'No one is close to his genius'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Virat Kohli smashed records on reaching 10,000 ODI runs. Here’s how the cricketing fraternity reacted on social media

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2018.

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Take a bow the greatest limited over cricketer EVER!! I bet you'd get 20,000 ODI runs. Congratulations. Here's to 10,000 more!! @virat.kohli @indiancricketteam @icc #GOAT #10000runs

A post shared by Robin Uthappa (@robinaiyudauthappa) on Oct 24, 2018 at 5:19am PDT

Six decisive factors in Zimbabwe's famous win

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Several different things – from the toss to various on-field performances – fell in place for the visitors in Sylhet

Liam Brickhill06-Nov-2018Zimbabwe completed a remarkable turnaround to snatch a victory in their first Test of the year, having endured a torrid, winless streak in limited-overs cricket since the World Cup Qualifiers in March. While their white-ball cricket has suffered from inconsistent performances, the change in format against Bangladesh came along with successful contributions in virtually every department. Here are the six key factors that set up Zimbabwe’s first away win in 17 years:Regis Chakabva’s wicketkeepingRegis Chakabva hasn’t played an ODI for Zimbabwe in three years but he’s a Test regular, having played in nine of their last 13 games, and is widely regarded as one of the finest wicketkeepers in the country. Chakabva kept himself busy playing club cricket in Kent’s Premier League over the English summer while Zimbabwe were playing limited-overs cricket, taking 13 catches and three stumpings for Sandwich Town while also topping their batting tables with three centuries. He didn’t appear the slightest bit rusty at the top level during Zimbabwe’s 151-run win in Sylhet. He batted out 150 balls to stretch Zimbabwe’s two innings but, as would be hoped of a specialist ‘keeper, he also put in a quality performance behind the stumps. He let just 11 byes past him over the whole Test and took six catches, three of those off the spinners in conditions where the ball turned and bounced prodigiously.The seamers’ controlEveryone thought the Sylhet surface would turn, and it did, but Zimbabwe gained their first advantage with the ball through the fast bowlers. The combination – or ‘synergy’, as bowling coach Douglas Hondo put it – of Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara brought six wickets in the match but, perhaps even more importantly, their discipline and control with new and old ball allowed Zimbabwe to keep themselves in the hunt even when when wickets weren’t coming. Their early spells on the second day turned the game, setting up Zimbabwe’s first-innings lead of 139, and they kept things tight thereafter, racking up a combined 13 maidens and not conceding a single no-ball or wide.Success against left-arm spinSuggesting that Zimbabwe’s success had anything to do with how they combated the home spinners when those spinners shared 19 wickets in the game might at first appear to be a bit of a tough sell, but consider this: Taijul Islam had to toil for more than 68 overs for his 11-wicket match haul, and Zimbabwe’s patience with the bat meant they were able to stretch their two innings out for more than 182 overs in total. The collapses against spin that have haunted their previous tours to Bangladesh were staved off by a willingness to play patient, attritional cricket, and the first-innings contributions from Sean Williams and Peter Moor were exemplary in this regard. Both are natural strokemakers, but they dug in to face 173 and 192 deliveries each in the first innings, setting up the rest of the match after Zimbabwe had opted to bat first at the toss.Winning the tossSpeaking of the toss, on a pitch that turned almost from the first day, this was a lucky one to win – particularly as the coin has not been falling in captain Hamilton Masakadza’s favour recently. He called incorrectly three times in a row in the preceding ODIs, contributing to the severity of Zimbabwe’s defeats as they had to deal with evening dew, and also saw the coin fall on the wrong side three times out of five on their previous tour to South Africa in October. That he got it right this time around meant Bangladesh were left facing the daunting task of batting last, bringing Zimbabwe’s spin attack right into the game on a wearing fourth-day pitch.The spinners’ incisionsWith allrounders Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams in their line-up, alongside debutants Brandon Mavuta and Wellington Masakadza, Zimbabwe had a varied, spin-heavy attack to wear Bangladesh down, and then knock them out. While Williams’ golden arm was used sparingly, Raza was a workhorse, bowling 17 overs in a row during a marathon two-hour spell on the fourth morning and collecting six wickets in the game. When Mavuta and Masakadza struggled for rhythm in the first innings, Zimbabwe had the cushion of their experienced spinners to fall back on, and Raza’s hard work in the second innings was a major factor in the build-up of pressure that allowed Mavuta and Masakadza to shine on the final afternoon.Bangladesh’s batting woesBangladesh’s capitulation for 169 in the second innings marked the eighth successive Test innings in which they failed to reach 200, but what really stands out is how their batting malaise is only a feature in Tests. Bangladesh’s batsmen have had a fantastic year, just not in this format, and having played 12 ODIs since August, it soon became apparent that they were still batting in one-day mode in their first innings four days ago, something that Chatara said Zimbabwe had been expecting. Balls that might easily have been left alone instead brought wickets, and when the going got tough on day four, wickets tumbled amid a flurry of shots. The patience with which Zimbabwe had gone about their batting was completely lacking.

Superstats – Leggies on a roll, and butter-fingered RCB

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

How much did Umesh Yadav’s drop, which gave Steven Smith a life, affect the game? More such questions answered with EPSNcricinfo’s Superstats

ESPNcricinfo Stats Team02-Apr-2019Shreyas Gopal, who had already taken six wickets in his two previous games against Royal Challengers Bangalore, again proved to be the matchwinner in Jaipur. He threw a spanner in the works early in RCB’s innings by dismissing Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shimron Hetmyer. Considering the quality of the batsmen dismissed and the stage at which the wickets were taken, ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats estimates that Gopal’s three wickets were actually worth four. Gopal was very economical too conceding only 12 runs off his four overs. He was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match, and rightly so.ESPNcricinfo LtdAccording to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, Gopal’s impact on the match was the greatest as shown by the contribution he made to the game. At 27%, Gopal’s contribution to the match was the highest. While Parthiv Patel had the next-highest impact with a contribution percentage of 22.7, the third spot went to another legspinner in Yuzvendra Chahal with 16.1% contribution. The two legspinners had a collective contribution of 43% in the match – a number that neatly illustrates how the googlies bowled by them spun a web around the batsmen. (The contribution percentages are calculated by combining the batting and bowling efforts of all players in a game, and add up to 100 for all 22 players who played the match.)ESPNcricinfo LtdButter-fingered RCBRajasthan Royals got their maiden win of the penultimate delivery of the match. They had already lost two close chases – against Kings XI Punjab in the first match and against Chennai Super Kings in the last game. The story could have been similar in this match as well, had they not got lucky in several ways. There were five catches dropped by RCB – of three batsmen – and there were five misfields or overthrows. In a T20 game, all these small events matter much in the end.In his post-match interview, skipper Virat Kohli hinted at the catches dropped by RCB playing a role in his team losing the match. ESPNCricinfo’s Luck Index looks at how the individual drops affected the outcome of the game.

Cost of the catches dropped of Rajasthan Royals’ batsmen

Batsman Drop cost (runs)Ajinkya Rahane -3Steven Smith 3Rahul Tripathi 5Ajinkya Rahane was dropped in the second over of the innings when he had faced just one ball. He added 20 runs after the drop, but Luck Index estimates that the drop actually cost three runs to Royals. Why? Because Rahane could not score quickly after that and ended up scoring 20 runs off 18 balls. According to Luck Index, other Royal batsmen could have used these 18 balls, given the conditions, and scored three extra runs. However, Steven Smith’s drop helped Royals score three extra runs, while the drop of Rahul Tripathi in the 19th over added another five lucky runs. Had the catches been taken ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index estimates that RCB would have had 10 runs to defend off the last over instead of five runs. Royals had lost chasing 15 runs against Kings XI and 12 runs against Chennai Super Kings in the final overs.

