There are concerns elsewhere too: in taking on quality spin, and in assembling a solid pace attack if Shaheen Afridi isn’t good to go

Shashank Kishore13-Sep-2022The Babar-Rizwan conundrum
We have talked about this before. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have scored over 60% of Pakistan’s runs in all T20Is since the start of last year’s T20 World Cup and have been, over the last two years, a wildly prolific pair. But, like in the semi-final loss at the T20 World Cup last year, the Asia Cup has made it clear there’s merit in trying to break them up.Related

• Shaheen Afridi completes rehab for knee injury, to join Pakistan squad in Brisbane on October 15

• Fakhar Zaman out of T20 World Cup squad with knee injury, Shan Masood called up

• Naseem Shah, the wunderkind who conquered Sharjah

• Saqlain firm in 'faith, trust and belief' in Rizwan and Babar

• Asia Cup XI – Power up top, all-round options, fire with the ball

Rizwan top-scored at the Asia Cup, but he struck at just 117.57. There’s a growing chorus over how his approach might not be the most optimal for Pakistan. Where middling targets haven’t been that much of a problem – their World Cup game against India last year being a prime example – bigger targets have magnified their issue with strike rates.In the Asia Cup final, for example, Rizwan played 22 deliveries in the powerplay while striking at 72.72 – in a chase of 170. Iftikhar Ahmed’s 31-ball 32 sucked the air out of that chase as well and by the time Rizwan was dismissed for a 49-ball 55, the pair had left Pakistan with a few too many to get – 61 off 23.Babar, meanwhile, has just one half-century in seven T20I innings this year. That half-century was in a losing cause against Australia, where Pakistan collapsed around his 46-ball 66 and finished with a below-par total that was chased down comfortably. Questions about his striking in the powerplay have lingered for far longer than has been the case with Rizwan.For a pair, their run rate is the second-lowest among all Full Members, behind Danushka Gunathilaka and Pathum Nissanka. In 13 games, they have scored 401 runs at a strike rate of 122.27. On the face of it, it’s not too bad, but it has invariably put a lot of pressure on the middle order.2:59

Is middle-order batting Pakistan’s Achilles’ heel?

