West Indies are also in contention to make the semis, but their fate is out of their hands

S Rajesh24-Mar-2022The washout in Wellington means South Africa are through to the semi-finals as the second-ranked team, while England’s emphatic win in Christchurch puts them in an excellent position to qualify as well. Here is how the teams stack up, with two positions still up for grabs, going into the last four games of the league stage.England
England’s win against Pakistan in 19.2 overs means their net run rate has gone up to 0.778, marginally above India’s and the best among the teams in contention for the semi-finals. If they beat Bangladesh on Sunday, they will qualify regardless of other results, but whether they finish third or fourth will depend on the result – and margin – of India’s match against South Africa. A washout will be enough for England too, given their high NRR.However, if Bangladesh upset England and if India beat South Africa, then England will be knocked out. In that case, Australia, South Africa, India and West Indies will qualify. However, if India lose to South Africa, then England could qualify even with a defeat on Sunday, as long as their NRR is the best among the teams on six points.West Indies
The only way West Indies can qualify is if at least one of India or England lose their last game and stay on six points. If both teams win, or even if their matches are abandoned, then West Indies will be knocked out because of their poor NRR.India
The one point that West Indies have got from the washout has made the task tougher for India: it is now highly unlikely that they will qualify if they lose to South Africa. For that to happen, England will need to lose to Bangladesh, and finish on a lower NRR than India.On the other hand, even one point from their last game will be enough for India to qualify.New Zealand
With three teams already having more than six points, and England and India on six with much better NRRs, New Zealand are pretty much out of it. Even if they score 300 and beat Pakistan by 200 runs, their NRR will only improve to 0.427. Both England and India will have to lose by around 75 runs for their NRRs to drop in the vicinity of New Zealand’s.Bangladesh can theoretically get to six points too, but their NRR is poor (-0.754) and their last two games are against Australia and England.

Is Shakib at fault or is it the BCB? What’s all the toing-and-froing really about? Who gains? Who loses?

Mohammad Isam14-Mar-2022Uff, what now?
Where do I begin? TL;DR: it’s Shakib vs BCB and, somehow, Shakib vs Shakib.All right, no TL;DR, the whole dirt please.
We go back to February 28 then. BCB president Nazmul Hassan, we call him Papon here in Bangladesh, instructed Shakib to tour South Africa in March. This was after Shakib had, apparently, told the BCB that he wanted some time off from Test cricket.Three days later, the selectors announced the Test and ODI squads for South Africa. Shakib was in both.So Shakib said that wasn’t going to happen, he wasn’t going.You want rest, we’ll give you rest, the BCB said, kind of. And Shakib is out. A couple of people, Papon among them, criticise Shakib and question his commitment, etc for good measure.That might have hurt. Anyway, Shakib is now going to South Africa. He will take rest, he says, when the board gives him rest.Shakib wants a break from Test cricket, but he isn’t getting it right away•AFP/Getty ImagesWait! First, why exactly does he keep pulling out of tours?
You’re right, it has happened before. Shakib has missed a number of tours in the last five years. He skipped Tests in South Africa and Sri Lanka while also missing out on four tours because of suspensions and injuries. After he skipped Bangladesh’s New Zealand tour in January, many people did expect him to skip South Africa too. Then, when he wasn’t picked in the IPL auction…Aha! The IPL. That must be the real reason, right? Somehow?
If you let me finish… When he wasn’t picked in the IPL auction, it was then assumed he would be available for the tour. But Shakib said that he wasn’t physically and mentally fit to play.So, say it, it was the IPL.
It’s not that straightforward. Before the auction took place, Shakib made himself available for the IPL during the Test phase of the South Africa tour. Since the BCB had approved of that plan, Shakib can’t be faulted for assuming he could go ahead with his plans. And, really, his performances have earned him the ticket to ask for a break: he is one of the finest allrounders in the world, after all. He has numbers that debunk the theory that he’s not committed to Bangladesh cricket. It’s also worth noting though that Shakib’s family lives in the US, which means that every time he gets a break, a week goes into travelling and all of that.So, tell me, does Shakib have a problem with authority? Or does the BCB have an issue with him?
How long do you have? But, seriously, it can’t be denied that Shakib has had run-ins with the BCB for a long time. Let me go back… In 2009, he challenged the then board president AHM Mustafa Kamal for criticising the Bangladesh team in a public function. He’s been banned twice on disciplinary grounds. And remember how he kicked the stumps during a domestic T20 game last year? I might be missing a couple of instances, but you get the picture.Shakib does get angry from time to time, not always with himself•AFP/Getty ImagesSo it’s Shakib then, it’s his fault?
Not really. The BCB has actually handled Shakib poorly in the last 12 years. See, he is Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer ever, there’s no contest there. So the BCB avoids punishing him too harshly, as was in 2010 when he abused someone in the crowd for not moving away from the sightscreen, or when he flipped a fan during the 2011 World Cup. They reduced his ban when he threatened to quit the Bangladesh team as he wasn’t allowed to play in the CPL. When the ICC banned him in 2019, the board didn’t even announce an internal investigation.So what now? He goes to South Africa, plays the games he wants, and then…
If he can change his mind about touring South Africa twice, you think anyone can stop Shakib from picking and choosing the games he plays?Tell me, do his team-mates like Shakib at all?
He generally gets along with his team-mates, but he will face a confused team management that had probably activated Plan B when they heard he was on leave.I get the sense that he’s too big for the Bangladesh team. Why doesn’t he just retire and become a T20 freelancer?
But Shakib still needs Bangladesh, especially now when it looks like the IPL is unlikely to feature in his schedule at all. Given his age, he has a few good years left in him, but he would want to go out on a high. And, for that, he will need to perform for Bangladesh.Until the next time then?
Until the next time, Bangladesh have a Test tour, perhaps.

