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Unlike before, they have power-hitters in the middle order, but they aren’t getting much of a chance to show what they can do

Danyal Rasool02-Sep-20222:34

Mickey Arthur on what Pakistan have learnt so far at the Asia Cup

Pakistan scored 193, a total well above par on a slow Sharjah surface, against Hong Kong on Friday night.Normal service resumed as far as Mohammad Rizwan was concerned. He batted through despite struggling in the heat, scoring an unbeaten 78 off 57. The platform he and Fakhar Zaman (53 in 41) set meant Khushdil Shah could play with complete abandon, bludgeoning four sixes off the last four balls he faced in a 29-run over, propelling Pakistan to what was effectively an unassilable total. The bowlers followed up with fearsome ruthlessness, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan taking seven wickets between them for 13 runs as Hong Kong were skittled for 38. It was the lowest score against Pakistan in a T20I, and the 155-run win the biggest in Pakistani T20I history.Related

• India vs Pakistan – cricket, not hype, takes centre stage ahead of Round 2

• Unbeaten India slight favourites in Round 2 against Pakistan

• Arthur: Open with Fakhar, send Babar or Rizwan at No. 3

• Pakistan's strength is also their weakness in T20Is

Everything went perfectly to plan.And yet, the most exciting facet of the Pakistan performance wasn’t what they did, but what they showed they were capable of. This was Pakistan’s first T20I win this year. Incredible, but even more incredibly, this was only their third T20I in 2022.There’s little evidence much has changed since their entertaining run to the semi-finals at last year’s T20 World Cup. With the next edition of that tournament just six weeks away, Pakistan look set to rock up in Australia as a side almost identical to the one that played the previous T20 World Cup. And not just in terms of personnel, but also in approach.That has its advantages, particularly against sides that don’t have the gifts Pakistan do in terms of batting or bowling. Like Hong Kong. But even as they bask in the joy of this crushing, record-breaking win, it doesn’t take any deep analysis to work out the areas of their game more accomplished sides will look to exploit.In this game, Pakistan’s No. 4, Khushdil, came out only after 16.1 overs. Since the start of last year’s World Cup, the top three have faced an average of 87 balls per innings – on Friday, they faced 106. They make most of the runs, as you might well expect – only 35 of Pakistan’s 193 runs came off a bat that didn’t belong to a top three batter. Their combined strike rate, though, was 132.07, while Khushdil, the only one outside the top three to face any deliveries at all, soared above at 233.33.This was a typical Pakistan T20I innings. The top three have, since the start of the last World Cup, the largest negative variance between balls faced and runs scored, while the middle order has the highest strike rate in the world. The most productive players in the side, in other words, face fewer deliveries than their counterparts from any other side. By definition, that means Pakistan are leaving runs out there.5:17

Why are Asian batters struggling against spin in T20 cricket?

That might be a criticism, but it would be remarkable if no one in the Pakistan camp sees this as a massive opportunity. With the Hong Kong bowlers there for the taking at the death, Pakistan’s most potent six-hitter had the chance to face just 15 deliveries, while the similarly prolific Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Asif Ali didn’t get a look-in at all. Khushdil struck five sixes off the 15 balls he faced; the 106 balls the other three faced yielded just three. At the halfway mark, Pakistan had scored 64 for 1, with six fours and no sixes.For the longest time, Pakistan’s greatest T20 problem was the dearth of power hitting in their setup. The absence of personnel is something no coach, no data, no pep talk, can really overcome. But that problem has now long been put to bed, and the only shackles on this Pakistan batting line-up are self-imposed.You learn more from your losses than from your wins, but if that were true, Pakistan might have rectified the issue following the inquest after the semi-final defeat to Australia at last year’s T20 World Cup.Now, with two days to go before they face India in the Super Four, Babar Azam’s men have the opportunity to learn the same lesson, this time following a comprehensively glorious win.That Pakistan don’t have enough runs in their batting line-up is a myth. They do. They’re just not scoring them. For Pakistan, and their supporters, what could be more exhilarating than that?

The South Africa allrounder is enjoying the challenge of adapting to the T10 format, where batters ‘just want to destroy you’

