Since the 2019 World Cup, poor selection decisions have seen players drift in and out of limited-overs squads, with few sticking around long enough to show results

Mazher Arshad06-Aug-2021Pakistan’s limited-overs squads have gone through numerous changes in the last couple of years. Since the 2019 World Cup, they have tried 27 players in 11 ODIs and 38 players in 34 T20Is (in the first seven of those game alone, there were 25 different players, and a change in captaincy, though the team was No. 1 in the T20I rankings at the time).Related

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A pattern has emerged of too many players being dropped after too few opportunities or despite producing decent results. Much of this has come during the tenures of Misbah-ul-Haq (September 2019 to December 2020) and Mohammad Wasim (since January 2021) as chief selectors.In that time Pakistan have still won more white-ball games than they’ve lost – their win-loss record is 22-18 – but it has been an uneven, unsettled ride.Below are some of the more difficult-to-explain selectorial decisions Misbah, who is also head coach, and Wasim have taken in that time.Khushdil Shah
Pakistan’s issues with finding a middle-order batter and finisher in white-ball cricket are well-known. They looked at Khushdil as someone who could fix those problems, but he was dropped after a single ODI, in which he scored 33 batting at No. 7 against Zimbabwe in 2020.Khushdil Shah played a solitary ODI, against Zimbabwe, and nine T20Is before he was dropped•AFP via Getty ImagesSince making his debut in 2016, Khushdil has scored 2225 runs in List A cricket at an average of 51.74 and a strike-rate 99.19. No middle-order batter in Pakistan’s domestic one-day game has more centuries than his eight in this period, and no batter from Pakistan has hit more sixes than his 94.He scored a 35-ball 100 in the National T20 Cup last year and is one of the most successful power-hitters from Pakistan in the last couple of seasons – since 2020, only Mohammad Hafeez, with 62, has hit more sixes than his 56 – but he was given only nine T20Is to prove his worth – too small a sample size to judge a batter whose role is to play high-risk cricket.ESPNcricinfo LtdUsman Shinwari
Shinwari is one of those players who, because of poor performances in one format, has been dropped from others – a recurring theme in Pakistan over the last few years. He does not have a great record in T20Is, and an economy of 10.37 in the last two PSLs didn’t help. But his ODI numbers are too good to be ignored – in 17 games he has claimed 34 wickets at an average of 18.61 and an economy of 4.94.Usman Shinwari hasn’t played an ODI since picking up a five-for in the series against Sri Lanka in 2019•AFPThat includes ten wickets in his last three ODIs alone, including 4 for 49 against Australia in Dubai in 2019, and a Player-of-the-Match effort of 5 for 51 against Sri Lanka in Karachi. Earlier that year he took four wickets in Pakistan’s win in Johannesburg. Most players doing this in a World Cup year could rightly dream of playing in the tournament, but Shinwari wasn’t considered.Even when Pakistan decided to drop Faheem Ashraf and Junaid Khan, who played against England in the five-match ODI series right before the World Cup, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector at that time, picked Wahab Riaz over Shinwari. Wahab hadn’t played an ODI in two years, while Shinwari had ten wickets in the last five ODIs before the World Cup, and two four-wicket hauls.ESPNcricinfo LtdHe was selected again by Misbah for Pakistan’s first ODI series after the World Cup and his five wickets in that first game back, against Sri Lanka, proved the selection right. After that, however, he played only one more ODI and then wasn’t considered for the next series, against Zimbabwe. That call was made ostensibly on his PSL 2020 performance, where he went wicketless in four T20s and conceded 11.45 per over.No Pakistan bowler has had a better average in ODIs than Shinwari in the last five years. Why he is hardly even in the conversation for a place in the ODI side is anybody’s guess.Despite an average of 50. 54 and a strike of 121.39 in the last three years, Imad Wasim has played only three ODIs since the 2019 World Cup•AFP/Getty ImagesImad Wasim
Although widely seen as a bowler, it is with the bat that Imad has excelled in ODIs. He has averaged 50.54 in the last three years with a strike rate of 121.39 – the third highest in the world after Jos Buttler and Glenn Maxwell (for batters with a minimum of 500 runs in that period).His average may be boosted by not-outs, but that indicates he is a much better batter than a regular No. 7 or 8, the two positions where he has mostly batted. No other player has averaged more at these two positions in ODIs in the last three years.ESPNcricinfo LtdGiven the evidence of an unbeaten 117 off 78 in a warm-up match against Kent before the England series in 2019 and the 49 not out in the World Cup against Afghanistan, there’s an argument that Pakistan could have promoted him to No. 6, considering they still haven’t found anyone for this role. Yet, after the World Cup, he played only three ODIs before being left out.Shan Masood has averaged over 80 in List A cricket for Pakistan in the last five years but has only made five ODI appearances•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesShan Masood
The highest run scorer in List A cricket in the last five years in Pakistan – since 2016, Masood has scored 3376 runs at an average of 80.38, at a strike rate of 86.21, and hit 13 centuries – has played only five ODIs. Masood was picked for the series against Australia in the UAE before the World Cup in 2019 and was never considered again after.It is true that Pakistan’s current ODI openers, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq, are doing a decent job (though the latter’s List A average and strike rate are lower than Masood’s) and their back-up, Abid Ali, has also proven his selection. But before the series against Zimbabwe in 2020, Pakistan picked a new opener, Abdullah Shafique, who had not played a single List A match. An uncapped List A player being selected for ODIs ahead of someone who is still only 31 years old and is averaging over 80 in the last five years? There are few better illustrations of the strange ways in which Pakistani selection operates.Abid Ali made a hundred on ODI debut, against Australia, in 2019 but wasn’t considered for the World Cup that year•Getty ImagesAbid Ali
Abid’s case is similar to Masood’s. Though his Test batting does not hint at it, he earned an ODI cap after good performances in domestic cricket. He scored 789 runs at an average of 65.75 in List A cricket in 2017-18, including a double-century. The next season, he scored 562 runs at 56.20 followed by a century against England Lions. Based on these performances he became a candidate to play in the 2019 World Cup and made his case even stronger with a century on ODI debut against Australia.After that century he played two more ODIs before Pakistan decided to leave him out of the World Cup, though he was supposed to be the back-up wicketkeeper to Sarfaraz Ahmed. He returned after the World Cup and was Player of the Match in his first outing, against Sri Lanka in Karachi. Two ODIs later, he was dropped despite his 234 runs in six innings at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of 93.60, better than many current Pakistan batters.Danish Aziz played two T20Is and two ODIs before falling out of the reckoning•AFP/Getty ImagesDanish Aziz
While his overall white-ball numbers might not be impressive, Aziz was one of the best finishers in the 2020 National T20 Cup, where, he scored 220 runs for Sindh at an average of 73.33 and a strike rate of 154.92. The highlight was chasing 19 runs in the last over against Khyber Pakhtunwala. In the PSL recently in Abu Dhabi, Aziz was one six away from scoring Pakistan’s fastest fifty in T20s. In between he was given only two T20Is before being discarded from the national squads.It can be argued that it was wrong to pick him in ODIs in the first place but that he was dropped after only two games underlines that players are either getting selected without significant performances in domestic cricket or being dropped after getting too few chances.Muhammad Musa’s performance in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup carried him to the national squad, but he was dropped after two T20Is and two ODIs•Getty ImagesMuhammad Musa
Musa was one of the finest prospects to emerge from the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, where he took four wickets in the semi-final against India. He played two ODIs against Zimbabwe and took a wicket in his very first over. It wasn’t that he was only given an opportunity because Pakistan were testing their bench strength; he played against Australia too in T20Is, another format where he was dropped after two games.You could argue that his selection was premature, but three emerging fast bowlers – Shahnawaz Dahani, Arshad Iqbal and Mohammad Wasim Jr – have now suddenly risen above him in the pecking order. It says a lot about the current selection process, where the selectors seem easily swayed by performances in the most recent games they’ve watched, and go on to pick a new player to replace someone tipped for the same role just the previous season. For instance, it is tough to believe that Abdullah Shafique would have been selected had his hundred on debut in the National T20 Cup not been televised.Mohammad Amir: a victim of politicking?•Getty ImagesMohammad Amir
Amir’s current form in T20s – 22 wickets at an average of 44.54 and an economy of 8.27 in the last year – is poor, but that shouldn’t undermine his ODI record, where, in his last ten games, he has 21 wickets at an average of 20.42 and an economy of 4.76. This stretch includes the 2019 World Cup, where he was Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker, with 17 wickets.After the World Cup, he has only played two ODIs, in the home series against Sri Lanka, taking four wickets at an average of 17.75. Pakistan didn’t play another ODI for nearly a year, though Amir was part of Pakistan’s T20 squads that toured Australia in 2019 and England in 2020. He struggled on those trips and by the time of Pakistan’s next ODI series, against Zimbabwe in 2020, was out of favour.Should a player be dropped from ODIs for not performing well in T20Is? Admittedly, an ongoing spat with current management has also led to his continued exclusion. Amir retired from Tests after the 2019 World Cup. For a while that didn’t matter, as Pakistan continued to select him for T20Is. But a change in the team management’s stance has subsequently led to his exclusion from all Pakistan teams, based – according to Misbah – solely on his form. Not, clearly, his ODI form.

