It’s the first international game in India since the pandemic began, but the usual fanfare will be missing

Deivarayan Muthu and Sruthi Ravindranath02-Feb-2021There was an unmistakable buzz in Chennai during the Pongal festival when , starring Vijay, one of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars, hit the big screens. Theatres were only allowed to open to 50% of their seating capacity as a precaution against Covid-19, but that didn’t dull the usual fanfare: the first show in the city began as early as 4am, with ardent fans queuing up from midnight and unveiling large cut-outs of their hero.The first-day-first-show experience at Chepauk isn’t too different. While it reaches epic proportions when MS Dhoni is around in Chennai Super Kings colours, Test cricket has also historically drawn strong crowds. There was even a decent crowd when Virat Kohli had turned up for an India A fixture here in 2015. This game was originally supposed to take place at the SSN college ground in the outskirts of the city, but once it was moved to the MA Chidambaram Stadium, a few hundreds gathered to watch him train.Related

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About six years later, Kohli is back in town as a world-beater and new dad, and international cricket is set to return to India, but the usual buzz is missing in Chennai. This is because the first Test against England, starting on February 5, will be played entirely behind closed doors despite the Indian government revising its guidelines pertaining to spectators for outdoor sport. The second Test will be opened up to the public, but there will be no first-day-first-show fun.R Bhaskaran, unofficial cobbler of the Super Kings – and at times the India team – has witnessed nearly every match at Chepauk from 1993. But this time, although he has been permitted to work from his pavement on Wallajah Road, he can’t enter the ground to attend to players.”First I was told 50% capacity, so I was a bit happy but then they said no crowds,” Bhaskaran tells ESPNcricinfo. “I haven’t been allowed this time. Whenever there’s a match, it would be like a (festival). Just like how it is around IPL, even a Test match would have a similar atmosphere. This time I would be dealing with my regular customers. There’s no (excitement). Usually fans will start queueing up days before the match day. It is just sad that people can’t watch it at the stadium this time.”Chepauk wears a deserted look three days out of the first India-England Test•Gaurav SundararamanAlong the main Wallajah Road corner is Dhoni Sports, a popular sports goods destination owned by Syed Shahbaz, a former hockey player. His shop has been around for eight years, attracting spectators during the IPL as well as international games, but this time the mood is bleak.”People generally used to start gathering a week before a match,” Shahbaz says. “This is not just for tickets, they just curiously hang around the stadium to get a glimpse of the proceedings. The whole road will seem happening.”It’s totally dead now, there’s no activity. Every market, cinema hall is full, why not the stadium considering it’s an open space? It can make a huge difference to the fans. It would have been good for businesses too if they had allowed [fans].”

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Around 5km west of Wallajah Road, Washington Sundar had received a warm welcome in Kilpauk, his neighbourhood, after returning from Australia. His homecoming included a special cake topped with a photo of him raising his bat after his debut half-century at the Gabba. Having played a vital role in India’s famous win in Brisbane, the Chennai Corporation named Washington a district election icon.Washington’s father M Sundar, a former Tamil Nadu prospect and long-time coach, watched the tied Test of 1986 and Sunil Gavaskar’s double-hundred against West Indies in 1983, among other games at Chepauk, but under the current circumstances he might not be there for Washington’s potential home debut.”It’s a bit sad, theatres have now opened up to 50% indoors, but this is an outdoor sport, and it’s unfortunate. Chepauk has a rich tradition; [international] cricket is coming back to India and two players from Tamil Nadu [R Ashwin and Washington] are in,” Sundar says. “They [India] are starting a new home season after winning a historic Test in Gabba, and it’s unfortunate that we and their fans can’t see them play from the ground.”A specially made cake welcomes Washington Sundar back to Chennai after his unforgettable Gabba debut•Whiteleaf TalentSundar recalls sweeter memories of watching Washington’s first Ranji Trophy hundred with his family from the stands in 2017.”Washi actually scored his first Ranji hundred at Chepauk. When he was on 30 or 40, I thought it will be good for him if he converts it into a century at his home ground. My whole family was there for the match against Tripura. At the Gabba, he missed a hundred, and here in his first Test at Madas, I’m hoping he can score his first Test hundred.”Siva Ananth, the co-writer of the documentary and Mani Rathnam’s , has also been a regular at Chepauk since returning from the USA in 1997. Ananth agrees it would have been “great to have crowds back”, but nevertheless he’s pleased to see cricket return to Chennai.”Traditionally, Chennai has been one of the oldest cricket-playing cities from the British India times, right? Obviously, it has been in the city’s DNA to play cricket,” Ananth says. “I think one of the standout games [I’ve been to] was the second day of the India-Australia Test match in 2004 when [Virender] Sehwag scored 155 and Shane Warne took his only five-for in India – 6 for 125. You could actually hear the ball hiss when Warne tossed it up, you could see the ball dip, and Sehwag’s innings was also outstanding – I was watching from the pavilion stands and had one of the best seats.”The other was the India-West Indies World Cup match in 2011. I was with a friend, I had to find a (alley) to park the car in Triplicane and run around. There was a cheer going up, and India was batting. We found our seats and sat down. [Sachin] Tendulkar hit the ball to square leg, scored a couple of runs, and got out [three balls later].”There was pin-drop silence. I know there was pin-drop silence because I dropped my cell phone and it sounded like an atom bomb! And that game also featured one of the most beautiful cover-drives by Yuvraj [Singh].”Shane Warne’s only Test-match five-for in India came in Chennai in 2004•Associated PressDuring India’s first Test against England, there will be a different sort of silence, and Aishwarya Haridas, a self-confessed cricket super fan who has hardly missed a game at Chepauk since 2004, says she will miss all the noise and chatter.”The entire stadium atmosphere, Chepauk will always be special, no matter how many stadiums I go to or I will go to,” Aishwarya says. “The Mexican wave, the random hi-fives with people, interacting with other country fans and in this case it’s the Barmy Army. The Chennai crowd always acknowledges the game of both sides equally, no matter which side is winning or losing.”After spotting reports of crowds being allowed for the second Test, she posted a message on a private cricket group on Facebook. “Who’s in for #CricketismAtChepauk for the second INDvENG Test?””You can speak to anyone from the [Chennai] crowd about the game, they will have an opinion,” she says. “You look at a random person you have never met and talk to him or her about the game, they will always have a response. And of course, the knowledgeable Chennai crowd tag has stuck with us since eternity. Stadium experience [at Chepauk] is truly something else.”The Chepauk faithful may have expected a familiar first-day-first-show experience. They’ll have to endure a first day, no show.

