bad time,” Zaman told a virtual press conference. “You learn through those lean spells. i was just waiting for some time off where I could work on my game. Because of Covid-19, there was no cricket last year, so I worked on my game a lot. I was just trying to control what was in my hands – otherwise whether you do well or poorly people will criticise you anyway.”Criticism in Pakistan can be vicious, often coming not just from supporters and media but also former cricketers. One of those, former Pakistan fast bowler Tanvir Ahmed, made headlines recently when he suggested Zaman’s heroics in the second ODI had more to do with fortune than skill. When the question was put to him, Zaman said criticism from outside “doesn’t matter to me”.”If somebody does criticise you, you become stronger,” he said. “The people who supported me through the lean times, I just want to thank them. I’ve played enough cricket to understand it. The Test cricketers who’ve criticised me understand it very well, too. Maybe I haven’t been able to satisfy them yet, but I’ll continue to try.”While Zaman will understandably scoop up the bulk of the awards and the attention, his opening partner for much of his career, Imam-ul-Haq, has enjoyed a similarly impressive ODI run, something Zaman drew attention to. While Zaman was the quickest to 1,000 ODI runs, Imam only took one more innings to bring up that milestone, with the current Pakistan opening pair occupying the top two spots in that list. He has seven ODI hundreds already, one more than Zaman, and his average of 51.73 is the highest for a Pakistani opener. He scored two half-centuries this series, and Zaman said the two “understand each other’s game”.Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq run between the wickets•Getty Images”I’ve played alongside Imam a lot, even with Habib Bank in domestic cricket. We understand each other’s games. When I played a handful of games, Imam emerged onto the national scene too. He’s a magnificent player, the way he reads the game and situation. He plays within his own limitations, which is a sign of a great cricketer, to understand what he can and can’t do.”It’s not just this tournament that our top order has been doing well. Misbah told us we were the specialist openers and our places in the side were secure. So we came in here expecting to be the two openers. It’s cricket, and anything can happen, but the management continues to be very happy with us and back us.”Some of the more discerning followers of Zaman’s career have pointed out that the approach he took in this latest series was markedly different to the one that defines him. Rather than trying to bludgeon right from the outset, Zaman appeared wary while negotiating the first Powerplay. In the second ODI, he took 70 balls to reach his half-century, while in the decider, he needed 62, with Imam beating to the milestone.Zaman said that didn’t so much signal a shift in his approach, revealing it was more a product of where the series was being played. “In South Africa, the wickets are different to anywhere else in the world, especially with the new ball. You can’t just go out and play your shots like you can in England or Pakistan. You have to see off the new ball here, and that was our plan. If the bowler makes a mistake, you punish them, but otherwise you have to take a more circumspect approach.”

“If somebody does criticise you, you become stronger. The people who supported me through the lean times, I just want to thank them. I’ve played enough cricket to understand it.”Fakhar Zaman

Zaman attempted to draw a line under the most contentious moment of the series: the run-out in the final over of the second ODI that denied him a second ODI double-hundred, and possibly a chance to win a historic game for Pakistan. He stuck to what he had said in the immediate aftermath, and termed it “my fault completely”, absolving Quinton de Kock of any blame in the matter.”I’ve said before that run-out was my fault. I’ve played a lot of cricket and these situations can happen. I don’t hold Quinton de Kock responsible at all. If I say I got out because of him, that’s an excuse and at this level, if you’re giving excuses, that’s not appropriate. I should have been aware of my end. I really did want to score 200, but only if it meant we won the match. Otherwise it didn’t matter quite so much.”Last year, Zaman, who was part of the Pakistan Navy before he getting involved with Pakistan cricket, was honorarily promoted to Lieutenant, and today Zaman called it “an honour and a dream. I felt after that that I had to live up to the responsibility. The Navy’s had a huge role in my career, and how they’ve taken on ownership of me has helped immensely.”For a while, Zaman had looked like he was all at sea when out in the middle. But, drawing guidance, perhaps, from the instincts his first career will have instilled in him, he has managed to turn that ship around very effectively indeed.

