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Can West Indies translate their competitiveness into a consolation win?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

India, meanwhile, could look to rotate their line-up with the series already in their bag

S Sudarshanan26-Jul-2022

Big picture

India are on the cusp of their second successive ODI series sweep against West Indies. This is a team without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah, to name just a few. Mohammed Siraj’s economical outings coupled with Shardul Thakur’s knack of picking up wickets have ensured India haven’t missed Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar Kumar.While Siraj’s accuracy in the last over denied West Indies in the first ODI, Axar Patel’s heist in the second ensured that they pulled off a record chase at the Queen’s Park Oval to seal their third consecutive ODI series win.It’s been smooth sailing for most part, but if there’s still an issue for India to sort out, it could be their batting through the middle overs. From overs 11 to 40 in the second ODI, India scored 170 but also lost five wickets. In the first match, they managed 175 for 4 in the same phase.In ODIs this year, India have lost an average of 4.18 wickets per innings – 46 wickets in 11 outings – in the middle overs. Only West Indies (5.29), Australia (5.25) and Zimbabwe (5) have done worse than them, among Full-Member teams. More runs from Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda – who are yet to fire at full potential in this series – could go some way towards improving this facet of India’s game.West Indies haven’t done all that badly either, despite results not having gone their way so far. They’ve struck regularly through the middle overs to keep India in check, and their batters have posted two successive 300-plus totals.Perhaps one area they could look into is their death bowling, and particularly their use of Romario Shepherd in that phase. He bowled the 42nd and 47th overs of India’s chase on Sunday, and gave away 27 runs off those two overs, and the punishment he took wasn’t a one-off. Among all bowlers to have bowled at least 60 balls in the last 10 overs this year, Shepherd (10.28) has the worst economy rate. Moreover, he only has three wickets in seven innings in that phase.With Keemo Paul and Jason Holder – who missed the first two ODIs after testing positive for Covid-19 – breathing down his neck, Shepherd may have to improve this facet of his game to keep his place in the XI.

Form guide

West Indies LLLLL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)

India WWWLW

In the spotlight

Despite India scoring over 300 in each of the first two ODIs, Alzarri Joseph has managed an economy rate of 5.35 and has also picked up four wickets. In the absence of Holder, he has assumed a leadership role, often running in from deep third to offer suggestions to Jayden Seales during the second ODI. He was expensive with the new ball in the first ODI, conceding 29 off his first three overs, but came back well to help West Indies tie India down later on, getting both Axar and Hooda bowled in the 49th over. In the next match, he was tighter in his lines and more disciplined in his opening spell, giving away just 14 off his first three overs. Joseph will have to keep his impressive form going if West Indies are to end their run of eight successive ODI defeats.Suryakumar Yadav has been chopping on more frequently than he’d want to•Associated Press

On Sunday, Suryakumar Yadav inside-edged the ball onto his stumps for the third time in his last four ODI innings. While Reece Topley had him playing on at Lord’s earlier this month, he has chopped on to Akeal Hosein and Kyle Mayers in this series. This run of dismissals has also coincided with a bit of a lean patch in the format – he has only crossed 20 once in his last five ODI innings. Can he break this sequence on Wednesday?

Team news

Jason Holder has recovered and is available for selection for the final ODI. With the series already lost, young Keacy Carty and Keemo Paul, who has been passed fit, could get an outing.West Indies (probable): 1 Shai Hope (wk), 2 Kyle Mayers, 3 Shamarh Brooks/Keacy Carty, 4 Brandon King, 5 Nicholas Pooran (capt), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Akeal Hosein, 8 Romario Shepherd/Jason Holder, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Jayden Seales/Keemo Paul, 11 Hayden Walsh.India could get Prasidh Krishna back, perhaps in place of either Mohammed Siraj or Avesh Khan. Ravindra Jadeja’s knee niggle had ruled him out of the first two ODIs, as per BCCI’s release. In case he’s fit to return, Axar may have to make way despite his match-winning half-century on Sunday, unless India choose to play two left-arm spinners – and strengthen their batting – and leave out Yuzvendra Chahal, who is also not part of the squad for the T20I series. With the series already in their bag, India may also look to give the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan or Arshdeep Singh a go.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Deepak Hooda, 7 Axar Patel/Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Mohammed Siraj, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Avesh Khan/Prasidh Krishna.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the first two games were largely good for batters, with changes in pace proving effective for the seamers. With only a two-day gap between the second and the third ODIs, a fresh track could be used. Weather-wise, there are thunderstorms predicted through the day – spectators may have to brace for stoppages.

Stats and trivia

  • Avesh Khan’s economy rate of 9.00 on Sunday was the worst by any India ODI debutant to have sent down at least five overs.
  • The century in his hundredth ODI was Shai Hope’s third in 2022 – the joint-most with Babar Azam.
  • Shreyas Iyer has passed 50 seven times in just eight ODI innings against West Indies.

