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The former England captain and well-known psychoanalyst talks about Bazball, the current England side, and his new book

Paul Edwards18-Apr-2024Last September, Mike Brearley travelled to Old Trafford to watch Middlesex play Lancashire and to promote his memoir . As part of the visit he was interviewed for Lancs TV by Paul Allott, who made his Test debut under Brearley’s captaincy against Australia in 1981. Naturally, their conversation turned to Bazball and the ways in which Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have transformed the attitudes of England’s players and the results of the team. Midway through their chat, Allott asked his old captain whether he’d have enjoyed captaining the current England side with McCullum as its coach. The answer came back in a trice. “Yes, I think I’d have loved it”.Now it is six months later and Brearley is sitting at his kitchen table, sipping coffee and eating an almond croissant. His answers to a different set of questions are more measured and invitingly nuanced but the enthusiasm for this England team’s approach is no less keen than it was before they lost 4-1 to India. He likes the idea that Stokes’ players have been liberated by possibilities rather than constrained by expectations, and he admits that some England teams during his career suffered from the latter limitation.”I couldn’t imagine anyone changing the team’s morale and performance overnight in the way McCullum and Stokes have done, and you don’t do that by accretions of technique or little nudges this way or that,” he says. “You do it by changes of heart and attitude, and these seem to have released people from their inhibitions and tensions and the view that you must never get out playing an attacking shot if you could have defended the ball. The changes have been very much for the good.”Related

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Typically, Brearley traces Bazball to one of its sources: McCullum’s resolve to change the culture of the New Zealand team he captained in 2013, a few days after they had been bowled out for 45 by South Africa in Cape Town: “Just because there is more at stake now doesn’t mean you should lose the innocence of why you played the game in the first place,” said McCullum in an interview. “For a long time we had lost that, and I think our team had lost it… We expected the game to owe us something. We almost felt entitled… There was no soul about our cricket… It sounds a bit corny, but we talk about the playful little boy who fell in love with the game. When you have that mindset you can be positive and aggressive because you’re thinking about what can go right rather than what might go wrong.”Brearley identifies examples of the changed approach in many areas, not least selection, and talks with fascinated delight about the success enjoyed by Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed in the Test series against India.”The old spinners like Fred Titmus and Ray Illingworth would have completely pooh-poohed the idea of anyone playing Test cricket after playing half a dozen [first-class] games, and I think I would have done too, but I thought the three young spinners kept at it and they did remarkably well,” he says. “Rehan Ahmed reminds me of Warne with his strong shoulders and his busy, energetic, strong action. He certainly has chutzpah.”

“Winning is essential to a game. I’m very suspicious of the attitude expressed by some people that they don’t mind losing”Mike Brearley