Young RCB batter was “hurt” to miss out earlier when he was down with Covid-19, but now he’s making up for it

Alagappan Muthu22-Apr-20211:19

Padikkal: Coming out of Covid was a big challenge

There were times in the last IPL season that Devdutt Padikkal looked tired. He belonged at this level. The purity of his shots made that very clear. But there were improvements to be made.Well, on Thursday’s evidence, we might already be looking at an all-new player. Padikkal pummelled 101 off 52 balls at a strike-rate of 194.23. And he didn’t even break a sweat.”It was an outstanding innings,” his captain Virat Kohli said at the presentation, after the Royal Challengers Bangalore completed a ten-wicket win at the Rajasthan Royals’ expense. “He batted really well for his first season last time around as well. Bit of talk about him accelerating after getting 30 and 40. This is exactly how you put things to rest. To be honest, the pitch was great to bat on but he did pick the right areas to hit and once he got going he was almost impossible to stop him.”Covid-19 had tried to stop him. Padikkal had contracted the disease at the start of the tournament and it ruled him out of the Royal Challengers’ opener. A young player hates to miss any cricket for any reason. So it’s no surprise he is looking to make the most of every second he has out in the middle.”When I was down with Covid, all I could think of was coming here and playing the first match and the fact that I wasn’t able to do that really hurt me”•BCCI”To be honest, it’s been special,” Padikkal said at the presentation. “All I could do was wait my turn. When I was down with Covid, all I could think of was coming here and playing the first match and the fact that I wasn’t able to do that really hurt me and I really wanted to be out there for the team. The fact that the next two games I was able to contribute [with 11 and 25] and now… Just wanted the team to win at the end of the day. So that’s what I was looking to do.”The Royals tried everything. The right-arm pace and bounce of Chris Morris. The left-arm pace and guile of Mustafizur Rahman. The legspin of Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia. All of them came second best to an innings of pure, unrelenting class.Now the Wankhede Stadium is no place for a bowler. Especially one trying to defend a total. But that isn’t Padikkal’s problem. He’s already had to deal with the other end of this equation, batting on Chennai’s slow turners in the previous games. He gritted his teeth then. He’s baring them now.Brian Lara, speaking to host broadcaster Star Sports, highlighted a natural gift that Padikkal has been given. His height and his reach.That was on clear display in the fifth over of the chase, when Mustafizur presented a perfectly good length ball, pitching on off stump looking to hit the top of middle. But because Padikkal is so tall, his front foot takes him closer to the ball and he can meet it on the rise. If other batters try what he did, they might have found the ball getting big on them. That straight six was probably the best shot of his innings. And all he had to do to make it happen was take a step forward. Padikkal’s reach is going to confuse many more bowling attacks.Related

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Kohli believes as much too. “The bowlers can’t pitch it short. He can clip balls for six. He can pull it for six. Great talent. Great one to watch out for in the future and tonight I had the best seat in the house and thoroughly enjoyed his innings.”With a maiden IPL hundred in sight, the captain and a rookie who is fast coming of age had a fun little chat. “He said finish it off,” Kohli recalled. “I said no I’m going to keep putting you back on strike. He said many more to come. I said I’ll say that to you when you get the first one.”It was very important for him to cross that milestone. Getting three-figures in a tournament like this early on is a different ball game altogether. I want him to build from here; build further on and really help the team and I think he deserved to get a hundred tonight. I mean, the way he batted, strike-rate of almost 200. Flawless innings completely.”

The 23-year-old got his maiden call-up to the national side for the tours to Bangladesh and Pakistan

Deivarayan Muthu23-Aug-2021Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Scott Kuggeleijn… and Ben Sears. Sears, the 23-year-old Wellington fast bowler, is the latest addition to New Zealand’s set of quicks who can hit speeds north of 140kph. Sears is only 12 T20s old, but he has already shown enough promise to be called up for the upcoming tours to Bangladesh and Pakistan.Glenn Pocknall, the Wellington coach who will stand in for head coach Gary Stead in Bangladesh and Pakistan, first saw Sears bowl when he was 13, in a match for Hutt International Boys’ School (HIBS), and was immediately impressed with his express pace. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Pocknall recalled that Sears made “batsmen jump towards square leg” in that game apart from hitting the stumps four times in a space of five overs.Nearly a decade later, Pocknall unleashed Sears on Otago Volts and Canterbury Kings in the Super Smash tournament, and he harried batters with his pace there too. Stepping up in the injury-enforced absence of James Neesham, Sears returned combined figures of 7 for 55 across eight overs for Wellington.Sears struck in his first over, in the powerplay, having Otago’s Hamish Rutherford flapping a weak pull to midwicket. Next ball, he went wide of the crease and got it to burst from the back of a length, snagging Neil Broom’s outside edge near the shoulder of the bat. He nearly found Josh Finnie’s edge with the hat-trick ball in a burst of rapid pace and bounce at the Basin Reserve. He pressed on to dismiss Finnie and Dale Phillips to come away with 4 for 21 – the best bowling figures in the tournament.In the next match, at the same venue, against Canterbury, Ken McClure lined Sears up in the powerplay, taking 20 off his first over. Sears, however, struck back after the powerplay, removing Chad Bowes and Canterbury captain Cole McConchie, and finished with 3 for 34.

