All posts by h716a5.icu

This might not be a global tournament, but South Africa will want to prove they can conquer pressure in the eliminator against West Indies on Friday

Firdose Moonda24-Jun-2016South Africa will search for the “perfect game,” in what is effectively a semi-final against West Indies in the last round-robin game of the Caribbean triangular series. The fixture is a winner-takes-all affair, with the victor progressing to play Australia in Sunday’s final.”If you look back at the games we’ve played so far, we’ve been reasonably good in one area. We haven’t completed a game where we’ve done well with bat and ball. So we’re searching for that perfect game,” JP Duminy said, despite South Africa’s massive 139-run win over West Indies in their last completed match.After that game, South Africa sat atop the table with two bonus-point wins. A victory over Australia last Sunday would have secured their place in the final but rain allowed only one over to be bowled. Now, South Africa find themselves in the kind of knockout situation they are trying to get the better of before their next major tournament.”The mood is relaxed, which is a good mood for us to be in because we know we’re going to have to put in that big performance. That it’s a crunch game, a semi-final, will bring a little more pressure to it. That’s a reason for us to emphasise our basics more,” Duminy said.Already, the pressure is on from back home. Apart from the axe hanging over Russell Domingo’s head – with 10 months left on his contract – there is also expectation that the players will step up after they ended last season in underwhelming fashion. Although the next fifty-over trophy is next year’s Champions Trophy, it is important for South African to show that they are improving by racking up wins.”This tournament for them should just be about making the final and then producing a decent performance on the day, that’s what a triangular is about,” Shaun Pollock, former South Africa captain told at the CSA Centre of Excellence, where he was working with the National Academy. “They look like they are heading in the right direction.”South Africa are the only team to have posted a score over 300 in this tournament, which should bode well for what Duminy expects to be a battle of the batsmen. After slower surfaces in Guyana and St Kitts, Barbardos has seen more runs. In the only completed match at the Kensington Oval, West Indies set Australia a target of 283, which was successfully chased.”West Indies have batted really well and this venue leans towards a good batting wicket. So it’s probably going to come down to who bats better on this surface,” Duminy said. “The first 15 to 20 overs are going to be crucial – setting the platform leading into the game. Especially in these kind of games, where there is extra pressure, it’s important to set a good platform.”But with Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock in decent form, South Africa’s focus could be trained on the middle order, where there is significant responsibility on AB de Villiers, who is yet to have an impact on this series, Duminy, Farhaan Behardien and Chris Morris to finish strongly.If the middle order fires, it could amount to a perfect batting performance, but South Africa will have to still find a way past Marlon Samuels, who leads the tournament’s run-charts. With the series’ top-wicket-taker, Imran Tahir in their ranks, South Africa will be confident they can. Samuels has been dismissed by Tahir once in the series and by spin three times out of five. If the slower bowlers are unsuccessful, the additional pace and bounce at Kensington Oval should provide assistance to the seamers. Morne Morkel is expected to be included in the South Africa XI to take advantage of those conditions.In theory, South Africa should be favourites but West Indies have already beaten both opponents in this tournament and are mounting a resurrection of their own. Add to that South Africa’s nerves in knockout situations and it sets the stage for a tense affair, which will mean more to South Africa than meets the eye.

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2016Having been sent in by West Indies, Australia lost Aaron Finch in the first over for a duck•AFPSteven Smith walked in at No.3 and was tested with a flurry of short balls•AFPUsman Khawaja found his groove at the other end, and brought up his second successive fifty•AFPSmith also brought up his second consecutive fifty and had a 170-run second-wicket stand with Khawaja•AFPCarlos Brathwaite broke the partnership in the 35th over by taking a return catch to remove Smith for 74•AFPKhawaja was run out soon after, for 98, as the hosts began tie Australia down•AFPGeorge Bailey chipped in with 55, but Australia could score just 94 off the last 16 overs to post 265 for 7•AFPAndre Fletcher struck a run-a-ball 27 in a 74-run opening stand before falling to James Faulkner in the 10th over•AFPJohnson Charles made an attacking 48 before he was pinned lbw by Adam Zampa•AFPDarren Bravo and Marlon Samuels then steadied the chase by adding 82 for the third wicket•AFPSamuels raised his half-century off 58 balls, even as Bravo gloved Zampa behind for 39•AFPSamuels thumped three successive sixes off Zampa in the 41st over before he was run out off the next ball for 92 off 87 balls•AFPAustralia made some late inroads but West Indies cruised to a four-wicket win with 26 balls remaining•AFP

The Galle Test has brought further lessons – as well as a few successes – for Mehedi Hasan as he continues his development at international level