Surrey hoping to create another dynasty

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

We assess the chances of all eight teams ahead of the opening round of the season in our Division One preview

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2019

Essex

Alastair Cook during Essex’s pre-season match against Cambridge MCCU•PA PhotosLast season: 3rd
Coach: Anthony McGrath
Captain: Ryan ten Doeschate
Overseas player: Peter Siddle
Ins:
Outs: James Foster, Matt Dixon, Ashar Zaidi, Callum TaylorIt was always going to be difficult to follow up their extraordinary 2017 title but, although Essex were soon trailing in Surrey’s wake, a season of consolidation was not the worst outcome for a county that had never before managed consecutive seasons in Division One. The defence was hobbled from the outset, when their opening fixture at Headingley was abandoned without a ball being bowled, and form remained patchy until the final third of the season, when Essex won four out of their last five fixtures – powered in part by the late signing of India opener M Vijay, who scored three fifties and a hundred in five innings.Anthony McGrath will be hoping the team can pick up where they left off, and he’ll have a new deputy to invigorate the dressing room after the appointment of Andre Nel, the former wild man of South African cricket. With Peter Siddle returning after a successful spell in 2018 when he claimed 37 wickets at 16.40 – Australia selection notwithstanding – an attack led by Jamie Porter and supported by Simon Harmer’s offspin should among the most challenging in the division. And with new knight of the realm (and England’s greatest run-scorer) Alastair Cook free to bat for as long as he wants, Essex ought to be in the running again.One to watch: Among the young talents in county cricket, few are as prodigiously gifted as Dan Lawrence. Scorer of six first-class hundreds before he turned 20 – including becoming the third-youngest centurion in the Championship – his fortunes suffered a dip last season, when he averaged 23.40, albeit while compiling career-bests in the short formats. Still only 21, big Championship runs could push him into the Test frame. Alan GardnerBet365: 10-3

Hampshire

James Vince pulls during his lengthy innings•Getty ImagesLast season: 5th
Coach: Adrian Birrell
Captain: James Vince
Overseas players: Aiden Markram (April-May)
Ins: Keith Barker, James Fuller, Harry Came, Oli Soames, Felix Organ
Outs: Reece Topley, Jimmy Adams, Sean Ervine, Chris Sole, Asher Hart
Hampshire will be looking to transfer their Royal London Cup winning ways to the red-ball game in 2019. They have at least two fringe England players keen to catch the eye of national selectors, with James Vince moving up the order to open, replacing the retired Jimmy Adams and hoping to break back into the Test set-up for the Ashes, and spinning allrounder Liam Dawson vying for a World Cup berth.The batting line-up was somewhat unsettled by the late withdrawal of Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne, but their swift recruitment of Aiden Markram just a week before the season start is a boost after Markram forced his way back into the South African side for their recent limited-overs series against Sri Lanka with some prolific run-scoring at domestic level.Off-season recruits James Fuller, from Middlesex, and Keith Barker, who was a title-winner with Warwickshire, bolster a bowling attack which has lost Dale Steyn, but which includes Kyle Abbott and the vastly experienced Fidel Edwards. Often tipped to challenge only to then underwhelm, new coach, Adrian Birrell, will be looking to change that.One to watch: Mason Crane’s professional career began so brightly when he became England’s youngest-ever legspinner with a Test debut in Australia last year, but two back fractures meant a long stretch on the sidelines and he is bursting to make a comeback. Valkerie BaynesBet365: 7-1

Kent

Darren Stevens celebrates with Joe Denly and Zak Crawley•Getty ImagesLast season: 2nd (Division Two)
Coach: Matt Walker
Captain: Sam Billings
Overseas players: Matt Renshaw (April-May)
Ins: Matt Milnes, Fred Klaassen, Jordan Cox
Outs: James Tredwell, Will Gidman, Matt Hunn
Kent won 10 matches last season, as many as any other team in the country and a number equalled only by Division One champions Surrey who, like Kent, never lost two in a row. It is this record that is fuelling a popular refrain around Canterbury that Kent could “do an Essex” by winning the title in their first season back up, as happened in 2017. With away games to Warwickshire and Somerset first up, their start will be crucial to cementing that belief.Kent bolstered their side, which will be missing key batsmen Sam Billings and Joe Denly to the IPL, by recruiting Australia opener Matt Renshaw for the first part of the season. They will then need to look for an overseas fast bowler to replace Matt Henry, their leading wicket-taker by a long shot for 2018 with 75 wickets at 15.48, who is expected to play a part in New Zealand’s World Cup campaign.Kent need to bat deeper and runs could well come from Zak Crawley, who established himself at the top of the order towards the end of last season, Sean Dickson and Heino Kuhn, whose 780 runs at 33.91 were second only to Denly. Bowling-wise, Harry Podmore, Nottinghamshire recruit Matt Milnes and 42-year-old veteran Darren Stevens may shoulder a considerable load.One to watch: Daniel Bell-Drummond’s growing standing was recognised when he was made interim vice-captain to Kuhn for the start of the season. He carries the club’s lofty expectations after a rare lean year in 2018 when he made just one fifty in 13 Championship matches, having demonstrated previously he can do so much more. VBBet365: 14-1

Nottinghamshire

Peter Moores with his son Tom ahead of a Nottinghamshire match•Getty ImagesLast season: 6th
Coach: Peter Moores
Captain: Steven Mullaney
Overseas players: James Pattinson (April-July)
Ins: Ben Slater, Ben Duckett, Zak Chappell, Joe Clarke
Outs: Matt Milnes, Ben Kitt, Will Fraine, Riki Wessels, Billy RootNew signings Ben Duckett and Ben Slater suggested a solution to the conundrum of Nottinghamshire’s top order by putting on a first-wicket stand of 325 against Cambridge University in pre-season. Duckett’s 216 came off just 180 deliveries, while Slater hit 130, marking impressive starts to their first full seasons with Notts. With Joe Clarke also joining from Worcestershire and Tom Moores looking to build on a breakout 2018, the batting stocks suddenly look much healthier for a side which narrowly avoided relegation.With last year’s leading wicket-taker Harry Gurney signing a white-ball only contract for 2019, the arrival of Australia fast bowler James Pattinson is welcome in Stuart Broad’s testimonial year. The duo should be well supported by Jake Ball and Luke Fletcher, while Mark Footitt and Luke Wood look to press their claims with early season loans to Lancashire and Northants respectively. Can Peter Moores mould an unprecedented third title-winning team, following previous successes with Sussex and Lancashire?One to watch: Paul Coughlin is on the comeback trail after a serious shoulder injury and has his sights set on making himself the go-to allrounder, although ex-Leicestershire recruit Zak Chappell may have something to say about that. VBBet365: 15-2

Somerset

Jamie Overton celebrates a breakthrough•Getty ImagesLast season: 2nd
Coach: Jason Kerr
Captain: Tom Abell
Overseas players: Azhar Ali
Ins: James Brooks
Outs: Johann Myburgh, Fin TrenouthEver the bridesmaid, never the bride. Somerset have been Championship runners-up twice in the last three seasons – and four times since 2010 – but they remain one of only three counties never to have won the title. But, if there was a sense in 2017 that a golden generation might be running out of time to break that longest of ducks, that notion was scotched by their resurgence last season. They proved to be the best of the rest behind an outstanding Surrey side, and have retained the core of the squad that revived those fortunes.Certainly Marcus Trescothick, who turned 43 in the off-season, rumbles ever onwards, while the acquisition of Pakistan’s Azhar Ali for the entire season is an eye-catching addition. Factor in the evergreen (and ever-ignored) James Hildreth, fresh from yet another 1000-run season, and Tom Abell, whose runs returned in 2018 as he came to terms with the club captaincy, and there’s an admirable spine to Somerset’s batting.As for the bowling, well, the vagaries of a spin-dominant surface at “Ciderabad” will continue to raise eyebrows in some quarters, but there’s little quibbling with the entertainment that can be on offer – witness the remarkable tie against Lancashire last season, after a fourth-innings collapse to 77 all out. Jack Leach has clearly benefitted from plying his trade on receptive decks and even if he may need to be factored in for an Ashes call-up at the sharp end of the season, Somerset retain quality spin back-up in Dominic Bess and Roelof van der Merwe – and Bess in particular will need to be given some opportunities in the wake of his England baptism last season, to persuade him not to seek a new county.Their seam attack, meanwhile, has been considerably boosted by the arrival of Yorkshire’s Jack Brooks, a proven matchwinner and a man who knows what it takes to finish top of the table. There will be strength in depth at Taunton, to allow for inevitable injuries and – who knows? – England call-ups as the summer wears on.One to watch: Jamie Overton came excruciatingly close to an England call-up this winter – Ed Smith opted instead for Olly Stone but the message was clear after the bowling shortcomings that undermined the Australia tour last year: 90mph bowlers make a difference, a fact underlined by Mark Wood’s success in West Indies. There’s a long lead-up to the Ashes in August, and lots of time for Overton to make his case for pace. Andrew MillerBet365: 8-1