In our first batch of report cards for the year: England, Ireland, Bangladesh, West Indies, New Zealand and women’s cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2020Englandby Andrew Miller
It’s not the winning, it’s the taking part that counts. Who knew that Covid’s onset would bring such crusty old Corinthian values surging to the fore? Such was the impact of a season like no other.Judged purely by that outdated old yardstick of “results”, England actually fared pretty damned well in every on-field facet in 2020. They lost just one of their ten series across three formats, and just one of their nine Tests against three opponents – a series-opening cliffhanger against West Indies that confirmed the sport’s intensity could survive the absence of crowds.And if the planning for England’s next World Cup campaign – the T20 version in India next year – has been back-of-the-fag-packet stuff compared to the glories of 2019, the confidence and ferocity of Eoin Morgan’s men translated with ominous poise across the white-ball formats. In particular, Dawid Malan’s surge to the top of the ICC batting rankings proved that pressure need not always be a downward force.But nothing that happened in 2020 mattered more than the fact that it happened at all. When the Test squad abandoned their warm-up in Colombo in March to rush back to England before the world’s borders slammed shut, the doomsday scenarios were writ large across the sport.The county season went into abeyance for the first time since the Second World War, and the ECB warned of a catastrophic £380 million bill if the summer in its entirety was canned.But then, out of adversity, rose something quite magnificent. A patched-together itinerary, masterminded by the ECB’s Steve Elworthy – the year’s true MVP – enabled England to play all 18 of their scheduled men’s home fixtures in the space of nine weeks, across two venues and two “bubbles”.None of it could have been possible without some above-and-beyond buy-in from England’s visitors – Pakistan, Ireland, Australia and, most especially, West Indies, who not only braved the bubble at the pandemic’s height in June, but also agreed to send a women’s squad in September, for a short but compelling campaign at a time when Heather Knight’s squad were resigned to their international season being a write-off.More’s the pity, therefore, that England themselves were unable to find quite the same tolerance for the invidious circumstances come their year-end return to South Africa. By that stage of an arduous year, however, the thrill of winning and the thrill of taking part were insignificant compared to the thrill of just getting the hell out of the bubble lifestyle and getting back home for Christmas.Results
Tests: P9 W6 L1 D2
ODIs: P9 W4 L4 NR1
T20Is: P12 W8 L3 NR1West Indies led the way in taking a stand on the Black Lives Matter movement and in bringing cricket back after the Covid-19 hiatus•Getty ImagesWest Indiesby Nagraj Gollapudi
On July 8, an emotional Jason Holder, along with the rest of the West Indies Test squad, knelt in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. By the end of the day, Holder had career-best bowling figures of 6 for 42. Three days later, thanks also to the batting heroics of Jermaine Blackwood, West Indies created history by taking the lead in the series against England. Holder would go on to sit on a talk show with prime ministers of three Caribbean countries, who told him how proud they were of his leadership and his men.Sadly that would be the only bold statement the Test team would make in 2020. They lost their remaining four Tests – two in England and a two-match series in New Zealand in December. Embarrassed by repeated batting failures, Holder, after the innings defeat in Hamilton, put it bluntly: West Indies were “throwing in the towel too easily”.It was much the same in white-ball cricket, including T20Is, in which West Indies are defending world champions. Both captain Kieron Pollard and head coach Phil Simmons agreed the white-ball teams were works in progress, and said they wanted players who were willing to “die for” the team and play selflessly. A defeat against Ireland in a T20I at home was proved to be not an aberration as West Indies went on to lose to New Zealand 2-0.On-field struggles aside, they showed courage and spirit in travelling to different parts of the world and competing despite the suffocating and demanding conditions of life in biosecure bubbles. Fittingly, the MCC awarded Cricket West Indies with the Christopher Martin-Jenkins award for the Spirit of Cricket, for salvaging cricket by sending both men’s and women’s teams to England at the peak of the pandemic in the English summer.Results
Tests: P5 W1 L4
ODIs: P6 W3 L3
T20s: P8 W3 L3 NR2New Zealand were unbeaten in Tests at home this year•Getty ImagesNew Zealandby Andrew McGlashan
New Zealand’s year started with the disappointment of having failed to compete in Australia, where a patched-up side was hammered in Sydney, but finished with them a few percentage points off being the No. 1 Test side.At home they remained almost unstoppable as they secured 2-0 victories against India and West Indies. A dynamic pace attack was further bolstered by the emergence of Kyle Jamieson, the tall pace bowler and powerful lower-order hitter, who formed a formidable quartet with Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner. Quite what the future for a front-line spinner is on home soil remains to be seen.Kane Williamson produced a masterful unbeaten 251 against West Indies and even his absence on paternity leave barely caused a ripple against an outclassed opposition. Despite the problems in Australia, the line-up remained very stable (Will Young made a belated Test debut) and a debate around Henry Nicholls’ form was halted by his 174 against West Indies.In the limited-overs arena, New Zealand could not escape the spectre of the Super Over. Consecutive T20Is against India went to the tiebreaker, and New Zealand lost both. That series was a 5-0 whitewash, but late in the year the form of Tim Seifert and Devon Conway offered promise as they built towards the T20 World Cup and led to the dropping of Ross Taylor.In the one-day format they earned a 3-0 victory over India before becoming the first team to play behind closed doors at the SCG days before the sporting world shut down.Results
Tests: P6, W4, L1
ODIs: P4, W3, L1
T20Is: P11, W4, L6, NR1Women’s cricket peaked with the T20 World Cup, then screeched to an abrupt halt as the pandemic hit•ICC via GettyWomenby Annesha Ghosh
The best of women’s cricket and the worst of its administration were on view in 2020, and Australia played a starring role in throwing both into stark relief.For Australia, a tri-series win against India and England, and an atypical topsy-turvy league-stage campaign preceded a historic T20 World Cup triumph at home. A record 86,174-strong crowd watched first-time finalists India stumble against Australia in the final. Player-of-the-tournament Beth Mooney’s stocks continued to rise, and pop star Katy Perry brought the house down in a fitting finale.Then the curtains came down on the women’s game altogether.Top-flight women’s cricket remained off the radar for an additional 75 days after men’s bilateral series resumed after a 117-day pandemic-induced hiatus. Germany women’s record-breaking tour of Austria marked the official return of women’s international cricket. Among Full Members, Australia and England showed the way; the subcontinental sides and South Africa faced a raft of tour postponements and cancellations, and decisions that spoke of administrative apathy.Only two ODI series, one either side of the pandemic pause, were played through the year. New Zealand, hosts of the now-postponed 2021 ODI World Cup, featured in and lost both. The second of those series was against Australia, who equalled a record 21 successive ODI victories after clinching a T20I series win, also against New Zealand. The same day, England sealed a 5-0 whitewash of West Indies in T20Is.Other highlights of the year included a first-of-its-kind documentary, on the T20 World Cup, Thailand women’s World Cup debut, and first-ever central contracts for Nepal women. Add to that record viewership figures for the WBBL and the Women’s T20 Challenge, proving that women’s domestic tournaments could hold their own and shouldn’t have to jostle for space.Even while the senior team was being handed a beating in the Rawalpindi Test, the Bangladesh Under-19 side clinched the country’s first World Cup title•ICC via GettyBangladeshby Mohammad Isam
Bangladesh is one of only two Full Member nations not to have played a single international match since the country’s Covid-19 lockdown began in mid-March, in what was to have been their busiest year in Test cricket yet. In the end they played just two of their scheduled ten Tests, plus three ODIs and four T20Is between January and March.On their first tour of Pakistan in 12 years, Bangladesh were outplayed in two T20Is and the Rawalpindi Test that followed. But even as the Test team was staring at an innings defeat, the U-19 team clinched their maiden World Cup title in Potchefstroom.The senior team had better luck against Zimbabwe in a one-off Test a couple of weeks later, in which Mushfiqur Rahim made his third double-century and offspinner Nayeem Hasan took nine wickets.Bangladesh swept the ODI series against Zimbabwe likewise, with Tamim Iqbal breaking his previous national record for the highest individual score in the second ODI. Three days later Liton Das did better, with 176 in the third game, which also saw a number of other records tumble. It was also the last ODI under Mashrafe Mortaza, with Iqbal stepping into the captain’s role.The board has conducted two domestic tournaments, within a bio-bubble, to kick off the 2020-21 season, and there’s hope for more cricket in the new year.Results
Tests: P2, W1, L1
ODIs: P3, W3, L0
T20Is: P5, W2, L2, NR1Mark Adair fetches a ball from the stands from one of the six times Paul Stirling hit it there in the ODI where Ireland chased 329 against England•Getty ImagesIrelandby Peter Della Penna
Prior to 2020, the only times Ireland had been able to schedule a home ODI series of more than two matches were against Afghanistan in 2018, because nobody else would volunteer to play the two newest Full Members; and Zimbabwe in 2019, because neither side had qualified for the World Cup taking place at the time across the Irish Sea.So the introduction of the new ODI Super League for 2023 World Cup qualification heralded a new dawn of sorts. A pair of three-match ODI series and seven T20Is against Bangladesh and New Zealand, not to mention two more T20Is against Pakistan in Dublin, were pencilled in – a bumper crop for fixture-starved Ireland. But like for most countries, the pandemic wiped all of it out. The loss of revenue resulted in Cricket Ireland needing a €1.5 million euro government bailout.However, the fixtures that were completed either side of the shutdown provided a silver lining. Andrew Balbirnie took over from William Porterfield in Tests and ODIs and from Gary Wilson in T20Is as captain at the tail end of 2019. Though they took their fair share of lumps against West Indies and Afghanistan, Ireland also departed both away tours with a T20I victory to their name.Their habit of bounce-back wins after early defeats continued in England. Playing in the series that officially launched the ODI Super League, Ireland suffered lopsided defeats in the first two matches in Southampton before capping their 2020 fixture list with a thrilling reprisal of their 2011 World Cup heroics in Bangalore. Set a target of 329, Ireland completed the highest successful chase by a visiting team in England as Balbirnie and Paul Stirling both scored centuries, offering a hopeful glimpse of what lies ahead in 2021.Results
ODIs: P6, W1, L5
T20Is: P6, W2, L3, NR1Stats current as of December 27, 2020More in our look back at 2020

