Dutch legend would enjoy the journey more if he had his time again in international cricket

Matt Roller16-Jun-2022Perfect endings are rare in sport, as Ryan ten Doeschate might well reflect. He signed off from an 18-year professional career by sitting in the dugout at a near-empty Sharjah, watching his Netherlands team-mates stumble to 44 all out against Sri Lanka after opting to sit out of a dead rubber at the end of the T20 World Cup’s preliminary group stage.The Netherlands had gone into the tournament with a strong squad and high hopes but lost all three games and headed home early; ten Doeschate faced a single ball, pinned lbw as the second victim in Curtis Campher’s four-in-four, and did not bowl. “I had got nothing going at Essex last season and was in a really bad place,” ten Doeschate recalls.”I explained that to Cambo [coach Ryan Campbell] and the guys did everything they could to help: I really felt like I was up and running again. Then I got hit on the pad against Ireland, slipped down the order against Namibia and by the time the Sri Lanka game came around, we were already out so it was an opportunity to give someone else a chance.”It was a disappointing end, but ten Doeschate’s second wave as a Netherlands player had surpassed his expectations. After returning to orange kit in 2017, he was part of squads that secured spots in the ongoing ODI Super League and last year’s T20 World Cup by winning the World Cricket League and the 2019 qualifiers respectively. “I really felt like I was part of something,” he says.

It was exciting for them to play against Sachin Tendulkar and take photos, have bats signed, which I didn’t really get. Maybe I got that wrong as well: if I had the chance again, I would approach it differentlyTen Doeschate on the 2011 World Cup campaign

The first half of his international career, from 2005 to 2011, played a key role in building ten Doeschate’s profile. His ODI batting average, exactly 67, is still the highest ever (minimum 30 innings); he scrambled back to the non-striker’s end for a second run when Stuart Broad’s famous overthrow gave the Netherlands their most famous win on the opening night of the 2009 World T20; his 307 runs at the 2011 World Cup remain (by a distance) the most by a Netherlands batter at a World Cup.And yet, ten Doeschate looks back on that stage of his career with regret. “I was very ambitious,” he says. “I had big goals for those guys and I wanted to be professional then and maybe that was an unfair expectation of guys who were working in full-time jobs. It was exciting for them to play against Sachin Tendulkar and take photos, have bats signed, which I didn’t really get. Maybe I got that wrong as well: if I had the chance again, I would approach it differently.”The England win was so much fun, certainly the biggest victory we had and in isolation, it was an absolutely great night. It was one of the first major upsets for Dutch cricket, on the first night of the World Cup. But we didn’t get out of that group: England beat Pakistan, and we lost badly to Pakistan and went out on net run-rate.”I’ve always focused on where you’re moving to: for me, getting out of that group ahead of Ireland and Namibia [at last year’s T20 World Cup] would have been a far bigger achievement than beating England at Lord’s. At the end of the day, that was just a bit of fun which didn’t mean anything. Maybe that was where I got it wrong in terms of my attitude: I did appreciate it, but I always wanted more; I wanted success in a bigger context.”Netherlands victory at Lord’s in 2009 was their greatest moment, but ten Doeschate regrets not reaching the knock-outs•PA PhotosAfter the 2011 World Cup, ten Doeschate put his international career on hold, a hiatus that lasted six-and-a-half years before Campbell brought him back into the fold. “I didn’t agree with how things were run, what was being expected of me, how I was treated,” he says. “The next series was during the English summer and I had goals that I wanted to achieve with Essex. It wasn’t even a close call.”Personally, the first half was far more successful than the second half, but the second half was far more enjoyable. The changes that they’d made in that period where I was away, making it a bit more professional. I remember meeting Cambo in Hong Kong and he said: ‘Here’s what we’re trying to do. You’ll really like it, just give it a chance.’ And he was right – I did.”Now Kent’s batting coach, ten Doeschate was a consultant coach on the Netherlands’ curtailed tour to South Africa last year and while open to similar roles in the off-season, he is not actively involved with the current squad. He was encouraged by the recent series against West Indies despite their 3-0 defeat – he covered the tour as a commentator for talkSPORT – and believes that there is plenty of young talent coming through.Related

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“Without exaggerating, the West Indies series was one of the best that Holland have ever been involved in: they had no county players available but pushed them really hard in two of those three games, and really should have won one of them. It should be an absolute walk in the park for England but it would be a result for Holland to push them and get close; with the Super League ending, it’s not all about the results and they’ll be looking ahead to the T20 World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe in July.”There’s some serious talent: Vik Singh, Shariz Nadeem, Aryan Dutt, Musa Nadeem – if you can get these guys to become bankers at associate level, that’s a good result. We’ve not seen the best of Bas de Leede either: I think he’s got all the attributes of being a proper allrounder. The lack of exposure in the way he plays shows at times because he’s often out in the same way, but in terms of technique and shots, he’s as good as any young player in England.”The absence of county-contracted players during the home summer is a source of frustration for Dutch supporters, not least because the ICC’s “mandatory release” policy dictates that the KNCB should be able to pick them. In practice, “it’s a pretty worthless mandate,” ten Doeschate says. “I know from my experience that if the Dutch had tried to enforce that, I’d have said: ‘OK, then I’ll just retire from international cricket.’ There has to be a bit more give-and-take from both sides.”It’s tricky: you look at someone like Rashid Khan – they are obviously very different circumstances, but he can afford to miss six games for Sussex or leave tournaments early. The Afghans are very good in that sense: their players are always available. Maybe because they’ve achieved more, maybe there’s a bit more purpose, maybe the set-up is a bit more professional and the set-up is designed in that way – I don’t know what the answer is but it can be done.”

