All posts by h716a5.icu

No matter how much ‘mental disintegration’ the Australians engage in, one rule of thumb they must remember: you’ve got to stick it out if you’re going to dish it out

Daniel Brettig in Port Elizabeth09-Mar-2018In the most frequently recalled moment of the 1995 series in which Australia wrested the Frank Worrell Trophy from the West Indies, Steve Waugh chose to pick a fight with Curtly Ambrose in Trinidad. This stand-off, where Ambrose ultimately had to be pulled away by his captain Richie Richardson, came to be seen as symbolic of Australian ascendancy, and mentality.Less frequently cited, though it really should be, is that Waugh picked the fight in the midst of a half-century made with bowling conditions totally in Ambrose’s favour, in an innings where no-one else made 20. Though West Indies won the Test, they were now wary of Waugh who, on a better pitch in Jamaica, went on to score the 200 that decided the series. We seem to remember the 30 seconds of tough talk more readily than the hour upon hour of tough batting.Marsh illness a concern for Australia

Mitchell Marsh claimed a critical wicket for Australia in the fourth innings at Kingsmead but a severe bout of gastro may limit his ability to do likewise in Port Elizabeth. The tourists have been coping with stomach ailments since Durban, with Jhye Richardson among the first affected before several members of the support staff – including the head coach Darren Lehmann – also went down.
No members of the starting XI for the second Test had been struck by the illness until match morning, when Marsh fell ill. Apart from a brief innings amid Kagiso Rabada’s damaging burst of reverse swing, he spent much of day one sleeping in the dressing room. Nathan Lyon said the team was hopeful of a swift recovery but confirmed Marsh was not well.
“He’s pretty crook. I’m not a doctor or anything like that so I don’t know what’s going on but, hopefully, he’ll get a big rest tonight then come out and have an impact with the ball like he did in the first Test,” Lyon said. “He’s a class player and hopefully he’ll bounce back, get re-hydrated, get some food in him and have a good night’s sleep.”

Had Waugh fired up Ambrose then got out, and not followed up in the next match, how would his attempt at mental disintegration have been viewed? There’s a simple answer to that, for in the previous encounter between Australia and West Indies, Dean Jones did exactly that. Pre-emptively asking Ambrose to remove his white wrist band in a World Series final at the SCG, he steamed up the fast man to such effect that West Indies did not lose another match on tour. Without the tough cricket, the rest looks more like competitive disadvantage, self-inflicted at that.Having started the day with a public rebuke from the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland for overdoing the “tough talk” or whatever other euphemism best suited the sanctionable actions of Nathan Lyon and David Warner at Kingsmead, Steven Smith’s team set out to play the tough cricket of Waugh at St George’s Park. They started with a tough decision – electing to bat on a pitch that was sure to help South Africa’s seamers – and were given the ideal start by Warner and Cameron Bancroft.But the return of a familiar brittleness to the batting line-up, scythed through by Kagiso Rabada, provided a reminder that for all the debates about the image of the Australian side and that way they play their cricket, it is all pretty moot if the top six are unable to stand up technically and mentally to concerted pressure. In other words, you’ve got to stick it out if you’re going to dish it out. With a couple of notable exceptions on day one in Port Elizabeth, the Australians were more Jones than Waugh.Walking out under an overcast sky and with moisture underfoot, Warner and Bancroft knew their commission would be a testy one. Vernon Philander and Rabada immediately had the ball seaming, but were met for the most part by sound judgement of what to play and what to leave, and relatively few flirtations of bat towards the moving ball. When, after an hour of stolid occupation, the dam burst with a flurry of boundaries, it seemed the Australians were through the most difficult bit.Warner’s innings, given the circumstances of the past week and even the fact he had such limited preparation for the tour, was exemplary. He creates such fine margins for a bowler’s error, allied to a fundamental tight defence, all the while with a level of balance that allows him to turn good balls into four-scoring balls with a simple weight transfer and a swift flash of the blade. The hour leading to lunch was joyous to watch as he combined all these elements in conditions still weighted very much towards the bowlers.Bancroft, meanwhile, does not possess Warner’s outrageous skill and is still finding his way, but he was able to show strong balance here to draw the bowlers into attacking his stumps and then scoring fluently through the leg side as a result. One on-drive past Warner at the non-striker’s end was redolent of the very best top-order players, and numerous other strokes in the straight-midwicket region forced South Africa to revert to a wider line outside the off stump.Unfortunately for Bancroft and Australia, this was where the day changed. As lunch approached, he began to chase these wider deliveries, playing and missing at several, before being tempted into a push at Philander just as the time approached for the lifting of the bails. That wicket did not undo the good work of the morning, but it did allow the South Africans to enter the afternoon with an opening to exploit.Kagiso Rabada celebrates in Mitchell Marsh’s midst•AFPUsman Khawaja, who is not enjoying the best of tours, was duly coaxed into following a Philander delivery running across him, Warner played for away movement when there was none, and before either Shaun Marsh or Smith could press home their starts they were upended by Rabada’s reverse swing and speed. For Smith, the dismissal is one that seems to happen about twice a season – misjudging a ball angling in at his stumps and falling lbw in the manner all bowlers think they can dismiss him, but Chadd Sayers in a Sheffield Shield match back in November was the most recent. For Shaun Marsh, falling over to a late swinger for 24 was not as disastrous as his 2014 pair on this ground, but may feel still more frustrating.None of Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins or Mitchell Starc could hold up Rabada for long, meaning that for the third time since the Bangladesh tour the Australians had succumbed to what the team analyst Dene Hills would deem a collapse. A decline from 98 for 0 to 182 for 8 will certainly exhume many of the old questions about Australia’s batting wherewithal in difficult, seaming conditions – questions that are almost as old as those about sledging. Warner described the surface as “English”, which will interest James Anderson and Stuart Broad, among others.”It seemed to me to be very much like England, where, if you get through the tough periods with the new ball, you can try and cash in a little bit after,” Warner told SuperSport. “I felt like it was a good wicket and if they got it into the right areas they were going to challenge us. But coming from 0 for 98 to be all out for 240-odd is quite disappointing. It was one of those English wickets where it does just a bit. It was doing too much early. And that’s where the nicks come into play and bowled and lbw come into play.”Nathan Lyon, brought in to put the best spin on Australia’s day, essentially summed it up as a case of wasting a strong start and failing to recognise a key moment. “A tough day for Australia but the positive thing is I thought we actually got through the real difficult part of our batting innings with being 0 for 18 in the first hour and then to be 1 for 98. I thought the batters Cameron and Davey did a fantastic job,” Lyon said after play. “The disappointing part is we spoke about the key moments before the series and we didn’t identify the big key moment with Rabada reversing the ball.”When you’ve got a world-class bowler like Rabada bowling in a spell like that, we’ve got to be better and sharper to identify those big moments and try to shut that down. That’s the game of cricket, hats off to Rabada, he outbowled us today.”At the tail end of the innings, however, Australia did get a second glimpse of the tough cricket Waugh had embodied. By his own admission, Tim Paine was not brought into this team for his batting, but he was able to fashion lower order stands of 30 and 31 with Lyon and the last man Josh Hazlewood, meaning the tourists will at least have a fighting chance on day two given the pitch’s various vagaries of lateral movement and variations in pace. Lyon spoke glowingly of Paine’s calming presence at the crease.”After Tim’s been brought in at the start of the summer, I think he’s provided a lot of calmness around batting with the tail,” Lyon said. “I know personally I like batting with him, he seems to not make you so nervous. Especially as a bowler who can’t hold it [the bat], you’ve got to try and enjoy the challenge of facing the best bowlers in the world and I certainly was enjoying that out there today and credit has to go to Tim, he played a massive role in that to get the score from 170 to 240.”It’s well below par, I’m not saying we’re even close to it, but it’s given us a sniff and an opportunity to bowl well and hopefully challenge these guys’ defence.”Perhaps the most stinging element of Sutherland’s message on Friday morning had been that “the Australian team understands that fans expect better”. Whatever that means in terms of on-field comportment and use of verbal intimidation, the non-negotiable is that followers of the Australian game demand toughness in terms of deed rather than word. More Waugh than Jones; more Warner, Bancroft and Paine than the rest.