The allrounder played U-19 cricket for New Zealand, now represents Netherlands, and is hoping to get back in black to play senior cricket for New Zealand again

Shashank Kishore30-Mar-2022When Logan van Beek, 31, took the field for Netherlands in Mount Maunganui on Tuesday, he was playing an away ODI in his home country.Confused? Don’t be.van Beek, a fast-bowling allrounder born and raised in Christchurch, holds a Netherlands passport because his father is of Dutch descent, and that makes him eligible to play for Netherlands. Eight years after he first played for them, he was back home playing an ODI in New Zealand this week.Related

• How Logan van Beek's Plan B took him to the World Cup

• Logan van Beek brings West Indian flavour to take down West Indies

• Derbyshire sign van Beek as overseas player

• 'Homecoming' for van Beek, Klaassen

It was a special moment for the family. His parents, used to waking up in the wee hours to watch him play, were at the Bay Oval in person this time.As the players took the field, some in the opposition ranks might have been a tad nostalgic too. New Zealand captain Tom Latham, Matt Henry, and Michael Bracewell used to be housemates with van Beek a few years ago.Also among his friends in the opposition was Henry Nicholls, van Beek’s childhood cricket buddy, with whom he first hit cricket balls with a plastic bat. Nicholls’ and van Beek’s older brothers were friends and team-mates, and that relationship helped their younger siblings develop a connection too.”When I finished school and moved out of home, I moved into Tom Latham’s house in Christchurch,” van Beek said when interviewed ahead of the three-match ODI series. “Matt Henry was the third flatmate and we lived together for four amazing years. It was easily the most fun time of our lives. Three great mates, all living and breathing cricket, under one roof.”In 2017, van Beek moved from Canterbury to Wellington to further his cricket prospects. It was around the same time that Bracewell moved to the capital from Otago. The two would be housemates for two years, and also enjoyed success together with Wellington Firebirds on the field.These pals of mine: van Beek, second from right, with (from left) Tom Latham, Michael Bracewell and Matt Henry•Kerry Marshall/Getty Images”It’s going to be incredible to be playing against my closest mates, not just in cricket but life, in an international match,” van Beek said. “It’s surreal. I can’t even remember the number of times we would have had dinners, chats, talks, just hanging out together, playing golf, watching movies, dancing. And now playing a game where I’m going to try and get them out.”There’s going to be a competition within a competition. Next month at my wedding in Christchurch, they’ll all be there. It’s an incredibly special time, and I’m looking forward to savouring the next couple of weeks.””We know each other inside out. I’ve bowled to these guys for as long as I can remember. You know them so well; at the same time, you’re trying to double- or triple-bluff then. Sometimes, it’s better to play someone you don’t know because you’re simply reacting to what is coming. When you see someone so many times, you think you can premeditate and start to predict, and quite often it can lead to your downfall. But I’m sure there will be a few winks, laughter, and banter.”Cricket is a big part of van Beek’s family history. Sammy Guillen, van Beek’s grandfather on his mother’s side, came from Trinidad and Tobago. He was one of only 15 cricketers to have played Tests for two countries – five for West Indies in Australia and New Zealand in 1951-52, after which he moved to New Zealand and played for Canterbury. About four years later he played three Tests for New Zealand against West Indies.”My paternal grandparents came over from Holland in the 1950s, and they settled in the South Island,” van Beek said. “When they had my father, he was eligible for a Dutch passport. And when my father had us, we were still eligible to get a Dutch passport because he had kept his up to date. If we keep renewing our passports, it could keep passing on through the family lineage.”My maternal grandfather met a bloke in Christchurch and asked him if he could get him a job there because he liked it so much. A few months later, the bloke rang him up with an offer. My grandfather said he hopped on a ship the same day and came over to New Zealand, and a few years later he ended up being a part of New Zealand’s first Test win over the West Indies.”van Beek gets rid of Kane Williamson in a game in the 2014 T20 World Cup•Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty ImagesIn more recent history, van Beek was part of New Zealand’s U-19 World Cup campaign at home in 2010. A few months before that, he represented the country at the U-19 basketball world championships. When it got to a point where he couldn’t realistically continue with both sports, he chose cricket.”I wasn’t 6’8″, I was just six, so maybe basketball wouldn’t have worked out,” he laughed. “A lot of my mates played cricket and I loved it. I loved the mateship and the camaraderie. I loved the athleticism elements of bowling and fielding. It was a no-brainer at the time. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”In 2012, van Beek first played for Netherlands in a county game against Essex, but as an overseas professional. Because he had played the Under-19 World Cup for New Zealand, there needed to be a three-year cooling-off period before he became eligible to play for Netherlands in an international fixture.As soon as he became eligible, he was picked for Netherlands at the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2014, a tournament where he played against New Zealand for the first time. The game was memorable for many reasons, not least that he dismissed future captain Kane Williamson.”Since then, I’ve played in two other World Cups,” he says. “So anytime I can represent the Netherlands, I want to try and do that. I am still trying to push my case to play for New Zealand as well.”What about the rules?”You can play for an Associate and next day play for a Full Member if you have the residency,” he says. “If I play for New Zealand, then I’ll have to wait for three years until I can represent the Netherlands again.”van Beek bats for Wellington, for whom he has played for five years now, in the Super Smash in 2019•Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesThat cooling-off period between a player’s last game for a Full Member side and their rejoining an Associate team is stipulated not just to encourage local Associate talent but also to prevent cricketers from Full Member nations from making a beeline for Associate teams in the hope of being selected for national representation in those sides.van Beek has had a contract with Wellington since 2017 – a six-month retainer that leaves him free to pursue other interests for the remainder of the year. It’s during this off season that he plays in the Netherlands, where he also has a part-time job as an executive at a real-estate development company. In New Zealand, along with his cricket, he works at an HR consultancy.Over the past few years there have been times when van Beek has had to miss international commitments with Netherlands. Recently he missed the South Africa tour in November, which clashed with the start of New Zealand’s domestic season. This time, the stars have aligned.van Beek is hopeful his New Zealand goal will come to pass but he is equally respectful of opportunities handed out by Netherlands. As a senior team member he wants to contribute to their progress. Being part of the ODI Super League has given them a rare chance to play 24 games (eight series of three matches each) against the top sides over a three-year period.The New Zealand tour is Netherlands’ second to the country in eight years. Last time they were on these shores, it ended in tears, as they failed to qualify for the 2015 World Cup. That meant losing ODI status and significant funding.”The talent pool is not wide, we have to persist with the same pool,” van Beek said. “Sometimes you are forced to give players a long rope because you don’t have a choice. Sometimes players may not be up for it, but you have to put them in the deep end and hopefully they swim. If they sink, you put on the life vest and keep them afloat until the penny drops.”It’s no secret that we don’t have the talent pool, but if we can find a way to come together and beat big teams, there’s no bigger satisfaction than that, to do things against the odds.”