Surrey

Surrey captain Rory Burns was on the end of a dousing•Getty ImagesLast season: 1st
Coach: Michael Di Venuto
Captain: Rory Burns
Overseas players: Dean Elgar
Ins: Liam Plunkett, Jordan Clark
Outs: Mathew PillansSurrey are not a club that do things by halves. After nigh on two decades in the Championship wilderness, everything fell into place in a stellar 2018 campaign. They romped to the title by a 46-point margin, making light of a plethora of England call-ups along the way, and just as was the case in the 1890s, the 1950s and the early 2000s, the feeling around The Oval is that one title is set to bring several.Typical Surrey hubris, you might be tempted to say. But, it’s hard to quibble with the depth, breadth and variety of their squad. It’s not inconceivable, for instance, that Mark Stoneman, Rory Burns and Jason Roy could be England’s one, two and three come the start of the Ashes in August, and elsewhere, Dean Elgar, Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes have all represented their respective countries within the last eight months.The club’s youth policy is coming up trumps at every turn, with Will Jacks and Jamie Smith among the latest starlets to hit the ground running, while the bowling is an enviable mix of youth and experience, with Liam Plunkett’s arrival from Yorkshire providing another toweringly authoritative dressing-room figure to go alongside last year’s marquee signing of Morne Morkel, as well as the old sweats in Rikki Clarke, Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker.Jordan Clark, fresh from Lancashire, adds welcome all-round quality too, particularly valuable as and when the Curran brothers are away on IPL and international duty. Nothing can ever be taken for granted in the County Championship, which is why it remains such a coveted title to win, but you can’t accuse Alec Stewart and Michael di Venuto of leaving anything to chance in preparing their defence.One to watch: Ollie Pope’s precocious arrival in professional cricket seemed to hit the buffers over the winter – due largely to the fact that England’s only batting vacancies are at Nos. 1-3, and he is very much a 4-6 in this early stage of his career. But undaunted by his Test omission, he’s got on with the crucial business of making runs. His season-opening 251 against MCC was quite the statement of intent. AMBet365: 5-2

Warwickshire

Warwickshire claimed the Division Two title•Getty ImagesLast season: 1st
Coach: Jim Troughton
Captain: Jeetan Patel
Overseas players: Jeetan Patel
Ins: Liam Norwell, Craig Miles, Rob Yates
Outs: Jonathan Trott, Grant Elliott, Chris Wright, Josh Poysden, Keith Barker, Andy Umeed, Sunny Singh, Boyd RankinIt’s a big year for Edgbaston, with their central role in hosting the World Cup swiftly followed by the Ashes opener in August. And those ambitions have been matched in their domestic preparations, with Paul Farbrace’s arrival as the new director of sport signalling their intent to get back to their rightful berth in Division One, after the trauma of their relegation two seasons ago.It’s a much-changed squad who will embark on Warwickshire’s campaign. A raft of veterans have been moved along in one way or another. Jonathan Trott called time on his illustrious career last season, while nothing screams the start of a new era louder than the departure of the two quick bowlers on whom their last Championship-winning campaign in 2012 was built, Chris Wright and Keith Barker. Their absences may be felt in the early season in particular, given that Olly Stone will be missing due to the back injury he suffered while on England duty in the Caribbean. New signings Liam Norwell and Craig Miles can expect a rigorous work-out.For a while in 2017, it seemed Ian Bell might be drifting towards retirement too. But he found the post-England bloom that he always knew was lurking within him to produce a renaissance 2018, and his enduring quality – along with that of the skipper Jeetan Patel – will be crucial in helping to ensure a smooth transition to a brighter new era.Farbrace will not hold the squad’s day-to-day reigns – Jim Troughton remains the first-team coach – but his cheery outlook on life will doubtless permeate the club. And with little wonder. On the field and off it, it looks like a good year to be a Bear.One to watch: A curtain-raiser in Dubai is nothing much to be going on, but the manner in which Dom Sibley took on his former team, Surrey, for MCC in the Champion County match last week augurs well for the summer. He and Will Rhodes struck up a formidable opening partnership in Warwickshire’s promotion campaign and will hope to replicate that in Division One. AMBet365: 8-1

Yorkshire

Steve Patterson claims another•Getty ImagesLast season: 4th
Coach: Andrew Gale
Captain: Steve Patterson
Overseas players:
Ins: Duanne Olivier, Josh Poysden, Mat Pillans, Will Fraine
Outs: Liam Plunkett, Alex Lees, Jack Brooks, Andy Hodd, Azeem Rafiq, James WainmanThe time had come for an overhaul in the Broad Acres. It is only four years since the second of Yorkshire’s back-to-back Championships but standards had slipped. With three games of the 2018 season to go, Yorkshire found themselves in a scrap to avoid relegation (pretty much the same scenario as the year before), before two wins and a draw saw them finish fourth, just as in 2017. Nevertheless, Martyn Moxon, the director of cricket, recognised the signs of stagnation and had already begun the clear out: Alex Lees departed early for Durham, Liam Plunkett was allowed to join Surrey, while Somerset came in for Jack Brooks.With several new signings competing for places alongside the usual stock of homegrown talent, there is a sense that the Andrew Gale era starts here. Gale, a title-winning captain, has been in the coach’s role for two years without enjoying the same level of success. While some of his old muckers in the dressing room remain – Tim Bresnan, Adam Lyth, Steven Patterson – the team’s fortunes are as likely to be driven by 20-year-old Harry Brook or South African Kolpak signing Duanne Olivier. And with the indefatigable Patterson taking up the captaincy full time, a quietly effective campaign could be in order.One to watch: Following an impressive southern summer in South Africa’s Test side, Olivier could have been preparing to play in his first World Cup. But having been offered the security of a three-year contract with Yorkshire, he chose to turn his back on international cricket (for now, at least). Had a productive spell at Derbyshire last year and should be a potent force. AGBet365: 15-2