It’s been a tough week in what has proven to be a tough campaign for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side came into the week on cloud nine following their comprehensive win against Manchester City, but since then, the club failed to sign anyone on deadline day, and then the team collapsed away to Newcastle United in the League Cup.

What’s worse is that Gabriel Martinelli picked up a muscle injury in the first half and could be out for some time now, and while he hasn’t been particularly effective this year, the team do not have the numbers to lose another attacker.

In his absence, Leandro Trossard will have to play even more football, and like the Brazilian, he’s been out of form all season.

The situation the Gunners find themselves in is far from ideal and would be easier to navigate if they still had a Premier League ace sold by Unai Emery, who’s been outperforming both Trossard and Martinelli.

Martinelli & Trossard's form this season

It’s been more of the same from last season for Martinelli, as while he’s certainly looked a little more lively, he’s still been frustratingly ineffective in front of goal.

For example, in 35 appearances, the former Ituano gem has scored seven goals and provided four assists, which comes to a not-terrible but somewhat underwhelming average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games.

For his part, Trossard has found the back of the net on five occasions in 36 appearances and provided six assists for good measure, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.72 games.

Goals

0.37

0.25

Assists

0.19

0.25

Shots

1.67

2.24

Shot-creating actions

2.41

3.48

Touches

39

44

Successful take-ons

1.48

1.43

Progressive carries

4.81

3.23

Key passes

1.54

1.49

Progressive passes

1.73

3.79

Now, it should be said that the team have looked less threatening as a whole since the talismanic Bukayo Saka went down with a hamstring injury in December, but if the North Londoners are going to genuinely push Liverpool all the way this year, they cannot be relying on the 23-year-old to carry the burden of creating and scoring goals.

In short, Martinelli and Trossard have been underwhelming this season, and to make matters worse, one of the club’s former academy gems, sold years ago, is outperforming both.

The former Arsenal star outperforming Trossard and Martinelli

Several ex-Arsenal players are enjoying stellar campaigns this season, from the young Mika Biereth at AS Monaco to Donyell Malen, who just joined Aston Villa.

However, in this instance, the former Hale Ender, who has been tearing things up in the Premier League, has been doing so across the capital, in West London, for Fulham.

The player in question is, of course, Alex Iwobi, who came up through the North Londoners’ academy and went on to make 149 appearances for the first team before being sold to Everton for £35m in August 2019.

Four years and 140 appearances later, the Nigerian international made his way to Craven Cottage, where he has since become a key player for Marco Silva.

So far this season, the “terrific” winger, as dubbed by former professional turned pundit Gary Lineker, has scored seven goals and provided three assists for the West Londoners.

Appearances

27

35

36

Goals

7

7

5

Assists

3

4

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.37

0.31

0.30

While that is one less goal involvement than Marteinlli and Trossard have produced, he’s racked up his tally in just 27 appearances.

That means the 28-year-old dynamo has maintained a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 2.7 games, which is made all the more impressive by the fact that Fulham are a solidly mid-table side.

Ultimately, we aren’t saying Iwobi would start every game over Arsenal’s current left-wing options, but given how well he has fared in a weaker team this year, we bet Arteta would love to have him in his squad.

Arsenal hit the jackpot on sensational star worth far more than Gordon

Anthony Gordon has terrorised Arsenal throughout the years…

ByJack Salveson Holmes Feb 7, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is facing repeated calls for his dismissal amid a woeful 2024/2025 campaign, with a well-connected former Spurs scout now sharing when he believes the 59-year-old will be shown his P45.

Postecoglou under more Tottenham pressure after Aston Villa defeat

The problems at Spurs are well-documented, and have been around long before they crashed out of the FA Cup fourth round to Aston Villa last weekend.

