Just when their qualification hopes appeared dicey, he came to life with an ODI knock for the ages

Danyal Rasool06-Jul-2023The ball was pitched short, and Bas de Leede looked ready for it. He had got the basics right – his feet were in line and backlift poised to pull it away over midwicket. But this was Perth, where short balls tend to keep on rising. Netherlands don’t get too many opportunities to play in Perth, and, on the international circuit anyway, de Leede doesn’t get many chances to face pace of the kind Haris Rauf had just sent cannoning his way.The ball rose just a little too high, just a little too quick. There was that dreadful moment where it looked to have pierced the uncomfortably large gap between the helmet and the grill with a sickening clunk as it hit de Leede in the face and floored him. The medics rushed to gauge the extent of the damage and de Leede walked off with a cut underneath his right eye. He then met Rauf after the game where the fast bowler told him, “You’ll come back stronger and hit sixes. Go well.” They embraced briefly before heading separate ways. Two men representing two nations that sit far apart at the table in cricket’s pecking order.The sentiment from Rauf was heartfelt, but there was nowhere for de Leede to go. Between that T20 World Cup in October 2022 and the ongoing Men’s World Cup Qualifier, de Leede played no internationals*, missing the ODIs against Zimbabwe and South Africa due to injury. And now between the Qualifier and the upcoming 50-over World Cup, Netherlands have no matches in any format scheduled.Related

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Bas de Leede's five-for and 92-ball 123 take Netherlands to the ODI World Cup

Netherlands were in a must-win against Scotland, who broke local hearts in Bulawayo just two days earlier. They needed to chase 278 in 44 overs to leapfrog Scotland on net run rate and assure themselves of a spot at the World Cup. Both Netherlands and Scotland are two hugely improved sides denuded of the opportunities they merit, so financially hamstrung that they can’t even select first-choice squads for a tournament of this value because the English domestic system provides better financial reward.So, de Leede arrives at the crease after a steady start for Netherlands. The last time a de Leede played an ODI World Cup match was in 2007 when his father, Tim, took on this very opposition in the West Indies. But that was 16 years ago, in the heady days when a World Cup comprised 16 teams. It was Tim’s 29th, and last, ODI. De Leede has already played 30 ODIs and is far from done.For most of the innings, de Leede does what any quality batter in this position would do. He rotates the strike with his captain Scott Edwards, picks off the poor deliveries and sets his side on course for the chase. There’s little sign of the late surge that will sideswipe Scotland in an hour’s time, but despite being 23 and getting few opportunities to play this format, he knows they’re likelier to lose the game taking low-percentage chances than win it at this point.Bas de Leede struck with the new ball and at the death during his maiden ODI five-for•ICC/Getty Images”We had a look at the target where we wanted to be at the halfway point and I think from there comes the point where you stop talking about it, and actually do it,” de Leede said after the game. “Max [O’Dowd] and Vikram [Vikramjit Singh] setting up the platform and then the rest of us to come in and finish it off.”But Edwards falls and the asking rate rises; the Dutch now need 102 in ten overs to qualify. Hoping to make a career playing cricket for the Netherlands is a low-percentage shot in itself. So it’s a bit late to start worrying about taking too many chances now. And when Mark Watt drops one in slightly short, de Leede shoots his shot; he hits his first six of the innings.With Saqib Zulfiqar helping out from the other end, victory looks assured, but qualification is still up in the air with four meaningful overs left and 45 still to get. De Leede then demonstrates his six-hitting ability and goes 6,6,1,6,2,2,6,2 in his next eight balls. Somewhere in there, he gets to his first ODI hundred. It’s a moment most never forget, but de Leede might barely remember it as a happy side note to the euphoria that awaits him around the corner.”It is amazing,” an overwhelmed de Leede said after Netherlands were India-bound. “I can’t describe the feeling. It is going to be one big party tonight I can tell you that.”It was 10 or 11 an over at the death, so for us it was almost like going into T20 mode. We had to try and get as many runs as we could every over and see where we ended up.”They have ended up on the flight to India, where they will dine at the big table with teams that appeared to have locked teams like Netherlands out. As Rauf might put it, de Leede is indeed going well.*Jul 7, 2023, 9:08 GMT: The article mistakenly mentioned that Netherlands had no international fixtures between the 2022 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup Qualifier. This has been corrected.

