Nathan Lyon's tale a triumph over conditions and perceptions

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

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

Daniel Brettig14-Jan-20212:34

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

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

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

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

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

How England select cricket teams: 'When we say data, we don't just mean the numbers'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

ECB player identification lead David Court discusses an unusual first summer in his job

Matt Roller23-Nov-2020On the surface, Zak Crawley’s case for selection at the time of his first call-up to England’s Test squad was weak. County Championship batting average? 30.55. First-class hundreds? Only three. Appearances for England-19s? Zero.But beneath that, the selectors had seen plenty that they liked. They had noted Crawley’s ability against the short ball, the rate at which he was improving, and his character, while recognising that playing half of his county fixtures at Canterbury – a low-scoring ground – meant his headline figures looked less impressive than they might have done for another player.”When we say ‘data’, we don’t just mean the numbers you’d get from ball-tracking or Opta,” says David Court, the ECB’s player identification lead. “That can involve holistic data: the aggregation of scouting reports, and that rich insight that you can get from counties and coaches.” The signal from the less quantifiable data was that Crawley was a player of high potential; 11 months later, his 267 against Pakistan rammed the point home.ALSO READ: ‘County cricket alone won’t produce international cricketers’ (2019)Court re-joined the ECB in March after four years working at the FA, filling his current role following Mo Bobat’s promotion to performance director. He had previously worked as a performance manager, and oversaw the regional Super Fours team at Under-17 level at the time Crawley was passing through.”Zak was involved in that regional tournament, so he was clearly a good player, but he didn’t play for England Under-19s. He’s obviously really progressed. One of our continued challenges is to keep looking at that potential, and asking: what are the attributes required to be successful in international cricket?”Current performance is not necessarily the best predictor of future success – that’s something I harp on about a lot. We have to be really conscious that we’re identifying potential, and not just current performance. Players’ progress is not linear, and we have to be aware of that.”

Having a young player perform like Tom Lammonby did is really positive – you want to see young players performing when the heat is onDavid Court on the opportunities afforded to young players in the Bob Willis Trophy

Crawley’s elevation to the Test side exemplified the fact that more data goes into selection meetings than a batting average modified by an algorithm, but it also added to a trend that is less celebrated at the ECB. A product of Tonbridge School, Crawley was one of nine players in England’s side for the second Test against Pakistan this summer to have attended private school, reported by the to be a record figure.It is a statistic that Court is aware of, but not one that leads him to believe there is any overwhelming bias towards people from a certain background in England’s selection process. “There are loads of factors at play,” he says. “My role is focused on international selection, so that’s not necessarily something we would discuss. It’s something we’d be aware of, but it’s definitely a wider issue around the decline of cricket in state schools.”I’m a state school boy, and even when I was at school a long time ago there were fewer opportunities to play, fewer pitches to play on than there once were. It’s multi-faceted. The other thing to say is that a lot of private school do run really good cricket programmes – they have high-quality coaching and some of the best facilities. And I guess some of the data is skewed by some schools recruiting and offering scholarships to the best young players. There are so many different factors.”Perhaps more pressing is the lack of black players within the English game. At the launch of Surrey’s ACE programme as a standalone charity, chair Ebony Rainford-Brent described talent ID among black communities as “non-existent”, but Court suggests that it is part of a societal problem, rather than an indication of unconscious biases among decision-makers.David Court joined the ECB earlier this year•ECB”It isn’t just a cricket problem,” he says. “Ebony is right: I’ve worked with her previously when I was at Surrey, and we’ve exchanged emails about where we [the ECB] might be able to help in terms of identification of players. The opportunity to play and develop is crucial: everyone working in player identification wants a wider talent pool to select from so that we can select the best players for England.”We used the idea of ‘multiple eyes, multiple times’ to address bias: we use different people from different backgrounds to look at players and use that to aggregate information before presenting it. The wider and more diverse that talent pool is, the better. Ultimately our role is to select to best players to win games for England; it would be great if – like in last year’s World Cup – we can represent modern Britain with a diverse team at the same time.”If Court’s first summer in the job was not quite as he anticipated – he joined immediately before lockdown was imposed – then he is still confident that he has managed to gain some value from it. In particular, he notes the opportunities that young players were afforded in the Bob Willis Trophy on account of the absence of overseas signings, several Kolpaks and with more players than usual on England duty as “really exciting”.”The number of England-qualified players went from 83% [in the 2019 County Championship] to 90%, alongside an increase of a few percent in the number of Under-19s. The challenge from a player ID perspective is then benchmarking that against previous performances, and working out the value of a performance in the Bob Willis Trophy compared to a normal season.Tom Lammonby works to leg•Getty Images”I managed to watch a bit of the final at Lord’s with Ed [Smith] and James [Taylor], and having a young player perform like Tom Lammonby did is really positive – you want to see young players performing when the heat is on. Even in the penultimate game, he got second-innings runs at Worcester to ensure they got to that final. Our job is to then make sense of those performances, understand which players are developing, and whether they have the long-term potential to go on and represent England.”Court’s time in football, in which he worked with clubs “right the way through from Champions League to League Two level” to have them develop their talent ID strategies, invites a comparison: which sport has a better infrastructure for the identification and development of players?”I’m still trying to establish the similarities and differences,” he says, “but one of cricket’s key strengths is the strong relationship between coaches and counties. Long may that continue as an open dialogue between county and country: it’s really healthy, and it ultimately helps the players transition into international level because we know more about them as a person as well as what’s they’re like as cricketers.”Speaking to Alec Stewart [Surrey’s director of cricket], who is one of our scouts, he sees that as a key part of counties’ role: to develop players to play for England. In all the conversations I’ve had with counties, they’ve been really open and willing to talk about which players they feel should be making a case for England and who is likely to be involved in the future from their side.”

