All posts by n8rngtd.top

Stats highlights from fourth day’s play at Old Trafford where England sealed a huge win against Pakistan to draw level in the series.

Shiva Jayaraman25-Jul-2016330 Runs by which England won this Test – their second-biggest win by margin of runs against Pakistan. Their record margin against the visitors came at Trent Bridge, in 2010, when they won by 354 runs. This is also the second-biggest win for a team, by runs, at Old Trafford. The hosts had lost to West Indies in 1976 by 425 runs, which is the biggest at this venue.289 Wickets taken by Glenn McGrath in Tests in Australia, which were the previous most taken by a fast bowler at home. James Anderson passed this tally with the dismissal of Azhar Ali in Pakistan’s second innings. Anderson has now taken 291 wickets at an average of 25.51 in Tests in England. Click here for a list of bowlers who have taken the most wickets in Tests at home.325 Runs scored by Joe Root in this Test – the fifth-highest by an England batsman in a Test and the second-highest ever by an England batsman in the last 50 years. Graham Gooch’s 456 runs against India in the 1990 Lord’s Test remains the record.6 Number of Man-of-the-match awards won by Joe Root. Among England players, only Ian Botham had won more such awards by the age of 26. Botham won nine such awards before he turned 27. Stuart Broad is third on this list with five such awards before turning 27. Click here for a list of most Man-of-the-match awards won by England players.24.50 Chris Woakes’ bowling strike-rate in this series – the best for any England bowler to take at least 15 wickets in a series in Tests since 1950. Overall, in this period, there have been only seven other instances in which a bowler from any team with at least 15 wickets in a series has struck more frequently. Woakes’ 18 wickets are also the joint-most wickets taken by an England bowler in the first two Tests of a series in the last fifty years. Ashley Giles took 18 wickets in the first two Tests of the series against West Indies in 2004. James Anderson also took 18 wickets in the first two Tests of England’s previous series, against Sri Lanka.Only once have England beaten Pakistan by a bigger margin in Tests•ESPNcricinfo Ltd540 Runs scored by England’s top three batsmen in this Test – the fourth-highest they have made in a Test. While Alastair Cook added 181 to Root’s 325 runs, Alex Hales contributed 34. The highest England’s top three have made in a match came at Lord’s in 1990 against India, when Gooch alone contributed 456 runs to the tally of 608 by the top three.13 Number of times Cook has made two fifty-plus scores in a Test. Cook followed up his first-innings century with an unbeaten 76 in England’s second innings. Only Ricky Ponting (15) and Jacques Kallis (14) have made two fifty-plus scores on more occasions. Kumar Sangakkara is next in this list with 12 such instances.1 Number of higher fourth-innings targets that Pakistan have been set in Tests than the one set by England in this match. West Indies had set a target of 573 runs for them in the Bridgetown Test in 2005, which remains the highest. The 565-run target is also the fifth highest ever set by England.266 Runs conceded by Yasir Shah in this match – the third highest by a bowler with one or no wickets in a Test. Australia’s Chuck Fleetwood-Smith conceded 298 runs for one wicket at The Oval in the Ashes Test in 1938. Relatively recently, India’s Rajesh Chauhan conceded 276 runs in exchange for one wicket, against Sri Lanka in 1997.21 Tests won by Cook as captain – the third-highest by an England captain. He passed Peter May’s 20 Test wins with this latest win against Pakistan. Only Michael Vaughan (26) and Andrew Strauss (24) have won more Tests as captain of England.2001 The last time England were beaten in a Test at Old Trafford, which was against the current visitors Pakistan. Since then, however, they have remained unbeaten in ten Tests at this venue and won eight of them. In Tests since 2002, only Australia’s 11-0 record at the Gabba is better than England’s at Old Trafford. This win for England’s is their first in eight Tests against Pakistan. They had previously won at Lord’s in 2010 by an innings and 225 runs.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2016Yasir Shah removed Miguel Cummins to complete a five-wicket haul and 100 Test wickets•Getty ImagesDevendra Bishoo resisted for 41 balls and scored 17 before becoming the last man to be dismissed; West Indies were bowled out for 357•Getty ImagesShannon Gabriel removed Azhar Ali early, before Bishoo trapped Asad Shafiq lbw for his first wicket•AFPBabar Azam was troubled by a few short deliveries before he inside-edged Bishoo on to the stumps•Getty ImagesSami Aslam countered with a brisk 44, before edging a late cut off Bishoo to slip•Getty ImagesAslam’s dismissal triggered a collapse as Pakistan’s batsmen had a tough time against Bishoo•Getty ImagesBishoo cut through Pakistan with career-best figures of 8 for 49; Pakistan lost their last seven wickets for 30 runs to be bowled out for 123•AFPBishoo cut through Pakistan with career-best figures of 8 for 49; Pakistan lost their last seven wickets for 30 runs to be bowled out for 123•AFPMohammad Amir got rid of Kraigg Brathwaite early in West Indies’ chase of 346•Getty ImagesBut the other opener Leon Johnson kept his end going, scoring 47 before eventually falling to Amir as well•AFPDarren Bravo, with Marlon Samuels, saw West Indies to stumps without further damage, setting up an intriguing final day: West Indies needed 251 runs more, while Pakistan needed eight wickets•Getty Images