Polarising opener might not have converted the doubters but he could yet help win the Ashes

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Jul-2023He is playing Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc better than anyone this Ashes series. His strike rate of 79.67 is the highest among those on either side to have played more than one of the three Tests. All while nestling in the run-scorers’ charts ahead of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.He is Zak Crawley. No, really. Don’t refresh just yet. He is him. The most-polarising cricketer over the last 15 months is thriving as the one Bazballer truly nailing his brief.Taking the attack to the opposition, quite literally from ball one when his crunched cover drive off Cummins on that first morning of the first Test in Birmingham set this madcap show on the road. Indulging the licence to be streaky handed down by head coach Brendon McCullum with scores of 61, 7, 48, 3, 33 and 44 – the last of which got England to 93 in the 20th over of the fourth innings as they hunted a target of 251 that was eventually reached after 50, with three wickets to spare.Related

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Cummins, boogieman to Joe Root and a few other diners at Test cricket’s top table, has failed to dismiss Crawley in 96 deliveries so far, with 69 runs taken off him in languid fashion. Starc’s devastating left-arm whip has accounted for Crawley once, and even that was a tame flick down the leg side at Lord’s. The other 48 deliveries have been taken for 42.An opening partnership with Ben Duckett that began last winter in Pakistan has now produced 814 runs across 18 first-wicket stands, averaging 47.88. The pair are ideally suited, left-right, short-tall and both with an insatiable appetite to feel bat on ball and get the scoreboard moving. Their relationship has blossomed and as individuals, they are comfortable with where they are and what they are doing.There’s a lot to be said for that, particularly Crawley’s side of it. A dispiriting 2022 summer averaging 23 led into disappointing winter of 29.30 on flatter decks. And when he started this season stating he did not need to work on his defensive technique and dismissing public comments on his form as ill-judged, ill-informed and unwarranted, you wondered if he was leaning too heavily into a villain arc he could not pull off.Thankfully, he hasn’t. He has retained his sense of self, particularly in a dressing room where he remains a vocal member of an upbeat group thriving in each other’s company.The investment made by McCullum and Ben Stokes at the start of all this is beginning to show returns. At stages last summer, coach and captain took it upon themselves to get around Crawley. More often than not a beer, cigar and a willing ear. On one occasion, they manufactured a three-ball group on a golf day to ensure they had 18 holes with their opener to ease his worries, either through airing or forgetting them.

“If you were unconvinced Crawley was the right man to open the batting, this series is unlikely to have changed your view. Since McCullum and Stokes took over to ‘liberate’ Crawley, his career average has increased by 0.05”

Crawley does seem surer of himself this summer. Perhaps less in need of reassurance because, well, he is doing his job. He is certainly more inclined to let his personality out. It’s worth noting his comment ahead of the Lord’s Test that England would win by “I don’t know, 150” – instead they lost by 43 – was one given in jest, while twirling back-and-forth on an office chair in the Times Radio studio. The video shows the jovial nature of the prediction which got lost in print.Perhaps the most visible representation of his comfort has come in the field. Not only has he taken the third-most catches by an outfielder this series (five, with no drops) he regularly chimes from second slip or in the deep with tactical suggestions for Stokes.The journey to this point has been long, at times arduous. But here he is: able to judge himself on how he has executed the role has without worrying about how things used to be done. Basically, that means not measuring his performance by traditional batting metrics.At this point, we should introduce those “traditional metrics” to this conversation. Because for all of the above, they’re still pretty relevant. Crawley is averaging 32.66 from 196 runs this series. To cynical eyes – the majority on this topic – they tell a familiar story of spurned-starts and non-starts.If you arrived into this series unconvinced Crawley was the right man to open the batting, the last six innings are unlikely to have changed your view. Since McCullum and Stokes took over to “liberate” Crawley, his career average has increased by 0.05 to 28.65. Pretty much everyone else, working within the same parameters, has enjoyed a more significant bump.Peer across the divide and you will see Australia’s selectors mulling over David Warner’s position. Though Warner is having a poor series – 141 at 23.50 – his substantial body of work suggests dropping him is riskier than keeping him. Crawley on the other hand, has nothing like the same credit. Indeed, the idea of him is built upon future earnings. Were they in each other’s shoes, Warner would coast through this tour, and the latter probably wouldn’t be on it.Zak Crawley drives through cover•Getty ImagesIn a way, Warner’s predicament highlights the difficulties of opening the batting in England. And Crawley’s management acknowledges the toughness of the role, maybe even the need to be insulated from the discourse and your own numbers.Those two aspects go hand-in-hand when it comes to Crawley. But we are now at the stage where the extremes are so set in stone that even the mother of all purple-patches won’t tailor the conversation.On one side, an England team and management who laud world-class abilities, extrapolating these smaller contributions in the process. On Monday, Moeen Ali became the latest to step up on that front.”I think when you’re on his side, you think he’s an absolutely gun player,” Moeen said. “It’s almost like the faster and the better the bowler, he plays better. In my opinion, he’s one of the best players around. I know his average probably doesn’t say that, but the way he bats, he’s proper. Hopefully, when it clicks for him, he’ll score a lot of runs.”Then there’s the other end of the spectrum, those who see Crawley as the perfect embodiment of elitism and favouritism. A fee-paying school attendee, from a wealthy family – his father, Terry, was at one point the fifth-richest Briton on the Sunday Times rich list – whose mentor, Rob Key, is now ECB managing director of men’s cricket. The picture painted with broad strokes are of a nepo-baby of Brooklyn Beckham proportions, with an inexplicable Greg from permanence as one of three players, along with Stokes and Root, to have played all 16 Tests of the new era.Many within that second camp are not for turning, and you can understand why. Some of the factors at play are beyond Crawley’s control. It has been two weeks since the ICEC published their report which skewered the ring-fencing of the game, particularly how beholden it is to the private school system. Crawley, a product of that system, is no more the cause than he can be the antidote.As always with matters of privilege and fortune, wasting both would be far worse than having them in the first place. Having made it this far and looked at his most comfortable against the best bowlers in the world, Crawley must continue this rise in form. It may not convert the doubters, but it could yet win England the Ashes.

