According to the ACB interim chief selector, mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was “not available for selection”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2025

Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has regained fitness to return to Afghanistan’s ODI squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE. This will be Afghanistan’s first-ever appearance in the Champions Trophy.Ibrahim, 23, has not played for Afghanistan since he slipped during practice on a slushy pocket of the ground during the Greater Noida Test, which was washed out without a ball being bowled.Zadran has worked his way back from that injury, for which he needed surgery in England, and was recently with Khulna Tigers in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). According to the ACB interim chief selector, mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was “not available for selection” with Afghanistan bringing in a like-for-like replacement in AM Ghazanfar, who is currently in action for MI Emirates in the UAE’s ILT20. He was also picked by their parent franchise Mumbai Indians for IPL 2025.”Mujeeb Ur Rahman was not available for the selection as he has been advised by his doctor to focus on T20s for a while to ensure his full recovery before returning to ODIs,” Ahmad Suliman Khil explained. That was also the reason he missed on the recently concluded ODI series against Zimbabwe.”Related

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“Conditions in Pakistan are similar to those in Afghanistan and the UAE, where we usually play. We will conduct a preparation camp in multiple phases before embarking on our journey for the big event. The expectations are high, and I hope the team will prepare well and deliver some excellent performances, just as they did in the last two World Cups.”The squad also includes 23-year-old Sediqullah Atal, who has had a remarkable few months across formats. In October in the Emerging team Asia Cup, which was a T20 tournament, Atal was the highest run-getter, with 368 runs in five innings at an average of 122.66 and strike rate of just under 148. In December, he was named Player of the Series for his in the three-match ODI series in Harare, which Afghanistan won 2-0.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Atal then made his Test debut in the Boxing Day fixture against Zimbabwe in Harare. He is currently with MI Cape Town in the SA20 2025 as a replacement player.Afghanistan’s players will work with former Pakistan batter Younis Khan, who has been signed as a team mentor for the Champions Trophy. This is the third global tournament in a row where the ACB has appointed a mentor for the team from the host country: they had Ajay Jadeja as mentor for the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, and Dwayne Bravo as bowling consultant for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.”The appointment of mentors has proven to be quite beneficial for us in both of the last two events,” ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf said. “Given this success, we have appointed Mr. Younis Khan, who has extensive international and local experience, and we look forward to making full use of his expertise during the event.”AM Ghazanfar’s recent form is an encouraging sign for Afghanistan•ACB

Hashmatullah Shahidi, who had captained Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup and more recently at the 2024 T20 World Cup, where Afghanistan progressed to the semi-finals, will continue to lead the team. Rahmat Shah has been retained as Shahidi’s deputy.Ace spinner Rashid Khan will lead the spin attack along with Noor Ahmad. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai, meanwhile, can operate with the new ball. Abdul Malik, Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti and Bilal Sami, who were all named in the squad for Afghanistan’s most recent ODI assignment in Zimbabwe, have been excluded from the main squad for the Champions Trophy.Rasooli, Kharoti, and Sami, however, will travel with the squad as reserve players.Afghanistan will open their Champions Trophy campaign with a clash against South Africa in Karachi on February 21 before they will head to Lahore for their last two league matches against England and Australia.Afghanistan squadHashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Rahmat Shah (vice-capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik

Following the frustration of transfer failure, PIF are now confident that they’ll sign one of their top targets after Newcastle United reportedly submitted a fresh bid worth around £55m.

The transfers that could turn Newcastle's summer around

Those at St James’ Park first attempted to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford at the start of this summer, only for reports to claim that he has picked Manchester United over anyone else. Then, the Magpies reportedly set their sights on Joao Pedro before he completed a familiar move from Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea. Newcastle were once again sent back to the drawing board.

In that time, however, a number of fresh targets have entered their radar while a deal to sign long-term target James Trafford looks likely to get over the line at long last this summer.

Alongside Trafford, the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Harvey Elliott have both reportedly entered Newcastle’s radar as they look to sign an attacking reinforcement. With Mbeumo likely to join Manchester United and Pedro already confirmed as a Chelsea player, Elliott and Kudus represent an ideal plan B this summer.

The latter has attracted plenty of interest already this summer and could yet be on his way out of West Ham United. Elliott, meanwhile, is reportedly likely to leave Liverpool in search of more game time elsewhere this summer.

According to the most recent reports, however, it may be neither of those options that end Newcastle’s search for a winger. Instead, it could be one of their top targets to begin turning their summer fortunes around.

Newcastle submit fresh Elanga bid

According to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have now submitted a fresh £55m bid to sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest and PIF want the deal done “as soon as possible”. Those at St James’ Park are reportedly confident that the 22-cap Swede will become a Newcastle player and they will get their £55m offer green lit by Nottingham Forest.