Jamie Overton, Harry Brook and Matthew Potts are among the contenders for selection on Wednesday morning

Alan Gardner17-May-2022Openers
A perennial problem area for selection, from the cast of thousands who partnered Alastair Cook to frequent chopping and changing among four or five familiar candidates over the last couple of years. Zak Crawley and Alex Lees are the incumbent openers, but they averaged just 21.33 across six Tests in the Caribbean, with a highest stand of 51. Since coming back, Crawley has struggled for form with Kent – four single-figure scores and a best of 54 from eight innings – but can point to innings of 77 at the SCG and 121 in Antigua, not to mention his mammoth 267 in 2020, as reasons to stick with him.Lees, meanwhile, has scored two Championship hundreds and two fifties for Durham, and might potentially benefit from having the England captain as a county team-mate. Among the recently discarded, Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed have a century apiece but not much else, while Dom Sibley looks to have rediscovered his mojo to average 53.83 for Warwickshire. Two ghosts of summers past, Keaton Jennings and Sam Robson, are in even better form – Jennings has scored 348 runs from two innings, including a career-best 238 in last week’s Roses match – but may need a sustained season of run-scoring to return to contention.Probable: Zak Crawley
Possibles: Alex Lees, Dom SibleyCrawley impressed over the winter but has struggled this season•AFP/Getty ImagesMiddle-order batters
Some clarity here, at least. Two of the very few selection certainties are Root and Stokes, who have already been inked in at No. 4 and No. 6 respectively. That means England are looking for a No. 3 – another position that has tended to be filled by locums – and a No. 5, with a variety of fresh faces and previously capped players making a case among the glut of early season run-scoring. Of those actually batting at No. 3 for their counties, the three with the best numbers are Ben Duckett, Tom Abell and Nick Gubbins, none of whom has been close to selection recently. For that reason, England could return to Dawid Malan, who was first drop in Australia over the winter and has 482 runs at 80.33 this season, mostly batting at No. 4 – though he will miss this round of Championship fixtures with a sore Achilles – or even shuffle Crawley back down.Related

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Dan Lawrence had his moments in the Caribbean but has yet to make a score in the Championship and has been sidelined by a hamstring injury, potentially handing Ollie Pope (417 at 69.50) another bite at the cherry; Jonny Bairstow revived his Test career over the winter but would have to make a swift transition from playing at the IPL. Also in the mix will be Yorkshire batter Harry Brook, who has made three centuries and 758 runs at an average of 151.60 amid a stellar start to the summer. The 23-year-old, who won a T20I cap in February, looks cut out for Test cricket and would be a bold choice to debut between Root and Stokes at No. 5.Definites: Joe Root, Ben Stokes
Probables: Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow
Possibles: Dawid Malan, Tom Abell, Nick Gubbins, Dan LawrenceBairstow has found form at the IPL but would face a tight turnaround if selected for the first Test•BCCIWicketkeeper
England seemed to have finally made up their mind to give Ben Foakes a crack at proving his credentials as the world’s best gloveman – copyright, Alec Stewart – during an extended run in the Test side. But his keeping in the West Indies was a little scruffy, and neither did the runs flow… meanwhile, over at the IPL, Jos Buttler has slipped seamlessly back into his groove as one of the most-domineering forces in the white-ball game. Could his friendship with Stokes, as well as the support of a fellow T20 maverick in McCullum, lead to Buttler making yet another Test comeback? The fact the first Test begins just four days after the IPL final, with Buttler’s Rajasthan Royals very much still in contention, mitigates the chances – but stranger things have happened. For that reason we can’t entirely discount Bairstow either, a key man alongside Stokes in the engine room during his best years in Test cricket. But Foakes, who has made 395 runs at 98.75 for Surrey, remains the frontrunner.Probable: Ben Foakes
Possible: Jos ButtlerParkinson has started the county season in fine form•Getty ImagesBowlers
It is almost a decade since England rested both James Anderson and Stuart Broad from a home Test against West Indies as part of some attempted succession planning. But here we are, a couple of months after they were both omitted for the tour to the Caribbean, with the old stagers primed to take centre stage once again. Stokes has already intimated that he considers them both part of his best XI, and they are – somewhat ironically – among the few fit options at England’s disposal. A lengthy list of those in the treatment room includes Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Fisher and Jofra Archer, while Sam Curran is easing his way back from a back stress fracture and Ollie Robinson has only delivered 59 overs – some of that bowling offspin – across two outings for Sussex.Durham’s Matthew Potts is the bolter most-likely to benefit, having claimed 35 wickets already this season, including four five-fors and match figures of 11 for 101 in his most-recent game; Jamie Overton could also win a first call-up, having offered a sustained pace threat with Surrey.As for the spinners, Matt Parkinson is the leading wicket-taker in the country among spin bowlers and can surely do no more to make England pick him, but Jack Leach did an admirable job in against West Indies and produced a timely eight-for in Somerset’s win over Gloucestershire last week.Definites: James Anderson, Stuart Broad
Probables: Matthew Potts, Jack Leach
Possibles: Jamie Overton, Ollie Robinson, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson

Bangladesh have a different captain for each format and only one of them had a successful tour of the West Indies

