Match-winners at both ends of their order took them to No. 1 in the ODI rankings – now form and fitness worries threaten to expose a soft middle at the World Cup

Danyal Rasool15-Sep-20231:47

‘Pakistan lack in batting intent and quality spinner’ – Urooj Mumtaz

The long bit between takeoff and landing on a transatlantic flight might be a scientific wonder, but also so boring you have to plug yourself into in-flight entertainment to find the resolve to get through it. As long as the pilots know what they’re doing and the structural engineering of the aircraft is solid, this is the least eventful part of the flight, where everyone looks like they’re going through the motions until it’s time for the part people actually care about. If it emerges halfway through the plane isn’t carrying enough fuel to get reach its destination, no one needs to get their thrills from the film offerings in the entertainment system; a lot of things, as it turns out, can feel extremely dull if they’re done right.Which brings us to ODI cricket’s middle overs. T20 cricket cut them out altogether, but for about three months every four years just before a World Cup, the format feels like it matters again, and the principles of the middle overs don’t really change. And while Pakistan have marketed themselves of late as arguably the most exciting bowling ODI side in the world, their exit from the Asia Cup at Sri Lanka’s hands shone a light on the cracks they have tried to paper over.In the 20th over of Sri Lanka’s chase, Pakistan captain Babar Azam turned to Iftikhar Ahmed, a man with nine ODI wickets till then in his career, at a point in the game when wickets were Pakistan’s only hope of getting back into it. The broadcast commentators made no attempt to conceal their disapproving surprise at that decision, when Iftikhar was serviceable without really threatening.Related

Babar hints that Naseem may miss start of World Cup

Towards the end of the innings, as the game reached its climax, the same broadcasters debated among themselves about whether it should be Shaheen Afridi or Iftikhar who bowled out their maximum quota of nine overs. It is often tempting to lay the blame at the Pakistan captain’s feet, his strategic nous remaining a matter of open debate. But a pilot can only work with the machine he’s been given. Sometimes, there really is more to Pakistan’s ODI shortcomings than blaming Babar’s captaincy.Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf’s absence has invariably weakened the options Pakistan have to remedy this, but Pakistan’s middle-overs issues as seen at this Asia Cup predate their injuries. In every game this tournament apart from the Nepal match, Pakistan have struck upon a middle-overs phase where the bowling has looked both toothless and lacklustre, and momentum has switched hands. Against India in Round 1, Pakistan went wicketless for 23.2 overs between the 15th and the 38th, for 20 overs between the 10th and the 30th against Bangladesh, from the 18th over onwards in their second India game, and from the 14th to the 30th over versus Sri Lanka in the match that finally knocked them out.Pakistan’s specialist spin bowlers – Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz – have combined for two wickets across this four-game period. Shadab has conceded 218 runs in 35 overs in this time, part of a larger trend where his unquestionable T20 brilliance has failed to translate into ODI quality. And as Sri Lanka themselves have shown over this week, good luck trying to win a tournament in that country with a spin attack in that form.ESPNcricinfo LtdSri Lanka is a daunting match-up for any side with middle-overs wicket-taking issues anyway. Since the 2019 World Cup, only Bangladesh and England have scored a smaller percentage of their runs through the top order than Sri Lanka among the World-Cup-going sides. The top three contribute just 43.58% of their runs. Charith Asalanka is Pakistan’s statistical kryptonite; no one who bats number five or lower has scored more ODI runs in the two years since he made his debut. He, and Sri Lanka, are at their strongest at the precise point Pakistan are at their weakest – through that middle.The lingering suspicion with Pakistan’s ODI setup this World Cup cycle has been how tightly strung together it all is, and how little it might take for everything to unravel all at once. Pakistan have made their runs with a set top three, who have contributed 58.33% of all their runs since the previous World Cup. No other side comes close to using their top order as a crutch to this extent; second placed Afghanistan are well behind at 52.27%. At the same time they need their bottom three – Shaheen, Naseem and Haris – for most of their wickets, and Shadab Khan as the generational allrounder they believe he can still become. When it all works together, they have seven match-winners in their side, and it has worked often enough to help them rise to the top of the ODI rankings last month.While all seemed well a week ago, the unravelling has happened just as quickly. Fakhar Zaman’s run-scoring has always carried a feast or famine vibe, so a dry spell – even an extended one like this – isn’t intrinsically alarming. But not only does he average 19 in his past ten innings, the explosive power that made him so feared also appears to have vanished, with his strike rate during this period plummeting to 65.51 and failing to hit 90 in any of those innings. Had Imam-ul-Haq not pulled out late with a niggle, Fakhar was slated to be dropped for the winner-takes-all game against Sri Lanka. As he scratched around for four off 11 balls, one could see why. Babar, too (the Nepal game excluded), has had an indifferent Asia Cup, though that is more likely a statistical blip.

