He was on his way to becoming one of the forgotten men of West Indies cricket, but has now been named in their World Cup Qualifier squad

Deivarayan Muthu08-Jun-2023Johnson Charles became the forgotten man of West Indies cricket after their – and his – second T20 World Cup title in 2016. Since the end of that tournament and the start of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Charles had played just five T20Is.But, after strong returns in CPL 2022, he returned to West Indies’ T20I set-up and earlier this year, and smashed a 39-ball hundred in Centurion – the fastest by a West Indian in men’s T20Is, bettering Chris Gayle’s 47-ball effort.Charles, however, wasn’t supposed to travel to the UAE with West Indies’ ODI squad for the ongoing three-match series, but Devon Thomas’ suspension opened the door for an unexpected comeback in the format.Related

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In his first ODI in almost seven years, Charles scored a 19-ball 24 and followed it up with a match-winning 47-ball 63 in the second ODI, indicating that he is by no means finished, and shouldn’t be forgotten.Charles’ main strength is still intact: clear the front leg and swat the ball to the leg side. But he has also expanded his game by hitting with similar power down the ground and through the off side. The new-found range was on display on a hot and humid evening in Sharjah on June 6.”I just had to work on the basics,” Charles said after the second ODI. “It’s not much, but just trying to keep my balance and not trying to over-hit the ball and having a strong base. And hit the ball where it has to be hit and that’s what I’ve been working on.”

The Daren Sammy impact

Charles 2.0 appeared at CPL 2022, where he tallied 345 runs in nine innings at an average of 43.12 and strike rate of 133.20 for St Lucia Kings. His coach was Daren Sammy. Charles and Sammy go back a long way. Sammy was Charles’ first T20I captain and they went on to win two T20 World Cup titles together. Charles has a stand named after him at St Lucia’s Beausejour Stadium, which has been renamed in Sammy’s honour.Charles hailed Sammy’s leadership skills after West Indies wrapped up a 2-0 series victory against UAE with one game to go. “Not just mine. It [Sammy’s leadership] has a positive impact on everybody’s performance because he’s an inspirational leader,” Charles said. “So that positiveness will run down on the other guys, and it will definitely push us to bring out our best.”Positiveness is definitely up there as No. 1, and inspirational. These are the two main things about his coaching that I could highlight right now.”UAE are currently ranked 19th in ODI cricket and their team is in flux, with Robin Singh recently ending his role as director of cricket following a prolonged lean patch, and Mudassar Nazar taking temporary charge of the team. Charles, though, insisted that West Indies haven’t taken UAE lightly, and are pleased with their own progress in the lead-up to the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifier, which is set to start in Zimbabwe on June 18.Darren Sammy and Johnson Charles go back a long way•Sportsfile via Getty Images”People could say what they want, and people make their judgements,” Charles said. “It’s fair enough but we know we never take any opposition for granted. So, saying that, it’s very nice we came up with a series win. Two out of two so far, and you know I find that the team is gelling very well as a unit. We’re definitely playing to our strengths and working on that and playing to how we want to play in the World Cup qualifiers and going forward. So, I think that we’ve played well, and we’ve definitely not taken them for granted. So, that’s a good thing.”Since CPL 2022, Charles has had a good run in franchise T20 leagues. Notably in the BPL 2023 final in February, where he cracked an unbeaten 79 off 52 balls from No. 4 to give Comilla Victorians their fourth title. He even earned a call-up to Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad for IPL 2023, but didn’t get a game.”Going back to the basics and trying to get them right all the time; if not, then most of the time,” Charles said of the change. “That has been working for me [in T20 cricket] along with the positive mindset. Yes, I just lapsed a little bit [in the second ODI in Sharjah] and that cost my wicket and you know it [hundred] is going to come.”Charles was on Thursday added to West Indies’ ODI squad for the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe*, replacing injured spinner Gudakesh Motie. And although Kyle Mayers, fresh off an IPL stint with Lucknow Super Giants, is set to partner Brandon King at the top, further contributions in the oppressive Sharjah heat could put him contention for a starting spot.Not many gave Charles a chance to return to the West Indies side, but he is now the only man from the XI that beat England in the T20 World Cup final in 2016 to be involved as a player with this current team.*1955 GMT – This story was updated with news of Charles’ call-up

England allrounder has time and again stood up in adverse situations and it is a role she won’t relinquish in a hurry

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Jul-2023Five were needed off the last ball for an England win to take this hell-raising Women’s Ashes series to a Tuesday night decider in Taunton. Four for a Super Over to prolong the anxiety of those who want peace but can’t get enough of all this. Anything less and Australia keep the Ashes they have held for the last eight years. And as the rest of the world thought through those scenarios, Nat Sciver-Brunt took herself to one side for some alone time.She went down on her haunches, her bat briefly moonlighting as a screen to obscure her face for a moment of privacy in front of the live cameras and the 12,380 at the Ageas Bowl. It had served its primary purpose for the previous 98 deliveries, with 110 runs and counting. Runs which had brought England to the precipice in a fifth successive nerve-shredding climax of the series. Now she had to catch her breath and her thoughts. She’d been here before. Perhaps too many times.Related