As so often with Brearley, there are links with his working life as a psychoanalyst. One of the abundant joys of is to see how its author’s profession informs his understanding of the game he has been passionate about since the age of four. For example, the chapter “Prophet to a Profession” pays tribute to the psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion, a figure who is probably well known only to specialists. For Bion, the essence of psychoanalytic treatment is “to introduce the patient to that person with whom he has most dealings in his life, namely himself”. Brearley takes to the suggestion that Bazball has introduced cricketers to the players they could be if they weren’t so burdened down with precedent and expectation. “I think it’s true of sides who could have a distinctive way of playing the game, just as orchestras could have a distinctive way of playing music,” he says. “Stokes and McCullum introduced their England team to the team it could be.”Yes, but acquainting oneself with new ways of thinking can produce strange decisions. I challenge Brearley about Stokes’ declaration near the end of the first day of last year’s opening Ashes Test, when Joe Root was 118 not out and Australia’s attack seemed to be flagging. It was a decision Brearley has described as bizarre. Or what about Root’s own comment to his overnight batting partner, Ollie Pope, that he would reverse-scoop the first ball of the fourth morning’s play? How can that be squared with Greg Chappell’s statement, quoted in , that “premeditation is the graveyard of batting”?”Well, I wouldn’t have declared when Stokes did and I don’t advocate it, but I don’t necessarily blame him because it was part of his overall approach, in which I still believe,” says Brearley. “And Bazball has changed. For example, when Stokes first came to Bazball, he got out wildly in Pakistan, running down the pitch and slogging. That was a result of his determination to lead by example, but he did modify his approach.”As to Root’s reverse scoop, it’s got to be almost regardless, hasn’t it, and he did it for a while and had some considerable success. I have seen people readjust from a reverse scoop but I haven’t seen many do it. And what Greg Chappell would allow is that you could look for something; you have in your mind where you’re going to score runs off a certain bowler. Where might I get a four off Joel Garner, say?” Brearley smiles wryly at the memory. “There’s a difference between looking to do it and absolutely determining to do it.”So in addition to welcoming the change in England’s approach to Test match cricket, Brearley is fascinated by the way in which that approach might evolve after a series in which England’s 4-1 defeat hardly reflected the balance of the five games, which were played on very fair pitches.Brearley suggests that Stokes and McCullum have opened the England players’ eyes to who they could potentially be•Getty Images”I was sad that we didn’t get to two-all but I thought India were the better side and they deserved to win,” he begins. “I was disappointed that we didn’t take advantage of the positions we were in during one or two of the earlier matches, and particularly so in Pope and [Ben] Duckett, who both made huge hundreds and then got worse rather than better.”Pope looked just as jumpy even after making that wonderful 196 in the first Test, and Duckett played that extraordinary innings of 153 and yet lost it against Ashwin and Kuldeep [Yadav]. By the end he didn’t want to block, yet he didn’t want to lap. I thought [Zak] Crawley played extremely well and moderated his style but was unlucky to get good balls, and I was glad to see Root come back and play in his old way.”Brearley’s knowledge is as deep and his observations as informed as one might expect, yet is also notable for its author’s continuing enthusiasm for the game and his youthful, wide-ranging desire to find out new things and learn more. Brearley’s wife, Mana, says that he is more relaxed in the company of cricketers, and his editor, Andreas Campomar, believes he writes with more spontaneity on the game than on psychoanalysis, albeit that he has written a “memoir of the mind”.”Cricket is something that I feel I know more thoroughly but it’s also more limited than psychoanalysis, which is about the whole of life and you’re less likely to think you know it,” Brearley says. “There are people still doing psychoanalysis who are more renowned and better at it than me. And after having played for all those years, it is easier to write than to play. I was more anxious because of my limitations as a batsman at the highest level, so I was more liable to get tense about batting than I am about writing or psychoanalysis. Now I’m not answerable to anyone and I still sometimes have strong views about cricket, whereas I’m still a practising psychoanalyst and I’m in the thick of it.”But what does Brearley make of the times when sport and psychoanalysis overlap? I’m not thinking about captaincy here, an area in which his expertise has frequently been explored, but more about the purpose of playing games at all and the satisfactions to be derived from them. In , Brearley references the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga’s famous book and also quotes Bion, for whom play was easily contaminated by the will to win, or paradoxically in Brearley’s case, by his ability, which led to his being considered for a leadership role. For example: “Excellence meant that the prospect of captainship began to appear over the horizon. That would mean that the prospect of games for the sake of games would no longer be a feasible aim.”Little, BrownPrompted by such thoughts and connecting them to current debates, I ask Brearley whether the health of a country’s sport should be judged by the health of its national team.”That does seem to happen,” he acknowledges. “If you have a view of cricket like Bion or Huizinga’s, you would think that if the game is played in its purest spirit, it doesn’t matter who wins. The purity of the game is in the spontaneous, playful enjoyment of it – just as young lions play without hurting each other. You do it for its own sake. I hope we never lose that, and it’s actually what Stokes and McCullum are trying to achieve. But I do think winning is important – the rules of a game determine what a win is and winning is essential to a game. I’m also very suspicious of the attitude expressed by some people that they don’t mind losing.”It is nice if the national cricket team does well, especially if they play in the right spirit, as they have been doing. And there’s no other way of learning how to get there, except through county cricket. So it is a function of the county game that it should produce players of international standard, just as it’s a function of club cricket that it should produce players who are ready to go into county second teams and the first-class game. If you don’t have those stepping stones and strengthen them, then you don’t get the top level either.”Turning Over the Pebbles

Chris Jordan hails his friend’s resilience in battling back from long-term elbow injury