From 'dream' MCG debut to 'special series' in India – Finch's ODI highlights in his own words

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

After announcing his retirement from ODIs, he spoke about the most memorable moments from a nine-year career in the format

Andrew McGlashan10-Sep-20221:20

Finch: 2015 World Cup triumph, 3-2 ODI series win in India ‘really special’

MCG debut
Finch made his ODI debut in January 2013, against Sri Lanka at the MCG, two years after his international debut in T20Is. He scored 16 opening the batting with the late Phillip Hughes, who was also on debut and struck a century, before falling to Ajantha Mendis after a half-century partnership. The current national selector George Bailey was Australia’s captain while current team-mates Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell were also in the XI.”Debuting at the MCG against Sri Lanka, think I only got 16 but it was something you dream of, to play at the MCG as a Victorian and also debut there,” Finch said. “Never taking anything like that for granted is really important.”He was left out after the first two matches of that series. But later in 2013, he would score his first century, against Scotland, and a year later made a century against England at the MCG.”You don’t know if you’ll be able to play a third game, so to be able to play 145 is pretty special,” he saidWorld Cup triumph on home soil
By the start of the 2015 World Cup, Finch had built a very solid ODI record and had five centuries under his belt. He helped set the tone for Australia’s tournament with 135 in their opening match against England at the MCG after being dropped before he had scored in the first over.To win the 2015 World Cup on home soil at the MCG was “really special”, Finch said•Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

His returns slipped somewhat after that with a top score of 24 in his next five innings, but he played a crucial hand in the semi-final against India with 81 during a stand of 182 alongside Steven Smith, which set Australia up for a big total. He was dismissed for a duck in the final against New Zealand – a team he struggled against throughout his career – but Australia surged to the title.”The World Cup is the pinnacle of one-day cricket, so to win that on home soil at the MCG was really special,” Finch said.2019 revival
By the time of the next ODI World Cup in England, Finch was captain but the lead-up had been far from smooth. He had taken over in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal and struggled for form during the 2018-19 home season against South Africa and India. However, he made 93 in Ranchi to help spark a personal and team turnaround which saw Australia come from 2-0 down to take the series. Finch then went on a prolific run with back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan and two more in the World Cup that followed, although Australia’s tournament ended in the semi-final at the hands of England.”Coming back from 2-0 down against India in India, the first team to ever do that to win 3-2, that was something that was so huge for us at the time because it was a little transition phase in the lead-up to the World Cup in England and we hadn’t been in great form,” Finch recalled. “So to go there, have our backs against the wall and win was really special, then we beat Pakistan 5-0 and started the World Cup really well. That’s something that really stands out in my mind as a special series.”Aaron Finch made 93 in the third ODI in Ranchi in 2019•Getty Images

Repairing Australia’s image
In the immediate aftermath of Smith being banned after the Newlands controversy, Tim Paine briefly took the ODI captaincy. But Finch was soon installed and was widely considered to have played an important role in improving the men’s team’s image, although he was keen to deflect praise.”There’s a lot of people who have done a lot of hard work to ensure that Australian cricket is in a better place,” he said. “I’m really proud and happy with the job I’ve done leading two formats of the team. It’s certainly not just me, I can tell you that, there’s been so many people who have done some great work. The way we play over the three formats, it’s exciting to watch, it’s always attacking and aggressive. I think cricket is in a pretty good place now.”Watching others grow
On the field as well as off it, the Australia men’s limited-overs game needed some significant rebuilding when Finch took charge. While they remain mid-table, currently ranked No. 5, and have some top-order batting questions to resolve, there is the nucleus of a strong side. Finch specifically referenced the development of the spinners, Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, across both limited-overs formats.”Just watching people grow as players and giving them different roles and responsibilities is really special and something I’ll look back on and be really proud,” he said. “When you continue to see guys performing in international cricket and realise you may have been a very small part of allowing them to grow.”To see the rise of Zamps over the last couple of years has been something that I’ve been really proud of as well and Ashton Agar… to see them grow into the roles they have played over the last couple of years has been one of my biggest satisfactions. I’ve loved every bit of that.”

Shami, Siraj and Thakur to link up with India's T20 World Cup squad in Australia

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Three of the original reserve players – Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi and Deepak Chahar – are not travelling at the moment

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2022While the BCCI is yet to name a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah, the trio of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur is flying out on Thursday to join the Indian contingent in Australia for the men’s T20 World Cup. It’s not clear which of them will eventually join the main squad .None of the other reserve players – Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi and Deepak Chahar – are travelling at the moment. Chahar was ruled out because of a back injury that sidelined him from the just completed ODI series against South Africa.Related

  • Suryakumar, Harshal ready for 'cold' Australian welcome

  • Shastri: 'An opportunity to unearth a new champion' at T20 WC

  • Dravid, Rohit hint at Shami being frontrunner to replace Bumrah

The main squad left for Australia on October 6 and has been based in Perth, where the players have had a week-long training camp and one practice match against a Western Australia XI. Their next practice game is scheduled for October 13.India were dealt a severe blow when Bumrah suffered a stress reaction during the T20I leg of the white-ball series against South Africa. At that point both Shami and Chahar were in contention to be the replacement, but Chahar suffered an injury, which made Shami the frontrunner to replace Bumrah. It is likely the final decision will be taken after assessing Shami’s fitness.Shami has not played a T20I since the 2021 T20 World Cup ended in November last year. He has been training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru following a bout of Covid-19, which kept him out of the home series against Australia and South Africa. He last played competitive cricket on India’s tour of England, which ended in July.After the practice game in Perth on Thursday, India are due to travel to Brisbane, where they will play two official World Cup warm-up matches, against Australia and New Zealand on October 17 and 19 respectively. The squad will then move to Melbourne ahead of their tournament opener against Pakistan on October 23. India are in Group 2 of the Super 12, along with Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and two qualifiers from the first round.India’s T20 World Cup squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice-capt), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.