“I do understand the responsibility that I have as an individual, and as a player as well, which is something I have failed to do”

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Apr-20222:35

Tahir: Rohit just needs one innings to turn it around

A call to arms about not pressing the panic button. Sachin Tendulkar joining the team huddle for a motivational speech. Shuffling the batting order. Trying out different bowling combinations. Playing just two overseas players. Mumbai Indians have tried whatever they could. And yet, they have lost all their six matches in IPL 2022, making the five-time champions the worst-performing team in the competition. And the defeat against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday has virtually booted them out of the playoffs’ race.Rohit Sharma, however, isn’t ready to throw in the towel. “It’s not end of the world. We have come back before. We will try and come back again,” he said after the match on . Rohit, whose bat has barely made a murmur despite the 2022 season nearing the halfway stage, also owned up to his shortcomings, something he said had played a big role in Mumbai’s tottering campaign.Related

Rohit bemoans 'irresponsible shots' from batters, urges them to take 'more responsibility'

Jayawardene: 'We haven't been ruthless enough to finish it off'

Brevis and Tilak show how youngsters are outshining seniors

In six matches, Rohit has scored 114 runs at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 129. In powerplays, the strike rate is 132.05; he has managed a 40 [in Mumbai’s first match] and couple of 25-plus scores, but his challenge has been in converting the starts.”If I know it, probably I will do it,” Rohit said when asked if he had figured out why he had been failing repeatedly. “Honestly, I am trying to prepare myself in a way that I prepare for every game. There is nothing different there. It’s just not coming off. I take the full responsibly of not putting the team in that situation what they expect from me.”Honestly, I do understand the responsibility that I have as an individual, and as a player as well, which is something I have failed to do in the six games. But, again, I back myself to go out there and enjoy my game and do what I have been doing all these years. It is important to not completely look down. It is important to keep looking forward.”It’s not just Rohit. Ishan Kishan has fizzled out after 81* in 48 balls and 54 in 43 in the first two games. The pressure of being the most expensive buy of the auction can’t be ignored, but bowlers have been smart against left-hander. He likes to hit in the arc between mid-on and behind square on the leg side, but bowlers have stuck to wide-of-off-stump lines. On Sunday, he tried to flick a slower ball from Marcus Stoinis, but played on.

“Every game we play is an opportunity, so we try and find a combination which is best suited for that particular position and the particular conditions. Unless you win games you can’t really keep playing the same XI”Rohit Sharma

While Suryakumar Yadav has been Mumbai’s best batter, he has mostly had to do it on his own in the middle overs. The young duo of Tilak Varma and Dewald Brevis have shown character, composure and derring-do, but as Rohit pointed out, Mumbai have not had a top-order batter playing deep into the innings. He cited the example of Super Giants captain KL Rahul, whose century was the backbone of his team’s 199 for 4 on Saturday. “KL batted brilliantly, batted till the end. And that is something that is missing [for Mumbai]. We want one of our top four to bat as long as possible, which is not happening.”While the target of 200 was chaseable on a ground – Brabourne Stadium – with small boundaries, Rohit felt Mumbai were hampered by a lack of big partnerships. They’ve had seven 50-plus stands – the joint-highest so far this season – but not enough that have gone on to be match-winning.On Saturday, Rahul and Quinton de Kock helped Super Giants raise 57 in the powerplay, a phase where Mumbai used six bowlers – an unprecedented move for them. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who has delivered cutting-edge spells in the last two matches, the rest of Mumbai’s bowlers have struggled to cope.Tymal Mills’ reaction sums up Mumbai Indians’ season•BCCIThe bowling plans, too, have been confusing. Against Super Giants, Tilak Varma bowled the opening over, followed by Jaydev Unadkat and M Ashwin, before Bumrah was introduced. Why not open the bowling with Bumrah – as Sunil Gavaskar and other pundits asked on the broadcast – especially against Rahul, who had been out first ball in Super Giants’ last match?”There is no particular reason to it,” Rohit said. “It’s just whatever we feel as a team we need to do we try and do that. We try and put team before the individual. And seeing their [Super Giants’] batting line-up, they bat quite deep, so it is important to hold your key bowlers towards the backend.”We always try and keep Bumrah for the back end. Yeah, it didn’t seem to work out. He bowled pretty well, but the others need to pull their socks up a little bit.”Rohit, who has called on 16 players so far this season, says he will keep doing whatever it takes to win. “Every game we play is an opportunity, so we try and find a combination which is best suited for that particular position and the particular conditions,” he said. “Unless you win games you can’t really keep playing the same XI. We have lost six games now, so obviously we are trying to understand what probably will be the right combination. I mean, when you lose games, it is very easy to point out that the changes are being made, but we try and go with right combination.”

And how many players have made 199 and a duck in the same Test?