Tottenham open to axing £190k-a-week star in previously "unthinkable" sale

It would be a significant move by the Lilywhites.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 11, 2025

Postecoglou is now relying solely on his side’s participation in the Europa League to end Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a major trophy, but that barely scratches the surface when it comes to describing the Lilywhites’ lacklustre season.

Man United (home)

February 16th

Ipswich Town (away)

February 22nd

Man City (home)

February 26th

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

The north Londoners sit 14th in the Premier League table, closer to relegation than European qualification, with Postecoglou’s squad stretched to the absolute bare bones after a plethora of debilitating injuries to key first-team players over the last few months.

A large portion of Spurs supporters were eager to see the return of open, attacking and front-foot football after the pragmatic years of José Mourinho and Antonio Conte, but a lot of the criticism aimed Postecoglou’s way has centered around the perceived lack of a plan B approach.

Luckily for the ex-Celtic boss, Tottenham expect to have a host of first-teamers back fairly soon, including Guglielmo Vicario, left-back Destiny Udogie, midfielder James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert.

These vital re-introductions could prove pivotal to Postecoglou’s job status, especially with Tottenham doing due-diligence on potential new managers behind-the-scenes.

Insider shares Ange Postecoglou sack theory at Tottenham

Speaking to Football Insider, former Lilywhites scout Mick Brown, who is said to remain very well-connected at his ex-employers, has shared his belief about when Spurs could decide to sack Postecoglou – and returning players will greatly determine the timeline.

“They’re putting their eggs in one basket at the moment,” he said. “The thinking is very much ‘we’ll be alright when we get our injured players back’.

“But given the length of time these players have been out of the game, they’ve got to get back up to match fitness, can they do that while still starting games? Then, if they get them all back, and they’re still losing games, what happens then?

“The pressure will only get more intense, and I think that’s when he’ll be sacked, if players come back from injuries and there isn’t an immediate turnaround in form. That’s what they’re expecting and hoping for – players to come back and results to improve.

“If it doesn’t happen, the blame will be placed on the manager. They’ve put so much emphasis on these injured players, so they’re willing to stick with him until he gets them back into the team.

“But if they come back and things don’t go well, it doesn’t bode well for Postecoglou’s position.”

England keep repeating the same errors without learning or suffering the consequences

George Dobell in Sydney04-Jan-20181:45

Should Bairstow have called for a nightwatchman?

A day that had promised much for England was suddenly rendered “a massive disappointment,” in the words of their assistant coach, Paul Farbrace.Facing the prospect of reaching stumps with just three wickets down, two set batsmen at the crease and with realistic expectations of a total in excess of 400, England lost two men in the final seven deliveries of the day to leave them facing a battle to reach even 300. And, on a surface on which Dawid Malan reckoned 450 might be around par, that is likely to be deeply insufficient.England’s problem is not just the loss of late wickets. It is not just the sense that they squandered a day of hard work with a loose final few moments.It is the knowledge that, when the second day starts, their diplodocus-length tail – Tom Curran is so high at No. 8 you wonder if he needs the help of oxygen and a Sherpa – is protected only by Malan, who continues to bat with calm and class, and Moeen Ali, who looks horribly short of form and confidence. There is a real danger that 228 for 3 – the score before Joe Root was out – could become 275 all out.There will, no doubt, be talk of Jonny Bairstow’s decision not to utilise a nightwatchman. And it is true that Malan admitted to being “surprised” when Bairstow walked out to bat with nine deliveries left in the day’s play. He had been offered the option of a nightwatchman and Mason Crane, on debut, was padded up and ready to go.”I’d always have a nightwatchman,” Malan said. “Good on Bairstow for backing himself. It takes guts to go against what normal people normally do.”But that decision is a red herring. England’s issue is not the decision to forgo a nightwatchman – that might be considered the responsible, brave and logical thing to do – but the fact that their batsmen continue to make the same errors without either learning or suffering the consequence.Mark Stoneman, for example, was caught as he fenced at one he need not have played. James Vince, who had looked a fine player, was caught behind moments after a drinks’ break and Root failed to turn an excellent start into a match-defining innings. All those descriptions could be prefaced with word “again.” England aren’t learning; they are repeating.Josh Hazlewood removed Jonny Bairstow with the final ball of the day•Getty ImagesSo it wasn’t Bairstow’s decision to bat ahead of Crane that was the problem. After all, Crane has a top first-class score of just 29 and would have been confronted by a high-class, high-speed attack armed with a new ball. It was Bairstow’s decision to attempt to push firmly at a ball – a new ball – in the final over of the day.It was a fine delivery that drew the stroke – Josh Hazlewood went wide of the crease and persuaded the ball to leave the batsman just a fraction – but Test bowlers will bowl fine deliveries. Sometimes they can be defended rather than batsmen feeling they need to demonstrate their positivity.”It sort of sums up where we’ve been on this tour,” Malan said. “We’ve been on top, then we make mistakes and let them back in.”While the England camp have tended to overplay the extent to which they have dominated sessions of play – they could have been asked to follow-on in Adelaide, for example, and they were pulverised in Perth – it is true that there have been moments when they have shown they can compete.But the fact is, England’s top-four have just one century between them in the series. Two of the top three average under 30 in the series and, midway through their 12th and eighth Tests respectively, Vince and Stoneman have averages of 22.94 and 29.33 respectively. Vince has made two half-centuries in 19 innings and Stoneman has a top-score of 56 in 13. They are desperately fortune to be playing in this age of patient selectors.