How Brevis became baby AB: batter talks after hitting 162 off 57 in a T20 game

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Nineteen year old used Instagram to teach himself de Villiers’ bat swing

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2022Forget grounds and nets and training. If you want to break records in cricket, get hooked on Instagram. It certainly did the trick for Dewald Brevis who took the world by storm on Monday, cracking 162 off 57 balls in a T20 game in South Africa. The 19-year old batter’s shots bear a striking resemblance to AB de Villiers and it is entirely by design.Related

  • Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira among players who could light up SA20

  • Dewald Brevis becomes the youngest South African to score a century in men's T20s

  • AB de Villiers reacts to Brevis' 162 off 57: 'Dewald Brevis. No need to say more'

“From young – and still now – I watch lots of videos even on Instagram about AB and all these guys, [as to] how they hit the ball,” Brevis told after hoisting his domestic team, the Titans, up to an eye-watering 271 for 3 against the Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge. “And I like AB’s natural bat swing. And back in your head, you get a visual of how the ball goes, how the bat falls and everything. So I try to watch as most as much as possible, and to just also be myself.”

A quiet game in Potchefstroom quickly gained global acclaim as Brevis began smashing records. He hit the fifth-fastest hundred in T20 cricket – getting to the landmark off just 35 balls – and kicked on to score the joint third-highest score ever in the shortest format.”Even as a young boy, I have always wanted to hit the ball as far as possible,” Brevis said. “And for me, from the start it’s always [about being] positive and fearless. You don’t want to go on the reckless side, but just play ball by ball, stay positive and be in the moment. I just stayed in the moment…”I’m always looking to hit boundaries. I think that’s a very important thing in playing fearlessly and aggressively is to be in a very strong position. And if the ball is there, you take it on. But if you wait for the ball long enough, if it’s not there to be hit, then that (waiting for the next one) happens naturally. So you look to it in straight, if it’s a bit back of a length coming up, if you’re in a strong position, you just wait for it. And if it’s a good ball, naturally, you just hit the bat, then it’s one.”Brevis’ 162 is now the highest score in the CSA T20 Challenge or the CSA T20 Provincial Cup, bettering Pieter Malan’s 140* for West Province during the 2014-15 domestic season. So, inevitably, there were questions about whether he is ready for national selection, which were about the only things he decided to play with a dead bat.”This is a next stepping stone,” Brevis said. “I believe that the people in control they know the best. Everything works out as it should. This is where I have to be. I have to do this. This is part of my journey. I am at the right place where I need to be. We never know what happens.”It is understood that South Africa do want the teenager in their squad, but first they’d like him to get through a season of domestic cricket. Franchise T20 sides have had no such reservations. Mumbai Indians picked him on the back of his record-breaking efforts at the Under-19 World Cup in February, and he will be representing them again in the SA20. He has also played for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the CPL and will soon turn out for Kandy Falcons in the Lanka Premier League.But that’s in the future. For now, Brevis is just wants to soak it all in. “Its a very special day,” he said. “A few things haven’t really sunk in yet. I am so grateful for the talent that God gave me. It’s really special and really lovely to be able to live my life to the fullest by playing cricket.”

Pollard, Williamson, Bravo, Mayank released: How the IPL teams stack up ahead of the 2023 player auction

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

All the major moves made by IPL franchises on the deadline day to release players ahead of the auction for the 2023 season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-20225:59

Uthappa: Chennai might look to buy back Bravo

Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians have made wholesale changes to their squads by releasing more than ten players each ahead of the auction for the IPL 2023 season on December 23.Knight Riders released 16 players, while Mumbai let go of 13 including veteran Kieron Pollard, and Sunrisers cut ties with 12 players including their captain Kane Williamson. Mayank Agarwal was another captain not retained as he was among the nine players let go by Punjab Kings.Related

  • Curran, Stokes and Green to be in second set at IPL 2023 auction

  • Curran, Stokes, Williamson list highest base price at IPL auction

  • Wasim Jaffer reappointed as batting coach of Punjab Kings ahead of IPL 2023

  • KKR's unusual approach, and a wake-up call for West Indies

  • Sunrisers Hyderabad release Kane Williamson ahead of IPL 2023 auction

While Pollard and Super Kings’ Dwayne Bravo were the most high-profile West Indians not retained, there were several other younger players from the Caribbean who were released by their teams. Sunrisers let go of Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd, Lucknow Super Giants released Jason Holder and Evin Lewis, Mumbai released Fabian Allen, Royal Challengers Bangalore let go of Sherfane Rutherford, Punjab released Odean Smith, and Gujarat Titans did not retain Dominic Drakes.At the end of the deadline day – November 15 – to retain and release players, Sunrisers had the largest purse (INR 42.25 crore) for the auction on December 23, followed by Kings (INR 32.20 crore), Lucknow Super Giant (INR 23.35 crore), Mumbai (INR 20.55 crore), Super Kings (INR 20.45 crore), Delhi Capitals (INR 19.45 crore), Gujarat Titans (INR 19.25 crore), Rajasthan Royals (INR 13.2 crore), Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 8.75 crore) and Knight Riders (INR 7.05 crore).5:14