Steven Lynch24-May-2022I know Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul’s stand of 210 is an IPL record. But was it the best in all T20 cricket? And how about 50 overs? asked Lalith Ahluwalia from India

That unbroken opening stand of 210 by Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul for Lucknow Super Giants in what turned out to be a nerve-shredding match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai last week broke the previous record for the highest first-wicket partnership in the IPL, the 185 of Jonny Bairstow and David Warner for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad in 2019; only two second-wicket stands between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for RCB lie ahead on the overall IPL list.There have been four higher opening partnerships in all senior T20 matches, the highest being 236 by Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani for Afghanistan against Ireland in Dehradun in 2018-19. The List A first-wicket record remains an unbroken stand of 367, by Morne van Wyk and Cameron Delport for the Dolphins against the Knights in South Africa’s One-Day Cup in Bloemfontein in 2014-15.Angelo Mathews was out for 199 and then a duck in the recent Test in Bangladesh. Has anyone completed this particular double before? asked Ajit Silva from Sri Lanka

In the first innings of the first Test in Chattogram last week, Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews became the 12th man to be dismissed for 199 in a Test. However, his second-innings duck made him the first to do this particular double.Six men have made 99 and 0 in the same Test: India’s Pankaj Roy (vs Australia in Delhi in 1959-60), Geoff Boycott (England vs Australia in Perth in 1979-80, Andrew Hall of South Africa (vs England at Headingley in 2003, and the Pakistan trio of Mushtaq Mohammad (vs England in Karachi in 1972-73), Misbah-ul-Haq (vs West Indies in Bridgetown in 2017), and Babar Azam (vs Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2018-19). Boycott and Hall both made 99 not out.Mohammed Shami played in all of Gujarat Titans’ games in the IPL round-robin, but didn’t bat – has anyone else managed this? asked Sheik Nazeeb via Facebook

It’s true that Mohammed Shami played in all 14 of Gujarat Titans’ matches in the league phase of this season’s IPL, without being required to bat. In doing so he reprised the feat of fellow seamers Mustafizur Rahman and Mohit Sharma. The “Fizz” played 16 matches for Sunrisers in 2016 – 14 of them in the group stage – without batting at all, while Mohit appeared in all 14 of Chennai Super Kings’ league games in 2014 without batting, but finally got to the crease in one of the playoffs.Dirk Nannes (2009), Ishwar Pandey (2014) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2016) all played 13 matches in an IPL season without batting.Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja have 20 dismissals together in the IPL, the most for a bowler-fielder combo•BCCISurrey totalled 671 last week, with no one making a century. Was this a record? asked Brian Norton from England

The highest score in Surrey’s 671 for 9 against Kent in Beckenham last week was Ollie Pope’s 96; Ben Foakes and Jamie Overton were also out in the nineties. It was indeed the highest first-class total without an individual century, surpassing Namibia’s 609 against Uganda in Windhoek in 2010-11, when the highest score was Ewald Steenkamp’s 87.Madhya Pradesh made 605 against Haryana in Rajnandgaon in 1998-99, with Jai Prakash Yadav scoring 90, while the previous County Championship record was also set by Surrey, in amassing 603 against Gloucestershire in Bristol in 2005; Azhar Mahmood hit 89 and Harbhajan Singh 84.In the recent Surrey innings everyone reached double figures, with seven of them reaching 50. This was the 26th instance of seven half-centuries in a first-class innings – but there has been one case of eight, by the 1893 Australian tourists against Cambridge University Past & Present in Portsmouth. The Australians’ total of 843 was the highest in first-class cricket at the time, being achieved against what Wisden called “a team so far from representative that over a dozen cricketers might be mentioned, any one of whom had better qualifications than those who took the field against the Colonials”. Alec Bannerman, Billy Bruce and Hugh Trumble all scored centuries; Bannerman, a noted stonewaller, batted for more than six hours for 133, with Wisden observing that he showed “a steadiness of defence which might, perhaps, have been necessary had the bowling been that of first-class professionals instead of moderate amateurs”.Which bowler/fielder and bowler/wicketkeeper combinations have recorded most dismissals together in IPL? asked Aniket Chiniwalla from India

There’s a tie at the top here between these two categories. There have been 20 instances of batters being caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant off Kagiso Rabada for the Delhi team, while in the field there have also been 20 cases of caught Ravindra Jadeja bowled Dwayne Bravo for Chennai Super Kings. Bravo is the leading wicket-taker overall in the IPL, while Rabada is currently just one short of becoming the 19th bowler to take 100 wickets.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

With big players sitting out the South Africa series, here’s a chance for others to answer key questions and stake a claim for a ticket to Australia

Hemant Brar06-Jun-2022India turn their focus on preparations for the T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia in October-November, with the five-match T20I series against South Africa starting on Thursday. With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah being rested, it’s a chance for some of the back-ups to stake their claims.One big conundrum India face is fitting Dinesh Karthik in the XI, but that is a discussion on its own. Here are a few other questions that need answering.Related

Dravid enthused by Hardik's return to bowling and hints he might play as finisher for India

Arshdeep Singh interview: 'Now I don't give batters loose balls'