Mohammad Isam17-Jul-2022For a Bangladesh captain, being compared to Mashrafe Mortaza is high praise indeed, and with a fifth consecutive ODI series win at the helm, Tamim Iqbal is entering Mashrafe territory. Mashrafe was the last captain to lead Bangladesh through such a streak, winning six series in a row between 2014 and 2016. The two are close friends but extremely different individuals. While Mashrafe is a cult hero who gave expression to his passion to inspire his players, Tamim is a quiet tactician who seizes even the smallest advantage.Under Tamim’s leadership, Bangladesh were able to turn around a disappointing tour of the Caribbean. They did not win a game during the Test and T20I series – making mistakes in every discipline – but bounced back to sweep the ODIs 3-0. The victory also ended a winless run from March to June, after they had done so well on preceding tours to New Zealand and South Africa.Tamim’s performance as ODI captain is noteworthy considering Bangladesh’s uncertainty under different leaders in the other two formats. Shakib Al Hasan took over the Test captaincy shortly before this tour of West Indies following Mominul Haque’s resignation after the series defeat to Sri Lanka. Shakib, however, has been a reluctant Test cricketer, having played only seven of 15 Tests since his return from suspension in January 2021. While the BCB had the right idea when making Shakib the Test captain, the board knows he will want to skip tours every now and then.Related

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The T20I problem is more severe. Under Mahmudullah’s leadership, Bangladesh have won just one of their previous 13 matches, and there is little optimism around their prospects in the shortest format.So here’s a deeper look at Bangladesh’s recent performance under their different leaders in each format.The perfect ODI handover
The BCB appointed Tamim the ODI captain ahead of a couple of other contenders in March 2020, but it was only in January 2021 that he led the team for the first time in his latest stint at the helm.Tamim’s pedigree as a batter was excellent: he had been the rock at the top for more than a decade and had become the first Bangladesh batter to score 7000 ODI runs. He was one of Mashrafe’s closest deputies and had also benefitted from Mashrafe’s leadership during a difficult period in 2015.Tamim also plays an important role off the field, particularly on overseas tours, where he takes younger team-mates under his wing. It was not uncommon to see them spend time with him when they were in unfamiliar cities. Tamim has enjoyed this role for a while now, even more so after he lost the vice-captaincy in 2011 and was overlooked for the captaincy in 2014.So when his tenure as ODI captain began in January 2021, Tamim had plenty of experience to draw from as Bangladesh began their Super League campaign. He began with a 3-0 win against West Indies at home, but lost his second series 3-0 in New Zealand.Ahead of Bangladesh’s next series against Sri Lanka, Tamim backed Mushfiqur Rahim despite the veteran wicketkeeper having dropped straightforward chances at crucial moments in New Zealand. With the support of his captain, Mushfiqur has had a good run behind the stumps since then, with 16 dismissals and only one dropped catch in his next nine games.Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in that home series, and then won 3-0 in Zimbabwe. Tamim played that series with an injury, to ensure that Bangladesh bagged crucial Super League points that would aid their direct qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup.The crowning moment of Tamim’s captaincy came when Bangladesh won an ODI series 2-1 in South Africa this March. He was the top-scorer in their maiden triumph in that country.While the win in South Africa was a milestone result, the ODI series win in West Indies will be remembered for Tamim’s man-management skills and conviction as a leader. He attacked with all his bowlers, with a slip in place almost all the time even when West Indies tried to go on the charge.Mahmudullah has had a tough time as T20I captain in recent months•AFP/Getty ImagesMahmudullah’s false dawn
While Bangladesh’s 50-overs fortunes improved under Tamim, their T20I prospects also brightened under Mahmudullah, with series wins against Australia and New Zealand in August-September 2021. But those wins were in spin-friendly home conditions, and after that Bangladesh suffered a winless campaign in the Super 12 round of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Since then they have won just one of their next eight games against Pakistan, Afghanistan and West Indies.Mahmudullah’s own form during this period has been poor: he’s scored 103 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 102.Bangladesh have lacked the power-hitters other teams possess, and they have also suffered from instability at the top. They have had 10 different opening combinations in 29 T20Is since July 2021, leading to confusion and a lack of confidence among the team’s key batters. The rigidity of using only left-arm spinners against right-hand batters and offspinners against left-hand batters, often with poor results, is fast becoming a Mahmudullah trademark too.What can Shakib do with the Test side?
It’s early days yet in Shakib’s latest stint as Bangladesh’s Test captain, and his tenure began with the 2-0 defeat in the West Indies. Shakib, like Tamim, wants to take wickets as a fielding captain and he tried to be positive in the Caribbean. He also batted aggressively when the Bangladesh line-up collapsed on his first day back at the helm.The bigger question is the road ahead for Shakib the Test captain. It was a surprise when he was appointed last month, because while the BCB might have been keen to make Shakib captain, the allrounder has been reluctant to play all of Bangladesh’s Test series in the recent past. The question is whether his new responsibility will result in Shakib prioritising red-ball cricket over the white-ball formats.

The opener hasn’t played a single T20I this year but knows the next two weeks are crucial with the T20 World Cup looming

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KL Rahul: ‘Playing Shaheen Shah Afridi could have helped challenge ourselves ahead of the T20 World Cup’

KL Rahul is yet to feature in a T20I this year because of injuries, and in the time he has been away, India have shifted towards a new approach to the format from a batting perspective. He may not have been an active part of this process, but he’s aware of it, and happy to buy into it as India look to fine-tune preparations leading into the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.On Thursday, Rahul had his first hit with the T20I squad after arriving from Zimbabwe, where he led India to a 3-0 sweep in the ODI series. With scores of 1 and 30 in the two innings he played in Harare, his own batting form was patchy, and Rahul’s focus in the nets was simply on enjoying an extended session.Even as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav brought out their artistry, Rahul seemed intent on bringing back his fluency. VVS Laxman even jokingly stopped him from coming out of the nets twice. Rahul enjoyed three stints in all, over a three-hour session.Related