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During his recent stint as batting coach, Younis Khan admitted that Pakistan’s selection policy is reactive to criticism on social and mainstream media. Pressure is built through these platforms to select players who are too raw, and expectations of them are so high that when they fail, they are buried. That goes for established players as well, and there are a couple of players who, given Pakistan’s recent selection track record, could be in trouble despite actually not performing that poorly.Despite a recent dip in form, Shadab Khan has been the leading wicket-taker in T20Is among spinners since his debut in 2017•AFP/Getty ImagesShadab Khan
There are two major factors behind Shadab’s dip in bowling form in white-ball cricket. The first is that he has been through a succession of injuries from which he has still not fully recovered. Second, he hasn’t played any international cricket in Pakistan or the UAE in 12 months.Since Shadab has played all his recent international cricket in England, New Zealand and South Africa – arguably the three most difficult places for spinners – he hasn’t been able to meet his initial standards. A case in point is the T20I series in New Zealand last year, where he went wicketless. In that entire series, Pakistan’s and New Zealand’s spinners together took only two wickets, while the seamers took 32. In the 2021 PSL after that, with nine wickets, Shadab was still the leading Pakistani wicket-taking spinner.Someone who is still only 22 and the world’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is among spinners since his debut in 2017, who adds depth to batting, and is the best fielder in the team, deserves some leeway given during a rough patch. Jasprit Bumrah, for instance, has only five wickets in his last nine ODIs at an average of 96.40 in the last couple of years but will still be one of the first names on India’s team sheet.Shadab’s T20I numbers are in line with most of his contemporaries since his debut – Ish Sodhi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adil Rashid and Tabraiz Shamsi. Only Rashid Khan has an exceptional record but he hasn’t played against Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa or Sri Lanka in this period.The same goes for Shadab in ODIs. He had the third best average among spinners in the 2019 World Cup and since then has played only seven ODIs (five of them in England and South Africa) with little success. It’s a small sample size, and because of where he has played, a skewed one, on which to write off a spinner. As an example, check Rashid Khan’s figures in the same World Cup – arguably the greatest spinner of this era, struggling in conditions that didn’t suit him, against a superior quality of opponent.Haris Rauf has 80 T20 wickets since 2020, the most of any fast bowler•Daniel Pockett/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesHaris Rauf
Haris is the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers in T20Is and T20s since 2020. In internationals he has 28 wickets at an average of 25.07, while overall in T20s he has 80 wickets at 23.20. That isn’t enough to shield him from severe criticism on Twitter and YouTube.Yes, his economy (8.94) is an issue, but he is only in his second year of international cricket, having been fast-tracked in. Anyone that raw and with the ability to bowl at 90mph is likely to be wayward at the start.ESPNcricinfo LtdHe has also shown that he is among the best bowlers in the death overs in T20Is, and it is the coaches’ job to define his role in the team and work on his areas of weakness, such as his middle-overs effectiveness, where he has only three wickets and an economy of 8.68.Even in ODIs, since the 2019 World Cup, no one has more wickets for Pakistan than him. These are decent numbers for a bowler who started playing professional cricket only three years ago and was picked for international cricket after four List A matches. None among Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan had ten wickets in their first eight ODIs, and Shoaib Akhtar had only 11. Trent Boult, currently the world’s top-ranked ODI bowler, had six wickets at 47.66 in his first eight ODIs.This not to say that Rauf is guaranteed a career like these players have had, but these numbers underscore that success has never come easy, not even for the greatest bowlers, and that you need to back talent to build a successful career.

Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga were the milestone men, as Sri Lanka scripted a remarkable comeback

ESPNcricinfo stats team20-Oct-20210 – Number of times a team has managed to score 150-plus in men’s T20Is after losing three wickets for less than ten runs, before Sri Lanka scored 171 for 7 against Ireland. The previous highest was Panama’s 148 for 6 against Mexico. Panama had lost their first three wickets by 8, the same score as Sri Lanka today.. The previous highest by a full-member nation from 8 for 3 was Australia’s 147 for 6 against England in the 2010 World T20 final.8 – Score at which Sri Lanka lost their third wicket, their lowest score for the first three wickets in a T20I innings. Their previous lowest was 11 runs against Australia in 2007 and against New Zealand in 2009. Only once had Ireland taken the first three wickets in a T20I innings at a lower total – 6 runs against Scotland in 2010.123 – Partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga, the highest for the fourth wicket (or lower) in men’s T20 World Cup matches. The previous highest was 119* by Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik against Sri Lanka in 2007.Nissanka and Hasaranga’s partnership was also only the third century stand for the fourth wicket (or lower) in men’s T20Is that began with fewer than ten runs on the board.3 – Number of higher partnerships for Sri Lanka in T20Is than the 123 between Nissanka and Hasaranga.1 – Number of higher individual scores by Sri Lanka batters in their first T20 World Cup innings than Hasaranga’s 71 in this match. Sanath Jayasuriya had hit 88 off 44 balls against Kenya in their first-ever World T20 fixture, which remains their highest.

And what’s the highest score made by an opener in a Test innings in which his partner made a duck?

Steven Lynch14-Dec-2021The two Tests of the India-New Zealand series featured four different captains. Has this ever happened before? asked Sree Dev from India

Ajinkya Rahane and Kane Williamson captained in the first Test of the recent series, in Kanpur, then Virat Kohli and Tom Latham took over for the second, in Mumbai. This was only the second two-Test series to feature four captains – the other was South Africa vs England in 1888-89, when Owen Dunell and Aubrey Smith (later a famous Hollywood actor) skippered in the first Test in Port Elizabeth, and William Milton and Monty Bowden in the second, in Cape Town.There have been seven longer series in which successive Tests were presided over by four different captains. These were England (Arthur Carr, then Percy Chapman) against Australia (Warren Bardsley and Herbie Collins) in 1926. West Indies (George Headley and Gerry Gomez) against England (Ken Cranston and Gubby Allen) in 1947-48. England (Colin Cowdrey and Peter May) against Australia (Neil Harvey and Richie Benaud) in 1961. England (Cowdrey and Tom Graveney) against Australia (Bill Lawry and Barry Jarman) in 1968, where Cowdrey and Lawry, recovered from injury, took over again for the next match. West Indies (Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards) against England (Graham Gooch and Allan Lamb) in 1989-90. England (Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain) against Australia (Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist) in 2001. and Australia (Michael Clarke and Steve Smith) against India (Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni) in 2014-15.I heard that Alex Carey equalled the record for catches by a wicketkeeper on Test debut at the Gabba. Who does he share this record with? asked Steve McArthur from Australia

Alex Carey’s five catches behind the stumps in England’s second innings in the first Test in Brisbane did equal the record for most catches in an innings by a debutant keeper there, set by Queenslander John Maclean against England in 1978-79. Only two keepers have made six dismissals in a Test innings on debut anywhere – Wally Grout for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1957-58 (all catches), and Chris Read for England vs New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1999 (one stumping).Carey took eight catches in the match, beating the old ground record of seven dismissals by a debutant – four of them stumpings – by Gil Langley against West Indies in Brisbane in 1951-52. And Carey’s eight dismissals equalled the record for any debutant wicketkeeper, set by Australia’s Brian Taber against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1966-67, and equalled by Read in 1999. Both their hauls included a stumping, though, so Carey’s eight is a new record for catches on debut.Were Ajaz Patel’s figures in Mumbai the best in an innings and a match for someone who finished on the losing side in a Test? asked Derek Horsfield from England

The short answer is yes – slow left-armer Ajaz Patel established new records for both with his 10 for 119 in the first innings in Mumbai, and overall match figures of 14 for 225.The previous-best innings figures in a losing cause were Kapil Dev’s 9 for 83 for India against West Indies in Ahmedabad in 1983-84. Three others have taken nine in an innings in a defeat: Jack Noreiga (9 for 95 for West Indies vs India in Port-of-Spain in 1970-71); Subhash Gupte (9 for 102 vs West Indies in Kanpur in 1958-59); and Keshav Maharaj (9 for 129 for South Africa against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2018).Javagal Srinath’s 13 for 132 for India against Pakistan in Kolkata in 1998-99 were the previous-best match figures in a lost cause. Three other 13-wicket hauls weren’t enough to prevent defeat: Sydney Barnes took 13 for 163 for England against Australia in Melbourne in 1901-02; Merv Hughes 13 for 217 for Australia vs West Indies in Perth in 1988-89); and Tom Richardson 13 for 244 for England against Australia at Old Trafford in 1896.Chris Gayle’s opening partner Wavell Hinds fell for a first ball duck while Gayle went on to make 317 against South Africa in Antigua in 2005•AFPWhat’s the highest score by an opener in a Test innings in which his partner made a duck? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England

Top of the list here is the “Universe Boss”, Chris Gayle, who made 317 for West Indies against South Africa in St John’s in Antigua in 2005. His opening partner Wavell Hinds was out first ball. It was a batting paradise – West Indies answered South Africa’s 588 with 747, and a record eight centuries were scored – so Hinds no doubt felt he’d missed out! Next comes Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, who made 253 after Marvan Atapattu fell in the first over to complete a pair against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2004-05.Who has scored the most runs in the Australian Big Bash? And who is the leading overseas player? asked Josh McAllister from Australia

The big-hitting Queenslander Chris Lynn is well clear at the top of this list at the moment. As I write he has 2826 Big Bash runs for Brisbane Heat, around 400 ahead of Aaron Finch. Six others – Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Jonathan Wells and Moises Henriques – have more than 2000 runs, and Matthew Wade (1944) should join them soon. The leading overseas runscorer is England’s Alex Hales, who currently has 1484.In the Women’s Big Bash, the leader is Beth Mooney, with 3674 runs, comfortably ahead of Ellyse Perry (3360), and Sophie Devine of New Zealand (3076).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

They were constantly on the road in a season ravaged by Covid-19, but adversity only galvanised their battle-hardened group

Tristan Lavalette29-Jan-2022Galvanised by daunting road trips
Due to Western Australia’s unyielding hard border which remains in place indefinitely, Scorchers knew they would be on the road for the majority of the season. They hoped to squeeze in a few early games at Optus Stadium, their fortress, but they only managed to host Brisbane Heat on December 8.Then they were away for 50 straight days, enduring various restrictions, and also life away from home for those based in Perth. It was surely tough, but they embraced the challenge head-on. “There has not been an ounce of whinging, everyone has been focused and resilient,” opener Kurtis Patterson had recently told ESPNcricinfo.Related