If Newcastle manage to get deals over the line for both Trafford and Elanga, as is likely to be the case at this stage, then any early summer struggles will become an afterthought for Eddie Howe.

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The Magpies could deal their rivals quite the blow.

1 ByTom Cunningham Jul 4, 2025

Elanga’s arrival will particularly excite fans if the Magpies push on and welcome the winger in the coming weeks. The Forest star, who was described by Nuno Espirito Santo described as “special” last season, could form one of the deadliest front threes in the Premier League alongside Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.

They are also set to tour India for two Tests in 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2025A three-match home Test series against Australia and a two-Test tour to India will be the highlight of West Indies men’s Test fixtures for 2025. They will begin the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle with the Test series against Australia, for the Frank Worrell Trophy, from June 25 to July 16. This will also be West Indies’ first Test assignment under Daren Sammy, who will take over from red-ball coach Andre Coley.The Kensington Oval in Barbados will host the first Test and the Grenada National Stadium will host the second. The series will end at Sabina Park in Jamaica and will be followed by five T20Is. West Indies will close out their home summer with three T20Is and three ODIs against Pakistan from July 31 to August 12. Broward County in Florida will host the T20I series and the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad the ODI ones.They will then travel to India, Bangladesh, and New Zealand from September 21 to December 23. They are set to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Bangladesh. The New Zealand tour will be an all-format assignment comprising three Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is.Related

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Before all that, West Indies, having missed the qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup, will prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup with three ODIs in Ireland, followed by three in England. During their visits, they will also play three T20Is each against both teams.The CWI release also stated that the West Indies women will begin their 2025 campaign with the World Cup qualifiers in Pakistan from April 4-19, where six teams will compete for two spots in the marquee event in India, scheduled from August to September.West Indies women will then travel to England for three T20Is and as many ODIs from May 21 to June 8. They will then return home to face South Africa women in three ODIs and three T20Is, with the 3Ws Oval in Barbados hosting all six games.Malahide will host all three ODIs in Ireland from May 21 to May 25 before West Indies will play against England in Headingly (May 29), Cariff (June 1) and June 3 (The Oval). West Indies will also play three T20Is in England before returning to Ireland for three more T20Is in Belfast. Their UK tour will end with the third T20I against Ireland on June 15. They will have a ten-day gap before their Test-series opener against Australia in Barbados.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betcris： O Santos foi humilhantemente goleado, por 7 a 1, pelo Internacional, pela 28ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Na coletiva depois da partida, o técnico Marcelo Fernandes tentou descrever o que ocorreu na partida.

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– Foi uma tarde atípica. Da mesma forma que não nos empolgamos quando estávamos ganhando, não vamos nos abater. Posso dizer que esses jogadores são dignos de estar aqui, nos últimos quatro jogos eles eram dignos, então eles continuam. Foi uma tarde infeliz, mas vamos levantar a cabeça porque na quinta-feira já temos o jogo contra o Coritiba – declarou o comandante santista.

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Além disso, o treinador do Peixe pediu desculpas pela performance em campo e pelo placar vexatório.

– Queria, em nome da comissão técnica e dos atletas, pedir desculpas ao torcedor. Foi um jogo totalmente atípico dentro do que temos feito. Estávamos bem cientes do que precisava fazer, mas não foi uma tarde boa e infelizmente aconteceu isso. A responsabilidade é toda minha. Temos que pedir desculpas, levantar a cabeça e seguir trabalhando. Da mesma forma que não me empolguei nas vitórias, não vou me abalar com esta derrota – disse o técnico.

COMO CONTINUAR?

Marcelo Fernandes fala como prosseguir após um placar tão indesejado e qual é a mensagem que pode passar para o torcedor do Santos.

– O recado que deixo para a torcida é o mesmo desde o primeiro jogo: vamos lutar até o fim. Não está longe das nossas mãos. Temos 10 jogos para fazer cinco vitórias. A nossa projeção está no próximo jogo. Todos estão juntos, sempre, e sabemos do que precisa fazer. Vamos atrás disso, além de pedir desculpas. A torcida sabe que vamos lutar até o fim e fazer o possível e o impossível para tirar o Santos desta situação, e vamos conseguir – concluiu o treinador.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was joined by Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Will Smith and Kiké Hernandez as guests on Tuesday night's where they were described as "still moist" from their World Series celebration. The quintet of champions answered some questions while remembering just how awesome that all was for Los Angeles fans—your typical late-night fare.

The highlight was Hernandez revealing that he was under the impression his team had lost the World Series after getting trucked by Andy Pages to end the ninth inning of Game 7.