Aadam Patel02-Dec-2022@Parnygram is what Waleed Wayne Parnell goes by on Instagram. A quick scroll down his page and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the South African is a full-time influencer.There are trendy shots and well-edited reels of Parnell across the globe from Ranchi to London to Brisbane and now to Abu Dhabi for the Abu Dhabi T10. An influencer he is in more ways than one but beneath that social-media page is a man with a desire to live life to the fullest. And with that, a desire for success at the highest level.Whenever Parnell calls time on his career, the 33-year-old will doubtless look back with immense pride and satisfaction at what he’s achieved. The youngest player to be handed a national contract by Cricket South Africa in 2009, Parnell has represented South Africa across formats with over 100 caps for the Proteas but for the left-armer from Port Elizabeth, one thing is missing – an ICC trophy.In Australia, South Africa began their T20 World Cup campaign against Zimbabwe in a game that they should have won but finished without a result. They bounced back by hammering Bangladesh and beating India and after three games, they very much looked like the team to beat.Yet in the space of a few nights, their tournament unravelled as they lost to Pakistan and then fell to a shock defeat against Netherlands. And despite such an optimistic start, they were on the early plane home.”It was very disappointing. Going in, we felt really confident. Just sitting in the dressing room, looking around at the personnel we had, we were very confident,” Parnell says. “I’m still asking myself questions as to what went wrong. It’s just one of those things in a tournament format where you’ve got to be switched on every single game.”File photo – Wayne Parnell runs in to bowl•Getty ImagesFor Parnell, that desire to add a world title is still there after over a decade playing for his country. Since the 1998 Champions Trophy, success has evaded South Africa on the global stage.”I’m still as hungry as ever. I’ve still got that big goal in mind. I’d love to finish my career with an ICC medal for South Africa,” Parnell insists.He is at the Abu Dhabi T10 playing for Northern Warriors and Parnell isn’t the only South African in town. David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Rilee Rossouw and Tabraiz Shamsi are all here for Season 6 of the tournament and Parnell insists that the format offers a different challenge altogether.”T10 is so unpredictable. You have to be really smart every single ball, especially when you’re thinking about how you set up your over,” the left-armer says.”It’s easier in terms of clarity but playing different opposition every day at different times and on different wickets, it challenges you and you have to adapt and show those different skillsets.”I’ve been given the responsibility of bowling the tougher overs. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing anyway but you’ve got to be switched on every ball because guys are basically coming out and trying to kill you. They just want to destroy you.”And as long as that drive to compete is still there, Parnell plans on carrying on the globetrotting lifestyle across franchise leagues and for the Proteas.”Once I stop enjoying it, I’ll hang up my boots. As long as I’m having fun, still learning every day and feeling like I can get better, I’ll continue to play.”

The overseas contingent led the way, and Krunal showed his captaincy wares in Rahul’s absence, but Hooda’s poor form didn’t help

Ekanth25-May-20235:02

Moody: LSG did well but need Indian batting depth

Where they finished

Position on table: Third after the league stage, with 17 points
Wins: Eight
Losses: Five
No result: One
Lucknow Super Giants made it to the playoffs for the second time in two years but were knocked out in the Eliminator once again, this time losing to Mumbai Indians in Chennai. Despite KL Rahul’s campaign ending early with a thigh injury, Krunal Pandya led them to three wins in their four league games. But Rahul’s absence, and the underwhelming returns from their other Indian batters, hurt them in the Eliminator.

The good: The overseas contingent

With Quinton de Kock away on national duty, Kyle Mayers started the tournament for LSG. His rollicking knocks – three half-centuries in his first three outings – meant de Kock had to warm the bench for a fair few games even when he was available. De Kock finally got his chance when Rahul was ruled out. He scored 143 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 140.19 but was left out for the Eliminator, a move that sparked a debate.If Mayers gave LSG flying starts, Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran took care of the middle order, turning games around with their audacious hitting.Stoinis had his most productive season with the bat, topping the run charts for LSG with a tally of 408. He scored those runs at a strike rate of 150 and notched up three fifties. His all-round skills came to the fore against Rajasthan Royals, where he dismissed Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal to help his side defend 154.Pooran was fearless with the bat. His 15-ball half-century against Royal Challengers Bangalore helped LSG chase down 213. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he combined with Stoinis to smash Abhishek Sharma for 31 runs in a game-changing over.LSG’s musclemen: Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis•BCCINaveen-ul-Haq came good in his debut IPL season, making full use of the opportunity he got due to Mark Wood’s illness. Wood had picked up 11 wickets in just four games, but the slow tracks at the Ekana Cricket Stadium meant LSG persisted with Naveen even after Wood had recovered. Naveen ended the season with 11 wickets from eight games, his four-for in the Eliminator going a long way in restricting Mumbai to 182.Among Indian players, Ravi Bishnoi continued his growth by taking 16 wickets at an economy rate of 7.74, while Yash Thakur impressed with 13 wickets from nine games at 9.07.

Poll

The bad: Hooda’s horrid season

Deepak Hooda was one of the key Indian players for LSG, more so after Rahul’s injury. But he could muster only 84 runs in 12 innings with a best of 17. Ayush Badoni and Krunal played a couple of handy knocks but in the games where Stoinis and Pooran failed, the middle order looked brittle.With Mohsin Khan not available for the first nine games, Avesh Khan was expected to shoulder extra responsibility. But he had a forgettable season. In nine games, he picked up just eight wickets at an economy of 9.75. With Naveen getting the nod over Wood, LSG missed a strike bowler in the powerplay.

Top performer: Nicholas Pooran

Once he get going, which he did more often than not, Pooran was unstoppable. His ability to attack from ball one is what allowed him to rack up two 40-plus scores at a strike rate of 300-plus: a 19-ball 62 against RCB and a 13-ball 44 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both innings illustrate his intelligent selection of boundary options. He finished the season with 26 fours and as many sixes. He was severe against pace bowlers, scoring at a strike rate of 198.14. Against spin, it was slightly lower – 145.45 – but only by Pooran’s standards.