And is India’s 329 with no extras in the second Test in Chennai a record?

Steven Lynch23-Feb-2021Jharkhand won a one-day game by 324 runs the other day. Was this a record for a List A match? asked Midhun Menon from India
The match in question happened last week in India’s Vijay Hazare Trophy: Jharkhand ran up 422 for 9 in Indore, then bowled Madhya Pradesh out for 98 to win by 324 runs. That equalled the second-highest margin of victory by runs in any List A (senior professional limited-overs) game, by Gloucestershire (401 for 7) against Buckinghamshire in Wing in 2003. The highest margin in any List A match also dates from the days when the Minor Counties took part in England’s NatWest Trophy: Somerset (413 for 4) beat Devon (67) by 346 runs in Torquay in 1990.Jharkhand’s wicketkeeper (and captain) Ishan Kishan smashed 173 (with 11 sixes) in last week’s game, then took seven catches, which happens surprisingly frequently in List A games; there have also been four lots of eight, most recently by Peter Nevill, for New South Wales against a Cricket Australia XI in the JLT One-Day Cup in Sydney in 2017-18.There were no extras in India’s total of 329 in the second Test. Was this a record? asked Mayank Mathur from India
India’s first innings total of 329 against England in Chennai was indeed the highest in a Test without any extras – by just one run, from Pakistan’s 328 against India in Lahore in 1954-55. There’s then quite a gap to the third-highest, South Africa’s 252 against England in Durban in 1930-31.The record for one-day internationals came during India’s 265 for 1 against Bangladesh at Edgbaston during the 2017 Champions Trophy; in T20Is, it’s Canada’s 159 for 7 against Nigeria in Abu Dhabi in October 2019.The highest first-class innings with no extras at all was Victoria’s 647 against Tasmania in Melbourne in 1951-52. That’s over 150 more than the next entry on the list, MCC’s 484 for 4 declared against North Eastern Transvaal in Benoni in 1948-49, an innings in which Denis Compton made a triple-century in 181 minutes.Which batsman was most often dismissed lbw in Tests? asked Michael Kennedy from England
As you might expect, since he played the most Test innings of all (329), the man most often dismissed leg before wicket in Tests is Sachin Tendulkar, who fell that way on 63 occasions; Shivnarine Chanderpaul (55), Alastair Cook (54) and Graham Gooch (50) also chalked up a half-century of lbws.Probably more interesting is to see which batsmen were out lbw in the highest percentage of their Test dismissals, given a reasonable qualification. If you look at those who were out more than 100 times, it’s the Australian Shane Watson, with 29 out of 106, which is 27.3%. And, before you ask, it’s too difficult to work out how many of those he reviewed!If you lower the bar to 50 innings, the leader becomes the South African JP Duminy, who had 22 lbws among his 62 dismissals (34.3%).Among Test batsmen who have been dismissed over 100 times, Shane Watson has the highest percentage of lbws•Getty ImagesNaman Ojha, who has just announced his retirement, represented India in all three international formats – but played only four matches in all. Is this a record? asked Urjayant Sangai from India
The Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper Naman Ojha played one Test (against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2015), one one-day international five years earlier, and two T20Is, also in June 2010.There are four other men whose international careers stretch over all three formats, but involve only four matches. All are still active players: Minod Bhanuka Ranasinghe made his Test debut for Sri Lanka last month, and has also played two T20s and an ODI, while Zimbabwe’s Charlton Tshuma appeared in all three formats last year. They may well play again and escape from this list.It seems unlikely, however, that the other two will add to their tally of international caps, even though they are still playing domestic cricket. Scott Borthwick won his only Test cap for England early in 2014, having earlier played two ODIs and a T20I. And the Railways legspinner Karn Sharma played one Test, two ODIs and a T20 for India, all in 2014.Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers added 216 as West Indies beat Bangladesh earlier this month – was this a Test record for two debutants? asked Lionel Clarke from Barbados
That stand of 216 in the chase in Chattogram, which helped set up West Indies’ astonishing victory in the first Test, was actually the second-highest in any Test by a pair of debutants. The list is headed by Khalid Ibadulla and Abdul Kadir (a wicketkeeper, not the later legspinner), who put on 249 for Pakistan’s first wicket against Australia in Karachi in 1964-65. There have been only 13 century partnerships between two debutants in all Test matches, as the list shows.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

