All posts by h716a5.icu

England, in training, in batting, in self-appraisals, are beginning to sound just a little bit soft

George Dobell in Sydney06-Jan-2018If you burn your toast once it’s an accident. But if you keep doing it… well, you might change the settings on your toaster.So it is with England’s bowlers. There are now four men associated with this England team – Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood – who have all thought they had taken a maiden Test wicket only to see the joy snatched from them with the realisation they have bowled a no-ball.There are various theories as to why this might be happening. One of them, suggested by Jonny Bairstow at the close of play on Saturday and James Anderson earlier in the series, was that the adrenalin inherent in playing such a big match lures bowlers into straining just a little more than normal. Another suggests that on-field umpires at most levels of the game have prioritised other facets of the job so rarely check for no-balls with the rigour they once did. As a result, bowlers can slip into bad habits.There’s some logic, no doubt, in both theories.But if something keeps happening, it can’t be dismissed as an aberration or accident. It has become a pattern. And if a pattern has emerged, it is time for the coaching staff to take action to change it.Nobody who regularly watches England training can be surprised by these no-balls. The bowlers habitually overstep in the nets. Almost every delivery. While there are times when a coach might stand in the position of the umpire and ensure the bowlers’ front foot remains behind the line, it happens rarely. As a result, those bad habits can become engrained.It seems an oddly sloppy approach to such an important part of the game. After all, England would have increased the percentage of wickets they claimed on the third day in Sydney by 50 percent if Crane had not overstepped when bowling to Usman Khawaja.In a discipline like bowling where repeatability is valued, it stands to reason that it should extend to run-ups. Most modern bowlers measure their run-ups with tape before games, so why not ensure they are identical in training? And why not groove that run-up, like a hurdler or long-jumper, in a bid to cut down the number of no-balls? Why not approach the issue with discipline and attention to detail and try to prevent a fifth bowler joining the club?England were not impressed by the no-ball decision against Mason Crane•Getty ImagesGiven the sheer number of support staff travelling with the England squad these days – the butcher, the baker, the tropical fishmonger – you would think one of them could be employed to stand in the nets, watch the front line and bellow “no ball” when required.Maybe it wouldn’t entirely rid England of the problem, but it might well improve it. And it costs nothing.If you burn your toast once it’s an accident. But if you keep doing it… well, you’re a bit of an idiot.”In an ideal world everyone is behind the line but it’s not the first time it’s happened and it definitely won’t be the last,” Bairstow said.Meanwhile Bairstow – amid praising Moeen Ali for his “outstanding” bowling, Anderson for his “lovely” bowling and Crane for bowling “nicely”; really you wonder how many Australia would score if England bowled poorly – said that, given his time again, he would still elect to forego a nightwatchman on the first evening of this match and come out to bat.”I genuinely don’t regret it,” he said. “I’ve faced the new ball many times and you’ve got a nightwatchman who has not faced Mitchell Starc. I had 18 balls to survive. I’m backing myself to face half the balls, if not all of them. There was a new ball, they had two guys in Starc and Josh Hazlewood who use it effectively.”Bairstow also defended the stroke that brought his dismissal – pushing firmly at what turned out to be the final ball of the day.”No one was complaining when I hit the one for four two balls earlier,” he said. “It got me out and was skilfully executed. Live by the sword, die by the sword. I don’t think it’s a massive issue.”As England spent another day in the field, though, as they faced the prospect of yet another first innings that stretched beyond 150 overs, the thought occurred: Australia’s batsmen sell their wickets far more dearly than England’s.Nobody tells them they are promising when they are dismissed for 25. Nobody pretends that is good enough. England, in training, in batting, in their self-appraisals, are starting to sound just a little bit soft.

It may be dressing-room psychology rather than statistics that is leading him to come in late

Dustin Silgardo04-May-2018

Hey MI. There’s this guy in the dugout. First name Rohit, last name Sharma. #KXIPvMI

— Raunak Kapoor (@RaunakRK) May 4, 2018

Much needed win for Mumbai Indians, keeps them in the hunt and also hood for the tournament. Rohit Sharma, whenever he is there unbeaten at the end, he invariably takes his side home. Punjab were 15-20 short at this ground #KXIPvsMI