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Scorchers had been somewhat here before, having only played four games last season in Perth, but this was an even more daunting task. Obviously, it helps in camaraderie when the team is winning, but the adversity undoubtedly galvanised the group. Perhaps drawing from former coach Justin Langer’s playbook, Scorchers relished a backs-against-the-wall approach which made the triumph the sweetest in their storied history.Depth and continuity
On January 28, 2015, Ashton Turner, Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye were celebrating knocking off Sydney Sixers for the title; fast forward exactly seven years, and it’s déjà vu, with the trio of stalwarts playing key roles in Scorchers’ latest success against the same opposition.Andrew Tye was also part of the Scorchers side that beat Sixers in the 2014-15 final•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesStability is part of Scorchers’ fabric, and they have always built their team around a core of Western Australia players. Even after a couple of unsuccessful seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20 – when they finished eighth and sixth, respectively – Scorchers stuck with their mantra hoping continuity provides an edge over teams more transient in nature.More than ever, Scorchers’ vaunted depth was needed during a Covid-19-ravaged season and amid the rigours of being on the road. Such was their reservoir of talent that those sidelined for the final included impressive quick Matt Kelly, who claimed 14 wickets at 12.78 in six matches, batter Cameron Bancroft and emerging allrounder Aaron Hardie, who remains worth keeping an eye on in the seasons to come.Every championship team also needs some luck, and Scorchers were fortunate not to have been decimated by Covid-19 and injuries at the wrong time like Sixers. They did have their own dramas later in the season, but Scorchers were reloaded by the finals and further strengthened by inclusions of Marsh, Jhye Richardson and Josh Inglis from Ashes duties.It meant Scorchers fielded their strongest team of the season against Sixers in the qualifying final, and then went into the final unchanged in a far cry to their beleaguered opponents.Kurtis Patterson smashed a team-leading 391 runs at a strike rate of 142.18•Getty ImagesBlueprint of success: bat first
As has been their preference, Scorchers elected to bat first ten out of 11 times that they won the toss this season, eventually going on to win nine of those matches. Scorchers have their formula worked out, and it remains relatively straightforward: set a decent total and then let a star-studded attack do the rest.This season, their batting appeared even bolder than previous versions, thus allowing them to average a particularly healthy 170 when batting first. And that meant that Scorchers’ knack of successfully defending small totals was rarely needed this season.Patterson stars at the top, Marsh brings fear factor
Scorchers had some critics heading into this season, mainly due to having a perceived lack of firepower at the top after losing big-hitting imports Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy. But an unexpected gamble went the Scorchers’ way: left-hander Patterson, who smashed a team-leading 391 runs at a strike rate of 142.18, was converted into a belligerent opener this season, batting at the top in all but one out of 13 innings.Patterson’s pyrotechnics allowed the powerful Colin Munro, who was used as an opener early in the season, to instead find a comfortable spot at No. 4.Scorchers received another fillip with Turner’s return to form after a few lean seasons, having also been bolstered by the success of English import Laurie Evans, who made the No. 6 position his own in his debut BBL season capped by an astonishing Player-of-the-Final performance. It meant Scorchers were loaded at every position in the top six, thus making a mockery of the scepticism that had started before the season.Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh also left off from his stunning T20 World Cup with a blistering BBL, especially early in the season where his purple patch was instrumental in Scorchers’ six-game winning streak. Those victories in the bank proved pivotal for Scorchers, who had, by then, essentially sewn up the top position early, thus in turn allowing them to navigate eventual injuries and Covid-19 drama.Marsh gave Scorchers an aura, and his intimidating presence made it easy to overlook their wealth of batting talent who could go about their business.Peter Hatzoglou and Ashton Agar combined to pick up 33 wickets in the season•Getty ImagesHandling slower pitches on east coast
Scorchers have traditionally found slower, turning pitches on the east coast difficult. However, that was not the case this season with their batting being more adept against turn. Moreover, their own spinners Ashton Agar and Peter Hatzoglou relished the conditions and developed into a formidable tandem with 33 wickets combined.They often strangled opponents after the four-over powerplay – Agar’s overall economy rate was just 6.79 and Hatzoglou’s 7.26 – and had a knack of taking vital wickets. In the off-season, Scorchers had a punt on Hatzoglou, who crossed over from Melbourne Renegades, ahead of veteran Fawad Ahmed, with the 23-year-old legspinner Hatzoglou repaying the faith.The spin twins Agar and Hatzoglou strengthened an irresistible bowling attack which conceded more than 155 only twice this season, having also impressively dominated the power surge to turn the tables on a ploy designed to favour batters.Strong leadership
It has been a tough ask for head coach Adam Voges ever since he replaced Langer four years ago. He was under pressure after Scorchers missed consecutive finals, but has had them bouncing back emphatically. Voges’ sage leadership has shone through, and he has worked well with a composed Turner, who was named permanent skipper this season after filling the role last year when the then captain Marsh worked his way back from injury.The duo is measured and doesn’t seek headlines, ensuring Scorchers run a tight ship. Both deserve plaudits – especially Voges, who has now won BBL titles as Scorchers’ coach as well as captain – and so too general manager Kade Harvey, who made all the right moves in assembling arguably Scorchers’ greatest ever team.

Batters’ form a worry for England as they look to defend the title they won in 2017

Andrew McGlashan and Valkerie Baynes04-Mar-2022

Australia

Overview
Can anyone stop them?After the disappointment in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, Australia have taken their ODI game to a new level. Since that tournament, they have lost just two matches in the format and put together a world record of 26 consecutive wins. Their batting is formidable, with power right down the order, while their bowling is full of guile and variety, from the pace of Darcie Brown to the recently introduced legspin of Alana King. It is a mark of the depth they have built over the last four overs that even in the absence of leading spin pair Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham, along with pace bowler Tayla Vlaeminck, they remain the runaway favourites (whatever Meg Lanning may say). They can be beaten – India should have won the one-day series in September – but oppositions have to seize any small moment they are given because, more often than not, someone in the side will make the difference.Squad
Meg Lanning (capt), Rachael Haynes, Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington | Travelling reserves: Georgia Redmayne, Heather GrahamRecent form
Their record winning streak was ended by India last year, but they whitewashed England in the recent Ashes having been under pressure in the opening match, which ended up deciding the series.Player to watch
Beth Mooney is among the most versatile batters in the game. This season, she has both opened and batted in the middle-order, producing series-defining innings in each against India (with the century that won ESPNcricinfo’s batting award) and England – the latter after having returned not long ago from a broken jaw. “I think it’s just this quiet calmness and quiet confidence about the process that I go through when I’m batting…no game is ever really too far gone if you don’t believe it is so,” she told ESPNcricinfo recently.What the captain said
“It’s a new World Cup, everybody starts on zero points and needs to play well throughout the tournament. It’s a great challenge for our group but, to be honest, we don’t really talk about 2017 anymore. It obviously had a big impact on us but now it’s a completely different group, and we’re on a new journey together.”
Meg LanningNat Sciver has long been England’s Ms Reliable•Malaysia Cricket Association