The ever evolving genius of Kieron Pollard

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

He announced himself as a T20 phenom years ago, but now he has become better than ever, as Super Kings found out

Hemant Brar02-May-20213:34

Manjrekar on Pollard’s knock: ‘One of greatest IPL innings we’ve seen’

T20 is as much a game of finer calculations as it is of sheer power. And on Saturday, Kieron Pollard showed what can be achieved if one mixes both in the right amount.Chasing 219, Pollard smashed an unbeaten 87 off just 34 balls, studded with eight sixes and six fours, to take the Mumbai Indians to an improbable win against the Chennai Super Kings.But when Pollard came out to bat, the task was even more daunting. Mumbai had lost three quick wickets and needed 132 runs from 62 balls.The Super Kings had four seamers in their attack and Pollard knew each of them would bowl their quota of four overs. That would leave two spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali, to carry out the fifth bowler’s job.Given the smaller boundaries at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, spinners were the easy targets. However, by the time Pollard marked his guard, 1.4 overs of spin had already been bowled. Krunal Pandya then managed just two runs in five balls of the third over spin.When Jadeja started the final over of spin, the 13th of the innings, Pollard was on strike. He knew it was his last chance to take advantage.”They had four overs of spin to bowl on a small ground,” Pollard told host broadcaster at the post-match presentation. “So I wanted to see if I can hit a couple of sixes off spinners firstly and then try to take it from there. I only got two overs against spin and had to maximise that over against Jadeja. When you see the conditions, the pitch and the bowlers, you know if you stay in for a period of time… the ground is small, and a couple of sixes were always going to keep us in the game.”2:43

Kieron Pollard: It was about picking the bowler and executing

Pollard is not a 360-degree player. His main scoring areas are down the ground and the leg side. To deny him big hits, bowlers generally bowl wide outside off.Jadeja also tried the same. After being hit for a six earlier in the over, he went wider in order to stay away from Pollard’s hitting arc.The ball was so far away from Pollard that if he had left it, it would have been called a wide. Despite taking a little step towards the leg side, Pollard reached out for it and not only did he connect, he hit it so well that the ball sailed over the sweeper cover.After the match, Pollard said he had been working on his off-side game.”As an individual, you have to evolve,” he said. “Guys bowl wide and you are missing out on some balls. You have to try and maximise that part [off side] of the field as well. A lot of practice goes into it. That has helped me tremendously. Now I can’t say I’m 360. I’m not getting close to there, but I’m maximising more angles in the field.”Pollard muscled the last ball of Jadeja’s over for yet another six, taking the over tally to 20 runs.He continued in the same vein against the pacers as well and took Mumbai to the brink of victory. With 16 needed from the final over, and Dhawal Kulkarni for company, he knew he needed to face all six balls from Lungi Ngidi. He refused two singles but ensured he saw his side home.”Dhawal is decent with the bat but in order for us to win, I needed to bat six balls,” he said. “That’s the pressure you have to take as an individual when you see the magnitude of the game and what’s needed. We have done this time and time again in practice, in scenarios. So it’s just a matter of keeping calm and try to execute.”Kieron Pollard hammered a 17-ball half-century•BCCI/IPLDuring the Super Kings’ innings, Pollard was also the most successful bowler for Mumbai, registering figures of 2-0-12-2. After the match, Hardik Pandya revealed on that Pollard loves his bowling more than his batting. Hardik said: “He hits sixes for breakfast but if he takes a wicket or he bowls well, for him, you know when you give candy to a baby, it’s like that.”He is livid with himself when he gives [away] runs because, I don’t know, he takes his bowling to the heart. I think batting he does from here , bowling happens from here I feel.”If so, Pollard must have felt like a child in a candy store during the Super Kings’ innings. Once Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Ali to end his 108-run stand with Faf du Plessis, Mumbai grabbed the opportunity to sneak in a couple of overs from Pollard.Pollard conceded a single on each of his first four deliveries. On the fifth ball, a slower one, du Plessis miscued a scoop. Bumrah took the catch. Pollard took a bow.The next delivery was again a slower one and Suresh Raina holed out to deep square leg. This time Pollard broke into an Imran Tahir-esque celebratory run.Still, at the end of the day, it was his batting that left Hardik “speechless”. It prompted Krunal to declare “he is the G.O.A.T”. It made Rohit Sharma say he had “never seen a chase like that before”.

T Natarajan: 'If I make an error, I back myself to come back with the yorker'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The left-arm seamer talks about his surprise inclusion on the Australia tour, his first IPL season, and perfecting his favourite weapon

Deivarayan Muthu07-Apr-2021 Before you had your breakout IPL last year, you warmed the bench for two successive seasons. How challenging was that phase?

I knew that I won’t get to play during my first season at SRH because there were many star bowlers like Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar], Siddarth Kaul and Khaleel Ahmed. I just looked to learn from Bhuvi, who is very calm, and I worked on my inswinger with [Muttiah] Muralitharan sir for two years in 2018 and 2019. I used to discuss about scenarios that you face in a match situation and try to learn from those.In my second year at SRH, I thought I may get a chance, but okay, I didn’t get it. Bhuvi kept telling me that my chance will come and advised me to stay calm and keep working on my game. The disappointment of not getting a game will be there for anyone, but I wanted to be prepared when the chance would come. If I was not ready and missed [making the most of] the chance when it came, then I wouldn’t have got another chance.Related

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What was your mindset like when you finally got the opportunity? Nervous?

I just wanted to focus on my fitness and be ready to give my 100% when the chance came last year. I might have felt the pressure if I had made my SRH debut in India – I’m not too sure. With no crowds in Dubai, I just focused on doing the best for SRH in that particular scenario.When playing your first match, you always feel nervous, right? It will definitely be there, but I shifted my focus to doing the job for my team.How did you deal with bowling yorkers to Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya in a small ground like Sharjah, where there is no margin for error?

I knew I would get hit if I erred with my length. Even if I miss it by inches, these batsmen are power-hitters who can hit it for a six. In a small ground like that, any batsman will be confident of hitting a six. Sometimes even if they mishit, the ball will go for six. I was just clear that I couldn’t miss my length.If I tried something else and did not stick to my strength and gave runs [with the variation] too, it would affect my confidence. I believed 100% that I could execute the yorker. I have always believed in my strength and even if I make an error, I back myself to come back with the yorker.Even in the last ODI against England, Sam Curran hit me for a straight six first ball [in the 44th over], but the next five balls were perfect yorkers. What was it like bowling to MS Dhoni in the IPL and dismissing him?

I pitched one in the slot and he hit me for a big six – 102 metres or something. The next ball I got his wicket [and didn’t celebrate] – I was just thinking about that previous ball. After coming back to the dressing room, though, I was happy. After finishing the match, I also had a chat with him. Speaking to somebody like Dhoni itself is a big thing. He spoke to me about fitness and encouraged me, saying that I will keep getting better with experience. He said, use slow bouncers, cutters, and variations like that. It has been useful for me.ESPNcricinfo Ltd The yorker you bowled to AB de Villiers was one of the balls of IPL 2020. Was it doubly special because it came on the day you became a new dad?