Mohammad Isam in Galle10-Mar-2017When Mustafizur Rahman was receiving news of his ESPNcricinfo T20 bowling performance award last month, Mehedi Hasan was the only other person present in the BCB academy lobby. Mustafizur, informed that his team-mate had also won an award, joked with Mehedi though nobody at the time informed him of what was to come.A week later when he saw the debutant of the year trophy, his eyes glazed in happiness. What he said next provided a window into his hungry mindset.”You know what, I want to win more of these [awards] in the future. I want to keep performing.”It is hard to fault such an ambition. After all, this is why Mehedi is playing for Bangladesh at the highest level. But to reach such heights, he would have to build his performance in every game. While it may be tough to expect him to deliver a 19-wicket haul in every Test series, he can still be expected to become the captain’s go-to bowler by adding more ammunition to his bowling.Many of the England batsmen in his debut series were found out for lack of footwork, which was eagerly exploited by Mehedi, a bowler who doesn’t shy away from tossing up the ball up and letting the pitch do the rest of the work. Despite vastly different conditions in New Zealand, he was an automatic pick in the XI and although he took two wickets for 197 runs against India, he didn’t lose a lot of confidence and neither did the management lose patience in him.His problem in Hyderabad – a lack of maiden overs – has continued in Galle, too. Here he bowled only two out of 42 overs, but he finished with six wickets in the game – his best figures since the 12-wicket haul against England in Mirpur in October.While two of his four wickets in the first innings were skiers, he did lure Kusal Mendis, on 194, and Niroshan Dickwella into false shots. He also got Dimuth Karunaratne to play away from his body and his fourth wicket came when trapping Dilruwan Perera lbw.In the second innings, he had the misfortune of having three catches dropped off his bowling, by Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar and Mahmudullah, all usually safe fielders. He again had Karunaratne reaching for a delivery but Shakib couldn’t hold the drive at cover; Soumya didn’t get down quickly enough to catch the edge from Dinesh Chandimal while Mahmudullah’s was a tough chance at the deep midwicket boundary.Still, he managed to pick up two wickets, removing centurion Upul Tharanga with a loopy delivery and Dickwella to a stunning catch by wicketkeeper Liton Das. Despite the situation of the game, Mehedi celebrated properly on both occasions. It looked like he enjoyed getting wickets even though many would say they were soft ones compared to how he bowled on the first day.The natural next step for Mehedi would be to add a bit more control to his bowling because there have been times in Hyderabad and Galle where he has looked short of options to stop a right-handed batsman from scoring into the leg side continuously. He did improve on his line by bowling less on middle-stump in the second innings, and also had a tight grouping on a fuller length in the pitch-map to left-handers. His work with the pace on the ball will improve as he gets more control of his shoulder and arm.It has been a tough few months for Mehedi after he had ripped through England in his debut Test series. Life will get harder for him as he strives for excellence in international cricket. But those who have seen him from close quarters know that he is an eager learner, and will not let go of any opportunity to pick the brain of the best spinners in the business.He already spent some time with R Ashwin after the Hyderabad Test, and it is likely that Mehedi won’t think twice about seeking an audience with Rangana Herath during this Test series. It is also likely that someone as sensible as Mehedi will also know what to take from each bowling great, while applying them properly in match situations.

Mumbai’s captain has reached double digits just twice in eight innings this year while batting in the middle order, which could prompt a rethink about moving him back to open

Nikhil Kalro24-Apr-2017When a batsman isn’t picking the direction of spin, a cross-batted stroke, like a sweep or a reverse sweep, is the most logical option because it offers a wider second line of defence. ​Sweeping a legspinner means it is unlikely the ball will spin past the outside edge or will go through a bat-pad gap for a right-hander.A flipper, a topspinner and a slider are flat-trajectory variations, so when a legspinner flights a ball, he limits his options to two – a legbreak or a googly. The raw probability of not picking that variation, therefore, is 50%. Top-order batsmen, struggling to pick a legspinner, are rarely willing to back themselves with that amount of chance, even in T20s.So when Rohit Sharma chose a premeditated sweep off Amit Mishra in the ninth over against Delhi Daredevils last week, it wasn’t the worst option. He may or may not have picked the googly from the hand, but he found deep square leg with a sweep he didn’t keep along the ground. Perhaps Rohit’s sweep was borne largely out of distrust in his ability to differentiate the googly from a legbreak, for his form against legspinners this IPL has been woeful.Against Imran Tahir in Mumbai’s first game against Rising Pune Supergiant, Rohit was done in by a slider, his feet rooted to the crease. He didn’t pick the variation and was beaten in pace. Rohit played Tahir with more conviction and intent in Mumbai’s loss to Rising Pune at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday night though, taking him for 23 runs off 15 balls, but still failed to pick the regulation legbreak from the googly.Earlier in the season, Rohit was out lbw to a googly from Rashid Khan against Sunrisers Hyderabad, another delivery he failed to pick. He even failed to keep out Samuel Badree’s hat-trick ball, another googly that sneaked between bat and pad. He struck an unbeaten 29-ball 40 against Gujarat Lions, who didn’t have any wristspinners. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he was out lbw – albeit to a poor umpiring decision – against Sunil Narine, another bowler he wasn’t quite picking. The choice of stroke in all these dismissals was similar – offering a straight bat with a full face at the ball.Against right-arm spinners this IPL before Monday’s game against Rising Pune in Mumbai, Rohit had been dismissed five times and scored just five runs in 15 balls. “I was trying to play with the spin, which is what we’re taught, but these [legspinners] were bowling googlies, so I had to play against it,” Rohit had said about his approach to legspin after his unbeaten 40 against Lions. “I decided to not play in the ‘V’. I know it sounds stupid to not to play in the ‘V’ but that’s how it is now.”Although his problems against legspin weren’t accentuated before this season, Rohit’s numbers are well below his average. Excluding the first year of the IPL, his highest strike-rate against legspin was 133.33 in 2012.