India squad: Rahul to lead; Hardik, Umran Malik, Arshdeep in

No strict bio-secure bubbles for India vs South Africa T20Is

Who fits into the open middle-order slot?
Only one spot is up for grabs in India’s middle order. But it’s like a government job opening in the country – there are way more candidates than positions to be filled.First, there is Shreyas Iyer who destroyed Sri Lanka with 57* off 28, 74* off 44 and 73* off 45 before the IPL. All those runs came from No. 3, a slot Iyer feels is best for him. But in all likelihood Kohli, his current form notwithstanding, will bat there at the World Cup. Iyer has done equally well at No. 4 too in the past, so it’s not like he cannot bat lower down the order. The only thing is he prefers to take his time to settle in, something he would need to work on.The next candidate is Deepak Hooda, fresh from his best IPL ever with 451 runs at a strike rate of 136.66. More importantly, he batted everywhere from No. 3 to No. 6 with equal ease. Another thing that goes in his favour is he can also chip in with the ball if need be.Then there is Suryakumar Yadav, currently out of the side with a forearm injury but a 360-degree batter who can attack from the get-go. With Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson also knocking on the door, this series is a golden opportunity for Iyer and Hooda to make their case.ESPNcricinfo LtdWho is the second spinner?
With 27 wickets in IPL 2022, Yuzvendra Chahal confirmed his status as India’s No. 1 T20I spinner, but the second spinner’s slot is not yet sealed. A year ago, Ravindra Jadeja would have walked into that role, but a below-par IPL followed by an injury has opened the door for others.In Axar Patel, India have a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja. Axar can bowl four overs regularly, score quick runs in lower middle order and is an excellent fielder. But like Jadeja, he is not a wicket-taking bowler and spins the ball in the same direction as Chahal. The latter could be a problem against a side with multiple left-hand batters.That’s where Kuldeep Yadav comes in. An attacking wristspinner, Kuldeep appears to have found his rhythm again after a few tweaks to his action. He also spins the ball away from left-hand batters, complementing Chahal.Ravi Bishnoi is another contender, bringing along quick googlies, sliders and legbreaks. He made a good first impression during the West Indies series in February 2022 but remains a work in progress.Which version of Ishan Kishan will turn up?•BCCIWill India find their back-up opener?
India’s search for a back-up opener for Rohit and KL Rahul is still on. For the 2021 T20 World Cup, the selectors had picked Ishan Kishan for that role, saying he could also bat in the middle order if required. That he bats left-handed was seen as an “important” quality, and his wicketkeeping was a bonus.However, his current form flatters to deceive. In IPL 2022, he did score 418 runs but at a strike rate of just 120.11. And if Karthik makes it to the World Cup squad, India will not need a third keeper with Rahul also available to keep.As an opener, Kishan faces stiff competition from Ruturaj Gaikwad. While Kishan is seen as an aggressor, Gaikwad is more of an anchor. Gaikwad didn’t have a great IPL, but he showed glimpses of occasional brilliance. The South Africa series will give both batters another chance to impress.Who will win the race among the fast men?
With Bumrah not in the squad, there are likely to be plenty of opportunities for those next in line.At his best, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is among the top seamers in the world. He had a decent IPL, but India would want him to display consistency and potency. In the absence of Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar, he can make great strides towards being India’s preferred new-ball bowler. Not to forget, he can be as good as anyone in the death overs as well.From the new crop, there’s Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh. Both had head-turning IPL seasons. Malik set the stage alight with his pace and emerged as the middle-overs enforcer for Sunrisers Hyderabad, taking 22 wickets in 14 games.Arshdeep relied on his consistency to keep batters quiet at the death. He had only ten wickets from 14 games but his death-overs economy of 7.58 was second only to Bumrah’s 7.38 (min. ten overs). For both Umran and him, it will be about replicating their IPL success at the international level if the opportunity presents itself.Between new and old is Avesh Khan. He has been around the team for a while now but made his T20I debut only earlier this year. Unlike Umran and Arshdeep, he can bowl in all phases of the innings. Essentially, India are spoilt for choice in the fast-bowling department.

They play their best cricket when riding a wave of emotion, but they also need to hang in when it is not going their way

Sidharth Monga02-Nov-20221:36

Moody: Litton aside, Bangladesh went about their power-hitting the wrong way

Litton Das has batted in 154 T20 innings. He has scored 40 or more at a strike-rate of over 150 only three times. He is still considered Bangladesh’s best bet by many. Aesthetics have a lot to do with that. When he is on song, he doesn’t look like he is incapable of anything. The pull, the cut, the cover-drive, the deft late-cut, he plays them all, and does so languidly. Yet his T20 record: average of 22.95 and strike-rate of 125.95.T20 cricket, more than any format, strips you of any leeway style might get you. If you can’t use your aesthetics to score runs, and quick runs, you are discarded. A few Bangladesh batters – whether stylish or not – fall in that category. Play on a slow pitch, neutralise the opposition’s six-hitting, and they are a dangerous team. When you are chasing 185 against India on a cold night in Adelaide, you need some six-hitting to even dream of winning.Related

• Win or bust for Bangladesh and Pakistan, but even full points might not do

• Sriram: 'If we can challenge a team like India, we are not far away'

• Litton comes out of his shell and shows the way for Bangladesh

• 'We didn't talk about it being fair or unfair' – Shakib on resumption of play in slippery conditions

• India survive Litton Das scare in wet Adelaide

This is when Litton stuns India. He has no choice but to come out swinging. Even when he does come out swinging, Litton doesn’t look like he is playing a single shot in anger. KL Rahul says that it is the fact that Litton is hitting good balls away without an element of slogging that has fazed the India bowlers. They have been kicked off their lengths and plans.There are quite a few Bangladesh supporters in the stands, but the silence among the Indian section is so deafening you can’t hear the Bangla cheers. Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami are all taken apart. He brings up his fifty in 21 balls. It is difficult to plan for this kind of assault from a batter with those stats. A measure of how good Litton is, that while he has scored 56 off 24 in the powerplay, his partner Najmul Hossain Shanto has managed just four off 12. Another measure of how good Litton has been is that Bangladesh are 17 runs ahead of the DLS par score when it starts raining at the end of the seventh over.