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He was edgy against pace initially, and was beaten on length on at least three occasions by Arshdeep Singh’s angle away from him. Rahul held his own against Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing, though, getting right behind the line and moving swiftly into position to drive and play straight. His sessions were closely monitored by two cameras – one behind the stumps and another in front of cover, just outside the net.After his first 30-minute session, Rahul cooled off for a bit and went back in for round two against spin. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin challenged him by pushing him back with a series of quicker ones and sliders. Rahul focused on his back-foot play, and the big shots that weren’t seen in his first session slowly surfaced late into his second as he tonked a straight hit over the sightscreen.In the third session, Rahul was simply focused on meeting the ball with giant forward strides, especially against Arshdeep, who bounded in tirelessly. The left-arm seamer was tossed a new ball that he swung back in from different lines, ranging from fourth stump to middle, just to get Rahul playing straight and ensuring he wasn’t bringing his front pad in the way. For someone who has all the shots in the book, this session was all about the basics.Then, as the last round was called, Rahul had fun, paddling and ramping deliveries before ending with a flat-batted slap to walk off tired and happy. The punch on the bat as he walked off resonated with satisfaction at grinding his way in.KL Rahul last played a T20I in November 2021•BCCIOn Friday, Rahul spoke of India’s new approach and of enjoying the challenge of bringing it to life. At IPL 2022, his most-recent competitive T20 outing, Rahul’s powerplay strike rates barely crossed 100, drawing plenty of chatter from pundits and former players. In the death overs, though, which he seemed intent on building towards, he struck at 198.36. Overall, Rahul ended the season with the second-most runs – 635 in 14 innings at a strike rate of 135.38 – behind Jos Buttler.”This new approach, we’d spoken about it much before when I was part of the team early on in the year as well and just after the [2021 T20] World Cup,” Rahul said. “Last season we had spoken about what we need to improve individually and how as a team we try to be more aggressive, put the bowlers under pressure by going out there and play with a lot of authority, freedom and aggression.”So I was there when that happened. Unfortunately, I have not been able to play too many T20Is since then, but we have played the IPL, and I played with the same approach, tried to see how with that same approach I can be consistent and still contribute to the team. I haven’t played since the last two-three months, and that is a challenge for me, one I am looking forward to.”It’s done really well for us, the new approach. What the team wanted and what the captain needed has been embraced by everybody, every player in the team, which is great to see and that is the biggest step. That big step has already been taken and embraced by the players, so from now on it’s only about building on it and getting stronger and by the time the World Cup comes, everyone knows exactly what to do.”The next two weeks could be another test of Rahul’s work towards returning to being the white-ball destroyer he can be. He isn’t the captain, and he has a middle order that can take apart the best of attacks. From a team point of view, it’s all systems go. Rahul couldn’t ask for a more ideal scenario than this.

Even before the squad was announced, several players were locked in, with only a few slots still up for grabs. Here’s the logic behind the picks for those spots

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Sep-2022Arshdeep Singh
When fully fit, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel were always going to be the three frontline quicks with Hardik Pandya for support. India had to pick one or two back-up fast bowlers in the squad. They went for one: Arshdeep Singh, who pipped Deepak Chahar and Avesh Khan.Related

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It is learnt that there was hardly any debate over whether Arshdeep should be the one on the flight to Australia. The selectors and the team management agreed that he showed composure and calmness in two tight final overs – against Pakistan and Sri Lanka – during the Asia Cup. Praising Arshdeep recently, India captain Rohit Sharma said the young left-arm fast bowler deserved to be part of the India team because he had the temperament to execute under pressure. He also brings the left-arm angle, which is not available otherwise.Arshdeep only made his international debut earlier this year during India’s UK tour, but the selectors also considered his IPL form; he had consistently bowled tough overs for Punjab Kings.Chahar can consider himself unlucky because of injuries, but he also is quite similar to Bhuvneshwar, which leaves room only for one of them in the main squad. Chahar, though, finds a place in the reserves.Deepak Hooda scored his maiden T20 century on the UK tour•Sportsfile/Getty ImagesDeepak Hooda
A maiden T20 century against Ireland on the UK trip helped Deepak Hooda become a serious contender for the T20 World Cup. With his flexibility to bat in any position, his versatility as a stroke-maker, his athleticism as a boundary-rider and his ability to bowl part-time offbreaks, Hooda is an asset in any T20 side. The selectors, too, felt he could add to India’s batting and bowling depth in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, allowing the team management to work with different combinations.The selectors went with the experience of R Ashwin•Michael Steele/AFP/Getty Images R Ashwin
Wristspinners have been the dominant entity in T20 cricket in Australia in the past few years, but the selectors opted for senior pro R Ashwin over young legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, who had an impressive outing in the Asia Cup. The selectors felt that Ashwin and his fingerspin could be used both as an attacking and defensive option in the powerplay, middle overs or even at death. It was also felt that on pitches that offer good bounce and on bigger grounds, Ashwin could pose more difficult questions to the batters compared to a second wristspinner (behind Yuzvendra Chahal), especially someone in the infancy of their international career.Mohammed Shami is part of the India squad for the series against Australia and South Africa•ICC via GettyMohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami has not made it to the main squad, but he is still a surprise selection for the reserves: he has not played for India in T20Is since the 2021 T20 World Cup last November. Shami is also part of the India squads for the home T20I series against Australia and South Africa before the World Cup. His recall caught many by surprise, but Shami is part of a group of players the selectors believe can turn up and play in any format thanks to vast experience as well as top control over their skillset. In Shami and Chahar, India have good cover in case there is an injury to any of the four quicks in the main squad.