Nothing that happened on the first day in Sydney should surprise anyone. And that is a damning indictment

It is true that both have, at times, shown glimpses of the class to suggest they can thrive. But glimpses won’t do and nor will half-centuries. Ultimately, players have to be judged by how their performances shape and define games and both Vince and Stoneman are doing just enough to survive but nowhere near enough to help their team win. Like visiting a casino, they offer just enough wins to keep you gambling but nowhere near enough to challenge the truism: the house also wins.Despite that, it seems both men will be selected for the New Zealand Tests. And it is true that continuity of selection is hugely preferable to the panic-driven selections of the 1980s. There aren’t obviously compelling alternatives for the top-order positions, either.But it also seems to be true that, by continuing to select such players with such records, England are accepting mediocrity. Twelve Tests is not a small sample size; an average of 22 is not good enough for a No. 3. England are losing anyway and, in the shape of Haseeb Hameed, Liam Livingstone, Dan Lawrence and Joe Clarke, they have other options.Nothing that happened on the first day in Sydney should surprise anyone. And that is a damning indictment of the lack of improvement and development within this England team. It is increasingly hard to avoid the conclusion that, for all their glimpses of snatches of promise, they’re going nowhere.

The Boston Red Sox parted ways with their longest-tenured active player by trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Devers, who signed with the Red Sox as a free agent at the age of 16, spent his entire major league career with the Red Sox from 2017 until Sunday, when he was sent to San Francisco.

The surprising trade took place months after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, who replaced Devers at third base. Devers initially stated that he would only play third base, before later agreeing to serve as the team's designated hitter. Tension re-emerged when the Red Sox asked Devers to play first base following the injury to Triston Casas, which frustrated Devers. Devers remained the team's designated hitter, up until the Red Sox agreed to trade him over the weekend.

Though the end of Devers's tenure in Boston was marred by the rocky end, he had many great moments over his time with the Red Sox, from becoming a three-time MLB All-Star, signing a 10-year, $313.5 million extension with Boston, and winning the World Series in 2018.

Following the trade, Red Sox manager Alex Cora posted a picture of him and Devers after winning the World Series nearly seven years ago, capturing one of the special moments Devers had as part of the franchise. Cora simply captioned the post, "Gracias," and tagged Devers.

As Devers heads to San Francisco, Cora and the Red Sox have to say goodbye to one of their biggest stars in recent years. Devers will see with his former team very soon though, as the Giants are set to face the Red Sox from Friday to Sunday.

Also: what is the record for most runs in a three-Test series without a hundred?

Steven Lynch16-May-2017Who are the youngest and oldest bowlers to take a five-for in Tests and ODIs? asked Kartik Aggarwal from India
The youngest bowler to take five wickets in an innings in a Test remains Nasim-ul-Ghani, who was only 16 when his left-arm spin brought him 5 for 116 for Pakistan against West Indies in Georgetown in 1957-58. A fortnight later he added 6 for 67 in Port-of-Spain. Oddly, Nasim never managed another five-for, although his Test career lasted another 15 years. Second on the list is a rather quicker Pakistan left-armer, Mohammad Amir, who was only 17 when he took 5 for 79 against Australia in Melbourne in 2009-10. The oldest to take a Test five-for is another left-arm spinner, Bert “Dainty” Ironmonger, who was about two months shy of his 50th birthday when he claimed 5 for 6 and 6 for 18 for Australia against South Africa on a helpful pitch in Melbourne in 1931-32.The record for the youngest to take a five-for in one-day internationals changed hands a few weeks ago, in March 2017, when the precocious Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan grabbed 6 for 43 against Ireland in Greater Noida, aged 18 years and six months. Rashid pinched the record previously held by Wasim Akram, who was about three months older when he took 5 for 21 in Melbourne in 1984-85 – the first five in the order, reducing the Aussies to 42 for 5. The oldest to do it in ODIs is Canada’s Sunil Dhaniram, yet another slow left-armer, who was around four months short of his 40th birthday when he took 5 for 32 against Bermuda in King City in June 2008; the oldest from a Test-playing nation is Viv Richards, who was 37 when he claimed 6 for 41 against India in Delhi in 1989-90.Misbah-ul-Haq scored 271 runs in the recent series in the West Indies. Was this a record for a three-Test series without a century? asked Andrew Gardam from England
Misbah-ul-Haq’s haul in the West Indies was helped by his two innings of 99, a unique feat in the same series. But he still comes in surprisingly low on this particular list, which is headed by the great Garry Sobers. He collected 342 runs in West Indies’ three-Test rubber in India in 1966-67, scoring 50 and 53 not out in Bombay, 70 in Calcutta, and 95 and 74 not out in Madras. David Steele scored 365 runs in three Tests for England against Australia in 1975, with a highest score of 92 at Headingley, but that was a four-match series (he was not called up until the second one). In all there have been 43 higher aggregates in three Tests of a series without a century.IPL colossus: Suresh Raina has 161 games in the tournament so far•BCCIHas anyone ever been out for 99 in their first Test match? asked Richard Billington from England
Three men have suffered the disappointment of making 99 on their Test debut. The first was the Australian Arthur Chipperfield, at Trent Bridge in 1934: he went to lunch on the second day with 99 not out but was dismissed by the third ball afterwards. “I think that everyone was genuinely sorry,” wrote the watching Jack Hobbs. Next to do it was the Guyanese batsman Robert Christiani, for West Indies against England in Bridgetown in 1947-48, and then Asim Kamal, for Pakistan v South Africa in Lahore in 2003-04. Chipperfield and Christiani did later reach three figures in Tests, but poor Asim never did, although he reached 50 seven times in 11 more appearances.Has anyone ever taken five wickets for no runs in a Test? asked Kevin Edmondson from England
No one has finished with figures of 5 for 0 in a Test innings, if that’s what you mean – the best in that regard is 5 for 2, by Australia’s Ernie Toshack against India in Brisbane in 1947-48. But according to the indefatigable Melbourne statistician Charles Davis, seven bowlers are known to have produced spells in which they took five wickets for no runs. The first was the South African offspinner Hugh Tayfield (who finished with 6 for 13) against New Zealand in Johannesburg in 1953-54, and the most recent was England’s Stuart Broad, in 16 balls during his 6 for 46 against India at Trent Bridge in 2011, a spell that also included a hat-trick. There might be some earlier instances, for which we don’t have the ball-by-ball data.Virat Kohli has now played 149 matches in the IPL. Has anyone reached 150? asked Amit Mukhtar from India
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s failure to progress from the group stages of IPL 10 has left Virat Kohli stranded on 149 matches so far. Four players have reached 150 already: before this year’s knockout phase, Dinesh Karthik had played 152 IPL games, Rohit Sharma 156 and MS Dhoni 157, while Suresh Raina led the way with 161. Yusuf Pathan (148), Robin Uthappa (147) and Gautam Gambhir (146) were also close to the 150 mark. The leading overseas player is AB de Villiers, with 129 appearances. For the full list, click hereLeave your questions in the comments below