West Indies go short only to come up short

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

West Indies didn’t do too much wrong, it was just that Bangladesh did it better

Jarrod Kimber in Taunton17-Jun-2019When we watch sport, we’re drawn to the result, it colours how we see the rest of the match.When West Indies made 212 in their last match, against England, they didn’t look like an ODI batting line up. They looked like a T20 side confused by a helpful pitch, good bowling and a large playing surface. In this match they made it to 321, so obviously they batted better, and more like a proper ODI team.Except, they didn’t.When West Indies bowled, they went with the short ball, as that is what their attack is set up for. And they used it relentlessly, their pacers bowled tonnes of short-of-a-length and short balls, and Bangladesh scored 190 from them. So they tried too many short deliveries.Except, they didn’t.WATCH on Hotstar (India only) – Highlights West Indies still went after this innings like a T20 match, they blocked the ball or bashed it. West Indies did bowl a lot of short deliveries, but Bangladesh were incredibly lucky from them.ALSO READ: Shakib simplicity keeps Bangladesh’s complex challenge aliveIn their batting, there were signs they had changed their thinking for this game. Darren Bravo came into the side for Carlos Brathwaite, weakening the bowling and giving their top order some cover.Chris Gayle started with 12 dots, and while that seems incredibly slow, Gayle can start slow. His strike rate in the first ten balls of ODIs over the last five years is 61.5. This was slower than that, of course, but it’s not unheard of for Gayle.Evin Lewis and Shai Hope stayed in this time, but it’s not as if last match they didn’t try that. At Southampton, Hope was out trying to flick a single, and Lewis was bowled when he misjudged a straight one. Neither batsmen were out at Southampton attempting to slog. The real problem was both failed, and there was no other regular batsman to come.Against England, it was Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer, two firecrackers in human form, who put on the best partnership. Sure, they still did it their way, and at least one should have made a more significant score. Here they were both free to be themselves; both were caught playing shots they’ve been selected to play.The main difference in the batting was that several of their players did the role they are in the side for.Lewis handled the new ball well when, as assistant coach Roddy Estwick said, “it moved all over the place”. Then Lewis struck hard when it was in his zones and tried to cash in on balls spinning towards him. Hope had a high dot-ball percentage for most of his innings and never scored many boundaries. Both are standard for him, but by batting into the 47th over, he allowed his team to do what they do. Hope may not have scored many boundaries, but he allowed his team-mates to score a bunch.Darren Bravo probably came into the side to bat No. 4; he finally came out at eight, as they just kept picking the best batsman for the situation. If Hope had gone earlier, Bravo probably would have been used then. They perhaps went too hard in the middle, meaning that poor Oshane Thomas had to faff about at the end and knock his own bails off in confusion. It meant that instead of smashing the ball at the death, Hope and Bravo were out there, and for the last couple of overs Bravo was stuck at the wrong end. “If you look at 40-50 overs, we scored 79 runs, on a field like this we should have got 100-110,” Estwick said.But there’s no one reason they didn’t get the big score they wanted. They were put in for a tough 10 overs, had scored at 4.3 after 20 overs, lost Gayle early, no one made a hundred, Andre Russell failed, Hope went slow, the tail couldn’t get them runs at the death and they still made 327.If they won, it would have looked enough, that’s how it works, right? But regardless of the result, they left runs out there. It was always short; you can blame the first 10 overs, the lack of hitting at the end or Hope’s lack of “a little bit more intent” as Jason Holder put it. But they didn’t score enough. “A par score on this wicket was 365-370,” said Holder.At the halfway point, Shakib Al Hasan said of the Bangladesh changing room “everyone was confident and chilling”.Watch on Hotstar (India only) – Evin Lewis’ 70With the bowling, or more accurately, the short bowling, just a few balls told a story. Soumya Sarkar flayed and missed his first back of a length ball outside off. Next delivery he sliced one down to third man on the bounce. His following ball he guided one down on the bounce to slip. The ball before he was dismissed Soumya cut the ball over point for six, next ball he guided a short ball to third slip.No length in ODI cricket has a better strike rate than the short ball, but it still goes for runs. There is risk with reward.The short ball is popular in this tournament. With four men out during the middle overs, taking out shots down the ground by bowling short makes it easier to set the field. And teams have more quick bowlers than ever. West Indies have four bowlers in their squad who can bowl 90mph plus, as well as two bowlers who get freaky bounce. Their one win came from bouncing Pakistan out, they should’ve beaten Australia with a similar tactic. This is their bowling.With Sunil Narine not here, Devendra Bishoo losing form, and Ashley Nurse not a wicket-taker, they have no frontline spinner. Had they won the toss and bowled when there was some freshness in the surface, they would have bowled a lot more length, and attacked the channel. But by the time they bowled, they went for the short ball.The Bangladesh players had already been bounced by England, they’d been facing it in the nets, and their players were ready for it. Shakib said: “We knew it was going to come, we prepared for those challenges, and the wicket played really well today.” Liton Das admitted that for the first 15 balls he struggled with the short one. Even when well set towards the end of his innings he played and missed at a pull, top edged another one, scooped one short of a hobbling Russell and was struck on the helmet by Sheldon Cottrell.Shai Hope hit a patient 50•Getty ImagesWhen pushed further on their bowling, Shakib said: “At certain times they bowled well, good areas, but they were not patient enough to bowl in good areas for a long enough.”Now there are two ways to look at this. You can say they weren’t patient for continually going for the short ball, or you can suggest they were patient by delivering 44% of their balls back of a length. They saw Bangladesh’s weakness, and they kept going for it, even when it seemed to an outsider it was wrong. Only two times had a team bowled more balls on that length all tournament: West Indies against Australia, and England when they bowled to Bangladesh. Both occasions, short deliveries accounted for lots of wickets and averaged 24 and 22. In this game, the short ball averaged 85 for West Indies.So based on that you’d say they bowled too many, but 41 balls of the 111 short ones delivered, Bangladesh were not in control of. That’s 36%, or one in three. Balls lobbed up all over the place, some carrying over the keeper’s head, other times fine of third man and fine leg. According to ESPNcricinfo data, short-of-a-length deliveries that batsmen are not in control of result in a dismissal every 8.35 balls, so to only get two wickets to this seems unlucky.More than just luck, as Holder noted. “We missed a crucial chance when Shannon [Gabriel] should have gotten in and taken a chance.” That was in the 22nd over, Bangladesh were 143 for 3, the batsman was Shakib. He made 72 more runs, and Bangladesh never lost another wicket.But if you use mammoth fast bowlers in the field, there’s also a chance that some of them will not get to catches. If you bowl a lot of short balls on a small ground, a few are going to fly to the boundary. Maybe the West Indians should have changed their attack, some will suggest huge Nurse could have helped, but as Estwick said: “If we sat here, and we played spin against Bangladesh, you know what you’d be saying to me, you should have bowled your pace, because pace is your strength. Four games ago everyone was saying how exciting and refreshing West Indies cricket looked, four games later, it’s the worst tactic in the world.”Their tactics were not terrible; their execution could have been better. Estwick put it best: “At the end of the day we lost a cricket game to a team that played a lot better than us. Bangladesh played better than us, and we lost a cricket game.”West Indies played reasonably well, except Bangladesh played better.

'When I look in a batsman's eyes and see fear, it'll pump me up to bowl even faster'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

It’s been a long way to the World Cup from Race Course, Jamaica, but West Indies fast bowler Oshane Thomas is just getting started

Saurabh Somani21-May-2019Growing up in the township of Race Course in the parish of Clarendon, Jamaica, can be a daily struggle. Even if all you want to do is play sport. Take the case of one such young boy, born in the wrong kind of neighbourhood. He’s got four brothers, all but one older, with whom he tags along to play ball as soon as school is done. Even before he hits his teens, one of his brothers is shot and killed, at 16. It’s that sort of place.The boy has talent. He can hurl a ball 22 yards without bending his arm, at frightening speeds. He makes progress. The brothers can’t keep up, and they settle down to jobs. As the boy would later say, “You’ve got to eat”.He moves to the capital, Kingston. At 20, he’s the victim of a stick-up by three men when he goes to an ATM before heading to the local supermarket. When he speaks of it later, he laughs. “They don’t rob with less than guns over there. I had to give them my money, watch, chain…”But cricket has lifted him. He is spotted by an icon of his country and drafted into a T20 franchise. The next year, he gets his hero out in the CPL for a duck. Then he gets an international debut in India, rattling a star-studded top order. He is picked in the IPL. He dismantles England. And now he’s going to the World Cup.It has been quite a journey for Oshane Thomas. To make it through the sort of childhood he had takes uncommon fortitude. To make it through to top-level sport means having uncommon talent too. Thomas, clearly, has both. His recollections of childhood are chilling, but he’s chill.We’re sitting in the cafeteria of an understatedly opulent hotel. It is luxury far removed from Clarendon, and it’s apt, because Thomas is now far removed from the struggles he once faced, his face untroubled even when he talks about the gun violence in the place where he grew up.Did he actually see any of it up close?”All the time, man,” he laughs. “I got used to it at one point, to be honest. I’ve seen my brother get shot and killed. He was 16, I was probably 11. [But] I was just never in any wrong place at the wrong time. It doesn’t trouble me anymore.”Thomas has played nine ODIs and seven T20Is for West Indies so far, mostly on batting-friendly surfaces, which means his bowling figures aren’t immediately striking. But it’s what he has done to get here that has made people think of him as a new fast-bowling hope from the land that used to factory-produce them at one time.