****

We are in the bizarro universe now. Normally sides fielding are more reluctant to resume play in post-rain conditions. Here India are desperate to play on. On the other hand, the more it rains the better it is for Bangladesh. No more play gives them the elusive win over India in a world event. If we lose 10 overs, Bangladesh have to chase 23 in three; if we lose five, they will need 76 in eight.The ground staff keep running a rope on the ground almost through the rain break. Even before it stops raining, the big cover comes off. In all likelihood, this is just the ground staff showing confidence in the radar and getting a head start when it comes to drying the surface. It stops raining at about 9.37pm, about 40 minutes after it first started coming down. That’s a loss of two overs. You would think it would take another 20 minutes or so, a total loss of seven overs, but it is announced play will resume at 9.50pm, giving Bangladesh a further target of 85 in nine overs.As the ground gets through the final touch-ups, India look relaxed, in their huddle, regrouping after that assault. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan is seen having an animated discussion with the umpires while India captain Rohit Sharma mostly just stands and listens. Shakib is seen running his hand on the ground and showing them the water that comes up with it. Even after the umpires’ chat with the captains is done, Litton comes and has a chat with the umpires with some finger-pointing towards the ground.Bangladesh are not happy. This break has broken the momentum, but it is not long enough to help them mathematically even though the wet conditions will challenge India’s bowlers and fielders.Just to make things worse, Litton slips when running on the first ball. He injures his wrist too. He is running on the edge of the pitch, but when he is sliding in at the end of the run, he is almost on the grass next to the pitch, which takes him down. They decide against two. On the next ball, the second is properly on. This time, Litton is running on the grass and slips during the second. He doesn’t fall, but on this precise occasion, India, who almost comically couldn’t hit the wickets from close range against South Africa, manage a direct hit from the deep.Litton Das slipped while running between the wickets•ICC/Getty ImagesLitton is furious, looks back at the grass that nearly tripped him and walks off in disgust. If you are already feeling hard done by, this is enough to make you want to protest.

****

This is the exchange in the early goings at Shakib’s post-match press conference.Reporter:
Shakib, smiling:Reporter:
Shakib, still smiling: Reporter:
Shakib, smile getting wider: Reporter:
Shakib doesn’t know what to say.Reporter:
Shakib: Reporter:
Shakib: Reporter:

****

Shakib at this press conference is different from the Shakib we know. The Shakib who kicks down stumps, who argues with umpires, who gets into fights with spectators, who gesticulates at the camera for spending too much time trained on him, is the voice of the reason at the end of the match.However, how he is during the match in that dugout is important. Shakib is not the only emotional person in that team. That team runs on emotion. If anybody has been to Bangladesh, they will know the country runs on emotion.Emotion is Bangladesh cricket’s superpower. And during the rain break they have probably been told they have already failed to protest about a Virat Kohli fake-fielding incident. Twice in this tournament Kohli has remonstrated with the umpires even before they have had a chance to call a no-ball. It has annoyed the fans of the opposition. Not the merits of the call, but that Kohli gets to remonstrate. Now that there has been a chance to put Kohli on the spot, both the umpires and the batters have missed it. This is where emotion would have been well spent.You can imagine it is all building up. Then there is a chance to finally put one past India after the nightmares against them: the borderline no-ball to turn it around in the 2015 World Cup, the premature celebrations in the 2016 T20 World Cup, the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka. And now they have a chance not only to beat India but also to have proper semi-final aspirations.It is all at risk, and then what happens to Litton has happened.Then one after the other, Bangladesh batters keep swinging. Some shots come off spectacularly but Bangladesh don’t need these risks. Most teams in these circumstances give themselves a few balls to get themselves in knowing no target is safe when they take it deep. Bangladesh don’t have experience of doing so. More importantly, they don’t have known six-hitters on whom they can rely to finish the game if it gets tight.They are also angry, they are emotional, and they start playing the kind of shots Litton didn’t play at all.India on the other hand are doing small things right. Their long-on is wide, almost a deep midwicket, where two slogs end up. Rahul nails that direct hit. Arshdeep gets yorkers right with that wet ball. They are a lesson in being clinical.Emotion is also Bangladesh cricket’s kryptonite.

****

Never mind the coincidence that Bangladesh fall short by five, the same number of runs India would have been penalised had Kohli’s fake-fielding been noticed. In the fact that they come this close despite making all kinds of mistakes is a lesson. They play their best cricket when riding a wave of emotion, but they also need to hang in when it is not going their way. A lot of it comes from depth in your team, but sometimes you have to consciously keep the emotions aside. A bit like how Shakib does at the press conference to avoid controversy and fines. On the field they have to find a way to avoid it when it begins to harm them, which can admittedly be difficult when the amount of play left is as little as nine overs.

Backing his adventurous approach on perhaps the bounciest pitch he has played on, he left all his team-mates in the shade

Sidharth Monga30-Oct-20222:23

Faf du Plessis: ‘Suryakumar Yadav’s composure stands out, never seen him frantic’

Going into this World Cup, there was a bit of scepticism around Suryakumar Yadav. Yes, he had played quite a few unbelievable innings both in the IPL and in T20Is, but the doubt – from pundits who are better equipped to look at technique and so forth – was around how he would handle the bouncy conditions in Australia, where he had never played before. A bit of an in-joke: he had even done a lovely interview with ESPNcricinfo leading into the tournament, an event that is believed by certain fans to have magical jinxing powers. Three matches in, that scepticism should be dissipating.Related

Memories of 2016 lend edge to India-Bangladesh clash

Suryakumar Yadav: 'I wanted to do things my way, and it really worked for me'

Fleming: 'Very hard to find an area of weakness' in Suryakumar's game

Ngidi, Parnell, Markram, Miller lead South Africa past India

Rohit on giving Ashwin the 18th over – 'I have seen what happens in the last over with spinners'