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Certainly too many times with this eventuality. She arose to face up to Jess Jonassen, heaving one last heave to the leg side as the left-arm spinner landed one just outside off stump. The ball started high but finished low far too soon, bouncing a couple of feet in front of Annabel Sutherland running in from wide long-on. Sutherland gathered and threw into Jonassen, who broke the bails for the sake of it to confirm Australian victory by three runs.By then, Sciver-Brunt was bent over, her bat now a crutch to keep her upright. The weight of England’s hopes were manageable. Not being able to get them over the line a familiar punch in the gut.Nat Sciver-Brunt played another valiant knock but was unable to get her side over the line•Getty ImagesSciver-Brunt now has the most centuries by a woman in lost ODIs (three), all of them unbeaten, all of them against Australia. The previous one came in the 2022 50-over World Cup final; the allrounder finishing 148 not out in pursuit of an unlikely 357 that only she thought was gettable. Australia won that by a comfortable 71 runs, which makes this one so much worse. “She’s pretty good at getting hundreds in a losing chase, unfortunately,” said Heather Knight out of weary sympathy.Knight had seen England home in the first ODI last Wednesday and admitted being an observer on this occasion was “horrific”. The captain was one of the three dismissed by incoming legspinner Alana King, and thought the worst when Amy Jones was dismissed to leave England six down with 82 needed 71 deliveries. But what control Knight hated ceding as the game tilted Australia’s way with every delivery not struck to the fence was made easier by the fact that, as she put it, “the best person to be out there was Nat Sciver-Brunt.”No doubt about that. Facing their record ODI chase of 283 – kept down by Sciver-Brunt’s 10 overs for 44 – just a few days after topping their previous best in Bristol, her entry at No. 4 would always define England’s fortunes. It came in the 18th over, passing Knight who was on her way back.The allrounder was as she ever is; hovering around a run-a-ball throughout; fifty brought up in 53 deliveries, three figures coming 40 later. Calculated devastation with cold blood and the hot hand.Did she need to be there all on her own by the end? A familiar question with a familiar answer. No.Sophia Dunkley was out of sorts up top, and both Alice Capsey and Danni Wyatt fell cheaply. Jones offered support for 57 runs for the sixth wicket only to reverse tamely to short third. Sarah Glenn remained defiant through to the end but 22 off 35 spoke of an inability to pitch in beyond trying to get Sciver-Brunt on strike.With 13 needed from the final four deliveries, Sciver-Brunt swept Jonassen around the corner for the last of her 10 boundaries. A brace of twos followed, leading to that one final delivery. And as she was down on her haunches, catching her breath, taking a moment to herself, some of the thoughts of those around her veered from the Ashes and to what might be a potential moment of glorious catharsis.On this very ground over a year ago, Sciver-Brunt came close to another hail mary effort. Playing for Trent Rockets against Southern Brave, she struck three consecutive sixes in the final over before only managing a single to lose by two runs. Just as it was then, Glenn was the non-striker. Tahlia McGrath was the bowler on the end of those blows, now merely observing in the field.What followed was a raw, revealing insight into exhausting and emotional vulnerability of Sciver-Brunt. The toll of 2022’s cricket up to that point (September), had begun to consume her. The pressure she put on herself was more than she could handle. All this came out in what began as a cheery “hard luck” post-match interview on the BBC. A week later, she would pull out of the limited-overs series against India to focus on her mental health, eventually returning to international duty at the end of the year. She would reprise her role as vice-captain at the start of 2023.”I was actually part of the BBC crew that interviewed her afterwards,” said Knight. “I could tell she wasn’t quite herself and wasn’t quite right. To do that on the day she did and the way she was feeling was quite remarkable. It was a great move by her to take a break and probably made it a lot easier for a lot of people to be quite open in our dressing room.”It was kind of written in the stars that she was going to do it today. Just unfortunately a bit too much to do. But great character by her to get us anywhere near close and to rally the tail in another unbelievably entertaining game of cricket.”Sarah Glenn and Nat Sciver-Brunt added 76 runs for the eighth wicket, but it wasn’t enough•Getty ImagesBy all accounts, she is back to herself and better at voicing how she is feeling and what she needs and wants. As such, the focus, for now, can be on worries from the outside about how one of English cricket’s genuine world-class exponents might not finish with the wins and accolades her talents deserve. That a player capable of winning matches on the biggest stage is consistently reduced to covering the gap between her team and a generationally transcendent Australian side. Michelangelo did not paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel just to cover the cracks, but Sciver-Brunt’s done it three times now.The past few weeks do offer encouragement. Though the Ashes are gone, victory in Taunton will mean England have won both white-ball series against a team that, up until two weeks ago, had forgotten what it was like to lose. With all the talk of talent gaps being closed, perhaps the most important progression has been in belief. A team 6-0 down brought it back to 6-6, and this could have been so different for a boundary saved or scored in the deliveries not involving Sciver-Brunt. The hosts have shown incredible strength of character and resilience – both pages out of Sciver-Brunt’s book.Yet, we all know that no matter how many others choose to stand up going forward, Sciver-Brunt will always see it as her responsibility to be the one to do the unthinkable. That she has those three hundreds in vain against England’s biggest rivals is not simply misfortune. She is not staggering into these improbable situations after a few wrong turns. She is seeking them out. Even if someone else emerges capable of carrying that burden, it is not something she will relinquish in a hurry. It is in every fibre of her being.It is why she is the most box-office cricketer around. It is why Mumbai Indians forked out £320,000 (INR 3.2 crore) for her in the inaugural WPL, and won. And it is why, even after another bitter disappointment, we know the next time England need someone to pull them from the brink, Nat Sciver-Brunt will be the first on the scene. Whether she can win it or not, however, will still depend on those around her.

He has one of the best strike rates in ODIs while playing the cut, and on Sunday he put the shot to excellent use to neutralise Australia’s biggest spin threat

Karthik Krishnaswamy09-Oct-20231:58

Kumble: KL Rahul looks like he’s back to his original self

There are balls that deserve to be hit for four. This was by no means that kind of ball. It was the second ball Adam Zampa had bowled on Sunday at Chepauk, and it was the kind of ball he’d have been happy to bowl while beginning his day’s work in any ODI, anywhere. It was quick, just shy of 90kph, flat, and the stock-standard white-ball legbreak that’s designed not to turn much at all, its primary object the denial of width to the right-hand batter.This ball pitched just outside off stump and straightened so little that it was still angling into the batter when it reached him: there was a chance it may have clipped off stump if he’d missed it, and the length was such that there was no chance it would have bounced over the bails.It was the kind of ball most batters would have looked to punch down the ground and pick up a quiet single. With India 57 for 3 in a chase of 200, it would have been a perfectly desirable outcome for the batter.Related

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KL Rahul wasn’t interested in the quiet punch for one. He transferred his weight nimbly on to the back foot, instead, and created room to bring his bat scything down, wrists turning over on top of the bounce. The ball ran away into the vast, unpatrolled area between slip and backward point.The classic late cut is one of cricket’s most glorious sights, but it’s a rare and subtle thing, a shot that seldom, if ever, enters the realms of social-media virality, lacking the main-character energy of the cover drive and the straight drive, the overt machismo of the pull and the hook, and the holy-smokes-how-did-he-do-that trendiness of the switch hit and the reverse ramp.The late cut is the kind of shot your granddad loved because he heard a radio commentator describe GR Viswanath playing it and spent the rest of the afternoon imagining how it must have looked.Rahul is from Karnataka, the land of Viswanath and also of Rahul Dravid, another magnificent player of spin. I have spent many futile hours searching for footage of Dravid’s fourth-innings 75 in Kandy, an innings full of daredevilish cuts and punches against the turn of Muthiah Muralidaran (hit me up if you know someone who knows someone who might have recorded it). Seldom has anyone looked in such control against an undisputed all-time great.Rahul’s late cut off Zampa echoed an even better one he had played last month against Sri Lanka in Colombo, against a rampant Dunith Wellalage, who at that stage had figures of 3 for 16 in 5.1 overs. This time there was no doubt that the ball, skidding on with the angle from left-arm around, would have crashed into the stumps had Rahul missed. So quickly and lightly did he move into position, though, that it seemed as if he knew all along that this ball – whose behaviour off the pitch was almost certainly the result of natural variation rather than design on the bowler’s part – would not turn, and even that it would keep a touch low.ESPNcricinfo LtdShots like these, off perfectly reasonable deliveries, can put bowlers completely off their radar. Spinners in white-ball cricket are always looking to avoid pitching in the batter’s arc, and it’s an occupational hazard to bowl one every now and then that’s ever so slightly short of a length. The best players of spin pounce on these marginal errors, and Rahul is among the best at doing this with variants of the cut.Since the end of the 2019 World Cup, Rahul has scored 102 runs off 69 balls while cutting, late-cutting and steering spinners, according to ESPNcricinfo’s data, without once being dismissed. His strike rate while playing these shots is the fourth-best among all ODI batters who have scored at least 50 runs with them in this period. On top of the list is another terrific player of spin, Shreyas Iyer. It’s one of the many things that make India’s middle order so formidable in Indian conditions.How does a spinner respond to having a blameless delivery late-cut for four? Zampa did so in classic legspinner fashion, bowling the wrong’un. He landed a touch too short, though, and Rahul had all the time in the world to unfurl another, even more delicate late cut, placing it much finer this time.What happened next was one of those things that seem both inevitable and remarkable, coming from a quality international bowler. Over-compensation. Zampa tried going fuller, ended up floating up a full-toss, and Rahul put it away in the prettiest manner possible, bringing back more echoes of Viswanath and Dravid with a wristy inside-out drive that neatly bisected short extra-cover and deep cover point. A forced error, put away most graciously, and just like that, in a match set up by the unhittability of India’s spinners on a sharply turning pitch, Rahul had neutralised Australia’s biggest spin threat.