Matt Roller26-May-2024Jos Buttler had repeatedly tried to play down expectations ahead of Jofra Archer’s comeback from an elbow injury but it will be hard for England’s fans not to get carried away. After 14 months away from international cricket, Archer’s smile told the story at Edgbaston: he finished with 2 for 28 from his four overs, closing out a 23-run win.Googling Archer’s name throws up the prompt ‘Will Jofra Archer return?’ and there have been times during his latest lay-off where it has seemed unlikely – not least at last year’s ODI World Cup, when his time as a travelling reserve ended less than a week after he had arrived in Mumbai due to yet another setback. He admitted on Saturday that constant rehabilitation left him feeling like “a hamster on the wheel” and hinted last month that “another stop-start year” would leave him questioning his future in the game.In that context, Archer could hardly have asked for more on his return against Pakistan on Saturday: two wickets across his four one-over spells; a top speed of 92mph/148kph; and a four-ball cameo of 12 not out, featuring a sweet straight six off Mohammad Amir. There was even an FA Cup final victory at Wembley for his beloved Manchester United, giving him bragging rights over the City-supporting Phil Salt.For Chris Jordan – his fellow Bajan, friend and mentor – Archer’s first wicket was enough to make his hairs stand on end. After an expensive opening over, which cost 15 runs at the end of the Powerplay, Archer struck with the first ball of his second: Azam Khan, Pakistan’s keeper-batter, chipped a fullish ball clocked at 90mph/145kph to short cover.”It gives goosebumps to see him take that wicket,” Jordan said. “He probably didn’t take it with the best possible delivery, but he’ll take it. He’s phenomenal: to be out of international cricket for so long and to touch 90mph and just look like he never left is awesome. And he will keep getting better with games.”Archer can appear unflappable on the field but his team-mates noticed some nerves on Saturday. “In the last six months, I feel like I’ve seen a shift in his vibe and his mindset – everything,” Jordan said. “He seemed really happy stepping on the field today; he might not have looked it, but I bet he was quite nervous… for England fans and everyone who is a fan of him, it’s great to have him back out there.”It is always a tough ask to bowl the final over of the Powerplay when the ball has stopped swinging, and Archer did little wrong in his first set of six despite conceding 15 runs. There were no looseners, his first ball clocked at 86mph/139kph; and if he overpitched slightly when Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman hit him for fours, Fakhar’s deft scoop for six was a clever shot rather than a bad ball.Perhaps Archer could have turned to his variations earlier, but they were unfurled later in his spell to good effect: Fakhar ducked under an 87mph/140kph bumper, Iftikhar Ahmed couldn’t get his legcutters or his back-of-the-hander away, while Shaheen Afridi had to dig a yorker out. Imad Wasim thought he had squeezed a low full toss away for four, but instead picked out Liam Livingstone who held onto a tumbling catch at deep point.Related

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Matthew Mott said on Wednesday that England have a clear idea of their best XI for the the T20 World Cup: with Sam Curran struggling to disguise his disappointment at being left out during a guest appearance on Sky’s commentary, the side that featured at Edgbaston could well be the one that starts the tournament against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.This was a first chance to see England’s three likely starting seamers – Archer, Jordan and Reece Topley – in action together, with Moeen Ali, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone and Adil Rashid also providing four spin options. The quicks have clear roles: Topley will primarily bowl with the new ball; Archer at both ends of the innings; and Jordan mainly towards the end.”We know how good [Archer] is, how he can change a game in a minute,” Jordan said. “Every batsman that came out, they were thinking about the bouncer straightaway. That, in itself, adds a different dynamic to the bowling attack, and some good variety as well: I’m a bit shorter, skiddier; Toppers is tall, left-arm; Jofra’s tall, right-arm; Sam’s a bit different as well. We’ve got a good mix of guys.”As the series moves onto Cardiff on Tuesday and The Oval on Thursday, the focus will simply be on Archer continuing to build up his match practice, his return giving England’s players what Jordan called “a different-level mood”. Five years ago, Archer’s late inclusion to England’s ODI squad made all the difference to the World Cup campaign that followed; now, the defending T20 champions are hoping for a repeat.