Hernandez shared the story of how he processed the season-saving play after getting teed up by Roberts.

"Bases loaded ninth inning, ball drops we lose, right" he said. "I get a bad jump because the pitch almost bounced, he kind of put the bat on the ball. I broke half a step in and I'm running. And I'm thinking about my entire life as I'm following this ball and I felt like I ran a 400-meter dash and like as I'm finally about to catch the ball I'm like 'the only thing I've got to worry about is the wall, right?'"

Hernandez assured everyone he was in position to catch the ball before he was blindsided from Pages, who had just entered the game as a defensive replacement.

"Out of nowhere I feel like an NBA player because my teammate posterized me," he said. "I go down and in my head everything is quiet, which should have told me he caught it."

Hernandez said he didn't trust his instincts because he thought his brain was protecting him from heartbreak. And that he only found out the Dodgers had fresh life in extra innings after Pages came over to check on him.

It's an awesome story and an extra bit of lore for an already unbelievable World Series.

The coach with WBBL and Women’s Super League titles talks about how he came into the game and his plans for the future

Matt Roller17-Dec-2020It is 13 years since Trevor Griffin left his job as a district sales manager at Nationwide, the British building society. He had been playing club cricket in Devon at the weekends, but was not getting the time to train like he wanted. He was going through a divorce and decided that it was time to quit his job too.”After I took that decision, I woke up at two in the morning and sat there thinking: What am I going to do? I’ve got a house with a mortgage to pay, and no job,” he recalls. “It was a huge decision.”Griffin had realised during his time in financial services that his passion was “people development”. He saw an opportunity to combine that with his love for cricket through coaching and took on various roles over the next eight years through the Devon Cricket Board, Chance to Shine, and at the University of Exeter, but it was in 2015 that his career really started to take off.That winter he took a punt on travelling to New Zealand after getting in touch with Canterbury Cricket, investing some inheritance in flights and accommodation. The following summer he was offered a role as analyst and assistant coach at Western Storm during the inaugural season of the Women’s Super League, and when Caroline Foster stepped down, he took over as the side’s head coach.Two KSL titles later, he took over as the Sydney Thunder’s head coach ahead of the 2019-20 WBBL season. His side won the competition this season, and he has since returned to the UK to start pre-season training with the Sunrisers, the North London and Essex-based side in the new women’s domestic set-up in England and Wales.”We talk about ‘work’, but for me, it doesn’t feel like work,” Griffin says. “This is me combining a hobby and a passion – I’m very fortunate to do it. I know that it’s sport and contracts come and go, so you could be out of a job at short notice. But I just focus on what I do and thoroughly enjoy it. Helping these girls go on and develop is an amazing feeling, to have that influence and that opportunity.”Griffin’s stock as a coach is now high within the women’s game, but before the 2020-21 WBBL season, expectations from the Sydney Thunder were low. After a sixth-place finish in 2019-20, the side lost Alex Blackwell and Rene Farrell’s experience and started this season as the competition’s youngest side.Griffin brought in England internationals Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont, and subsequently, thanks to Knight and captain Rachael Haynes’ form in the middle order, the variety in the bowling attack, and a willingness to embrace the oddities of life in the tournament hub, they won the title.

“Not long ago, some of these girls were paying £5 match fees to contribute towards teas and balls; now they’re getting paid to do what they love”

“Quite a lot was made of us being a young unit at the beginning of the competition,” Griffin says. “What I found was that our youngsters brought this energy and enthusiasm, and the senior players were genuinely excited by it – they thrived off that. It worked so well for us.”We said to the girls that the teams that embraced hub life, understanding that things might not be perfect but making the best of the situation, would be the ones that got through to the finals. I think we saw that with the Melbourne Stars and ourselves.”Griffin sees similarities between the squad he helped mould at Western Storm and his Thunder group, and thinks that despite lifting the trophy this year, there is still plenty of room for improvement and growth.”It took three years for us to build that 2019 side [at the Storm] with a stable group of players. We took that long to get to that level and be able to play that attacking, exciting brand of cricket. We’ve got some really exciting youngsters. Phoebe Litchfield, for example, is only 17, and we’ve only just started to see the best of her.Related