Year Inns Runs Bf Dis SR Ave2008 8 68 45 1 151.11 68.002009 9 53 45 3 117.78 17.672010 6 44 40 0 110.002011 6 31 41 3 75.61 10.332012 5 44 33 0 133.332013 9 52 52 2 100.00 26.002014 8 29 31 1 93.55 29.002015 11 78 65 2 120.00 39.002016 7 45 41 1 109.76 45.002017 6 28 30 5 93.33 5.60What are his options then? The simple solution is opening the batting. Rohit does it for India in T20Is and has also opened for Mumbai in previous seasons. But that could displace the relatively successful pair of Jos Buttler and Parthiv Patel. Rohit had said batting himself at No. 4 improves the balance of the side and also opens up the possibility of him finishing games.If he replaces Parthiv, that would mean either Buttler taking the gloves – which he does for England – or not making full use of Parthiv’s potential in utilising the Powerplay. After the Powerplay in the IPL, Parthiv averages just 20.36 with a strike rate of 119.16. In T20 terms, that equates to an inefficient use of resources.However, pushing Buttler down the order wouldn’t affect Mumbai’s top order much, nor would it disrupt their balance. He has played 52 of his 53 T20I innings in the middle order, with a strike rate of 139.20. Buttler has played the finishing role for England for his whole international career, save one innings. Rohit has batted in the top order for the majority of his. A simple swap makes all the sense in the T20 world, efficient utilisation of resources and all. Despite their success this season, are Mumbai willing to alter their winning style?

After two months away from the game, Alastair Cook is back in action with Essex and facing up to the post-captaincy chapter of his England career

George Dobell03-Apr-20172:21

Cook ready for next phase

Whatever Alastair Cook was meant to be doing with a cricket net – erecting it, presumably – at Copdock Cricket Club, there was a while when it seemed to be getting the better of him.Thrashing around like a recently caught salmon, Cook’s contribution to the NatWest Cricket Force event turned out to be more about boosting morale than adding practical assistance. As he abandoned the net and attempted to paint the new score-box, the thought occurred that a post-cricket career in DIY seems unlikely.But perhaps such a moment serves as a useful metaphor for a man in search of a new role? On his first official outing since resigning the captaincy, Cook admitted that the transition from key man to last year’s man had not been entirely comfortable. It’s not that he regrets his decision – he still feels it was right for him and the team – but he knows he will never have a better job and there is, undoubtedly, a sense of loss.It would be easy to portray Cook as a man from a different era. While the rest of the world has decided impatience is a virtue, Cook is still waiting for the ball he can nudge off his hips. While it seems some are more interested in travelling in style than arriving safely, Cook is still proceeding cautiously. While the new generation amaze us with the shots they can play, Cook is still making a living from the balls he leaves.And yet, he’s only 32. And, in a side whose problems of late have been less about scoring too slowly as being dismissed too quickly, he has qualities that remain of value. While neither of his most significant immediate predecessors – Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss – returned to the side once they had given up the captaincy, Cook’s story is far from over. Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed have offered promise in their brief opportunities, but the procession of opening partners Cook has had in recent years underlines his enduring value to the Test team. He may have lived the first line of his obituary, but he still has an important role for England.Alastair Cook helps out at Copdock Cricket Club for NatWest Cricket Force•Getty Images”It has good days and bad days,” Cook says of the decision to resign the captaincy. “It’s such a big thing to give away.”I don’t like the word ‘relief’. A lot of people have said it, but it hasn’t felt like that. I don’t know why.”I won’t miss going into all the extra press conferences. But being at the centre of it, being involved in a lot of decision-making, was the excitement of the job. Not doing that any more, will probably take a while to get used to.”Ultimately I know it was the right decision for myself and the team but that doesn’t make it any easier. It has been time to move on as a person and a player.”A period away from the game – he did not, he says, pick up a bat for two months following the India tour – has given him time, not just to recover his enthusiasm for it, but reflect on his period as captain and cricket’s apparently diminishing place in the public consciousness. And while he is amused by the much-quoted statistic that suggests he was less recognisable to young people in England and Wales than the wrestler John Cena, he also acknowledges its significance.”My best mate sent it to me and said ‘don’t worry, he’s a legend’,” Cook says. “It made me laugh in one sense.”But it’s probably a realisation of where cricket is in this county. There’s a lot of work to be done. It shows we can’t take this great game for granted. We – everyone – has to work hard so that it is looked after for the next generation.”Cook became aware of cricket’s problem during the 2013 Ashes. While there had been a time when an Ashes win was worthy of open-top bus rides and MBEs all round, the success of 2013 was met, if not with ambivalence, then certainly not the enthusiasm of a few years previously. As a result, it was decided his team would attempt to engage more with supporters and the realisation dawned that, for all the money gained from subscription TV, the value of free to air could not be overstated.”That 2013 series was quite an interesting one in terms of the fact we did win and it didn’t really capture people’s imagination,” Cook says. “Whether people had taken success against Australia for granted, or it was expected that we would beat that team, I don’t know.”For whatever reason, it didn’t [capture the public imagination]. That asked a few questions to everyone. Is it about winning? Is it about entertaining? Ultimately it’s about both. As professional sportsmen, you’re there to win games of cricket. You’re judged on how well you do: did you score runs and win? The balance is: are people coming to watch you play?”We did certain things to be more approachable. We had more interaction with the public. We saw that responsibility from 2013. We saw we needed to do that. Peter Moores started that in 2014 and it’s been taken on more and more. The players have been brilliant at doing that. It helps with the kind of cricketers we have. You’ve seen when we’ve won certain games, we signed autographs for an hour and a half. Players have realised that is very important to the game and to their job and the future of cricket.”Sky have been unbelievable supporters of England cricket and done a lot to financially secure the game. But it would be great if we can get it [the new-team T20 competition] on terrestrial TV. I’d love to see a Test on terrestrial TV again. It can only help.”England’s Ashes victory in 2013 failed to capture the public’s imagination•PA PhotosHe never, he says, felt obliged to change his style of game – or his style of captaincy – to embrace the modern fashion for more aggressive cricket. And while you sense there is still some frustration at the perception of his ODI side – they were, for a while, ranked No. 1 in the world and went close to securing that first global ODI trophy – time has helped him accept its flaws, too.”We should have won that game,” he says, referring to the Champions Trophy final of 2013. “If it was a 50-over game I think we would have won quite easily. We were playing some really good one-day cricket.”Would it have changed how my one-day captaincy was looked at? Absolutely. If you’ve won a major trophy, yes.”But should’ve, could’ve. Ultimately we didn’t win a major trophy. And the game changed very quickly with the changes to the laws, and we were very slow to adapt. I have to take a lot of responsibility as I was captain.”Cook will return to List A cricket this summer – his most recent List A game was in December 2014, just before he was sacked as ODI captain and dropped as a player – but he is realistic enough to know there will be no England recall. “The side is looking for different players than what I can deliver,” he says. There is unlikely to be a T20 return simply because England’s Test schedule would appear to prohibit it, but he is an advocate of the new-team competition: “it’s certainly something the ECB should try,” he says.But he is back in the nets with Gary Palmer, the freelance batting coach he uses, and he is still looking for ways to improve. With a more open technique, he is said to be hitting the ball better than for some time – he made a pre-season century against Middlesex – and has rediscovered his enthusiasm for a game that, by the end of the India tour, looked as if it had become a bit of a trial.”It’s the next phase of my career,” he says. “I’ve really enjoyed playing for Essex in pre-season and that’s the most important thing. I’m refreshed and raring to go. It’s time to move on.”Alastair Cook was speaking during NatWest CricketForce at Copdock CC. Now in its 17th year, NatWest CricketForce has grown into one of the largest sports volunteering initiatives in the UK, with over 2,200 local clubs registering this year. Find out more at natwest.com/cricket