A combination of half a dozen matchwinners and nearly as many journeymen through the middle had been held together by the quality at both ends, but as the extremities weakened this Asia Cup, the soft underbelly showed. Pakistan have about a fortnight to put it all back again exactly as it was

Two of the three bowlers are now injured, with Babar suggesting Naseem is in a race against time to be fit for the start of the World Cup. Shaheen didn’t quite sparkle in the final two games like he did in the first three, and Shadab serving as Pakistan’s primary spin bowler going into the World Cup in this form is a concern. And while Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar have begun to translate their T20 prowess into ODI middle-order stability, it is too little too late to start divesting from top-order reliance.There are enough mitigating factors to make drawing conclusions from this Asia Cup either way particularly challenging, not least because Pakistan have racked up more air miles than this tournament has had rain delays. But for a side that celebrated the No. 1 ranking fewer than three weeks ago, this is a good reminder that no one’s quite as invincible as they might feel in ODI cricket.This strange combination of half a dozen matchwinners and nearly as many journeymen through the middle had been held together by the quality at both ends, but as the extremities weakened this Asia Cup, the soft underbelly showed. Pakistan have about a fortnight to put it all back again exactly as it was, because there’s simply no time to effectively address the issues running through the middle anymore. But Pakistan have made surprising from positions of adversity a national cricketing identity, so every time we get to the middle overs of a Pakistan game at the World Cup, boring is the last thing it’s likely to be.

He’s mostly been a support act at Bengal, but performances like these can possibly help him climb the ladder quickly

Shashank Kishore30-Jun-2023The third fast bowler in a three-pronged pace attack is perhaps as important as the first two, but can fly under the radar. Ishan Porel can certainly relate to that, having played the supporting act to Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep at Bengal over the past three seasons.Now, with Mukesh away with the Indian team and Deep elevated to spearhead status, Porel is in line for a significantly bigger role at Bengal. But that’s six months into the future, given the Ranji Trophy doesn’t start until early January.And if you’ve been as injury-prone as Porel has, you start looking at every game as a blessing. On Friday, in the Duleep Trophy, Porel showed all the qualities of a leader of a bowling attack.Related

• Flesh-and-blood Murasingh shows he's as impressive as his numbers

• Avesh, Saurabh help Central Zone secure vital lead; North Zone in control after Sindhu, Harshit tons