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“To see someone at that age, in high-pressure games against [Sydney] Sixers, reverse-sweep Dane van Niekerk for three fours in a row… that shows something very special. Hannah Darlington is another one who is only going to get stronger and quicker. Tahlia Wilson will get better and better. Our headache now is about keeping the 12th, 13th, 14th players in the squad happy and engaged even if they might not get as many opportunities.”On his return from Australia, Griffin went home to Devon to see his wife Gemma, but has now begun the early stages of Sunrisers’ pre-season training.”I felt a bit like a student – I went home with my washing, had a good feed, picked up some clean clothes and then left again,” he jokes.”This is an amazing opportunity for us to see how far the women’s game has come in the space of four or five years. Not long ago, some of these girls were paying £5 match fees to contribute towards teas and balls; now they’re getting paid to do what they love. What we have to be careful of is that now that they’re professional cricketers, there will be more scrutiny without there necessarily being that senior pro around telling them what they can do.”That will not be such an issue in the Hundred, where Griffin’s London Spirit side will be captained by Knight and feature West Indies’ big hitter Deandra Dottin.”One thing I’ve learned from Sydney Thunder is to make sure that London Spirit won’t just be an extension of Sunrisers. They have to be two very different teams. There will be [many of the same] players in both squads, but you want them to feel like it’s a different team; in the past at the Thunder, it had felt like an extension of the NSW Breakers.”And while Griffin hopes to continue in his current roles for several years to come, he has no hesitation in declaring his long-term ambition.”I’d love to be the England women’s head coach. That’s what I’m eventually working towards. I really enjoy working within the women’s game.”If there was an opportunity within the men’s game? I don’t know. I get such enjoyment out of what I do at the moment. Someone asked me a few years ago where I wanted to be in five years’ time, and I’m not sure I’d have dreamed of being where I am.”I just want to help these women and girls get better at what they do, perform, develop, and go on and play international cricket. What happens to me after that will take care of itself.”

Only two points currently separate the four teams from fourth to seventh spots

S Rajesh16-May-2022Delhi Capitals: Mat 13, Pts 14, NRR 0.255
Delhi Capitals’ comfortable 17-run win against Punjab Kings is good news for them, but not so encouraging for all the other teams trying to sneak into the playoffs. Capitals’ net run rate, which was already a healthy 0.210, has gone up to 0.255, but the runs that Kings scored towards the end means that there is still a chance for other teams to catch up, should there be an NRR scramble for the last spot.From Capitals’ point of view, the equation is simple: win the last game against Mumbai Indians on Saturday, and qualify for sure. Even if they lose and stay on 14, they will have a fair chance to qualify if Royal Challengers Bangalore lose to Gujarat Titans. However, if it comes down to NRR, they aren’t yet safe.If Capitals lose their last game by 30 runs (chasing 171), their NRR will fall to 0.123. Currently, Kolkata Knight Riders are on 0.160, so a win by any margin in their last game will keep them above 0.123. If Capitals lose by 15 runs, their NRR will be 0.179. Thus, Capitals could still be on a sticky wicket if they lose to Mumbai. They play their last game after Knight Riders, though, so they will know the equation before they get into that game on Saturday.Punjab Kings: Mat 13, Pts 12, NRR -0.043
Kings’ qualification chances have taken a severe beating with the loss to Capitals. Their NRR has slid into negative space, and even a 40-run win against Sunrisers in their last game (after scoring 170) will only improve it to 0.112. However, big victory margins have been common in the last few games – in seven of the last 12, the winning margin has been greater than 50 runs, while another win came with 31 balls to spare – which should give the Kings some hope.They also play the last game of the league stage, which means they’ll know if they have a chance at all, and exactly what they need to do. Obviously, if Capitals or Royal Challengers win their last match and move to 16 points, then Kings will be knocked out.Royal Challengers Bangalore: Mat 13, Pts 14, NRR -0.323
Royal Challengers will need Capitals to lose their last game to stand a chance of qualifying. Even if Royal Challengers score 200 and win their last game by 100 runs, their NRR will only improve to 0.071. Capitals will be well ahead of that if they win by any margin.And if both these teams lose and stay on 14, Capitals will have to lose by an absurdly high margin for their NRR to slip below that of Royal Challengers. For instances, if Royals Challengers lose by one run, Capitals will have to lose by around 150 (depending on the exact scores).In other words, Royal Challengers will have to win their last game, against table-toppers Titans, and hope that Capitals lose theirs against bottom-of-the-table Mumbai.Kolkata Knight Riders: Mat 13, Pts 12, NRR 0.160
Knight Riders still have a chance of qualifying if they win their last game, and if Capitals and Royal Challengers lose theirs. As mentioned earlier, their relatively healthy NRR means that they are best placed to capitalise if those two teams slip up.Sunrisers Hyderabad: Mat 12, Pts 10, NRR -0.270
Even if Sunrisers score 170 and win each of their last two games by 40 runs, their NRR will only improve to 0.056. Capitals will have to lose by around 48 runs for their NRR to drop below that. It looks highly unlikely that Sunrisers will progress further in the tournament, but they could do worse than pull off a big win against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, and keep their slim hopes alive.