Given Pakistan play seven T20Is at home against England and a tri-series with New Zealand and Bangladesh, in New Zealand, in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, they could yet change the opening pair: one of the moves could be to have Fakhar Zaman open the batting, and one of Rizwan or Babar drop down the order.”I think they should [separate Babar and Rizwan],” Mickey Arthur, their former coach, said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out programme during the Asia Cup. “Fakhar hits the ball in different areas, it frustrates the bowlers a little bit. It is the different angles, you’ve got a left-hand and a right-hand. So, spread Babar and Rizwan and you put Fakhar Zaman back at the top.”More power for the middle
As things stand, because teams know the openers occupy the crease for a good length of time and score the bulk of the runs, there isn’t a lot below the top three, even though the middle order has typically scored their runs quickly enough.But there is a larger problem there – against spin.Versus Afghanistan, Pakistan’s move to promote Shadab Khan to No. 5 [with good effect] was largely to shield Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah from Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. In the Super 4s game against India, Ravi Bishnoi kept them quiet in the death overs. And if it wasn’t for Asif’s reprieve – after top-edging a slog off Yuzvendra Chahal – who knows how that game could have turned out? Such luck may not come their way all the time.Khushdil’s record at No. 4 across T20s is impressive, striking at 146 at an average of 27. But the disparity between his domestic T20 record [strike rate 138, average nearly 29] and his international one [strike rate 110, average 20] is vast and over an increasing sample size. He also has struggled against spin.Shan Masood is more comfortable as an anchor, but has reinvented himself in T20 cricket of late•Getty ImagesIn fact, Shadab’s record at No. 4 is stellar enough to wonder why he has never played there for Pakistan. In 19 innings, he’s averaging over 28 at a strike rate of nearly 160 . He was especially impressive for Islamabad United in the last PSL, until an injury disrupted his season.Other options include Haider Ali, who could be elevated from the bench, where he spent the whole of the Asia Cup. However, he hasn’t featured in any T20I since December last year. Having travelled with the national team, he has also missed out on any form of game time in the shortest format since March.Another option gaining traction among observers of Pakistan cricket is Shan Masood, who has been in the form of his life. Though uncapped in T20Is, Masood, the tall left-handed opener, has amassed 1257 runs in the format in 2022, striking at 136.68. He set tongues wagging at the Vitality Blast, where he was the fifth-highest run-scorer with 547 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 139.89 for Derbyshire.However, in the ongoing National T20 Cup, he is batting in the middle order, seemingly in a bid to make the T20 World Cup squad. But, like Rizwan and Babar, Masood is primarily an anchor. This may not work in the middle order, but the plethora of games in the lead-up could give him an opportunity to present a case for making the first XI in Australia.The real outside shots are Sharjeel Khan and Azam Khan, the latter currently playing in the CPL for Barbados Royals in the middle order.Sharjeel hasn’t featured in T20Is for over a year now, while Azam’s selection eligibility – given he has obtained a no-objection certificate from the PCB to play in the CPL rather than in the National T20 Cup – is unclear. On Monday, opening for Sindh, Sharjeel struck an unbeaten 62-ball 107 to help raze down Balochistan’s 158, with three overs to go. But, again, much of his success for Pakistan has been at the top.Pakistan would dearly love to have Shaheen Afridi back, and firing, at the T20 World Cup•ICC via GettyWhat happens if Afridi misses out?
Pakistan don’t have problems with their allrounders, with Shadab and Mohammad Nawaz certainties. But in the pace department, they are anxiously waiting on Shaheen Shah Afridi’s recovery from a knee injury.The nature and extent of that injury has only become clearer over time and Shaheen has now missed the Asia Cup and will likely sit out the seven T20Is against England as he undergoes treatment. If he returns, Pakistan have a gun pace attack with Shaheen, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, with all his BBL experience, being the top three pacers.If Shaheen misses out, Pakistan will be banking on one of Mohammad Hasnain, like they did at the Asia Cup, or Shahnawaz Dahani, who featured in just one game, against Hong Kong. If Mohammad Wasim doesn’t recover in time, it could mean Hasan Ali remains in the mix, even though he may have not played much cricket recently, leaving the back-up options a tad undercooked.Which is why drawing a balance between results and providing players opportunities against England will become all the more crucial.

A round-up of all the thrills and spills from the Trinidad leg of CPL 2022

Deivarayan Muthu19-Sep-2022Barbados Royals storm into the playoffs
After finishing rock-bottom in CPL 2021, Barbados Royals have scripted a remarkable turnaround by becoming the first team to advance to the playoffs this season. With a 29-run victory via DLS method against Guyana Amazon Warriors, Royals not only sealed a playoffs spot but also ensured they will finish top in the league stage and get two cracks at the final.Related

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CPL week one: Bravo's Patriots outplayed, Powell's class act, Hosein's injury scare

CPL 2022 week two: Unstoppable Royals, unconvincing Knight Riders

Evin Lewis returns to West Indies squad for T20 World Cup; Russell, Narine left out