The offspinner looks back at the Chennai Super Kings’ first IPL title victory

As told to Himanshu Agrawal26-May-2021Being in an IPL final is always good because you are going through that entire grind. There are a lot of games and ups and downs through the tournament, and 2010 was when I made my mark.I had been waiting in the wings for a good two years. I played two games in the 2009 IPL and did pretty well in the last game I played, but couldn’t play the semi-final.Then I got a start in the 2010 season but got left out after five games. When I came back, we were almost out of the tournament. From there on, I had a very impactful performance. It didn’t look like we would qualify [for the semi-finals], but in Dharamsala we chased down over 190 against the Kings XI Punjab before we went to the final.There weren’t any clear strategies for the final. MS [Dhoni] doesn’t discuss strategies elaborately. He likes to keep it really simple. He is one of those captains who plays the card in front of him, backs his players, and has his own set of plans for the particular day.Related

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With regards to our score of 168, the difference then was the bats. We are talking of 11 years ago, when they were pretty good but still nowhere as good as what they are right now. The stadiums also weren’t made as ridiculously small as they are now. And there was a certain amount of grass always.Most of the tracks have changed since the IPL began. Most of the pitches [these days] play really well, making it difficult for the bowlers to restrict the batters. The bats are much harder now. But in 2010, and up to about 2012-13, it was a lot better for the bowlers than it is right now.The DY Patil Stadium [where the final was played] and the CCI [Brabourne Stadium] were also slightly bigger. With that score, the kind of bowling form we were in, and the way we were striking in the powerplay – Doug Bollinger and I had a really good combination at the back half of that season – we almost closed the game out against Mumbai at that stage.Yes, Kieron Pollard had that late blast, but I had bowled a maiden over [to Shikhar Dhawan] upfront and Dougie got an early wicket. Mumbai were sort of stuck at 30 or 40-odd at six runs an over and the [required] run rate shot up over ten. It was very difficult to imagine scoring over ten an over on those sort of surfaces with the bats of those days.Also, though Sachin Tendulkar was in great form that season, I wasn’t looking at who was in front of me but rather looking at the opportunity and relishing it. Only after the season was over did I look back and say, “Wow, that was good accomplishment”, because I had come across some of the greatest batters and got on top of them on many occasions.Suresh Raina was CSK’s leading run scorer in the 2010 IPL, with 520 runs at a strike rate of 142.85•Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty ImagesPreviously, Sachin <i<paaji used a lot of his sweep shots and slog sweeps [against me], but in the final he made a very concerted effort of trying to hit me straight down the ground. And ever since 2010 till whenever paaji played, he never really hit me across the line. It gave me a lot of confidence seeing him take calculated risks against me.When it came to our batsmen, a lot of them were worried about going after the bowling from ball one, but Suresh Raina wasn’t, because he really blossomed under MS. He didn’t have to think and wait for the 20th over – that was MS’s role.The immediate impact that I can remember is that almost zero legspinners or zero left-arm spinners could bowl at him; and if you were under 130 or 135 in pace, he would almost make mincemeat of you. He hit some extraordinary shots. One of the hallmarks of Suresh was the way he went over extra cover. It made the margin for error very small. A few catches were dropped by Mumbai, but he came out with a lovely knock.What really worked for Suresh in my opinion is the freedom with which he played under MS. He knew that MS could always cover up towards the back end, so he didn’t have to think about closing a game out. He was constantly looking to be the aggressor and take the challenge to the opposition. Whenever I saw him bat, I saw that sense of freedom. A total of 200 has almost become a par score in T20 cricket but to play with that freedom throughout an innings back then was something he set the trend for.Suresh has also bowled a lot, so it was not a one-off when he dismissed Harbhajan [Singh] in the final. He was a more than handy bowler for the early part of his career. He even got Virat Kohli out lbw in the 2011 final. In fact, I remember that in his Under-19 days, he bowled six to seven overs consistently for the India U-19 side, so him bowling in the final was not a surprise at all.Ashwin on Dhoni: “MS doesn’t discuss strategies elaborately. He is one of those captains who plays the card in front of him, backs his players, and has his own set of plans for the particular day”•Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty ImagesMS used Suresh in almost every game. If someone’s having a good day, MS backs him to do a lot more in that game. He might give that person the additional responsibility.Later in the game [in the 18th over] when Pollard hit Bollinger for 22 in an over, nobody had really done that with such élan before. We knew that one or two overs can happen like that but the game cannot be closed out. Those were the virgin years of T20 cricket – it was unheard of to knock off 50 or 60 runs in three or three and a half overs. So when Pollard hit Bollinger, we knew that the game could still come back into our bag and we were quietly confident. The surface and the bats back then made the game a lot more controllable for the bowlers.A lot of people acknowledged the fact that I was doing one of the hardest jobs. I had zero idea that I would go on to do the same thing for the next ten years – bowling in the powerplay as a spinner. But a lot of players – Albie [Morkel], Stephen Fleming [the coach], the trainer, and even Suresh – came up to me and said that it was an incredible tournament. What happened over the next 18 months was even more miraculous for me – the Champions League double [in 2010 and 2014], the 2011 IPL win, and the 2011 World Cup victory were a dream for me, starting from a really low point in 2010 when I got left out of the squad.All I can say is that it really set up a very, very memorable career if I look back at it now.The stability, in terms of the combination and the confidence one gives to the players, is what leads to an IPL title. In a lot of franchise cricket, people tend to get carried away with a group of results – after two or three games, they want to chuck a few players out and change the combination. That’s where the crux of it changes, because in cricket form can change overnight. If you know that someone’s got that ability then it’s important to back them. Those four or five years gave a blueprint to CSK in terms of how to back players in order to get championships.When it came to the celebrations of the 2010 victory – I have never really been a massive one for celebration, and CSK has also been like that. I have been in a few other franchises and celebration is one thing that happens very minimally at CSK. There is team bonding all through the year. There is fun and frolic, but it is not that people sit and harp on it and have a big night. People just caught up at the restaurant after the final. We had a chat and that was about it.Fleming brought in a culture where the big nights were a definite no-no, because in the IPL it’s very difficult to manage your time as it is, with the travel and the pressure. CSK treated a win just like they treated a loss. That’s one of the reasons why the team has got its laurels.