Eighteen years of age and Pooja Vastrakar has already overcome injuries and setbacks to become a flamboyant batter and an audacious bowler in the India side

Annesha Ghosh17-Mar-20183:42

I was picked by my coach in a boys training camp – Vastrakar

It may be hardly flattering for a quick-bowling allrounder to be nicknamed ‘Babloo’ by her India captain, or be called ‘Babulal’ by the team’s fielding coach and her team-mates. But 18-year-old Pooja Vastrakar, the big-hitting, quick-moving speedster in the India side, is in no complaint mode.”Hardik Pandya had streaked his hair blue recently, so Mithu (Mithali Raj) gave him the nickname ‘Bablue/Babloo’. And, then, she started calling me the same (because they call me junior Hardik Pandya).”A look at Vastrakar’s slender frame and the boy-cut hairdo lends as much credence to Raj’s choice of the moniker as does the Madhya Pradesh teenager’s flamboyant batting style – as witnessed during her maiden international fifty in the ODI series opener against Australia on Monday – and her stinging pace and swing variations. It is, however, the rationale behind the pet name chosen by Biju George, the India fielding coach, that seems more fitting.”Have you seen those videos of dogs barking the lions away?” George asks in his trademark tongue-and-cheek manner. “That’s Babulal. Pooja reminds me of a guy who was all skin and bones, but, at the same time, all fight.”Youngest of seven siblings – five sisters and two brothers – and daughter to a retired BSNL employee, if losing the mother at ten was an emotional setback at a young age, the slew of injuries Vastrakar has had to overcome is in harmony with George’s assessment of Vastrakar’s resilience.Ahead of India’s tour of Australia in 2016, a lower-back injury, because of what she calls “prolonged neglect” on her own part put her out of contention for a place in the squad. A leg sprain sustained before the subsequent home series against Sri Lanka further deferred her chances of a national call-up. The most debilitating blow came in the form of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear she picked up while fielding during a senior women’s domestic one-dayer between MP and Punjab in October 2016.It was a phase that Ashutosh Srivastava, a BCCI level-1 coach, who has been mentoring Vastrakar for nearly a decade now, calls as being more mentally taxing for him than it was for his ward.Annesha Ghosh/ESPNcricinfo Ltd”When she twisted her knee and had to get the surgery done in January last year, I was the one who was depressed,” Srivastava recalls. “But Pooja was confident she’d get through it all. When she returned home, after getting some 15-20 days of rest and her rehab, her zeal to make it to the Indian side only got stronger.”Vastrakar confirms even though disappointment was natural, she wouldn’t sweat over the turn of events. Motivational videos of speaker Sandeep Maheshwari and Olympians on YouTube and Facebook would pull her up.”People would say, ‘It’s never easy for a fast bowler to come back after a knee surgery.’ But it’s part of the game; I wouldn’t let too many negative thoughts creep in my head because that would have only ruined my present. I just wanted to make a comeback, a good comeback. And I knew something or the other would work out.”In retrospect, the ACL injury, Vastrakar says, wasn’t “all that bad a point” in her life. She attributes her increased pace – from 105 kmph to marginally north of 110 – and improved accuracy to her post-surgery assessment of her bowling.”Earlier, I would take my body for granted at times. But the surgery changed that attitude. I’ve had to put in more effort after that to come back. Also, it made me realise if people like Arunima Sinha (former national-level volleyball player, who became first amputee to scale Mount Everest) can do such things after losing a limb, my injury is nothing compared to that.”The 2018 Challenger Trophy was to be her first major tournament, over and above the inter-state one-dayers and T20s, in a year since being sidelined by the surgery. While she credits playing at an all-boys facility for a seamless transition into the women’s game, Vastrakar counts the tournament as another turning point in her career, for it was to become the basis of her selection in the squad for the South Africa tour and also for her to be handed a central contract on the basis of only six international appearances.It all began when she watched her favourite batsman Virender Sehwag on television, and she was enticed further by the sight of boys indulging in gully cricket in her colony in Shahdol. Regular but brief fielding stints wouldn’t convert into longer runs with the bat or ball until the boys moved out of the neighbourhood, to pursue their career.” (I’d get only one or two overs but I’d do something amazing in them),” Vastrakar says. “While playing in the neighbourhood, we’d often misplace our balls, so we decided to go to the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Stadium one morning.Annesha Ghosh/ESPNcricinfo Ltd”The boys were doing fitness training so the nets were quite empty. I sniffed an opportunity and started batting there. At that time, I used to have long hair. The coach there spotted me and said, ‘Who’s this girl who comes here daily and bats in the nets?’ Seeing me bat, he offered to coach me and asked me to come daily for training. That’s how it began.”While long hair made way for cropped locks soon after she got into formal training, Vastrakar, the only girl at the all-boys facility, then known as Gulmohar Cricket Academy, would soon be taken under the wings of Srivastava, who ran the academy. It was at a time when Shahdol, a remote district in the interior of MP, was yet to become a division. The two factors coming together would mean Vastrakar would have to represent the neighbouring Rewa division which would field a women’s team in the inter-division tournament.Starting out with an inherent liking for batting, Vastrakar’s entry and evolution in state-level cricket, however, revolved around her skills with the ball, aided by her agility on the field.”When I got into the MP team, they asked the batsmen to queue up one side and bowlers on the other. Obviously, I went and stood among the batsmen. At that time, I injured my left ring finger after jamming it into the door hinge, so I had not been able to bat for a couple of days. The coach there asked if I can bowl as well, which is when I rolled my arm over for the first time. (That’s how I became a bowling allrounder).”Opening the bowling with Shikha Pandey in South Africa, in Jhulan Goswami’s absence, did her confidence a world of good early in her international career. But she wouldn’t have expected that hurling a bouncer at Meg Lanning in the first ODI would earn her a tweet of appreciation from the recently-retired Alex Blackwell.