Here’s how our ball-by-ball commentary recorded Zimbabwe’s slew of fielding lapses in the Harare Test

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-20161.1 Mumba to Karunaratne, no run, very full, pitches on middle, 134ks, snakes away and rears up. Karunaratne is opened up completely. He hurriedly looks to work the ball to leg, falls over, and it takes the outside edge near the shoulder of the bat, then flies over gully. Williams runs back, stretches his left hand up, well over his head, but he was on the move. Didn’t have a stable base, and the ball pops out. Mumba could have become the first Zim player to take a wicket on his first ball in Test cricket. Difficult chance for Williams, though.49.2 Masakadza to MDKJ Perera, no run, dropped by Moor. Zim aren’t hanging onto their chances. Good length and angled away outside off, Kusal was looking to biff it over mid-on with no footwork. The ball grazes the outside edge, hits the top of the keeper’s left glove, brushes the chest, and then bobbles out. Moor, standing up to the stumps, couldn’t react quickly.52.4 Williams to Silva, no run, spilled by Moor again. His second drop in four overs. Shorter skiddy ball outside off, hint of turn away from Silva. He looks to cut and there’s a thick edge. The ball bobbles out of his right glove now, the keeper is having a hard day. A bit late to react again.55.4 Masakadza to MDKJ Perera, FOUR, and Kusal goes for the big hit. This cat-and-mouse game is fun. Waller makes a mess of it at long-on. Cremer pushed him back and threw a challenge to Kusal. These missed chances will come back to bite Zim. Good length and outside off, Kusal swings across the line, and hits in the air. Waller lumbers in from the deep, seemingly bails out at the last moment? He tentatively dives forward, instead of attacking the ball, as it bursts through his hands and trickles to the straight boundary.57.6 Waller to Silva, 1 run, low full-toss on off, whipped to mid-on for a scampered single. A direct hit could have had Kusal despite that full-length dive. Another chance goes abegging. Sums up Zimbabwe’s day in the field.99.5 Cremer to de Silva, no run, short legbreak outside off, fizzes off the surface, Dhananjaya aims a cut and edges it, Moor is late to react again. The ball hits his hip and goes down. Third drop from Moor. Zim aren’t learning from their mistakes. This is the sixth chance they have fluffed in this Test.129.1 Tiripano to Tharanga, no run, dropped by big Mawoyo at short extra cover. Tiripano has his hands on his head. Nice and full on middle, Tharanga attempts a front-foot drive. But the ball stops on him and forces him to check his shot. He simply chips it in the air to short extra cover. Mawoyo dives forward, goes with both hands, but the ball bobbles out140.6 Williams to MDK Perera, 4 byes, Moor fluffs a stumping chance. It wasn’t an easy one. Dilruwan runs at Williams and yorks himself. The ball hurries off the surface, narrowly misses the off stump, and beats the keeper. Moor did not even move as the ball runs away behind him for four byes

Australia’s missing pace-bowling allrounder, and an apparent underuse of Nathan Lyon, have left Josh Hazlewood & Co doing a lion share of the work in the field