Despite their mighty batting line-up, there’s something South Africa haven’t done well in ODIs of late, and that needs addressing fast

Vishal Dikshit23-Oct-20232:14

Markram on how South Africa will approach chases

Eight 300-plus scores this year. Six totals of over 300 in their last seven games, and two of them over 400. Three 300-plus scores this World Cup already, including a 229-run thrashing of the defending champions England. All this with the most explosive batting of the tournament so far.So where’s the catch?That, dear reader, is in the fact that all but one of those feats have come batting first.If you leave out their successful chase of 343 against England at home back in January, all their blazing batting performances have been recorded when batting first. And their three wins in this World Cup have also come when batting first.Related

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They were lucky in their last game, against England, where they lost the toss but still got to bat first, and hammered one short of another 400. Jos Buttler later admitted that England should have batted first in the sapping heat and humidity of Mumbai.South Africa have been out of their comfort zone chasing in ODIs this year. It was evident barely a week ago when they tried chasing down 246 (in 43 overs) in Dharamsala against Netherlands, the lowest-ranked and only Associate team at the World Cup, but just about managed to cross 200 to fall well short.It is a new pattern with South Africa. Before the loss to Netherlands, their last attempt to chase down a target was in early September against an Australian attack without Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, yet they lost by a massive 123 runs. Their last successful chase came against Netherlands in March this year, but the target was a modest 190, and the one before that was also in March, against West Indies, who failed to qualify for the World Cup.In short, South Africa’s mighty batting line-up has smashed a lot of runs batting first in 2023, but has struggled while chasing. And if they lose the flip of the coin on Tuesday afternoon against Bangladesh, they could very well be asked to field first in the unforgiving weather of Mumbai – and have to chase a stiff target, because Wankhede could yet again provide a flat deck, with short boundaries thrown in as a bonus.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Yeah, it’s more of an approach where we’re trying to… almost trying to approach it as if we’re still setting a target,” Aiden Markram, who was the captain in place of the injured Temba Bavuma in their last game, said on Monday of their chasing trend. “Although we are chasing in the game itself, to apply yourself as a batter and to get yourself in, doing it the same way as you would if you were setting a target. And then once you’re feeling in, to sort of try to understand the situation and what’s required of you at that certain time. And we have batted a lot and we haven’t chased a lot, so it’ll be a great challenge if we do get to chase tomorrow and try and implement what we’ve been chatting about off the field.”Chasing a target may not be the only challenge for South Africa on Tuesday. South Africa went down 2-1 in their last ODI series against Bangladesh, at home in March 2022, and their two losses to Bangladesh in World Cups – in 2007 and 2019 – also came while, guess what, batting second.”We haven’t done particularly well against them in the past, so that’s extra motivation for us to come out and replicate what was a good performance against England,” Markram said, “but more from an intensity level and a standards level, that’s something that we’re going to try to focus on and trust that if we take care of those sorts of things, hopefully it’s enough for us on the day.”They’re a fantastic team. If you don’t rock up on the day and if your skills let you down on the day against a team like Bangladesh you will be put under a lot of pressure. So that’s probably where we’ve got it wrong in the past. Naturally they bring a great attack that is well-rounded now. You can’t just say they’re going to bring fantastic spinners because their seamers have done a great job in the recent past. So, they’re a fantastic team.”South Africa found out early in this tournament – by losing their second consecutive World Cup game across formats to Netherlands – what an upset feels like. If they are thrown the challenge of chasing a stiff one on Tuesday, they would want to prove that their batters can shine under pressure too.

Our diarist survives bumpy rides, cancelled flights and missing TV channels in the course of covering the World Cup