The highlights

• LSG racked up 257 for 5 – the second-highest in the history of IPL – in a record-tumbling innings against Punjab Kings in Mohali. Only two of the 20 overs did not feature a boundary.
• The 31 runs ransacked by Pooran and Stoinis off Abhishek in the 16th over against Sunrisers were the joint-most in an over in IPL 2023.
• Pooran’s 15-ball fifty against RCB is the joint-third-fastest in the IPL.

And was the match aggregate of 517 by South Africa and West Indies a record for a T20I?

Steven Lynch28-Mar-2023Was the match aggregate by South Africa and West Indies the other day a record for a T20I? asked Mason McKillop from South Africa

The match aggregate of 517 runs between West Indies (258 for 5) and South Africa (259 for 4) in Centurion at the weekend was not just a record for a T20I – it beat the 489 of West Indies (245 for 6) and India (244 for 4) in Lauderhill (USA) in 2016 – but also a record for any senior T20 match.The previous mark had been set only a fortnight earlier, with an aggregate of 515 in the PSL game between Multan Sultans (262 for 3) and Quetta Gladiators (253 for 8) in Rawalpindi. The only other T20 match to produce more than 500 runs was a CSA T20 clash between Titans (271 for 3) and Knights (230 for 9) in Potchefstroom in South Africa in October 2022.Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed first ball three times in the ODIs against Australia. Has anyone done this before? asked Dinesh Manraj from Trinidad & Tobago (among others)

Suryakumar Yadav’s nightmare in the one-day series against Australia – first-ball ducks in Mumbai (lbw to Mitchell Starc), in Visakhapatnam (lbw Starc again) and in Chennai (bowled by Ashton Agar) – was the first time such a hat-trick had occurred in a bilateral one-day series.There had been four previous cases of a batter collecting three successive golden ducks, involving different opposition: by the Sri Lankans Pramodya Wickramasinghe (1998) and Lasith Malinga (2009), Kenya’s Shem Ngoche during the 2011 World Cup, and Hamza Tahir of Scotland in 2022. Malinga had another run of three innings in 2013 in which he was out first ball twice and also run out without facing.Was Ashley Chandrasinghe’s 46 in the Sheffield Shield final the lowest score by someone carrying their bat in a first-class match? asked Arsiwala Husein from India

The Victorian opener Ashley Chandrasinghe carried his bat for 46 in their first innings of 195 in last week’s Sheffield Shield final in Perth. This is a long way from the lowest score by someone carrying their bat: playing for the Gentlemen of Kent against the Gentlemen of England in Canterbury in 1852, John Fagge made only 4 of a total of 90. Thirty years later, Lancashire’s Dick Barlow (a serial bat-carrier; he did it ten times in all, four in 1882 alone) was undefeated with 5 in a total of 69 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.The previous lowest by an Australian was Alec Bannerman’s 7 (out of 60) for the tourists against Kent, also in Canterbury, in 1893. The lowest in Australia remains 21, by John Rees, in what turned out to be his only first-class match, for South Australia (who made 54) against Western Australia in Perth in 1905-06.Chandrasinghe batted throughout the first day’s play in last week’s final, finishing it with 46 of Victoria’s 90-over total of 194 for 8 (they added only one more run next morning); several people asked whether this was also a record low. This is a tough one to work out as we don’t always know whether a day’s play was uninterrupted, but the lowest score yet unearthed by someone who batted through an entire day’s play appears to be 37 not out, by Hashim Amla as Surrey held out for a draw after following on against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl in July 2021. Surrey faced 96.2 overs on that fourth day, finishing with 122 for 8 from 104.5 overs; Amla, who was 0 not out overnight, faced 278 balls in all, and hit five fours.Fawad Alam is the only batter with five Test hundreds in five different countries•Associated PressI noticed that Fawad Alam has scored five Test centuries, all against different countries (and all in different countries). Is this a record? asked Michael Murdoch from Scotland

Fawad Alam’s five Test centuries have come against Sri Lanka (168 on debut in Colombo in 2009), New Zealand (102 in Mount Maunganui in 2020-21), South Africa (109 in Karachi in 2020-21), Zimbabwe (140 in Harare in 2020-21), and West Indies (124 not out in Kingston in August 2021).Neil McKenzie of South Africa and India’s Wasim Jaffer also scored five Test centuries against five different opponents. But another South African, Quinton de Kock, leads the way with six: during his 54-Test career, he made hundreds against England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and West Indies. But three of de Kock’s centuries came in South Africa; Fawad is the only man to make five in five different countries.Can you solve an argument? Did Jos Buttler score the most runs in any IPL season last year? asked Narendra Kotak from India

Jos Buttler did lead the way in last year’s IPL with 863 runs for Rajasthan Royals – but it wasn’t quite the record aggregate, as Virat Kohli piled up 973 for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016. Next comes David Warner, with 848 for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. Both Buttler and Kohli hit four hundreds; no one else has scored more than two in an IPL season.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Pair finds a way past Nepal’s banana peel with a 216-run fourth-wicket stand that came at 7.57