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG27-Dec-2016A century eluded Josh Hazlewood on the second day at the MCG, where he went to stumps on 99 Test wickets. But he did raise a double-hundred of a different kind: 200 overs bowled during this home Test summer. At the close of play, he was being joined by Mitchell Starc, who was midway through his 200th Test over of the season when rain forced the players off the field for the final time on a wet day.It is a milestone that in past summers might have seemed trifling. In 1978-79, when eight home Tests were scheduled and eight-ball overs were in use, Rodney Hogg and Alan Hurst each sent down the equivalent of nearly 400 six-ball overs for the summer. As recently as 2007-08, Brett Lee delivered 281.3 Test overs, Mitchell Johnson 250.1 and Stuart Clark 224.2.But bowling workloads are now monitored far more closely. And with three-and-a-bit innings left this home summer, Hazlewood and Starc can expect plenty more toil, unless the weather continues to intervene. It is precisely the kind of scenario that could renew Australia’s search for an allrounder, with Mitchell Marsh having been axed early in the summer and Hilton Cartwright made 12th man on Boxing Day.”There is, there’s no doubt about that,” Australia’s bowling coach David Saker said when asked if there were concerns about the workload of the fast men. “But we go in with four bowlers, you’re going to always overload someone if the opposition is good enough to bat for long periods of time. Also, today, because the ball was wet, at times it was hard to bowl the spinner as well. That’s another little bit of a dilemma as well.”Yes it’s a concern, but you can’t do much about it when you go in with four bowlers; someone is going to get some overload. It’s not always great, but that’s where we are in Australian cricket at the moment. We’re desperately looking for that allrounder who can bowl some overs for us.”For two years, Australia believed that Marsh was that man, but the flipside of being a fifth bowler is that you’re also the sixth batsman, and on that front Marsh has so far been a clear under-performer at Test level. In 19 Tests, Marsh has averaged 23.18 with the bat and scored just two half-centuries. Unless he could raise those numbers, his hold on the No. 6 position was always going to be precarious.Not that either of his replacements has yet added value. Callum Ferguson made 3 and 1 in the Hobart Test against South Africa before being unceremoniously dumped, and his successor, Nic Maddinson, is likewise yet to reach double figures in a Test innings. Australia’s selectors wanted to give Maddinson a decent run at the No. 6 position, but decent runs are now what Maddinson must deliver in response.”I’d like six or seven bowlers in a team if I could, but I’m just the bowling coach,” Saker joked. “My job is to try to get 20 wickets, so the more bowlers in the team, the more likely that’s going to happen. But right at the moment, the selectors have gone the way they’ve gone. It’s a good sign of faith in Maddinson, saying we’re going to give you another go.”I don’t mind that, but they have to realise, and as an Australian team we have to realise, that that sometimes overloads your strike bowlers, which could have a detrimental effect down the road. But that’s not my decision to make. They make the best decisions in the best interests of the team.”Adding to the workload of the fast men both in the second innings at the Gabba and this first innings in Melbourne has been the seeming reluctance of captain Steven Smith to use Nathan Lyon. Last summer, Lyon sent down more Test deliveries than any other Australian but so far this season he is lagging behind Hazlewood and Starc by roughly 50 overs.He has also been the most expensive of Australia’s frontline overs this summer, and, at stumps on the second day at the MCG, Lyon had bowled 17 overs for the innings and picked up 1 for 69. It was notable that, for a period shortly before lunch as the Australians waited for the new ball, part-time spinners Smith and Nic Maddinson worked in tandem.”The wet ball played a big part in it,” Saker said when asked why Lyon had bowled only six overs for the day. “He probably would have got a bit more of a go in that last session if we didn’t come off. But they’ve also played him quite well, especially their right-handers – and they’ve got mainly right-handers.”They’ve played him quite well, particularly Azhar Ali plays him extremely well. So there’s different reasons for that. Also we think on that wicket right now, our seamers look more likely to get a wicket. But again, we’d like to get more overs out of our spinners for sure.”Australia picked up 2 for 168 on the second day, with Jackson Bird adding a third victim to his tally from day one and Hazlewood claiming the other. It was reward for Hazlewood’s miserly bowling – the only boundary scored off him in this innings was an edge that should have been caught at third slip. However, Mitchell Starc has struggled for impact with the ball barely swinging.”He lacked a little bit of rhythm today, mainly because his front foot was slipping and if you bowl fast and your front foot is slipping, it’s one of the more scary things because you think you’re going to break down every ball you bowl,” Saker said. “That’s always playing a part in your mind. It’s no excuse, but that’s quite hard to deal with when your front foot is slipping.”