England

Overview
Defending champions England haven’t had their dream build-up to the tournament. Soundly defeated in the multi-format Ashes series, the key will be ensuring that their batting line-up fires. Bowled out by Australia for 178, 129 and 163 in their three ODIs last month, they also struggled to find regular middle-order contributors in a 4-1 home-series victory over New Zealand in 2021. Veteran bowlers Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole – the star of the 2017 World Cup final – will have their workloads managed through the tournament but offer a spiritual boost as well as a proven threat with the ball. Meanwhile, fellow seamer Kate Cross is enjoying a resurgence and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone is among the very best in the game. It’s hard to see England turning the tables on Australia but if all the pieces fall into place, they have hope.Squad
Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt | Travelling reserves: Lauren Bell, Mady VilliersRecent form
They claim to have “parked” the recent Ashes result, in which they were swept aside 3-0 in the ODIs and where their only points were gleaned from two washed-out T20Is and the drawn Test. A resounding warm-up win over Bangladesh showed promise – with struggling opener Lauren Winfield-Hill finding some touch – and was followed by a six-wicket victory against South Africa in their second warm-up fixture. But stern trials await.Player to watch
Nat Sciver has long been England’s Ms Reliable – despite having battled for consistency and confidence early in her career – and now, with a wealth of experience, she is in her prime. Not yet 25 when she played a vital role in England’s victorious 2017 campaign – scoring two centuries followed by a fifty in the final, and taking 3 for 3 against West Indies as the hosts topped the group stages – she exudes calm whether she has bat or ball in hand. The leading scorer for either side in the ODI series in Australia with 99 at 33.00, Sciver let loose in the warm-up against Bangladesh, scoring 108 and taking 2 for 12.What the captain said
“I sometimes get goosebumps imagining what retaining the trophy would mean to the game back home, to all those young girls, and to each and every one of the players and staff who give everything they have for this team. But we’ve got a lot of hard work to do before we can start daydreaming about potential success.”
Heather Knight

He made a mark in U-19 cricket and as a big-hitting opener in the IPL. Now he’s looking to take that into first-class cricket

Shashank Kishore13-Jun-2022At less than 21 years of age, Yashasvi Jaiswal has seen plenty of the challenges life can throw at a person. Ten years ago he moved from Bhadohi, a town in rural Uttar Pradesh, to Mumbai to pursue cricket. He couldn’t afford a roof over his head, so he slept in tents, ate two meals a day, and often survived on glucose biscuits. When pocket money was tight, he would help sell near Azad maidan to make ends meet.As he looks back now at those days of struggle and sacrifice, Jaiswal says that his biggest accomplishment has been giving his parents and family “a comfortable life”.”The journey I’ve had, that will stay with me for life,” he says, ahead of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals where his side, Mumbai, take on UP, the state he came from. “And that will always give me confidence. It’s not that I have got something now [financially], and so I will think differently.”I still think the same and I stay the same. I haven’t made any extraordinary changes in my life, and I am not going to either. I want to move forward in the same way I’ve done so far. I know how much hard work and dedication it takes to achieve what you want. So I will be like that. I know myself.”I am so blessed. Thank you, God, and thank you cricket. Seriously.”Related

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Jaiswal’s languid cover-drives and ferocious cuts made him a batting sensation at the Under-19 World Cup two years ago, where he was the top run scorer, with 400 runs from six games. One of three players Rajasthan Royals retained ahead of this year’s tournament, Jaiswal brings to the Ranji season the confidence from a productive IPL, where he formed a fearsome opening combination with “Jos ” [Jos Buttler].”It was amazing batting with him,” Jaiswal says. “We talk a lot – maybe not in the middle but outside the ground. He just tells me simple and clear things that I need to do. If he says something, I trust him and follow it, and it helps me. I was very happy batting with him. He just says, ‘Play good cricketing shots’ and I try to follow it.”Over the years, Jaiswal’s approach to batting has undergone a transformation, and so have his demeanour and mindset. No longer shy and reserved as he used to be, he is a vibrant presence in the dressing room and around team-mates. Ask him about this and you elicit a smile.”, now I’ve seen cameras so much in the IPL, that fear has gone,” he says. “I used to feel shy thinking, ‘What will I say?’ Now there is more confidence.”My best feeling was when I gave an interview after the first match in the U-19 World Cup. I had to give it in English. That was the funniest. I did well [in the match] and then when I did the interview and went to the dressing room, everyone was laughing. I was really struggling!”Jaiswal, along with Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson, was one of three players retained by Rajasthan Royals for the 2022 season•BCCI/IPLJaiswal has so far featured in just two Ranji Trophy matches for Mumbai, three years apart. In his most recent outing, he made an aggressive second-innings hundred for them against Uttarakhand this season. Being back in the Mumbai dressing room elicited a “happy feeling” once again, he says.Three years ago in Bengaluru, he set the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy alight with his batting. He became the youngest to score a double-hundred in the competition, and blasted 564 runs in six innings at an average of 112.50.That was followed by the barnstorming U-19 World Cup performance, but soon after he returned from South Africa, where India finished runners-up, Covid-19 hit India and the rest of the world. Like thousands of age-group cricketers, Jaiswal was thrown into uncertainty.”I didn’t do anything, stayed home, ate and slept,” he remembers. “Watched day turn into night and night turn into day! My body clock had changed. I would sleep in the morning and wake up at night.”There was nothing available to train – Bandra Kurla Complex wasn’t open, no grounds were open. I was wary of running on the road. You would hear of people falling sick from here and there, and everyone was a little scared. My family wouldn’t let me go out. They were like, ‘You might get it [Covid] and from you, someone else at home might get it. You’re young, you’ll manage, but what about the older people?’ So, I listened to them.”Jaiswal lived in the groundsman’s tent in Azad Maidan for three years while he trained and played for Mumbai•Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times/Getty ImagesWhen cricket eventually resumed with the IPL in September 2020, Jaiswal found it tough going. He featured in all of three games, scoring 40 at less than a run a ball for Royals. “I hadn’t played for seven-eight months. I had a shoulder injury. And during the lockdown there wasn’t much practice either. Then suddenly to go in a high-competition game…”I think wherever you play, whichever format, you need some experience and time to understand. Some people get it at the first go itself, but some need to take time and learn. It’s okay, everyone has their own methods to learn.”Back to his best, Jaiswal is now on a quest to cover some of the ground he lost. A good IPL, where he made 258 runs from ten games at a strike rate of 132, has been a springboard into a Ranji Trophy campaign he hopes will culminate in a final, and hopefully title No. 42 for Mumbai. They last won in 2015-16 and haven’t come close since. This is their chance and Jaiswal wants to be front and centre.”You need to keep scoring runs, that’s the thing with Mumbai cricket,” he says, when you ask him for his take on the fabled Mumbai school of batting. “That’s why I’m so tough mentally, because I know I must be on my toes all the time.”I think this Ranji Trophy match [against Uttarakhand] was very important for me. I got a chance to play after three games. So, for me, it’s important, these performances. When I played in the IPL. I played three games, then I got dropped for seven games and then I came back again and started playing.Playing in just his second Ranji Trophy game, Jaiswal made his maiden first-class hundred in Mumbai’s massive, record-breaking win against Uttarakhand•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Same thing for this [Ranji] match also, because in the three league matches, I was out, and now I came back, and in my mind I was like, ‘I need to do it, I need to do it.’ I was playing well in the first innings, but I just got out playing a bad shot.”Thanks to the Mumbai team that they’ve shown faith in me and given me a chance to keep playing. They believed I can do the job for them, and I am ready.”In the IPL earlier this year, being a retained player didn’t guarantee him a spot in the first XI. It wasn’t until the second half of the competition that he truly made a mark with his big hitting in the powerplay. He ended with a strike rate of 137 in those latter seven games.”I never doubted myself,” he says of the time he was on the bench. “I kept believing and trusting that I will do it. That was the best thing. I think I’m very strong mentally. Nobody will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.”