Defending champions Jaffna fork out US$ 92,000 for the left-arm quick as the top-eight expensive signings were all domestic

Madushka Balasuriya15-Jun-2023The Lanka Premier League held its inaugural auction on Wednesday evening, with Dilshan Madushanka coming away as the tournament’s most expensive signing, when he was bought by Jaffna Kings for US$ 92,000.While the 22-year-old might not have been the pre-auction pick to land such a lucrative contract, it made sense in the end owing to the unique set of characteristics he provides; left-arm seamers that swing the ball at considerable pace don’t come around very often after all. Madushanka had recent form going in his favour as well, picking up nine wickets against a visiting South Africa A side across three 50-over games and then another four in a four-day encounter.Madushanka was recently omitted from Sri Lanka’s World Cup Qualifier squad. His signing was the culmination of a repeating thread throughout the auction, in that franchises seemed more willing to enter into bidding wars for local talent as opposed to those from overseas.The top-eight most expensive signings were all domestic, with Madushanka heading up a list that included Charith Asalanka ($80,000), Binura Fernando ($76,000), Dhananjaya de Silva ($76,000), Dinesh Chandimal ($72,000), Dushmantha Chameera ($70,000), Sadeera Samarawickrama ($68,000) and Kamindu Mendis ($60,000).Several overseas picks, such as Sikandar Raza, Imran Tahir, Carlos Brathwaite, who was last season’s leading LPL wicket taker, Andre Fletcher, Martin Guptill, and Duanne Olivier went unsold. Chris Lynn was put up for auction twice with no takers, before Jaffna signed him up for $50,000 as the auction went into its last-minute shopping phase.Little-known New Zealand opener Chad Bowes became the LPL auction’s most expensive overseas pick at $58,000 and Pakistan’s Mohammad Hasnain ($34,000) was the only other overseas player to spark a bidding war.All five teams had already locked down their first-choice overseas signings prior to the auction – David Miller (Jaffna), Babar Azam (Colombo Strikers), Mathew Wade (Dambulla Aura), Shakib Al Hasan (Galle Titans), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (B-Love Kandy), Lungi Ndidi (Dambulla), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Jaffna), Farkar Zaman (Kandy), Naseem Shah (Colombo) and Tabraiz Shamsi (Galle) – and there was some uncertainty over player availability given the Global T20 in Canada, which runs from July 20 to August 6, will be clashing directly with the LPL.A quiet auction for Galle and ColomboPrior to the auction the teams were informed that they would each be expected to spend a minimum of 85% of their $500,000 purse. Three – Jaffna, Kandy and Dambulla – spent nearly 100% of their funds, but Colombo and Galle fell short of the mandated $425,000.This in a way informed the player acquisition strategies of the respective sides. The big spenders had clear targets in mind on whom they were willing spurge. But Galle and Colombo only spent more than $50,000 on one player – Bowes (Galle) – and didn’t bid for any of the players in the highest price bracket. Colombo’s highest purchase was that of Niroshan Dickwella for $44,000, while Galle – aside from Bowes – spent $40,000 each on Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha and the uncapped Lahiru Samarakoon.It was also interesting to note that both Kandy and Jaffna did not fill up their full allotment of 24 squad positions, instead opting to spread the funds over a smaller group of players – 22 and 21 respectively – thereby ensuring that more often than not their first-choice picks were secured.Colombo ($98,500) and Galle (93,000) had plenty of cash remaining and might have missed a trick in not going in harder for certain players.New Zealand opener Chad Bowes was the LPL auction’s highest overseas signing•AFP/Getty ImagesJaffna, Kandy and Dambulla splurgeJaffna, the defending champions, focused a large