Proud club’s agonies may only be beginning as change comes too late to save reputation

David Hopps15-Nov-2021Psychologists have never quite agreed how many stages of grief exist, or indeed quite what they are, but many Yorkshire cricket lovers will imagine they have lived through many of them as the Azeem Rafiq racism allegations have reverberated around the globe. The time for disbelief and anger is long gone. Depression and desperation have now taken hold, as many in the county are demoralized by the sort of fiasco that they had fondly imagined was consigned to the past. Only when there is a proper plan for the future, a new way of living, an approach that is progressive, resilient and unnegotiable, and one where anyone with Yorkshire cricket in their heart can believe that this mess will never happen again, will it be time to move on.To still be writing such words again is beyond belief. On a sunny July day in 2006, Yorkshire devotees dashed across the Yorkshire Wolds to Scarborough to watch Adil Rashid bowl out Warwickshire on a historic first-class debut. There was a palpable sense of excitement that Rashid would finally symbolize Yorkshire’s growing success in fostering links within its minority-ethnic communities. On that heady afternoon, the mood among many spectators was celebratory, the county’s reputation unsullied, even if Yorkshire’s captain and coaching staff folded arms and said very little, indicating in gruff, unimaginative, ungenerous manner that the publicity might be damaging.Fifteen years later, they are discovering the real nature of bad publicity. Rashid, shamefully, is now the only Yorkshire-born player of subcontinent heritage on the staff, despite the county having the largest percentage of non-white inhabitants outside London and the West Midlands. Despite the presence of many worthy people, some – whether you believe it or not – employed by the county, in the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, and in clubs throughout the region, who are forever striving to create equal opportunities, and whose task is now made so much harder, the pathways for minority-ethnic cricketers have persistently failed as they approach county level. Rafiq’s single-minded offensive has made it clear that an entrenched, uncompromising culture remains unwelcoming, either by accident or design.As for Rashid, who has largely preferred to keep his own counsel on this tawdry tale, and who one day can rightly expect to be honoured by Yorkshire with his own cricket school in his native Bradford, he has now confirmed Rafiq’s story that yes, Michael Vaughan, a former England captain, had indeed observed to a group of Asian players something along the lines that there were too many of you lot and we need to do something about it.Azeem Rafiq bowls for Yorkshire during T20 finals day in 2016•Getty ImagesIt is such destructive sporting “banter” – racist banter, let it be said – that seems to be at the crux of the matter. Many might conclude that Vaughan intended his comments, as alleged but not admitted, to be taken in jest. But even the most generous misinterpretation does not protect him from the charge that any such remarks, if so made, would be unacceptable – comments with race at their heart, uttered by a powerful member of the dominant ethnic group, a statement of difference that risks exclusion and undermines integration.The same might be observed of Gary Ballance’s candid admission of his long-running “banter” with Rafiq, an old drinking buddy, before Rafiq returned to his Muslim roots and abandoned the alcohol that he says he had turned to in order to fit in. Ballance accepted to Yorkshire’s internal enquiry that he had used racial slurs and apologised for it, but his friendship with Rafiq had still been deep enough to invite him to his home in Zimbabwe. Rafiq responded in kind. But it was still breathtakingly misjudged, it was still essentially a relationship which had race at its heart and did the member of the minority group a great disservice. Amid it all, Yorkshire contrived to give Ballance a new three-year contract,As a result of this and many other allegations, Yorkshire cricket is now cleaved in a manner that will not be easily repaired. Both the chairman, Roger Hutton, who led the inquiry, and chief executive Mark Arthur have resigned; the director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, is on sick leave with a stress-related condition; and Rafiq himself, who has talked of past suicidal thoughts, has since been through a draining, obsessional experience that invites concern that his mental health is being looked after.Those of us who know the executives who have now departed have defended them as decent human beings. That assertion has been countered by the view that they have supervised a failed system without intervening and so must pay the penalty. They are guilty of sins of omission and what is disturbing is that millions would have been just as inactive. Both men are understandably hurt by the character assassination they have suffered, just as Rafiq was distraught at the racist overtones that regularly occurred on their watch. Arthur (like all those before him) failed to introduce systems and educate all those under in a way that makes the charge of Systematic Racism a persuasive one – even if the enquiry rejected this. Moxon was too timid in addressing an aggressive dressing room culture, perhaps because cutting humour was regarded as the very stuff of professional sport. Especially in Yorkshire.Lord Patel has signalled overdue change in his first weeks as Yorkshire chairman•Getty ImagesHow has it come to this? Cricket in Yorkshire is central to many people’s lives. They believe in it like little else on earth. And while racist attitudes linger in a small but by no means inconsequential minority (in what area of life do they not?), the majority of fans feel badly let down. They had believed these dog days belonged in the past. Many are beside themselves with frustration at the incompetent handling of this affair: firstly, dismissive and inactive as senior figures failed to see the big picture. They were blinded by the simple fact that they regarded Rafiq as a bit of a liability – and there is much they could say to prove as much. Then they were secretive, disunited and unpersuasive as they were forced into an investigation against their will. That investigation was utterly mishandled because Hutton, the new-departed chairman, had good intentions but no power to force them through.Many who live in the county will recognize an uneasy truth, as much as we insist that the county where we have made our lives is a wonderful place to live, awash with great scenery, food, theatre, community. In Yorkshire, things are done differently. There is no more stubborn, forthright and bloody-minded county in England. Views are candid, and at their best are refreshingly honest. There is very little dissembling, although there is often a stony silence. The difference in behaviour is so pronounced that a person living in Yorkshire, and liable to be viewed as a bit of a wuss, only has to catch a train two hours south to London to be suspected instead as an abrupt, opinionated bully. “Banter” in these parts can be savage and becomes part of the daily routine from childhood, but racism, not to say sexism and homophobia, must be regarded with zero tolerance, and Rafiq’s whistleblowing has made it clear that Yorkshire have failed to address it.Stereotypes, by their very definition, are over-simplifications. But an interesting aspect of such character generalisations is that these plain-speaking attributes can often be seen these days in the minority ethnic groups that have made Yorkshire their home. Such a connection can strengthen bonds. It is quite an irony, though, considering Yorkshire’s reputation for heavy-handedness, that the word was gradually slipped out by the old regime that Rafiq had been guilty of bullying academy players.Is that true? In this soap opera of claims and counter claims, is it really worth the effort to find out? Rafiq is a flawed individual. But that he was ill-served – and Yorkshire finally admit as much – is ultimately all that matters. But we are all much too interested in who might have said what to whom, and whether a sentence (rather than a life) can be construed as racist. When attention turns to Ballance or Vaughan, interest is sharpened all the more. Racism is abhorrent and there should be no concessions about that. But analysing the grades of racism inherent in a single action or moment (and the charges vary from the non-existent to the totally unacceptable) is no way to move Yorkshire onto a firmer footing.Joe Root’s well-judged call for education to aid Yorkshire’s recovery was overshadowed by his reticence on the club’s dressing-room culture•Getty ImagesSystems and processes do not capture much attention. But it is systems and processes that Yorkshire now need. Joe Root, England’s captain, a champion of diversity and arguably the proudest of all Yorkshire cricketers, was criticized by Rafiq last week because he said he had never seen racism in action at Yorkshire. Regrettably this took attention away from a well-judged statement in which he put the need for education from an early age at the core of Yorkshire’s recovery. This is a social problem, said Root, which was not an attempt to pass the buck, but a recognition that social failures demanded of Yorkshire a policy of active education of every single person – of all races – who entered their system, the creation not just of a safe space, but the imposition of a more enlightened, club-orientated, multi-racial culture for all who pass through Headingley’s gates.”We need to educate, unify and reset,” said Root. “We need to educate more and earlier; we must call [racism] out straight away and have our eyes and ears open more.”Related