Several chances have been spilled in the field by Bangladesh on the New Zealand tour, especially in the slip cordon, compounding their batting and bowling woes

Mohammad Isam at Hagley Oval23-Jan-2017Mashrafe Mortaza had sounded an early warning when he talked about the body-language problem with Bangladesh’s fielders during the first ODI of this tour in Christchurch. Seeing how they have dropped catches so regularly through the rest of the tour, though, that warning seems to have gone unheeded.The 20 dropped catches on tour have affected Bangladesh adversely both in that particular moment and over the larger passage of play. This sloppiness in the field has compounded their woes, which have included batting collapses, the lack of big runs from senior batsmen and the inexperience of the Test pace attack.Mashrafe had tagged Bangladesh’s fielders “lethargic” after the ODI in Christchurch, where they allowed 27 twos and 111 singles. Back at the same venue for the second Test, their last game on tour, Bangladesh dropped seven genuine chances.In the fourth over of New Zealand’s first innings, Mahmudullah didn’t stay down for long enough when a Jeet Raval catch came his way at second slip off Mehedi Hasan. A little while later, his dive to his left at square leg couldn’t intercept a Ross Taylor flick. In between, Sabbir Rahman dropped a sitter at second slip offering Raval another life. Later Kamrul Islam Rabbi dropped Taylor at deep midwicket, and then Mehedi Hasan put Southee down at second slip. Nazmul Hossain Shanto also dropped a straightforward chance at gully; he had already shown poor technique at silly mid-off when Henry Nicholls had struck him on the body twice in the 44th over. Both would count as chances – albeit very tough ones – as it hit him on the full, but the bigger point was why was Nazmul ducking into the ball instead of jumping over it, as close-in fielding technique would demand in such cases.What was also confusing was the choice of slip cordon, where most of their catches have gone down. Mehedi Hasan continued to be there despite dropping two in Wellington Test as well. Sabbir dropped a catch in the first Test at third slip too, but continued in the same position in Christchurch where he dropped that sitter off Taskin Ahmed.Slip catching is considered a specialist’s job and Bangladesh haven’t really found their specialists. The reason for posting Sabbir and Mehedi Hasan in the slips was the absence of the injured Imrul Kayes, a recent regular in the spot. But he too had dropped one, that too one of the easiest chances on the tour, when Neil Broom had edged-behind in the third ODI in Nelson.That is not to say that catches have not been dropped elsewhere during both the ODIs and Tests. Some of these catches going down could be explained as a matter of pure luck – as Tamim Iqbal said after the loss in Christchurch, “it just happens”.* But several of these missed opportunities have translated into New Zealand batsmen going on to make a big score.Clearly, given the despair the matter has caused to some of the bowlers, it has been discussed in team meetings, and efforts must be underway to eliminate the problem. Tamim agreed that specialists need to be found. “We can definitely work on our catching, especially in our slip cordon. We will have more chances going to slips now that we will play more overseas. We have to look for specialists in that position.”The home side dropped catches too, and the issue has been brought up with their players in media conferences. Bangladesh’s extensive catalogue of problems on tour, though, has meant that their dropped catches have not really been questioned much. When he was asked about it, Tamim said the team just could not afford to fluff chances in conditions overseas. “We can somehow manage this thing at home. Conditions are such that chances are created quite regularly,” he said. “Here they [New Zealand] can drop five catches but we cannot afford to.”It takes a lot of effort for our bowlers to create one chance. I think our pace bowlers did very well here. But these things make a difference. It would have been so much better had we taken even 70% of the catches.”The easiest way to react to drops is to blame the fielder first, and then the fielding coach. But that is too simplistic a view. Fielding is about involvement and enjoyment out in the middle. If that’s missing when Bangladesh goes out to field, it might suggest deeper issues to look into. The faster the problem is pinpointed and sorted out, the better it will be for the team.*10.15 GMT, January 23: Tamim Iqbal’s quotes were added to this article at the end of day four of the Christchurch Test.

A second title in a row proved beyond Sunrisers Hyderabad but, with a well-assembled squad, missing only an elite lower-order hitter, they ended their season with far more positives than negatives

Karthik Krishnaswamy18-May-20174:33

Agarkar: Relying too much on Warner hurt Sunrisers

Where they finished

Lost the Eliminator to Kolkata Knight Riders after finishing third in the league stage.