Few home comforts at Chelmsford for nominal series hosts, but plenty of lessons for the international game

Andrew Miller10-May-2023They came in droves. From Newham and Whitechapel, from Dagenham and Redbridge, all #BackingGreen as the Cricket Ireland hashtag implored, and turning an improbable suburban enclave in Essex into the ultimate home-from-home.Unfortunately for the nominal hosts Ireland (although not, it must be said, unexpectedly), the #Green in question had a more tigerly tinge to it, as London’s Bangladeshi community seized on the chance for a raucous day out in Chelmsford – and by the time they’d all been sent hurtling back towards the tube network by a dramatic late-afternoon thunderstorm, it was as if they’d come armed with Dhaka’s rainy-season weather too.And so, when Mark Adair spoke afterwards to Ireland’s lone media representative in front of an abandoned, waterlogged outfield, to reflect on the washout that had ended his side’s hopes of automatic World Cup qualification, the day’s prior events all felt a bit like a fever dream.Related

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The flags, the drums, the face-paint, the cuddly tiger toys. None of that remained, just a desperately dank media marquee with raindrops sheeting down the plastic windows – which, ironically, was perhaps Ireland’s first true taste of home (dis)comfort, seeing as a washout in temporary facilities at Malahide was exactly what they had been seeking to avoid when the decision was made to outsource this, their final Super League campaign.But, with apologies to Ireland’s now-deferred tilt for World Cup qualification, this had still been one of the more notable rain-wrecked ODIs. Not so much for the performances (mighty though Mushfiqur Rahim’s birthday half-century had been), but for the lessons that were learned about the resilience of the format.At a time when the international game is feeling the squeeze like never before – with the return of Ireland’s star seamer, Josh Little, from the IPL embodying the wrench of priorities that the world’s leading players are currently feeling – there was a vitality to the day’s events that underlined what stands to be lost if an endless treadmill of T20 leagues becomes the norm.All things being equal, Ireland versus Bangladesh is precisely the sort of contest that even the most fervent of cricket fans could be forgiven for overlooking, but if the Chelmsford experience reminds us of anything, it is that passion cannot be faked. It may be the smallest ground on the county circuit, but with more than 3000 Bangladesh fans packing out its stands, it offered up a stage on which those supporters could celebrate the ties that still bind them to a homeland that, in many cases, they left behind several generations ago.The top deck of the Tom Pearce Stand throbbed all day long, with its oversize Bangladesh flag shimmering to every half-chance, and with the whole crowd bursting into a rendition of “Happy Birthday” (complete with specially printed banner) as Mushfiqur made his way to the middle in the 22nd over of the day.They came in droves, and turned an improbable suburban enclave in Essex into the ultimate home-from-home•Cricket IrelandAnd even when the rain arrived to ruin a keenly poised contest, a significant throng stayed back to the bitter end, braving the lightning strikes that at one stage even fried the grimly static replay screen, so that they could line the route from the pavilion to the team bus to bid their heroes goodnight.”When the crowd comes to see the match, players always enjoy,” Najmul Hossain Shanto said at the close. “It is always helpful for our game. Some of the players have family here, probably they will come in the next match as well. The crowd here was 80-90% from Bangladesh. We didn’t feel that much [like visitors].”And so the inevitable question arises. Could any of this be adapted to help safeguard the long-term future of international cricket? Of course, the notion of neutral-venue internationals isn’t exactly a new one. It’s 111 years since the 1912 Triangular drowned in weather not dissimilar to Chelmsford’s denouement, while Pakistan spent more than a decade in the desert – metaphorically and otherwise – after their security situation drove them from their homeland in 2009.Prior to setting up a new base in the UAE, Pakistan also played two memorable Tests against Australia in England in the summer of 2010, including a second Test at Headingley that tapped into Yorkshire’s diaspora every bit as effectively as Chelmsford did for East London’s. The fact that that ECB-PCB relationship did not continue into future seasons owed rather more to the events at Lord’s later that summer than to any sense that the bottom line did not add up.This time, however, you wonder if the timing feels more apposite. Perhaps not for Ireland in the short term, whose years as a Full-Member Nation have inadvertently come to epitomise the international game’s slow-puncture (although let’s judge the strength of their own diaspora if cricket ever manages to tap into the US market).

“A day like today is a celebration of the trust and confidence in our relationship with the Bangladeshi community”Arfan Akram, Essex’s East London Operations Manager