chunk of their purse on their seam-bowling stocks. They have five frontline quicks in their ranks. Some might view this as overkill, but in Madushanka, Pakistan’s Zaman Khan ($20,000), Nuwan Thushara ($30,000), Asitha Fernando ($28,000) and South Africa’s Hardus Viljoen, they have a well-rounded fast bowling group, one that might have been stronger still had they not been pipped at the post by Kandy for Chameera ($70,000). Add to this the spin pairing of Maheesh Theekshana and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, and Jaffna have a claim for the strongest attack in the league.B-Love Kandy might yet contest them for that title, bringing together a squad that includes the express pair of Chameera and Hasnain, as well as the spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman. They’ve also allied experience – Angelo Mathews and Chandimal ($72,000) – with the explosiveness of youth – Mohammad Haris ($20,000), Thanuka Dabare ($10,000) and Sahan Arachchige ($28,000) – to fill out their batting.As for Dambulla, their strategy revolved around a desire to find talents flying under the radar, acquiring Pakistan seamer Shahnawaz Dahani ($20,000) and uncapped Australian allrounder Hayden Kerr ($20,000). A good chunk of their budget – 30% – though went into securing the middle order, with Samarawickrama and Dhananjaya costing a combined $144,000. This was after they had already secured the services of Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis and Wade pre-draft. Seamer Binura Fernando was their other big ticket signing at $76,000, who will hope to form a formidable partnership with pre-signing Ngidi.Wanindu Hasaranga is part of a potent bowling attack for B-Love Kandy•LPLComplete SquadsB-Love Kandy: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fakhar Zaman, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana, Dinesh Chandimal, Mohammad Hasnain, Dushmantha Chameera, Sahan Arachchige, Ashen Bandara, Mohammad Haris, Navod Paranavithana, Asif Ali, Kamindu Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Chaturanga de Silva, Lahiru Madushanka, Aameer Jamal, Malsha Tharupathi, Thanuka Dabare, Lasith Abeyrathne, Avishka TharinduJaffna Kings: David Miller, Thisara Perera, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Maheesh Theekshana, Charith Asalanka, Dunith Wellalage, Shoaib Malik, Pathum Kumara, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Theesan Vithushan, Asanka Manoj, Nishan Madushka, Asitha Fernando, Hardus Viljoen, Nuwan Thushara, Dilshan Madushanka, Zaman Khan, Ashan Randika, Ratnarajah Thenurathan, Chris Lynn, Asela GunarathneDambulla Aura: Mathew Wade, Kusal Mendis, Lungi Ndidi, Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Hayden Kerr, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Binura Fernando, Noor Ahmad, Sachitha Jayathilaka, Janith Liyanage, Dushan Hemantha, Pramod Madushan, Shahnawaz Dahani, Lakshan Edirisinghe, Jehan Daniel, Wanuja Sahan, Kavidu Pathirathna, Ravindu Fernando, Alex Ross, Treveen Mathew, Manelker de Silva, Praveen JayawickramaColombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana, Naseem Shah, Chamika Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Niroshan Dickwella, Wahab Riaz, Lakshan Sandakan, Nipun Dananjaya, Movin Subasinghe, Lahiru Udara, Eshan Malinga, Sashika Dulshan, Nuwanidu Fernando, Iftikhar Ahmad, Lorcan Tucker, Jeffrey Vandersay, Angelo Perera, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Kanishka Anjula, Ramesh Mendis, Mohammad Nawaz, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Yashoda LankaGalle Titans: Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Croospulle, Sohan de Livera, Ashan Priyanjan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Mithun, Minod Bhanuka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Shevon Daniel, Mohomed Shiraz, Lahiru Samarakoon, Kasun Rajitha, Akila Dananjaya, Chad Bowes, Tim Seifert, Sonal Dinusha, Avishka Perera, Anuk Fernando, Vishwa Fernando