England allrounder set to feature on white-ball tour to country where he grew up

Matt Roller03-Oct-2024Jacob Bethell is targeting a spot in England’s Champions Trophy squad through performances on their white-ball tour to the Caribbean – and joked that he is hoping to avoid being booed when he plays against West Indies in Barbados, where he grew up.Bethell, who turns 21 this month, made his T20I and ODI debuts against Australia in September and felt as though his first taste of international cricket “reaffirmed that I was ready” to make the step up. He kept his place in both squads for the Caribbean tour, which comprises three ODIs and five T20Is and includes three fixtures at Kensington Oval at the start of November.”That’s where my heritage is, so all my friends have already bought tickets,” Bethell said at the cinch PCA awards, where he was pipped to the Young Player of the Year trophy by Jamie Smith. “They’ll be in the stands waiting for me when I get there. I’m slightly worried about how the West Indian fans are going to accept me.Related

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“I’m hoping I don’t get booed too much. I’ve seen Steve Smith in his last few games and every time he walks out to bat, it’s like the end of the world. I’m hoping that’s not the case in the West Indies! I’m only saying that as a joke: there’s a whole lot of support coming around so I can’t imagine it’s going to be anything but that.”Bethell was born and raised in Barbados but moved to the UK aged 12, attending Rugby School on a sports scholarship. He is one of three players in England’s 14-man squad with links to Barbados, along with Phil Salt – who attended Harrison College, the same school as Bethell, while living there as a teenager – and Jofra Archer, who was born and raised there.After the tour, Bethell will head to Australia to play for Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, and hopes that he will remain part of England’s white-ball plans. “There’s obviously the India series for England [from January] and the Champions Trophy, which is something I’ll be looking to put in performances in the West Indies to then get selected for,” he said.Bethell’s first seven international appearances were a mixed bag. He hit 44 off 24 at Cardiff – which included 20 runs off four balls facing Adam Zampa – and helped to square the T20I series in partnership with Liam Livingstone, but had a quieter time in the ODIs, with 85 runs and four wickets across five matches as England’s No. 7.He found the experience “full on” but felt “at home” against Australia’s bowlers, who included Zampa, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. “You’re ‘on’ all the time,” Bethell said. “I found it hard to switch off at times, but on the whole, it was pretty much everything I expected. It’s hard cricket, mixed around busy travel and a lot of off-field expectations.”A perfect example is Southampton: we were staying on the ground, and you’re sleeping 50 yards away from where you’re walking out to bat, so I found it quite hard to switch off then.”One thing that was really pleasing was you see the level. You’re playing against the top players in the world – and obviously [50-over] world champions – but it was a level that I didn’t feel uncomfortable at, especially with the bat. I felt really at home, so it just kind of reaffirmed that I was ready for it, and ready for what’s to come.”He will predominantly play white-ball cricket this winter, but Bethell’s aspirations extend across all formats. “It’s nice to tick off two of them, but definitely the best one is yet to come – hopefully,” he said. “Test cricket has always been my dream. I know it’s taken a different shape in the last three years but definitely, that’s still my dream: to play Test cricket for England.”At the minute, I’m still very adaptable in red-ball. I haven’t really found a place where I’ve gone, ‘Right, this feels like home’ in terms of a place in the batting order, but I think that could be anywhere from opening the batting to No. 7 – especially with bowling offspin, I’m hoping that I can get into a team being a genuine allrounder.”

Leg-spinner leads new generation of women prioritising franchise cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2025Leg-spinner leading a new generation of women prioritising franchise cricket tells Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda why she has chosen that path over trying to break back into the Australian team.

From local tournaments to the IPL, Arya has climbed steadily. His focus now is on making his Ranji debut

Daya Sagar22-Aug-2025Priyansh Arya, IPL 2025’s breakout star, has had a busy few months. There’s been no time to dwell on the “what ifs.”A day after losing the IPL final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad, he was back in action in a local tournament in Delhi. Just two weeks later, he scored a century in the final, leading his team to the title at the DDCA Hot Weather Tournament.Now, at the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025, Arya has already notched up a century, tallying 267 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 171.It was at this very tournament last year that his life changed in ways he couldn’t have imagined. His six sixes in an over and a chart-topping season caught the attention of multiple IPL franchises, leading to a INR 3.8 crore deal with Punjab Kings (PBKS).Related