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) May 4, 2018

Why didn’t Rohit bat at No. 3?At the midway point of Mumbai Indians’ chase, there was disbelief that Rohit Sharma had not come out at No. 3. By the end of the game, he was getting an award for it.Rohit said he knew the ground well – he scored a century against Sri Lanka in December in Indore – and wanted to be there at the end as he knew where to hit boundaries at the death. Was it the right decision?Logic suggests that Rohit can make most use of his skills by batting in the top three. He takes his time to get set and can score centuries – he’s got four of them in T20s, all when batting in the top three. But perhaps the reasons for Rohit batting lower down are based primarily on dressing-room psychology rather than statistics. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan probably feel more secure at the crease knowing Rohit is still to come. The Pandya brothers and even Kieron Pollard, who missed the game against Kings XI, may benefit from having Rohit at the other end in the last stages of a tense chase. All three of them have a partnership average of more than 35 with Rohit.Mumbai are lucky enough to have two in-form openers and proven late hitters in the Pandya brothers and Pollard, but ultimately, it’s where and how Rohit bats that will probably dictate their progress.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin’s gamble doesn’t pay offWith Mumbai needing 57 off five overs, Ashwin made the bold move of bringing on his death-over specialist Andrew Tye when many captains would have tried to get in an over from someone else and save Tye for the 17th and 19th overs. Tye did his part, taking the wicket of Hardik Pandya and going for just seven. But then, Ashwin had to get in two overs from Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Marcus Stoinis, who had not bowled in the death at all this season. Stoinis has bowled mostly length this tournament and has a habit of overpitching and delivering full tosses, just what the batsmen wanted on a slow pitch. His 20-run 18th over turned the game in Mumbai’s favour.Ashwin will need to think about his team’s death-bowling options before the next game and may consider bringing back Mohit Sharma, who bowled a fine last over to win Kings XI their home game against Chennai Super Kings earlier in the tournament.Why Yuvraj was sent in at No. 3Everyone’s talking about your poor form and how it may be “the end”, you get dropped, then you catch a break as your replacements don’t do much better than you did. And just when you think you’ve slipped back in to the team without too many people noticing, your captain shoves you in to the spotlight by promoting you to No.3. That’s just the way it goes when your name is Yuvraj Singh.ESPNcricinfo LtdSo why did R Ashwin promote Yuvraj? Kings XI have problems with their middle order. Before this game, they were striking at just 113.5 when neither Chris Gayle nor KL Rahul was in, so Ashwin must have been intent on shaking things up. Yuvraj has never been someone who gets going quickly and of late has been taking even longer than usual. In IPLs since 2015, he strikes at just 114.00 for the first 20 balls he’s at the crease. From balls 20 to 30, his strike rate is 155.1 and then after 30 balls, it shoots up to 204.3. That means that whenever Yuvraj has faced 30-plus balls in an innings, since IPL 2015, he strikes at 140.61.So the idea was to give Yuvraj 30-plus balls to face. The problem is, he’s only done that five times in 39 IPL innings since 2015. He often ends up playing a momentum-stopping innings, such as the 14 off 14 balls one he did against Mumbai.Why did JP Duminy bowl?Mumbai Indians have six frontline bowlers, yet for the second game in a row, Rohit Sharma used part-time offspinner JP Duminy. He’s been doing it to get the ball turning away from left-handers – Mumbai don’t have a frontline offspinner. With Chris Gayle and Yuvraj at the crease, he brought on Duminy before Krunal Pandya was introduced.Here’s what the numbers say on turning the ball away from the batsman. In IPL matches before this one, left-handers struck at 135.50 against bowlers who spun it in to them compared to 126.67 against those turning it away, a significant difference considering the number of matches played. Right-handers don’t seem to have as much of an issue with the ball turning away, striking at 119.67 against left-arm and legspin compared to 122.17 against offspinners and left-arm wristspinners.Those numbers are also the reason Kings XI promoted left-hander Axar Patel to face the left-arm spin of Krunal Pandya.