South Africa’s most senior fast bowler talks about being at the pointy end when no one expected them to

Firdose Moonda15-Nov-20236:18

‘I still do exactly what I would do while opening the bowling’

“Fire versus fire.”That’s how Kagiso Rabada described what happens when South Africa and Australia meet. And he would know.Australia were the first senior international opposition he faced, just over nine years ago. They (along with Sri Lanka) are the team he has taken the most ODI wickets against. And there’s no doubt they are the side who make him see the red mist more than others. Which is why Thursday’s semi-final is special.Related

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“This is what you dream of as a kid,” Rabada said in Ahmedabad, where South Africa finished their league campaign in second place. “And we wouldn’t want it any other way. They must bring their best and we will bring ours.”That’s fighting talk from a player at the peak of his powers, playing in his second 50-over World Cup and sixth ICC tournament all told. Rabada’s CV includes three T20 World Cups and the Under-19 50-over tournament in 2014 – to date still the only World Cup South Africa have won. Though his reputation has been built on red-ball performances, and he was ranked the No.1 bowler in Test cricket between 2018 and 2020, he hasn’t always been spoken about as being among the one-day bowling greats, and he wants to change that. Rabada recently earned his 100th ODI cap and it’s this format that he first hoped would bring him the most glory.”There’s always room for 50-over cricket,” he said. “Growing up, that’s what I watched and that’s what inspired me to want to play at this level,” he said. “It was about watching World Cups and watching players perform heroic acts.””There’s always more to it than just 50 overs, and there’s more stories you can build off 50-over cricket”•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesIt has also been about the intricate demands that ODIs put on players and the Goldilocks skills that are required in this format: not too little, not too much, but just right.”The 50-over format tests you a bit more as a player [than T20s]. I feel like there’s more luck that plays a role in T20 cricket. In the 50-over format, you have to play well for a lengthened amount of time.”The best players in the world play all three formats and that’s no surprise to me. You have to maintain your performance over a long space of time. One-day cricket will test you upfront, then it tests you in the middle, and sometimes the ball does reverse a little bit or you can get early wickets upfront and then the wicket maybe flattens out a bit.”There’s always more to it than just 50 overs, and there’s more stories you can build off 50-over cricket. Without criticising T20 cricket, which it has its own flavour, 50-over cricket has proven again that there is huge interest in it.”Although the crowd numbers for several league matches in this tournament may not show it, there have been record audiences both at the grounds and on television. While that may have a lot to do with the home team dominating, it could also be about the expectation that contests will get closer (there have only been three tight games out of 45 so far) and that the battle between bat and ball will become more even. So far there have been signs of the latter because there have been 12 first-innings scores between 250 and 290 (what we may call middling totals) and while tracks have generally been good for batting, there has also been good bounce, turn and movement. In South Africa’s case, it’s the presence of swing in humid conditions that has been particularly pleasing.Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi have taken 24 wickets between them in the World Cup so far•Ishaara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images”The ball normally swings upfront in India, and bowling at night, there seems to be a bit more movement, especially in Mumbai and Pune,” Rabada said. “There has been something there with the new ball”We get caught in this façade that we’re playing in India, especially in the IPL, where it only swings for one or two overs and then it’s done. Now with the two new balls, it swings for a bit longer and there is a bit of nip.”But it’s not Rabada who has been able to take advantage of that swing. Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi have been given the two new balls and Rabada, now the senior-most member of the bowling side, has been moved to first change.He does not see his role as any different, though. “I still try and do exactly what I would do if I was opening the bowling. If anything, the only thing that’s different is bowling towards the back end of the powerplay,” he said, which indicates that is when batters are looking to up the ante before the field is spread.

Harmanpreet didn’t find runs, Mandhana was below par and Deepti’s scoring rate left India short. The younger lot, though, impressed

S Sudarshanan10-Jan-20244:25

Muzumdar backs Harmanpreet to bounce back from lean patch

Harmanpreet’s lean run
The form of India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been in focus following six single-digit scores in the white-ball series against Australia. A look at the bare numbers would show that she has scored in double-figures only three times in nine outings since the T20 World Cup last year. Moreover, some of her captaincy calls have also come under the scanner. Dropping her might not be the solution since India do not play for another eight months or so, and by then the T20 World Cup would be around the corner.The WPL will act as a final barometer to judge Harmanpreet, who will lead defending champions Mumbai Indians. There, she essays a role similar to that in the Indian team – leading the team and batting at No. 4. Tough calls may have to be taken if her slump continues there.Sadhu and Patil impress
India’s love for spin-heavy XIs is no secret. But against Australia, they fielded as many as four seamers and just two spinners. With India moving on from Shikha Pandey, Renuka Singh has cemented her spot as the frontline fast bowler with Pooja Vastrakar for company.Titas Sadhu, who starred at the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup early last year, has made a stirring case for the third seamer’s slot with strong performances against Australia. Her four-for in the opening T20I gave India their only win in the white-ball series against Australia. She mostly bowled impeccable lines and lengths and often had batters in trouble with her change of pace in good batting conditions. She was also the most economical India seamer.Like Sadhu, Shreyanka Patil also made a good step up after impressing in WPL 2023. That she made the XI in all games despite Deepti Sharma’s presence showed the faith the team had in her. While Deepti is known to offer control by bowling in consistent areas, Patil is different in that she relies on variations in flight and dip. She possesses a solid yorker and a calm head, which explains why she bowled at the death in each of the matches.Does Deepti have the gears to deliver maximum impact at No. 6?•BCCIDeepti and the batting question
Deepti is a quality bowler and she can make the XI on that skill alone. But time and again, India have trusted her to bat at No. 6 in a role that doesn’t come naturally to her. She scored fifties in back-to-back Tests but has found it difficult to develop another gear to her white-ball batting. Even UP Warriorz had to rely mainly on Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris in the WPL 2023 for the batting fireworks.The twin series at home were the first for the new coaching setup led by Amol Muzumdar. That could, perhaps, explain why Deepti was persisted at No. 6 despite her diminishing returns with the bat. She faced 45 balls in the T20Is and finished the series with a strike rate of 97.77. That gave little time for Vastrakar and Patil, a pair who could’ve potentially helped India score more first-innings runs in the second and third T20Is.Mandhana not converting starts
Smriti Mandhana got starts in five of the six T20Is this home season, but the big runs have eluded the opener. In each of the three outings against Australia, she picked a boundary rider perfectly after getting her eye in. The mantra earlier was to rein Mandhana in and dismiss her with Ashleigh Gardner’s offbreaks; the India batter managed 31 off 36 balls against Gardner for no dismissals. But she managed only one half-century – and a couple of scores in forties – in 12 T20I innings since the T20 World Cup last year. Her form is not yet a concern for India and the WPL will present her an opportunity to get among the runs again.