After being pummeled for 1462 runs in three innings, the hosts, led by two rookie left-arm spinners, were sublimely adequate for most of the first day in Pallekele

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele12-Aug-20171:43

Maharoof: Tremendous fightback from Sri Lanka

As with life, or lovers in , the emotions cricket elicits from us are relative.Take the India side. They are not, in normal circumstances, the least demonstrative bunch of men. When a wicket falls, Virat Kohli often races around the field fists clenched and vocal chords atremor, like he is being pursued by a machete murderer. Some of Hardik Pandya’s celebrations are of such epic blockbuster quality, it seems a shame there is not helicopter crashing in the background, or CGI laser lights shooting from his orifices.In this series, however, so dominant have India been, that they have largely found no reason to exult. Kohli has been more zen than zealot, barely working up an aggressive gesture since the second day in Galle. When Pandya took a catch at square leg at the SSC, he was so subdued he passed the ball to the umpire like he was discarding rotten fruit. At times, India have almost seemed embarrassed at how easily their success has come. Oh what? Another hundred? Good for the stats I guess. Do I want it on Blu-Ray? No, I think I’ll just read the ball-by-ball commentary if I need to. Kumara to Dhawan, short, wide, FOUR.The hosts, meanwhile, have just been plain embarrassed. Their fans have been so traumatised, it seems a serious oversight that the broadcast of certain sessions from Galle and Colombo were not preceded by the disclaimer: “Trigger warning for Sri Lankan cricket supporters”. Sri Lanka gave away fifties with rare freedom, and India merrily plundered 1462 runs in three innings. All those runs had come at a combined rate of over four.But day one of the third Test was unlike day one of the first Test (End of day score: India 399 for 3), or day one of the second Test (End of day score: India 344 for 3). Sri Lanka were lavishly pummeled at points of it of course. Lahiru Kumara’s pitch map in his first two spells looked like ants escaping a flooding colony.But still, following the early pummeling were one-and-a-half sessions of glorious competence. After hemorrhaging runs at a rate of 4.69 through the first 45 overs, they were sublimely adequate for most of the remaining 51.The bowling of Malinda Pushpakumara was perhaps the most exquisitely satisfactory pleasure. For perhaps the first time in the series, a Sri Lanka bowler other than Rangana Herath bowled full spells with – try to keep your eyes from leaping out of their sockets – an element of discipline and control. His lines were astoundingly decent throughout the day, and even when he was attacked, at points, he continued to flight the ball, like he was a solid international quality spinner. With him at the bowling crease there was a gnawing hope: maybe in this Test, the close fielders would get more of a workout than the boundary boys.In support of Pushpakumara was Lakshan Sandakan, a Sri Lanka spinner who – you may die of cardiac arrest when you read this – actually spun the ball. His end-of-day figures are 2 for 84, but still, there was a resplendently passable dip and rip to his deliveries, and at times some completely unobjectionable bounce. Remember that 2008 series, when Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis completely puzzled India batsmen, like they were sending down sudokus instead of balls? Well, Sandakan wasn’t anywhere near as good as that, but he did deceive most of India’s top order with his googly. Out of all Sri Lanka’s bowlers, he was played-and-missed at the most as well.At the end of the day, Dhawan even showered these two bowlers with mild praise, bestowing such faint compliments as: “The chinaman bowler is very nice. He was turning the odd ball a lot,” or “The left-arm bowler is also good. He took wickets today.” Sri Lanka’s players have had these kinds of patronising plaudits from India players right through the tour, but the difference is that this time, the mild praise was earned. Sri Lanka took six whole wickets in the day, and only two catches were put down. That Dhawan hadn’t bothered learning the bowlers’ names was mere detail – it was more than enough that he had registered them as human beings who could potentially get him out.With Wriddhiman Saha and Hardik Pandya at the crease India may still make more than 400 – a total higher than any Sri Lanka has managed in this series so far. And who knows what Sri Lanka have in store for us tomorrow. Even now, you shudder to think. But at least on day one, there was cricket that, if you are a Sri Lanka fan, did not make you want to throw yourself in the nearest well.It was more or less magnificent.