Mark Nicholas29-Oct-2023October 16, Delhi, 4.20am
Air India 112 landed from London an hour and 15 minutes ago. After a dash to the ITC Maurya Hotel, I am in room 1530 with a tailor. There is bad if unsurprising news: off the back of me emailing some iffy measurements last month, the suit that is the ICC commentators’ uniform for the tournament doesn’t fit. He promptly measures most of me again, while his translator explains that the cutting rooms are an hour away but not to worry, they will be back at 8.30 with alterations and elegance assured. I find this difficult to believe, on both counts.They are in the lobby by 9.15am, apologising for being late. Your turn not to worry my friend, I say, great effort, and thank you. Dinesh Karthik is sitting patiently outside in a Toyota Landcruiser, insisting that we will make the 11.00am flight to Dharamshala. Good. We do. Easy.Well, ten minutes before IndiGo Airlines close check-in, but the suspicion lingers that in the presence of Dinesh they’d have opened it again. The flight is then delayed. For four hours. Before it is cancelled. Problem. The IndiGo man works feverishly to get us on a late-afternoon flight to Chandigarh and book drivers for the 5.5 hour road trip into the mountains.”We” are us two lads in the Landcruiser plus Shaun Pollock, Matthew Hayden, Sanjay Manjrekar, Kass Naidoo and Anjum Chopra, the former India captain, whose quick wit and bossy demeanour are a great bonus for us pilgrims. It is past five o’clock, so she suggests we drop the idea of the run to Dharamsala: ’tis a dark and stormy night on a dodgy road. Everyone is tired. I’m knackered. Hayden knows the boss at the Hyatt in Chandigarh, who is splendidly excited when we arrive and cannot do enough for us. Superb hotel.October 17, Chandigarh, early
At 4.40am the iPhone alarm bursts through the sleeping pill. At 5.20am, in four SUVs, we head off and then, after just an hour, inexplicably stop at a roadside dhaba. Someone fancied a mug of chai. After that it’s acceleration, deceleration, roadworks, rickshaws, kids, cows, dogs, tuk-tuks, a Mercedes, and zillions of side-saddle ridden jalopies on a road well known in India for its vagaries. Some of our number nod off, others (me and Haydos) listen to The Rolling Stones on the back of “Angry”, the new single, which is terrific. New album, is out on October 20.Michael goes to the mountain: Atherton conquers the Triund trail•Michael AthertonOctober 17, Dharamshala, 10.30am
It’s pissing down. Play delayed by two hours. Temba Bavuma wins the toss and puts Netherlands in to bat. South Africa don’t bowl very well, and 243 is scoreboard pressure. Having lost to Netherlands at Adelaide Oval in last year’s T20 World Cup, South Africa don’t bat very well either. The pressure is too much and they lose here too.That’s some win double for the boys in orange. Put simply, the Dutch outplay South Africa in every one of cricket’s disciplines. Odd really, because the Proteas have just won five on the bounce, four of them against Australia. They looked short an attack dog and less likely now than six and a half hours ago to win the Cup. We shall see.Here is a stat: the South Africans have the wood over every one of their opponents in bilateral ODI cricket. But no World Cup biscuit. Hayden – and history – tells us that contrary to his guess, South Africa have the Aussies covered by 55 wins to 50. Upon which, our thoughts turn back to the ’99 semi-final at Edgbaston. Ouch. Even watching that final over now, it seems impossible. Bavuma needs to convince his team to park it and move on. In four days they play England, who just got done by Afghanistan. You never can tell, say us old folks.October 18, 6.30am
After five hours’ kip, I’m up to walk the Triund trail. Well, a short length of it. This was a firm instruction from Michael Atherton, who did the whole shebang last weekend and sent a glamour picture of himself, Hillary-like, atop a mountain. Even at the lower level, in the forest, the views are spectacular. The monkeys are remarkably sedate, and occasionally a moped zips by with a cheery wave from a rider who seems to be saying “Really? This is quite a climb y’know.” Indeed, but I can’t tell Athers I didn’t. So I did, less than halfway but for a couple of hours anyway, and loved it.After which, Pollock, Chopra and I head for the throwback that is the local airport and jump on board the South Africa team charter to Mumbai. The two days and some since arriving back in India for the first time in a while have not been without incident! On the flight, the South African players recover their sense of humour with a pack of cards and the battle for tricks.How many of those jerseys have “Virat” on the back?•Associated PressOctober 19, Pune. The toss
I ask India’s captain if his wonderfully free-spirited batting illustrates just how much he is enjoying the tournament. He basically said yes, and referred to his determination to play as he did in his youth, before the traffic moved in.India beat Bangladesh comfortably. Rohit Sharma makes 60-odd with almost contemptuous ease. Virat Kohli matches him in strokeplay and cruises past him in numbers, to a zinger of a hundred. The sea of blue in the stands goes nuts. Jasprit Bumrah had earlier bowled searing yorkers and the Indian fielders were cutting-edge sharp. The home team are strong favourites, of course, but wary of New Zealand, one imagines. They play each other on Sunday.A full and ecstatic house at the terrific MCA stadium has a night out, Kohli makes sure of that. At a wild guess, 80% of those fans in blue had “Virat” printed on the back of their branded India team shirts. The Ronaldo of cricket.October 21, Super Saturday… somewhere
So much travelling, not sure where. Head cold is annoying, though not as annoying as the absent television channels in the hotel. Ah, Lucknow, that’s where we are. “” is Hindi for “Smile, you’re in Lucknow”. Luck now, get it? Good. Well, I wasn’t. Having not seen a ball of England’s thumping defeat by South Africa in Mumbai, the heaviest ever for England in one-day cricket, I’m now not going to see a try, tackle or kick in the rugby World Cup semi-final. The duty manager said channels 475 and 483 would show the match. Nope. England lost by a point. Yup. Horrendous. Deserved better in that game, but maybe didn’t deserve to win the World Cup. The Springboks will now play New Zealand, the All Blacks. It’s an old rivalry and not for the soft-hearted. It is perfectly possible that the two countries meet in the cricket World Cup final too.Regards England cricket, the party is over for now. Confidence is low and it is upon confidence that the freewheeling survives. Their selection lacks certainty and it is upon certainty that good selection depends. Sri Lanka are next for Jos Buttler, who won’t be relishing the three games to come: India and Australia follow. Ye gods.In the end, then, it was anything but a super Saturday. The head cold was worse in the morning and England were all but out of two World Cups.England’s fall from defending World Cup champions to now the bottom of the points table has been scarcely believable•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesOn another note, a fine dinner was to be had at the Taj Mahal hotel in Lucknow with Jeff Crowe, the match referee, and Rod Tucker, the umpire. Principled men, whose take on the game, if not without agenda because we all have our seeds to sow, is forthright and level-headed. We all wondered if 50-over cricket should now be 40-over cricket. None of us wanted it dumped, however.Lucknow is thought of as one of the food capitals of India. If you pass by, don’t pass up on a kebab: minced lamb, or buffalo, made with milk because the old Nawab, who had lost his teeth, asked the chefs for food he didn’t have to chew, and up with the kebab they came.October 23, Mumbai
Bishan Bedi has died, aged 77. I played against him once, in Dubai, in 1980. To my knowledge it was the first floodlit cricket outside of Australia. It was an unofficial England XI against a Combined India-Pakistan XI. I was a greenhorn, gratefully accepting a last-minute offer from Keith Fletcher to fill a spot vacated by an injury to Bob Woolmer, as I remember. There were a lot of big names – Imran, Gavaskar, Snow, D’Oliviera, as examples… and Bedi.On an Astroturf mat, on an Astroturf outfield, in a football stadium, Bedi cast his spell. Incredible it was too. The ball hung in the air as if suspended by a magic trick. I reached forward and missed. After the third attempt, he walked halfway down the pitch to say “Wait, you have to wait, because eventually the ball must arrive. The more you try to come and get it, the more it will elude you. Just wait.” So I just waited, and hit a few, eventually making some runs and learning about spin bowling of a type and quality I could never have imagined.I once asked Barry Richards which was the best innings he ever played. The 356 for South Australia at the WACA against Lillee, McKenzie, Brayshaw and Lock perhaps? Or the hundred against Australia in his second Test of only four? “The English summer of 1973,” he answered, “For Hampshire against Northants in a battle for the County Championship: Bishan Bedi on a Southampton dustbowl. I managed 37 not out in the fourth innings to see us home. The hardest runs I ever made.”October 24, Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium
As I write, South Africa have made 382 for 5 against Bangladesh, scoring 144 from the final ten overs: a run more than they made over the same distance against England on Saturday. Quinton de Kock eased his way to 174 in his 150th ODI. De Kock’s record is worth a moment’s attention – 20 hundreds in 150 innings at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 96.76. To give this perspective, Adam Gilchrist made 16 hundreds in 279 innings at a strike rate of 97 and an average of 35.8. But Gilchrist won three World Cups. QdK is to retire from ODI’s after this one. Perhaps South Africa’s time is now.I can do this with one hand: De Kock made easy work of Bangladesh with his 174•ICC/Getty ImagesOctober 26, Chennai
My word! Turn on the TV to see Sri Lanka have bowled out England for 156. Chris Silverwood, who was the previous England coach and fired for his efforts, is now coach of Sri Lanka. Oh, the ironies and caprices of this game.Every time I watch the Sri Lankans play, I think back to the modern builders – Roy Dias, Sidath Wettimuny, Duleep Mendis among them, and then, of course, Arjuna and Aravinda in Lahore for the 1996 triumph, when Tony Greig could barely contain himself.Watching England play such timid cricket is a shock. This is hero-to-zero stuff in the blink of an eye. I can’t pick an obvious reason – though, even on paper, the bowling is pretty ordinary – but it’s certainly a bad month for good batters. The return of Ben Stokes has not gone to plan, but then not much has. And there has been indecision surrounding Harry Brook, who most of us would have in the side for every game in every format.October 27, Pakistan vs South Africa
The M Chidambaram Stadium is a belter and the place where MS Dhoni and his Chennai Super Kings have had so much success. A good crowd is in but the cricket lurches from exhilarating to excruciating in periods of play that depart from common sense (about which someone once said, “The trouble with common sense is that it’s not very common”). Babar Azam wins the toss and chooses to bat, so South Africa will have to chase for a change. Of their last eight ODIs, South Africa have won seven batting first and were beaten by Netherlands when batting second at Dharamsala. Is there a little gremlin tapping away on South African shoulders? We shall see later.Well, there might be. In the chase for 271, it is a nipper for a while, first when Heinrich Klaasen is caught at third man, and then when David Miller nicks one behind. After which, it becomes a nerve-shredder with South Africa nine down and 11 still needed. That well-known batting pair Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi edge their horrified team-mates over the line.Shattered Pakistan players fall to their knees; others, equally consumed by shock, simply stare into space. Precious little has gone their way, not least a desperate imploring for an lbw against Shamsi. They are possibly out of the tournament, which is a big miss for those who delight in young talent and the thrill of unpredictability. Some things are not meant to be…As for me? It’s the 5.10am flight to Kolkata tomorrow. Good night. And good luck South Africa.