Sutherland’s double-century also breaks a number of records

Sampath Bandarupalli16-Feb-2024210 Annabel Sutherland has the second-highest individual score for Australia in women’s Tests, behind Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten 213 against England in 2017. It is also the fourth-highest individual score in all women’s Tests.1 Sutherland became the first to score a double-century while batting at No.5 or lower in women’s Tests. The previous highest while batting at No.5 or lower was 161* by Emily Drumm against Australia in 1995, while the highest at No.6 was 150 by Marizanne Kapp against England in 2022.248 Balls Sutherland needed to complete her double-century, the fastest in women’s Tests. The previous quickest was off 305 balls by Karen Rolton against England in 2001, where she scored an unbeaten 209.Related

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22y 126d Sutherland’s age coming into the Test match. She is now the second youngest among the nine players to score a double-century in women’s Tests, behind Mithali Raj, who was 19 years and 254 days old at the start of the 2002 Test in Taunton.1 Number of players younger than Sutherland with home and away tons in women’s Tests. Drumm had centuries at home and away in the format before she turned 22. Sutherland’s maiden hundred came away from home at Trent Bridge last year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd575 for 9 Australia’s total in Perth is now the highest by any team in women’s Tests. The record for the highest women’s Test total was with Australia for their 525 all out against India in 1984 till they themselves bettered in 1998 with 569 for 6 against England, and now they’ve topped that again.499 Australia’s first-innings lead in Perth is the highest for any team in a women’s Test match. The previous highest was 459 for England, who made 503 for 5 in response to New Zealand’s 44 all out in the 1935 Christchurch Test.81 Boundaries hit by Australian batters against South Africa are the most in a women’s Test innings. Their 78 fours are the most in an innings, surpassing England’s 72 against South Africa in 2003, while their three sixes are the joint-most.99 Alyssa Healy’s score – she is only the fifth player dismissed on 99 in women’s Tests. Four of those five instances are by Australians.

ESPNcricinfo picks seven players who could make their IPL debuts this season and have a big impact for their teams

Deivarayan Muthu14-Mar-2024Rachin Ravindra (Chennai Super Kings)Rachin Ravindra had piled up as many runs as any New Zealand batter has ever scored in an ODI World Cup, but when Chennai Super Kings signed him for INR 1.8 crore (USD 217,000 approx.) in December last year, he wasn’t a certain starter in their XI or XII (accounting for the Impact Player). His body of work in T20 cricket is fairly limited, but a thumb injury to Devon Conway, who has been sidelined until May, has opened up a spot for Ravindra at the top of the order. Like his New Zealand and Wellington mate Conway, Ravindra isn’t a power-hitter but can be a skillful disruptor at the top along with Ruturaj Gaikwad. The 24-year-old can also bowl quickish left-arm fingerspin, which gives CSK’s bowling attack additional cushion, especially if the pitches in Chennai continue to be spin-friendly.Related