However, Royals will be without their captain David Miller and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock for the final leg of the tournament in Guyana as the South Africa pair will head back home to prepare for a white-ball tour of India, which begins with the first T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on September 28.The only blemish in Royals’ otherwise incredibly successful run was their six-run defeat via DLS to Jamaica Tallawahs in Port-of-Spain. On the day, the usually rapid Kyle Mayers dawdled to 1 off 17 balls, and although de Kock (74 off 43 balls) and Miller (34 off 27) teed off thereafter, Royals could manage only 146 for 6.Seamers Jason Holder and Obed McCoy made a good fist of the defence, but a six from Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell in the 17th over put them ahead of the DLS par score and snapped Royals’ winning streak.No Tim David? No problem for Kings
Despite the absence of Tim David, who has now linked up with the Australia team in India, St Lucia Kings won both their games in the Trinidad leg. Adam Hose, David’s replacement, didn’t do much, but Kings’ seniors stepped up to brush aside Patriots and then edge Trinbago Knight Riders by one run.Against Patriots, on a challenging Tarouba track that slowed down as the game progressed, Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles were proactive enough to make use of the powerplay, helping Kings to 60 for 2 in that phase. In response, Patriots reached only 47 for 2 in the first six overs of their chase. David Wiese then delivered a double-wicket maiden and Kesrick Williams unfurled his slower variations as Patriots’ chase unravelled.In the last match of the Trinidad leg, du Plessis matched up Roston chase’s offspin with a left-hander-heavy TKR top order. Chase did his job, removing Leonardo Julien, Colin Munro and Nicholas Pooran cheaply. Despite late blows from Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, Kings prevailed, with Roshun Primus defending 21 off the final over to lift Kings to second on the points table.As for TKR, they are presently fourth, with only three wins in eight games, and having already lost USA quick Ali Khan to injury, they’ve been depleted further by Jayden Seales’ absence for the remainder of CPL 2022. According to Pollard, Seales has a “fitness issue” and has been replaced by England allrounder Samit Patel.Johnson Charles has continued his sparkling form after his selection for the T20 World Cup•CPL T20 via Getty ImagesHow have the WI players who made the T20 World Cup squad via the CPL fared?
Johnson Charles celebrated his call-up for the T20 World Cup with back-to-back half-centuries. He was particularly aggressive against elite spin, taking on Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein. During his 41-ball 61 against Patriots, Charles also surpassed Chris Gayle to become the second-highest run-getter in the history of the CPL.”He is someone who should’ve played more T20 cricket for West Indies,” Kings head coach Daren Sammy told the franchise’s YouTube channel. “He is going back to Australia; I remember the last time he was there he scored a brilliant hundred in Sydney [Melbourne] against Mitchell Johnson and co. He’s been very consistent and I’m quite happy to see him back into the line-up.”Raymon Reifer began the Trinidad leg with a scorching unbeaten 40 off 26 balls for Tallawahs but his form has cooled off since. He scored only 1 against Royals before bagging a duck against TKR. Since he is working his way back from a niggle sustained during the inaugural 6ixty, Reifer has bowled only sparingly this CPL. In all, he has bowled just 11 balls in the tournament so far.Player of the week
Holder claimed six wickets across three games in Trinidad, with his sparkling all-round effort against Amazon Warriors putting Royals in the playoffs. Holder was promoted to No.5, ahead of Azam Khan, who is also a spin-hitter, and captain Miller, and responded with an unbeaten 40 off 33 balls on a tough pitch in a rain-hit fixture. No other batter scored more than 20 runs in that game. Holder was not done yet: he tricked pinch-hitter Keemo Paul with a slower ball and came away with figures of 2-0-8-1. It was a week where Holder cemented his status as one of West Indies’ top allrounders in T20 cricket.

Which one of the spinning Sinclairs does it better? #CPL22 #CricketPlayedLouder #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/tHfmodSEve

— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 18, 2022

Celebration of the week
In only his second official T20 game, offspinner Junior Sinclair collected 2 for 12 in his four overs. After having Mayers hole out, Sinclair celebrated with a gravity-defying somersault, which reminded Caribbean fans of the other Sinclair’s – Kevin – signature celebration. Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home.