His spell an hour into play on the third day of the quarterfinal against Central Zone was among the reasons why East Zone are chasing 300 and not more. That they’re struggling at 69 for 6 is another matter altogether.East needed their bowlers to step up after Central began the day on 64 without loss, ahead by 124. They should have had Himanshu Mantri late on Thursday; Porel had him chop on off a front foot no-ball. And when Central added 60 in the first hour on Friday without losing a wicket, the signs were ominous.Porel wasn’t brought in until after drinks, and he bowled Vivek Singh in his second over. He got a length ball to rear up and Vivek got a thick bottom edge onto the stumps to end a 124-run opening stand.Porel was steaming in, perhaps knowing he was going to be used in short spells. It helped that Abhimanyu Easwaran, who he plays with in first-class cricket, was his captain. He bent his back and hit hard lengths, mixing them up with full ones to challenge the inside and outside edges of both batters. His first spell read 4-3-1-1.With the old ball reversing after lunch, and East having struck two blows quickly, Porel went on a full-blown attack. He had a short midwicket and short square leg in place and had Upendra Yadav playing for survival as he kept attacking the stumps. Then, Porel slipped one outside off. It was one of those rare deliveries that wasn’t in line with the stumps, or so Upendra thought as he half-heartedly nudged forward. The ball cut back in quickly to trap him lbw as he played down the wrong line.Next ball, he instructed cover to move to second slip for the left-handed Saurabh Kumar, inviting the batter to drive. Saurabh pushed outside the line of a delivery that Porel managed to tail back in through some late reverse. The moment he was struck on the pad, he was stone dead. Porel’s spell read 4-1-8-2 and his overall figures were 12-4-15-3.Each of his three spells were just four overs long, but had enough signs of a bowler in full throttle, exhibiting skill and control over his body and mind. He seemed extremely different to the injury-ridden bowler who seemed guarded and circumspect last year.Porel did not play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy because of chickenpox. When he regained fitness for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he was diagnosed with acute pneumonia. He dropped seven kilos in two weeks, and as he recovered from that setback, Porel realised he could barely bowl spells lasting two overs.He needed to do plenty of work to get ready for the Ranji Trophy. But even before bowling a ball, he had to not just regain lost strength but also confidence. In his comeback game, the Ranji opener against Uttar Pradesh, Porel took a match-winning 7 for 105. It was the start of an injury-free period, which didn’t yield extraordinary returns – 27 wickets at an average of 25.40 – but allowed him to regain confidence.With a new World Test Championship cycle beginning, and India beginning a transition phase, the selectors will be keen to identify back-ups for Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. For now, it’s Mukesh and Navdeep Saini. But more performances like the one on Friday, could help Porel stake his claim too.

The fielding was awful, preparation and team selection equally bad, and they didn’t really give themselves a fighting chance

Firdose Moonda01-Jul-2023The ‘worst fielding side’ around
Ten catches went down in the group stage, the ground fielding was poor on the whole, and that’s simply not good enough.Not all of the West Indies’ spills carried massive consequences. Even dropping Gajanand Singh when on 0 in the tournament opener, where he went on to score 101*, did not prevent them from securing a win. But some of them did. The five against Zimbabwe might have been the difference between 200 and 268, and cost West Indies points they could have carried over to the Super Six.On that occasion, they put down Sikandar Raza on 1 and then on 3, and he went on to score 68 and share in a match-winning 87-run stand with Ryan Burl, who was also dropped once. Coach Daren Sammy was so frustrated that he labelled West Indies the “worst fielding side” at the qualifier.And then they put down a crucial chance in the Super Six, too. Defending a below-par 181, West Indies took a wicket with their first ball and had an opportunity for a second in the 12th over – Brandon McMullen was on 21 when he drilled Akeal Hosein to Kyle Mayers at midwicket. But Mayers put it down and McMullen went on to score 69 and put Scotland on the doorstep of victory.It was difficult for West Indies to put first-choice playing XIs on the field, and it showed•ICC via Getty ImagesIllness, injury, and iffy playing XIs