But for the international game as a whole – faced with a haemorrhaging of TV revenue that hastens a vicious spiral of decline – there’s never a bad time to be reminded that the game exists because of its fans, and not because of its rights deals. Bangladesh’s supposed lightweight status has meant that latter factor has been allowed to determine their value to England – by whom they haven’t been invited in a bilateral capacity since 2010 – even though the sheer joy that they bring to their support has lit up two of the last six English summers, thanks to their involvement in the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 ODI World Cup.And there’s another pressing factor at play too, one that Essex in particular recognise all too well. English cricket’s ongoing racism reckoning is set for another seismic moment when the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) finally sees the light of day, and when it does, the game as a whole can expect a litany of criticism on the grounds of class, race and gender. What’s more, Essex themselves are also braced for the findings of Katherine Newton KC’s report into specific allegations at the club, many of which were raised by their former player, Jahid Ahmed, who also happened to be the first British Bangladeshi to play county cricket.And, right there, is the nub of the issue for the English game. Tower Hamlets, where a third of London’s Bangladeshi community lives, is barely half an hour door-to-door from the County Ground while Jahid himself was born in the city of Chelmsford, even though he described the club on his doorstep as “a white man’s world where brown people were outsiders”.It is all evidence of a huge and shamefully untapped market. And yet, those same fans who flocked to Tuesday’s game might not have turned out in such force had it not been for the chance to congregate around their heritage, and effectively embrace that outsider status. It all points to a design flaw at the heart of international cricket – one that effectively runs counter to the expectations of multiculturalism – and if the ICEC is to offer any sort of closure to English cricket, it will be obliged to map out a resolution that cuts both ways.BCBBut to judge by an undeniably uplifting afternoon at Essex, English cricket is already better prepared to deal with whatever fallout awaits, not least because the concessions required to make Bangladesh’s fans feel welcome on such an occasion – the installation of a prayer room in the indoor school, for instance, or the provision of halal food, and the scaling-back of alcohol outlets in anticipation of a predominantly Muslim crowd – are now part of the club’s everyday considerations, rather than just tacked on reluctantly at the end of a planning meeting.”A day like today is a celebration of the trust and confidence in our relationship with the Bangladeshi community,” Arfan Akram, Essex’s East London Operations Manager, told ESPNcricinfo. Akram’s remit includes the ECB’s acclaimed new hub in Leyton, where much of the face-to-face engagement with those communities takes place. On any given night in the nets, club players are likely to rub shoulders with current Essex players such as Feroz Khushi or Aron Nijjar, and even the former Bangladesh spinner Enamul Haque, who is now a coach at Newham College.And the net effect of that grassroots outreach has already been felt in the lead-up to these three matches, as Akram explained.”Demand for cricket in East London is outstripping supply,” he said. “The beauty of these three games is that we haven’t been using a central sales platform, it’s us sending WhatsApp messages and the system going mad in ticket sales. That can only happen if there’s a culture in the club that people want to be a part of.”The historic incidents will need their time, and fair process, and we’ll be able to move forward when we have closure. But this will help us in the long-term transition of the club.”None of which is of any immediate consolation to Ireland, of course. On the eve of the game, their captain Andy Balbirnie had conceded that his team’s presence in England for such a crunch contest was “slightly disappointing”, and that their “home” status was set to be anything but. And yet, here they were regardless, embracing the fanaticism that their opponents brought to the occasion, and accepting into the bargain that the health of one is the health of all when it comes to the fragile ties that keep international cricket viable.

Records tumble as Siraj makes merry in Colombo, in the third-shortest completed match in men’s ODIs

Sampath Bandarupalli17-Sep-202350 – Sri Lanka’s total in Colombo is the lowest by any team against India in men’s ODIs. The previous lowest was Bangladesh’s 58 all out in 2014 in Mirpur.1 – Number of totals by Sri Lanka lower than 50 in men’s ODI. Their lowest is 43 all out against South Africa in the 2012 Paarl ODI. It is also the second lowest total in men’s ODIs in Sri Lanka, behind Zimbabwe’s 38 all out in 2001.Lowest totals for Sri Lanka in ODIs•ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Sri Lanka’s 50 all out is also the lowest score by any team in a men’s ODI final. The previous lowest was India’s 54 against Sri Lanka in the 2000 Champions Trophy final.6 for 21 – Siraj’s bowling figures against Sri Lanka are now the second-best for any bowler in the men’s ODI Asia Cup. Ajantha Mendis’ 6 for 16 against India during the 2008 final remain the best figures.3 – Number of bowlers with better figures in a men’s ODI final than Siraj. Only Aaqib Javed – 7 for 37 against India in 1991 – has managed to take more than six wickets in a men’s ODI final. Siraj’s 6 for 21 are also the fourth-best figures by an Indian bowler in men’s ODIs.16 – Number of balls needed for Siraj to complete his five-wicket haul, the joint-fastest in men’s ODIs where ball-by-ball data is available. Chaminda Vaas took 16 balls for his first five wickets in a 2003 World Cup game against Bangladesh, while USA’s Ali Khan also took a five-for in 16 balls against Jersey earlier this year.Quickest five-wicket hauls in men’s ODIs•ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 – Number of wickets for Siraj in the third over of Sri Lanka’s innings. He is now the first Indian bowler to take four wickets in an over in men’s internationals (where ball-by-ball data is available). Only three other bowlers have picked up four wickets in an over in men’s ODIs since 2002 – Vaas against Bangladesh in 2003, Mohammad Sami against New Zealand in 2003 and Adil Rashid against West Indies in 2019.15.2 – Number of overs batted by Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final. This is the second-shortest all-out innings for a Full Member nation in men’s ODIs. The shortest is by Zimbabwe, who were bowled out for 54 in 13.5 overs against Afghanistan in 2017. Overall, this ranks fifth in the shortest innings ever in men’s ODIs.12 – Sri Lanka’s score at the fall of the sixth wicket. Only once has a team lost their sixth wicket at a lower score in men’s ODIs – 10 by Canada against Netherlands in 2013. Canada also lost their sixth wicket at the score of 12 against Sri Lanka in 2003.129 – Total number of balls the Asia Cup final lasted – the third-shortest completed match in men’s ODIs. The 2020 Kirtipur ODI between Nepal and USA lasted only 104 balls, while the ODI between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in 2001 in Colombo lasted 120 balls.263 – Number of balls remaining when India reached the 51-run target, making it their biggest win in men’s ODI in terms of balls to spare and the biggest win by any team against Sri Lanka. It is also the sixth-biggest win for any team in terms of balls to spare in men’s ODIs.