Definitely. On one side there was my girl and on the other side, I got that wicket in an important knockout game. [I was extremely happy], but I didn’t really tell the others [about the baby]. I thought I will tell everyone else after we win the game, but my captain [David] Warner spoke about it, I think, at the post-match [presentation].I bowled the yorker to de Villiers cross-seam. I bowled cross-seam yorkers against England too. When I try a yorker on the seam, there are some chances of missing my angle, so sometimes it comes out as a low full-toss. For me to bowl with the cross-seam grip is more comfortable.Around that point, you were growing a beard and preparing for the rituals at home following the birth of your daughter, right?

Haha, yes. I never thought I would be picked for the Australia tour. I was just ready to go back home after the IPL.After being upgraded from the reserves into the main squad, you put on the India jersey and celebrated it on a video call with your godfather, Jayaprakash, and your friends from your home town, Chinnappampatti [about 375km south-west of Chennai]. Tell us more about that.
I can’t describe it! [Happiness is just one word] and I don’t know how else to describe it. My people and my friends all motivated me so much to reach this place. Coming from a small village to being selected to play for India… they were also very happy. A lot of people now know about my village.More than anything else, I like the India logo on the jersey a lot. I also like the Tamil Nadu logo on the jersey, but after putting on the India jersey, it was a different feeling. I felt like my dream was fulfilled at that moment. I think I would have had bigger celebrations if I was with my people in Chinnappampatti, but I was alone and in quarantine at that time ().

It must have been a difficult decision to not go home to see your newborn and instead travel to Australia?

My wife [Pavithra] told me that she and the baby [Hanvika] would wait for me. She asked me to win the trophy and said that they will be ready to welcome me back home after it.You had a sharp inswinger when you broke into the Tamil Nadu side. Then for a while it looked like it disappeared before it came back in Australia, where you dismissed Glenn Maxwell at the SCG with it.
Whenever I practise, I’ve been working on trying to bring the ball back in, but in some situations I don’t want to try something extra and bowl it on leg stump and give four. If I miss it, again it will affect my confidence, but it’s something I’ve been working on. I want to practise harder and bowl the inswinger perfectly in match situations. Muralitharan sir has helped me with this and even [L] Balaji has worked with me on the inswinger at Tamil Nadu. He has shared his experiences and I also ask doubts to him and I have become a better bowler with their inputs.After India won the T20I series, you were on the sidelines, but Virat Kohli called you and handed you the trophy. We believe your village celebrated the moment by lighting firecrackers.

After I left the ground and reached the room, my friends back home sent me videos of them bursting crackers after I got the trophy. From coming from a village to get the trophy from a legend… again, I was very happy. I had happy tears at that time.Then you made your Test debut under freakish circumstances with one of your good friends, Washington Sundar, at the Gabba.

It was great to make my Test debut with Washi. He played a superb innings under pressure and he played well in both innings to help us win the match. The experienced bowlers were injured and most of us were youngsters. The Gabba has a history and I’ve heard that it can be a challenging wicket against Australia. In the end we felt like we had won a World Cup. Having travelled to Australia as a net bowler, did you have your own bat or did you get one from Washington?

This time I had a sponsored bat, not Washi’s (). When I was with Tamil Nadu, it was always Abhi [Abhinav Mukund] [brother’s] bat for me. Even when I was playing in the IPL earlier, there would be team bats and I would use them if I needed to bat.Make way for the conquering hero: throngs turn out to welcome Natarajan home from Australia•PTI You received a grand homecoming, with hundreds of people from other districts also turning up in Chinnappampatti. What was your reaction to the revelry?

I didn’t expect it at all. The Covid rules were there, and I had come from Australia, but I was just told to get on the chariot. I thought there would be around 500-600 people there at my village, but people from Chennai, Kanyakumari and other districts of Tamil Nadu had come. There was even someone from Kerala. I never expected that something like this would happen in my life.But whenever I go home, I always play tennis-ball cricket – that’s where my journey started. I’m still the same old Natarajan in my village.YouTubers have been crowding outside your house. When you visited the Palani temple [in Palani, south of Chinnappampatti] recently, you were mobbed. Have you got used to the spotlight now?

It’s slightly difficult (). I don’t think I can roam around like I used to previously. It’s a new experience. When I am in my village, I don’t prefer being alone. I’m always surrounded by my group of friends and Jayaprakash [his mentor].You have been trying to convince your mother to shut her chicken shop and take a break for a while. Have you finally succeeded?

I’ve been telling her. Now after the baby was born, she has stopped working.G Periyaswamy and V Gowtham, two boys from your cricket academy in Chinnappampatti, have now got a taste of the IPL as net bowlers. Are you pleased about that?

Yes, it was always my dream to groom talent from my village, that’s why me and [Jayaprakash] wanted to run an academy in my village and not in Salem city. I managed to make it to higher levels of cricket, so we just wanted to run the academy to give the boys motivation that they can also come up and become professional cricketers.Me and Periyaswamy played together for Tamil Nadu in 2019, but we lost the Syed Mushtaq Ali final that year.Periyaswamy has now won the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy this year and Gowtham bowled at the CSK nets last year and also this year at Chepauk. Gowtham is an 18-year-old left-arm seamer who has solid fitness and can bowl yorkers. His dream is to grow like me, but I think he can become better than me with match experience because he has the height advantage and can bat a bit too. Our aim is to develop as many young players as possible, and that will never change.”These last six months have been like a dream for me”•Brenton Edwards/AFP/Getty Images Recently you had a knee complaint and visited the National Cricket Academy after playing a long stretch of cricket starting with last year’s IPL. How have you dealt with that?

Playing continuously for six months across formats is difficult for anyone. It’s more difficult for a bowler. I also bowled at the nets and I have to thank god that my body withstood that load. Even if you are fully fit, a small sprain or something can turn into an injury. But I enjoyed those challenges and those six months were like a dream for me. It gave me so many experiences. Travelling and playing together with the Indian team is a big thing for me.Before the Gabba Test, I had a niggle in the knee and I had to take an injection for it. It didn’t settle much after returning home, so I had to go to the NCA in Bangalore. That was my first time there, although I’ve played at the Chinnaswamy stadium. [Rahul] Dravid told me feel [don’t worry] and said I can approach him and speak to him anytime. He said that if I want to practise there, I could just drive down from Salem in a couple of hours and train at the NCA anytime.This IPL there will be greater expectations on you to nail those yorkers at the death. How are you preparing?