West Indies have the fire; the opening batter provides the ice they need to bat their 50 overs in ODIs

Shashank Kishore25-Jul-2022Shai Hope’s 100th ODI, against India in Port of Spain on Sunday, brought him his 13th ODI century, and only his second at home. But just one look at his face, and it was clear that this wasn’t the most enjoyable of them, even if all the factors that make him a top-order mainstay for West Indies were in evidence. Here, their hopes – pardon the pun – had been crushed. For the second game in a row, West Indies had lost a game they could have won.But, even in defeat, there were positives West Indies would gladly take as they build towards next year’s ODI World Cup. For two ODIs in a row now, that West Indies have batted their full quota of overs – something Nicholas Pooran had stressed as a priority – counts as one.Related

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Hope has been central to those larger plans, with a game built on the virtues of playing correctly: play straight, in the V, elbow nice and high as ball meets bat while punching down the ground, hitting along the ground… you get the drift. And playing patiently.Doing this day-in-and-day-out hasn’t been the West Indian way for a while now. There are very few of that quality left. Perhaps Roston Chase, Shamarh Brooks and Test-specialist Kraigg Brathwaite fit the bill in the current era, even as many of their mates hop from one T20 league to another, playing every other day, leaving you little or no time for self-reflection.You would not be human if you don’t, at times, aspire for the big bucks and worldwide acclaim that comes with being a T20 star for hire. Hope is different. He hasn’t sought validation for his style. He makes no bones of the fact that he wants to be a long-form player. T20 isn’t his game. Sure, he’s unlikely to pass up an opportunity to play in a T20I if picked, but he isn’t going to beat himself up for a mistimed hoick or a scoop, because he knows the skillsets he brings are tuned to the longer formats.In today’s day and age of stats and analytics, Hope may often be under the scanner for his batting tempo, which at times can be hard to fathom from the outside. Especially because the same batter who plays aesthetically pleasing shots all around the dial when the field restrictions are in place, goes into his shell in his quest to build longer innings once the field spreads. An initial surge is often followed by a dip in strike rate, before he plays catch-up again.

“I don’t play names, it’s about doing the job on the day. Those who may not be so-called recognised bowlers aren’t necessarily bad. You have to respect their game, the players, the deliveries they bowl at you and the situation”Shai Hope

Since Hope’s ODI debut in 2015, 22 batters have made 3000 runs or more. No one has scored them slower than Hope, with a strike rate of 75. But, perhaps, that is what this West Indies team needs. They have the six-hitters in Kyle Mayers up top and Rovman Powell for the death overs. Then there’s Shimron Hetmyer, when he is fit and in favour, in the middle. There’s Brandon King, a transformed batter whose seamless switch to power-hitting has given his career a new lease of life after a false start three years ago. And there’s Nicholas Pooran, who scored 74 in 77 last night, all of it in Hope’s company.In the second ODI, Hope quickly slipped into the role of the second fiddle as Mayers started with a flurry of boundaries, seemingly intent on throwing the quicks off their lengths, and then falling first ball to spin. An excellent player of spin, Hope was reading Axar Patel’s lengths to either get fully forward driving, or rock right back to nudge or cut. He doesn’t binge on premeditation – he simply reacts to what is coming at him. Maybe, at times, his propensity to get caught up with his methods shackles him from cutting loose.That said, the shot he brought his fifty off was exactly that. A mighty slog sweep against the line off Yuzvendra Chahal. Maybe this was the switch he needed to flick on to play an un-Hope-like innings. West Indies were coasting at 127 for 1 in 21 overs at that stage. Then they lost two in two overs, and Hope had to fall back into rebuild mode. Where most other West Indies batters struggle to come to grips with building, or rebuilding, an ODI innings, it’s almost Hope’s second nature. To know when to back off. It can only come through an understanding of his limitations and making the most of what he has.It helped that Pooran came out looking busy, and tried to take the bowling on. He was feasting on the balls in his arc. Chahal tossed them up and saw them disappear. Axar looped it up and got clattered. Even as Pooran was amping up his intensity, Hope was on cruise mode. It meant he could go back to his tried-and-tested methods. Their century stand was a perfect fire-and-ice combination that threatened to give West Indies a total higher than perhaps they had expected.Shai Hope played the ice to Nicholas Pooran’s fire during their century stand•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images”My desire is to bat as long as I can,” Hope said after the match. “I always love batting. I love to set the tempo and do whatever I can for the team’s benefit. Just the desire and hunger to stay in the middle is my biggest takeaway [from his experience of 100 ODIs]. My advice to self is to keep learning and get as best as I can. You never know it all. However, I will continue doing things that I’m doing well.”Batting big, batting long and grinding bowlers – things Hope has done wonderfully well. You don’t rack up 4193 runs in 95 innings at an average of 49.33 otherwise. The secret to that is not playing the bowler, but the bowling. Of course, Hope makes it sound simple when it isn’t. But he is nothing if not earnest.”I don’t play names, it’s about doing the job on the day,” he said. “Those who may not be so-called recognised bowlers aren’t necessarily bad. You have to respect their game, the players, the deliveries they bowl at you and the situation.”Playing against the best brings out the best in me. It’s something I’ve looked forward to growing up, while playing regional cricket. It’s just one of those challenges I try to grab with both hands. Hopefully I can continue that. I never feel too pleased with these so-called accolades when the team doesn’t get over the line. I always try to score, and contribute. But if we don’t win, it doesn’t feel the same.”In this Bazball era, where even 400 might not be enough sometimes, there will be the occasional hubbub about Hope’s strike rate and his old-school methods. But, as long as it helps West Indies achieve their stated objective – bat 50 overs consistently – it helps tick a big box. And it allows the box-office stars to do their own thing.