Deivarayan Muthu22-Jun-2023After Shai Hope knocked Nepal seamer Gulsan Jha through midwicket for a double, he eased the helmet off his head and raised his bat in typical understated fashion. It has become a familiar sight for West Indies in ODI cricket. This was Hope’s 15th hundred in ODI cricket overall and his ninth since the end of the 2019 ODI World Cup.Since that tournament, seven other West Indies batters have combined to produce nine centuries among them in ODI cricket. Among those, Evin Lewis has made himself unavailable for West Indies selection until after CPL 2023 and Shimron Hetmyer was left out for the ongoing ODI World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.Three legal balls after Hope had brought up his hundred, Nicholas Pooran reached a century of his own and joined the list of West Indian batters not named Hope to hit an ODI ton in recent times. Pooran celebrated it by blowing a kiss towards the West Indian dressing room. Andy Flower, who was on commentary around the time, wasn’t surprised with Pooran taking down a bowling attack in ODI cricket, having worked with him at Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2023.Related

• Hope, Pooran centuries headline West Indies' rout of Nepal

But it was still an unfamiliar sight for the Caribbean fans in ODI cricket. This was only Pooran’s second ODI hundred and first since the 2019 World Cup in England. When Pooran got together with Hope, West Indies were 55 for 3 in the 16th over and the ball was still decking around. But the pair found a way around Nepal’s banana peel and swatted them aside with a 216-run fourth-wicket partnership that came at a run rate of 7.57.Pooran was dropped twice by wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh – first on 3 and then on 54 – but he showed innings construction and reconstruction skills before teeing off in the slog overs. With legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane turning into the ball into him, Pooran regularly hit with the turn and attacked the shorter leg-side boundaries at the Harare Sports Club. Pooran then pressed onto intimidate Nepal’s attack with sheer power, something that has put him on the wish list of T20 – and T10 – franchises around the world.Shai Hope has walked the talk after sliding down to No.4 this year•ICC via Getty ImagesAs for Hope, he initially struggled to pick Lamichhane’s variations from the wrist, but he lined up the fingerspinners Dipendra Singh Airee and Lalit Rajbanshi to dovetail beautifully with Pooran. It is for this middle-order stability and impetus that Hope has given up his opening slot for Brandon King who isn’t as strong against spin. After West Indies wrapped up a 101-run win, Hope credited Pooran for making life easier for him.”I still believe that my rhythm was a bit off to be fair and in that situation I’m happy that I came up trumps for the team,” Hope said after collecting the Player-of-the-Match award. “The key [to the partnership with Pooran] was to absorb as much pressure as possible and find a way to transfer that pressure on the back end. Pooran actually made it easier for me. I don’t think I hit my targets the way I wanted to, but I’m just happy to bat as deep as possible. The team really needed me and I’m happy to come up trumps for the team. Oh! I’m happy, anytime he [Pooran] is scoring runs we do well.”Since sliding down the order to No.4 this year, Hope has made scores of 128 (115), 16 (27), 54(60) and 132 (129). Hope and Pooran gave Rovman Powell and Jason Holder the ideal platform to launch from the get-to as West Indies put up 339 for 7.”The aim is to get the best out of everyone in the team,” Hope had said on the eve of the game. The first is to understand our game a lot more and getting there is a process. It’s definitely not going to happen overnight, but the aim is to do whatever I can do for the team. But for our batters to understand their worth and have that self-belief in themselves to know: ‘okay, I can get the job done for West Indies’ and the more they can do that, I can see more consistent performances and hopefully it starts from tomorrow.”Captain Hope walked the talk along with his predecessor Pooran on Thursday and though it was only against an Associate team, the pair probably offered West Indies the new batting blueprint that they’ve been searching for in ODI cricket.

His bowling, inspirational leadership, and fearlessness in taking a stand on issues he is passionate about make him one of the greats of the modern game

Ian Chappell03-Dec-2023Australia won an impressive sixth World Cup thanks to dynamic fielding, batting and bowling heroics, and enormous self-belief. However, the captaincy of Pat Cummins should not be overlooked when assessing Australia’s excellent achievement.Cummins was always going to be a good captain. Overlooking for a moment the difficulties of being a fast-bowling skipper, he was easily the most inspirational player in the Australian team, and one blessed with cricketing common sense.Any cricketer who isn’t inspired by Cummins is in the wrong game.In addition, Cummins is an outstanding fast bowler with a big heart, and has the much admired knack of taking a wicket when it’s really needed. To cap it off, he’s a bowler who regularly troubles the opposition’s best batters.These qualities make him amply qualified to be an inspiring captain. The rest is a matter of him leading the Australia side and seeing what he can make of the job. The only way to improve as a captain is to do the job, make the odd miscalculation and quickly learn from any setbacks.Cummins has not only proved himself a worthy Test captain, his leadership has now expanded and he is also successful in 50-overs cricket.Related