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Other county clubs, who have largely escaped criticism, should also look at themselves. When it comes to self-destruction nobody does it quite like Yorkshire, but too many minority ethnic players who come into county cricket have, to put it crudely, been “whitewashed” by a public school education. Cricket’s over-reliance on the private school system is well chronicled. Selection of junior sides is complacent. The two London counties, Surrey especially but also Middlesex, are beginning to make progress. Many are not. More stories could emerge. The dam has been breached.Yorkshire will give oral evidence to the Digital Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on Tuesday, and they have already released to them the full internal report. Expect a few grandstanding MPs and not a little pomposity. But it is fit and proper that Yorkshire have been called to account and it will be an uncomfortable watch. Comments ahead of the meeting by Lord Patel, Yorkshire’s incoming chairman, that Azeem is an important whistleblower who should be “praised for speaking up”, that the investigation was “flawed” and that “urgent change” is further proof if it were needed that, under Lord Patel’s guidance, change is already underway.Yorkshire can emerge more strongly from this than many imagine. Rafiq can one day be judged by historians as a catalyst for change. That would be some consolation for what has often felt like a lonely struggle. Many cricket people in Yorkshire are already doing good things, many lessons have already been learned. At club level, for a generation or so, players of different ethnic groups – and often, this being cricket in the north, from working-class backgrounds – have slowly learned to rub along. Integration has been slow, imperfect and often painful, and there remains much to be done, but the direction of travel has been a positive one. While Yorkshire’s reputation was in tatters, the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation welcomed 140 Afghan refugees to Leeds in early November with the support of Leeds City Council. The final stage of grief is the imagining of a new beginning. Not everybody is fortunate to get that far. Yorkshire owe it to all their supporters – not just to Rafiq – to make it.

PSL starts on January 27 in Karachi, with all sides picking two supplement players to cover for injuries and Covid-19

Umar Farooq12-Dec-2021The six PSL franchises firmed up their full squads for the seventh edition of the competition scheduled to begin January 27 in Karachi. Each franchise had the opportunity of retaining a maximum of eight players. Then they met in Lahore to finalise the remaining squad and complete an 18-man side, including two supplement players to prepare for scenarios such as injury and Covid-19 cases in any camp. However, it was agreed that these players can feature in the XI regardless of circumstances.Teams were allowed three platinum, diamond and gold players each, five silver ones, and two apiece from the emerging and supplementary categories. However, no one could pick more than four players combined – both overseas and local – in the platinum and diamond groups. A team had to choose at least three foreign players among their first nine picks, and could get the other foreigner from the supplementary round.That apart, sides must field a minimum of three overseas players and a maximum of four in their playing XIs. The 16-man squad must include five foreign and 11 local players, while the 18-player group could have been a combination of either six foreigners and 12 locals or five foreigners and 13 locals. Also, according to PSL regulations, an emerging player should either be Under‐23 as of January 1 of the playing season, or someone who has played an aggregate of ten or more games in the PSL over two seasons, but is not eligible to be in the emerging category as per age.Lahore Qalandars squad for PSL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Lahore Qalandars

Draft picks: Fakhar Zaman (Platinum), Abdullah Shafique, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Kamran Ghulam, Dean Foxcroft, Zaman Khan, Maaz Khan, Samit Patel and Syed FaridounRetained: Rashid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi (both Platinum), Haris Rauf (Diamond; Brand Ambassador), David Wiese, Mohammad Hafeez (both Diamond), Ahmed Daniyal, Sohail Akhtar and Zeeshan Ashraf (all Silver)Potential first XI: Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Phil Salt, Mohammad Hafeez, David Wiese, Kamran Ghulam, Samit Patel, Rashid Khan, Zaman Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris RaufMultan Sultans squad for PSL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Multan Sultans

Draft picks: Tim David, Odean Smith, Rumman Raees, Asif Afridi, Anwar Ali, Rovman Powell, Imran Khan Sr, Aamer Azmat, Abbas Afridi, Ihsanullah and Blessing MuzarabaniRetained: Mohammad Rizwan, Rilee Rossouw (both Platinum), Imran Tahir (Diamond; Mentor), Sohaib Maqsood (Diamond), Khushdil Shah (Gold; Brand Ambassador), Shahnawaz Dahani and Shan Masood (both Gold)Potential first XI: Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Sohaib Maqsood, Rilee Rossouw, Khushdil Shah, Tim David, Odean Smith, Abbas Afridi, Imran Khan Sr/Rumman Raees, Imran Tahir and Shahnawaz DahaniKarachi Kings squad for PSL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Karachi Kings

Draft picks: Chris Jordan, Lewis Gregory, Umaid Asif, Tom Abell, Rohail Nazir, Mohammad Imran (wildcard: from Emerging to Silver), Qasim Akram (Right to Match), Faisal Akram, Talha Ahsan, Romario ShepherdRetained: Babar Azam, Imad Wasim (both Platinum), Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nabi (both Diamond), Joe Clarke (Gold; Brand Ambassador), Aamer Yamin, Sharjeel Khan (both Gold) and Mohammad Ilyas (Silver)Potential first XI: Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Joe Clarke, Imad Wasim, Lewis Gregory, Mohammad Nabi, Aamir Yamin, Chris Jordan, Umaid Asif, Mohammad Amir and Talha AhsanIslamabad United squad for PSL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Islamabad United

Draft picks: Colin Munro, Marchant de Lange, Muhammad Akhlaq, Reece Topley, Danish Aziz, Zafar Gohar, Mubasir Khan, Zeeshan Zameer (Right to Match), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Athar MahmoodRetained: Asif Ali, Hasan Ali (both Platinum), Faheem Ashraf (Diamond), Shadab Khan (Diamond; Brand Ambassador), Alex Hales (Gold; Mentor), Azam Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr (both Gold) and Paul Stirling (Silver)Potential first XI: Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Colin Munro, Shahdab Khan, Azam Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Muhammad Zeeshan/Mubasir Khan and Marchant De LangePeshawar Zalmi squad for PSL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Peshawar Zalmi

Draft picks: Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Qadir, Salman Irshad, Arshad Iqbal, Sameen Gul, Kamran Akmal, Sirajuddin, Mohammad Amir Khan, Ben Cutting and Mohammad HarrisRetained: Liam Livingstone, Wahab Riaz (both Platinum), Haider Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik (all Diamond), Hussain Talat (Gold), Saqib Mahmood (Gold; Brand Ambassador) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Silver)Potential first XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Haider Ali, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Ben Cutting, Hussain Talat, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Saqib Mahmood and Salman Irshad/Arshad IqbalQuetta Gladiators squad for PSL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Quetta Gladiators