Stats highlights of a career which has been exceptional, and is still improving

Shiva Jayaraman25-Feb-2021If you fed a selection of R Ashwin’s bowling statistics to a clustering algorithm, chances are that he would be grouped with fast bowlers rather than spinners. Over the years, Ashwin’s numbers in Test cricket have taken a shape that fast bowlers would envy. A career strike rate of 53 puts him between Brett Lee and Morne Morkel among bowlers to take at least 300 wickets in Tests. Out of the 35 bowlers to have taken 300 or more wickets, 24 have an inferior strike rate than Ashwin and 16 of them are fast bowlers. No spinner has a better strike rate than he has. Muttiah Muralitharan comes the closest with a strike rate of 55.0. The race to 400 wickets
Ashwin has taken 21,242 balls to take 400 wickets, which makes him the fourth-quickest bowler ever to the landmark. Only Dale Steyn, Richard Hadlee and Glenn McGrath have got to 400 wickets in fewer deliveries. Rangana Herath is the quickest spinner after Ashwin, having taken 23,835 deliveries.The figure for Richard Hadlee is a range, since exact numbers are not available•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn terms of matches taken to take 400 wickets, only Muralitharan was faster than Ashwin because of having averaged higher number of balls per match than Ashwin. Ashwin has reached the milestone in his 77th match, which is three matches fewer than the next quickest bowler among the 15 bowlers who completed 400 wickets before him.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin is also the second-quickest in terms of time taken from making his debut, having reached the milestone in 9 years and 110 days since making his debut (days to the start of the match in which the milestone was reached). McGrath took just 8 years and 341 days, and is the quickest among all bowlers.The new-ball specialist
Ashwin’s effectiveness with the new ball makes him a unique spinner whose utility transcends the limit imposed by the skills of a spinner. He has some nifty tricks up his sleeve, not the least impressive of which is the drift he is able to get with the new ball with the seam upright that – but for the lack of pace – mimics the inswinger bowled by a fast bowler to right-hand batsman. Coupled with intelligent use of the crease, Ashwin is adept at beating both the edges of the bat.With variations like these in his armoury, Ashwin has taken 59 wickets in the first 15 overs of the innings in Tests at a strike rate of 47.4. Among ten bowlers to take at least 50 wickets in the first 15 overs since his debut, Ashwin is the only one with a strike rate under 50. Steyn just misses the cut-off in the period since Ashwin’s debut. But even Steyn – admittedly on the decline in the latter half of this period – took 53.2 balls on an average to take a wicket.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin hasn’t been effective with the new ball only in the second innings when the pitches would’ve deteriorated so much that spinners were into play early. He has taken 25 wickets at a staggering average of 16.04 and a strike rate of 41.1 in the first innings as well. No other bowler – pacers included – has taken 20 or more wickets at a better strike rate than Ashwin. Kemar Roach is the next best bowler having taken 35 wickets at a strike rate of 45.9 in the first fifteen overs.Ashwin is the highest wicket-taker for India in the first 15 overs of the innings since his debut. Ishant Sharma, who has taken 50 wickets with the new ball is the next prolific bowler for India in this period. Among spinners, Herath is next with 45 wickets. India’s de-facto spearhead
Since Ashwin made his debut, India’s bowlers have taken 1312 wickets in Test cricket in matches he played. Ashwin has contributed 30.5% of those wickets, which is the fourth highest among 35 bowlers who’ve taken at least 300 wickets in their career. For India, only Anil Kumble has contributed more wickets, but only by a fraction more. Kumble took 30.7% of wickets by India’s bowlers in Tests in which he played.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn fact, before 2018, when India’s fast bowling riches materialized at the Test level, Ashwin had contributed nearly a third of India’s wickets (32.9). That was the third highest ever among bowlers with 300 or more wickets till that time, next only to Muralitharan (40.4) and Hadlee (35.7). Scourge of left handers