A new approach was the starting point, and since then, whatever India have done has worked like a charm

Shashank Kishore17-Nov-20232:22

Rohit’s start reminds Hayden of Gilchrist in 2003 World Cup final

India are unbeaten heading into Sunday’s World Cup final against Australia in Ahmedabad. The impressive results are a by-product of a mindset change they brought in collectively, the origins of which can be traced back to Adelaide last year, where they were handed a ten-wicket thrashing by England in the T20 World Cup semi-final.In the aftermath of that campaign, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid decided to tear down old templates. Just before the Adelaide game, freakish performances like Virat Kohli’s magic at the MCG against Pakistan helped paper over fault lines, but India were far from being the world-beaters they look like today.They addressed the issues head on.Rohit, the hammer, leads by exampleRohit has shown the way. He has changed his approach in the powerplay, adopting a high-risk game, which has worked wonderfully.Take the semi-final, for example, against New Zealand in Mumbai, where he was up against the same side that had caused India’s downfall in Manchester four years ago. Rohit negated Trent Boult’s swing early on by charging at him and hitting him through the line and in the air. Next minute, he was flicking length balls over midwicket. India raised 58 inside six overs, with Rohit racing to 45 off 22 balls. It was a kick in the gut for New Zealand.Related

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Rohit’s approach that afternoon was no different from the rest of the tournament. It has had a massive impact on the team’s overall game. India’s powerplay strike rate of 109 in the first ten overs is the highest among all teams in the competition. Rohit has scored more than half of India’s powerplay runs (354) this tournament, at a strike rate of 133. He has also hit the most sixes in a single edition of the World Cup already.But he has knuckled down when the situation has demanded. Like the 87 against England in a game where the next best was 49. On a two-paced Lucknow deck where run-scoring was challenging against a back-of-a-length attack, Rohit dropped anchor. Yet, he comfortably outpaced all other batters.Kohli anchors a dream scriptRohit’s robust approach has helped take a lot of pressure off the middle order, especially Kohli, who has played according to the team’s demands. He sits atop the hundreds tally in ODIs, having surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 in Mumbai two nights back. Kohli also has the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup, having crossed Tendulkar’s mark of 673 from 20 years ago.2:59

Hayden: Kohli a great story of resilience and professionalism

There’s simplicity and a robotic precision to Kohli’s new methods, which sit just about perfectly in a batting order that has Rohit’s fire, Shubman Gill’s consistency, Shreyas Iyer’s fearsome ball-striking that has now brought back-to-back hundreds, and KL Rahul’s inventiveness.In India’s very first game of the World Cup, the soft underbelly of the middle order – Iyer and Rahul were coming back from lengthy injury layoffs – stood exposed at 2 for 3 against a rip-roaring Australia attack defending 200.”Play it like Test cricket for some time, and see where it goes,” Kohli told Rahul then. He reined himself in remarkably after offering an early life – a pull that was grassed by Mitchell Marsh. It could have been 20 for 4. It wasn’t. It’s the slice of luck great batters use to their advantage. Kohli shelved his flair for grit and walked off to 85 valuable runs to put a ‘W’ on the points table.That knock set into motion a dream run, where it almost looks like he can’t be dismissed, as if there is a century there for the taking. He has more runs and more hundreds than any other batter in this tournament. This includes his first in a World Cup semi-final. Kohli hadn’t scored even a fifty before that in a knockout game of the World Cup. He has played the conditions and situations, while Rohit and the middle order have punched attacks.2:35

Is Shami India’s greatest ODI bowler of all time?

The balancing act after Hardik’s exitIt was perhaps India’s biggest fear. One you hope you don’t have to confront. Hardik Pandya picking up an injury, that is.When Hardik injured his left ankle three balls into his opening over against Bangladesh in India’s fourth game, India had a problem: how to replace a two-in-one player.Without him, they decided to punt on a five-bowler strategy. Enter Mohammed Shami, amid chatter around lack of batting depth, and the result was 5 for 54 in a four-wicket win over New Zealand.It was tougher against England in Lucknow, as India huffed and puffed to 229 for 9. In that game, India had to get through nearly ten overs with their lower order exposed. Jasprit Bumrah made sure they did that with an innings of 16 off 25 balls, priceless runs in the overall context.Then, with ball in hand, Shami stepped in to wreck England’s middle order to build on Bumrah’s sensational opening burst. Shami vs Ben Stokes was no less sensational than Ishant vs Ponting or Wahab vs Watson. It was the first time India were defending a score in the tournament, having chased successfully for four games.Shami worked Stokes over for nine balls and then clattered his stumps with the tenth. In a five-over spell of play where Bumrah and Shami picked up 4 for 9, they made England play 14 false shots. Even on the 16 occasions England middled the ball, they managed just eight runs. That’s way too much pressure to contend with, and England crumbled. Shami finished with a four-for, but Bumrah’s three wickets were no less important.4:23

What has made Bumrah and Shami so effective at this World Cup?