Jaffer: Mumbai in big trouble if Archer isn’t available

Here are how the squads stack up after the franchises released and retained players:

Mumbai Indians

After finishing at the bottom of the league in IPL 2022, Mumbai have let go of a number of players. They have retained their batting core, but will need to rebuild their bowling attack around Jasprit Bumrah, especially their spin stocks. And they will hope that Jofra Archer is fit and firing in time for IPL 2023.Players released: Kieron Pollard (INR 6 crore), Anmolpreet Singh (INR 20 lakh), Aryan Juyal (INR 20 lakh), Basil Thampi (INR 30 lakh), Daniel Sams (INR 2.6 crore), Fabian Allen (INR 75 lakh), Jaydev Unadkat (INR 1.3 crore), Mayank Markande (INR 65 lakh), Murugan Ashwin (INR 1.6 crore), Rahul Buddhi (INR 20 lakh), Riley Meredith (INR 1 crore), Sanjay Yadav (INR 50 lakh), Tymal Mills (INR 1.5 crore)
Players acquired via trades: Jason Behrendorff
Purse remaining: INR 20.55 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 3
Current squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), Tim David, Ramandeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal

Chennai Super Kings

Super Kings finished ninth in IPL 2022 but they haven’t made dramatic decisions in terms of releasing players. Bravo is the biggest name they let go of, but they had released him last year too, only to buy him back at the auction. Will they do that again next month? And after months of speculation, Super Kings have retained Ravindra Jadeja after a tumultuous 2022 season when he was appointed captain and then replaced by MS Dhoni midway through the tournament.Players released: Dwayne Bravo (INR 4.4 crore), Robin Uthappa (INR 2 crore), Adam Milne (INR 1.9 crore), Hari Nishaanth (INR 20 lakh), Chris Jordan (INR 3.6 crore), Bhagath Varma (INR 20 lakh), KM Asif (INR 20 lakh), Narayan Jagadeesan (INR 20 lakh)
Players acquired via trades: NA
Purse remaining: INR 20.45 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 2
Current squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana
3:23

Uthappa: Titans have one of the more balanced squads

Gujarat Titans

Defending champions Titans have let go of only six players (two of whom were traded to Knight Riders) ahead of the auction, but they still have a healthy purse of INR 19.25 crore to spend. So expect them to go hard to pick up a couple of players they need to fill the gaps in their squad.Players released: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (INR 50 lakh), Lockie Ferguson (INR 10 crore), Dominic Drakes (INR 1.1 crore), Gurkeerat Singh (INR 50 lakh), Jason Roy (INR 2 crore), Varun Aaron (INR 50 lakh)
Players acquired via trades: NA
Purse remaining: INR 19.25
Overseas slots remaining – 3
Current squad: Hardik Pandya (capt), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad

Delhi Capitals

Capitals finished fifth in IPL 2022, just outside the playoffs, but they haven’t made wholesale changes to their squad. Their biggest move was to trade Shardul Thakur to Knight Riders. The other players they have released weren’t regulars in their first XI last season.Players released: Shardul Thakur (INR 10.75 crore), Tim Seifert (INR 50 lakh), Ashwin Hebbar (INR 20 lakh), Srikar Bharat (INR 2 crore), Mandeep Singh (INR 1.1 crore)
Players acquired via trades: Aman Khan
Purse remaining: INR 19.45 crore
Overseas slots remaining 2
Current squad: Rishabh Pant (capt), David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Ripal Patel, Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Yash Dhull, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Khaleel Ahmed, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Aman Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Praveen Dubey, Vicky Ostwal
4:07

Are Lucknow Super Giants missing a genuine allrounder?

Lucknow Super Giants

In their first season, Super Giants made it to the playoffs but lost the eliminator to Royal Challengers. Perhaps the biggest surprise among their list of released players is Holder, who they had bought for INR 8.75 crore. Perhaps the Super Giants are freeing up their purse to go after someone specific – Ben Stokes, Sam Curran? – at this auction.Players released: Andrew Tye (INR 1 crore), Ankit Rajpoot (INR 50 lakh), Dushmantha Chameera (INR 2 crore), Evin Lewis (INR 2 crore), Jason Holder (INR 8.75 crore), Manish Pandey (INR 4.6 crore), Shahbaz Nadeem (INR 50 lakh)
Players acquired via trades: NA
Purse remaining: INR 23.35 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 4
Current squad: KL Rahul (capt), Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi

Rajasthan Royals

Last year’s runners-up Royals have let go of nine players, and among them are five overseas players who got little to no game time last season: James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Rassie van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Corbin Bosch.Players released: Anunay Singh (INR 20 lakh), Corbin Bosch (INR 20 lakh), Daryl Mitchell (INR 75 lakh), James Neesham (INR 1.5 crore), Karun Nair (INR 1.4 crore), Nathan Coulter-Nile (INR 2 crore), Rassie van der Dussen (INR 1 crore), Shubham Garhwal (INR 20 lakh), Tejas Baroka (INR 20 lakh)
Players acquired via trades: NA
Purse remaining: INR 13.2 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 4
Current squad: Sanju Samson (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa
6:24