Ashwin’s excellent record against left-hand batsmen is well known. No one in the history of Test cricket has dismissed most left-hand batsmen. However, if you think that Ashwin has dismissed as many left-handers just because there are more of them in Test cricket now than ever, then consider the following.There have been 601 innings – till the time Ashwin took his 400th wicket – by left-handers in the matches when Ashwin has played. The 204 dismissals he has inflicted makes that a percentage of 33.94. Among bowlers with at least 200 wickets in Tests, only Alec Bedser has ended a higher percentage of left-handed batsmen’s innings. In the last fifty years, only Muralitharan comes close to Ashwin, having ended 191 of 624 innings by left-handers.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Towering overs others at home
With 278 wickets at an average of 22.19, and a five-wicket haul in every other match in Tests in India he is a champion bowler at home. But helpful conditions don’t guarantee wickets by default. The best bowlers make use of the conditions to the fullest, which Ashwin has done well over his career. In matches Ashwin has played at home, the other bowlers have averaged 34.1. The difference of 11.9 between Ashwin’s average and the match average of other bowlers is the third highest for any bowler to have taken at least 200 wickets playing at home. Only Muralitharan and McGrath have out-bowled other bowlers by a bigger extent.ESPNcricinfo LtdMoreover, Ashwin has built this gap between him and others largely in the presence of Ravindra Jadeja, who himself has excellent numbers in India (Jadeja averages 21.06 in Tests in India). Improving performance in SENA countries
Ashwin’s indifferent numbers in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) do take some sheen off a record that otherwise would place him among the pantheon of all-time great bowlers. He has taken 63 wickets at an average of 40.11 in Tests in these four countries, which pales in comparison to his record elsewhere. He concedes nearly 15 runs more on an average to prise out a wicket in these countries when compared with his overall career. Among India spinners to take at least 20 wickets in these countries, only S Venkataraghavan and Venkatapathy Raju have a higher average than Ashwin.However, these countries are tough for all spinners, not just Ashwin: none of the active spinners average sub-30 bowling in Tests in the SENA countries. Among them is Yasir Shah, who has struggled in these conditions: his 46 wickets have come at 55.08 apiece.Any spinner worth the name from India can’t escape comparisons to the likes of Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna. Bedi took 90 wickets in England, Australia and New Zealand at an average of 30.98. Prasanna’s 78 wickets came at 29.94 apiece and Chandrasekhar, whose average is closest among the three to Ashwin’s but still a good nine runs better, took 71 wickets at 31.33. Chandrasekhar took six five-wicket hauls in 19 matches in the SENA countries, while Ashwin is yet to take one from 20 Tests.However, to be fair to Ashwin, he hasn’t bowled as much on tours to these countries. He has been on nine tours but has played just 20 Tests – an average of 2.2 matches worth of bowling per tour. In comparison, Prasanna averaged 3.3 matches per tour, Bedi 3.1, and Chandrasekhar 2.7 matches per tour. This discounts the bowling time they would’ve got in the tour matches, which players don’t get in these times of packed cricket calendars.Ashwin has shown that this effectiveness in conditions increases with his experience of bowling in them. It was on evidence in the first Test of India’s England tour in 2018, when he took seven wickets at an average 17.28. He had gained invaluable experience bowling for Worcestershire in the county the previous year.ESPNcricinfo LtdAshwin’s ability to adapt is clearer when we look at his performances in Australia over the years. He has been on four tours to Australia and on evidence from the last tour, has worked out how to deceive batsmen without help from the pitch. He’s played three Tests on three of the four tours. On the first tour in 2011-12, he took nine wickets at an average of 62.77; he improved to 12 wickets at 48.66 on his next tour in 2014-15. On his last tour, Ashwin out-bowled Nathan Lyon – bettering the Australian bowler at the skill of getting overspin and use of the crease on Australian pitches, taking 12 wickets at an average of 28.83. This was against a full-strength Australian batting line-up, in condition that weren’t particularly helpful to spinners.Not too long ago Ashwin wasn’t the first choice spinner when India played outside the subcontinent. Ashwin’s recent track record in Tests has shown he’s coming up with ways to take the pitch out of the equation, and could well prove to be the bowler India would turn to in all conditions.