From Afridi pinning Sehwag for a first-ball duck to the presence of The Great Khali, the inaugural edition of the T10 League had it all. Paul Radley dissects the four-day tournament

Paul Radley18-Dec-2017Given the combination of nuclear batting and rampant commerce, watching the first T10 League felt a little like tuning in to the shopping channel to watch a home-run derby. Dot balls were sponsored. Sixes and fours were so passe, they were grouped together by another advertiser under the prosaic heading of . There were stilt-walkers, acrobats, and dancers in zorbs. Pakistan’s former president Pervez Musharraf came along to watch. Shahid Afridi took a hat-trick with the first three balls he bowled. A 16-year-old from Afghanistan got the England limited-overs captain out. And a street-cricketer from the UAE broke Afridi’s middle-stump into two pieces. What was not to like about the first 10-over cricket tournament in professional cricket?1. “Full house, thank you Sharjah fans”‘Build it, and they will come,’ might as well be a UAE mantra. It was how the Sharjah Cricket Stadium came into being in the first place. But one of the myriad unknowables ahead of this tournament was, of course, would anyone actually turn up to watch?There were plenty of reasons to be sceptical. Surely 10-overs is too short, and too daft? Double-headers are often a tough sell, so how could they realistically expect people to sit through four matches in a row, with the late games finishing at 1 am? And why would anyone feel an affinity to any of the six artificial constructs they were supposed to be coming to support?Unfounded fears, it turns out. Around 12,600 spectators went through the turnstiles on the first day, a Thursday evening, so not far off the 15,200 capacity. On Friday it was a sell-out, and the same was the case on Sunday’s finals night, which is basically unheard of on a work night in the UAE. As proof of concepts go, it was quite the endorsement.2. The Great KhaliAmong the many sponsors of the T10 League was , and the broadcasts sometimes felt as much like flicking through the pages of a glossy magazine as they did watching a cricket competition. The franchises flew in a range of celebrities to support their teams. Among them was perhaps the biggest star ever to attend a cricket match. Dalip Singh Rana is not exactly a household name. Even by his stage name, The Great Khali, he is a bit niche. And yet they don’t come much bigger than the 7ft 1in, 157 kg former WWE wrestler and one-time Hollywood actor. The people who had tickets in the “Celebrity Stand” had to pay Dh500 (approx $135) for the privilege, which was the top price for admission. Those who sat behind him might have been disappointed to get restricted-view seats.3. First round hat-tricksWhen the Pakistan Super League launched in Dubai in 2016, it was given immediate impetus when Mohammed Amir took a hat-trick on the opening weekend for Karachi Kings. For Amir and the PSL, read Afridi in T10.This tournament might as well have been invented for Afridi, right down to the fact the he wears number 10 on the back of his shirt. Somehow, given the complete lack of merchandise stores, the streets surrounding Sharjah Stadium ahead of the first game were awash with thousands of people wearing yellow replica Pakhtoon shirts with his name and number. He did not disappoint and neither were his hat-trick victims any old players. Rilee Rossouw, who ended the tournament with the best strike-rate of any of the leading run-scorers, went first. Then Dwayne Bravo. And then Virender Sehwag, just for good measure.4. Mujeeb trumps MorganSehwag hadn’t played since the Masters Champions League in the UAE nearly two years earlier. He looked rusty at best. After his golden duck against Afridi, he did not bat at in the next game, and then the nominal captain of Maratha Arabians sat the rest of the tournament out with a bad back.It was not a wholly wasted trip for him, though. The Kings XI Punjab mentor left saying he had spotted a few potential bargains for the next IPL auction. He said some little known players from UAE and Afghanistan had caught his eye. Maybe the one who furthered his case for recognition the most was Mujeeb Zadran, the 16-year-old mystery spinner from Afghanistan. Mujeeb, who was a late recruit for Bengal Tigers the week before the tournament, outfoxed Eoin Morgan with what appeared to be a variation of a carrom ball.5. Last-over finishesT20 cricket was ushered in 14 years ago with the idea of maximising the prospects of having a nail-biting, last-over finish. Logic suggests that the shorter the format, the more likely that is to happen. And yet they were surprisingly infrequent. The T10 League took till the fourth match for a tense, final-over finish, when Rossouw took Maratha Arabians to a win with a last-ball six.Even when a brief rain-shower reduced the Kerala Kings run chase