With illnesses – most teams have had some form of winter flu affecting their camp – and injuries, it has been difficult for West Indies to always field a first-choice XI.They batted Johnson Charles at No. 3 for the first time in his career in the opening three matches even though he is an opening batter. Their reason was that Shamarh Brooks’ illness had opened up a spot. Would moving Shai Hope to one-drop have made more sense?Yannick Cariah’s injury meant West Indies couldn’t capitalise on his pre-tournament form and also took away their only legspinner. The performances of Wanindu Hasaranga and Chris Greaves suggest it would have been handy for West Indies to have one.The Super Over mess
After Logan van Beek had plundered 28 runs off 14 balls, mostly hitting to the short leg-side boundary at Takashinga Cricket Club, it was inexplicable that West Indies chose to bowl from the Pavilion End to him in the Super Over, where they gave him the same advantage.That’s the decision West Indies made and they tasked Jason Holder with delivering the six balls that would decide the match. He started with two full-tosses, then went short and wide, and could not adjust his lengths to test van Beek’s defence against the yorker at all. The result was 4, 6, 4, 6, 6 and 4, and 31 runs for West Indies to chase. They stopped well short.When asked afterwards who made the decision to bowl Holder in the Super Over, Sammy didn’t comment, but a few breaths later, he said he had “full faith” in the captain’s decisions.There is a lot to talk about when it comes to West Indies cricket, and most of it is likely to be unpleasant•ICC via Getty ImagesPowell’s power reaps no rewards
Rovman Powell, West Indies’ vice-captain, played the opening two group matches, and showed none of the sense of responsibility that comes with his title and failed to provide the lower-order firepower West Indies desperately needed.Coming in at 192 for 5 against USA, Powell picked out long-off with a nothing shot the ball after Nicholas Pooran was caught at sweeper cover to fall for a golden duck. West Indies lost six wickets for 105 in that match and did not make 300.Against Nepal, with West Indies in a strong position at 310 for 5, Powell slugged a waist-high full-toss to long-on, and after being trapped lbw for 1 against Zimbabwe, something needed to be done about him.West Indies acted.They explained that leaving him out of the XI against Netherlands was an effort to balance the side, which was also without a hamstrung Mayers, and needed an extra bowling option. Romario Shepherd was included in Powell’s place and Mayers returned for the Scotland match with Shepherd kept his place and Powell still confined to the bench.Not the ideal preparation
West Indies played a series in the UAE to prepare for the qualifier, but not all of them were there together. Six of the 15 that travelled to Zimbabwe – Mayers, Holder, Powell, Alzarri Joseph, Shepherd and Akeal Hosein – were not involved in those matches.Understandably, they were given a break after the end of the IPL, but it also meant that their first interaction with a new coach (though one they have known as a player for long) came at a crunch tournament and the lack of cohesion showed.When asked to respond to Carl Hooper’s comment that the situation facing West Indies was “distressing”, Holder said he had been shutting out outside noise. Only to be reminded that Hooper was inside the camp, as the new assistant coach.And then there was the choice of warm-up series. Day-night games in the desert did little to help West Indies ready themselves for the chilly, dew-dropped southern African mornings, where the ball moves substantially in the first hour and, when put in, their batters showed a lack of assurance. West Indies were 14 for 2 against USA, 55 for 3 against Nepal, and 81 for 6 against Scotland in the game that saw them cede any chances of going to the World Cup.