I know I will have to do the job 100%. I will have to focus on not missing my length and have a clear plan for that scenario. If I miss my length, I am aware that I will be taken for runs. I have bowled under pressure in the past, so all of those experiences will help me this season. Bhuvi <bhai is back and in form, so he will share his thoughts when I’m under pressure. Our team has good communication and it’s like a family. Even if I give runs, the team management backs me, so that gives me the confidence that I can come back.I’ve also never played an IPL game at Chepauk. I think Vijay [Shankar, Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mate] has played IPL in Chennai, but this will be the first time for me in Chennai. I’ve played a lot of cricket at my home ground, so it will be nice to play in Chennai.This is also the year of the T20 World Cup. Has the thought of bowling together with Jasprit Bumrah, who handed you your maiden T20I cap, crossed your mind?

I haven’t looked that far ahead. When the opportunity comes in the future, I will think about it. For now, I’ll keep doing whatever I’ve been doing to stay fit and perform well for my team.

Jason Holder's straight-bat impact on Sharjah's relaid pitches

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Holder’s reach, and ability to play straight, meant he alone conquered a slow surface that was once full of runs

Hemant Brar26-Sep-20212:23

Trevor Bayliss: ‘To be honest we didn’t play good enough cricket’

“There is a roundabout just outside the Sharjah ground, with a signboard saying graveyard. There is a cemetery there. I have always felt it should be pointing towards the ground as that has often proved to be bowlers’ graveyard.”That was Sanjay Manjrekar while previewing the Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings game for ESPNcricinfo.Manjrekar wasn’t wrong. Sharjah has indeed been a virtual burial ground for bowlers, with batters relishing its flat pitches and small boundaries. During the first half of IPL 2020, when the pitches were fresh, teams batting first in Sharjah crossed 200 four times in six matches. The lowest first-innings total in those games was 184.Watch the IPL on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the IPL live in the US. Match highlights of Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

However, there is one difference this time: the pitches in Sharjah were relaid just before the UAE leg of IPL 2021 began.While the venue has hosted only two games so far this season, the ball has already been turning, gripping and holding into the surface. On Friday, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s mighty batting line-up managed only 156 for 6 against Chennai Super Kings.Saturday’s game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings was played on the adjacent pitch, but run-making proved to be even more difficult.After being put in, Kings could muster only 125 for 7. Later, at the post-match presentation, their captain KL Rahul would say, “It was not a 160-170 wicket. Even if a couple of batters had got set, we would have put 140 or 150 on the board.”Aiden Markram would go into the why part at the press conference: “Anything with pace off was really holding in the wicket. And even the pace-on balls were not coming on [to the bat], so it was very difficult to find the boundary. And the outfield was quite thick and slow. So you were not getting as much as you would have liked for your shots.”And Sunrisers stuttered too in their chase. After six overs, they were 20 for 2, the lowest powerplay total at Sharjah in the IPL.Jason Holder launches one down the ground•BCCIIn the middle overs, Ravi Bishnoi troubled the batters with a mix of legbreaks and big-turning googlies. He castled Manish Pandey, had Kedar Jadhav chopping on and got Abdul Samad miscuing to short third man. With Sunrisers 60 for 5 in 13 overs, requiring another 66 from seven overs, in walked Jason Holder.Earlier in the day, Holder had registered his best IPL figures, 3 for 19, which included the wickets of Rahul and Mayank Agarwal in the same over. When Kings were looking to accelerate towards the end of the innings, Holder returned to remove a dangerous-looking Deepak Hooda.Now, his team required him to do it with the bat too. Holder played out a few deliveries but the asking rate had crossed ten. With 58 needed from 32 balls, Bishnoi provided the perfect opportunity to tee off: a fuller ball around off stump. Holder cleared his front leg and carted it for a straight six. In the next over, he launched Nathan Ellis over deep midwicket and long-on for back-to-back sixes.Two overs later, Shami bowled one in the slot and was smashed down the ground for another six. Arshdeep Singh bowled an excellent penultimate over, which left Sunrisers requiring 17 from six balls.Holder hit Ellis’ second delivery for a six, but with seven needed on the final balls, he failed to tie the game.Related

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Still, on a pitch, where everyone else struggled, Holder struck an unbeaten 47 off 29 balls. His five sixes were three more than the combined tally of all other batters in the match.How could Holder do what he did with the bat?Sunrisers’ coach Trevor Bayliss explained after the game: “He played fairly straight [Holder scored 26 runs in the ‘V’]. He has got a long reach on him, so he can get down the wicket but primarily he played fairly straight. He hit through the ball and didn’t necessarily try to play too square.”It’s difficult to play or score runs square of the wicket or behind point and square leg when there is no pace on the ball. And he showed the boys how it should be done, by playing straight. Take your singles down to mid-on and mid-off and if the ball is in the slot… obviously he is a good striker of the ball and he lobbed a few over the fence to give us a chance. I mean that’s the lesson for the rest of the guys. Play nice and straight on a wicket like this.”As per ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, Holder’s 47 was worth 64.63 and his three wickets worth 4.48 wickets. He topped both batting and bowling ratings, which gave him a match impact of 173.52, more than double the next best (Shami’s 82.4). Player-of-the-Match awards are generally given to the best performer from the winning side, but so towering was Holder’s impact, that he left little doubt he was the one to earn it.

Modern heroes of the game light up historic Rose Bowl

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

History, conversations, duels, drama, and a blanket of cloud featured on the first two days of the biggest occasion in Test cricket