Bumrah has made an impact across phases. With the new ball, it has largely been seam and hard length that has proved to be the opponents’ undoing. His powerplay economy of 3.13 is the best in the tournament for any bowler to have bowled at least 60 balls in that phase. Teams have looked to play him out, because of the inherent fear of giving their wickets away. It has made for compelling viewing.The difference between Bumrah’s overall economy and the others’ economy in this World Cup is the highest for any bowler to have sent down at least 400 balls in any World Cup. If you slightly bring the cut-off down to 300 balls, only Mitchell Starc (2015) is ahead of him. It’s the kind of cutting edge attacks yearn for, allowing other bowlers to thrive.Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja certainly have. Sure, they have had their off days at times, but seldom have they had it together like Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal did against England in 2019.India have been unchanged for six games now. Shami has picked up three five-fors already, the most in a single edition. Despite playing just six games, he sits atop the bowling charts, having taken 23 wickets at a mind-boggling average of 9.13.2:32

‘Shreyas’ strength and magical wrists make him a handful’

The comeback storiesWhen he injured his hamstring in Lucknow during the IPL in May, Rahul had feared for the worst. But he was declared fit in August. He still needed some more conditioning that forced him to miss the initial set of games at the Asia Cup. It was deemed highly risky to punt on a player who had to bat and keep wickets, heading into the World Cup with barely any match time.Iyer, too, had to go to the UK for back surgery; he was pretty much out of action for six weeks. He spent time in rehab but pulled up stiff after being included in the Asia Cup. For a while, it appeared inconceivable to see the team risk both Iyer and Rahul in the same XI. But just when it seemed like Rahul might be given more time out, he had to start playing.When Iyer had back spasms just prior to the toss in a Super Four Asia Cup fixture against Pakistan, Rahul was in. From knowing he wasn’t playing prior to the game – he hadn’t even carried his kit to the ground – he ended it by scoring a match-winning hundred and put together a mammoth stand with Kohli.Iyer eventually won his place back along with Rahul, but began the World Cup with a tame dismissal that elicited a public cry of anguish from India’s 2011 hero, Yuvraj Singh. He needs to be more responsible, Yuvraj said. And responsible Iyer has been since.2:01

Hayden: No obvious weakness in Rahul’s game

After a slow start, he has gathered pace to make four consecutive scores of 75 or more. This includes the centuries against Netherlands and then against New Zealand in the semi-final. There’s an air of audacity to Iyer’s game against spin, tempered aggression that stems from the confidence he has in his abilities, short-ball frailties notwithstanding.Then there’s Gill, who had missed the first two matches of the World Cup because of a bout of dengue, leaving India having to summon Plan B – Ishan Kishan – straightaway. Fortunately for India, Gill missed only two games.While the after-effects of his illness haven’t gone yet, he has been a calming presence in the top order. Gill is the only one in India’s top five to not have a hundred to show yet, but each of his four half-centuries had the hundred stamp all over it. Two nights back, in the semi-final, he made 79 before having to retire hurt with cramps. By the time he returned to bat in the last over, Kohli and Iyer had hit hundreds of their own, and Gill wasn’t ruing what he had missed.As India prepare for the final, it all seems a script straight out of a dream. Gill loves batting there, having hit three hundreds across formats this year. And one of those was against the very team he will face on Sunday.

In his first big ODI tournament, the left-arm seamer is taking wickets across phases and even out-thinking top batters

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Nov-20231:10

Kumble: Madushanka showing maturity at a young age

Forty matches into this World Cup, who did you think would be topping the wicket-takers’ chart? If you were picking a fast bowler, perhaps you’d have guessed Jasprit Bumrah, or Mark Wood, or Kagiso Rabada. Narrow it down to left-armers, and it’s gotta be Shaheen Afridi, right? Mitchell Starc? Trent Boult?We’re going to tread lightly here, because the actual leading wicket-taker belongs to the most delicate of all modern cricketing species – a kind of player so fragile that even looking too long at their hamstrings could trigger a strain.Seriously though, lower your voice. Squat down into the undergrowth, and peer through the bushes. You don’t want to spook him. He has just made a promising start to his career, so we must be especially careful. But that over there, is wow, a Sri Lanka fast bowler. One who’s been tearing up the World Cup.It’s a little bit mad, because there had been no serious signs that Dilshan Madushanka was going to have this spectacular a tournament. He’d been injured through most of the World Cup Qualifier (of course), and missed the Asia Cup completely with a tear in his side. In terms of form leading in, there was not even a little sample on which to base hopes. And in terms of ODI career in total, the guy had played six matches, and gone at more than seven an over in two of them, though never without looking like he could, eventually, maybe, with a lot of work, and whatever cosmic force still holds Sri Lankan cricket together, kind of be a good player?Related

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But we’re not getting our hopes up. The jinx gods are likely watching, and these are guys that prey on Sri Lanka quicks like Godzilla on Tokyo.We’re on firmer ground appreciating the things Madushanka has already done: swing the new ball into the right hander late, and at speed with the new ball, develop a cutter that jives off the pitch but which does not need him to fold his wrist on delivery and thus sacrifice a lot of pace, bowl an excellent bouncer when required, become more comfortable coming around the wicket.Even still, 21 wickets in eight World Cup matches at an average of 22.23 is special for a 23-year-old in his first big ODI tournament. What is especially impressive is the strike rate of 20.57 – only Mohammad Shami (who has not only himself been ridiculously good, but bowls in a ridiculous attack), and Gerald Coetzee have a better strike rate among bowlers with more than 10 wickets this tournament.Madushanka’s hauls have even been a surprise to Mahela Jayawardene, who has overseen his development in big tournaments, as Sri Lanka’s consultant.”To be honest, no, I didn’t expect him to have such a good World Cup,” Jayawardene told ESPNcricinfo. “I thought it would be a bit too much for him, because it’s his first one-day World Cup. At the start he also didn’t have the experienced guys around him – Dushmantha Chameera wasn’t there. But I thought the young man bowled brilliantly.”Dilshan Madushanka’s offcutter to Rohit Sharma is a serious contender for the ball of the tournament•ICC/Getty ImagesThat he’s always gleaned sharp, late inswing with the new ball has been known, but of his 21 wickets, only nine have come in the first 15 overs this World Cup. He’s also become a middle-overs menace, taking seven wickets at an average of 27.42 between overs 16 and 40.”He’s coming around the wicket and creating good angles,” Jayawardene said of Madushanka’s middle-overs bowling. “He’s used the slower bouncer pretty well, and bowled the [faster] bouncer pretty well. And the length control is excellent. He’s not giving too much away. He’s staying within the stumps even from around the wicket.”In the last 10 overs Madushanka has been expensive, going at 9.16 per over, but there is wicket-taking threat there too, says Jayawardene. He’s only now developing skills for that phase of the game, but perhaps he has some innate advantages.”He’s also got a very unnatural wrist release. It’s not the normal left-armer’s wrist. It’s got a bit of a wind-up. With that he’s getting shape even with the older ball. So we’re just trying to see how best he can how best he can use that and what angles will work.”At the death, the wide slower balls, the yorkers – these are things we’ve been speaking to him about, but with the confidence he’s got now, he’s had much better execution.”Madushanka also produced Sri Lanka’s most unforgettable moment of the tournament (not counting timed-out dismissals), when second ball, at the Wankhede, he sent an offcutter across no less a batter than Rohit Sharma, and uprooted his off stump.Madushanka came to hard-ball cricket late in life compared to many of his team-mates. Hailing from Hungama, deep in the south, it was only when he impressed Chaminda Vaas at a regional fast bowling trial that he made the leap from softball to competitive cricket. But already, he is out-thinking top international batters.”I told him that good batsmen will always open their front foot to him, especially the right handers,” Jayawardene said. Right-handers open their front foot in order to access the inswinging deliveries they expect from Madushanka. “It was something that we were working on with him, with the bowling coaches as well. But we can’t take credit for that [Rohit] dismissal. It was just an idea. It was his execution that got the wicket.”He’s also a smart kid, because even though he’s a late bloomer, he understands the cricket language quite well, including adapting to tactics.”In order to avoid tempting fate, this is perhaps as much praise as a story about a young Sri Lanka quick should contain. But from a wreckage of a World Cup campaign, it is no small thing for Sri Lanka to have pulled out a bowler of Madushanka’s promise.