Lancashire seamer is back for his sixth Finals Day in seven years

Paul Edwards15-Jul-2022Superheroes and supervillains come in various forms and have various monikers. There is The Terminator and The Exterminator and probably many others, most of them attached to seriously dreadful films.Luke Wood’s performances for the three counties he has represented on Finals Day have often been rather heroic and he has been at Edgbaston for English cricket’s biggest hogfeast for five successive years from 2016 to 2020. So with due acknowledgement to Lancashire’s physio, Sam Byrne, residents in south-west Birmingham should know that coming on Saturday to a cricket ground near them will be…The Denominator.It is a wonderfully low-key name for one of the county game’s most high-voltage cricketers. Watch Wood steam in to bowl deliciously laser-guided bouncers at well-set openers and you might think that he has more in common with Ted Hughes’ hawk. His manners are also tearing off heads.On Saturday, though, Wood will discipline the formidable skills that have already earned him an England one-day call-up this season, although not yet an international appearance. (He might just as well have spent his week in the Netherlands going round the Rijksmuseum.) Wood will play in the morning semi-final, hoping that the first time a T20 Roses match takes place on Finals Day is also the prelude to Lancashire’s appearance in the evening.Supporters from Manchester and its surrounds know all too well that losing that opening game is like being thrown out of a party before the decent booze arrives. Wood has had similar experiences; he was in the Nottinghamshire team that seemed certain to beat Worcestershire in 2019, only to lose the game in a final over no-one quite believed.”Losing that game was hard but a lot of learnings came out of it,” Wood told ESPNcricinfo. “And it’s important to remember that it’s not always about the last ball and one player. It can also be about saving that one run in the field at a point in the game when you can’t know what the consequences of that will be.”Related

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Wood’s experience of five Finals Days – although he was simply a Nottinghamshire squad member for the first two – may be useful in helping the younger members of Lancashire’s team cope with English cricket’s longest day. For example, it is impossible, useless and probably debilitating to try to maintain anything like the same level of concentration throughout the day, even if victory in the first game affords you such an opportunity. Ian Bell was wont to play nine holes’ golf at his local course but Wood’s approach is a little more conventional.”If you want to go back to the hotel, you can, but most players stick around, have some food and watch the other game for a bit,” he said. “Not everyone will want to watch more cricket but you can always take things out of the second semi: how the pitch is deteriorating, for example, or how people are playing. There isn’t a massive turnaround between the semi-final and the final but it’s a long day if you’re there from the build-up to the first semi-final to the end of the final. You can only stay in the changing-rooms until you get chucked out.”There are, however, two new elements to Finals Day this year. The first is that the event is being tightly sandwiched between two rounds of County Championship matches. On Thursday evening Lancashire, Yorkshire and Somerset were all involved in tightly-contested four-day games. It is, as it were, rather more than 110 miles between the idyllic surroundings of Trafalgar Road, Southport, the venue for Lancashire and Somerset’s match, and Edgbaston. Hampshire had the slight advantage of having beating Gloucestershire quite early on Thursday.”We’ll go down to Edgbaston on Friday and have a training slot,” said Wood. “Some people will have played in the game at Southport, so if they feel they need to do some white-ball training, they will and if others need a break, they’ll probably get one. People will simply get what they need ahead of the big day on Saturday.”Wood (far left) celebrates winning the Blast with Worcestershire in 2018•Getty ImagesThe other problem is that a clash with England’s ODI series against India means Lancashire will be without Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone, two of six players who are unavailable for their respective counties on Saturday. Matt Parkinson and Phil Salt have been released to play but the schedule gives a clear impression that the Blast’s showpiece occasion has been devalued – something that cannot be said of the Hundred, which has been given a window for its own knockout stages in early September.The question of the England players is an interesting one,” Wood said. “I imagine that before Finals Day they’ll know the team for Sunday’s One-Day International at Emirates Old Trafford and I want the best for all the Lancashire players in the England team. But if they’re not playing for England, they’re certainly big players for us. So on the one hand, you want them back; on the other, you want them to play well for England.”It’s tough one because it doesn’t affect every county. The chief ones have been Yorkshire, Surrey and Lancashire this year, but at least it does show the depth of our squad. On the other hand, it’s a bit of a shame because supporters might say their team has lost big games because they didn’t have certain players available. We’ll never moan about not having players available, we’ll just put out the best team we can and try and win every game. But that may not be an outsider’s perspective on it. The fans may not be happy that you’re losing X, Y and Z but that’s the way it is.”