The good

Sunrisers won the 2016 IPL title primarily on the back of their bowlers; Mustafizur Rahman, in particular. He only played one match this season, but they hardly missed him, as Rashid Khan took over the role of the go-to overseas bowler, undoing the opposition frequently with deadly variations. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who won the Purple Cap last season, has an excellent chance of doing so again – he ended his tournament with 26 wickets – and, at the time of writing, his nearest active challenger, Jaydev Unadkat, has 22.While Sunrisers’ batting was exaggeratedly top-heavy in 2016, responsibilities were distributed far better this season, with Kane Williamson (256 runs at a strike rate of 151.47), Yuvraj Singh (252 runs at 142.37) and Moises Henriques (277 at 136.45) complementing the efforts of David Warner (641 at 141.81) and Shikhar Dhawan (479 at 127.39).Warner, as always, was phenomenal, scoring four fifties and a brutal 59-ball 126 against Kolkata Knight Riders, and ended the tournament with a 155-run gap from his nearest rival, Gautam Gambhir, in the race to the Orange Cap.

The bad

Having begun the tournament as its best-performing bowling team by some distance, they ended up looking over-reliant on Bhuvneshwar and Rashid through its second half. Siddarth Kaul and Mohammed Siraj showed flashes of potential, but couldn’t entirely make up for Ashish Nehra missing large chunks of the tournament due to injury. The biggest disappointment, though, was Henriques. Last season, he had struggled with the bat while proving to be a valuable bowling asset – he took 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.98. This season, he flipped that performance around, excelling with the bat while only taking one wicket in 12 matches and conceding 10.33 runs per over.

The missing ingredient

• Sunrisers’ Powerplay run rate, 7.73, was the second-lowest in the league, above only Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 6.53. This wasn’t so much owing to a lack of form or hitting ability in Sunrisers’ top order, as it was due to an unusually cautious approach: Sunrisers only lost 11 wickets in 14 Powerplays – the least among all teams.
• It is quite possible that they adopted this approach due to a lack of faith in the lower-middle order. The numbers seem to bear this out: Sunrisers’ top five had, by far, the best average, 42.32, in the tournament, with Knight Riders a distant second with 34.96. But Sunrisers’ strike rate, 139.39, was only the fifth-best.
• As a result, Sunrisers’ Nos. 6 and 7, only faced 88 balls in the tournament. By contrast, the batsmen occupying those positions for Knight Riders, who faced the second-fewest balls among all the teams, faced nearly twice as many balls – 170. Naman Ojha, Sunrisers’ wicketkeeper, only batted five times in 14 matches.
• Sunrisers may have structured their innings differently had they possessed a proper lower-order hitter – ideally an Indian batsman – since the presence of so many other quality overseas players had already restricted Ben Cutting to playing only four matches.
• Being able to take more risks during the Powerplay may have swung a couple of tight matches Sunrisers’ way. This is lent some credence by their performance in their away game against Rising Pune – Warner and Dhawan made 73 off 69 between them, and Sunrisers only lost three wickets while scoring 176. Pune chased it down in an MS Dhoni-inspired last-ball finish.

Out of their control

The rain in Bengaluru, twice. The first time, it washed out their match against a Royal Challengers Bangalore team low on form and morale. It was a contest they may have expected to win but, due to the one-point sharing rule, they eventually finished a point behind second-placed Rising Pune Supergiant in the league stage, despite boasting a better net run rate.The second time rain hit the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, it arrived halfway through their Eliminator on Wednesday. They had only made 128, but conditions were challenging to bat in. Their bowling attack could have made a decent fist of defending 128 in 20 overs; instead, they had to defend 47 in six. With early strikes, they still managed to cause some flutters in the Knight Riders camp, reducing them to three down in 1.1 overs.

Twenty20 Vision brings you the chat that matters from the NatWest Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2017Do the big fellas still have the appetite?
Three Finals Days in four years is a remarkable achievement for Northants, who have put Big Fellas at the centre of English T20. We fanbcy another one. Tuck into a burger and chips and watch them biff it out of the park.

Will specialist coaches come of age?
Two counties have taken advantage of the fact that the NatWest Blast is in a block by employing specialist coaches with bags of IPL street-cred. John Wright seems to have his work cut out at Derbyshire, but Dan Vettori might be just the man to inspire Middlesex to glory.