Uthappa: Sunrisers Hyderabad will go all out to get Ben Stokes

Sunrisers Hyderabad

After starting off with two losses followed by five straight wins last season, Sunrisers crashed and burned to finish eighth in the league and it has resulted in a huge clean out at the franchise. Captain Williamson, who had been retained for INR 14 crore, has been released along with Pooran, who at INR 10.75 crore had become the most expensive West Indian ever bought at an auction. The question is – who are Sunrisers thinking of as their future captain, or are they looking to buy back Williamson at a lower price? They have the most money – INR 42.25 crore – to spend at the auction.Players released: Kane Williamson (INR 14 crore), Nicholas Pooran (INR 10.75 crore), Jagadeesha Suchith (INR 20 lakh), Priyam Garg (INR 20 lakh), Ravikumar Samarth (INR 20 lakh), Romario Shepherd (INR 7.75 crore), Saurabh Dubey (INR 20 lakh), Sean Abbott (INR 2.4 crore), Shashank Singh (INR 20 lakh), Shreyas Gopal (INR 75 lakh), Sushant Mishra (INR 20 lakh), Vishnu Vinod (INR 50 lakh)
Players acquired via trades: NA
Purse remaining: INR 42.25 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 4
Current squad: Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers finished fourth in the league and then lost Qualifier 2 to Royals in the playoffs. After a promising campaign, they have released the fewest players – five – among all the teams, and no one who was a regular fixture in their first XI. As a result, they have the second-lowest purse for the auction, and only two overseas slots to fill.Players released: Jason Behrendorff (INR 75 lakh), Aneeshwar Gautam (INR 20 lakh), Chama Milind (INR 25 lakh), Luvnith Sisodia (INR 20 lakh), Sherfane Rutherford (INR 1 crore)
Players acquired via trades: NA
Purse remaining: INR 8.75 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 2
Current squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep
4:03

Jaffer: ‘Punjab need a calming influence in the middle order’

Punjab Kings

Following yet another season in which they failed to make the final four, Kings have rung in the changes, releasing nine players including their 2022 captain Mayank. Apart from Odean, none of their other releases were major players in their first XI last season, and Punjab go into the auction with the second-highest purse.Players released: Mayank Agarwal (INR 14 crore), Odean Smith (INR 6 crore), Vaibhav Arora (INR 2 crore), Benny Howell (INR 40 lakh), Ishan Porel (INR 20 lakh), Ansh Patel (INR 20 lakh), Prerak Mankad (INR 20 lakh), Sandeep Sharma (INR 50 lakh), Writtick Chatterjee (INR 20 lakh)
Players acquired via trades: NA
Purse remaining: INR 32.2 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 3
Current squad: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Shahrukh Khan, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar

Kolkata Knight Riders

As many as 16 players have been released by Knight Riders, and after trading in Shardul, Lockie Ferguson and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, they have only 14 players in their squad and the smallest purse – INR 7.05 crore – to spend at the auction. They finished seventh last season, and need to make some smart tactical buys to bolster their bench for next season.Players released: Pat Cummins (INR 7.25 crore), Sam Billings (INR 2 crore), Aman Khan (INR 20 lakh), Shivam Mavi (INR 7.25 crore), Mohammad Nabi (INR 1 crore), Chamika Karunaratne (INR 50 lakh), Aaron Finch (INR 1.5 crore), Alex Hales (INR 1.5 crore), Abhijeet Tomar (INR 40 lakh), Ajinkya Rahane (INR 1 crore), Ashok Sharma (INR 20 lakh), Baba Indrajith (INR 20 lakh), Pratham Singh (INR 20 lakh), Ramesh Kumar (INR 20 lakh), Rasikh Salam (INR 20 lakh), Sheldon Jackson (INR 20 lakh)
Players acquired via trades: Shardul Thakur, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Lockie Ferguson
Purse remaining: INR 7.05 crore
Overseas slots remaining: 3
Current squad: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh

'Nothing wrong with our ability but we need to be more gritty' – Rangana Herath

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Bangladesh’s spin-bowling coach urged the batters to build partnerships like how India did

Mohammad Isam15-Dec-20221:30

Jaffer: ‘Bangladesh batters need to value their wickets’

Being four down for less than 100 has been a recurrent theme for Bangladesh’s batting line-up this year. In response to India’s 404 in Chattogram, Bangladesh slumped further to 97 for 6 and ended the second day on 133 for 8. A rejigged top order had given Bangladesh some hope, but it evaporated quickly, leaving them facing a battle for survival for the rest of the game.Najmul Hossain Shanto’s selection ahead of Mahmudul Hasan Joy put the team management in the spotlight. Mominul Haque, who has six centuries and averages 62 in Chattogram, continued to warm the bench. Shanto’s record this year isn’t much better than that of Joy or Mominul and his overall batting average has nosedived to 19.62 from 40.50 in January.Shanto’s golden duck exposed Bangladesh’s batting line-up. Yasir Ali and Litton Das, who batted at No.3 and No.4 respectively for the first time, were immediately under pressure. Debutant Zakir Hasan (20 off 45 balls) lasted the longest among the top four as Bangladesh collapsed to 56 for 4 by the 18th over.Related

  • Domingo hints Shakib could play as pure batter in Dhaka Test

  • Allan Donald: Bangladesh fast bowlers 'have established the pack mentality'

  • Can Bangladesh's batters take a leaf out of their bowlers' book?