The work he has put in on his wrist position and length has begun to pay off

Aakash Chopra25-Aug-20184:27

Chopra: Best I’ve seen Ishant bowl

If a captain was asked to put down what he most wants from his bowlers, they’d read something like this: 1. Wickets, 2. Economy, 3. DisciplineOver the years, Indian captains have never had the luxury of their wishes being anywhere close to being granted by their fast bowlers. At most, they would have one bowler ticking the boxes, but invariably they would have to compromise on the rest of the attack. One would provide wickets but they would always come at a cost. Another would be disciplined but his wickets column wouldn’t make pretty reading. It was usually a toss-up between rudderless aggression and a modicum of control.This tells you why Ishant Sharma has had the long but less-than-fulfilling international career he has had. Even though he didn’t take wickets as often as the captain and the fans expected, he provided the control and predictability that a captain always wants, and that’s why there haven’t been too many breaks in his Test career. He has always been the workhorse an Indian captain looks for, especially overseas.In the subcontinent, fast bowlers have a fairly limited and defined role to play – bowl with the new ball (more in the hope of taking wickets than belief), bowl a restrictive spell before the ball starts reverse-swinging, and then one or two incisive spells once the ball does indeed start reversing.This lack of belief about picking up wickets with the new ball invariably shapes you as a bowler. You prefer bowling lengths that aren’t conducive to swing bowling, for the new SG Test ball rarely moves in the air, and playing on the up and through the line on full-ish deliveries isn’t seen as being as risky as it is in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.It helped that Ishant was never a swing bowler and that his natural length was the ideal length to bowl defensively with the new ball. His strengths were his height and the high-arm action that ensured he got extra bounce from the surface (the point of release is directly proportional to the bounce you get after pitching), which also made bowling a little shorter more sensible. The combination of his strengths and the fact that the majority of his Test cricket came at home meant that Ishant didn’t invest time in developing a new skill. Maybe he didn’t have to.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
ESPNcricinfo LtdHe also happened to be among the rare breed of Indian fast bowlers who would give his captain 18-23 overs of discipline with regards to economy every day, day after day. It’s an asset that doesn’t get quantified by cold numbers, for bowlers are generally judged by strike rate and average in Test cricket. But the value Ishant brought to the table was never lost on his captains.There are a number of similarities between Ishant and Stuart Broad. Both are tall, hit the deck hard, and are predominantly seam (not swing) bowlers. Ideally both of them should have similar figures in countries with conditions helpful to seam bowling, but that’s not the case. Broad has taken more wickets at both a better strike rate (55.4 to Ishant’s 71) and average (27.8 to Ishant’s 41.1). Even if we were to discount the fact that playing more than half his cricket in England will have helped Broad’s confidence, the difference in the effectiveness of both bowlers has been stark. So what is it that Broad does that Ishant isn’t or wasn’t doing?The key to Broad’s success is his ability to roll his fingers over the ball just about enough to make it move laterally away from the right-hand batsman after pitching. The control with which he can bowl legcutters allowed him to bowl fuller, and also he bowls in the channel that makes batsmen poke at it.On the other hand, Ishant would mainly bring the ball back in after pitching, with the odd ball straightening occasionally – and since that didn’t happen at will, it wasn’t possible for him to use the incoming deliveries to set up the caught-behind dismissals.The problem with bowling a lot of legcutters is the lack of control over the genuine inswinging delivery, because the muscle memory of wrist and fingers doesn’t allow the ball to be delivered with the seam bolt upright. Broad had his issues with this and Ishant too went through an extended phase where, no matter how hard he tried, the ball simply wouldn’t come out of his hand with the seam upright. So much so that in some ODIs, he bowled only cross-seam stuff.About seven months before the tour to England, Ishant rediscovered the magic formula to keeping the wrist firmly behind the ball. Now the seam was no longer scrambled after release, and that one change made a significant change in the way he operated. He looked a lot more in control of what he was trying to achieve – though the ball wasn’t swinging still and his length was still a little short.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe difference was seen in the Test match against Afghanistan, where the ball wasn’t just seaming after pitching but genuinely swinging in the air. This was the first time I saw Ishant make the ball move laterally in the air consistently.He had also started bowling a lot fuller. Earlier, the bounce he generated made him look a lot better than he was actually bowling, because the batsmen would either leave or get beaten, and the keeper would collect the ball with his gloves pointing upwards. While that looks pretty on TV screens, it’s not effective enough to take wickets. By bowling fuller and swinging the ball in the air, Ishant not only made batsmen look for the deviation but also got lbw and bowled dismissals into play.He also had a leg-side catching trap against Afghanistan: a short midwicket and a catching fielder just behind square, which spoke of the hard yards he had put in on the county circuit. He seems more aware of what he was doing and the possible outcomes.In the current series in England, about 20% of his deliveries have been full, compared to only 8% in the 2014 series. Batsmen can no longer leave his deliveries on length, for significantly more balls are finishing within the line of the stumps.Now that he is able to swing the ball, the next step should be developing the ability to roll his fingers once in a while to extract away-going movement after pitching. The day he starts doing that at will, his incoming deliveries will be more potent. Ishant is almost 30, and if anything, will get a little slower in the air as he goes along. Developing the ability to swing the ball will not only make him more effective but will also help him prolong his career.

India’s best all-format bowler talks about the knuckleball, and why Sunrisers Hyderabad has the best bowling attack in the IPL

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi19-May-20182:11

Sunrisers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman talks about Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s workload, investing in good Indian talent, and the benefits of showing faith in youngsters

Would you say this current Sunrisers attack is the most complete T20 bowling unit you’ve been part of?
 It is a very good bowling attack. What is good about this unit is, whenever anybody has been asked to deliver he has done it – Basil Thampi played a couple of matches and he did whatever the captain asked of him or the team needed.It is an attack that has defended small targets. Like in the away match against Mumbai Indians, where you defended 118. When you defend such a small total, what does the bowler need to focus on?
Everyone knows that when you defend a small target there is not much room to make any mistake. The good thing is, whenever we have defended a low total, we have always taken wickets.I was not in Mumbai, but when I spoke to the guys who played in that match, they said that everyone wanted to focus on bowling the dot ball at the beginning. The batsmen made mistakes or went after the bowlers as the dot balls increased, and that is how we kept taking wickets at regular intervals. So the bowlers were not going after the wickets, they just wanted to bowl dot balls.How difficult is it to defend small targets like those?
It is difficult to defend a low total because there is no pressure on the batting side. One or two good overs and they know then they’ll only need [about] a run a ball. When you are defending a low total, the key is, all bowlers need to be on the same page: either you go for wickets or you contain the run rate. Either option could work. If you go for wickets, you could contain the run rate, or you could get wickets by containing the run rate.Is it good to be attacking while defending a small target?
It totally depends on the bowlers, the team. Like, in the Mumbai match, our bowlers were just defensive. They wanted the batsmen to make mistakes, because sometimes batsmen can relax while chasing a low total, since they know one over can change the whole game. But when you keep bowling dot balls, they come under pressure and commit mistakes, and that is what happened in the Mumbai match.