Head coach Jonathan Batty hopes to improve an already strong squad as they head into the WPL auction

Shashank Kishore08-Dec-2023Meg Lanning is “very excited” and “fully committed to coming back” for the second Women’s Premier League (WPL) season in February, said Delhi Capitals head coach Jonathan Batty, who has been in close touch with the former Australia captain.Lanning topped the run charts in the first WPL held earlier this year, scoring 345 runs in nine innings, at a strike rate of 139.11. She had taken a break from cricket in 2022, came back to win a T20 World Cup, missed the women’s Ashes due to medical reasons and, just last month, retired from international cricket altogether.Lanning has continued to play in the T20 franchise circuit and was most recently part of Melbourne Stars in the Women’s Big Bash League. “Meg is great, she really enjoyed last year’s tournament,” Batty told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the WPL auction in Mumbai on Saturday. “She is fully committed to coming back and is very excited.”While Lanning’s presence will give them a fillip, Batty is particularly pleased with having been able to build a robust, core-group of players that bring in different dimensions of leadership to the system. This, he believes, was among their biggest takeaways from the inaugural WPL.Related

• Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals to kick off WPL 2024 on February 23 in Bengaluru

• England don't have emotions attached to WPL auction, says wicketkeeper Amy Jones

• Lanning leaves a legacy of generational change and success

• WPL 2024: Gujarat Giants release more than half of their squad

• WPL 2024 auction: Athapaththu, Dottin among 165 players in the pool

“We always talk of what players bring to the team apart from core skill sets. Shikha Pandey was outstanding leading the seam-bowling group,” Batty said. “She was also very good at identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the local opposition players. We use our core group to scout the opposition as well and they bought into that really well.”Jemimah [Rodrigues] and Shafali [Verma] also showed great leadership qualities. Jemimah was vice-captain, and Shafali had led India Under-19s. We got a lot of good leadership qualities from the local players, as well as Lanning and Jess Jonassen, who has captained the Brisbane Heat [in the WBBL].”The Capitals have INR 2.25 crore available going into the auction – only Mumbai Indians have a smaller purse – and have a maximum of three slots to fill. They’ve released three players – Jasia Akhtar and Aparna Mondal along with USA fast bowler Tara Norris, who picked up the WPL’s first five-for.David Warner interacts with Delhi Capitals’ Jess Jonassen, Meg Lanning and Jonathan Batty in WPL 2023•Delhi CapitalsBatty touched on having to make some tough decisions in order to achieve overall squad balance. He also explained why Norris had to be released. As things stand, teams can field a fifth overseas player if they happen to be from an Associate nation.”Tara was great for us last season, and it’s sad to see her go, but the one thing we did see through is the quality we have in our domestic Indian seam bowling. Titas Sadhu [who didn’t play a single game] and Arundhati Reddy both kicked on during the tournament and have done since. We’re really strong from that angle.”Both were very keen to learn, worked really hard, picked on senior players’ knowledge. Titas learnt a lot from Marizanne Kapp and Shikha, it’s great to see her play for India in the meantime. Pleased for Aru as well, they’ve made significant progress to where they were 12 months ago, so we’re really proud to have been a part of that, it’s also what we’re here to do.”During the off-season, the Capitals put together two elaborate camps, where they had a look at potential new signings. Former India batter Hemlata Kala, who had previously served as India women’s chief selector, and Biju George, the team’s fielding coach, were key members in this operation given that they are part of the team that goes out to scout for players during the domestic season.”We’ve put together a scouting team of four people underneath our strategy manager and chief scout,” Batty said. “They go around the local domestic tournament, make sure they spread themselves to ensure every match was covered. We’ve got data of the local players, who honestly, I’ve got very little knowledge of. So there’s a lot of trust and emphasis placed on identifying local talent.”We had one camp in Delhi and another in Bangalore. We invited those who we felt were the best of the domestic talent we hadn’t seen last year. We also had a look at our own domestic players who were available and weren’t involved with India or overseas at the time.”It was a good way to cross-check, sort of see how the other local players are in comparison to those we’ve already got so that we have a benchmark alongside that, and it’s great. The camp in Bangalore was fantastic, some really good talent, a multitude of skillsets on show, was very clear there’s a huge amount of talent in the local Indian market.”Capitals’ auction strategy ahead of the inaugural season revolved around building “as strong a squad as possible rather than focusing on individuals”. Ahead of a mini-auction, it’s now about “tinkering around the edges.””We were really pleased last year, coming out of the auction,” Batty said. “We felt we had the best 18-player squad. And obviously, the tournament went pretty well for us last year, we just fell short in the final hurdle. We know we’ve got a good core group; it’s about trying to tinker around the edges. Can we improve the starting XI? Can we improve the playing squad – all our conversations have been around that.”

On the eve of the Test, the India captain was intense and thoughtful, while her opposite number was full of laughs and wisecracks

S Sudarshanan20-Dec-20234:26

Harmanpreet: ‘Our approach hasn’t changed, we will look to attack and win the game’

Harmanpreet Kaur and Alyssa Healy cut contrasting figures at their respective press interactions at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, a day away from the start of their one-off Test.Harmanpreet had just finished a long batting stint in the nets, taken her pads off and pulled on the white jumper over her training jersey. She looked serious, and gave her answers after a lot of thought. Healy walked into the room with the air of a student confident of topping the exam. She chuckled at the mention of Mitchell Starc and his record IPL auction payday. Her 16 minutes with the press were replete with laughs and wisecracks.Like when she expressed surprise at India not pushing for a points-based multi-format series at home: “I would have thought India would have backed themselves in their home conditions and got off to a 4-0 start.” Or, the “I’ll let you know on day four!” when asked if everyone in the touring party had acclimatised to the Mumbai weather.Related

Healy toasts dominant Australia on successful tour: 'We had just two and a half days of bad cricket'

Healy 'comfortable with Australia's progression' with new-look outfit still finding their feet