“Oh yeah, he [Sears] is exciting! Even looking from afar, to see anybody get selected for their first tour is exciting because it brings back the butterflies that you had yourself.”Shane Bond

“It just highlighted how much he has matured as a player,” Pocknall said of Sears’ bouncebackability. “T20 can be unforgiving, so to be able to handle the ups and downs mentally, then just focus on what he’s trying to bowl has helped him a lot. Every opportunity he got at Wellington level, he has taken it and stepped up with some great spells, which is testament to the work he has put in with Natalie Hogg [Wellington’s sports psychologist].”Another key figure in Sears’ rise has been Wellington’s senior fast bowler Hamish Bennett, who has often been spotted at mid-off or mid-on, passing on inputs to Sears. Like Bennett, Sears has added variations to his repertoire to establish himself as a well-rounded T20 bowler in New Zealand.”Along with Natalie, Hamish has been very influential in helping Ben become a better cricketer. Having someone of Hamish’s experience and knowledge help guide and support him has sped up his development,” Pocknall said. “Pace bowling in the short form can be challenging, so this support from both Hamish and Natalie has enabled him to push forward and improve as a cricketer.”Sears’ pace is his main weapon. However, what he has been able to develop over the last 12-18 months is his control and a better ability to execute his change-ups. This development has added a lot more variety to his skills as a bowler.”Shane Bond, who will be part of New Zealand’s backroom staff for the T20 World Cup and the subsequent T20Is in India, reckoned that Sears’ first tour of the subcontinent could accelerate his growth as a fast bowler. The likes of Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy have been the most recent beneficiaries of New Zealand’s pathway system and robust domestic structure, successfully graduating to the international level.”Every opportunity he got at Wellington level, he has taken it and stepped up with some great spells,” Pocknall said of Sears•Getty Images”I think New Zealand have benefitted with an A programme over the last five years,” Bond said. “Guys like Kyle Jamieson have had that experience in those [subcontinent] conditions and heat. All of a sudden, he’s come into the New Zealand team better prepared and elevated himself into a world-class player.”For Ben, it’s the same thing to get a chance to play in foreign conditions. He’s a fit guy, but it will tell a lot about how he handles heat, how he handles being away [from home]. MIQ [Managed Isolation Quarantine] is a part of that life as a professional, so all of those things you can’t do it unless you do it. The chance that he gets as a young man, he can build on that experience.”Bond has worked with Sears at the pathway level in the past and is confident that the tearaway will be able to cope with these demands of international cricket.”Oh yeah, he’s exciting!” Bond said. “Even looking from afar, to see anybody get selected for their first tour is exciting because it brings back the butterflies that you had yourself. [I’ve] had an opportunity to work with Ben over the last couple of months. Seen him on TV, he’s had a reputation of being a fast bowler before that. So to see him perform well at the domestic level and then progress onto the national scene… I’m really excited for him and I’m pretty confident he’ll do well.Related

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“At 21, it’s not a sprint. Guys at that age want to be a finished product, but it takes time. So, it’s just [about] coming to practice every day with a purpose, being really clear about your process when you’re going to be under pressure. When you step out in that black uniform for the first time and know that everybody at home is going to be watching, you know it’s not easy. So, if you’re clear about how you take a breath and relax and just enjoy it, that’s as much as you can do. You just get better every day and he’s in the environment to do that. The 21-year-old Ben Sears is going to look very different to the 27-year-old Ben Sears and hopefully New Zealand will keep the production line going of world-class fast bowlers coming through and he’ll be one of those in a few years’ time.”Sears, who was at an NZC winter training camp when he received the news of his maiden call-up from Stead, said he didn’t expect to be picked at all. The conditions in Bangladesh should be slow and low, not particularly ideal for Sears’ strengths. But the great pace has a way of creating an impact, no matter where. And if he gets a chance to have a go there, the young man might leave Bangladesh – and Pakistan – a better bowler than he already is.