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I thought he’d be a good captain but he has exceeded my expectations.The other point to consider is the quality of some of the rarely selected bowling captains. The best examples of bowlers making good to great captains are Imran Khan of Pakistan, Richie Benaud of Australia, and Ray Illingworth of England.By performing well as a captain in different countries and formats and in a variety of conditions, Cummins is putting himself in that category. Only Imran of that trio – an excellent leader of great presence – played in an era of rapidly growing limited-overs cricket.Imran crowned an excellent captaincy career by guiding Pakistan’s “skilled rabble” cricket team to an outstanding World Cup win in 1992. Cummins has now equalled Imran’s and Kapil Dev’s laudable achievements of clinching a World Cup trophy as a fast-bowling captain.Don’t be fooled by the controversy surrounding coach Justin Langer and his eventual departure. Once appointed, Cummins earned the right to choose the coach he wanted. He now works with coach Andrew McDonald but be in no doubt who is running the cricket side of things – it is, as it should be, the captain.While I can guarantee from personal experience that a lot of codswallop is written and spoken about what happens on the cricket field, it is refreshing to watch Cummins and his team in action. Cummins’ side is often spoken about as an ultra-aggressive Australian unit minus the ugly side effects.

Someone once wisely wrote, “Good captaincy is like pornography; it’s hard to define but you know it when you see it”

I’d put Cummins in the same bracket as Mark Waugh and Anil Kumble – fierce competitors who convey their intentions purely by their actions. Shooting your mouth off doesn’t make you a tough player; quite often, it’s exactly the opposite.Cummins also deserves credit for speaking out on off-field issues. It’s not easy in the dog-eat-dog social-media climate for a current player to take a stand, but Cummins has had the guts to be front and centre on issues he is passionate about.In acknowledging an invitation from Cummins to a symposium on the effect of climate change on cricket, I’m not only declaring my involvement but also expressing an admiration for the captain’s stand. Cummins is absolutely serious about climate’s effect on the planet.There’s no doubt he has had his challenges as captain. His battle with Ben Stokes – an excellent captain – was one such instance. Cummins’ captaincy experience will be improved by the intense skirmish with Stokes.Someone once wisely wrote, “Good captaincy is like pornography; it’s hard to define but you know it when you see it.”Cummins was the right choice as Australian captain and he has done an extremely good job. Even in the ultra-demanding climate of Australian cricket, he has earned the right to remain captain for as long as he wants the role.

BBC broadcaster on his involvement in English cricket and the fight for its future

Matt Roller07-Feb-2024How do you solve a problem like the Hundred? It is the question that has dominated meetings between the ECB – and in particular, chief executive Richard Gould and chairman Richard Thompson – and the first-class counties this winter, which have centred on the ownership model, the number of teams and the prospect of private investment.If those discussions have been productive, then there remains an oversight: they have hardly – if at all – featured the people actually involved in running the competition. “I haven’t had a single conversation with the ECB’s hierarchy since this lot took over,” says Mark Chapman, best known as a respected broadcaster across English sport but also the chair of Manchester Originals’ board since the team’s inception nearly five years ago.”The eighteen first-class counties put Richard Gould and Richard Thompson in their jobs, so they’re going to talk to them: I get that. But I would have thought, at some point… I mean, you’re sat here now, talking to me now about how it’s gone and what the future is, so why would they not talk to those that are involved in the Hundred?”Chapman, who has worked extensively for the BBC and, more recently, Sky Sports, cut his teeth as a young broadcaster covering Durham in 1997. Working for BBC Radio Newcastle, he travelled home and away with a team captained by David Boon, and recalls fondly the celebrations as they broke a long winless streak at Darlington Cricket Club.But his principal association is with Lancashire and in 2019, when studying for a Masters degree in sporting directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University, he was put in touch with the county’s chief executive, Daniel Gidney. “He said they were helping the ECB put a board together for Manchester Originals and asked if I’d be interested,” Chapman recalls.The Originals were – and remain – the only Hundred team with a single county affiliated to them, a situation which led them to appoint an independent board to mitigate fears that conflicts of interest could arise; Gidney is unusual among chief executives in that he has no official involvement in the Hundred team affiliated to his county.Old Trafford under the floodlights during the 2023 Hundred•Getty ImagesChapman chairs a board which comprises James Sheridan (Knights plc, and a non-executive board member at Lancashire), Fiona Morgan (SailGP) and Amy Townsend (Freddie’s Flowers), while Sanjeev Katwa, Tottenham Hotspur’s head of technology, is an advisor. “The diversity of thought around that table is massive,” he says.In 2021, the Hundred’s inaugural season, “we didn’t really know what we were doing,” Chapman admits. “We were still operating in the Covid landscape and it was a case of thinking, ‘Right, let’s just try and get this thing on the road. We only really got a grasp on the whole thing once that first year was done.”Since then, he believes that the Originals have developed “much more of a Manchester feel” and gives much of the credit to their mid-20s marketing manager, Josh Dooler. “The work he has done within Manchester’s communities on behalf of the Originals over the last two years has been absolutely phenomenal,” Chapman says. “I think this is relevant when people slam the competition and say this, that and the other.”Last year, we sold 60,000 tickets [for four home matchdays] which is 10,000 more than the year before. 30% of our ticket-buyers are female, 22% went to Under-16s, and 48% of people who bought tickets for our games in 2023 had never been to a cricket match before. And we reached 5,000 people via community engagements in non-traditional cricket areas.”They are impressive numbers, but do they vindicate the Hundred’s start-up costs and its effect on the rest of the English summer? “The honest answer is I don’t think we’ll know for 10, even 15 years,” Chapman says. “If Lancashire’s average crowd for the Blast drops by 500, but we sell 60,000 Hundred tickets and 300 more girls take up in South Manchester as a result, does that balance it out?”I genuinely have no idea – and it’s very difficult to measure. But I didn’t come up with the Hundred. Obviously, I didn’t have to work in it either, but I genuinely love cricket and I genuinely want cricket to be a successful sport, enjoyed by as many people as people, because it’s given me and my family such enjoyment over the years.”I can see why people are in different camps with the Hundred. I’m 50 years old: I’m a traditionalist when it comes to cricket, but I work in a lot of different sports. I cover the NFL; I go and watch netball with one of my daughters. I adore Lancashire and the County Championship, but I can also see why some things have moved on or developed.”Related