Bhvuneshwar Kumar’s bowling by delivery type in IPL 2018

DeliveryOversRuns% of ballsW% of WEconDot%Knuckleball9.310430.667510.9528.07Yorker143.2112.54.0050.00Moved in8.54928.5112.55.5552.83Slow ball0.442.2006.0025.00Legcutter0.331.6006.000Straight2.4188.6006.7537.50Moved away5.54218.8007.2060.00Bouncer0.341.6008.0033.33Reverse Swing0.241.10012.0050.00Full toss0.5142.70016.800

While chasing a big target, batsmen usually try and hit the first ball of the over for a boundary, to put pressure on the bowler. As a strike bowler what is your mantra for the first ball?
For a bowler it doesn’t matter whether it is a first ball or a last ball. We always want to take a wicket or bowl a dot ball. Yes, when you get hit on the first ball, you are always under pressure because you still have to bowl five more balls and the batsman has got the upper hand. For a bowler all six balls matter. You might bowl five dot balls and then get hit for a boundary off the last delivery.Yesterday, against Daredevils, you were taken for 17 runs off the last over of the innings. You rarely leak so many runs at the death.
Exactly. I have not given so many, but whatever bad balls I bowled, the batsmen converted. When you are going through a good patch, even if you bowl bad balls, batsmen might only convert 50% of those deliveries.You are the only Indian bowler to have a five-for in each of the three international formats. The last time you picked up a five-for was in the T20 series in South Africa. Three of the wickets in that match came off the slower ball. How important is that variation for you?
It is very important, especially in the T20 format, because everyone goes after the bowler straightaway, but when you have a variation, the batsman thinks twice before hitting you. Overseas, most times the ball comes nicely on to the bat and batsmen always want to hit you square of the wicket if they are good at the cut and pull. So if you can take the pace off the delivery, you can contain the strengths of the batsman.Say about five years ago, what percentage of your deliveries were the slower variation?
I do not remember what percentage, but it depends on the situation, ground conditions, and the batsman. A few batsmen are very good against the slower ball, a few are very good against the yorker, so you don’t want to bowl those variations against them. But a slower ball is a necessary variation because when the batsman is in his flow, all he wants is pace on the delivery. So when you bowl the slower ball, it becomes effective.Is the slower ball reactive?
In the T20 format you have to be proactive instead of reacting to things. Yes, it can be a reaction if you get hit for a boundary or a six, then you can bowl a slower one, depending on the conditions. But even if you go for runs, it is better to be proactive.Bhuvneshwar Kumar in recent IPL seasons

In the last four IPL seasons (from 2015), Bhuvneshwar is the leading wicket-taker in the last five overs, with 49 wickets at 15.46, and an economy rate of 9.11. The next-highest wicket-taker is Dwayne Bravo with 40

Only Bravo, with 503 balls, has bowled more deliveries at the death in this period than Bhuvneshwar, who has bowled 499 balls.

Among the 14 bowlers who have bowled over 35 overs at the death in the last four IPL seasons, Bhuvneshwar’s average is the best, and his ER is fourth best.

In the current IPL and the 2017 edition, Bhuvneshwar has taken eight (23.5%) of his wickets with knuckle balls and seven (20.6%) with slower balls, which makes it a total of 44.1% from these two variations.