on Saturday against Team Sri Lanka Cricket to eight overs on DLS, they still won with nearly two to spare. Kieron Pollard smacked 40 not out in 12 balls to chase a revised target of 92. The same went in the final. Punjabi Legends might have hoped their 120 for 3 might at least challenge Kerala Kings. Not so. The savagery of Paul Stirling and Morgan, who put on 113 between them in 41 balls, meant they chased it with two overs to spare.6. So what is a good total in T10?Halving the average T20 score at Sharjah Cricket Stadium works out at about 72. That proved an abysmal gauge for the first T10 competition. No team made a score lower than the 84 for 7 that TSLC posted against Pakhtoons. The top score was 132 for 1, by Punjabi Legends, while most agreed around 120 was challenging.”It is a huge benefit winning the toss and bowling,” said Morgan, the winning captain with Kerala Kings. “You can come unstuck batting first and trying to get too many.”Rossouw said of his method: “I tried to go from ball two – so no real pacing. It is see ball, hit ball. You can’t let [wickets falling] upset you, you just have to carry on with your momentum. If it is [in] your arc, you have got to go for it, you can’t sit back for an over. You have to keep on going.”7. Overworked RamizSuch is the frenzy of a day, night, whatever, at T10, it is hard to know whether you are coming or going most of the time.Ramiz Raja, perhaps more than anybody else, will have been glad to have had his director on point, and nudging him exactly where he needed to go.With such a brief turnaround between matches, Ramiz had to go from interviewing the captains at the toss for the next game, straight to conducting the post-match ceremony of the previous one. It goes without saying, rarely was there a hair out of place, but he was occasionally terse. After the match when Afridi took a hat-trick, the recipients of the various post-match awards were proving difficult to herd. “Just stand there and concentrate,” Ramiz ordered Afridi.8. The Indian questionA team bearing the name Kerala won the tournament, but their relation to India was tenuous. They were led by an Irishman who captains England, while their star players were drawn from West Indies, Ireland and Pakistan. Even the franchise owner, Hussein Adam Ali, a perfume tycoon, is from Yemen.The only Indian player anywhere in the league was Sehwag, the Maratha Arabians captain, who in fact tried his best to not be spotted for most of it. It is unquestionable that the tournament would have a far bigger pull with more Indians playing. But Sehwag said anyone who did want to make the trip would have to take the sort of measures that led him to playing in the MCL in 2016. “Players can retire and then play this T10 League,” he said on the prospects of getting his compatriots involved.9. The UAE questionIndia-born Shaji Ul Mulk and Pakistan-born Salman Iqbal, the co-founders of the T10 League, are both long-term residents of the UAE. It was their stipulation that there be at least two UAE players per playing squad – in all but the Sri Lankan franchise – with at least one guaranteed starter in the playing XI. Next year, the quota will be expanded to four per squad – with an extra two teams set to join, too – with two in every starting line up.A noble intention, granted, but the captains might need some encouragement to get with the programme. Of the five UAE players who had game time, Ghulam Shabber and Saqlain Haider did not get to bat. Rohan Mustafa, the UAE captain, made it to the crease in time to face just one ball, as he was batted at No. 7 – admittedly in a highly-destructive Kerala batting line up. When he did, he hit the winning runs in the semi-final.Two bowlers did at least get a decent chance, Zahoor Khan for Maratha Arabians and Mohammad Naveed for Bengal Tigers. Naveed enjoyed the most luminous moment of all, when he snapped Afridi’s middle stump in two with a perfect yorker.10. What next?Does the T10 format have a future? The attendances suggest it has a chance, while the testimonies of players of experience and wisdom support that. Morgan reiterated his belief after the final that it is the format fit for the Olympics, while Stirling hopes the league is here to stay.”It is quite exciting, especially for the new audience, people who are new to the game of cricket,” said Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain of the losing finalists Punjabi Legends. “It is definitely going to attract them because it is more exciting, and there are thrills throughout 90 minute. To attract new people to this game, this is the way to go.”Sehwag agreed. “It is always good to come back to Sharjah and play some games, this format is perfect for the crowd,” he said. “I think T10 is the way forward, I can say that. If ICC thinks that, and they want to take cricket to the Olympics, I think this is the format for that.”