Draft picks: Jason Roy, James Faulkner, Umar Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Ben Duckett, Naveen-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ashir Qureshi, Ahsan Ali and Noor AhmedRetained: James Vince, Sarfaraz Ahmed (both Platinum), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz (both Diamond), Shahid Afridi (Gold; Mentor), Mohammad Hasnain (Gold; Brand Ambassador) and Naseem Shah (Gold)Potential first XI: Jason Roy, James Vince, Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed, James Faulkner, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Hasnain and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai

All the key stats from the second Test between South Africa and Bangladesh in Gqeberha

Sampath Bandarupalli11-Apr-20222 Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer became only the second pair to take all ten wickets while bowling unchanged on two occasions as South Africa beat Bangladesh in Gqeberha. They had achieved this feat for the first time during the first Test in Durban. Australia’s Charlie Turner and JJ Ferris are the only other pair to do so on two different instances.3 Seven-plus wicket hauls for Maharaj in Test cricket, the second-most by a South Africa bowler, behind Hugh Tayfield (4). Maharaj is also the second bowler to pick up a seven-for in successive Tests for South Africa after Tayfield (vs England in 1957).150 Number of Test wickets for Maharaj, the second South Africa spinner to achieve the milestone. Tayfield was the first, finishing with 170 wickets in 37 Tests.ESPNcricinfo Ltd27 Number of wickets between the South Africa and Bangladesh spinners in the second Test. These are the most wickets picked up by spinners in a Test in South Africa. The previous highest was 23 during the 1936 Durban Test between South Africa and Australia.141 Balls needed for the South Africa spinners to pick up all ten wickets in Bangladesh’s second innings. Only once did the spinners bowl fewer balls in a Test innings for all ten wickets – 114 balls by Maharaj and Harmer against Bangladesh in the previous Test in Durban.15 Wickets between Maharaj and Harmer in Gqeberha, the joint-most by South Africa spinners in a home Test. Their spinners had shared 15 wickets on two occasions previously – against England in Gqeberha in 1949 and against Australia in Durban in 1950. Overall, the most their spinners took in any Test was 16 against Australia in Melbourne in 1952.2 Instances of a half-century and a five-for in the same Test for Maharaj; both came at the St George’s Park in Gqeberha. Shaun Pollock (3) and Jacques Kallis (2) are the only other South Africa players to achieve this double more than once.

It’s been a while since he played such an impactful innings, and Titans will hope he carries this form deep into the tournament

Hemant Brar18-Apr-20222:04

David Miller: ‘It’s been encouraging to know that I am 100% backed’

Across the previous six IPL seasons, 58 batters faced 500-plus balls. Among those, David Miller is in 57th position in terms of strike rate.In 2020, when he was with Rajasthan Royals, the presence of Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer meant he got just one game in the whole season. Next year he played nine matches but could score only 124 runs at a strike rate of 109.73.None of that seemed to matter on Sunday as he struck an unbeaten 94 off 51 balls and steered Gujarat Titans to a miraculous, last-over win against Chennai Super Kings in Pune.Titans were chasing 170 on a pitch where the ball was holding, gripping and turning. They were without their best batter, which further compromised their already-thin batting line-up. And when their second-best batter fell for a first-ball duck, things didn’t look pretty.By the time Miller walked in, Titans were reeling at 16 for 3, the asking rate had climbed past 9.50, and Maheesh Theekshana was asking all sorts of questions with his mystery spin. Apart from Theekshana, Super Kings had two more world-class spinners in their side: Moeen Ali and captain Ravindra Jadeja himself.It’s no secret that Miller prefers pace on the ball. He knew if he didn’t attack the spinners, they would end up bowling their full quotas, with seamers rotating around them. So he took them on but at the same time chose his areas and moments.Given the slow nature of the pitch, he decided to target the straight boundaries. And whenever he attempted a big shot, he gave it his all; there were no half measures. For instance, when Theekshana tossed one up in the fifth over, Miller hit it so hard that even though it went just over the bowler’s head, he had no chance to even get a hand on it.One advantage of having come in as early as the fourth over was he had the time to get his eye in against a relatively hard ball. By the tenth over, he was well set on 27 off 21 balls.He launched Moeen over long-on for his first six before repeating the shot against Jadeja in the next over. Jadeja then bowled fuller on the pads, only to be slog-swept over deep square leg. When he went wider, Miller dispatched him to the cover boundary.”I was trying to impose my presence and let them know that I was there to score,” Miller would say after the match.2:47

Was this David Miller’s best IPL innings?

That assault forced Super Kings to return to Chris Jordan, probably a little earlier than they wanted to. But Dwayne Bravo, using all his experience and variations, was making life difficult.With 48 required from the last three overs, even Miller needed a helping hand. He found one in the form of Rashid Khan, who whipped Jordan for three sixes and a four in one over.Still, Titans needed 13 from the final over. By now, Miller had Lockie Ferguson for company. In other words, he had to score all those runs on his own.Jadeja backed Jordan to do the job for Super Kings. The first ball was a dot. On the second, Miller refused a single, which meant now 13 were required from four balls. But with Miller in beast mode, a Titans win looked almost inevitable.He hit the next two legal deliveries for a six and a four, with a no-ball sandwiched between them. On the penultimate delivery, he picked up a couple to take Titans over the line.When asked about his mindset this season, Miller said being part of the playing XI in every match has made a big difference.”Unfortunately, in the last four to five years, I haven’t really played as much IPL cricket as I would have liked to,” he said. “The nature of the tournament is that there are only four overseas players [in an XI], and the other overseas players are always going to miss out. And I have sort of found myself in an in-between place where I have been sort of in and out, in and out of Kings XI [Punjab] and then Rajasthan [Royals]. I have played some decent games there but I felt I couldn’t really get going.”It has been really, really encouraging to be part of the Gujarat Titans and just know that I am 100% backed. We have a nice environment, we enjoy each other’s success and I think that goes a long way to doing well. But more importantly, it has been really nice to play every game.”Only the future will tell if Miller can carry this form deep into the tournament. For now, he has served a reminder that on his day, if it’s in the arc, it’s still out of the park.Titans will hope those days are not so far apart as they have been.