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“Money beyond imagination for the son of two government school teachers,” he told ESPNcricinfo recently.Arya had a stunning debut IPL season – his 475 runs, the most by an uncapped batter in a debut season (surpassing Devdutt Padikkal’s 473 in 2020), came at a blistering strike rate of 179.24. His 43-ball 102 against Chennai Super Kings was the third-fastest century by an Indian in IPL history.But even as his white-ball stock continues to rise, Arya’s eyes are on the red ball. His next big goal? A Ranji Trophy debut.”I wanted to play red-ball cricket, but my debut couldn’t happen then,” he says. “I hope it will happen this year. I really want to play Ranji – I’ve said this before. I’m excited for the upcoming domestic season and I’m working on a few things… which I can’t tell you right now (laughs).”Upon his return to the DPL a year after setting the inaugural edition alight, Arya has gone from rookie to poster boy of the league. At DPL and team events, amid many big names, it’s Arya who often draws the most attention. But he remains modest about the spotlight.”See, changes have come,” he admits. “Now, wherever I go, people recognise me and want to click pictures. It feels good. But I’m not someone who roams around a lot – I like to stay by myself.”After playing in the IPL, I haven’t changed my technique, playing style, or mindset. But yes, I expect a lot more from myself now. For example, my DPL performance hasn’t been as good as I wanted it to be.

“I wanted to play red-ball cricket, but my debut couldn’t happen then. I hope it will happen this year”Arya eyes Ranji Trophy debut

“Still, I never let that overpower me. I always stay positive and keep faith in myself. I try not to let negative thoughts enter my mind – I just keep trying to improve. Like, I’ve gotten out early in a few matches. I feel I need to take more time at the crease.”This self-awareness and introspection stem from having worked alongside top professionals, including PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting. When Arya was signed, his spot in the XI wasn’t guaranteed. But standout performances in practice games and the pre-season camp forced the team’s hand. He ended the season playing every single match.”I understand my game very well,” he says. “When PBKS held their camp, Ponting sir clearly told me the practice matches had to be taken seriously, there were many talented players around.”In the beginning, the management found it tough to decide who to pick. But I scored runs in those matches and almost sealed my place. Even then, I wasn’t directly told I would definitely play – but you get hints.”On debut against Gujarat Titans, Arya smashed 47 off 23 balls against international stars like Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Rashid Khan – proof that his DPL success was no fluke. In his fourth match, he brought up his maiden IPL century, hitting three consecutive sixes off Matheesha Pathirana. He didn’t spare R Ashwin either.Priyansh Arya attributed PBKS coach Ricky Ponting to his game awareness•Punjab Kings”In the IPL, I never found it difficult to face any bowler,” he says matter-of-factly. “I felt I could play all of them. The same bowlers who play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy also play in the IPL.”Most are domestic players. A few international bowlers are there too, but even in Mushtaq Ali, India’s international bowlers play. So, I didn’t feel much difference. Anyway, cricket is the same everywhere.”Arya lights up when asked about his most memorable IPL moment. It wasn’t one of his many sixes, it was a six off Jasprit Bumrah.”Over fine leg,” he chuckles. “It was an important match for us to make the top two. MI had given us a target of 185. When I was going out to bat in the second innings, Shreyas (Iyer) came up to me and said, ‘If you want to be known as a big-match player, score in this match and show it.'”Arya made 62 off 35 to turbocharge PBKS’ chase and take them into the Qualifier 1. Though he seems to have moved on from PBKS’ loss the final, he still wonders if he could’ve done more.”We had reached the final after 11 years, and this was my very first IPL,” he says. “I could’ve contributed a little more to the team, but I couldn’t. That regret will stay until we win the final next time.”Arya understands that the fame and attention he enjoys today come on the back of his IPL success. He’s well aware of how, not too long ago, he was a struggling middle-order batter in Under-19s, unable to break into the Under-23 side because of stiff competition.So he pivoted to opening – just to find a spot – and ended up making that role his own, first for Delhi’s T20 team and now for PBKS.From DPL to IPL, he’s shown he can rise to the occasion by adapting, evolving, and delivering when it mattered. Now, with a Ranji Trophy debut in sight, he’s ready for a new challenge that demands the same quiet belief that’s carried him this far.