The West Indies allrounder looks ahead to his season with Mumbai Indians, and talks about his memorable dismissals of Glenn Maxwell and Shakib Al Hasan

Interview by Deivarayan Muthu22-Mar-2024West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd has established himself as a regular in T20I cricket and franchise T20 leagues around the world. In the run-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, coach Daren Sammy name-checked Shepherd as one of the players who can dominate the tournament. But before that, he will be in action for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.Shepherd talks about his power-hitting, slower balls, growing up with Shamar Joseph in Baracara, and reuniting with Kieron Pollard at Mumbai.Your next assignment is with Mumbai Indians – one of the best franchises in T20 cricket – where you will reunite with your first West Indies captain, Kieron Pollard. How excited are you?
Yes, Kieron was the one who gave me the opportunity [to play for West Indies] in Lucknow [in 2019]. I’m thankful for that. To go back and play under him at MI once again is a joy. He has also been someone who has shared a lot of information with me, both batting- and bowling-wise. He has played so many T20 games and the experience is always there. He always has some challenge for you to work on.Related

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When I got the call that I will be with MI this IPL, I was very happy to play for one of the best franchises in the league and one of the well-known franchises in the world. That’s something that comes with some added pressure because you’re in the spotlight playing for a champion team. But I don’t want to pressure myself too much. I just want to relax and work my way into the team. If given an opportunity in the XI, I must be ready for any challenge thrown at me.Being a middle-order power-hitter or finisher is one of the toughest roles in T20 cricket. How do you prepare for the role?
Yes, it’s very tough and it’s something I’ve been working on. Before the CPL started, [the Guyana Amazon Warriors team management] told me that [lower down the order] is where I’m going to bat and that I will not get a lot of deliveries to face. So if I get just five balls, I have to make use of it. Obviously, the role might change if there are a lot of overs remaining.The way I train and prepare myself before the game is just to face ten to 12 balls, because I was only facing that many in the match down the order. Most times I was ready mentally because I was training for that. In those games where I get those ten or 12 balls, I try to get 20-something. That’s the way I prepare before a game. I have to capitalise on any loose ball that comes my way. That was a conversation with the coach [Lance Klusener] and captain [Imran Tahir] at the CPL.

“I’ve always been someone who you can give different roles to because I understand the game a bit more now”

In my role – both batting and bowling – I think the game situation dictates how I play. If I go out to bat and I know it’s boundary time, I would have had a look at the game and I would have a fair idea of what each bowler is trying to do in those conditions. When I get out there, it’s about me pushing on. I know how captains try to bowl at me and how bowlers bowl at me. These days, most bowlers go wide or bowl into the wicket, according to the boundary size, so that’s something I prepare for. When I reach the crease, I know how I want to go.What is the key to your six-hitting?
Sometimes it’s just strength (), so I’m going to make sure that he doesn’t get me out. And hopefully, I can hit him for a few [runs].

Consecutive defeats on home soil brought a campaign to an end where they couldn’t quite cover key absences

Tristan Lavalette21-Jan-20241:29

Hardie admits Scorchers were well below their best in Strikers defeat

Perth Scorchers’ passionate fans still maintained the faith when Cooper Connolly and Nick Hobson, last season’s title-winning heroes, were at the crease as they grimly chased 156 against Adelaide Strikers in the knockout final.The confidence from the 33,000 Optus Stadium crowd was justified given Scorchers’ knack of pulling out miraculous victories over the years.But when Hobson fell to a stunning return catch from Strikers captain Matthew Short, Scorchers’ bid for a historic hat-trick of titles was effectively over. Many of the glum fans could not bear to watch any further as they headed for the exit in an unusual sight.Related

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Scorchers had won 17 of their last 18 home matches before failing to defend 197 against Sydney Sixers in a last-ball defeat that cost them second spot and a double chance in the finals.They again let slip a strong position at the innings break to suffer a shock 50-run defeat against Strikers as they now come to grips with the end of their BBL dominance.Scorchers/Western Australia had swept through the domestic titles over the past two years amid a golden era. But there have been cracks over the season for Scorchers and here are a few takeaways over why their title defence ended abruptly.Ashton Turner’s absenceWhile it’s easy to rue the Sixers defeat, Scorchers’ turning-point was probably in their third match of the season when captain Ashton Turner limped off after bowling his first delivery against Hobart Hurricanes.He was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament following knee surgery having only faced 17 balls out in the middle. Scorchers were initially able to withstand his absence as stand-in captain Aaron Hardie led from the front with plenty of support from Josh Inglis and Laurie Evans in the middle-order.The turning point? Ashton Turner’s season ended with a knee injury•Getty ImagesBut Hardie and Inglis fell away as the season wore on and combined with Evans’ absence, after leaving for the UAE’s ILT20, Scorchers were exposed against Strikers.Turner’s composed and powerful batting in the backend of innings was clearly missed and so too his leadership. His tactical nous was widely lauded during Scorchers’ title-winning seasons and his players mirror his calm demeanour.Scorchers this season looked unusually ragged at times, with the ball and in the field, especially at the death against Sixers and Heat. You feel Turner would have been a steadying presence.It was always going to be tough shoes to fill for Hardie. Preferred over wicketkeeper Inglis, Hardie grew into the role and looms as a future leader – potentially at international level.Sticking with Scorchers’ well-worn manual, much like Turner, Hardie is understated and doesn’t give much away emotionally. He enjoyed an impressive performance initially against Strikers having had the courage to replace struggling frontline spinner Ashton Agar with little-used Connolly.Hardie had also started to take charge by bowling himself more and he was rewarded with the key wicket of Jake Weatherald and then James Bazley in the same over. But losing Turner, surely Scorchers’ most important player, ultimately proved too hard to overcome for a team that has shown plenty of resiliency over the years.Scorchers also lost quick Jhye Richardson to a side strain late in the season, while Mitchell Marsh did not play a match due to his Test commitments.”We’re happy to keep taking the shots and keep rebounding but I think there’s only a certain level that we’re able to do that,” Hardie said. “I still thought we had the team to win the title.”Top-order strugglesSam Fanning could have a part to play in the future of Scorchers’ top order•Getty ImagesScorchers were unable to find an effective opening partnership. The departure of Cameron Bancroft, who had been a stabilising presence in the top three during their back-to-back triumphs, to Sydney Thunder proved significant.Connolly was trialled as an opener at the start of the season, but it backfired. Scorchers ended up using five different opening combinations, but none could strike a half-century partnership.England opener Zak Crawley was a modest success in his six-game stint while Sam Whiteman, WA’s Sheffield Shield captain, could not fire in his return to Scorchers.Stephen Eskinazi had been a find for Scorchers last season, but he was mostly squeezed out until a hit on the knuckles against Sixers ended his season. Marcus Harris and Sam Fanning were late season signings and they ended up being Scorchers’ unexpected openers against Strikers.Fanning, in his BBL debut, unfurled aggressive strokes to provide an early launch pad that had been rarely seen this season. Scorchers’ batting blueprint had been to build a foundation before their big-hitting middle order launched in the second half of the innings.But, as Fanning showed with his enterprising knock, Scorchers might have to tinker with their philosophy.Ashton Agar’s home woesAshton Agar had some good days on the road, but struggled in Perth•Getty ImagesLeft-arm spinner Agar has been a fulcrum for Scorchers for many seasons. He has continually defied the pace-friendly Optus Stadium surface by bowling accurately through the middle overs.Agar had a delayed start to the season having come back slowly from the calf injury that ended his ODI World Cup dreams. He didn’t miss a beat when he returned with 1 for 15 from 3 overs against Hurricanes, which included eight dot balls.But while he bowled well on the east coast, including an extraordinary 2 for 6 from 4 overs against Thunder on a very slow Sydney Showground surface, Agar struggled at home and became a target for batters.Against Strikers, Weatherald used his feet and effectively smashed Agar down the ground in a game-changing counterattack. Agar had become a shell of himself with Hardie eventually losing faith in him after two overs. In his last four home matches, Agar took 1 for 152 from 15 overs.”Teams are coming to Optus with plans. They’re doing their research,” Hardie said. “People are looking at targeting certain bowlers and playing different lineups to what they normally do over here. “We have to look at ways to adapt and figure out ways to get better.”The futureScorchers are unlikely to undergo major changes. It’s an experienced group led by level-headed coach Adam Voges and list boss Kade Harvey.They will back their talented local core and keep building within, but falling off the rails late in the season at home should be a reality check.”We had the men to do the job,” Hardie said. “We just didn’t play our best cricket, especially in the past couple of games.”