The left-arm quick has not played any domestic T20 since 2015 and his international numbers have dived

Alex Malcolm07-Nov-20222:59

Moody: Much more to Starc’s exclusion than it being a tactical selection

There is a working theory developing among Australia’s hierarchy that Mitchell Starc’s decision not to participate in the IPL could have had a major detrimental effect on his T20 form over recent years, highlighting the difficulty of playing all three formats as a fast bowler.Starc was a shock axing from Australia’s line-up to face Afghanistan in their must-win World Cup match on Friday and he had earlier been demoted from his new ball posting due after conceding 14 in Australia’s opening over of the tournament against New Zealand in a loss that ultimately caused their exit from the tournament.Starc has not played in the IPL since 2015 or the BBL since 2014 in order to rest during those periods to be fresh for international duty as a regular in all three formats for Australia. His decision not to play franchise cricket has been widely praised in Australia and has come at significant personal financial cost given what he could potentially earn in an IPL auction.But the difference between Starc’s T20 numbers between 2012-19 and 2020-22 are remarkable across all three phases of the innings. He is no longer the weapon he once was.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile Starc has remained fresh for Test cricket and has performed excellently in the last 12 months, having been the only fast bowler to play each of Australia’s last 10 Tests including five in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, his decline in T20 cricket in the same period has been revealing.There have been glimpses of the old Starc. He bowled a double-wicket maiden against Ireland in his opening over, but he then conceded 43 runs in his next three overs and Australia’s hopes of gaining a net run-rate boost took a major blow as a result.Starc was once the most feared left-armer in the world. Yet in this tournament, of the 13 left-arm quicks who have played three games or more, he has the fewest wickets and the highest economy rate.Related

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His Test bowling has benefitted from skipping the IPL. However, by not testing himself against the best T20 batters in the world each year on mostly batter-friendly IPL pitches, there is a theory that his T20 skills have diminished in terms of both his new ball and death bowling. His yorker no longer appears on command and opponents are far better at pouncing on his misses. Since 2020, he has dropped from 18th in the T20I bowling rankings to 40th, having been a career-high fourth in 2014 when he was playing in the IPL.By contrast, Josh Hazlewood has gone the other way. He was not in Australia’s T20I calculations in 2019. Having been a fringe player at the 2016 World Cup, playing only two games, he fell out of favour in the white-ball teams, missing out on the 2019 ODI World Cup, as he was seen as a Test specialist.But he played in the BBL in 2020 helping the Sydney Sixers win the title with an outstanding individual finals series. He then played 24 games in the next three IPL seasons, including nine prior to the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE where he helped Chennai Super Kings win the title. In 2022 he took 20 wickets in 12 games for Royal Challengers Bangalore and has turned himself into the premier new-ball bowler in T20I cricket rising to No.1 in the rankings this year after being ranked outside 200 in 2020. But Hazlewood has only played six Test matches since the start of 2020 and just two in the last 12 months.There have been glimpses from Mitchell Starc, but he is not the T20 bowler of old•ICC/Getty ImagesPat Cummins, the third member of Australia’s three-format fast bowling triumvirate, has played in the IPL and Test cricket in the last two years but rested from various ODI and T20I international series in order to remain fresh for key assignments.His T20 bowling has suffered a similar fate to Starc since some outstanding returns in the 2019-20 summer where he played eight of nine T20Is and saw his ranking climb to No.17 in the world. Since then, he has taken on the Test captaincy and maintained his ranking as the best Test bowler in the world for three straight years. But where his unerring lengths and lines at good pace in Tests produce wickets in bucketloads, those same on-pace lengths have been met with ferocious hitting in T20 cricket, to the point where he was dropped by Kolkata Knight Riders last season. He is now the 50th ranked T20I bowler in world cricket.He was marginally better than Starc in this tournament, using his off-speed deliveries to better contain opponents at times, but even former Australia captain Ricky Ponting raised the question of leaving out Cummins on the eve of the Afghanistan match.It leaves Australia’s selectors with a decision to make. Having gone to well twice with Australia’s three-format trio for one World Cup triumph and one Super 12s exit inside 12 months, what do they do moving forward ahead of the 2024 World Cup in West Indies and the USA?There are Australian T20 specialists building their resumes by the day. Nathan Ellis has every right to feel aggrieved not to be in Australia’s World Cup squad having proven himself as Australia’s best death bowler in franchise cricket over the past 12 months and having bowled outstandingly well in two high-scoring T20Is in Mohali and Perth just prior to the World Cup.The Caribbean and American pitches may also ask for two specialist spinners, bringing Ashton Agar back into the equation.What does that mean then for Starc? Just as Hazlewood turned to the IPL following his snubbing in 2019, does Starc follow the same path following his axing in Adelaide? The only problem is that Australia play nine Test matches prior to the IPL next year, and a minimum of five, possibly six if they make the World Test Championship final, immediately after it.One thing is certain, Starc is no longer one of the first names on Australia’s T20 team sheet.