In Sydney Suryakumar made a mockery of the need for a set batter in the last 10 overs, which have been far more productive than the front 10 in this World Cup. In Perth he played a truly special knock on probably the fastest and bounciest track he might have played on. It was definitely the fastest and bounciest of this World Cup, what with first slip standing at almost the edge of the 30-yard ring when South Africa bowled. Suryakumar’s innings came against a quick four-man pace attack. From a dire situation. Which is why he finished top of our Impact ratings with 128.55 points, well clear of the Player of the Match Lungi Ngidi, who scored 105.82.In a match where runs came at 6.75 an over, Suryakumar went at over 10. He scored more than half of India’s runs in exactly one-third the balls. Nobody on either side scored more. Nobody scored quicker. He made the pace and the bounce his friend, jumping inside the line and helping balls along behind square. His best shot perhaps was the flat-bat slap back over Kagiso Rabada’s head for four. Perhaps not quite Virat Kohli vs Haris Rauf levels, but this was still a shot to be marvelled at: off the back foot, against a genuine fast bowler on the bounciest track of the tournament, and back down the ground for four.Most importantly Suryakumar batted his way. A more traditional approach when in crisis in this tournament has been for batters to soak up balls, get themselves “set” and then look to make up for it in the end. It puts a lot of pressure on you and the batters to follow. Suryakumar was more Marcus Stoinis than Virat Kohli.Suryakumar Yadav finds a way to attack any kind of length•ICC via Getty ImagesSuryakumar went after just the fourth ball he faced, one ball after Deepak Hooda’s wicket had left India 42 for 4 in the eighth over. It would soon become for 49 for 5 in the ninth, but Suryakumar hit Anrich Nortje for a six in the next over. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t clinical: he targeted Keshav Maharaj, taking 25 off 12 balls from him. Overall, though, he played what is a percentage game in T20: either score quickly yourself or give others a chance to do so.South Africa will perhaps feel they went searching for wickets a little bit against Suryakumar: their fast bowlers bowled 12 short or short-of-good-length balls at him as against 13 on a length or fuller. The others got 38 on the shorter side and 33 on a length or fuller. Had one of the top five made it into the second half of the innings along with him, India may perhaps have been in a better situation to make use of the spinners’ overs. It just didn’t happen because when you don’t have a target in front of you, you have to take more risks, which didn’t pay off for India’s batters.Unlike Suryakumar, Aiden Markram and David Miller could afford to play out the difficult period and then really go after R Ashwin because they knew their target wasn’t huge. Eventually, South Africa scored eight more runs in boundaries than India did, which was roughly the difference between the two teams.India are still favourites to make it out of this group because their next two matches are against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and the weather in Adelaide and Melbourne, the venues for these matches on Wednesday and Sunday, looks fine at least at the moment. They need three points from these two games to be assured of qualification so this defeat doesn’t do their chances as much damage as it would have done South Africa had they lost. In the process India have found out they can run South Africa close in conditions that are loaded in South Africa’s favour. And that at No. 4 they have an all-conditions T20 great in the making.

The quick is also looking forward to making the most of his opportunities with IPL champions Gujarat Titans

Rajan Raj02-Jan-2023Shivam Mavi had an unforgettable week to end 2022. Four days after being bought by IPL champions Gujarat Titans for INR 6 crore (USD 731,000 approx.) at the auction, the fast bowler earned his maiden call-up to India’s T20I squad for the three-match home series against Sri Lanka, which begins on January 3.Mavi’s selection was a bit of a surprise, considering his T20 performances last year have been a mixed bag. He was released by Kolkata Knight Riders after a lukewarm IPL 2022, where he managed just five wickets in six games at an economy rate of 10.31. However, his recent form for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20s was more encouraging: ten wickets in seven matches at an economy rate of 6.64.Mavi was hoping he would be picked for India, but when the moment arrived he still did not know what to make of the feeling.”When we play domestic games, we normally hit the bed early to get proper rest,” Mavi tells ESPNcricinfo. “But that day, because I heard the team was about to be announced, I was sitting in Saurabh [left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar] ‘s room with Samarth [Singh]. As soon as I learnt of my selection, for a split second, everything came to a standstill. It was an amazing feeling. I was emotional, but I knew my time had come.”Related

'I can push my body again' – older and wiser Mavi puts setbacks behind him

'We're going to back you to the core' – Hardik Pandya's message to his young T20I team

Chance for new-look India to troubleshoot their T20 philosophy

Gambhir unsure if Kohli, Rohit, Rahul fit in 2024 T20 WC plans

Lakshan, Chandimal and Asitha excluded from SL squad

Mavi thought of his parents in his finest hour yet. As a teenager, it was their backing that allowed him to travel to and live in Delhi to have a go at the Under-14s trials. When he couldn’t break through in Delhi, his family decided to shift from Mewa, a small town near Meerut, to Greater Noida to give Mavi another chance at making it. The switch to Uttar Pradesh, along with the opportunities it brought him – like being a net bowler to the Afghanistan national team, for whom Greater Noida was once a home ground – made a difference.”This wouldn’t have been possible without their [his parents] sacrifices,” Mavi says. “They were naturally emotional too. Whatever the situation I found myself in, they always played the role of boosting my confidence and placing implicit trust in me.”Mavi repaid that trust in 2018, when he emerged as a key member of the India Under-19s side that won the World Cup in New Zealand. He picked up nine wickets in six games at an economy rate of 4.12 and impressed several former players, including Sourav Ganguly and Ian Bishop, who were commentators at the tournament.Speedguns recorded Mavi’s fastest delivery at 149kph; a combination of pace and swing made him and Kamlesh Nagarkoti a deadly pair during India’s victorious run. Knight Riders then staved off aggressive bidding from Delhi Capitals to snap Mavi up for INR 3 crore (USD 470,000 approx. at the time).Shivam Mavi has overcome multiple injuries en route to breaking into India’s senior side•BCCI/IPLThe Under-19 World Cup success in 2018 paved the way for the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh to go on to make their India debuts. If Mavi debuts during the T20Is against Sri Lanka, he will be the fourth player from that batch to wear the India cap. But his journey over the last four years hasn’t been easy.”After my Under-19 World Cup performance, I thought if I kept performing this consistently, then the India call-up wasn’t too far away,” Mavi says. “But in a short while, once I got injured, that target appeared to have moved much further away. Despite this, I always wanted to keep myself positive. I just focused on my game. Injuries are part and parcel of this game, but you have to keep moving forward.”Mavi has been plagued by multiple injuries. Prior to his India Under-19 selection, he suffered a side strain and an ACL injury. In 2019, shortly after his second IPL season with Knight Riders, he suffered a stress fracture of the back. It meant he would have had to miss IPL 2020, but Covid-19 forced the tournament to be postponed, which proved a blessing in disguise for Mavi who finished the rescheduled season with nine wickets in eight games. In IPL 2021, Mavi took 11 wickets in nine games at an economy rate of 7.24. He was particularly impressive in the powerplay where he kept a lid on the scoring rate.However, a heel injury in the lead-up to this season left him undercooked, and that showed in IPL 2022.Mavi acknowledges the role of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the coaches there in helping him overcome injuries and perform better. “What happens normally is that there’s a particular bone there that doesn’t develop fully until one is 22 years of age,” he says. “We have seen Pat Cummins suffer three stress fractures around the time he was 18-19. When you put excess pressure at that kind of age, injuries are possible.”I have always been quite mentally strong. What I have learnt all the while is that injuries are part and parcel of the game. It is easy to be positive when things are going your way, but it is more important to stay positive when you are injured. That’s all I ever reminded myself of.”When I got injured the second time, I was at the NCA and Rahul [Dravid] sir was also there. I was under pressure because of my repeated injuries. That’s when I sought him out and asked for his advice. He asked me to just keep my entire focus on the field of play. Injuries will come and go, but it is important to stay prepared for all opportunities that come your way.”Mavi is currently preparing to do just that. “When KKR brought Umesh [Umesh Yadav] into their fold last year, then it was apparent that he would be the lead Indian fast bowler, and that my opportunities would dry up. Now they also have Shardul [Thakur], and I was clearly not going to get ample opportunities to express myself. I think going to Gujarat Titans will mean more chances to play, and a greater opportunity to express myself.”Add to that this India selection, and the experiences I get from the dressing room will make me a much better bowler.”