As a Jamaican growing up in the 21st century, his cricket heroes have been Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. It was Gayle who spotted him at a nets session for Jamaica Tallawahs – Thomas had been told they needed bowlers – and was immediately impressed.”I was in high school in 2016,” Thomas says. “I was just bowling, bowling, and Gayle saw me and I got selected. Made my debut in the semi-final and final, and did fairly well. The year after, I only played two games. Got Chris out for a duck because he went to St Kitts Patriots!”That was a great feeling. Any youngster would love to get him out. I was pumped up and had nothing to lose. Got advice from the captain, Kumar Sangakkara to ‘just run in and bowl fast. Back yourself.’ I did that and got the result. In 2018, I played ten games in the CPL and finished second, with 18 wickets.” He has bowled to Gayle four times in all, and the opener has only managed 16 runs off 28 balls faced, being out once.Thomas didn’t get to bowl to Russell till this year’s IPL, though he has bowled to him in the nets plenty of times. But just like with Gayle, the first time Thomas bowled against Russell at the top level, he got him out.

“Yo, when I bowl to Andre in the nets, he don’t hit my ball you know,” Thomas smiles. “In the nets it’s kind of scary for batters. Most of the guys, when I’m bowling in the nets, they hold their bats far.”In a match, with my pace and everything, I’ll just make him hit every ball from here,” Thomas says, pointing at his shoulders. “If I’m going full, it’ll have to be a yorker, because if you miss, you’re going to get hit out of the park. He’s kind of weak wide outside off – he could hit it but he’s weaker, and with the pace, you could probably beat him. I always tell myself he has to hit me from here [shoulder height] because he’s not strong there.”But he’s a really hard guy to bowl to. You have to have it in the back of your head when you’re running up, and be clear what delivery you want to bowl. A slight mistake and you are going to get hit over the park.”Thomas seems to be a man who can stick to a game plan. Of the six balls he bowled to Russell in the IPL, one was a yorker, and four were back of a length or shorter. The MVP of IPL 2019 could take only four runs off Thomas’ deliveries, and was out too.In childhood, Thomas first played with taped tennis balls, until he was old enough to join his brothers with the hard ball. He started by throwing the ball, until he learned how to bowl. Then came the nets session that kick-started his rise.ALSO READ: Oshane Thomas shows West Indies a glimpse of the futureMore highs would follow in quick succession. The 2018 CPL got him sustained success, and he made his international debut on West Indies’ tour of India in late 2018. Bowling with searing pace, consistently hitting the high 140s and even touching 150, he got Shikhar Dhawan out three times in five games.”In 2018, I was on top of my game in the CPL, picking up wickets like crazy every game,” Thomas says. “I couldn’t do anything wrong at that point. Then coming to India and getting Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit [Sharma] out in the same over [on T20I debut] was a great moment for me as well. Two great batsmen for India… then bowling to Virat Kohli. I should have gotten him out for a duck.”A regulation chance off a thick edge on the second ball to Kohli was grassed by Jason Holder at slip in the fifth ODI, but while Thomas didn’t get the wicket, but he got attention.”When I made my debut here in India, Rajasthan Royals called me over for a trial in Mumbai, so I met with most of the guys,” he says. “I played a practice game, and so I knew at the back of my mind they would have probably had me in their line-up at the auctions. I’m really thankful for the opportunity, because I always wanted to play in the IPL. Great feeling. Everyone shows me love here – it’s really like a family. I love it man.”He was with the T20I squad in Bangladesh on the day of the IPL 2019 auction in December last year. “I was watching with Keemo Paul, [Sherfane] Rutherford, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos [Brathwaite], Nicholas [Pooran] – and all of those guys got picked. I mean, it was just happy tears from all of the guys.”Getty ImagesBetter was to follow when Thomas dismantled England – the best ODI batting line-up in the world – with a stunning five-wicket burst in March. “It came pretty quick,” he says. “In five overs. It was a really great day for me. I probably could have got more in the game, though, to be honest. I was bowling up the hill and I told the captain that if I go on the other side, I’d have probably got six or seven. He told me to bowl two or three overs from that end [up the hill] first. So I bowled three from there and I got one [3-0-16-1].”But it was a struggle coming up the hill. Plus with the breeze, my pace was cut and everything. But as soon as I got on the other side, I bowled two overs and got four wickets [2.1-0-5-4]. The wicket was bouncy, so I knew I could get the better of them, and I wanted the ball from the other side.”For the World Cup, his game plan is simple. “I’m looking forward to helping my team to go as far as possible. Setting some goals also, like finishing in the top five wicket-takers. Very excited. First World Cup, can’t wait.”Batsmen might not be quite as eager to line up against Thomas, though he says he’d rather get them out than scare them. “I make the ball do the work. Other fast bowlers might be really pumped up and go in the batsman’s face, but that’s not me,” Thomas says. “I’ll bowl and turn back to my mark. But at times you have batsmen that are really scared. Some wickets are fast and bouncy, and you can see it in the batter’s eye that he’s scared, but because cricket is his job, he won’t show it. He will stand up and fight. He wouldn’t like anyone to see him running.”Is it a rush, seeing that fear in a batsman’s eyes?”Yeah, yeah,” he admits. “When I look in a batsman’s eyes, eye to eye, and I see he’s scared, it’ll pump me up to bowl even faster. I mean, if you’re scared, I have the advantage, so most likely I’ll win the battle.”

Rohit Sharma's Bradmanesque home average

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Stats highlights from the opening day of the Visakhapatnam Test, where Rohit stroked his way to a sixth consecutive 50-plus score in India.

Bharath Seervi02-Oct-20194- Number of Indian batsmen who scored a century when opening for the first time in Tests. Rohit Sharma joins Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Prithvi Shaw in doing so. Dhawan and Shaw achieved this feat on their Test debuts.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6- Number of consecutive fifty-plus scores for Rohit in Tests in India. Before his century this innings, he scored 82 and 51* against New Zealand in 2016, and followed it with 102*, 65 and 50* against Sri Lanka in 2017. Rahul Dravid is the only other Indian batsman to have made six consecutive 50-plus scores at home, between 1997 and 1998.98.22- Rohit’s average in Tests in India. He has played 15 innings and scored 884 runs with that healthy average, until Tea, and has four hundreds and five fifties. His average is the joint-best among all batsmen with 10-plus innings, sharing top spot with Sir Don Bradman, who also averaged 98.22 at home in 50 innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2015- The last time India had a 200-plus run opening stand in Tests, which was for 283 runs against Bangladesh in Fatullah.3- Number of double-century opening partnerships for India against South Africa. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag had added 218 in Kanpur in 2004, while Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer put together 213 in Chennai in 2008. Overall, there have been five century opening stands for India versus South Africa, and three of them have been 200-plus.19- Runs scored by Rohit off his first 45 balls, at a control% of 82.20. He had control of over 90% after that and also scored runs at a quicker rate. For instance, in the second 45 balls, he smashed 38 runs whereas in his last 39 balls, he scored 34 runs.

Rohit Sharma’s innings progression on Day 1

Balls Runs SR Control%0-45 19 42.20 82.2046-90 38 84.40 91.1091-135 24 53.30 97.80136-174 34 87.20 92.304- Number of fifties for Mayank Agarwal in Tests, in eight innings. His score of 84 not out is the highest score of his short Test career. He had hit two fifties in Australia and one in West Indies before this knock.