Mark Nicholas21-Jun-2021Saturday, day two
It was a grey day on the English south coast and at the Ageas Bowl a blanket of cloud wrapped itself around the world of cricket on its big day out. There were “gleams of hope” – as JWT Turner once wrote of the oppressive London he painted at the turn of the 18th century – both in Sir Michael Hopkins’ architecture and among the players representing India and New Zealand but not a glimmer of sunshine as the toss was won, the jousting began and the small number of spectators – restricted by Covid-19’s wide remits – drifted in, masked, sanitised and ready for action at last.Who would win, asked the big screen, and 85% favoured India, which seemed to almost exactly reflect the make-up of the crowd. The few New Zealand fans waved their flags and a sprinkling of English neutrals settled in to watch the India openers remind them of the days when the English were the ones with the requisite technique for the damp and challenging conditions to hand.New Zealand bowled a little short and Shubman Gill pulled hard and fair to the midwicket boundary with the sort of time to spare that Barry Richards once displayed for the county that plays on this splendid field. He opened with Gordon Greenidge; two great players, who together lit up the English first-class scene in the 1970s. Greenidge stayed until 1987 before the number of overseas players per county was reduced, and Richards drifted into retirement after the rebel tours to South Africa in the early 1980s gave him a final taste of what the years of South Africa’s isolation had taken from him.Between 1976 and 1984, West Indies and South Africa would have likely contested many a World Test Championship final. We know the West Indies team well enough, so imagine a South African side with Richards, Graeme Pollock and Mike Procter; Jimmy Cook, Peter Kirsten, Allan Lamb and Clive Rice; Lee Irvine/Ray Jennings; Garth Le Roux, Vince van der Bijl and Denys Hobson – to name just a few.At the other end from Gill was the sublime gift to the game that is Rohit Sharma. When the New Zealand attack overcorrected and pitched up, he drove with power and panache, a man at last comfortable in the skin of a Test opening batter.At first, we watched these early exchanges side-on and were surprised by Tim Southee’s pace and carry to the wicketkeeper. Then we moved to seats – jaw-droppingly expensive seats – alongside the sightscreen to see some seam movement but not the swing we expected. For most of the two hours prior to lunch, New Zealand were below par and India a bit above. But the ball was softening, the lacquer on it being bashed away, and over lunch the New Zealand coaches were ready with their plotting for a better afternoon.And that afternoon was a dogfight, won by Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane through the power of their will and the straightness of their bats. The New Zealand seamers, five of them, found some mojo and the two Indians fought as if their lives – or indeed the heavyweight title of the WTC – depended upon it. “Hell of a player, that Kohli,” said Ted Dexter on the telephone. That’s the Ted Dexter who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame this very week; the Ted Dexter whose concern about the techniques in English batting now runs deep.Kyle Jamieson already has five five-fors in 15 Test innings•Getty ImagesWe ran into Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman who saved the county from dissolution when the ground was being developed and the money had run out. He is a marvellous man, if oddly unloved at the ECB, which must see his autonomy as some sort of a threat. Bransgrove pushes hard for the Rose Bowl’s place in the order of international things and this, it seems, ruffles feathers in the corridors of power.Also on site was Bill Hughes, vice-chairman of the club when I was captain, and it was over dinner after a day’s play at Headingley in 1987 that Bill and I, along with the third in our number that night, the president Wilfrid Weld, came up with the idea of this ground and then pushed and worked hard for its future. All three of us were on hand to see it open to first-class cricket 14 years later. For sure, 14 years is a long time, but such ambition is often thwarted by markets and circumstance. Bransgrove was the saviour and the game owes him more than a wary eye.You can imagine the pride then, when we looked out to Kohli’s resolute defence in the face of Trent Boult’s fine left-arm inswing and thought, “Wow!” The modern heroes of the game on show and on song on this piece of land leased to us by an Oxford college and turned into one of cricket’s most popular venues. Hughes said simply, “Every time I come here, I feel the same fizz of excitement. Today feels like the final realisation of the dream we had all those years ago.”The best in the world, playing it out for the newest and grandest title. I felt much the same as Bill. We had ridden the waves, survived more than our fair share of sharks and rips and dumps, and made it to the sandy shore.Sunday, day three
The television is on as two of my favourite cricketers, Kohli and Rahane, walk to the pitch. Chalk and cheese, these two – one all animation and explosive reaction, the other all calm and understated response. When Kohli left Australia to return home for the birth of his first child before Christmas last year, it was Rahane who took the captain’s armband for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and made one of the great hundreds. That innings regenerated Indian self-esteem after the humiliation of being knocked over for 36 in Adelaide and set up one of history’s finest series and most dramatic wins.Kohli’s footwork is electric, his timing pure and his running between the wickets Olympian. Rahane is working like Yohan Blake to keep up with him. New Zealand are looking to dry up the game, but these two class batters know that game and respond with purpose. Though not for long because, out of the blue, Kohli falls lbw to a beaut of a ball from 6ft 8inch Kyle Jamieson. You can leave most of what Jamieson bowls but not all. The big blond lad then snaffles Rishabh Pant (boo, we wanted an hour of Pant) and Rahane falls foul of the Neil Wagner bumper tactic. Goodness, Wagner takes a lot of wickets with the short ball: what a cricketer he is, a man to take to the trenches.The Lord’s double-hundred hero entertained at the Rose Bowl as well•ICC/Getty ImagesOn television, Dinesh Karthik sounds good and on Twitter, Harsha Bhogle generously says as much. Karthik sparkled as an extra on Sky’s coverage during England’s recent tour of India, making intelligent comment at intermittent stages of the day’s play from his home in India. How the great world spins: one minute going to battle for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the next whispering sweet opinion in England’s ears.New Zealand are right on it now. The ball is talking and the bat doesn’t like what its hearing. Ravindra Jadeja, playing solidly down the line, is beaten by a couple of crackerjack deliveries. Kane Williamson’s decision to bowl is finally being rewarded by his bowlers. Mind you, these are the sort of conditions about which Fred Trueman might have said, “We can get most of this match done this morning, sunshine!” You’d have backed Sir Richard Hadlee or Kapil Dev to have felt much the same.Post lunch, OMG, a distant yellow ball of fire is poking its head between the clouds. It is typical England this – a couple of weeks of Mediterranean summer and then, come the moment of need for a fabulous cricketing occasion, this wretched winter greyness – Richter-like every damn day – cold and wet. Still, this hint of sun lifts New Zealand hearts because it is accompanied by three quick wickets and the fall of India from 146 for 3 overnight to 217 all out. The big, tall blond took five, for the fifth time in a short career thus far. It will be a long one if his body holds hard.At tea, Kumar Sangakkara, is presented with his framed ICC Hall of Fame cap by Sunil Gavaskar. No better man for the job. The space for medals on Sangakkara’s breastplate is running out; some cricketer, some guy. Moments after 6pm, up come black-and-white photographs of the aforementioned Dexter, who is with Sangakkara in this most recent tranche of ICC hall-of-famers. Nasser Hussain’s words are kind and suitably upbeat. Ted is not so sprightly right now and unable to be at the Ageas Bowl, but his mood is lifted by the honour and the burst of attention – fantastic cricketer, captain of England as well as later chairman of selectors, and the man behind the world rankings system that lives to this day.Guess who is still batting? Devon Conway, that’s who. He of the Lord’s double-hundred the other day. He is an old pal of Quinton de Kock and they will be back on the ground together for the Southern Brave in the Hundred. Conway keeps the game simple – funny how well that works. Indeed, a feature of this two-day watching brief are the time-honoured methods on show. It is no coincidence that orthodox is a default position for all the best players. They go back to the basics, these fellows and, hey, the runs and wickets come flooding back.Oh, Conway is out. With clouds rolling in, Kohli brought the seamers back and Conway chipped a full ball from Ishant Sharma to mid-on. Now, they’ve all gone off early because of bad light, as they did too early on Saturday. Dickie Bird once said we should play in all light, except Armageddon. “Y’know, them black thunderstorms and lightning, but otherwise play in all light.” That opinion was out there once all batters had taken to helmets and long before floodlights did their bit to further improve the viewing. I’m with Dickie.