Vastraker looks the part in this Indian line up. Run-a-ball fifty at no.9 in just her 2nd ODI followed by good pace and variations as a seam bowler. Her bouncer is not a bad option to test Lanning early in her return to international cricket #INDWvAUSW

— Alex Blackwell (@AlexBlackwell2) March 12, 2018

“When I went to the NCA for an Under-19 camp in 2015, the wicket at the end was quite green. I had read two months earlier that [Suresh] Raina had been struggling against the bouncer, and must have been at the NCA to work on that. I wondered if it was the same wicket where he had honed his game against the bouncer. The ball was rising nicely, so I thought, ‘All right, let me try out a bouncer here’. Then even on flat wickets I started bowling it. In the domestic games, I started bowling one almost every over, first or second ball.”Dishing out a bouncer, however, would be easier than dealing with one, as Vastrakar would learn on her maiden overseas tour. She sniped out South Africa’s top three in the first three T20Is but admits that her “batting in South Africa flopped”. She owns up to struggling against the short ball, especially those from Shabnim Ismail, who got her out for 1 and 2 in the two times she got to bat on the tour.She spent extra hours on her batting on return and it helped when she took the wind out of Australia’s sails – albeit in vain – with knocks of 51 and 30, both at No. 9, when the frontline batsmen failed to score. The highlight of the two innings was a six off Jess Jonassen that left the scoreboard at the midwicket fence in disarray and the bowler bemused.Much like her skills, Vastrakar says her heroes, too, have been varied.”I used to like Glenn McGrath a lot. That’s because he used to bowl outswing and so do I. But as a female cricketer, Jhulu di (Jhulan Goswami) has been a role model. From the beginning I have seen her, have read about her; she is such a consistent bowler. She backs me a lot and tells me, ‘This is how you must use the non-bowling arm. If you try, you can bump up your speed to 120-125kmph. (I want to follow her path and become like her).”But it is not solely as a potent quick in the making, or a swashbuckling batsman, or just a livewire on the field that she wishes to carve her future.”I want to be known as an allrounder who excels in all three departments, in every sense of the term. When people talk of me as an allrounder, I’d like them to say, ” (Pooja can do everything, and she’s good at everything).”

Mashrafe Mortaza has faced constant criticism for his captaincy, fitness and his place in the side for a long time now. He says he has learnt to ignore them, even though it is hard to do

Mohammad Isam10-Jul-2017Mashrafe Mortaza is used to having a question mark hang uneasily over his future. It has long been a running theme, but a renewed bout of speculation – coming not long after he led Bangladesh to a first-ever ICC semi-final – has left even the usually calm Mashrafe slightly incensed. Despite some good times with the ball, he has still had to endure this extra bit of outside pressure for nearly a year now.”After the first two matches of almost every series, the calls come for my removal,” Mashrafe told ESPNcricinfo soon after arriving home from England. “It is tough to play in this way. I know that after two matches in a series, I will hear things about my departure. It is a challenge that I have taken on.”For example, in Ireland in May, I gave away 58 runs in 6.3 overs against New Zealand. I felt I had a lack of bowling in my system so the next day I bowled more in the nets and then again bowled in front of the head coach and bowling coach Courtney Walsh. I spoke to both of them, and then through bowling to just the wicketkeeper [in nets], I corrected my problems. I am doing as much as possible but it becomes hard to play cricket in this climate.”Much of this doubting comes from an influential section within the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), though Mashrafe is not pointing fingers. There have been murmurs questioning his place in the team ever since the World T20 last year, and they persisted after the Champions Trophy this year. Interestingly, his status among fans as the most popular figure in Bangladesh cricket remains in place and most of the media hasn’t yet begun to call his captaincy or place in question. The general belief in Bangladesh is that while Mashrafe the bowler has waned in his pace, he is still essential to the team’s ODI plans.These questions usually centre around his bowling and fielding lapses but those are few and far between. The loss of pace has been compensated by his growing nous. He has proved time and again that he is the only bowler at ease with the new ball, and though he doesn’t possess the pace of Taskin Ahmed or Rubel Hossain or the variation of a Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe can still move the ball. The numbers back him too.He is Bangladesh’s second-highest wicket-taker since the 2015 World Cup, having picked up 42 wickets at an average under 30 and economy rate just under five.”If it is a question about someone’s cricket, one must think about his performance and fitness before anything else”•AFPWhat gets most interesting is when you look at his numbers during the period he recognised as the “pressure period”. Since the Afghanistan ODI series at home in September 2016, he has been the team’s highest wicket-taker with 28 wickets at 28.89. If he is criticised for being too loose, his economy rate answers that question too. Mashrafe is one of the two Bangladesh bowlers during this period to have conceded runs at less than five an over (having played a minimum of five games).His captaincy too has been a vital aspect of Bangladesh’s progress. Off the field, he has shown significant man-management skills to eke out the best from talented but inconsistent individuals. Under Mashrafe and coach Chandika Hathurusingha, many have found a voice on and off the field, and have been willing to express themselves.When Mashrafe is out on the field, he takes decisions based on his gut, even though sometimes the calls are not the most popular. One case in point was when he brought on Mosaddek Hossain at a crucial time of the New Zealand innings during their make-or-break Champions Trophy game.”In the second drinks break, I went out to change my spike,” Mashrafe explained. “I discussed with the coach if we can bring a spinner for an over or two. Mosaddek had troubled [Jimmy] Neesham and [Corey] Anderson previously, so after Taskin removed Ross Taylor, I thought it was a good time to bring him into the attack.”There were some who said it wasn’t a great idea. There was risk involved but I went with my gut feeling. Mosaddek gave away five runs in that over but I still felt he can be used for another over.”The part-timer went on to take three key wickets as New Zealand slid from a strong position. Though Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah ultimately were the heroes in the chase, Mashrafe’s captaincy had given the team an edge by restricting New Zealand to 265.Mashrafe Mortaza takes decisions based on his gut, even though sometimes the calls are not the most popular•Getty ImagesBut he said that the long-term effects of the constant questioning of senior players’ places is the confusion it creates within a dressing room that has several players approaching the peak of their careers.”I don’t think about [the questions]. Plain and simple. It is hard not to, but I don’t give it much time or attention. What I fear, however, is that such a thing has the potential of puzzling the dressing room. You will talk about someone’s selection when he is not up to the mark in fitness levels or fielding.”When he is not bowling well you don’t even have to talk to the player before dropping him. But sometimes I don’t find an issue. I am a player, and I am prone to making mistakes. But when you call for my removal after one or two matches, it makes playing difficult. I don’t think about it. I only focus on preparing myself.”Mashrafe can at least think about it rationally now, after years and years of hardships including multiple injuries, several heartbreaks on and off the field and family health issues. It is that more practical side of him that has rubbed off on the Bangladesh team too, especially since he took over as limited-overs captain in 2014.Having nearly given up the game after the 2011 World Cup, Mashrafe has always seen the last six years as a bonus. He considers himself “firstly a team player, a cricketer and then a captain”. But what does he do when the questioning becomes too frequent?”You asked me the question but you are the one who has to judge me. You are the best judge. There are questions and there can be, about anyone. But if it is a question about someone’s cricket, one must think about his performance and fitness before anything else.”I see that overall I am fine so it becomes a bit painful at times. But I hardly give it time. I only look out for personal attacks or when an environment is being created, which I can pick up on. I am strong in my place, and I know my job is to perform as a player.”