'We were in control but it slipped' – Nicholas Pooran on disappointment of defeat

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Nicholas Pooran scored his maiden hundred but was unable to be West Indies’ saviour

Sharda Ugra at Chester-le-Street01-Jul-2019The slender young man standing in front of the mixed zone was looking his age and revealing his limited experience. He’d just scored his highest international score for West Indies, a century in the World Cup in his ninth ODI, but couldn’t get out of his mind what had just transpired. He was asked to dissect his innings and his dismissal off the first ball from an ageing, creaking allrounder who hadn’t bowled a single ball for eight months.When Nicholas Pooran was out for 118, it signalled the end of West Indies’ stirring chase of a World Cup record target of 338 against Sri Lanka at the Riverside Stadium in a match that was deemed a dead rubber but had turned into an afternoon of high-pitched high drama. Yet all that Pooran in response, over and over again, could say was, “this is cricket” with a wobble in his voice.”It is unfortunate at the end of the day. I felt I had to capitalise in that over but it didn’t happen for me.” His eyes were faintly red but he was holding back a full-scale blubber, yet his words kept coming. “I’m just disappointed for us today. You know we were so close to win the game and … we just find ourselves some situation to lose our game… I was thinking of winning the game. The focus today was just on winning the game and it’s just so disappointing for me today.”ALSO READ: Fernando: The craziest ball of the 2019 World CupNinety minutes earlier, the same batsman had the Riverside crowd on their feet, West Indians hollering and hopeful, Sri Lankans in a state of panic as Caribbean batsmen by names other than Christopher Henry or Carlos Ricardo or Andre Dwayne, had begun the charge. It was the 35th over and by the time Pooran and Fabian Allen had got to the 45th, they had carved out 83 runs in 58 balls.”I knew once myself and Fabian was batting, we was in control,” Pooran said of the partnership. “Actually the bowlers didn’t know where to bowl and it got easy. Unfortunately then Fabian got run-out there and I felt a bit responsible for that, but we were in total control of the game and it just slipped.”As tough as Pooran was being on himself, West Indies couldn’t have imagined being where he had taken them. Coming in at No. 5, Pooran took control of West Indian aspiration and strung together partnerships for the fifth, sixth and seventh wickets that had put West Indies within 30 runs of victory with three overs to go. When Pooran arrived, it was 71 for 3 in the 16th over, at the fall of Chris Gayle’s wicket, and what looked like the end of any West Indian flamboyance in the pursuit.WATCH on Hotstar (India only) – Nicholas Pooran’s hundredPooran’s scores at the World Cup so far had read, 34*, 43, 64, 25, 1, 28, his failure to convert being singled out for attention. He has always been a batsman of inventive strokeplay and a range of shots, easily fitted into white-ball cricket with quicksilver feet and eyes able to pounce early on opportunity or a wavering of length. At the Riverside, Pooran batted above the chaos that had preceded him and beyond the crisis that appeared to be around the corner.He made his task simple, building partnerships with whoever was as the other end, “I had to control myself, build partnerships, which was the most important thing and try to go as deep as possible. I felt like I worked a lot harder for my runs [in] other games, I was getting good starts but just today I carried it on.”Pooran switched the tempo of a partnership to match his partner’s scoring shots and ensured he cut out risk when Allen was carving up the field. It was his skittishness against Kusan Rajitha in the 90s that was to lead to the mix-up and Allen’s run-out. Once Allen was gone it was clear, everything depended on Pooran before Mathews turned up.Nicholas Pooran played superbly to get his maiden ODI hundred•Getty ImagesWhen he was asked about the dismissal again, the young man crushed by the experience spoke. “One of them days,” he said, “I felt like, it was his day. First ball I got out, it’s cricket. Anything could have happened I could have hit that ball for six or four…” Matthews, all the wiser for his years, said: “Pooran was the man we needed. I was lucky to get him first ball before he clobbered me for a few sixes. He nearly got them through.”WATCH on Hotstar (US only) – SL v WI – Super knocksPooran has dealt with several nearlys in his life before this one. Four years ago he was close to nearly never playing cricket again, after a serious car accident that required two surgeries on his legs to have him up and walking again. He wasn’t a certainty to play in the World Cup XI but became a late induction into the team following injury to Evin Lewis and played the first match against Pakistan.What there has never been any reservation about, however, is his talent or what is expected of him. Pooran has already been given large boots to walk in. Captain Jason Holder said Pooran has, “the ability to change gears, he has every shot in the locker and the best we can do for him is to make sure we have things in place to help him develop.” Last week, Chris Gayle was lavish and described him as a “savage youngster” a “mini universe boss” and a “world record beater”. Pooran’s response was phlegmatic: “I know a lot of people say a lot of things about me but at the end if I can’t peform on the field then it makes no sense.”The world cup and the several crushing defeats he has been a part of could be the making of Nicholas Pooran. “It just wasn’t a successful tournament for us but every good sportsman knows you, you fail more than you win… Each day I want to get better and better.” He has spent a good number of his teenage years watching Brian Lara videos, “but I don’t want to be like anyone else. I just want to be Nicholas Pooran.”After his experience on a bitter Monday, of all the compliments he’s been paid there is a chance he would like one particular descriptor added onto his name. Nicholas Pooran, match-winner.

England's gold, Australia's fall, Pakistan's homecoming

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

A review of how England, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, women’s cricket, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka fared between 2010 and 2019

27-Dec-2019 Read part two hereEnglandby Andrew Miller
Farewell, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Graeme Swann. Hello, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jason Roy and Jofra Archer. Farewell to Test cricket as England’s only true love. Hello to a brave new world of white-ball glory.Farewell to timid, antiquated, doomed-from-the-outset one-day campaigns. Hello to England’s masterplan, a four-year bid for world white-ball domination, and a shot at a once-in-a-lifetime World Cup final at Lord’s.Farewell, in the process, to England’s standards as a consistent and respected Test opponent. Farewell to three innings victories in four successive Tests in Australia in 2010-11, and the subsequent capturing of the ICC Test mace against India. Hello to Mitchell Johnson, hello darkness my old friend.Farewell, in bitter acrimony, to Pietersen. Did we ever really know you? Thanks for the World T20 trophy, by the way…Farewell Andy Flower, whose reign achieved rare glories but turned as sour as his eventual mood. Hello again Peter Moor… oh, gone so soon?Hello to Trevor Bayliss and “positive” intent at all costs. Hello to a generation of white-ball batsmen whose “it’s the way I play” swagger was eerily reminiscent of … nope, beats me.England’s Test XI of the decade

Alastair Cook
Andrew Strauss
Jonathan Trott
Joe Root
Kevin Pietersen
Ben Stokes
Matt Prior
Graeme Swann
Stuart Broad
James Anderson
Steven Finn

Hello to a revolving-door Test top three (Alastair Cook excepted, of course, but farewell, in the end, to him too). Hello to a run of ten defeats and three draws in 13 overseas Tests.Hello, at long last, to Eoin Morgan, six years an England regular, but from 2015 onwards, finally the supreme white-ball commander. Hello to the final to end all World Cup finals (except that it was never-ending). Hello to the vindication to end all vindications.But now, farewell to all that as well, as the cycle begins again and those long-lost Test standards prepare for a reboot. Hello James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The floor is again yours to do what you’ve been doing for the past 12 years and counting.High point
Roy’s shy, Buttler’s gather, England’s World Cup! With apologies to England’s triumph in Australia in 2010-11, and the defeat of India the following summer that sealed their No. 1 status, the rags-to-riches rise of the ODI team was the decade’s most extraordinary narrative arc.Low point
The 2015 World Cup was the most emblematic embarrassment of the decade, but the true nadir had come some 12 months earlier. As if a 5-0 Ashes thrashing wasn’t bad enough, the subsequent blame game (with Kevin Pietersen front and centre) showed English cricket at its prickly, thin-skinned and dysfunctional worst.Results
Tests: P125, W57, L45, D23
ODIs: P218, W123, L82, T4, NR9
T20Is: P91, W47, L39, T2, NR3Australia have scaled heights and plumbed the depths in a roller-coaster decade•Getty Images