With a record number of England players taking part in this year’s IPL, we pick five who could make a big impact

Alan Gardner05-Apr-20185:36

New England players are more interested in T20s – Swann

Ben Stokes Rajasthan Royals
Last year’s Most Valuable Player, Stokes was back in the auction pot due to his team, Rising Pune Supergiant, not being involved. The returning Royals – one of the suspended franchises that Supergiant had replaced for two seasons – duly coughed up GBP1.37m (USD1.95m) for his services this time around, despite the uncertainty around his availability because of court proceedings in the UK. With his trial for affray pushed back to August, Stokes should now be available for most of the group stage (he will be due back in England on May 17 if named in the Test squad to face Pakistan), and will be aiming to live up to his hefty price tag with another campaign marked by aggressive hitting, canny bowling and spectacular fielding.Jos Buttler Rajasthan Royals
Royals are likely to field two of England’s most blockbuster talents in their starting XI, after signing Buttler for GBP480,000 (USD680,000). When the ECB began to relent in its opposition to the IPL – which encroaches on the English season – a couple of years ago, Buttler was among the first to blaze a trail, with Mumbai Indians. His two seasons in Mumbai blue were a qualified success (average: 25.09; strike rate: 145.98), although perhaps his most memorable contribution to their 2017 title win was dropping his towel while filming an Instagram video celebrating the moment of victory (Buttler’s involvement was curtailed by England obligations). Has spent the winter widening his experience of T20 leagues around the world, with stints in Australia’s Big Bash and the Bangladesh Premier League.Alex Hales Sunrisers Hyderabad
Hales is one of the beneficiaries of the ball-tampering scandal that erupted last week, brought in by Sunrisers as a replacement for David Warner after the Australian was barred from this year’s IPL. Despite initially missing out on selection at the auction in January, Hales decided to sign a white-ball only contract with his county, Nottinghamshire, in order to focus on the shorter formats; he was then selected from the reserve list to fill the hole in Sunrisers’ line-up, although he has big shoes to fill – Warner captained the franchise to the title in 2016 and was the tournament’s leading run-scorer last year. Hales went to the IPL in 2015, as an injury replacement for Mumbai, but did not play a game.Chris Woakes in his delivery stride•BCCIChris Woakes Royal Challengers Bangalore
Although his GBP500,000 (USD700,000) signing by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017 was slightly less eye-catching, in comparison to stratospheric deals for the likes of Stokes and Tymal Mills, Woakes enjoyed a quietly productive debut season in the competition. The allrounder finished joint-sixth on the wicket-takers’ list, with 17 in 13 matches alongside an economy rate of 8.77, despite often bowling at the death. He has since credited playing with the expectation placed on overseas players at the IPL as a factor in his development as England’s attack leader in white-ball cricket, and despite not being retained by KKR for 2018, his price was pushed up through the million-dollar barrier by Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are seeking their first title after several near-misses.Mark Wood Chennai Super Kings
A raw quick with a reputation for larking about, Wood could be the joker in the pack when it comes to England’s representatives at the IPL. Picked up on the cheap (by IPL standards) for GBP164,000 (USD234,000) in this year’s auction, Wood will be joining another of the returning franchises and one of the competition’s iconic names: CSK have twice been champions, four times runners-up and never failed to qualify from the group stage. The injury-prone Wood has only played 18 T20 games in his entire career, but provided a glimpse of what he is capable of when taking 4 for 25 – which included yorking Jonny Bairstow and giving Joe Root a fearful working-over – during the 2016 NatWest Blast semi-final.Other England players involved: Jason Roy (Delhi Daredevils); Moeen Ali (Royal Challengers Bangalore); Sam Billings (Chennai Super Kings); Chris Jordan (Sunrisers Hyderabad); Tom Curran (Kolkata Knight Riders); Liam Plunkett (Delhi Daredevils)

Reactions to Chennai Super Kings becoming champions of IPL 2018

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2018

Cannot express my feelings! It's been a wonderful season for us & a fitting finish by @ShaneRWatson33. A well constructed innings from him today & inspiring captaincy from @msdhoni right from game one takes us to our 3rd title.A big thank you to all our supporters#WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/lZfWqUWi9j

— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) May 27, 2018

Very proud of the way @SunRisers played in this IPL, I thank each and every member of the @SunRisers family for their efforts and support. Absolutely brilliant knock from Shane Watson and many congratulations to @ChennaiIPL on a well-deserved victory #IPLfinal2018

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) 27 May 2018

Congratulations Chennai Superkings on becoming deserving champions of the biggest T20 tournament in the world. Brilliant throughout the tournament and the wonderful people from Chennai and whole of TN deserve this @ChennaiIPL . #IPL2018Final

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) 27 May 2018

It’s been a wonderful journey, very proud of the way @SunRisers played all year. Tonight we lost to a remarkable innings from @ShaneRWatson33 , credit when it’s due! #OrangeArmy

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) May 27, 2018

Congratulations to @ChennaiIPL for winning the @IPL. Dominant performance by them and also well done to @SunRisers for a wonderful season.

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) 27 May 2018

Well done, @ChennaiIPL. A great display of quality cricket. Certainly the most consistent side of the tournament. A special knock from @ShaneRWatson33 in a crucial game which saw them through. #CSKvSRH #IPL2018Final pic.twitter.com/HhuaQJPbEF

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 27, 2018

Seriously good knock by @ShaneRWatson33 well done mate simply amazing to watch. Not the result @SunRisers wanted but you have to pat yourselves on the back and say well done for the way you played throughout the tournament

— David Warner (@davidwarner31) May 27, 2018

Congrats to @ChennaiIPL for this years @IPL success. This has to be one of the most amazing comeback results in our sport. Quite remarkable! Special mention to @ShaneRWatson33 who has been on some journey to be standing where he has today. Enjoy!

— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) 27 May 2018

Congratulations to @msdhoni and @ChennaiIPL for winning the 2018 @IPL the two best teams got the finals but the best team won.

— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) 27 May 2018

Well done @ChennaiIPL, #vivoipl2018 champions once again. The fire and the yellow-army burn as bright as ever in MS Dhoni and his men. Well played again @DJBravo47 #CHAMPION

— ian bishop (@irbishi) 27 May 2018

Can’t see any other captain pulling off a title win like this with the limitations CSK had. It had to be Dhoni to do it.#VIVOIPL2018 #CSK

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) 27 May 2018

So happy for @ShaneRWatson33 on his special performance in the @IPL final! What a season he’s had! Weldone to @ChennaiIPL and @SPFleming7 on a brilliant comeback year

— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) May 27, 2018

Wrong side of 30s is the right side of experience…#CSK has pulled off one of the most sensational season victories. From start to finish. Different heroes. Well done #WhistlePodu #IPL

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 27 May 2018

Big players perform in big moments. @ShaneRWatson33 that was memorable! #IPL2018Finals #CSKvSRH

— Grant Elliott (@grantelliottnz) May 27, 2018

Two of England’s most attacking batsmen showed a different side to their game which should be a template to take forward for a faltering top order