How many types of slower ball do you have?
Offcutter, legcutter and knuckleball.And you bowl them all with same grip?
The grip remains mostly the same – just a slight change for the knuckleball. I bowl the cutters with the upright seam; the only difference is how you roll the fingers. It is not a mystery. The batsmen can see whether it is a legspin or offspin.When it comes to the knuckleball what is different about the grip?
I just try to hold the ball by the tips of my fingers. A few bowlers grip it with the knuckles, but I am not comfortable doing that. The seam is always upright and not scrambled. That is how I started, learned, and have practised since then.Do you remember how it was the first few times the knuckleball left your hand?
I was not comfortable because you are used to holding the ball with both fingers [and thumb] with a good grip, whereas when you are bowling the knuckleball you are gripping with the fingertips. It would slip. In fact, I remember, the first few times I tried the knuckleball, it would pitch near my legs or lob over to the wicketkeeper. It took nearly a week to start pitching it properly.I think it was two years ago when I tried it for the first time on the big stage. It was during the IPL.How do you practise it in the nets?
I do not bowl too many knuckleballs in the nets. I usually bowl that delivery against a single stump in the centre – that is how I get more ideas about the delivery.Former South Africa fast bowler Charl Langveldt was amazed at how easily and how soon you learned to master the knuckleball. He himself took several years.
I think he was the first guy I noticed bowling the knuckleball. He used it bowl it very well. Unfortunately no one picked it up till Zaheer Khan tried it, and now many bowlers  use the knuckleball.Langveldt also thinks your knuckleball almost floats.
I don’t know about that, but the good thing is it goes with the seam and swings.How is the delivery different for you from how others bowl it?
It is difficult to read it because there is no change in my action, no change in my wrist position.”A slower ball can only be deceptive if it is different, if it is floating, swinging”•AFPThe knuckleball is a wicket-taking ball. When you bowl offcutters and legcutters, batsmen can pick them from the wrist, but the knuckleball they have not been able to read. They might pick it in the air or after pitching. That is why a knuckleball is very effective, because it looks like the ball is coming at the same [good] pace, and the batsman gets beaten. So they cannot see anything different in my loading, in my run-up. Only once I release it, they notice the change.In terms of putting doubt in a batsman’s mind, the bowler has to think. It’s not possible to teach that, is it?
You cannot teach that. That is what experience teaches you. You have been in those situations many times before, so you know the possible outcomes if you try something. Also, it is about doing the process right and not thinking what is going to happen. If you do that, then sometimes your body can get tense and you will not be able to deliverA slower ball of any kind basically is deception. How did you teach yourself that?
Anything that a batsman cannot pick from the wrist is deception. Almost every bowler bowls a slower ball, but not many can be deceptive. A slower ball can only be deceptive if it is different, if it is floating, swinging. If you look at [Dwayne] Bravo’s slower ball, it is deceptive because it floats and dips.Ben Laughlin floats his knuckleball and it swings. If you ask me whether I can bowl the way these guys deliver, I cannot, because their actions are different. I might want to bowl the slower ball like Bravo but I can’t.Does the pitch matter?
Of course, it does. If you bowl a slower ball and the pitch is slow, then it will be difficult for the batsman to hit. If it is a flat wicket and nothing is happening, it is easier for the batsman to pick to the slower ball.Any particularly memorable wickets that you’ve taken with the knuckleball?
Upul Tharanga in Sri Lanka. It was a normal outswinger and Tharanga attempted to flick and was beaten by the pace.What do you need in order to be brave as a fast bowler in T20 cricket?
You need wickets to be brave. When you get wickets, you can try anything. But when you don’t, you always hesitate to try a few things because it is not always about giving runs and getting wickets.Azhar Mahmood, the current Pakistan bowling coach, said bowlers win you tournaments. Do you agree?
I agree. You see teams buy a lot of batsmen for a lot of money because they are good batsmen. But you also need good bowlers to get them out or contain the runs. If you bowl first and you can get the opposition out for 130-140 then it is a good total to chase. If your team has made 160, a par score in T20, you can help win the match. In T20 cricket, bowlers win you matches.

New Zealand won by four runs, handing Pakistan their narrowest defeat in Test cricket

Bharath Seervi19-Nov-20184- The margin of victory for New Zealand in the Abu Dhabi Test, which is the fifth smallest in Test history; the smallest being West Indies’ one-run win against Australia in Adelaide in January 1993. For Pakistan and New Zealand, this was their narrowest defeat and narrowest victory respectively.ESPNcricinfo Ltd24- Runs for which Pakistan lost their last six wickets, which is their third worst in a chase. They collapsed from 147 for 4 to 171 all out. They had suffered worse collapses against Australia: they had lost 6 for 18 at SCG in 1972-73 and later 6 for 23 at WACA in 2004-05.1- Number of smaller scores defended by New Zealand than the 176 in this Test. The only time they defended less than 200 before the Abu Dhabi Test was against England in Wellington in 1977-78, when they bowled England out for 64 in a chase of 137.5- Number of times when New Zealand have taken the last six wickets for 30 or fewer runs while defending in the fourth innings. Incidentally, three of those have come in last three years. They had picked up 6 for 26 against Pakistan in Hamilton in 2016 and 6 for 20 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in August 2016.3- Number of times Pakistan have failed to chase down targets of less than 200 since 2017. They had lost by 106 runs chasing 188 against West Indies in Barbados and by 21 runs chasing 136 against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, both last year.136- Runs accumulated by the last five wickets in this Test across the four innings – the lowest in any Test since 1980, when both teams batted twice. The runs added by last five wickets in the four innings of this Test were 30, 53, 29 and 24.

Runs by last five wickets across the four innings of Abu Dhabi Test

Team Last 5 wkts runs From ToNew Zealand first innings 30 123/5 153New Zealand second innings 29 220/5 249Pakistan first innings 53 174/5 227Pakistan second innings 24 147/5 1715/59- Ajaz Patel’s figures in the fourth innings: the second best by a New Zealand spinner on Test debut. Alex Moir had taken 6 for 155 against England in Christchurch in 1951, which is the best. Ajaz was also named Man of the Match, which makes him fifth New Zealand player to win the award on Test debut.3- Number of bowlers who have taken five-wicket hauls in the fourth innings on Test debut this year: Lungi Ngidi against India in Johannesburg, Akila Dananjaya against Bangladesh in Dhaka and Patel in this Test. Incidentally, no bowler had achieved this in six years prior to 2018.

Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja top the charts at the end of Australia’s memorable series win

Bharath Seervi13-Mar-20195 – Instances of teams winning an ODI series after being 2-0 down after two games. Australia’s remarkable comeback came after South Africa had achieved this twice and Bangladesh and Pakistan once before. This is the second time India have lost a series after being 2-0 ahead. They had lost against Pakistan in a six-match series after being 2-0 ahead in 2004-05.