  • Despite series win, batting continues to be a concern for Bangladesh

  • The unpredictable Chattogram pitch: will it get better or worse?

Shanto and Zakir edged Mohammed Siraj’s outswingers, while Litton and Yasir played on. Kuldeep Yadav then took care of Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who was the player of the series in the preceding three-match ODI rubber, is unbeaten along with No. 10 Ebadot Hossain.Rangana Herath, Bangladesh’s spin-bowling coach, expressed his disappointment at the batting collapse.”Losing eight wickets is disappointing, but you know this is Test cricket; another three days to go. We need to hang in there and we need to fight hard,” Herath said. “Test cricket is not easy, always testing your skill, testing your temperament, your patience and there always is a situation, so in that case, you need to fight hard and have to have that gritty attitude.”We are getting some momentum at some stage, but somehow we are losing that momentum. I don’t think it’s about technique but more about getting those decision-making right in certain situations.”There will be some discussions around the batting promotions. Shanto had been Bangladesh’s No 3 for almost three years, but was asked to open for only the second time in his Test career. He was bumped up to the top in place of Joy, who was tipped to be a long-term opener. Zakir’s 173 against India A earned him the other opener’s slot, but that meant there would be no room for Mominul. Yasir, playing his first Test in eight months, was pushed up to No.3 and he got out playing away from the body. A lot was expected of Litton, but he seemingly lost his concentration after Siraj had passed a comment about his aggressive approach.Do Bangladesh’s batters have a psychological weakeness? “When it comes to cricket, you always have to be a tactical guy,” Herath said. “You can be a bowler or a batsman but to be in the middle you have to have that temperament, it should always come from your heart and mind.”There is nothing wrong with the ability or skill, but we need to be more gritty on that and fight hard in the middle. Once you spend some time in there, you get kind of an easy situation. So we need to stay and wait for that time and that’s what I expect from our guys.”Herath also urged Bangladesh to build partnerships like how India had done on the second day. Despite losing Shreyas Iyer early, R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav put on a 92-run eighth-wicket stand to frustrate Bangladesh and help drag India up to 404.”There partnerships were well executed. They were 50 for 3 [48 for 3] at one stage,” Herath said. “There was one partnership with Rishabh [Pant] and [Cheteshwar] Pujara, then [Shreyas] Iyer with Pujara. You need to have that kind of partnership in Tests. If you look at Pujara’s innings, he scored 90 but played a lot of balls with his gritty attitude so we need to have bigger partnerships.”

Persistent rain washes out dress rehearsal for final

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Only two overs were bowled before the heavens opened

Srinidhi Ramanujam28-Jan-2023Match Abandoned The T20I tri-series match between South Africa and India was washed out, two overs into the game, due to persistent rain in East London. Both teams share a point each. While it dampens their preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup next month, the washout is inconsequential to the tri-series as India and South Africa had sealed a place in the final.India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and chose to bat. In a big boost, the visitors had seam-bowling allrounder Pooja Vastrakar replacing Amanjot Kaur. This was Vastrakar’s first outing for India since September but rain played spoilsport.India opened with Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues, who got off the mark with a four over cover, before making way for the covers. The rain never stopped and the match was called off eventually.For South Africa, senior pace bowler Shabnim Ismail returned after missing out on the first three games of the series. Replacing Masabata Klaas, Ismail started off with a maiden over.They had also faced each other in the opening match of the series, where India won by 27 runs.India are unbeaten in the series, with West Indies – the third team – already eliminated with a game left.

Usman's fastest PSL ton, Afridi five-for eliminate Gladiators in runfest

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Yousuf, Iftikhar fifties not enough as Gladiators fall short by nine runs in chase of 263