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Sameer Rizvi (Chennai Super Kings)CSK don’t usually splurge on uncapped players, but 20-year-old Sameer Rizvi’s ability to dominate spin made them bid INR 8.40 crore (USD 1 million approx) for him at the auction. In a Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 game on a slow pitch in Dehradun, Rizvi almost single-handedly powered Uttar Pradesh home with an unbeaten 75 off 46 balls against a strong Tamil Nadu spin attack comprising Varun Chakravarthy, R Sai Kishore and Washington Sundar.Rizvi had first emerged on the scouts’ radar after hitting the most sixes for Kanpur Superstars in the UP T20 league. More recently in February this year, he cracked a triple-century for UP in the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy. With CSK missing Ambati Rayudu, and Ajinkya Rahane struggling for form, Rizvi, who has been dubbed as the right-handed Suresh Raina, could make his IPL debut this season.Mumbai Indians’ Gerald Coetzee has got pace and passion•ICC/Getty ImagesGerald Coetzee (Mumbai Indians)Having been part of Rajasthan Royals in the past as a replacement player, South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee could be among Mumbai’s first-choice overseas players along with Tim David this season. An out-and-out quick, who can touch 150kph, Coetzee announced himself during the 2023 ODI World Cup, with 20 wickets in eight games at a strike rate of 19.05.But Coetzee has more than just raw pace: he’s also got some nifty variations in his repertoire. Just ask Jos Buttler about his legcutter. Coetzee can also give it a good whack down the order, which makes him a particularly explosive package. Joburg Super Kings even tried out Coetzee as a pinch-hitting opening batter in a knockout game during the 2023 SA20. Coetzee, though, missed the entire 2024 SA20 season with injury and will be looking to make a comeback this IPL.Nuwan Thushara (Mumbai Indians)Lasith Malinga outsmarting batters with his slingy action has been a familiar sight in the IPL over the years. Now, it’s time for another Sri Lankan slinger to rock it in Mumbai’s blue and gold. Nuwan Thushara, 29, has never been part of the IPL before, but has had stints in the LPL and PSL. He has already eased his way into the Mumbai set-up with a stint at MI Cape Town in the most recent SA20, and will have the original slinger Malinga in his dugout.Thushara also turned heads in international cricket by bagging a hat-trick on his way to a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh in Sylhet earlier this month. That performance reminded Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis of Malinga (who else?). Thushara vs Matheesha Pathirana, another Sri Lanka slinger, could potentially add more spice to the Mumbai-CSK rivalry.Azmatullah Omarzai (Gujarat Titans)No Hardik Pandya for Gujarat Titans? Step forward, Azmatullah Omarzai, Afghanistan’s Hardik Pandya. Omarzai, 23, can float in the batting line-up and swing the new ball in the powerplay. Sachin Tendulkar was so impressed with his wrist position and swing bowling during the ODI World Cup that he was reminded of the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar. After dismissing David Warner with an inswinger, Omarzai snagged Josh Inglis with an outswinger next ball, but Glenn Maxwell averted the hat-trick and pulled off a miracle for Australia at the Wankhede.Omarzai’s recent form with the bat is also encouraging. He hit a career-best 149 not out in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele and was also among the runs for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League. He has worked closely with Babar Azam in the BPL and PSL (Peshawar Zalmi).Australia’s Spencer Johnson is in high demand on the T20 circuit•BCCISpencer Johnson (Gujarat Titans)Spencer, who? When he didn’t have a professional contract about two years ago, following a recurrence of an ankle injury, Johnson worked as a landscape gardener. The 28-year-old fast bowler is now among the most sought-after players on the T20 circuit, having had gigs in the Hundred (Oval Invincibles), MLC (Los Angeles Knight Riders), and Surrey Jaguars (Global T20 Canada), in addition to being a strike bowler for Brisbane Heat in the BBL. He capped an extraordinary 2023 with an IPL deal worth INR 10 crore (USD 1,205,000 approx.) with Titans. That’s who.Johnson’s USP is creating un-hittable angles and finding extra bounce with his imposing frame (six feet, four inches) at speeds north of 140kph. Considering the injury to Mohammed Shami and Titans coach Ashish Nehra’s penchant for left-armers, Johnson could be an overseas option for Titans, especially on quicker pitches.Kumar Kushagra (Delhi Capitals)A hard-hitting wicketkeeper from Jharkhand, Kumar Kushagra had CSK, Delhi Capitals and Titans locked in a fierce bidding war for him at the auction in December, with Capitals eventually buying him for INR 7.20 crore (USD 867,500 approx). Rishabh Pant has been cleared by the BCCI medical team to start IPL 2024 as a wicketkeeper-batter, but the Capitals’ co-owner Parth Jindal had suggested earlier that Pant would play as a batter for the first half of the season. In that case, 19-year-old Kushagra could slot in as the keeper.Kushagra impressed Sourav Ganguly, Capitals’ director of cricket, at the 50-over Deodhar Trophy last year and later at the trials. Then, in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, he walloped 67 off 37 balls from No.6 to help Jharkhand overhaul Maharashtra’s 355 in Jaipur. In the lead-up to a potential IPL debut, he also represented India A against the visiting England Lions.