The Australia quick is expanding his skillset for flatter surfaces, but says “being consistent and bowling accurately is the key on any wicket”

Tristan Lavalette06-Dec-2022After a strong start to the Sheffield Shield season marked by menacing swing and unwavering accuracy, seamer Michael Neser could be forgiven for looking ahead to the middle of next year.That’s when, of course, Australia will tour the UK as they bid to win an away Ashes series for the first time since the middle of their golden era in 2001. It’s still some time away, with Australia in the early stages of a long Test haul before then, but the Queensland quick is widely tipped to be part of Australia’s touring squad if he can stay fit.Related

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• Wounded West Indies 'want to go one step further' after showing fight in Perth

With a strong wrist action, likened to former Australia paceman Ryan Harris, and having studied closely Jimmy Anderson, Neser’s expertise at conjuring movement – with the kookaburra or Dukes – makes him an irresistible option for traditionally bowler-friendly conditions in the UK.A couple of eyecatching seasons with English county Glamorgan have added to his case.”I’m not thinking about the Ashes,” a typically unflappable Neser told ESPNcricinfo ahead of being drafted into Australia’s squad for the second Test against West Indies as injury cover for Pat Cummins. “If I’m taking wickets for Glamorgan at the time then hopefully that will take care of business and I can make the squad, but it’s a long way off right now.”His selection into the Test squad, having recently spearheaded a strong Prime Minister’s XI attack against West Indies in Canberra, is instructive of his place in Australia’s congested pecking order of quicks. Outside their trio of Test frontliners, 32-year-old Neser has been on the fringes in recent years. His sole Test match was almost exactly 12 months ago against England in Adelaide, where he claimed two wickets including a debut scalp of Haseeb Hameed off his second delivery.With Australia’s selectors contemplating managing the Test workload of the quicks amid a brutal schedule, Neser could be given an opportunity although Scott Boland, following his heroics in the Ashes last summer, has moved to next in line. “It was really tough the last couple of years when I was part of extended squads and wasn’t able to play much,” Neser said. “That was the way it was because of Covid and you just had to get on with it. But I’m glad that big squads aren’t required right now.”Neser took the wicket of Haseeb Hameed with his second ball in Test cricket•Getty ImagesAfter a lengthy stint as a reserve following the Adelaide Test, Neser returned to the field lacking match hardness and was promptly ruled out of the tour of Pakistan earlier in the year with a side strain sustained during a Marsh Cup 50-over game.”It was devastating when I got the news and found out I would miss Pakistan,” Neser said. “I wasn’t quite bowling-fit at the time, so it was a tough setback but you just have to move on.”Emerging from the disappointment with the help of Queensland’s physio team, Neser crafted a rehabilitation routine to better help his body recover from the rigours of bowling. It mostly consists of daily stretching – something similar to yoga, he says – and he’s stuck by that ever since amid a gruelling return spanning the English County Championship and then the first half of the Australian domestic season.”I’ve had issues with my back and had some niggles over the years, so I’ve just been trying to be really disciplined with my rehab,” Neser said. “I feel like if I keep sticking to it then the body should hold up. I feel really fit and strong right now.”Burly and rugged, Neser looks like someone who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty and he’s certainly capable of producing indefatigable spells. Much like Glenn McGrath and Courtney Walsh, Neser is a bowler who prefers being wound up and let go.”The more I bowl, the better I feel,” he said. “I’m a bowler who really needs to play a lot of matches to get into bowling rhythm and feel good.”But Neser hasn’t generally needed to bowl for the long haul during this Sheffield Shield season, where he’s claimed 24 wickets at 14.50 in five matches – figures slightly tarnished by going wicketless in the rain-affected draw last start against Western Australia at the Gabba.Neser’s improved batting has earned him a promotion to No. 7 in the Queensland line-up•Getty ImagesHe’s formed a deadly tandem with fellow quick Mark Steketee, who replaced him on the Pakistan tour and has been on the Test fringes himself for some time. They could be viewed as something like friendly rivals, both vying for higher honours, although Neser said the pair don’t discuss their Test pursuits.”We’re focused on winning matches for Queensland. We complement each other really well and just really love bowling together, ” Neser said of Steketee, who has taken 25 Shield wickets at 15.52. “He’s been really excellent for a while. We learn from each other.”Neser has undoubtedly benefited from spicy pitches at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field and the WACA; he has taken 19 wickets in three matches at the two venues, at the remarkable average of 10.37.But if he’s to emerge from Australia’s reservoir of talented quicks – with WA tearaway Lance Morris becoming the new sensation and joining Neser in Australia’s second-Test squad – Neser will have to add tricks to counter more benign surfaces. He’s been working hard with Queensland bowling coach Andy Bichel on finding ways to stay in the contest when conditions aren’t conducive to his strengths.”Working out when the right time to effectively use bouncers is important, especially on flatter wickets,” Neser said. “Reverse swing is also a weapon for me and means I can be dangerous with the old ball. It is something I’m trying to always get better at.”Ultimately, I think being consistent and bowling accurately is the key on any wicket. I don’t think I’m someone who should be pigeonholed as an English [conditions] specialist just because I have certain strengths.”Reinforced by a brilliant century against New South Wales, combining with opener Matthew Renshaw in a 257-run sixth-wicket partnership, Neser’s improved batting has earned him a promotion to No.7 in Queensland’s batting order. “You’ve just got to keep improving in all aspects of the game and I’ve put in a fair bit of work with my batting,” said South Africa-born Neser, who was a gifted batter through junior ranks before focusing on fast bowling. “The more strengths you have, the better.”But, ultimately, his intoxicating skillset with the ball will determine whether he can crack Australia’s powerful attack. “I had a taste of Test cricket 12 months ago and it was an amazing experience,” he said. “Hopefully the work I’ve put in will help me add another.”