Danyal Rasool11-Mar-2023The Rawalpindi leg of the PSL this season has stood out for the surfeit of fours and sixes that have pervaded it, but even by those gluttonous standards, Usman Khan stood out. The former Quetta Gladiators man tormented his previous employers, smashing the fastest PSL hundred as Sultans piled on 262, the highest PSL score in history.Gladiators, needing a win – and in truth, a comprehensive one to stay alive – battled gamely, half-centuries from Omair Yousuf and Iftikhar Ahmed keeping the scoreline respectable. But despite the placidity of the surface, there were simply too many runs to get. Abbas Afridi showed the bowlers could have their say too with a five-fer that included a hat-trick, and though Gladiators took it much deeper than it appeared they might, they fell short by nine runs.Gladiators required a run-rate boosting victory to retain realistic hopes of pipping Peshawar Zalmi to a playoff spot, but the manner in which Multan started put any such notions to bed. It wasn’t until the third over that Usman struck his first boundary, but the four he plundered off that Aimal Khan over was very much a harbinger of what would follow. By the sixth over, Multan were purring, and the hapless Qais Ahmed was clobbered for 27 as Sultans posted 91, the highest powerplay score of the season.The carnage continued with 21 of the next over, and a further 27 off Qais’ second. During that over, Usman had brought up his 36-ball hundred, the fastest this league has ever seen. The following over saw the 150 come up, with the innings still in its first half. Nawaz brought himself once more and, to Gladiators’ relief, deceived him with the flight as Umar Akmal effected a smart stumping, though, having bludgeoned a 43-ball 120, the damage had very much been done.Mohammad Rizwan wasn’t exactly plodding along, but he’d been happy to turn the strike over, facing just 17 of the first 61 balls. He brought up his own half-century off 26 balls, but the carnage often happened at the other end. Tim David was in imperious form and combined with Kieron Pollard to finish strongly after the Gladiators had staged a mini-revival in the middle overs. The fourth wicket partnership between the duo combined for an unbeaten 58 off 33, and while that almost felt snail-paced after Usman’s fireworks, it still powered Sultans to the highest PSL total by 15 runs.Gladiators needed a huge effort from the top three if they were to stage a repeat of the monster chase they achieved against Peshawar Zalmi earlier in the week. But the architect of that triumph, Jason Roy, was dispatched with a slower ball in the second over. Martin Guptill took charge with a blistering powerplay cameo, smoking 37 off 13 balls before a bit of extra pace from Ihsanullah took the outside edge.But cameos weren’t enough in a chase of this magnitude, and to make up for the lack of one huge innings, Gladiators strung together several small, consequential ones. Seven of the ten who batted registered double figures, none of them at a strike rate lower than 170. Yousuf and Iftikhar appeared to be making a game of it with a 57-ball 104-run stand through the middle overs, with both batters scoring half-centuries. Iftikhar, somewhat bizarrely, gestured to shush the Rawalpindi crowd after getting to the mark in 28 balls, even as his side was well on course to be silenced before the playoffs for the fourth successive season.It was Afridi who dismissed him with a slower ball to ease any Multan nerves, but to Gladiators’ credit, they kept hammering away. Mohammad Nawaz struck a four off his first ball, while Akmal and Umaid smashed sixes of theirs, and though the wickets kept tumbling, the runs were steadily being knocked off. When Akmal smashed two sixes in the 17th to leave Gladiators needing 56 off 22, they might even have been narrow favourites, but Afridi would have the final say.Three wickets off successive balls straddling two overs were the icing on the cake, as Afridi achieved just the fifth PSL hat-trick, and though Gladiators raged against the dying of the light, the light truly was going out for them. The scoreline might say they fell short by just nine runs, but this elimination is the fourth first-round exit in a row for the 2019 champions. The narrow margin of defeat cannot detract from the gulf between them in a league where most of their competitors have pulled far out of sight.

Hardik Pandya feels Impact Player can leave captains with 'too many options'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The Gujarat Titans captain admitted he found it difficult to juggle the six seamers in his first XI on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-20232:20

Hardik: Gaikwad ‘has the game to do wonders for Indian cricket’

The Impact Player rule can lead to situations where certain bowlers are underutilised, Gujarat Titans Hardik Pandya has said. Hardik was speaking after the IPL season-opener in Ahmedabad, where Titans beat Chennai Super Kings by five wickets. This was the first-ever IPL match to involve the Impact Player rule.Along with ability to bring on the Impact Player, teams this season are allowed to name their XIs after the toss. This means they can stack their starting XI with extra batting or bowling options depending on whether they bat or bowl first.Related

  • Using the Impact Player – how have the teams gone about it so far?

  • Moody: 'Rashid at his best when he is facing ten or less balls'

  • White-ball destroyers Gill and Gaikwad make compelling case to be India's T20I opening pair

  • Gill, Rashid lead defending champions Gujarat Titans to victory in IPL 2023 opener

  • How much impact will the Impact Player rule have?

On Saturday, Titans won the toss and bowled, and picked a starting XI that included six seam options – four specialist quicks plus allrounders Hardik and Vijay Shankar – as well as the legspin of Rashid Khan.Vijay did not get a bowl, while the left-arm quick Yash Dayal, who took 11 wickets in Titans’ victorious IPL 2022 campaign, only bowled one over – the 12th of the Super Kings innings. Alzarri Joseph only bowled one of the first 13 overs, before bowling three of the last seven. Joseph played a key role in restricting Super Kings to 178 for 7, picking up two wickets and conceding just 15 runs in his last three overs.Asked about the seamers’ deployment – particularly Joseph’s – during the post-match presentation, Hardik confessed that he had found it challenging to juggle so many bowling options. He said he used Joseph at that stage because he felt his hard lengths were suited to the surface.”To be very honest, having this impact rule makes my job quite difficult because when you have too many options, you have to pick the right option, and I think because of this reason, someone will bowl less,” he said. “I had to just pick and kind of back [my instinct], where I felt that going hard lengths was the plan for me, and it kind of worked, so yeah, some of the bowlers came late but they did the job for us.”Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni were the first captains to make use of the Impact Player in the IPL•Associated Press