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Chapman believes that the Originals have found a balance between an inclusive atmosphere – “last year, 30% of our ground was alcohol-free zones” – and Emirates Old Trafford’s raucous party stand. “In British sport in general, you have to try to find a balance between family-friendly fun and pissed blokes dressed as bananas on a stag do,” he says.He also believes that the Originals have been front-runners among Hundred teams in pioneering a ‘two teams, one club’ approach: “We’ve been big on integrating the men’s and women’s side of it.” He cites as an example their decision to convert the away dressing-room at Old Trafford into the women’s home one, leaving away teams to change in the indoor school.But Chapman fears that the progress that has been made towards cricket becoming an equal-gender sport is being overlooked during discussions about the Hundred’s future – hence his frustration at the fact that he has not been consulted by the ECB’s leadership. “All of these discussions that I’m reading about only seem to be looking at men’s cricket,” he says.One early proposal – which was never likely to succeed – involved the Hundred becoming a 39-team pyramid including the national (formerly minor) counties. “I mean, my God!” Chapman says. “You arguably can’t have a 39-team pyramid in the men’s game, but you definitely can’t have it in the women’s game at the moment because the depth just isn’t there.”There have to be safeguards to guarantee the continued progression of the women’s game. Everybody involved in the Hundred has worked really hard to get to a certain point, but we’re miles off where we need to be, and that’s because of the historical treatment of women’s team sport in this country. It’s going to take a long time, but there is work being done – which shouldn’t be undone.”He believes that handing equity stakes to host counties could work – “Daniel Gidney has been absolutely phenomenal, not in supporting us, but accommodating what we want to do with the Originals” – and is open to the principle of private investment, which might better enable the women’s Hundred to attract “the top Aussies” with higher salaries, though he has some broader concerns.”I’ll give you an example: in 2022, we lost a bowler in our men’s team to injury and looked at a couple of bowlers – John Turner at Hampshire, and Danny Lamb at Lancashire – as replacements. We had a final group game and then the eliminator, and we were looking to bring someone in, but they’d have missed the semi-finals of the One-Day Cup.”We had a long think about it and said, ‘do you know what? Go and play your 50-over semi-finals’. That was why we had a squad of 15 in the first place, and Tom Lammonby came into the side and did well. Sometimes when the Hundred gets hammered I think, ‘we are trying to be fair’. And the worry is that if private investment comes in, that could easily blow county cricket apart.”Chapman comfortably fills an hour discussing the Hundred and its future, and it is immediately clear to see that he is desperate for it to be a success. But the irony is that when it comes to dealing with the ECB, a ubiquitous broadcaster is struggling to get his voice heard.

Capitals plundered 53 runs off their last two overs, but Titans nearly pulled off a miracle of their own thanks to Rashid Khan

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-20242:17

Aaron: Pant’s World Cup spot is pretty sealed now

Sai Kishore into the attack to bowl the 19th. A right-hander’s presence helps Gill introduce Sai. From around to Stubbs.18.1Sai Kishore to Stubbs, 1 run
Full and wide of off, and he leans into pushing this to deep pointStays around to Pant18.2Sai Kishore to Pant, 1 run
Pant falls over, but manages to swipe this low full toss on middle and leg to fine leg18.3Sai Kishore to Stubbs, FOUR runs
Drilled between long-off and deep point! Seemed like Sai went for a variation, and bowled full and wide of off. Neither fielder moved, as Stubbs thrashed that back18.4Sai Kishore to Stubbs, SIX runs
Just clears deep square leg! Sai angled this in, and bowled another full toss. This one dipped on middle, but Stubbs had his front leg out of the way in swiping at that18.5Sai Kishore to Stubbs, FOUR runs
Finds the gap again between long-off and deep point! He swats at this short-of-a-length ball around sixth stump, and rams that wide of long-off18.6Sai Kishore to Stubbs, SIX runs
Smashed over long-on! GT were hiding Sai all this while, waiting for a right-hander to arrive, but Stubbs shows what he can do to spin. Again clears his front leg, and clubs this length ball angling into the stumps for a huge hit.Related