Patience and restraint, the new arrows in Virat Kohli's quiver

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The India captain has left nearly 34% of his 124 balls so far – a vastly different approach than what we are used to

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jun-20213:57

Steyn: Pujara should have created more opportunities to rotate strike

Third ball of the 11th over after lunch on the second day of the WTC final, Virat Kohli moves back and across as soon as Neil Wagner bangs it in short, headed outside off stump. Standing up on his toes, Kohli flashes hard, and is beaten for pace by the 82mph delivery. Bowler and batter stare at each other, exchanging only smiles, no words.Only 16 runs had come from 11 overs in the second session at that stage, which featured half a dozen maidens. Just before the break, India had managed seven runs in eight overs of which five were maidens. That dry phase had started with the fall of Rohit Sharma, followed a few overs later by that of Shubman Gill.Kohli’s response to the short, wide-angled delivery from Wagner was instinctive. Yet, it was an uncharacteristic reaction in what was a masterful display of restraint, which allowed India to get their teeth into a tough job.Watch cricket on ESPN+

The WTC final is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the match.

Despite opening for the first time in England, Sharma and Gill showed exuberance in going for runs, which came at a decent clip especially in the first ten overs, as New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers struggled for consistency. But, as soon as the two fell, New Zealand became more disciplined. That made the second session crucial. In any case, overcast conditions, inclement weather, and two outstanding bowling attacks had suggested a low-scoring match, and anything around the 250-mark might be good enough.That was evident in the batters’ approach. Cheteshwar Pujara had played 21 balls without making a run before lunch. The first over of the second session, delivered by Wagner, was a maiden. Kohli was the batter. Kane Williamson threw the ball to Colin de Grandhomme.In their one-on-one duel during the two-Test series in New Zealand last February, de Grandhomme had conceded just one run and sent Kohli back once in ten balls.Virat Kohli got off the mark with a classy drive through the covers•ICC/Getty ImagesHe might be just a medium-pacer, but de Grandhomme’s strength is that he can sneak the ball past the outside edge or rap the pads with seam movement both ways. Immediately into his spell, de Grandhomme got the perfect length: not full enough, but on a spot where the batter might consider the drive. Kohli was beaten by one such delivery early on, one that pitched on middle-and-off, and moved just enough to beat the edge and hit the outside of his back leg. BJ Watling took the catch but there was no bat involved, and Hawk-Eye showed it to be clearing off stump.Kohli managed just four runs from the 21 deliveries he faced from de Grandhomme. In the first Test of the 2018 series against England at Edgbaston, Kohli had faced 27 deliveries off James Anderson without scoring a run. He ended up scoring a century, one of his best.On this day, New Zealand had a short cover and short midwicket for Kohli, but Williamson had left big gaps on both sides for the India captain to pick. Kohli abstained. Standing, typically, a good yard outside the popping crease, he negotiated both the swing and the seam movement, mostly with ease. His other strength, taking a big stride forward, came in handy, too, as he played the ball under his eye line. Firmly.Related

Five things India must keep in mind in the WTC final

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There was another change that Sunil Gavaskar, among others on commentary, found in Kohli’s technique that should help him: as and when Kohli makes a back-and-across movement, he keeps the front leg straight, which allows him to deal with the incoming delivery much more efficiently, nullifying the threat of being lbw. There was also the open stance, which allowed Kohli to not just read the line of the delivery better, but also deal with it more effectively.These technical changes allowed Kohli to score runs against the swing, too, mainly square of the wicket. As per ESPNcricinfo’s logs, he scored 25 of his 44 runs in the area between cover and backward point.But what shone through brighter than all of this was Kohli’s patience. As he rushed out with Cheteshwar Pujara after the lunch break, he reminded one of a boxer getting inside the ring. The keenness. But, once he took guard, Kohli was Zen-like. He left a lot of deliveries: nearly 34% of his 124 balls so far. Before tea, Kohli was not in control of only nine out of the 96 balls he had faced, and then seven out of the 30 in the truncated third session.Kohli showed that he could, when needed, be quiet. Along with Pujara and then Ajinkya Rahane, he ensured India would not lose the edge earned through hard work, in the second session. If he can show the same powers of concentration over the rest of the weekend, Kohli might, yet, play the defining role in this WTC final.

Two kinds of Jasprit Bumrah magic

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

One was an intended bit of magic, while the other was a reward from the cricketing gods

Karthik Krishnaswamy30-Dec-20211:23

Cullinan all praise for ‘disciplined’ Bumrah, Siraj and Shami

Look through this website’s list of the 20 balls of this century, and ask yourself this: how many of them did exactly what the bowler had planned at the top of his mark?Most are simply a happy confluence of delivering the ball with a great degree of physical and technical skill – perfect wrist and seam positions, or high RPMs along the perfect axis – onto a good area, getting a little bit (or a lot) of help from the pitch, and maybe the batter not quite being up to dealing with what happened next.And that’s no slight on those balls or the bowlers who delivered them. Test cricket is mostly about hitting good lines and lengths over and over again, doing so at high pace or while giving the ball a big rip, and hoping that the excellence of the process will bring about good outcomes.Related

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  • Kohli: Shami among 'best three seamers in world at the moment'

Sometimes, though, a magic ball is really a conjuror’s trick. Jasprit Bumrah to Shaun Marsh, for example. A moment of genius almost entirely orchestrated by the bowler.He has only played 25 Tests, but Bumrah has already built up a collection of these moments. There was Keaton Jennings in Southampton, wrung completely out of shape by what seemed to be the world’s first sighting of a new weapon – Bumrah’s inswinger to the left-hander. There was Ollie Robinson at Lord’s, feet cemented in place with a series of short balls, and back pad thudded into with a slower offcutter from around the wicket.And then, on Wednesday, as day four of the Centurion Test drew towards an exhausted close in fluctuating light, Bumrah delivered two in the space of 14 balls. First, a perfectly good leave from Rassie van der Dussen rendered not-so-good by wicked break-back exaggerating the angle from wide of the crease. A beaming Bumrah clapped his hands as he ran towards his team-mates, a thing he does when he is especially pleased with himself. You probably did the same thing at the same time.6:41

Polite Enquiries: Will an actual fishing trip stop Kohli fishing outside off?