George Dobell at Trent Bridge21-Aug-2018For a while on Tuesday afternoon in Nottingham, it was possible to believe that all was golden in the world of England cricket.Yes, it was a consolation goal. But, as Jos Buttler gave the strongest evidence yet that he can flourish as a Test player and Ben Stokes demonstrated the technique and temperament that this side have so lacked in recent times, it was just about possible to believe England could combine the application and flair that could render them both entertaining and successful.It wasn’t to last, of course. And the damage was too deep to be repaired. England still have serious problems in developing fast bowlers, spinners and batsmen with an attention span longer than a forgetful goldfish. They are, in many ways, in a fearful mess.But, just for a while, as two of England’s more exciting talents combined to produce the largest fourth-innings, fifth-wicket partnership in their Test history, it was possible to see some way out of the mess. It was possible to imagine a day when the talent was harnessed and optimised.There was a lovely moment at the end of Buttler’s innings at Trent Bridge when Virat Kohli, the India captain, ran up to congratulate him.For one thing, it was a reminder of the improved relations between these sides. They reached a new low in the Test at this ground four years ago after an alleged altercation between James Anderson and Ravi Jadeja; an affair that dragged out for so long it should have become known as Jadeja-vu. Perhaps Kohli’s gesture was also a reminder of the value of the IPL – many of these players have far greater empathy for one another having mixed during that tournament – and the fact that players do not have to abuse each other to play tough cricket.Most pertinently, however, it was, perhaps, a sign that Kohli, for all his competitive qualities, recognises something special in Buttler. And that he recognised how tough the struggle had become and how significant this innings could turn out to be. On a level – the level of the simple cricket lover rather than the deeply competitive opposition captain – you imagine Kohli was even quite pleased for him.There was a similar reaction from Stokes. Not only did he celebrate Buttler’s century with as much emotion as he might his own but, when his partner was in the 90s, he twice gave him stern talks (and even a couple of friendly punches to the chest; nothing to worry about this time) in urging him to make his hard work count.Because Buttler needed this innings. Kohli knew it, Stokes knew it and Buttler knew it, too. He was 23 Tests into a career that hadn’t brought a century and, in this series, he was averaging 8.33. He really does enjoy the confidence and belief of the England management but you wonder if his own confidence was starting to ebb.But in registering his maiden Test century – and his first century in first-class cricket for 50 months – Buttler may well have made an important psychological breakthrough. He may have proved to himself, as much as anyone else, that he can prosper at this level. And, in leaving 24 percent of the deliveries he received (the highest percentage in England’s last 30 Test centuries, according to CricViz), he showed that he was learning one of the great truisms of first-class batting: the shots you don’t play are every bit as important as those you do.1:30

Harmison: Buttler and Stokes showed perfect approach for Test cricket

It was not flawless. He was dropped on 1 and might, had Kohli posted a gully or third slip, have perished on another couple of occasions. It would be disingenuous to pretend he has suddenly answered all the technical questions he faced; there will, no doubt, be tricky days in the future. But Kohli, too, has benefited from reprieves on the way to centuries this series. It doesn’t invalidate all the success. It doesn’t invalidate the concentration, the range of strokes or the discipline that was apparent in this innings.The old-timers used to say it was competence that breeds success. But perhaps it can work the other way, too. Buttler has never really proved himself in first-class cricket the way players of an earlier generation were obliged to, but he has demonstrated great talent on the international stage and, so long as his mind isn’t plagued by doubt, perhaps he can translate it to the Test game. This innings went along way to doing so.Stokes, too, can look back on his half-century with some satisfaction. He may have the reputation as something of a blaster – of this side only Stuart Broad has a higher batting strike-rate in Test cricket – but here he demonstrated the other side of the game. The responsible side. The patient side.None of his colleagues left so well, defended so compactly or demonstrated so much restraint. And that, in particular, is not a word you see associated with Stokes that often. Technically and temperamentally, this was an excellent innings.You suspect Stokes felt he owed his side this performance. While he may well genuinely feel he did little wrong during the two minutes or so that was the focus of the court case – the jury accepted his explanation that he felt compelled to use force to protect himself and others – you suspect he knows, on a level, that he probably shouldn’t have been hanging around outside shut nightclubs in the early hours of the morning.And even if he doesn’t accept that, you suspect he regrets the attention he has heaped on his team-mates. He knows that much of the attention they attracted in Australia – the Jonny Bairstow ‘head-butt’ nonsense; the Ben Duckett debacle; the curfews and talk of a drinking culture – stemmed back to that night in Bristol. Life became more complicated for all of them.Stokes is not an especially eloquent fellow and you suspect that his desire – his desperation, even – to contribute to this team had resulted in a slightly underwhelming return to the side. But, presented with an almost hopeless position, he showed the rest of England’s batsmen how these bowlers and these conditions could be combatted. Not by counter-attacking, but by compact defence, unerring concentration and a determination to sell his wicket as dearly as possible. It was arguably as good a technical innings as this match has seen.None of this is intended to distract attention from what has been on the whole, a dismal performance. Buttler’s century was, after all, the first by a member of England’s top six in any of the eight Tests they’ve played this year. There’s still no evidence of anyone improving in this environment and, while it may make sense for one of the selectors to watch the game on the basis that it helps them assess the mental state of players, it seems excessive that all three (Trevor Bayliss, Ed Smith and James Taylor) should be at Trent Bridge rather than assessing the mental – and physical – state of players in county cricket.So, make no mistake, England have been thrashed. One good partnership doesn’t make it all right. But it tends to be best if the autopsy waits until the patient has died.