A lot of things are in flux right now but their batting leaders are still churning out those tough runs

Deivarayan Muthu28-Dec-20222:26

Latham: ‘It’s not going to get any easier for us to bat on’

In 2021, Kane Williamson staked his claim to be New Zealand’s greatest ever captain by leading them to the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) title and final of the T20 World Cup. However, his long-standing elbow injury and a slump in form – both in international cricket and IPL – put his future under scrutiny. Given the congested cricketing calendar, Williamson was expected to give up white-ball captaincy and continue to lead New Zealand in Test cricket. Except that didn’t happen.When the time came, Williamson stepped down from Test captaincy but kept hold of the white-ball sides, perhaps fueled by the dream of going one better at the 2023 ODI World Cup. Even in this unlikely event, it was thought that Tom Latham would be his successor. He had stepped in for him often enough. But New Zealand Cricket (NZC) felt differently and appointed Tim Southee to the post.Related

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Around the time New Zealand desperately needed a wicket on the opening day of the Karachi Test, Trent Boult was in action for Melbourne Stars at the BBL. Then, on the second, Martin Guptill, was making his BBL debut for Melbourne Renegades. Colin de Grandhomme has retired from international cricket, as has Ross Taylor. New Zealand’s cricketing landscape is in flux, but there is still one constant: Williamson and Latham are still the batting leaders of the Test side.The cracks on the Karachi pitch are opening up. The ball landing in the rough was routinely drawing puffs of dust, and towards the close, Pakistan’s spinners were getting turn even off the straight. But it was slow turn. Batters don’t mind that. What did bother them was the low bounce.Kane Williamson made his 25th Test century•AFPWilliamson, in particular, relishes standing up tall and dinking the ball down to third man on true pitches. This one was anything but. So he had to lower his stance, tighten his defence and play as straight as possible. That naturally messes with your chances of scoring quick runs, which is why, at one point, he was just 7 off 45.Latham followed a similar template. It’s funny, the son of Rockin Rod doesn’t even have a franchise T20 deal, but when his team need him he’s always there. He blunts the new ball across conditions in an era where opening the batting in Test cricket is a difficult job. He has vastly improved his keeping to become New Zealand’s frontline ODI keeper and offer the team balance. Rahul Dravid selflessly did that back in the day for India. And whenever Williamson has been unavailable, Latham has always been ready to captain the team. He will lead the side in India in January 2023, when Williamson and Southee will rest at home after the Pakistan tour.It is too early to tell what impact these two centuries have on the Test but one thing is for certain, this was Williamson and Latham at their calculative best. They took great care not to be caught at the same end for a long time, using something they have in common – a strong back-foot game – to keep piercing gaps on the leg side. Their boundaries, though, were the result of special skills.Latham is one of the best sweepers in the modern game and he used it to great effect en route to becoming the most prolific century-maker among New Zealand’s openers, surpassing John Wright with his 13th Test hundred. Williamson, on the other hand, just extended his impeccable defence whenever there was too long a lull. His down-the-track lofts against Nauman Ali were all virtually perfect, giving no warning that he would be on the charge, reaching the pitch of the ball every single time and taking the most risk-averse route to the boundary. Straight down the ground.This has been a slow-burning Test match on a slow pitch where it hasn’t been easy to score freely or strike quickly. But it has produced an image that lingers. That of a long work day ending – and perhaps a new era in New Zealand cricket beginning – with Williamson walking back to a warm reception from Latham and Southee in the dressing room.