Bumrah didn’t clap after delivering what turned out to be the last ball of the day, a searing yorker that nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj had no answer to. He turned around instead, and stared at the non-striker Dean Elgar, who had said something to Bumrah earlier in the over when Maharaj had punched him off the back foot through the covers.Before Bumrah’s late burst, India had spent 103 frustrating minutes attempting to break a stubborn third-wicket partnership between van der Dussen and Elgar, throwing everything at the pair, often getting the ball to deviate sharply or confound the batters with steep or low bounce, but not quite managing to create that one chance.With rain expected on day five, there may have been a sense of anxiety among India’s players. Bumrah had blown it all away.As much as he is a bowler of great balls, Bumrah is a great bowler too. A supremely persistent hitter of good lines and lengths, who happens to hit those areas harder, and at greater pace, and with more backspin on the ball than most.His one wicket on day five was a triumph of this sort of persistence, though it contained a brand of magic of its own.Bumrah had harried Elgar all morning, mostly testing his outside edge and on one occasion getting him to edge thickly between second slip and gully. But as is often the case, making Elgar look uncomfortable and dismissing him were proving to be entirely different things. He had survived the first 9.5 overs of the day alongside Temba Bavuma, and moved to 77 in the process.Jasprit Bumrah celebrates after dismissing Rassie ven der Dussen•Associated PressThe sky over Centurion was clear, but rain was still forecast for the afternoon. Elgar had already been reprieved once in the morning, Mohammed Shami dropping him off his own bowling.Then Bumrah, delivering from around the wicket, got one to veer sharply towards the stumps. Elgar, having been made to worry constantly about balls in the corridor outside off stump, found himself in the wrong position, head well outside the line. The ball kept a touch low too, and Elgar, hopping across his stumps and playing all around the ball, was struck on the front pad, right in front.Was this movement in the air, or off the deck? It turned out to have been both. Bumrah was probably looking for the inswinger, but the seam came out of his hand ever so slightly wobbly. Then the ball seemed to hit a crack and deviate, and as it did so, the seam emerged miraculously unscrambled, canted towards fine leg, with the ball’s rough side facing the leg side.There wasn’t a whole lot of distance between where the ball pitched and where it hit Elgar’s pad, but the ball swung inwards over that brief duration, ensuring Elgar was in no danger of inside-edging it.Not an intended bit of magic, but a reward from the cricketing gods.

'I can't wait to keep playing with this team' – Stoinis, Langer, Maxwell, Cummins and others reflect on Australia's win

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The Australian players reflect on their title win and what it means to them

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-20213:12

Moody: Credit to Langer and Finch to galvanise this Australian team

Matthew Wade: Huge [on what does this win mean]. At first, T20 World Cup coming in, felt like a lot of people maybe wrote us off and didn’t expect us to get to this moment. But internally we spoke about how we’re going to be the first team to achieve this for Australia. [It’s] something really, really special.Cricket on ESPN+

Match highlights of the Men’s T20 World Cup final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

[On his innings in the semi-final] When we sit down, I will reflect probably closely on that. I think more than my innings, the partnership, we spoke about me and [Marcus] Stoinis in the rooms when we’re chasing, just saying that we probably didn’t realise that we scored as many runs as we did the other night. And then coming into this game, we felt really confident that if the boys could get off to a good start, then we could contribute at the end, but thankfully Mitch [Marsh] and Davey [Warner] and Maxie [Glenn Maxwell] at the end there did the job for us. As Stoinis said, just so proud of this group. Yeah, we’re stoked.Marcus Stoinis: The key…this group of boys, we absolutely, we actually love each other. It is beautiful. I can’t wait to keep playing with this team. I’m so proud of them. You won’t find bigger supporters of Mitch Marsh than right here and probably his family. We’re so happy for him.Adam Zampa: I just tried to use my strengths to the best of my ability. I knew the wickets were going to be pretty low. I bowled at a good time; we won the toss and bowled first. So it was probably a little bit drier when I was bowling, so I tried to use that to the best of my ability, tried to get tickets when we needed them and tried to defend when we need to do that as well.2:47

Moody: Can’t underestimate Australia as they don’t often play T20Is at full-strength