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19.1Mohit to Pant, 2 runs
Well fielded by Sai, who moves and dives to his left from deep point! He keeps it to two, as Pant looked to loft this slower ball, which was on a full length, and wide-ish of off. No pace to work with for Pant, though19.2
1w
Mohit to Pant, 1 wide
Bowls full, and really wide of off. Pant looked to get across pretty late, and it is called wide19.2Mohit to Pant, SIX runs
Goes through Shahrukh’s hands! Some luck for Pant and DC. Shahrukh had his hands above his head and jumped a little at long-on, but the ball still breached them. Pant got another low full toss on the stumps, and he swung liberally for another six, even as it came off the lower half of the bat19.3Mohit to Pant, FOUR runs
He loses his balance, but it is four! He is Pant, after all. Reaches out for this yorker-length ball which is angling across to finish wide of off. He opens the face of the bat, though, and manages to crash it to deep backward point even as he falls on his knee19.4Mohit to Pant, SIX runs
Almost a no-look six! He swivels to pull, and the ball is over fine leg even before he has swivelled entirely. Mohit followed a yorker with a bouncer arriving on middle, and Pant hooked powerfully19.5Mohit to Pant, SIX runs
Another full toss… and another huge six! This goes a long way up into the sky before landing beyond the long-on boundary. Mohit went back to going for the yorker, but Pant is standing outside of his crease. Pant swings incredibly well for another six19.6Mohit to Pant, SIX runs
Finishes off in style! Creamed over deep square leg! The last over gives DC 31 runs. Mohit went on the shorter side of a length around off, and Pant swivelled again to slam that just past the boundaryRishabh Pant hammered four sixes in the last over•AFP/Getty Images18.1Rasikh Salam to Rashid Khan, 1 wide
Fullish length, and pretty wide of off. Left alone, and wide called18.1Rasikh Salam to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs
Swung away between the keeper and short fine! It was a low, dipping full toss which finished on his pads, and Rashid almost took his eyes off in swinging at that18.2Rasikh Salam to Rashid Khan, 1 run
Wow, what a save by Stubbs! He has saved five crucial runs at an important stage. At long-off, he leaped across to his right, and caught the ball. While realising that he was falling back, he threw the ball back. The third umpire checks replays, and sees that his right leg is well clear of the rope. Salam had bowled from back of the hand, and on a length outside off, as Rashid lofted down the groundFrom around to Sai18.3Rasikh Salam to Sai Kishore, no run
Fullish ball angled in outside off, and a slower ball. Sai went swinging, but missed18.4Rasikh Salam to Sai Kishore, SIX runs
Bashed over deep midwicket! Sai got a back-of-the-hand slower ball on a length just outside off, and Sai saw it early to swipe across the line. The ball went soaring, and landed beyond the boundary18.5Rasikh Salam to Sai Kishore, SIX runs
Six again, superb! This is clubbed hard and flat, and down the ground. Sai spots another slower ball arriving from the back of the hand. The length is fuller, but the line outside off again, as Sai pumps it back for six more18.6Rasikh Salam to Sai Kishore, OUT
Bowled him! Salam hits back with an inswinging yorker, which Sai isn’t able to keep out. But Sai has done a terrific job, and invariably ensured that Rashid has the strike for GT in the final over. The length of the ball was too full for Sai to try and clip across the line, and he missed. Salam is thrilledTristan Stubbs saved a six with an incredible effort•BCCIGT need 19, and it is down to Rashid19.1Mukesh Kumar to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs
Helicoptered wide of long-on! He is deep in the crease, and whips it in Dhoni style, with the ball being in the slot on middle and off. Clearing his front leg helped too19.2Mukesh Kumar to Rashid Khan, FOUR runs
Slashed to deep point! A one-bounce four this time, as Mukesh goes on a length, and wide of off. Rashid waits for it, and rams the slower ball away from his body in the gap11 off 419.3Mukesh Kumar to Rashid Khan, no run
Ohh, he has missed out on a full toss! And amid some mockery, it is a dot ball, and GT don’t lose a wicket! The ball is a slightly high-ish full toss outside off, and Rashid reviews with some hope. But it is not an above-waist full toss, as he swings and is beaten. There is a mix-up for a run or two after Pant misses too, but in the end, Rashid retains strike after sending Mohit back19.4Mukesh Kumar to Rashid Khan, no run
Another dot ball! Now Rashid will feel the pressure. It is a low, dipping full toss just outside off. He swipes across the line, but on the bounce to deep midwicket. They don’t run19.5Mukesh Kumar to Rashid Khan, SIX runs
Clobbered over long-off! Rashid takes it to the last ball of the match. Another full toss from Mukesh, and this is dipping on a fourth-stump line. Rashid squats, and sends it flying over the ropes5 off 1…19.6Mukesh Kumar to Rashid Khan, no run
And GT don’t even run the single! Rashid swiped this on the bounce to long-on, where Stubbs jumped and got hold of the ball. It was yet another full toss from Mukesh, but the fact that it was quite low somehow worked in DC’s favour