By making a difference on the cricket field this allrounder has already ticked off a dream, but her journey is only just starting

S Sudarshanan20-Jan-2023India were 69 for 5 in the 12th over. Four out of the top five batters had fallen for single-digit scores. On a sluggish surface, in hot and humid conditions, runs were hard to come by. And in walked allrounder Amanjot Kaur, on debut, joining the seasoned Deepti Sharma in the middle.Amanjot takes fondly to challenges. Having started playing domestic cricket for Punjab in 2017-18, she switched to Chandigarh for a couple of seasons from 2019-20 in search of more game time. In each of her two seasons there, she was among the runs even while captaining Chandigarh and chipping in with the ball. She was assured of a spot in the XI and was showing off her wares.Related

• Amanjot, Deepti star as India begin tri-series with a win

But she wanted more. And so, in a bid to play more competitive cricket, she switched back to Punjab in 2022-23 where she picked the brains of India wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia. She scored 192 runs in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, the most for Punjab, at a strike rate in excess of 100 and then picked up eight wickets – only behind Harleen Deol’s nine – for North Zone in the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20 competition.A young seam-bowling allrounder, performing consistently, is hard to ignore in the Indian circuit and Amanjot received a maiden India call-up for this tri-series in South Africa ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup. It was significant given Pooja Vastrakar, India’s preferred allrounder, was still returning to full fitness following an injury that kept her out of the home series against Australia last month.And so, in her first international game, Amanjot was tasked with preventing India from getting bowled out cheaply. Understandably, she took her time to get the measure of it all and was on 7 off 13 balls at one stage. She had missed taking toll on a free hit, but she seemed unfazed. She bided her time, and then cashed in.Seamer Ayabonga Khaka was greeted in her third over with two marvelously timed cover drives. On both occasions, Khaka fed Amanjot full balls in her favoured area – outside off – for her to find the gap through the ring there. She then chipped one over fast bowler Marizanne Kapp’s head and such was the timing that it raced down the ground. She gave Khaka more special treatment in the penultimate over of the innings, hitting her for three fours.In all, Amanjot scored 22 off the ten balls she faced off Khaka and took ten of five off Kapp. She finished unbeaten on 41 off 30 balls, the second highest score in women’s cricket for India by a T20I debutant.Interacting with keeper Taniya Bhatia in the Punjab set-up helped Amanjot Kaur’s development•Getty Images”[Moving to Chandigarh] was a turning point as I gained knowledge and maturity as a batter and got the limelight,” Amanjot said after becoming only the third India women’s player to win a Player of the Match award on T20I debut. “Then I moved back to Punjab again and I wanted to take that step because I wanted to play more competitive cricket, play under seniors. There was Taniya and from her I learnt about how it is to be at the higher level and how the competition at the highest level is.”Amanjot added 76 runs for the sixth wicket with Deepti – the fourth-best in women’s T20Is – and helped India amass 44 off the last four overs. That meant India inched close to 150 and that was beyond South Africa on a surface that aided spin.”[Deepti] said I should not try to hit the ball too hard,” Amanjot said. “[The conversation was about] first to try for singles and then the boundaries will keep coming once we are set. She asked me to rein in my excitement since it was my debut and told me to stay calm and build a partnership so that the team can reach a respectable position.”Amanjot started training as a 17-year-old under coach Nagesh Gupta, primarily as a bowler. Her father enrolled her in the academy but thought her craze for cricket would fizzle out. She was set on doing something noteworthy for India in cricket though, and, seeing her dedication, her father, who was a woodwork contractor and carpenter, made some changes of his own to help her along. He quit his woodwork job and stuck to carpentry work in locations near their home so that he could drop Amanjot at training and pick her up again.”The travelling [between home and academy] was three and a half to four hours and he played a big role in managing that in 2016-17 when I had started,” Amanjot explained. “Earlier he used to undertake longer work, and used to stay at the [client’s] place and be away from home sometimes. But to pick and drop me from the academy, he left that.”Having made a stellar first impression in India’s blue, Amanjot knows her journey has only just started. But, as always, she’s up for the challenge.