Former captain’s prolific form all the more gravity-defying because of England’s recent woes

Andrew Miller06-Jun-2022Composure in midst of deep gloom. As with the latter months of his captaincy, so too with his new beginnings back in the ranks.Lesser players might have drawn back the curtains in north London on Sunday morning, and baulked at the sight of Lord’s enveloped in a thick blanket of cloud – never mizzly enough to prevent play from beginning on time, but seemingly perfectly weighted to the needs of New Zealand’s seamers, as they resumed a dicey contest needing five more wickets before England could tick off their 61 remaining runs.Joe Root, however, is nobody’s idea of a lesser player. With a sense of purpose that might have been grafted from one of his very best white-ball tempo-setters, but in an occasion that dripped with Test cricket’s full pomp and circumstance, Root got busy from the get-go, and New Zealand’s challenge died a death by 10,000 cuts.His first delivery of the day was dinked off the pads behind square – the purity of his angles against an arrow-straight sighter from Tim Southee rendering the stroke as riskless as a dead-batted prod back down the pitch. And if New Zealand didn’t know it for certain at that moment, then that sinking feeling cannot have taken long to manifest. Thirty-four of Root’s runs, but a solitary boundary, came from that soul-sapping nurdle, the most productive stroke of his innings – nay, his career – and on his watch something uncannily similar to calm descended over a restless, undulating match.Related

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For in a contest that seemed destined to be defined by haymakers – “if they throw us two punches, we’ll throw them four”, as Matt Potts, England’s debutant, evocatively put it on day one – it proved to be the deft caresses of Root and Ben Foakes that hurt New Zealand the most.Had Kane Williamson been allowed to choose the manner in which England went about their victory push, he would surely have traded a few swings for the stands for the high probability of a crucial miscalibration – such as that which tipped Ben Stokes from the contest on the third afternoon. And in fact that would have been the plan had a wicket fallen on this final day. Stuart Broad was padded up and ready to go loco at No. 8, the logic being that his madcap methods were better unleashed with wickets in hand rather than at the very last ditch.Root, however, specialises in a more passive brand of aggression. From the moment of Stokes’ departure in the 50th over of the chase, he chipped off his last 81 runs from exactly 81 balls, a startling speed from a man who – aside from a handful of under-edged cuts in the final surge – never once looked rushed in the course of a 170-ball stay.It was a point that Stokes acknowledged afterwards, as he harked back to the wisdom of the last England coach to attempt a fusion cuisine between England’s red- and white-ball mindsets.”As Trevor Bayliss used to say, it’s not all about hitting fours and sixes,” Stokes said. “You can be positive about the way that you leave, positive in the way you defend. It just makes things a lot easier, your decision-making, when you’re looking to be proactive and positive.”

“It was very special to get the hundred and reach 10,000 runs, I can’t pretend it wasn’t, but nothing replicates winning games of cricket”Joe Root

Root’s haste was such that, in sealing the contest inside the day’s first 15 overs, he even secured a full refund for a gleefully receptive crowd – quite the populist’s coup after all the pre-match discussion about ticket prices. Either way, he clearly wasn’t the only national grandee laying on a free party this weekend – and as the players’ kids took advantage of the early finish to turn cartwheels on the outfield while the Platinum Jubilee parade played out on the big screens above them, his glory put the seal on a nationally uplifting four-day weekend.And in the midst of it all, lest we forget, he happened to tick off that 10,000-run mark. How often is it that the quest for landmarks becomes the story, over and above the reason why such landmarks are so sought-after in the first place?For Root, who by a quirk of fate had begun this innings needing exactly 100 runs for five figures, the achievement came packed as if in the bowels of a Russian doll; a milestone within a century, within a run-chase, within the context of a team that had not tasted victory for ten month, within the broader – and soul-baringly-expressed – emotions of his first Test back in the ranks, having freed himself from an “unhealthy relationship” with the captaincy.And once you’d unpacked all those layers, it wasn’t hard to accept Root’s assertion that, all other things considered, he really hadn’t given the achievement a second thought.”I’d been made aware of it, but after the shot I played in the first innings, it felt a long way off,” Root said, recalling the critical stab to gully off Colin de Grandhomme that had set England’s first-day collapse into full motion. “Winning was all I could think about. You pride yourself on winning, and it’s been a long while for this team. It meant a huge amount to get over the line.”It was very special to get the hundred and reach 10,000 runs, I can’t pretend it wasn’t, but nothing replicates winning games of cricket. It’s such a good feeling and one I hope we can replicate through the rest of the summer.”Modesty aside, however, it is a startlingly vast landmark – a pinnacle that seemed so otherworldly back in the late 1980s when Sunil Gavaskar stood there alone, and still remains snow-capped with just 13 fellow greats having since traipsed their way to the top.Root in full flow•PA Images via Getty ImagesAnd while it’s a common theme for England’s record-setting batters in particular to reach such peaks with career records a notch below the highest standards – a reflection both of the number of Tests they get to play compared to their contemporaries, and the difficulties that English conditions can sometimes serve up – there are few criteria by which Root truly pales against his peers.Yes, he is currently one of the few 10kers to average below 50, but he has the time and, clearly, the form to remedy that, while his failure to record that maiden century in Australia clearly hurts – mostly, of course, because Root himself knew that his own runs were the team’s only realistic hope on either of his tours as captain.But the true measure of Root’s achievement will only be known in retrospect, because the history of the era that he is playing through – the pandemic on the one hand, and the real-time disintegration of the Test team that he has so proudly shorn up on the other – has not yet been written. Everything he is doing – for England in the first instance and for his legacy thereafter – is just too up-close-and-personal for a fair appraisal, but the manner in which Root has turned on the afterburners, almost from the moment of his 30th birthday in December 2020, has been legacy-defining.In the space of 17 months, 2192 runs including nine hundreds have tripped off his bat – nine more, in fact, than his most fabled contemporaries, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson combined. Which goes to show, not that he’s suddenly roared into a different league, but that a fluidity exists even in the mightiest careers, and that the very best recognise their moments and seize them with an alacrity that leaves merer mortals astounded.Most extraordinarily, Root has achieved all this in a side that has just won its second Test in 18, and in which his 30 fellow players have scored five hundreds between them, with no other top-order batter averaging more than 31. Even Allan Border in his darkest days in the mid-1980s had a better support cast than that; even Andy Flower, in his gravity-defying era for Zimbabwe in 2000-01, had his brother Grant to hold up an end.In time, the granular details of Root’s batting achievements will begin to hold a greater sway in the imagination, even if for now, all we can do is laud the landmarks as they come. But take it as read that, when his team-mates spilled out of the dressing-room to envelop him in the Long Room during his victory march back through the pavilion, it wasn’t just Root’s runs they were celebrating, but the man himself.