What will become of KP?
He will be a little late on parade admittedly, but as we first told you, KP will be treading the boards again for Surrey. Is he still awash with gold dust or has he sprinkled it by now on a series of outside interests and social gatherings with Piers Morgan?

Will the Blast hit a million spectators?Advance sales are up yet again for the competition that one suspects some in the ECB heirachy would rather kept a sense of modesty as they concentrate on a new think-out-of-the-box eight-team marketing extravaganza in 2020. Sod’s Law will probably mean that it packs in the crowds like never before.

Will Middlesex really win it?Yes, we think they will. Remember where you read it first

India’s two leading spinners took only five wickets between them in the Champions Trophy, but is that a surprise considering how little one-day cricket they have played recently?

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2017How did Ashwin and Jadeja fare at the 2017 Champions Trophy?Both R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja struggled to pick up wickets and, though they did contribute to choking South Africa in the crunch group-stage match, were on the whole expensive. When Pakistan’s top order attacked them in the final, they had no answer and conceded 137 runs in 18 overs.So were they poor? It should be noted that spinners did not fare well in the tournament. They accounted for just 21.18% of the wickets taken. But still, India were expecting more from Jadeja and Ashwin, who are the world’s top two bowlers in Tests according to the ICC rankings, and have been key in previous global one-day tournaments.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Are they Test specialists?Both Ashwin and Jadeja first gained prominence as limited-overs bowlers, gaining attention for their performances in the Indian Premier League. Ashwin had to wait a year and a half between his ODI and Test debuts, while Jadeja, considered a short-format specialist, waited almost four years from his ODI debut for a Test call-up – he was first drafted into the side as an allrounder batting at No.6.ESPNcricinfo LtdHowever, since the last Champions Trophy in 2013, both Ashwin and Jadeja have worked hard at becoming better bowlers in Tests. Their efforts have paid off, but the flip side is that their stocks in ODI cricket have fallen. After the Champions Trophy 2013, Ashwin was the No.8 ranked ODI bowler in the world, while Jadeja was No.3 and rose to No.1 later in the year. As they have climbed the Test rankings, they have descended to No. 30 and 31 in the ODI rankings. A chief reason for this that they have missed many ODI matches while being rested ahead of important Test series.So were they underprepared for the Champions Trophy?Between the 2015 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy, Ashwin played just nine ODIs, while Jadeja played 10. These figures are in stark contrast to the periods between previous ICC events. Between the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, both played 30 or more one-day games. And they were key for India in the 2013 title win, with Jadeja topping the wicket charts and conceding just 3.75 per over through the tournament and Ashwin averaging 22.62.ESPNcricinfo LtdThen, between that tournament and the 2015 World Cup, Ashwin played 35 games and Jadeja 41, and they were again successful in the big event, in particular Ashwin, who took 13 wickets in 8 matches. The 2015 World Cup-2017 Champions Trophy period saw both Jadeja’s and Ashwin’s economy rates rise, though this was partly because economy-rates rose in general during that period. Jadeja, meanwhile, has not taken a three-wicket haul in ODIs since October 2014.ESPNcricinfo LtdSo, should India replace Ashwin and Jadeja in ODIs?It would be quite harsh to drop Ashwin and Jadeja from the ODI squad now, since they have barely played any games in the past two years. India’s most successful spinners since the 2015 World Cup are Axar Patel and Amit Mishra. Axar has played more games than Ashwin and Jadeja, and while Mishra has played less, it is perhaps too small a sample set to base decisions on.ESPNcricinfo LtdBesides, it may be discouraging for Ashwin and Jadeja to be left out of the one-day team when it is possibly because of their focus on Test cricket, which benefits the team, that their limited-overs form has suffered. In the two years leading up to the 2019 World Cup, it is important India give enough games to all their spinners to determine who are most valuable to the side.Do India need a wristspinner in limited-overs cricket?Since the 2015 World Cup, the three most successful spinners in ODIs have been wristspinners. England’s Adil Rashid, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and South Africa’s Imran Tahir have all taken 60-plus wickets in this period. The most successful fingerspinner in that time has been New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner, who has taken 44 wickets at an average of 33.77 and conceded runs at an economy rate of 4.99. With pitches offering little turn in ODIs, India may need to consider going with a wristspinner who can generate turn and bounce, irrespective of the nature of the surface.