India look for more Test glory as Australia's Healy era begins

'Calm' McGrath embraces leadership role ahead of Test grind

Harmanpreet was also a picture of focus during training on both the days before the Test. On Tuesday, she first faced a mix of spin and pace in the nets. She then moved to the pacers-only net and batted for a few more minutes before proceeding to face throwdowns. The only breaks she took were to stand behind the nets to observe the others and engage in discussions with head coach Amol Muzumdar.Towards the end of India’s training session, she practiced range-hitting for about 15-20 minutes. Standing away from the right-most practice net, she swung a fair few through the midwicket arc. The focus was on skipping down the track and connecting with the ball with her head as still as possible.”[Tuesday] was a day we could spend a lot of time in nets. If you are set batter [it’s about] how can you charge against which bowler,” she said. “Our approach will be to win this game, like last time [against England]. For that, it is not enough to just stay there but score crucial runs for the team. If you start attacking a bowler and have a good defence, you can play mind games with them.”[Wednesday] was more specific to the match: how to start [an innings]. [Muzumdar] is taking our match preparations seriously and we are also approaching it in the same way. After a long time, we are preparing in this way. Before this, sometimes we just felt that net sessions were on without a purpose. We were not achieving much.

“There’s going to be a lot of talk about spinners and what sort of impact they have. But I think our pace attack can do some real damage right throughout the day if they get it right”Alyssa Healy

“Since [Muzumdar] has come, we have been specific in our preparations and what situations we can come across in a match and, in that, how can we do the best for the team. He had given us different situations, and everyone was batting accordingly.”Healy’s preparations, not just for the Test but cricket in general, has been tricky. She was sidelined after she was accidentally bitten in the finger by her dog in October. The five training sessions since Australia landed in Mumbai were her first after the layoff. But if you were looking for signs of rustiness, there weren’t any.She scored a 52-ball 55 in Australia’s red-ball practice match on Sunday against a Mumbai XI, where she hit six fours and two sixes. On the eve of the Test, she faced a combination of Australia’s seamers, spinners, and a few local net bowlers for about 20 minutes in pairs with Phoebe Litchfield.”What the injury gave me is a forced rest, but also an opportunity for a little mini pre-season,” she said. “And [I] did four-five weeks of pretty hard physical work to get myself right. I wasn’t able to hit balls or catch balls or anything. I was running a lot and was at the gym a lot.”4:39

Healy hyped for the Australia vs India rivalry

India played only two fast bowlers against England and could be tempted to continue with the same template against Australia. But Healy backed her fast bowlers based on what she had seen of the SG balls that will be used in the Test match.”The SG balls have been a real fun to play around,” she said. “It is a nice mix between the Kookaburra and Dukes ball. It swings a little bit when it is shiny, but if you can keep it in some sort of condition, it swings the whole day. That brings our pace bowlers back into the talking.”There’s going to be a lot of talk about spinners and what sort of impact they have. But I think our pace attack can do some real damage right throughout the day if they get it right. Hopefully our ball-management crew can get that job done.”It is after over 250 internationals that Healy has got the permanent captain’s hat, one that Harmanpreet is no stranger to, having led India in over 100 T20Is alone. They come into this Test with contrasting moods and preparation, and very different game plans. In four days, we will know if it is two in two for Harmanpreet or a Test win on permanent-captaincy debut for Healy.

Thakor’s two-wicket burst and Deepti’s all-round game proved to be the difference between the two sides on the day

Firdose Moonda08-Mar-2024If looks were deliveries, Saima Thakor would have had a wicket with her eighth ball. It was on the back of a length; Shafali Verma came down the track to try and smash it away but was too hasty and ended up pushing it straight back to the bowler. Thakor collected, mock threw at the stumps and gave Shafali a stare-down that said, “I’ve got it in for you.”And she did. Two balls later, Shafali tried to advance on Thakor again, the ball kept low and snuck past the bat to find offstump. Shafali looked up at Thakor in disappointment and was met with the same stare, only more triumphant. As Thakor gave Shafali a small send-off (and Shafali responded with some words of her own), the contest between these two teams, which on form and history is a no-contest in favour of Delhi Capitals, ignited.It was Meg Lanning who tried to put it out. She took three boundaries off Thakor’s next over to make it clear who was in charge of this game, and Capitals did not need to look back until Deepti Sharma forced them to.Related