The India A batsman, who averages 59.45 in first-class cricket, said he was working on his white-ball skills and wanted more exposure in the 20-over format

Sreshth Shah in Alur12-Aug-2018Hanuma Vihari is at the summit of a very elite list. Among all current cricketers – from anywhere on the planet – Vihari’s first-class average of 59.45 is the world’s best. Steven Smith, the next best, is at 57.27 while Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara are in the 54s.After 62 games, it’s no mean feat, and while smacking 148 against South Africa A in the second unofficial Test, Vihari swiftly went past 5000 first-class runs as well. Speaking before the third day in Alur, the right-handed batsman said that the 2016 switch in teams – from Hyderabad to Andhra Pradesh – and the subsequent appointment as captain, propelled his performances with the bat mostly due to the added responsibility as a leader.”Last couple of years, changing states was a big change for me,” Vihari said. “It made me more mature, since I knew I was taking a big risk in changing sides. Because if I didn’t do well then people will start talking about things. I knew I had to step up, had to do double the hard work and double the runs from before, and it let me come out of my comfort zone.”I’ve been playing regularly for Hyderabad since I was 16, but I had a different challenge coming to Andhra. They gave me captaincy straightaway, so they had trust in me and I felt responsible for the trust they had shown. In the Andhra dressing room, we talk about winning, so that has made me more committed to the team, and therefore I’ve been batting longer. Once you get to a hundred, most batsmen tend to get satisfied, but for me, the team’s situation is more important than my personal goal, which is why I keep batting long.”Batting long has been a trademark of Vihari’s career so far. He has struck a double-century in each of his last five Ranji Trophy seasons, including a career-high 302 not out in 2017 while facing the Odisha bowlers. According to Vihari, this ability to score, what is colloquially called ‘daddy hundreds’, is down to his trust in his own skills – both with the bat and in the head.”It’s more to do with my mind than with my skills,” Vihari says. “At this level, it’s about what mindset we’re carrying on the ground. So I try to think about the game and be one step ahead of the opposition. If I can play according to the situation, and adapt to the conditions, then I feel I can be confident.”Vihari first found fame as an 18-year-old, when India won the U-19 World Cup under Unmukt Chand’s captaincy in 2012 but he has never been called up to the national team. He’s seen his U-19 team-mates leapfrog into the national side, and yet, Vihari had to wait until the end of 2017 for his maiden India-A call-up. In his first six innings – against South Africa A away and then against New Zealand A and West Indies A at home – the highest Vihari made was 37.However, during the ongoing series against South Africa A, Vihari’s 148 was his third fifty-plus innings in a row, finally paying back the trust shown by India A coach Rahul Dravid. Vihari said the team’s policy of giving players an extended run after being selected has been one of the reasons behind India A’s overall success.”When I first went to South Africa, I was pretty nervous,” Vihari said without any hesitation. “I knew I was up for a challenge, because it’s just one step below international level. It was a big step from Ranji Trophy, so I was pretty nervous not knowing what to expect, how the bowlers would be like, but the good thing about the set-up now is you get a consistent go. It’s not like you get one or two games. If you have the right attitude and a decent domestic run, then you tend to get six-seven games for India A.We’ve been playing together for the last four tours. Rahul sir says there is no best XI, no settled XI. He says every player in the 15 can be part of the XI, and that learning is the most important part at the A-level. So we tend to have different XIs in different games; no matter if you get a hundred in the previous game, you can still get rested for the next game. So in this system, we all back each other and it helps us individually. We are all contributing in different games, if you see.”Still only 24 and ignored in the IPL auctions since 2013 – when he played briefly for Sunrisers Hyderabad – Vihari firmly believes he’s a multi-format player, and not just a red-ball specialist. But the disappointment of not being picked up for the IPL is clear on his face, especially after averaging of over 58 in List-A games in 2017 and 2018. A lack of intent in the shorter format may be one of the reasons behind not being selected, but as Vihari himself says, he does possess the ability to hit big, and more importantly, to score fast.”It is tough, because you want to be part of the IPL. I want to get exposure and experience, but some things are not in your control,” Vihari adds. “For a couple of years, I’ve been doing well in the shorter format. I got a quick hundred in Vijay Hazare Trophy (a 118-ball 169 against Mumbai), been working on my strike-rates and done consistently well in T20s and one-dayers as well. But I don’t know how franchises work. That’s not in my control, but I would definitely love to be part of the IPL. If not, I will look at other things that will help me up my game.”These “other things” that Vihari talks about are stints with Gazi Group in the Dhaka Premier League and club cricket for Essex in England, but Vihari’s final aim remains the call-up for the national side. After batting at No. 5 for India A so far, Vihari was promoted to No. 3 in the ongoing match and he earned his maiden A-team century. A familiar spot in the line-up together with a comfortable surrounding under the team’s seniors has allowed him to transit more easily into the A-team set-up.”It’s very exciting since previously I was part of only one dressing room,” Vihari said. “But here, mixing with players from different states, and to be playing for the country is a different feeling altogether. Although it’s an India A game, playing for the country – with the second-best players in the country – it feels like quite the honour.”Shreyas Iyer and Yuzvendra Chahal (the senior-team players in the A squad) lift the spirit of the dressing room, and it’s inspiring to come and see them do their job. Right now, we’re playing against one of the best bowling teams in the world. Last month, we played against some international players in England, so it’s a different challenge to cope with uncomfortable situations.”It has made me a better player, and playing against better players will make you a better batsman.”