[On backroom staff] A lot of credit goes to those guys. We’ve been in bubbles for almost two years now. And that takes a toll on everyone, including the staff. Our preparation from their side of things has been great. And it’s their win as well.Glenn Maxwell: He [Zampa] has been a superstar in this format as well as one-day cricket for a long period of time. I’ve had the pleasure of having him at the [Melbourne] Stars and watching him go about his work for a long time. So to watch him bring it straight into international cricket, like there’s absolutely no edges whatsoever. He’s just fitted in so well and last three years as a legspinner, I don’t think there are many better in the world.I was able to give myself a few days off before the tournament to really freshen up and I felt like I was hitting the ball really well. Luckily, that wasn’t really required a whole heap. But it was nice to be out there at the end and get the winning runs.Steven Smith: [This win means] a lot. We’ve worked hard for a long time. This is a trophy that has eluded us for a very long time. So it’s an honour to be out here with the boys and to be able to take that trophy home, it’s exceptional.His [Warner’s] last two weeks have been amazing. A lot of people were writing him off at the start, saying he was out of form but it took one good innings and he was away. Today, I thought he came out with exceptional intent again. Him and Mitchell Marsh, that partnership really set us up for the game. I am really proud of those two boys. I think they’ve had great tournament, both of them.Josh Hazlewood: There’s always pressure, the batters are coming at you from ball one basically. But we started really well, we kept the powerplay to I think around 40. Some pretty good effort there and I obviously got away at the end. But we saw the wicket was pretty good and the exceptional chase from our guys.[On Williamson’s knock] He’s a superb player and he has been for a long time now. Another classical Kane innings really, scored all around the ground and hurts you when you bowl poorly.Justin Langer: I suppose everyone who wins a World Cup says it’s hard to process, it’s hard to put it into words. But this is such a special group of people. I know every coach, every captain says the same thing. But we’ve got some amazing cricketers here, we haven’t had a chance to play together because of different reasons for last 12 months. So when we all got back together, it was almost like a reunion. And they’re such close, there’re so many close relationships there. It’s a very, very special moment for everyone.Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins celebrate with the trophy•ICC via Getty ImagesWe knew that when we came back together how much talent we had. That’s for one. I mean, there’s enormous talent in this team. When we’re in the West Indies and Bangladesh leading into this series, there were a few missing pieces. And Mitch Marsh took one of those pieces. And he’s been brilliant. And we also embraced fun. In this situation, where everyone talks about bubble, these guys had so much fun on and off the ground. In this form of the game, actually in the game of cricket, it’s important to have fun and enjoy it, and the guys have done that. I think it was a really important part of our success here.Zamps puts a smile on my face every time because he’s a little bit different. He’s a little hippie, but he’s so competitive, and he’s been so good in this form of the game. We see legspinners have an impact around the world and he’s doing that for Australia now.And Josh Hazlewood, well, he didn’t play the last one-day World Cup because he had some issues with his back. He has come in here, he’s been sublime, so it’s just been a great team effort.Pat Cummins: Pretty pumped. I think once we get back home and get back in there, will it only sink in. A lot of support from back home, like getting up at 1am to watch this game, so a great feeling.It was a good thing playing a little bit of the IPL over here. Even someone like Joshy Hazlewood coming straight from the IPL, here he is seeing to adapt really quickly and I mean, you don’t have to get too funky. It’s just part of what we do again more with the red ball stuff with a few slower balls thrown in there. This is really great, it’s such a complete squad of 15 guys here, so really happy.Mitchell Starc: It’s not been the ideal lead-up, but I think just the closeness of the group, we had a great time here. We’ve had some great times off the field, getting around one another. And I think that showed in the way we played our cricket. We’ve had everyone contribute, guys off the field, on the field, different guys in different games. And we saw that again tonight. So I think that the closeness of the group is what really got us through this tournament, and then hopefully that leads into the summer as well.He [Zampa] has been fantastic. He’s been our best bowler, I think, by far for the last couple of years with the white ball. And he made it really easy for us quickies to work around him. I think we’re pretty confident in what we do and run off the back of each other when Zamps is doing what he does. I think it just makes the bowling group, their role a lot clearer and we can do our job quite easy I guess.

IPL 2022 FAQs: Seven-day isolation for positive tests, 25% stadium attendance, two reviews per team

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The upcoming edition will feature ten teams and 70 league matches – including 12 double-headers – spread over 58 days

Vishal Dikshit24-Mar-2022When is the IPL starting and where?
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to kick off the 15th season of the IPL. While that match will start at 7.30pm IST, there will be a total of 12 double-headers this season, when the first game will start at 3.30pm IST, and the second at 7.30pm.Related

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What’s the format of this IPL now that there are ten teams?
The 2022 IPL will have the ten teams split into two virtual groups of five each for the league stage. Mumbai Indians and Super Kings – the two most successful sides in the IPL – have been placed in separate groups.Each team will play 14 league games this time as well, for a total of 70 games before the playoffs. Each team will play the other teams in the same group and one from the other group (in the same row as the table below) twice and the remaining teams in the other group once for a total of 14 games. For example, Mumbai will play teams from their own group and only Super Kings from the other group twice, and the remaining teams from Group B just once.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhere will all these league matches be played
To minimise the exposure to the risks of Covid-19 while traveling across India, this time the IPL will be played across four venues in and around Mumbai and Pune. The four grounds to be used are the Wankhede Stadium and Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, and the MCA Stadium in Pune.If there is no home-and-away concept, how has the schedule been made?
To make it a level-playing field across the four stadia, the schedule has been drafted in such a way that teams will play four matches each at the Wankhede and DY Patil, and three each at the Brabourne and the MCA Stadium. On paper at least, rivals might feel it gives Mumbai an advantage because they will get to play four games at the Wankhede, their original home ground, although they last played there in 2019.ESPNcricinfo LtdHow long will the league stage run for?
These 70 league games will go on for 58 days from March 26 to May 22, before the playoffs, for which the venues and the schedule have not been announced yet. The final will be played on May 29.What happens if a player or squad member tests positive for Covid-19 during the IPL?
The participant who tests positive will have to isolate for a minimum of seven days, and during that period, he will be tested on the sixth and seventh days. For him to re-enter the team’s bio-secure environment, he will have to provide two consecutive negative RT-PCR tests taken 24 hours apart, full resolution of symptoms, see that there are no fresh symptoms for more than 24 hours, and that there have been no use of medications for more than 24 hours.What happens if a team is affected by multiple Covid-19 infections and many of their players are unavailable?
A franchise can field a team if there are a minimum of 12 players available for them, including at least seven Indians and one substitute. If a team has fewer than 12, the BCCI will attempt to reschedule the match for later in the season. If, for some reason, that is not possible, the matter will be referred to the technical committee of the IPL, and the decision of the committee will be “final and binding”.Earlier, when the rescheduling of a match was not possible, the franchise unable to field a team would lose the points to the opponent.Any new playing conditions for this IPL
Each team will now have two unsuccessful reviews per innings, as opposed to one earlier, and the rule for the new batter taking strike after a caught dismissal has also changed. From now on, irrespective of whether the batters have crossed or not at the point of a catch being taken, the incoming batter will be on strike, except if the dismissal is on the last ball of an over.Will spectators be allowed at the stadia?
The Maharashtra government has, for now, allowed 25% of the seats to be occupied, but only by fully vaccinated spectators. Fans can buy the tickets from BookMyShow.Which bubble protocols are different this time compared to the 2021 IPL?
The one major change is that all players and staff members need to spend three days in hard quarantine (strictly in hotel rooms), compared to seven last year, before entering their team bubbles. During those three days, the players and staff members will need to do in-room testing every 24 hours. However, this rule will not be applicable to those who will be coming from another bubble, such as at a bilateral series, a franchise preparatory camp, a domestic tournament or a national camp, provided the players travel by a charter flight or by road.

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