Teams winning a series after being 0-2 down (5+ matches)

Team Opposition Mats SeasonSouth Africa Pakistan 5 2003-04Bangladesh Zimbabwe 5 2004-05Pakistan India 6 2004-05South Africa England 5 2015-16Australia India 5 2018-192009 – The last time India had lost three ODIs in a row at home, which was also against Australia. That was also the last time Australia won an ODI series in India. The last time India lost three successive ODIs anywhere was also against Australia, in Australia in January 2016.6 – Number of consecutive ODI series Australia had lost before this victory. Their last series win had come against Pakistan at home in 2016-17. Their last win away from home was in Sri Lanka in 2016.14 – Wickets for Pat Cummins in the series – the joint-most by an Australia bowler in any bilateral series after Mitchell Johnson and Clint McKay. It is also the most by a bowler against India in India in a series of five or fewer matches.3 – Australian bowlers who have averaged less than 30 in this series – Cummins (14 wickets at 15.71), Adam Zampa (11 wickets at 25.81) and Jhye Richardson (eight wickets at 21.12). For India, none of the bowlers who played more than two matches averaged less than 30. Kuldeep Yadav was the top wicket-taker for India, with ten wickets at 30.20.383 – Runs for Usman Khawaja in the series, which is the most by any batsman versus India in a bilateral series of five or fewer matches. Before this series, he had a career average of 32.38 with no hundreds. Now he averages 42 with two centuries.

He got to the mark in his 199th match, having already played a part in setting Bangladesh up to make their highest total in 50-over cricket

ESPNcricinfo stats team02-Jun-20192 – Wins for Bangladesh against South Africa in four World Cup matches: they also beat them in the 2007 encounter in Providence. In non-World-Cup matches, South Africa have won 15 times and lost only twice.330 – Bangladesh’s highest total in ODIs; their previous best was 329, against Pakistan in 2015. It is only their second 300-plus score in a World Cup match, and their first against one of the top teams – their previous one was 322, against Scotland in 2015.ESPNcricinfo Ltd278 – Bangladesh’s previous highest in an ODI against South Africa; they smashed that score by 52 runs today.142 – The partnership between Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, which is Bangladesh’s highest in World Cup matches. The previous highest came in a memorable victory, when Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur added 141 against England in the 2015 World Cup game in Adelaide.66 – The number of not-in-control runs scored by Bangladesh, the highest in any World Cup game since the start of the 2003 edition. Shakib was the major contributor with 21, followed by Soumya Sarkar (13) and Mushfiqur (12).Shakib the all-round giantWhen he dismissed Aiden Markram, Shakib Al Hasan reached 250 ODI wickets and became the fastest cricketer to achieve the double of 250 wickets and 5000 runs.ESPNcricinfo LtdLast year, he became the fastest to score 3,000 runs and take 200 wickets in Tests, bettering Ian Botham.Additionally, he is is one of only three cricketers with 4,000 runs and 300 wickets in T20s. And here too, he’s been rapid, taking 260 matches to the mark, beating Afridi (283) and Dwayne Bravo (292)And combining all three formats, he is the fastest to 10,000 runs and 500 wickets, taking 302 matches for the achievement, with Jacques Kallis (420) and Afridi (477) behind him.

Are Bangladesh’s batsmen poor players of legspin because the country doesn’t produce enough legspinners? Mohammad Isam explores

Mohammad Isam05-Nov-2019Among the few things Bangladesh didn’t do well during their seven-wicket win over India in Delhi was to handle Yuzvendra Chahal. The legspinner finished with 1 for 24 from four overs, but as long as he was bowling, the Bangladesh batsmen couldn’t quite settle down.Chahal removed Mohammad Naim in his first over when the left-hand batsman skied a catch to long-on. Mushfiqur Rahim and Soumya Sarkar both survived close calls in his second over before Krunal Pandya dropped Mushfiqur in Chahal’s third. Although they got two fours in his last over, it was clear that Chahal had then in his spin.He will certainly feature prominently in team meetings in Rajkot and Nagpur, but Bangladesh’s problems against legspin isn’t limited to Chahal. Last month, Rashid Khan dictated the course of the one-off Test in Chattogram with his 11-wicket haul. Apart from two matches in the last 12 months, Rashid has been a constant thorn in Bangladesh’s side, having taken 33 wickets at an average of 12.87 since 2016. Legspinners like Yasir Shah, Adil Rashid and Devendra Bishoo have also troubled Bangladesh in the last five years, often proving the difference between the two sides. Bangladesh even succumbed to newcomer Brandon Mavuta last year, when he took a four-wicket haul in Zimbabwe’s historic Test win.