Lancashire seamer feeling his way back into red-ball cricket following back stress fracture

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-May-2023On the face of it, 37 overs of grind for just one wicket does not sound overly encouraging. But Lancashire’s Championship stalemate against Somerset on a docile Taunton pitch was as a welcome return to the red-ball format for Saqib Mahmood.”It was actually a year to the week since I played my last red-ball game,” said Mahmood, referring to Gloucestershire’s visit to Emirates Old Trafford at the start of the 2022 season. A back stress fracture picked up during the match sidelined him for 10 months, with Mahmood eventually returning to competitive action in February of this year for England Lions in Sri Lanka.He donned full England colours in the second ODI against Bangladesh a month later. Getting through nine overs (0 for 41) in a dominant win was another step towards a more rounded return. As much as a skiddy action, the ability to move the ball late and a reliable yorker see Mahmood tend towards the white ball, his passion is to get ahead with the red.Related

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Mahmood’s diagnosis came a month after earning his first two Test caps. England were in a state of enforced, almost self-defeating transition, leaving out James Anderson and Stuart Broad and calling up Mahmood and Yorkshire’s Matt Fisher for the tour to the Caribbean. Mahmood acquitted himself well, with six wickets at 22.83 on dull surfaces – similar to what he encountered at Somerset.”The conditions weren’t the best,” Mahmood said of Taunton. “The outfield was real sandy, so for a first game back it probably wasn’t ideal for the body. Halfway through the second session, my legs were gone. It was challenging: slow, low, flat wicket – as the scores suggested. But for me, it was something I wanted to do – I don’t just want to take my time and settle back in, I wanted to come back in and try to make a difference straight away.”The 26-year-old had been warned his first day in the dirt would sting. After 96 overs in the field, as centuries from Tom Abell and James Rew took the hosts to 311 for 4, he experienced first-hand.”I remember I bowled all of day one, and I woke up to go to the toilet after that, put my left out and it nearly gave way. I had to limp over the toilet, got back in bed, and woke up the next morning real stiff.”There was a slight anxiety at the time. That is understandable, given the nature of the injury and the tedium of rehabilitation that puts bowlers on edge in the early stages of their return. The fear of having to do it all again creates a distinct paranoia.”Pre-stress fracture, if I was sore like this, I’d have thought nothing of it and just cracked on. But I suppose those anxieties do come in a little bit. But as soon as I get a ball in my hand and bowl and it feels all right, you can crack on.”Those thoughts are more manageable. As much because he can now distinguish between one soreness and the other, as his more-robust mentality. “I’ve learned what not to put your energy into, as well – rather than constantly focusing on the negatives.”