It’s not just about the cricket or the money, Cummins explains, but the opportunity to think about his career after cricket

Matt Roller22-Jul-20241:50

Cummins: MLC is giving cricketers a platform in the US

Pat Cummins does not make Major League Cricket sound like a tough sell. “It was like, ‘do you want to come to the US for a few weeks in summer, be around a team where I’m good mates with a few of the guys, play a bit of golf and play a bit of cricket in a new country’,” he tells ESPNcricinfo from Dallas. “I jumped at it.”Yet his lucrative four-year contract with San Francisco Unicorns was a paradigm of change in the cricket world. Cummins had only previously played in one overseas T20 league – the IPL – but his interest was piqued by the identity of the franchise’s owners: Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, a pair of India-born venture capitalists based in California.Five injury-ruined years early in his career made Cummins acutely aware that professional sport is transitory. He studied business at Sydney’s University of Technology during his prolonged rehabilitation, sits on the Australian Cricketers’ Association’s board of directors, and has used his platform to advocate for action on climate change.It is why the owners’ Silicon Valley background was the clincher for him. “It’s a space that I find super interesting, particularly the venture-capital world,” Cummins says. “I potentially see that as something I’d like to do more of post-cricket, so [this is] a way to align with a few of those guys, learn off them over the next few years, be around some of those conversations.”The tournament effectively provides him with a chance to network: since arriving in the US, Cummins has already “informally” discussed potential opportunities over coffee. “If it’s something I do enjoy, hopefully I could dive a little bit deeper for the back-end of my career, and then maybe move into that space a bit more professionally after cricket.”

“For the guys that play all three formats, you’re always trying to make sure you’re peaking for those major events – and it feels like there’s been about ten major events in the last 18 months, so I haven’t really taken much time to reinvest back in my body”Pat Cummins

Cummins’ contract with Unicorns runs until 2027. By then, he will be 34 and closer to the end of his international career. “The intention is definitely to make this a long-term partnership,” he says. “Obviously playing for Australia, it’s going to clash at certain times. But outside of that, I want to make sure MLC is a real focus.”MLC remains at a nascent stage, with just 25 matches shared across two venues. But its combination of high salaries, a short window, and the novelty of playing in the US have proved attractive. Its pool of overseas players comfortably outstrips that of rival leagues, including the Hundred in England. “I hadn’t thought of the Hundred,” Cummins admits.Cummins makes it clear that, as Test and ODI captain, “playing for Australia will come first”. Cricket Australia only made him available for five out of seven MLC group games this year to manage his workload after the T20 World Cup, and his availability for the 2025 edition will depend on a potential clash with a two-match Test series in the Caribbean.He has also been rested for Australia’s white-ball tour to Scotland and England in September, giving him a prolonged break ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Tellingly, that decision received minimal pushback.”Everyone’s a little bit more realistic about the schedules nowadays,” Cummins says. “We spend ten-plus months of the year away on the road, so some tours probably carry a little bit more importance than others. For the guys that play all three formats, you’re always trying to make sure you’re peaking for those major events – and it feels like there’s been about ten major events in the last 18 months, so I haven’t really taken much time to reinvest back in my body.”1:38

Cummins explains why he will miss the September tour to England

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are part of September’s tour, but Cummins had long planned to miss it. “That window has always been earmarked as a time to really give my body a rest and do close to a full pre-season,” he explains. “I should get six or eight weeks off bowling and then build up again. Once this MLC opportunity came up and we mapped out the plan, it didn’t really change much.”I still get that same amount of break and then just probably start one or two weeks later heading into the summer… I’ll get home, I’ll have a good six or eight weeks off bowling where I’ll get in the gym every day, do some running, and get some strength back into my body. And then we’ve got a big Test match series [against India] for our home summer, so that’ll be the focus.”Cummins has only taken one wicket in three MLC appearances, but has helped Unicorns seal a top-two finish, closing out a win over MI New York on Friday night. “It’s a really high standard,” he says. “The calibre of players is ridiculous and for a competition in its second season, it’s super organised and super competitive… I couldn’t speak highly enough of it.”Australia played exclusively in the Caribbean during the T20 World Cup, but Cummins watched the US leg with interest: “That Pakistan-India game looked insane… everyone talks about baseball, basketball and NFL, but there’s hundreds of thousands of cricketers here going about their work quietly who are now starting to get a platform.”Unicorns’ long-term ambition is to bring MLC to California, with plans to build a stadium in San Jose. “Hopefully that will be ready to go in the next couple of years, and I’ll be coming back to San Fran a lot,” Cummins says. That sentence alone from Australia’s captain is proof that cricket has changed for good.