All the key numbers from India’s record win against Afghanistan

Sampath Bandarupalli11-Oct-20237 – Hundreds for Rohit Sharma at the men’s ODI World Cup, the most by any player, surpassing the six scored by Sachin Tendulkar. Four of those seven hundreds by Rohit came while chasing, while no other batter has more than two batting second.ESPNcricinfo Ltd556 – Sixes hit by Rohit in international cricket, the most by any batter, going past Chris Gayle’s tally of 553. Out of those, 297 have been in ODIs, the third most in the format.ESPNcricinfo Ltd63 – Balls needed for Rohit to complete his hundred against Afghanistan, the fastest by an Indian at the men’s ODI World Cup. The previous fastest was by Virender Sehwag, who took 81 balls for his ton against Bermuda in 2007.31 – ODI hundreds for Rohit, the third most in the format, going ahead of Ponting. Only Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (47) have more ODI tons than Rohit.ESPNcricinfo Ltd29 – …of Rohit’s 31 ODI tons have come while opening the batting. He now has the second-most hundreds in ODIs as an opener, going ahead of Sanath Jayasuriya’s 28 and only behind Tendulkar’s 45.21 – Number of centuries scored by Rohit since turning 30 in ODIs, the joint-most by any batter. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Jayasuriya also had 21 tons each in ODIs after turning 30.19 – Innings taken by Rohit for 1000 runs at the ODI World Cup, the joint-fastest batter to the milestone, equalling David Warner, who got there in 19 innings on Sunday against India.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 – Hundreds by Indian batters in men’s ODIs that were faster than Rohit’s 63-ball century in Delhi. It is also the sixth-fastest hundred for any batter at the men’s ODI World Cup.2 – Rohit’s 30-ball fifty was also the second-fastest for India at the men’s ODI World Cup, behind Tendulkar’s fifty off 26 balls against Bermuda in the 2007 edition.76 – Runs scored by Rohit in the first ten overs of the Indian innings. These are the most by a batter for India in a men’s ODI innings in the first ten overs since 2002. The previous highest was 70 runs by Robin Uthappa against West Indies in Chennai in 2007.6 – Player-of-the-Match awards for Rohit in the ODI World Cup. Only Tendulkar – nine awards – is ahead of Rohit, while Glenn McGrath also has six.35 – Overs India needed to chase down the target of 273, the fastest successful 250-plus target chase in the men’s ODI World Cup. The previous fastest was off 36.2 overs by New Zealand in the 283-run chase against England in the opening game of the ongoing edition.90 – Balls remaining when India reached the target, the third biggest win in terms of balls remaining in men’s ODIs when chasing a target of 250-plus runs. South Africa chased down 261 with 123 balls to spare against West Indies earlier this year, while England defeated Sri Lanka with 95 balls to spare in 2016 while chasing 255.

And has anyone made a higher percentage of a team’s score in a T20I than Romania’s Rebecca Blake?

Steven Lynch15-Aug-2023What records did Prithvi Shaw set during his double-century for Northamptonshire the other day? asked Mumtaz Hussein from India

Prithvi Shaw smashed 244 from 153 balls against Somerset in the Royal London Cup 50-over match against Somerset in Northampton last week. It was the highest score in List A cricket for Northamptonshire, beating Wayne Larkins’ unbeaten 172 against Warwickshire in a 40-over Sunday League game in Luton in 1983, and the second-highest in the English domestic competition, behind Alistair Brown’s 268 in a 50-over match for Surrey vs Glamorgan at The Oval in 2002.Including Brown’s innings, there have been only five higher individual scores in List A matches, three of them by Indian batters: 277 by Narayan Jagadeesan (Tamil Nadu vs Arunachal Pradesh in Bengaluru in 2022-23), the ODI-record 264 by Rohit Sharma (India vs Sri Lanka in Kolkata in 2014-15), and 248 by Shikhar Dhawan (India A vs South Africa A in Pretoria in 2013). The other one was D’Arcy Short’s 257 for Western Australia against Queensland at the Hurstville Oval in Sydney in 2018-19.Shaw reached 200 in 129 balls, the seventh-fastest on record, and the second-quickest in England behind Ben Duckett’s 123 balls for England Lions against Sri Lanka A in Canterbury in 2016. The only three List A double-centuries faster than Duckett’s were Jagadeesan’s (see above), which came up in 114 balls, and two by Travis Head for South Australia: from 114 deliveries against Queensland at the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide in 2021-22, and 117 against Western Australia in Sydney (Hurstville Oval) in 2015-16.Shaw’s 244 was his second double-century in List A matches, following an undefeated 227 for Mumbai against Puducherry in Jaipur in 2020-21, when he reached 200 from 142 balls. He’s the fourth man to score more than one List A double, after Rohit (three), Brown and Head, but the first to make them in different countries.Roy Swetman, who died recently, was capped by three different first-class counties. Was he the first to achieve this? asked James Farrell from England

Wicketkeeper Roy Swetman, who died last month aged 89, was capped by Surrey in 1958, Nottinghamshire in 1966, and Gloucestershire in 1972. Neat and unflashy behind the stumps, Swetman played 11 Tests for England, the first after being selected for the 1958-59 Ashes tour even though he wasn’t Surrey’s regular keeper at the time. He should perhaps have played more often but, as his Surrey team-mate Micky Stewart recalled, “He enjoyed his time off the field too much. He’d start off the season in good nick, but after a few weeks back he wouldn’t be so sharp. He didn’t have the strength and stamina to maintain that lifestyle. It was sad, really.”Swetman was actually the second player to be capped by three counties, back in the days when movement between them was much less frequent than now. The first was the slow left-armer Bob Berry, by Lancashire in 1950, Worcestershire in 1957, and Derbyshire in 1961. Like Swetman, Berry also played for England, in two Tests against West Indies in 1950.In case anyone is unfamiliar with the term, county caps are usually awarded to someone who has become a regular player. It used to be an important stage in a player’s career – for a start it meant he would be paid more. Some counties, however, have discontinued this long-established tradition, and award caps (or sometimes “colours”) to anyone who appears for their first team.Mohammad Rizwan made a catch as a substitute in a recent Test, then joined the match as a concussion replacement and made another dismissal. Has anyone ever done this before in a Test? asked Hafeez Ahmed from Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan pulled off this unusual double during Pakistan’s recent Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo. In Sri Lanka’s first innings, Rizwan took a catch at point to dismiss Kusal Mendis while on as a substitute fielder. Later he replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was suffering from concussion; in the second innings Rizwan – by now a fully fledged member of the team – stumped Ramesh Mendis as Pakistan approached victory.It was indeed the first time a player had made dismissals for the same side as a substitute in a match he was playing in, which has only been possible since concussion replacements have been allowed. But in the early days of Test cricket, when teams often did not have spare players handy, there were three instances of a man taking a catch as a substitute against his own side. The first to do it was Australia’s captain Billy Murdoch, who caught his team-mate “Tup” Scott against England at Lord’s in 1884. He was fielding in place of WG Grace, who had injured a finger. This was actually the first substitute catch in any Test; Scott had top-scored for Australia with 75.Murdoch was followed by two more Australians in Ashes Tests. Affie Jarvis caught his team-mate Fred Spofforth in Melbourne in 1884-85. He’d only just been dismissed himself, six overs earlier, but England were short as Billy Barnes was injured. A few seasons later, in 1886-87, Charles “The Terror” Turner caught Reginald Allen in Sydney. He’d just sent down 64.1 (four-ball) overs, after 53 in the first innings, so must have been delighted to be asked to field for the opposition! He was needed as England’s Billy Gunn had been pressed into service as an umpire on the final morning, in the absence of one of those appointed. None of this trio of Aussies took a catch for their own side in the same match (even though Jarvis kept wicket in his game), so Rizwan is unique in that regard.Rizwan dismissed Kusal Mendis as a substitute fielder and stumped Ramesh Mendis later in the Test when he replaced the concussed Sarfaraz Ahmed•AFP/Getty ImagesRebecca Blake made around 70% of Romania’s runs in a recent T20I – was this a record? asked Geoffrey Harrison from England