“The one positive coming out of the [Taunton game] was getting through the four days. My last spell was probably the quickest of the game, which is encouraging”

There are also some physical adjustments he has made. The first is around preparation, which he regards as more professional. Mahmood gets up half an hour earlier than he used to for training or on the morning of matches, going through extra mobility work. If there is a swimming pool handy, he’ll use that to loosen the joints and limbs. While it is still early, the benefits were apparent on the final day against Somerset.”The one positive coming out of the week was getting through the four days. My last spell was probably the quickest of the game, which is also encouraging in terms of my engine and being able to back spells up.”A second tweak has come with his action, specifically around his load-up. Having grown up with the ball by his side just before he goes into delivery, he noticed his right hand had drifted closer to his belly button. Though he does not think there is a direct correlation between that unconscious shift and his injury, there is no harm in resorting back to the old ways particularly when it comes to giving his skills the best chance.”When I look back at my action, as soon as you’re loading up in front of your body, your arms have to splay out to get behind yourself. If you try and load up here [mimics holding the ball by his right hip], you can work in straight lines. That’s what I’ve tried to do.”I watched the game back at Somerset – certain spells, there was a bit of reverting back. But I expect that. For the most part, it was quite good and I actually think it’s improved my skills. A lot of bowling coaches tell you fast bowling is straight lines and things like that. When this is free-er, what I do with my fingers and wrists is a lot easier to control as well. From that point of view, I think it’s had a good effect.”As for a route back into the national set-up, Mahmood is realistic. A chat with managing director Rob Key last month was encouraging, detailing how he should approach each red-ball game – essentially, focus on taking wickets in an attacking manner, which is pretty much what he does anyway.Mahmood celebrates taking a wicket on his comeback for England Lions•SLCIn terms of further international honours this year, Mahmood is self-aware enough to know he has dropped down the pecking order. He can even look at his 22 England appearances to date and acknowledge some caveats.Those first steps in the Test arena were symbolic of Anderson and Broad’s omissions rather than reflecting his red-ball numbers, though 28 wickets at 23.89 in the 2021 summer did make an impression. Likewise, his white-ball caps have been here and there since debuting in 2019, with two runs of three ODI matches in a row due to Covid-19 restrictions, notably in 2021 when he was drafted in as part of an emergency squad to face Pakistan after the original group were ruled out following positive tests.Nevertheless, he made that count with nine dismissals at 13.66, leaving a strong impression on Ben Stokes, who stepped in as captain. Even with Mahmood out of action, Stokes still has a high opinion of him, as do others within the England set-up. Now he has to take it further.”I think I’ve got myself in positions where you feel like you should be part of the mix,” he said. “But if I’m honest, at the time it did feel quite tricky, especially during and after Covid when you were balancing the squads. Sometimes it just felt like I was keeping someone else’s seat warm.”That’s the tricky bit; if you look at when Eoin Morgan first came in, he really backed all of his players, and there still is that, but those guys got a run of games. I think that Pakistan series was the only games where I was playing and had a run of games and an opportunity to show everyone.”It’s not an excuse or anything, but sometimes it does get challenging. For me now, though, rather than focusing on those, I’m just trying to get back to the best of my game, and the rest will take care of itself. What I can control is what I do out there and what I do in training.”

CSK will be playing a full season at home for the first time in four years, and the Chepauk faithful know their chances to soak in that feeling are running down

Alagappan Muthu and Deivarayan Muthu02-Apr-2023He is everywhere right now. He always is, especially in April and May. On billboards which seem to fit nicely with his larger-than-life persona. On the backs of the autos that zip through our streets. Well, on streets (see below) as well. At a plush hotel, near the Marina Beach, where the 12th anniversary of his iconic World Cup-winning six was being celebrated. On murals and stands at Chepauk, which he calls home. An entire city has become a tribute to MS Dhoni. It feels like Chennai knows something that we don’t. Or maybe we do and just don’t want to say it out loud.Chennai Super Kings’ intra-squad practice match that was thrown open to the public just an hour before the start last week provided a peek into the revelry that Chennai could finally experience this season. Only the C,D and E stands were originally available for the fans, but they got filled up quickly on a weekday and the new stand was also soon taken over by fans.

For all the super fandom and the #Yellove happenings! Turn on the television for The Super Kings show on SS 1/1 HD! #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/IvTiEhuS0X

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 21, 2019