Most team officials and coaches in domestic cricket pick multiple left-arm spinners in their line-ups, and explicitly discourage kids from bowling offspin and legspin

Legspin has always been a missing link for Bangladesh in their step-by-step development as an international cricket team. A major part of the problem is the lack of legspinners within the system, which prevents them from having the right kind of practice against this type of bowler. The struggle only becomes apparent to the outside world when the likes of Rashid, Yasir and Chahal expose them at the highest level.Back home, people in positions of power and authority are aware of the issue. Last year, chief selector Minhajul Abedin was so desperate to promote a legspinner that he got the aptly named Minhajul Abedin Afridi in for a tour game against Zimbabwe. The young legspinner managed to break into the Chattogram first-class side this year.Aminul Islam, who took two wickets against India in Delhi, is being touted for big things but he is actually a batsman. He has hardly bowled enough in domestic cricket but because of a mandate by the BCB to promote legspinners, Aminul was pushed into the senior side prematurely.[L to R] Najmul Hossain, Aminul Islam and Mohammad Naib, the new boys in the T20I squad•BCBChahal, who saw Aminul bowl for the first time, somehow felt that this was an experienced domestic campaigner. “He [Aminul] did well in Bangladesh domestic cricket,” Chahal said in Rajkot ahead of the second T20I. “He must have played 40-50 matches in the first-class level. He bowled very well. I think he bowled three overs, and took two crucial wickets.”In reality, Aminul has only played a single first-class game, a handful of List A matches and the Sunday T20I was only his fourth T20 game.The clamour for legspin has also forced the BCB into strange decisions like sacking two coaches for not deploying legspinners in their XIs after a diktat to that effect. The BCB has also decided that each BPL side for the 2019-20 tournament must play a legspinner, local or foreign, in every game. Shakib Al Hasan had criticised this decision.One of the main reasons for Shakib’s displeasure was the way Jubair Hossain, a promising legspinner, was treated in Bangladesh cricket. After Chandika Hathurusingha had plucked him out of the nets for a berth in Bangladesh A and then the senior side in 2014, Jubair bowled pretty well against Zimbabwe that year. Hathurusingha was so adamant to pick him in the 2015 World Cup squad that he got into a quarrel with chief selector Faruque Ahmed.Rashid Khan catches up with Bangladeshi legspinner Jubair Hossain•BCBJubair went on to take Virat Kohli’s wicket in the 2015 one-off Test in Fatullah, but while he was being taken seriously in the Bangladesh team, first-class and Premier League club sides ignored him completely. The Bangladesh domestic scene is heavily influenced by the ideals of one-day cricket, where a bowler is only as good as his economy rate. For this reason, most team officials and coaches pick multiple left-arm spinners in their line-ups, and explicitly discourage kids from bowling offspin and legspin.This culture has affected the national team’s development, and with more and more legspinners in bowling attacks around the world, Bangladesh became susceptible to this style of bowling. In the last five years, some of Bangladesh’s top batsmen like Mushfiqur (18 times), Mahmudullah (13) and Tamim Iqbal (11) have been dismissed frequently by Rashid, Adil Rashid, Yasir, Bishoo and Mavuta. Mushfiqur averages 22.44 against legspinners, while Shakib, and surprisingly Imrul Kayes, have 40-plus averages, as well as a low rate of dismissals.Now, even if it is a bit late and part of a desperate move, Bangladesh’s batsmen will have the chance to face a lot more legspin in the nets and in competitive matches too, going by the looks of things in the NCL, the domestic first-class competition.The emergence of Aminul will also provide another way outside of mere video footage to combat top-drawer legspinners. At this stage, Bangladesh’s batsmen are focused on playing legspinners conservatively. So survival will be key against Chahal in the remaining two matches. If they can overcome him in this series, their next target, just in time for the T20 World Cup in 2020, should be to attack legspinners.

Afghanistan stand to lose one of the best coaches in the world because of off-field drama, and West Indies could stand to benefit (again) at their expense