Shabnam is young, quick, takes big wickets, and is just a bit different

Deepti's hat-trick and half-century give Warriorz thrilling win

It wasn’t just that Lanning struck four after four; it was the ease with which she did it. The first was a tickle fine off a shorter ball, the second was a silken cover drive off a fuller delivery and the last was a vicious cut through backward point. The message to Thakor was clear: you can’t bowl too short, too full or too wide, you can’t miss your length or your lines, not even a tiny bit, or you will be punished.Still, Capitals were behind after the powerplay – 35 for 1 compared to UP Warriorz’s 44 for 1 – but Lanning was there. Gouher Sultana, Deepti and Rajeshwari Gayakwad all erred by going too short and Lanning dispatched them all. By the halfway stage, Capitals had caught up to where Warriorz were and had the advantage of wickets in hand. They were 63 for 1, with only Lanning’s opening partner dismissed; Warriorz were 63 for 3 with all of Kiran Navgire, Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath out.Crucially they still had Deepti at the crease and the move to promote her to No.3 could prove a masterstroke. Deepti has only batted at No.3 four times before in her 160-match T20 career and only once in the last six years. With Vrinda Dinesh injured and Chamari Athapaththu out of the XI, she got the opportunity to play in that position today and showed she can pace an innings from that position. She took Warriorz to a competitive total with a second successive fifty and though it remains to be seen how they will manage her if they choose to bring Athapaththu back, they would have seen the value of having a player like her there. In this match, it brought the kind of stability Warriorz have envied a team like Capitals for having, and they even had glimpses of it today.Thanks to Lanning the chase was set up and she seemed set to get them there and rack up some accolades along the way. When she raised her bat to fifty, Lanning became the first batter in WPL’s short history to hit three successive half-centuries and two of them have come in winning causes.Meg Lanning’s 60 was in vain for Delhi Capitals•BCCIIn the last week, Lanning struck 55 off 41 when Capitals scored 163 for 8 and then 53 off 38 when they posted 192 for 4 against Mumbai Indians. Capitals defended both totals. Then, in the first time they’ve been asked to chase in Delhi, she finished with 60 off 46 on Friday. It’s an impressive run which speaks to what she said earlier about the pleasures of being freed from the expectation of the international game. If runs were words, her performances are doing the talking. But they’re not the only ones she has.In the immediate aftermath of the game, Lanning admitted to the host broadcaster that she was “frustrated,” that the innings that took her to the top of the batting charts did not come in a winning cause and took the responsibility of the defeat on her shoulders. “My wicket played a part in it,” she said. “I was the set batter and I put pressure on the other batters coming in.”She may have been unnecessarily harsh on herself because players of the quality and International experience of Jemimah Rodrigues and Annabel Sutherland are also used to handling tense situations. In the end, it came down to who could hold their nerve and it was Thakor who did.She was brought back to bowl the 18th over, took pace off to Rodrigues and denied her the ability to generate any power. Rodrigues hit the ball to Sophie Ecclestone at long-off and a team that has dropped 13 catches through the tournament so far, held their breath. Ecclestone held on.That wicket opened Capitals up and even though it was Deepti’s hat-trick and eventual four-for and Grace Harris’ defence of nine runs off the last over that won the game, Harris herself paid tribute to the work Thakor did, in her opening spell and later on. “It was Saima, really – when she got up and about against Shafali,” Harris said to the broadcasters when asked what she thought the difference between the two sides was. “She bowled exceptionally well today and kept the stumps in play. It was just us jumping on the back of that energy.”

The defending champions made it three wins in three at home, and they did it in style

Alagappan Muthu09-Apr-20241:26

‘Deshpande has been right on the money’

“I hope he doesn’t come out to bat.”Dwayne Bravo was pushing his luck. Not long after he made this dirty little secret of his public, the IPL’s biggest power hitter was making his way out to the middle.Andre Russell knows he is chaos condensed into skin, bone and muscle. And he entered Chepauk in a manner befitting it, flat out charging to the crease, slowing down only for a little stretch where he bounced on one leg while lifting the other up to his waist. Once he was at the crease, he looked around, as if it mattered to him where the fielders were, as if he hasn’t been clearing them all his life. Six hundred (!) and seventy eight sixes was staring down at Chennai Super Kings.Related