Titans would have likely substituted one of their bowlers for a batter during the second innings, but as things turned out, Kane Williamson suffered a knee injury while attempting a leaping boundary catch during the 13th over of Super Kings’ innings. Williamson, therefore, made way for B Sai Sudharsan, who batted at No. 3 during Titans’ chase.Titans eventually reached their target with four balls to spare, and the manner of their victory had echoes of the 2022 season, when their lower order pulled off a number of rescue acts. The equation came down to 23 off the last two overs, and they got over the line thanks to vital hits from Rashid and Rahul Tewatia.Hardik felt Titans had made the job harder than it needed to be, and felt the top order should have finished the match themselves. He was particularly harsh on himself – he was bowled missing a sweep – and Shubman Gill – who made 63 before miscuing a pull to deep midwicket – for the manner of their dismissals.”When you have Rashid Khan in your team, it gives you a sigh of relief,” Hardik said, when asked about the Afghanistan allrounder’s Player-of-the-Match-winning performance. “He can come and bowl and get you wickets and at the end of the day if you need some runs he’ll come and smack it and make our job easy.”But I think my shot and Shubman’s shot did put us in a difficult situation, because within the team we have some standards which we have set very high, so from that we have to learn and make sure that these guys don’t have to all the time finish the game, and we’d rather be there and finish the game.”

Can winless Capitals get their season on track against explosive Royals?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Capitals will be without Mitchell Marsh, who has flown home for his wedding

Shashank Kishore07-Apr-20233:56

Moody: ‘Extraordinary talent’ Shaw needs to rethink approach

Big Picture

It’s not panic stations yet, but Delhi Capitals wouldn’t want a third straight defeat to begin IPL 2023.A batting line-up sans Rishabh Pant, their talismanic leader, has looked wonky with the engine room of David Warner and Prithvi Shaw yet to click into gear.The middle-order batters were undone by raw pace of Alzarri Joseph and the relentlessness of Mohammed Shami in Capitals’ previous game against Gujarat Titans, and will have to find a way out of their mire quickly. They couldn’t have asked for a better surface than Guwahati to rediscover their touch.The Royals have been firing away with the bat, and came within touching distance of their second straight win on Wednesday, but have a few combination questions to ponder.Can they revisit Shimron Hetmyer’s entry point? He only came in to bat at No. 7 against Punjab Kings, with Royals needing 77 off 35 balls. He nearly got them home, blasting three sixes in an 18-ball 36.Will they need to rethink Devdutt Padikkal’s role? He seems a misfit at No. 4, which perhaps means they could either have him bat higher or leave him out for Dhruv Jurel or another pure batter.If they move him up to open the batting, it would mean a rejig of their entire batting order. This means Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has struck all the right notes as an opener, drops down to No. 3, and Sanju Samson to No. 4.Only time will tell if they want to go down that route yet. It’s unlikely they’d make such wholesale changes just two games in. Yet it’s something for them to keep an eye out for before the points-table jostling becomes real.

Team news

There remains an inkling of doubt over Jos Butter’s participation. He jarred his little finger into the turf while taking a catch in the match against Punjab, and didn’t open the batting. Samson, the Royals captain, didn’t seem too concerned by the injury in the post-match press conference. However, if the Royals want to tread cautiously, there’s a ready replacement in Joe Root or the South African allrounder Donovan Ferreira, who caught the eye of talent scouts during his stint with Jo’burg Super Kings at the SA20.Capitals will be without Mitchell Marsh, who has flown home to Perth for his wedding, and will rejoin the squad next week.Delhi Capitals need to pick themselves up after starting their campaign with back-to-back defeats•BCCI

Toss and Impact Player Strategy

Dhruv Jurel came in as Impact Player in Royals’ previous game and made a case to be a finisher with an unbeaten 15-ball 32 that took Royals to within a blow of victory.If Royals bat first, there is a compelling case to play Jurel as an extra batter, and potentially sub out one of Yashasvi Jaiswal or Devdutt Padikkal for KM Asif when they bowl. This will potentially give them batting firepower all the way up to No. 9.Probable bat-first XI: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Devdutt Padikkal, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Dhruv Jurel, 8 Jason Holder, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalProbable bowl-first XI: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Jason Holder, 8 R Ashwin, 9 KM Asif, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.Like in Capitals’ previous game, it’s likely Sarfaraz Khan and Khaleel Ahmed could be the Impact Subs.Probable bat-first XI: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Sarfaraz Khan, 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Aman Khan, 8 Abishek Porel (wk), 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mukesh KumarProbable bowl-first XI: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Rovman Powell, 5 Axar Patel, 6 Aman Khan, 7 Abishek Porel (wk), 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Khaleel Ahmed, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mukesh KumarDhruv Jurel has made a case for regular selection•BCCI

Stats that matter

  • On the nine occasions they’ve faced off against each other, Buttler has struck 72 runs off Anrich Nortje at a strike rate of 163.63, while being dismissed twice.
  • There is a case for the Royals to open the bowling with R Ashwin as he has the wood over Warner. He has dismissed him five times in T20s, the joint-most by any bowler alongside Kagiso Rabada, Shakib Al Hasan and Umesh Yadav.
  • Jason Holder’s bowling strike rate of 13.8 is the second-best among bowlers who have picked up at least 20 wickets in the IPL since 2020.

Pitch and conditions

Unlike the other night in Guwahati’s grand IPL opening, dew is unlikely to play a part since it is an afternoon start. Scoring patterns in T20s point to an average first innings score of 156 in T20s. Much of these have been played in the morning, when there’s moisture to work with for the fast bowlers, or in the afternoon.

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