He may be far from Pakistan’s poster boy, but his consistency with both bat and ball is helping them play the kind of cricket they want to

Danyal Rasool13-Sep-20258:26

Wahab: Haris Rauf has to come back against India

This story begins, as any story about Mohammad Nawaz, in an MCG dressing room, head in hands as he tries to hold back tears. Babar Azam isn’t prone to giving rousing speeches, but he sees the sensitivity of the moment, and rises to it. He modulates the emotional temperature of the room perfectly, aware that, in front of rolling in-house PCB cameras, any attempts to be excessively rousing may come off as a loss of control.”Koi masla nai hai, [It’s not the end of the world],” the Pakistan captain begins, voice steady, pitch level. “We need to work together as a team.” He then turns to Nawaz, who moments earlier just bowled the final over of that pulsating contest against India, failing to defend 16 as a match Pakistan had controlled slipped out of their hands.”And especially you, Nawaz,” Babar says to the man who cannot take his eyes off the floor. He switches to Punjabi, using both men’s mother tongue to further cement their collective solidarity, “you’re my match-winner, and I’ll always have faith in you, come what may. Keep your head up.”Related

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It was particularly cruel on Nawaz, who had been forced into a situation that wasn’t his to manage. He was bowling the final over when Pakistan had banked on pace to have finished the job by then. There was a no-ball for height that arguably wasn’t the correct call, and a free hit that knocked back a stump only to then trickle away for three.Just weeks earlier, Nawaz had produced a remarkable all-round performance against India in the Asia Cup in Dubai. He had doubled up as the game’s most economical bowler and the most destructive batter, sealing a classic win that would go on secure Pakistan’s berth in the final. It was that kind of showing that led Babar to declare him a match-winner, and yet, it had been wiped from memory, replaced by that chaotic over in Melbourne. Sunday will be the first time he faces India since that heartbreak.Mohammad Nawaz after the chaotic final over against India at the MCG•Getty ImagesThe one thing Babar couldn’t relate to – at the time, anyway – was being left out of the side. Pakistan have not always viewed Nawaz as a matchwinner in that same vein over his career, ever since he lit up the first game in PSL history, where he took 4-13 and was unbeaten with the bat for Quetta Gladiators. That is evident in when he has played; he has batted every position from 3 to 9. At four, where his numbers are strongest and where he first batted in that Asia Cup win over India, he would be sent in just twice more, and never again. With the ball, Pakistan have used him during the Powerplay, where he has bowled about a third of his T20I deliveries, and boasts a better economy rate than in any other phase of the innings.But more telling is how often Pakistan have not used him at all. In the 162 T20Is they’ve played since his debut up until July this year – when Nawaz returned once more after 18 months in the wilderness – he had taken part in just 60. It seems Nawaz can be deployed, with ball and bat, whenever Pakistan want, or, as about two-thirds of the games during his career attest, not deployed whatsoever.2:08

Samiuddin: Hesson clear with his plans for Pakistan

It is what makes this most recent resurgence hard to view as anything more than transitory, but his impact for Pakistan over the last 12 T20Is has been phenomenal. Called up for the spin-heavy conditions of Bangladesh in July, Nawaz is holding together this fragile strategy Pakistan have adopted under Mike Hesson, where specialist fast-bowling heft is sacrificed at the altar of piecemeal lower-order batting contributions.A hat-trick during a five-for against Afghanistan, and significant runs accrued over the past month in the UAE at a strike rate just under 140 have propelled Nawaz to perhaps the single most important player in this Pakistan set-up. Hesson on Thursday called him “the best T20I bowler in the world right now” and the numbers agree; no Full Member player has more T20I wickets this year (21), and no one that has bowled at least 200 deliveries has bettered his economy rate of 6.47.This is the kind of cricketer Nawaz was meant to become when he offered Pakistan a snapshot in that first PSL game. A decade on, Pakistan, and perhaps Nawaz himself, may finally have begun to work out what kind of cricketer he is. Though similar flashes in the past have proven false dawns, he has perhaps never played cricket as well, or as consistently, as he has in this latest edition of a cricketer whose reinventions are becoming impossible to keep track of.In one sense, Nawaz cannot really be called a match-winner. Not in the conventional sense of the word. He isn’t, and won’t ever be, Pakistan’s best spinner, and isn’t, and won’t ever be, their best batter, or their most explosive. But on any given day, he could fit either of those descriptions, and that, in T20I cricket, wins you matches. Matches of the sort Nawaz has been winning for Pakistan of late, and that Nawaz won when he last played India at the Asia Cup three years ago.