The onus will clearly be on Rangana Herath and Sri Lanka’s top order as they look for their first Test win on Indian soil

Gaurav Sundararaman14-Nov-20172:14

Another round of modern cricket’s most frequently contested duel

The last time Sri Lanka toured India for a Test series in 2009, MS Dhoni was India’s Test captain and Virat Kohli had no ODI centuries, and had not yet made a Test debut. Eight years later, the only two players of the current squad who were part of the 2009 team are Ishant Sharma and M Vijay; for Sri Lanka, only Rangana Herath and Angelo Mathews in the current squad made that trip to India in 2009. Since the 2009 Test series, Sri Lanka have played 16 limited-over matches in India, losing 12 and winning only three.Since 2011 across all formats India have won 31 matches to Sri Lanka’s 8. Both teams have undergone major transitions in this period – while Sri Lanka have struggled to find consistency in their results, India have cruised to one series victory after another, staking claim to the top spot in the ICC Test rankings. Will Sri Lanka be able to triumph or at least challenge India in their backyard? The numbers clearly suggest otherwise.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Not competitive enough with the batFor starters, Sri Lanka have never won a Test in India. The only other teams who haven’t won a Test here are Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. In 17 games, Sri Lanka have lost 10 and drawn seven. More startling is that eight out of the 10 defeats have been by an innings while the remaining two losses were by margins in excess of 180 runs. Sri Lanka have not been in a dominant position in any Test barring one, when they made a record 760 for 7 in Ahmedabad in 2009. In 29 innings, Sri Lanka have made in excess of 400 only twice. In a country where high first-innings scores are vital to win Tests, Sri Lanka’s first innings average is only 251, excluding the Ahmedabad Test which is clearly an outlier. Only New Zealand have a lower first-innings average in India.In the forthcoming series, Sri Lanka will rely on Dimuth Karunaratne (average 39.13 since August 2014) and Dinesh Chandimal (39.89) – the side’s best batsmen since the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene – to score the bulk of their runs. Historically, left-handed batsmen have done well in India and Karunaratne will be looking to continue that trend. Another important batsman is Angelo Mathews, who is coming back after a break and has not scored a Test century in two years. Since January 2016, Mathews averages only 28.12. If Mathews can find form early on in the series then Sri Lanka’s batting could be a force to reckon with.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Can Herath counter India’s plan this time around? The current squad Sri Lanka have a combined experience of 361 Tests, and 654 Test wickets. Sixty-two percent of those wickets have been taken by one bowler: Herath has 405 Test wickets and is coming off another successful tour against his favorite opposition, Pakistan. However, in this series, Herath will be up against an opposition that has done well against him and historically against Muttiah Muralitharan (average 45.45 in India). Herath averages 45.96 against India; against no other country has he conceded more than 33 runs per wicket. Barring the Galle Test in 2015, Herath does not have any significant performances against India, with the batsmen negating any threat from Herath through a now well-known strategy of using their feet against him.Three months ago, India’s batsmen left the crease 84 times versus Herath, scoring 123 runs off those balls while losing just two wickets. Herath ended the tour bowling 546 deliveries for just five wickets at an average of 69.40. Herath averages 18.89 when Sri Lanka win and 43.72 when they lose. With Dilruwan Perera also having a horrid series against India at home, taking two wickets at an average of 190, and Lakshan Sandakan playing only his second series outside Sri Lanka, the onus is on Herath to plan and outfox the in-form India batsmen. With an inexperienced pace attack, Sri Lanka will rely heavily on Herath to have one last crack at India and help set up their first Test win in the country.The Ashwin threat Although R Ashwin has not played any international cricket since August, he remains a significant threat for the visiting batsmen. Eight short of 300 Test wickets, Ashwin will look to extend his rich vein of form at home. Ashwin should also pose a greater threat given that Sri Lanka have three left-handers in their top order: six of the top seven batsmen he has dismissed most in Tests are left-handers. Ashwin also has a tendency to win mini-battles against key batsmen in the opposition. He has a jump start already, having dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne five times in six innings, conceding just 138 runs from 306 deliveries. He also has accounted for Lahiru Thirimanne 11 times across all formats, the most he has dismissed any batsmen along with David Warner.