• 'I am six foot three, 100 kgs' – Mitchell is easing himself into Rayudu's role at CSK

• Jadeja & Co pin KKR before Gaikwad finishes the job

• Iyer after KKR's loss at Chepauk: 'Fell short in terms of assessing the wicket'

• 'Don't want to change a single bit': the CSK transition from MS Dhoni to Ruturaj Gaikwad

Bravo was at the boundary line now. Pacing. He always does this in the death overs. It’s almost as if he has withdrawal, having dominated that stage of play for virtually his whole career. All of that experience is why he was brought into the CSK coaching set-up and given free reign. This team splits up during its training sessions and the bowlers become Bravo’s responsibility entirely.The field that was set to Russell was intriguing. Tushar Deshpande had his mid-off up. And as soon as he bowled his first ball it became clear why. It was banged in, at top speed, cramping the Kolkata Knight Rider for room. Exactly the kind of situation that could result in a top-edge. Mid-off was a catching fielder.In the next over, the 18th, Mustafizur Rahman ran in from over the wicket with three men on the off side fence. He also seemed to deliver from as wide of the crease as he could. And finally, he never put pace on. Everything was the offcutter. So even though he was going full – which was the most hittable length on this pitch – he was making it work for him.CSK had weaponised the angle across the right-hander. They denied him the easiest access to sixes. They denied him the entire leg side. Mustafizur vs Russell was seven balls: two plays and misses, one bottom edge, one catch drop, one wide, one single, one four and all pressure.Now it was Deshpande’s turn to keep at it. But he did better than that. He too tried to slant the ball across Russell by moving around the wicket. Bravo used to do this all the time in the death, packing the offside and asking his opponents to drag him to leg knowing the risks that came with it.Russell fell for 10 off 10, caught at long-on. Even his power wasn’t enough when CSK had stacked so many things against him. As soon as it happened, Bravo punched the air and Deshpande pointed to him before breaking into the old Gangnam style dance. Well, the hands part of it anyway.The flashlights were out among the crowd when MS Dhoni was in the middle•AFP/Getty ImagesThe Chepauk pitch played a big role in all of this. It was the same one that was used for the season opener last month. Back then it had a fair bit of pace and bounce. Now it seemed to have lost both to the extent that even a brand new ball was sneaking under Sunil Narine’s bat.Ravindra Jadeja is tailor made for this situation. He knew all he had to do was not bowl full; not bypass the natural variation that was on offer. Nineteen of his 24 deliveries were on a length or, like the one that took Narine out, just short of it. That ball held in the surface and made the batter lose his shape so badly his bottom hand came off. It was beautiful, the simplicity, the precision and the discipline.Jadeja knew that in conditions like these, where there was low bounce, he could limit scoring options just by hitting a hard length and targeting the stumps. Plus, with him bowling at almost 100 kph, KKR never had time to get a shot away. They tried. Backing off and bringing out the horizontal bats but they could barely breach the infield. KKR struck only one boundary off him. He took three wickets off them.”Whenever I play in Chennai, I always feel good,” Jadeja said as he collected the Player-of-the-Match award, “Whenever I play on this kind of track, I always enjoy my bowling.”There was a very real chance, at the end of the night, that he’d get to seal the win that he’d set up for his team. He was in full kit. He’d picked up the bat. He was preparing to come out. Then all of a sudden he made a giant U-turn and returned to his seat. Close-ups of the whole thing revealed that it was all an elaborate prank.”Yeah, a little while earlier [MS Dhoni] had spoken to Jaddu that you go out, but I’ll go to bat, and I overheard that” Deshpande told the IPL website.”He just gave the crowd a glimpse of himself,” Jadeja added, “So they would get their money’s worth for their tickets.” walked out to from the Rajinikanth movie . At first the song was totally drowned out. Russell, who was fielding on the boundary, had to shut his ears. The crowd weren’t just loud. They were thunderous. Eventually, though, they began to vibe with the music. And belt out the lyrics. [a few may tarnish his name] [Hundreds try to take his title away] [But if you look over behind that little wall] [He has crores willing to give their life for him]. There was a little extra behind that last line.

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.