Australia

by Daniel Brettig
The title of the Powderfinger song “Up and Down and Back Again” is an apt descriptor for Australia’s decade. They began it having lost the Ashes won so decisively at home in 2006-07, and would lose them again in humiliating circumstances at home in 2010-11, before also ceding their ODI World Cup title to India.These results brought changes – Ricky Ponting to Michael Clarke, the Argus review – but the team’s fortunes remained topsy-turvy. They bottomed out with nine consecutive Tests without a win in 2013 in India and England, either side of Mickey Arthur’s replacement by Darren Lehmann. The comeback that followed was furious, with another Ashes sweep at home and then a thrilling away defeat of a strong South Africa.But after Pakistan exposed plenty of flaws in the UAE, the game was rocked by the death of Phillip Hughes – an event the team did extraordinarily well to deal with. Australia then lifted the World Cup at home in early 2015. More Ashes pain abroad brought a raft of retirements, and a younger team, led by Steven Smith, continued to perform far better at home than away. Regaining the Ashes in 2017-18 took place in a somewhat sour series, before the Newlands scandal laid bare the rot at the heart of the national team’s culture, which had its origins in the broader approach of Cricket Australia.Australia’s Test XI of the decade

David Warner
Chris Rogers
Steven Smith
Michael Clarke (c)
Michael Hussey
Shane Watson
Brad Haddin (wk)
Mitchell Johnson
Pat Cummins
Ryan Harris
Nathan Lyon
Josh Hazlewood (12th man)

Duly chastened, a fresh outlook brought slow, steady improvement, and a team coached by Justin Langer and led by Aaron Finch and Tim Paine managed both to contend for the World Cup in England and then bring the Ashes home. This all took place while the Big Bash League sprouted and grew to fundamentally change the landscape of the game down under.High point
There were many home successes over the decade, which made rare overseas victories all the more worth savouring. The peaks came in the 2014 defeat of the Proteas on South African soil at a time when they boasted the world’s best Test side, and then with the 2019 retention of the Ashes, an achievement all the greater for the trials that had preceded it.Low point
For all the humiliations that surrounded the Newlands scandal and its aftermath, the death of Phillip Hughes was the most awful episode of Australian cricket’s decade. The loss of a talent so bright, just as he seemed about to mature into a Test batsman of high class, hit everyone hard, and is still a source of anguish five years later. As Steven Smith put it after his eerily similar blow to the neck during this year’s Lord’s Test: “My first thought was, I got hit in a pretty similar place to where Hughesy got hit, and I was like, ‘I’m okay’ – it’s not fair in a way.”Results
Tests: P111, W56, L38, D17
ODIs: P216, W125, L79, T1, NR11
T20Is: P98, W54, L40, T2, NR2
Pakistan hit peak unpredictability and the pinnacle of their decade simultaneously with their Champions Trophy win•PA PhotosPakistanby Danyal Rasool
One look at how Pakistan started the decade and the mere fact they are still in the conversation at the table of Full Member nations feels incredible. They entered the 2010s homeless because of a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, and now end it hosting the Sri Lankans at home once more. The Sydney Test to kick-start the decade was inauspicious, and the bans for spot-fixing for Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif disastrous.Pakistan’s Test XI of the decade

Mohammad Hafeez
Azhar Ali
Younis Khan
Misbah-ul-Haq (c)
Babar Azam
Asad Shafiq
Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk)
Yasir Shah
Mohammad Amir
Saeed Ajmal
Mohammad Abbas

At rock bottom, though, Pakistan found an anchor in Misbah-ul-Haq, who led them not just to stability but prosperity. They would reach the top of the Test rankings six years later, and under Sarfaraz Ahmed repeat the feat in T20Is. A glorious Champions Trophy win over India was the jewel in the crown, but over the final three years of the 2010s much of the good work has been undone, and Pakistan have taken their place in the relative mediocrity of the lower-mid region of the table. Ten years ago, though, they would have snapped your hand off for suggesting they might end the decade like this.High point
Easy choice. Barely eligible to qualify for the Champions Trophy, they rode their luck to the final, where India awaited them. Pakistan would roll back the years, India powerless in the face of a tidal wave of emotion and blinding brilliance. It’s obviously a one-off, and all the more special for it.Low point
The Lord’s spot-fixing scandal that saw their captain and two best bowlers go to jail and be banned for five years. Pakistan’s ability to resurface may be exemplary, but that shame and its consequences still hurt both its cricket and its soul.Results
Tests: P83, W33, L37, D13
ODIs: P217, W104, L106, T2, NR5
T20Is: P122, W69, L50, T2, NR1
In this decade too, Australia continued their domination over women’s cricket•ICC/GettyWomen’s cricketby Annesha Ghosh
In the 2010s, women’s cricket made a belated leap into the future. A shift from part-time to full-time professionalism and the birth of full-fledged T20 leagues headlined a time of extraordinary change in the women’s game.The ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) added more context to ODIs and certainty to the calendar of the top eight teams, with direct qualification for the 50-over World Cup up for grabs.Team-wise, Australia led on most fronts, winning five world titles and the inaugural IWC. The Women’s Big Bash League, branded identically to its men’s equivalent and rolled out in 2015, paved the way for the ECB to come up with the Kia Super League in 2016, and for the BCCI – if belatedly and reluctantly – to take a first, decisive step towards a women’s IPL with an exhibition match in 2018.Increased television coverage, better marketing from the ICC, and social-media innovations helped the 2017 World Cup achieve a record global reach. The first standalone T20 World Cup a year later summarised the evolution of power-hitting in the women’s game.High point
In 2013, Cricket Australia raised the annual central-contract wages to an amount resembling full-time pay for any top female athlete in the country. By 2015, all Full Member countries, India the last of them, had implemented full-time contracts for their women’s cricketers. Ireland completed the move away from amateurism among the top ten nations by awarding part-time central contracts for the first time in May 2019.Low point
The ICC’s focus on promoting the women’s game primarily through T20Is sacrificed Tests at the altar of what most boards called “financial non-viability”. Only eight women’s Tests were played in the 2010s – the least in the past five decades – and only two of those outside of Ashes series, raising serious concerns over the future of the format.West Indies are the only team to have won the World T20 twice, yet they finish the decade at No. 10 in the rankings•Ryan Pierse/IDI/Getty ImagesWest IndiesBy Nagraj Gollapudi
West Indies cricket achieved redemption this decade after staring down the barrel in the first ten years of the 21st century. A highly bitter and toxic relationship with the cricket administration, which has been that way for over two decades, might have forced many Caribbean players to pick playing in various T20 leagues rather than for the region, but those very men came together to help West Indies become the only team to win the T20 world title twice.Strangely then, West Indies will finish the decade ranked No. 10 in T20Is. In ODIs they are ninth, and in Tests seventh; and it was in Tests that West Indies achieved significant progress in the 2010s: against England at home, they drew 1-1 in 2015 and beat them 2-1 in 2018-19. They won a thrilling Test at Headingley in 2017, and beat Pakistan in a Test in the UAE in 2016-17.Caribbean fans can hope for a bright future. They have multiple match-winners now: batsmen Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite, and captain Jason Holder, who has grown into an able leader and will finish as one of the decade’s best Test allrounders.West Indies’ T20I XI of the decade

Chris Gayle
Lendl Simmons
Marlon Samuels
Shimron Hetmyer
Nicholas Pooran (wk)
Kieron Pollard
Andre Russell
Dwayne Bravo
Darren Sammy (c)
Sunil Narine
Samuel Badree

The challenge now for West Indies is to attain stability.High point
The first one was in 2012, when Marlon Samuels’ masterful innings led West Indies to the World T20 title against hosts Sri Lanka. Four years later, on a humid evening at Eden Gardens, Samuels danced bare-chested while the usually mellow Ian Bishop bellowed emotionally on air after Carlos Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes in the final over to win the title for a second time.Low point
The two-time T20 World Cup winners faced the embarrassment of being forced to play the 50-over Qualifiers to earn the right to participate in the 2019 World Cup. It proved they had barely improved in the format since the 2015 World Cup, where they had been defeated by Ireland. But the biggest embarrassment was the walkout by Dwayne Bravo’s team mid-way into the 2014 tour of India after a spiteful dispute between the players and the West Indies cricket administration of Dave Cameron.Results
Tests: P83, W22, L43, D18
ODIs: P196, W69, L114, T5, NR8
T20Is: P101, W43, L53, T1, NR4The Test win in Sylhet was Zimbabwe’s first away win in the format since 2001•Getty ImagesZimbabweby Firdose Moonda
This was the decade when the impact of Zimbabwe’s financial and political crises was most keenly felt in cricket circles. A six-year self-imposed exile from Test cricket for the team ended in August 2011, with victory over Bangladesh in Harare followed by home series against Pakistan and New Zealand. But the costs of hosting were too high and Zimbabwe played only 11 more home Tests in the decade and ten away. They had poor World Cups in 2011 and 2015, and failed to qualify for the 2019 one as well as for the main draws of the 2014 and 2016 T20 World Cups. They also went through several coaches and suffered a player drain. Zimbabwe now enter the 2020s having lost ground to Namibia as Africa’s second team.Zimbabwe’s ODI XI of the decade