Most of the Lankan batsmen went with a strategy to sweep and reverse-sweep Ashwin the last time they met. They managed to score 119 runs from 93 balls, with a majority being scored by Dickwella, but were dismissed five times in the process. It will be interesting to see if they follow a similar strategy against Ashwin, and how the India offspinner can counter that.

There’s a first time for everything, of course, but when it comes to beating England at cricket, that first time tends to feel extra sweet

Andrew Miller11-Jun-2018There’s a first time for everything, of course, but when it comes to beating England at cricket, that first time tends to feel extra sweet. Here are five of the most recent triumphs of the underdog.Zimbabwe by nine runs – Albury 1992

It ought to have been the sleepiest of finales to the group stage of the 1992 World Cup, with England already assured of their berth in the semi-finals. Enter Eddo Brandes – the most famous chicken farmer this side of a Nick Park animation, and a soon-to-be-legendary nemesis. It had all seemed pretty straightforward when Zimbabwe were scuttled for 134 by the swing and spin of Ian Botham and Richard Illingworth. But then Brandes pinned Graham Gooch lbw with his very first ball, and with figures of 4 for 21, he led the line to outstanding effect. Astonishingly, England managed to lose five of their first six encounters with Zimbabwe (and six of their first eight), with Brandes’ rotund and red-faced energy invariably right in the thick of things.Netherlands by four wickets – Lord’s 2009

With apologies to Steven Lubbers and the Netherlands team who beat an “England XI” led by Peter Roebuck at Amstelveen in 1989, that loss was nothing compared to the shocker that was doled out at Lord’s in the opening match of the 2009 World T20. It was, as hindsight amply confirms, an evening ripe for embarrassment for the host nation – the weather was miserable, the opening ceremony was canned, Kevin Pietersen was rested, and the Dutch were inspired. Tom de Grooth led the pursuit of a then-hefty 163 with a 30-ball 49. And, in the critical closing scramble, Stuart Broad’s aberration gifted the decisive overthrow, as his underarm at the stumps skidded into no-man’s land to ignite the sort of fireworks that no dank English evening could douse.Bangladesh by five runs – Bristol 2010

Bangladesh’s first decade of full international status was a tale of barely relenting woe. The moments of glory were something to behold (Australia at Cardiff, anyone?) but all too crushingly overshadowed by the litany of defeats that surrounded them. They had lost each of their first 20 encounters against England across Tests and ODIs, but were clearly closing the gap come their tour in the spring of 2010 – in fact, they might have won earlier that year in Mirpur had it not been for an Eoin Morgan special. Instead, the breakthrough victory came on a heady evening in Bristol, and in extraordinary scenes, as Ian Bell – hobbling with a broken foot – appeared at No.11 in a bid to save the day, only for Jonathan Trott, on 94, to edge Shafiul Islam to the keeper with three balls remaining.Ireland by three wickets – Bangalore 2011

When asked last month, in the wake of an outstanding century on his Test debut against Pakistan, which of his great Ireland innings held first place in the pantheon, Kevin O’Brien didn’t hesitate for a moment. His 50-ball epic against England, on a stunning evening in Bangalore, was and remains one of the most visceral moments in the whole history of international cricket. His numbers alone told only part of the story, however, as Ireland set off in pursuit of a towering target of 328, and appeared, at 111 for 5, to be dead in the dew. But O’Brien just kept on smiting – 13 fours and six sixes all told – and drew from his team-mates that same resilience that they had displayed at Sabina Park four years earlier. O’Brien ran himself out in the penultimate over, but Ireland could not be denied as John Mooney and Trent Johnston hauled them over the line.Scotland by six runs – Edinburgh 2018

There was a fitting face in the crowd as Scotland broke their cricketing duck against the Auld Enemy. David Sole’s glowering walk to the middle at Murrayfield in 1990 had set the parameters for the greatest of Scotland’s rugby glories – the 13-7 Grand Slam win over Will Carling’s apparent world-beaters – and similar underdog vibes were in evidence on Sunday night, as the World No.1 ODI team was sent homewards tae think again. Calum MacLeod’s outstanding century set his team on their way to an extraordinary record total of 371 for 5; Safyaan Sharif’s nerveless yorker sealed a backs-to-the-wall defence with seven balls to spare. Scotland won’t be present at next year’s World Cup, and England may yet recover from this indignity to win it on home soil. But if they do so, then expect this win to be feted alongside the 1967 Wembley triumph. If it isn’t already, of course.