Here’s a look at seven players who can use the BPL platform to aim for higher honours

Deivarayan Muthu and Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2022Will Jacks – Chattogram Challengers
The big-hitting Surrey batter, who can also pitch in with handy offspin, adds to England’s already vast talent pool in white-ball cricket. He hit 309 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of just a shade under 150 in the 2020 Vitality Blast, where Surrey finished runners-up. Since being named the Vitality Blast Player of the Year in 2020, Jacks has enjoyed greater exposure, having had stints with Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL, Oval Invincibles in the Hundred and Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 league more recently. His first BPL stint with Chattogram Challengers is another testament to his growing white-ball stature.Kennar Lewis – Chattogram Challengers
Lewis is another hard-hitting top-order batter who will be featuring in his first BPL. At Jamaica Tallawahs in the CPL, he has spent most of his time in the shadow of Andre Russell. While there are questions over Lewis’ fitness, this is another chance for him to step out of the shadows and shine in the T20 spotlight. In CPL 2021, Lewis shellacked 195 runs off 117 balls in powerplays at a strike rate of 166.66. He was also at it in the T10 league and in the Lanka Premier League.Tanvir Islam is in good form ahead of this season’s BPL•BCBTanvir Islam – Comilla Victorians
The left-arm spinner has the best bowling average and economy rate, and one of the best strike rates, in domestic T20 competitions in the last two years in Bangladesh. Much of it came during last year’s Dhaka Premier League (DPL), when he took 20 wickets at an average of 9.35 while representing Shinepukur Cricket Club.A typical Bangladeshi left-arm spinner who hits good lengths consistently and has great accuracy, Tanvir attracted attention by taking 50 wickets in his first two DPL seasons. The selectors noticed his numbers and picked him for Bangladesh A in 2019, and he has also represented teams like the Emerging Team and Under-23s. He has taken a combined 25 wickets in first-class and List A matches in the 2021-22 domestic season, putting him in good form ahead of this season’s BPL, a tournament where he only has two wickets in eight games.Fazalhaq Farooqi – Minister Group Dhaka
Farooqi remains Afghanistan’s most promising pace-bowling prospect aside from Naveen-ul-Haq, having already established himself as a T20 – and T10 – globetrotter. The left-armer has a good inswinger and a fairly deceptive offcutter that tricked batters who threatened to line him up during his stint with Delhi Bulls in the T10 league. He was also roped in as a reserve bowler by Chennai Super Kings last year, when he bowled with sharp pace and bounce at the nets. Farooqi is likely to join the Dhaka squad after playing for Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series against Netherlands, which ends on January 25.Jake Lintott was Southern Brave’s top wicket-taker in the Hundred last year•Getty ImagesObed McCoy – Fortune Barishal
The West Indies left-arm seamer, who foxed Australia with his slower-ball variations at home in mid-2021, has since spent most of his time on the sidelines with injury. He hasn’t played a competitive match since T20I World Cup game against England in Dubai. Dominic Drakes, who was a back-up bowler at the World Cup, has now taken McCoy’s national spot, but this BPL is McCoy’s opportunity to prove his fitness and form.Parvez Hossain Emon – Comilla Victorians
The left-hand opener has been one of the top-three six-hitters in Bangladesh’s domestic T20 scene over the last two years. He shot to fame with the fastest T20 century by a Bangladesh batter in 2020. Emon struck seven sixes and nine fours in that 42-ball knock in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup. And although Mohammedan Sporting Club in Dhaka signed him for the DPL T20s last year, he couldn’t quite get going, managing just one fifty in 14 games. Emon has also scored just one half-century in the 2021-22 domestic season so far, but at 19, he has a lot of time and potential opportunities lined up.Jake Lintott – Fortune Barishal
After being a wildcard pick in the Hundred, Lintott emerged as Southern Brave’s top wicket-taker, and subsequently won a deal with Barbados Royals in the CPL. In a Barishal side that has two premier Bangladesh left-arm spinners – Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam – it is hard to imagine an overseas left-arm spinner getting a look-in. Lintott, however, brings something different: a T20 specialist who bowls left-arm wristspin. Throw Lintott in the mix, and Barishal’s spin attack could still be potent even without Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who will be on national duty for Afghanistan in the early exchanges of the BPL.

After this home season, there remains little doubt that Iyer should start in the series decider in England

Sidharth Monga15-Mar-2022A year ago, Shreyas Iyer cried inside the dressing room. Hours previously, he was the captain and main batter of Delhi Capitals, the runners-up of IPL 2020, and almost a lock in for India’s limited-overs sides. In the eighth over of England’s innings in Pune, though, he dived at cover, saved two runs and dislocated his shoulder.He knew his IPL was done for. More importantly, the T20 World Cup was in doubt.Capitals went on to name Rishabh Pant their full-time captain and retained him as the future of the franchise. Iyer missed the first half of the IPL, and the lack of game time because of the injury meant he was only a reserve for the T20 World Cup. These were the two biggest stages for him last year. Could the year get any worse?Related

Shreyas Iyer: On this pitch, a fifty feels like a century

Shreyas Iyer named Kolkata Knight Riders' new captain

Towards the end of the year, though, things turned. Pandemic, workloads, injuries and selections – everything conspired to open up a third stage. To call Test cricket a grand stage might be a stretch comparing it to the IPL and a World Cup, but for players, it still remains important to test themselves at the longest format.When Iyer got that chance, he had played only one first-class match since the start of 2019. It is a testament to the variety of conditions and bowling you face in Indian first-class cricket that a dominator in domestic cricket found himself right at home in Test cricket, even if only at home so far.Iyer came to Test cricket with a first-class average of 52.18 and a strike rate of 81.54. Whatever you say about the quality of attacks in domestic cricket, you don’t do this over 4000 runs without the game for it. Iyer was – and is – the sole member of the club of batters with 4000 runs, an average of 50 and a strike rate of 80 in first-class cricket.It perhaps points to the riches in Indian batting that till the break he got, thanks to many absences, Iyer was seen as a limited-overs international batter only. It is anyway a really tough time to be an India Test batter. They play only five of them, and invariably they get tougher pitches than other teams wherever they travel.Add to it the change in home pitches, which have begun to turn more, and sooner than before. The churn in Test sides tends to be lower, which means new spots rarely open up.In his first four Tests – Player of the Match in two of them – Iyer has shown the quality of his game against spin. He rarely gets caught on the crease; he is either meeting the ball at its pitch or right back to play it after it has turned. That is a quality ingrained in most good batters in India at a young age, but Iyer also has an attacking gear, which is rare.Shreyas Iyer hurt his left shoulder last year, and cried in the dressing room•Getty ImagesHe can often force spinners to drop short by showing them an early forward movement without committing to it. The trickier the surface, the handier that quality is. As was apparent against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.”Very, very impressed with his performance,” captain Rohit Sharma said of Iyer. “Not easy to play on these kinds of pitches, especially when playing your fourth Test match. It is never easy. He showed a lot of composure. He understood what he exactly wanted to do on that pitch. It was very clear from the outside also that he has gone in with a plan.”To have that kind of mindset for someone playing only his fourth Test shows a lot of maturity and a lot of understanding about his own game, which is a great sign for us moving forward. Batting at six in these conditions is never easy. The game is always in the balance. It can shift either way in that position. I thought he grabbed that opportunity with both hands and made it count.”In a season of transition, Iyer is the first one to have nailed down one of the spots vacated by Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. It is a shame that Iyer fell ill during the South Africa tour. It was a good time for us to know where the leadership saw Iyer when Virat Kohli missed the second Test with injury.However, we don’t know if they preferred Hanuma Vihari, thus suggesting Iyer was not the No. 1 pick in seaming conditions, or if Iyer missed out because of his illness.But after this home season, there remains little doubt that Iyer should start in the series decider in England. As he prepares to lead Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, if he looks back to the night he spent crying in the Pune dressing room last year, Iyer perhaps will not curse his luck now.