After losing the ODIs 3-0 and the one-off Test, South Africa are still looking for their first win of the tour

Srinidhi Ramanujam04-Jul-2024South Africa’s long, multi-format tour of India is nearing its end with the T20I leg starting in Chennai on Friday. India have been dominant throughout, winning the ODIs 3-0 and the one-off Test by ten wickets on the final day.Laura Wolvaardt’s team has been good in patches and showed resilience every time India threw a punch but have still not been able to win a game on tour. With Chloe Tryon back in the side and Marizanne Kapp likely to take the ball, South Africa will pose a tough challenge for India in the T20Is. Here are a few talking points ahead of the series opener:

The unstoppable Mandhana

“She is in the form of her life. It’s a privilege to watch.”Former South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk aptly summed up Smriti Mandhana’s performance in Bengaluru, on air. With scores of 117, 136, 90 and 149, the India vice-captain has been phenomenal across formats in this series and has looked assured like never before. Her game awareness has peaked and her calmness under pressure has helped her convert starts to big scores. If she carries her form into T20Is, paying just INR 150 to watch her at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is a steal.Related

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The Wolvaardt-Kapp threat

India’s biggest challenge will be to keep Wolvaardt and Kapp quiet. Having missed just one T20I, against Sri Lanka, this year the South Africa captain has notched up 247 runs in five innings, with a hundred and two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 132.08 in 2024. Her control and clarity combined with her ability to take calculated risks were visible in the ODI series as well.While Marizanne Kapp has been good with the bat, she is yet to bowl in the series•Getty ImagesKapp might bowl for the first time on the tour during the T20I series. After playing as a specialist batter in the ODIs and Test due to a minor back injury and workload management, she is likely to threaten Mandhana and Shafali Verma the new ball. Playing at No. 3, she has been aggressive with the bat as well, slamming 208 runs in six T20Is at a strike rate of 136.84 this year. That includes scores of 75, 60 and 44. In Sune Luus’ words, Kapp’s game ” is so sorted at the moment.”

Tryon is back

Tryon has been in and out of action for some time now. The allrounder picked up a groin injury during the WBBL in October 2023 and returned for the tour of Australia in January this year. In the next series at home against Sri Lanka, she played only two T20Is and missed the remaining four white-ball games due to recurring back injury. After missing the ODI and Test leg of this series, she was included in T20Is, a much-needed boost for her side against a strong Indian team at home.An explosive batter in the middle-order who is also effective with her left-arm fingerspin, Tryon has the know-how of the Indian conditions, having played for Harmanpreet Kaur’s Mumbai Indians for two years in the WPL. She is yet to pick up a wicket against India in T20Is and it remains to be seen whether she will make her first strike in Chennai. But importantly, South Africa need her to stay fit when they land in Bangladesh for the World Cup in October.

Radha’s road to redemption (and Bangladesh)

On the back of an impressive WPL, Radha Yadav returned to the Indian side against Bangladesh in May after last featuring in an international game in February 2023. With Deepti Sharma leading the spin attack, India had to choose between Shreyanka Patil’s offspin, S Asha’s legspin and Radha’s left-arm orthodox. Harmanpreet picked Radha in all of the five games and she repaid the faith with 10 scalps in 19 overs at an economy of 5.05, finishing as the highest-wicket taker in that series. Deepti was the second best for India with five wickets.Radha Yadav starred in the series against Bangladesh•BCBShe might not have found her feet in the ODIs against South Africa, struggling with speed and length, but the shortest format is her forte. She has learnt to harness her aggression and has showcased better control and accuracy of late. Nine of her ten wickets in Bangladesh were of right-hand batters. With South Africa stacking themselves with right-handers in their line-up, Radha could be a threat on a spin-friendly Chepauk surface. A strong performance here and at the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka later in the month will bode well for India before the World Cup.

Recent form

India come into the series on the back of a 5-0 sweep of Bangladesh in Bangladesh. This was after an underwhelming outing against Australia at home, which India lost 2-1 last December. South Africa, however, have struggled to get more wins in this format, losing four of the six T20Is played this year against Australia and Sri Lanka, all while batting first.

Pitch and conditions

The MA Chidambaram Stadium hosted nine IPL matches during peak summer this year with an average score of 170. Surprisingly, only 25 of the 99 wickets were taken by spinners.But in the one-off Test against South Africa, the Indian spinners took 19 of the 20 wickets across four days. South Africa’s spinners took three out of five wickets. That apart, two days before the opening T20I, there was late-night rain with gusts of wind at Chepauk. The city is expected to have thunderstorms in the late evening almost every day till the end of the series.

England came unstuck on Multan’s re-used surface, as Pakistan levelled the Test series at 1-1. Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller and Matt Roller to analyse what went wrong

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2024England were spun out in the second Multan Test, unable to get close in chase of 297. After the dust had settled, Alan Gardner was joined on the pod by Andrew Miller and Matt Roller to discuss Pakistan’s tailor-made approach, whether the toss played a disproportionate role and what to expect from the series decider in Rawalpindi.