Shafali scored 75 off 41 balls in the fifth T20I to finish the series as the second-highest run-scorer behind Mandhana

Valkerie Baynes13-Jul-2025Shafali Verma has batted her way into the conversation surrounding India’s squad selection for the home ODI World Cup later this year.Dropped after India’s group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup last October, Shafali was recalled for the T20I series against England, which India won 3-2, and re-established herself by finishing as the second-highest run-scorer behind opening partner Smriti Mandhana.Shafali’s 176 runs at 35.20 and a strike rate of 158.55 included scores of 20, 3, 47 and 31 and a 41-ball 75. Her two highest scores came in losing causes as England clinched last-ball victories at The Oval and Edgbaston, respectively.On Saturday night, she brought up her fifty off just 23 balls, the joint-second-fastest for India Women alongside Mandhana, and behind only Richa Ghosh’s 18 balls against West Indies last year.Related

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Having helped her side go from 19 for 2 to 167 for 7, it took the highest successful chase in women’s T20Is in England for the hosts to win it – and they only did so on the final delivery, despite a 101-run opening partnership between Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley.Shafali is not part of the ODI series that will start in Southampton on Wednesday, but India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar said she was “without a doubt” in contention for the ODI World Cup at home starting from September 30, although Pratika Rawal remains the incumbent.

“Shafali has been a terrific player. There’s no doubt about it that she will be in the mix. She will be amongst the core group of India”Head coach Amol Muzumdar on Shafali Verma

Rawal averages 63.80 from 11 ODIs since making her debut at home against West Indies in December. She has a highest score of 154, at home against Ireland and five half-centuries.”It just shows that we’ve got a lot of depth now in this India squad,” Muzumdar said. “Pratika Rawal, she was drafted in the month of December, so it’s almost six months, but she has left a mark, a big mark in her initial stage in her international career.”So I think there’s a lot of depth in this Indian line-up, a good headache to have as a coaching staff. And Shafali has been a terrific player. There’s no doubt about it that she will be in the mix. She will be amongst the core group of India. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. But at the moment, Pratika, she has joined the squad probably four or five days prior to the ODI. The depth is stronger, it’s getting stronger.”Pratika Rawal has had a dream start to her ODI career•BCCIWhile the ODI series will provide a better World Cup gauge for both teams, India were further encouraged by the development of left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who was named Player of the Series for the T20I leg of India’s tour.Charani was the leading wicket-taker with ten at 14.80 and an economy rate of 7.46, having only made her T20I debut in the opening match of the series, where she took 4 for 12. And while she conceded 35 runs while going wicketless in the final game, Muzumdar was pleased with her progress.”She’s been a find of the WPL,” he said. “From the WPL, we identified her and then I think her progress has been fantastic, she’s been phenomenal in this series. We were searching for a left-arm spinner and she’s fitted the bill perfectly.”Kranti Goud, the 21-year-old right-arm seamer who made her T20I debut in Birmingham, having played just once for India before, in the final against hosts Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series also involving South Africa in May, is part of the 50-over squad in England.She made a nervy start to her T20I career when she took the new ball against England. Goud sent down three wides before bookending four dot balls with two singles off the bat. Harmanpreet Kaur, her captain, kept faith for a second over on the trot, which went for six runs in all, including four to Wyatt-Hodge, powered over midwicket, and Goud finished wicketless from three overs, which went for 26.N Shree Charani was named the Player of the Series•Andy Kearns/Getty ImagesMuzumdar said he had “mixed feelings” about the fact that his side had outplayed England in three games but failed to clinch the two close ones.Had Mandhana’s shy at the stumps at the non-striker’s end after Sophie Ecclestone had pushed towards mid-on and sprinted for the single England needed for victory off the last ball, the match could have gone to a Super Over.But not only has the series result given India a maiden T20I series victory in England, it has given the visitors crucial data on what playing here for the T20 World Cup might be like 12 months from now.”We had that in our mind when we came back from Sri Lanka and we started our preparation for this tour,” Muzumdar said. “We were on the same page, all of us, including the selectors, thinking that there’s a World Cup in 2026, same place, in England, so we’ve picked the squad accordingly. We’ve started on a good note, I guess, winning the T20 series here against England 3-2, that too the first time ever. So it’s a pleasing result. The preparation has already started.”The biggest takeaways, without a doubt, have been our bowling and our fielding. The batting has been a strength for a long time. A year and a half that I’ve been in charge, we’ve played some fearless cricket as far as batting is concerned. The two departments which we wanted to take care of were bowling and fielding, and in this series, it has shown the results.”