Romania’s Bucharest-born captain Rebecca Blake scored 135 not out in her team’s 20-over total of 197 for 4 against Malta in Ilfov County last week. That’s 68.52% of the total – which, as this table shows, currently comes in third place for a women’s T20I (counting only all-out innings, or those where the full quota of overs was used).Top of the list is Sindhu Sriharsha, who made an unbeaten 74 out of 103 for 3 – 71.84% – for United States against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi in September 2022. Next comes Deandra Dottin, with 112 out of 159 for 6 – 70.44% – for West Indies vs Sri Lanka in Coolidge (Antigua) in October 2017.The men’s T20I record is 75.10% – 172 in a total of 229 for 2 – by Aaron Finch for Australia against Zimbabwe in Harare in July 2018.Which player’s life story is told in the book The Globe-Trotting Cricketer? asked Keith McKenzie from Australia

This is the much-travelled Australian-born cricketer Bert Kortlang, who played first-class matches for Victoria in Australia before the First World War, and for Wellington in New Zealand afterwards. But that wasn’t the end of it: he travelled far and wide, and played minor cricket in many far-flung places, including Argentina, Canada and the United States. Back in Australia, he became a journalist and a friend of Don Bradman, who was the godfather to one of Kortlang’s children. Pelham Warner, the former England captain who was later closely involved with cricket as a journalist and administrator, compared him to the Scarlet Pimpernel: “We hear of him here; we hear of him there; the beggar pops up everywhere.”Kortlang died in 1961, aged 80, but his life story was reassembled by the New Zealand writer Rob Franks, in a book for the Cricket Publishing Company that came out in 2022. Not many were printed, so it’s rather hard to find, but it is beautifully produced and a very good read.And there’s an addition to last week’s question about the players who made their international debuts in all three formats in the shortest time frame, from Mike Halliwell from Australia, among others

“There’s a name to add to the list: the Australian legspinner Alana King completed her set in 14 days, the same as Mukesh Kumar, during the 2021-22 women’s Ashes series. King made her T20I debut in Adelaide on January 20, won her first Test cap in Canberra on January 27, and played her first ODI in Adelaide on February 3.”Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Australia head to India for a three-match series ahead of the World Cup with plenty to ponder after a 3-2 series defeat against South Africa

Alex Malcolm18-Sep-2023Australia’s injury list lengthensAustralia entered the five-match series missing Pat Cummins (wrist fracture), Steven Smith (wrist tendon), Mitchell Starc (groin soreness) and Glenn Maxwell (ankle) but were buoyed by the opportunity to test their bench strength before those players returned. All of those players still need to get up to match fitness and intensity in India ahead of the World Cup but Australia leave South Africa with more injury issues.Travis Head has a fractured hand and is in severe doubt for the World Cup. Coach Andrew McDonald confirmed after the final ODI that he is unlikely to be available for the first half of the tournament and the selectors have to decide whether to carry him in the squad or not. Sean Abbott has split the webbing in his hand and will be monitored in India.Ashton Agar played just one game in South Africa coming off a calf tear. It was planned that he would play more but he experienced soreness and missed the second and third matches of the series before heading home for the birth of his child and he won’t play in the series in India starting on Friday.Nathan Ellis (adductor) and Spencer Johnson (hamstring) aren’t in the World Cup 15-man squad at the moment but both are key back-up fast bowling options and both leave South Africa with niggles. Australia has five more matches before the World Cup to get players up and running but they also have to factor in nine World Cup pool games in eight cities over the course of only a month in the tournament proper. It is a heavy workload for even a fully fit squad.Related

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Dismal death bowlingAustralia’s death bowling was woeful in the last three games of the series and it is a major concern heading to the World Cup. Cummins and Starc were missing, while Mitchell Marsh was unavailable to bowl and Cameron Green missed two of the last three games due to concussion. All of those issues meant Marsh was limited in his options as stand-in captain.Agar’s absence was also keenly felt. While he does not bowl at the death, his middle-over skills can help build more pressure on opposition teams heading into the death overs. But even the experienced trio of Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis were mauled by South Africa’s middle-order in the death overs.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();