All the key numbers from Afghanistan’s victory in their must-win Super Eight game against Bangladesh in St Vincent

Sampath Bandarupalli25-Jun-20241 Afghanistan’s win in Kingstown was their first against Bangladesh in a World Cup game. The two teams had met four times previously – once in a T20 World Cup (2014) and three times in the ODI World Cup (2015, 2019 and 2023) – and Bangladesh had won all those matches.2 Instances of teams outside of the first eight Full Members to have reached the semi-final of an ICC event before Afghanistan in this T20 World Cup. Kenya made it to the semi-finals in the 2003 ODI World Cup, and so did Bangladesh in the 2017 Champions Trophy.9 Four-plus wicket hauls for Rashid Khan in T20Is, the most by any bowler in the format, surpassing Shakib Al Hasan’s eight. He took his third four-wicket haul in all T20 World Cups during the Super Eight match against Bangladesh – the joint highest in the competition along with Ajantha Mendis, Saeed Ajmal and Anrich Nortje.3 Openers to carry the bat in a men’s T20I, including Litton Das against Afghanistan. Chris Gayle was the first to do it – in the 2009 T20 World Cup semis against Sri Lanka. Richmond Baaleri of Ghana carried his bat through the innings against Botswana in 2023.Related

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442 Partnership runs between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran at this T20 World Cup – the most by a pair in a single edition of the tournament, surpassing 411 runs by Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in 2021.Gurbaz and Ibrahim are also the first to share four fifty-plus stands in a T20 World Cup.152 Wickets for Rashid in T20Is. He is only the second bowler to bag 150-plus wickets in T20Is, after Tim Southee (164).5-0 Record of teams batting first in Kingstown at this T20 World Cup. It is the first time that teams batting first have an unbeaten record at a venue in a men’s T20 World Cup.

The Victoria batter would have been the first choice as a Test opener but his continuing concussion issues have taken him out of the reckoning

Ian Chappell18-May-2024Australian cricket has a serious Will Pucovski issue at the precise time they are desperate to unearth skilful openers competing for a Test spot.Pucovski is comfortably the most talented potential Australian opener but he’s suffering a major health issue. He has endured an alarming number of concussions – many in the cricket arena – but his latest one raises an even more disturbing element.In a Sheffield Shield match Pucovski turned his head and ducked into a Riley Meredith short ball to collect his latest concussion. It was bad enough that the blow added to his double-digit concussion bouts but the method he employed displayed poor technique.Even though weeks have elapsed since his latest concussion he’s still suffering symptoms. Recent disturbing news says he hasn’t yet been cleared for inclusion in the Victorian contract list. His contract status now depends on a medical panel review which includes independent expertise. This follows Pucovski’s withdrawal from a county stint with Leicestershire because of the latest blow sustained in the Sheffield Shield competition.Related

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There’s no doubt his regular concussions are disturbing but even more concerning is his mental health.If Pucovski were healthy he’d be ensconced as an Australian Test opener. However he’s only represented Australia once, against India in a 2021 Test.If he plays again it would be an extremely audacious selector who chose Pucovski in the Test side. If he were prematurely included in a Test XI and then suffered another serious blow the selectors would receive some of the blame. Consequently there’s a major dilemma involved in choosing a fragile player in the Test side.Then there’s the matter of whether Pucovski would make himself available for Test selection. It’s not just the health issue he has to conquer; his technique against the short ball is sub-standard and that problem needs to be resolved. Fixing what is a mountainous shortcoming will take a lot of hard work.

Short-ball problems have dogged Pucovski but they are more relevant now Australian opener David Warner has retired from Test cricket. Raising the stakes even further, another Australian opener, Usman Khawaja, is at the tail end of his career

Not that you could blame them but if he plays again, fast bowlers will bowl short at Pucovski because they know he has an issue with that delivery. No bowler aims to deliberately hurt a player but when they are performing for their living they have to give themselves the best chance of success.Realistically, Pucovski should play a full season of Shield games without suffering concussion before he’s considered for Test selection. If he were able to achieve that feat it would be reasonable to assume he’d done the required hard work to reduce any danger he faces from bouncer issues.Short-ball problems have dogged Pucovski but they are more relevant now Australian opener David Warner has retired from Test cricket. Raising the stakes even further, another Australian opener, Usman Khawaja, is at the tail end of his career. The situation is complicated enough but there’s also a shortage of talented openers in the Shield competition and a healthy Pucovski would be the ideal candidate.Of the current potential openers Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matthew Renshaw, the latter is the only player on the right side of 30.Controversially the selectors promoted Steve Smith, a substantial figure at No. 4, to open following his request to take on the task. Despite the move, which accommodated two allrounders in Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh in the Australian Test XI, Smith is far better suited to No. 4.Pucovski’s absence also comes at a time when Australia are endowed with a strong bowling attack. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have formed a formidable pace triumvirate for a lengthy time and they are ably backed by the reliable Nathan Lyon.This talented quartet ensures that Australia rarely chases large totals but they won’t play forever, so a stable opening partnership is imperative.Pucovski’s presence at the top of the order would’ve been an important element to Australia’s future success. Now, instead of being a steady Test performer, the main consideration is ensuring Pucovski returns to good health.