In these two Tests, he has shown a range of skills that has repaid coach Domingo’s faith in fast bowlers

Mohammad Isam27-Jun-2022Bangladesh’s batting failure has overshadowed their fast bowlers’ rise in recent times. When Khaled Ahmed completed his maiden five-wicket haul against West Indies in the second Test in St Lucia, their fast bowlers had taken a total of 51 wickets, the most by pacers in a year .It was the first time fast bowlers took 50 wickets together, surpassing their haul of 48 wickets in 2008. It was a testament to both their tremendous effort of the last two-and-a-half years, and was in line with head coach Russell Domingo’s vision at a time when they nearly vanished in Bangladesh cricket.Related

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Khaled is the latest of the current fast bowling group to get a big haul. Taskin Ahmed re-established himself with performances throughout 2021 and 2022, before the shoulder injury halted him. Ebadot Hossain, after he starred in the Mount Maunganui Test against New Zealand, is now the leading wicket-taker for the team in Tests. Shariful Islam too has proved himself as the go-to left-arm quick even when Mustafizur Rahman was available in the Test squad.On Sunday, Khaled completed his five-for when No 11 Jayden Seales edged his pacy outswinger. It took Bangladesh 127 overs to bowl West Indies out. The pace attack is still a work-in-progress, and there were long phases when, in the words of the head coach Russell Domingo, they bowled “soft balls” . This was evident as West Indies made 408 in reply to their first-innings total of 234. At stumps, the visitors were 132 for 6, trailing by 42 runs.However, Khaled’s performance is a key takeaway for Bangladesh. He had removed Alzarri Joseph and Kyle Mayers earlier in the morning. Joseph holed out at midwicket while centurion Mayers succumbed to Khaled’s slower ball. On the second day, Raymon Reifer and Nkrumah Bonner had both played on to his rising deliveries just a shave outside offstump, resulting in two wickets in the same over.Khaled has shown a range of skills in these two Tests. Bowling into the stumps at the end of the third day in Antigua, he rattled the West Indies line-up in their 84-run chase. He removed Kraigg Brathwaite, Reifer and Bonner in the space of ten balls. West Indies recovered from 9 for 3, and a bit of criticism came Khaled’s way for not following up on that opening burst.Khaled Ahmed wheels away after getting Nkrumah Bonner•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty ImagesThe same criticism crept back on the second day in St Lucia when he, and the rest of the bowling attack, couldn’t pick up wickets after taking four in the first session. Khaled was largely ineffective for three spells for the rest of the day, only taking wickets on the third morning.Khaled has been doing all of this work against the backdrop of his family experiencing the Sylhet floods. On the day he took those three quick wickets in Antigua, there were pictures of water at chest height in many areas in Sylhet circulating. He hails from Alampur on the southern outskirts of the main city, an area that has witnessed some of the worst flooding and lack of power, food, and other necessities.The BCB had to evacuate the High-Performance side that was scheduled to train at the Sylhet International Stadium earlier this month when the flood hit the city. The board said recently that they are keeping tabs on the families of some of the Sylhet-based players, but undoubtedly, it has been a worrying time for them.Having debuted more than three years ago, Khaled is reaping the rewards in the long format only now. He had his first Test wicket in December last year, in his 70th over in his fourth Test. In his next Test, in Durban, he took 4 for 92 in the first innings. Khaled had finally turned a corner, and it came at a time when Bangladesh were in desperate need of a fast bowler to step up; Taskin, who had been fiery in the ODI series in South Africa before that Test, was playing with a shoulder injury.He had sat out the Tests against New Zealand earlier this year when Ebadot Hossain, a fellow Sylheti and a more colourful character, took centre stage with his six-for in the Mount Maunganui Test. There was also Abu Jayed, a seamer who relied heavily on the swing, as part of the Sylhet pace trio that had surprised everyone when they were all selected together in 2019. Jayed took three four-fors, but never appeared like a threat. He is a mild trundler who pegged away from one end. Later, Jayed lost his place in the team.Khaled has had it tough too, but he has always been a quiet person. He needed knee surgery in 2019 after going wicketless in his third Test in the same year. Khaled would often be seen training on his own at the BCB academy in Mirpur.Many Test discards train in BCB’s main facility throughout the year. Many don’t make it, despite years of effort. Fast bowlers have been the most expendable among these discards. The likes of Jayed, Khaled and Ebadot were considered fringe cricketers for several years when the then-coach Chandika Hathurusingha convinced the BCB and team management that he would rely only on spinners at home. When Domingo announced in February 2020 that they were going to ditch the all-spin plan to win overseas, it was a lifeline for the fast bowlers.But Domingo’s words weren’t going to bring them back. Bangladesh’s fast bowlers had to do the job. And, they have mostly earned back their respect and acceptance. Now, it is clear that the Bangladesh captain has a pace plan. Khaled getting his maiden five-wicket haul is a testament to Domingo’s conviction on a good cricketing plan, but also another significant step in the right direction for the fast bowlers.

It is popular these days to either bowl at him wide outside off or take pace off – or both – as he struggles to keep up with shortest format

Shiva Jayaraman07-Sep-2022Very few who have followed Rishabh Pant’s career over the past few years would doubt his promise as a T20 batter. Experts marvel at his ability to hit even good balls for boundaries, and longingly wonder at the potential damage he could cause to the opposition he comes good.Fans gush over the bizarre shots he plays so often: the falling-over ramps and pulls, the one-handed hoicks over cover, and the one-legged lap against Obed McCoy recently against West Indies, among others. All these shots scream T20 cricket.And yet after a promising start to his T20 career, Pant has somehow failed to live up to expectations. Since September 2019, he has averaged a fraction over 29, and has struck at 127.39 in 78 T20 innings. In T20Is, his average drops to 24.48, while his strike rate too is no better.Related

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Pant’s T20 strike rate ranks 19th-lowest among those who have faced at least 1000 balls. There are 90 batters who have struck faster than Pant during this period.In the same period, among those who have played at least 50 T20 innings, there are 42 batters who average at least 30 while striking at 130 or better. Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, who are on the fringes of India’s T20 side, are among those; Dinesh Karthik, whom Pant replaced in the last two matches in the Asia Cup, averages 28.80 and strikes at 141.7.If there have been flashes of brilliance from Pant, they have been few and far between in recent years. Since September 2019, just 20 of Pant’s 78 innings have come at a strike rate of 150-plus. But 15 of those have been of under 20 balls. In each of these innings, Pant has come in to bat at No. 5 or earlier.Not surprisingly, Pant has just one Player-of-the-Match award from the 85 T20s he has played in the last three years. Only two other players have won as many – or no – awards having played more matches than Pant – Tim Seifert and Imad Wasim, who both have won one Player-of-the-Match award each from 90 and 101 matches, respectively.It is not as if Pant has managed to improve his scoring rates whenever he has settled in. He has played 35 innings of 20 or more balls, and only five of those have come at a strike rate of 150-plus. That is just 14.3% of those 35 innings. In T20s since September 2019, 118 batters have played 20 or more innings of 20-plus balls; just five of them have had a lower percentage of innings at a 150-plus strike rate.ESPNcricinfo LtdVirat Kohli and Kane Williamson, who are perceived to be slower are better at their starts, with corresponding percentage figures at 18.4% and 18.5%, respectively. In fact, Pant’s strike rate in the 35 innings in which he has played 20 or more balls in just 123.50, the fourth-lowest among those 118 batters.For all his outrageous ramps against the likes of James Anderson, and across-the-line swipes against Nathan Lyon, Pant has scored a significant share of his Test runs through