Jarrod Kimber at Headingley03-Jul-2019Phil Simmons was coach of the West Indies team. Simmons is now coach of the Afghanistan team. And it is very possible that Simmons will again become the coach of the West Indies team.What is looking likely is that he cannot continue as coach of the Afghanistan team after tweets like, “I am in the middle of a World Cup and trying to get our team to perform to the level we expect, but at the end of the World Cup I will tell the Afghanistan people about the part that Mr Dawlat Ahmadzai had to play in our preparation and his part in the dismissal of #AsgharAfghan”.That was him responding to Ahmadzai’s – a selector who lost his position during the tournament – comments about Afghanistan’s poor preparation.With those comments and some other things that have happened, like Afghanistan sending two players home, and having a random selection forced on the group as captain, you can certainly see that whether by his decision, or the Afghan cricket board’s, Simmons may not stay as coach.Not that any return to the West Indies would be smooth. In September 2016, Phil Simmons talked about the “interference from outside” when trying to choose the West Indies team. Then chairman Dave Cameron did not like that, and Simmons lost his job. Earlier this year, Simmons finally settled with CWI for a large settlement of nearly USD 500k.However, this is the new CWI, with Ricky Skerritt already looking far more professional than his predecessor Cameron. With players like Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard being brought back, Andre Russell being treated well for his injured knees and Chris Gayle announcing he wants to play Tests, suddenly West Indies cricket doesn’t have the talent drain it did before. That also includes the coaches; there are two world class head coaches from the West Indies at the moment. Ottis Gibson – who based on what has happened with South Africa in this World Cup, will soon need a new position – and Phil Simmons.It’s incredible that Simmons hasn’t had one of the major jobs in world cricket. His record is consistently outstanding.Simmons’ work with Ireland proved he was brilliant at improving a side, even without the financial or logistical advantages that major teams have. Then, he came back to the West Indies to win a World Twenty20. Also, it is clear how much Afghanistan have grown since he took the job, despite the mess behind the scenes.People who work with Simmons are almost always positive. He is excellent at coaching, tactics, and was one of the early adopters to cricket analytics. And yet, with that record, you don’t even hear his name mentioned for the England job. It would appear from the outside that Simmons is one of the best coaches in the world, and with the West Indies opening their arms to those who left acrimoniously, he should be brought back home.Floyd Reifer, the interim coach, was picked in part because of Skerritt’s desire to find a local coach. When the decision was announced, Skerritt said, “Our landmark decision to immediately introduce a well suited young West Indian professional as our men’s team coach is, therefore, a clear indicator of the seriousness of our West Indian-first policy and represents our commitment to celebrate the best of what it means to be West Indian.”Simmons is one of the best coaches in the world, and not only a Trinidadian, but also represented the West Indies 169 times. Surely – even despite his large and recent payout – he should be the man to lead this side into the future.Put ’em up: West Indies coach Phil Simmons boxes with captain Jason Holder•AFPThe game against Afghanistan is a dead rubber, but West Indies are already looking towards the future. As Roddy Estwick – West Indies assistant coach and former PE teacher of Rihanna – said, “Unfortunately we didn’t have more time. We had to work with what we had.”Looking back over the eight games that we played, I mean I personally thought that we should have won four of those. We were very, very close. We just didn’t play the big moments well. And hopefully we can learn from that and we can move forward and we can plan for the next one.”Obviously we’re not happy losing games. But we started to build something, and once we can remain patient and we can keep building. Young players are coming through, and once that keeps happening then things will get a lot better.”The tournament has been poor for West Indies, but the level of talent in the younger players is as good as anywhere else. Nicholas Pooran was thrown in at number four, and has flourished. Oshane Thomas looks fit and scary. Fabian Allen showed what he can do last game. And the big-hitting Rovman Powell is not even in this squad.If you are a head coach, this is an ideal job to get now.Simmons – as the diligent coach he is – will look to ensure Afghanistan win this game. The pitch looks brown, the Afghan spinners are back in form, and the second half of this tournament they have been very close to winning games. Any win for Afghanistan will be a major achievement for Simmons considering the clown show they’ve put on off the field.Also, an upset win could help Simmons when Reifer’s interim contract ends. Not that anyone in the West Indies needs a reminder of what a good coach he is.

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to appoint a “perfect” replacement for under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou, but it isn’t their rumoured top managerial target Andoni Iraola.

Ange Postecoglou relying on Europa League to save Tottenham job

Following a dismal Premier League campaign, with Postecoglou on course to become Spurs’ worst-ever head coach in the competition’s history, the Australian is seriously under the cosh.

Tottenham plan "surprise" move for Chelsea star as Maresca sanctions exit

The Lilywhites are big fans.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 8, 2025

A 3-1 win over relegated Southampton on Sunday provided a rare break from the pressure surrounding Postecoglou’s position, with the 59-year-old now fully focused on getting past Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie on Thursday.

It is widely believed that Postecoglou is relying on a good run in the Europa League to keep his job at Tottenham, and this is echoed by reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

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“It’s not over yet, but it’s a dangerous situation, the one of Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham,” said Romano on his YouTube channel last week.

“I know Spurs fans are not happy with the current situation. It’s really poor in terms of points. In the Europa League, it’s a different story. Now, there is an important clash with Eintracht [Frankfurt]. So the Europa League is saving the season at the moment for Tottenham and Postecoglou.

“If Tottenham win the Europa League, this could change the whole sense of the project. Next year, they would be in the Champions League finally, so it would be really important. Otherwise, the expectation is that there is a very concrete and strong chance for Tottenham to replace Postecoglou at the end of the season.”

The Lilywhites have already been drawing up potential replacements for Postecoglou, including Iraola, who is believed to be their leading candidate for the job (The Athletic).

However, the 42-year-old isn’t Spurs’ only option, with links also surrounding Fulham boss Marco Silva.

Some reports even suggest that Tottenham have already made an apporach for Silva, following another impressive campaign at Craven Cottage for the Portuguese. European football is very much still alive for the Whites, and they’re fresh off the back of a thrilling 3-2 win over Premier League title frontrunners Liverpool.

Tottenham tipped to appoint Marco Silva instead of Andoni Iraola

Now, TalkSPORT pundit Troy Deeney has explained why Silva would be the “perfect” appointment for Tottenham, with the ex-Watford striker tipping him to transform Spurs in just three months.

“The biggest compliment you could take for Marco Silva is that, if you look at all the people that are around him – his staff – they’ve been poached, because they (other clubs) want Marco Silva but they go and get the people off his branches,” said Deeney on air (via West London Sport).

“He’s ready for a big team. I think he’d be perfect for Spurs if they would allow him to just go and take over and not get involved too much from up above.

“I think he’d change the culture of that place within three months. Marco is definitely ready. Fulham are on a good trajectory, but I think they’ll struggle to keep him long term.”