Chamu Chibhabha
Hamilton Masakadza
Brendan Taylor (c)
Craig Ervine
Sikandar Raza
Sean Williams
PJ Moor (wk)
Graeme Cremer
Kyle Jarvis
Tendai Chatara
Chris Mpofu

High point
Beating Bangladesh in their comeback Test and registering an away win in Sylhet – only the third in their history and first in 17 years – come close, but the zenith was their 3-2 ODI series win over Sri Lanka in 2017. The series started with Zimbabwe completing a record chase of 317 in Galle and ended with them winning a decider with 11 overs to spare. It proved their potential sometimes pays off, and what fun it can be when it does.Low point
Their three-run defeat to UAE, chasing a modest 230 in 40 overs, denied them a place in the 2019 World Cup – their first absence from the event since 1983. If that wasn’t bad enough, Zimbabwe incurred an ICC suspension in July 2019, and although it was lifted in October, it was too late for them to play in the qualifiers for the 2020 T20 World Cup.Results
Tests: P24, W4, L19, D1
ODIs: P159, W44, L111, T2, NR2
T20Is: P67, W16, L50, T1In 2019, Sri Lanka came to South Africa in the depths of turmoil, with a second-rung team, and beat the hosts 2-0•Getty ImagesSri Lankaby Andrew Fidel Fernando
A whole slew of greats retired – Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, TM Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Rangana Herath. The younger crop have since struggled to replace them. And yet, there have been some dazzling successes in recent years, the likes of which evaded even Sri Lanka’s finest-ever players in the past. There was the 3-0 demolition of Australia at home in 2016, and flabbergastingly, a 2-0 victory over South Africa in South Africa in 2019 by what appeared to be one of the weakest Sri Lanka teams to ever tour that country. In between, there were bruising failures, such as a home drubbing at the hands of England, and an abysmal tour of Australia as well.On the limited-overs front, Sri Lanka entered the decade as one of the strongest and most consistent teams, reaching the 2011 ODI World Cup final and the 2012 World T20 final, before going on to win the 2014 World T20. They end the decade a mediocre white-ball outfit – an aged but fiery Lasith Malinga is seemingly all that separates them from full-blown freefall.The domestic cricket system is outdated in the extreme. The board is worse than ever.Sri Lanka’s ODI XI of the decade

Dimuth Karunaratne
Upul Tharanga
Kusal Mendis
Dinesh Chandimal
Angelo Mathews
Dhananjaya de Silva
Niroshan Dickwella
Dilruwan Perera
Rangana Herath
Suranga Lakmal
Nuwan Pradeep

High point
Although the Test series wins in England (2014) and South Africa were sensational, no win meant more to the nation than the 2014 T20 World Cup, which sparked a three-day party in Colombo.Low point
Sri Lanka had an abysmal 2017, when they lost seven Tests and won only four, lost 23 ODIs and won only five, and lost ten of the 15 T20s they played. An ICC investigation into corruption in the country’s cricket was announced that year, one that would ultimately lead to a two-year ban for Sanath Jayasuriya.Results
Tests: P95, W31, L40, D24
ODIs: P256, W113, L127, T2, NR14
T20s: P98, W44, L51, T2, NR1
More in the decade in review, 2010-19

How Starc and Finch masterminded Australia's victory

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Good plans and relentless execution made sure Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai14-Jan-20203:56

Warner-Finch shatter records, Starc-Cummins stifle batting

Australia were playing an ODI for the first time since the World Cup last year and they were arguably facing one of the best one-day sides in their backyard – India in India. And yet they had no problems winning the game, showing, in the process, that they had planned for India’s main batsmen, prepared for subcontinent conditions and had players capable of executing them perfectly.Finch brings his captaincy A game to IndiaAt one point in India’s innings it looked like Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul were going to lead them towards 300 with their century partnership. Mitchell Starc’s and Pat Cummins’ first spells had been seen off and the two batsmen were tackling the spinners without trouble.Finch was not giving up though. When Adam Zampa bowled to Rahul, he blocked the cover region with two fielders – short cover and extra cover – to stop him from playing his fluid drives on the off side that fetched him plenty of runs against West Indies and Sri Lanka. But Australia needed wickets and Finch decided to change ends for Ashton Agar. The bowler struck immediately by dismissing Rahul, and Finch now had an opening. He brought back his (current) best fast bowler, and Cummins struck straightaway with a length delivery. The ball was sticking on the Wankhede pitch on Tuesday and Dhawan popped a leading edge to cover and both the set batsmen were gone.The Zampa v Kohli contestEveryone would have thought of the challenges fast bowlers Cummins and Starc would pose for Virat Kohli. But Finch had faith in someone else. Someone who had dismissed the India captain three times in previous ODIs. Adam Zampa. After Kohli pulled a half-tracker for six, the legspinner replied with a sharp return catch next ball.It was a half-volley and it had been smashed back down the pitch but Zampa stretched his arms over his head and grabbed the ball with both hands, and just like that Kohli was gone, for just 16. Overall, Zampa has bowled to Kohli in seven innings and picked him up four times. That’s well worth conceding 126 runs off 97 balls.Even when Zampa had bowled earlier, he sent down a tidy spell of seven overs for 34, tossing the ball up, bowling on the stumps and using the crease well to make his wrong ‘uns more threatening. The 27-year old conceded only two fours in the first spell, repaying the faith of his captain and continuing the impressive work from last year’s ODIs in India when he had taken 11 wickets, only behind Cummins’ 14, with an average of 25.81 and economy rate of 5.68.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe return of Mitchell StarcWith Kohli gone, India were 156 for 4, and Finch saw another opening into the hosts’ inexperienced middle order. So he brought back Starc for his fifth bowling change in seven overs.Starc was playing only his second ODI in India and he did not start the way he would have liked while opening the bowling: there was no swing from his end and he was taken for two fours by Rohit Sharma in the first over. Seeing the lack of movement, he bowled a cross-seam delivery at 147.7 kph on a good length to Sharma, who miscued it to mid-off for his first breakthrough.Now back in the attack in the 33rd over, with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in the middle, Starc served a mixed bag to Iyer. He pushed the batsman on the back foot with a mean short ball that Iyer negotiated a bit awkwardly for a single to the leg side.When he got back on strike two balls later, Starc went full and used the angle from over the wicket to make Iyer play away from his body. Iyer was caught behind for 4 off 9 balls.Aaron Finch kisses the badge on his helmet•AFPIndia slipped to 165 for 5 at that point and never really recovered. Starc and Finch can take credit for that too. The Australia captain had saved three of his spearhead’s overs for the end and asked him to do just one thing. Bowl yorker after yorker after yorker.The first ball of Starc’s final spell, Shardul Thakur lobbed a catch to long-on which Kane Richardson put down. The next ball, Starc was only a tad inaccurate with the yorker with DRS saving Mohammed Shami after Michael Gough had ruled him out lbw. On the last ball of the over, Starc nailed the yorker, right on the base of off stump, and Thakur didn’t have any reply for it.The angles changed, the batsmen changed, but Starc’s plans stayed the same. He conceded a few too many boundaries towards the end off low full tosses, but his job was done and he ended with 3 for 56 from his 10 overs.Starc returned to India after nearly three years. Australia were playing an ODI after more than six months. Neither looked out of place.

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