Young batters stood up, the seamers excelled in hot conditions, and Bangladesh rolled Afghanistan over with five sessions to spare

Mohammad Isam17-Jun-2023A winning margin of 546 runs is something out of an book of records. Three of the four 500-plus-run victories in Test history have come between 1911 and 1934. Bangladesh’s win against Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Dhaka is the only entrant from the 21st century. Here’s a look at the various strands that came together for them as they pulled this result together.

Why didn’t Bangladesh declare earlier?

The road Bangladesh took to get to this result hasn’t sat well with everyone. On ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary, suggestions from fans included “they should declare with a 400 lead” and “why aren’t they declaring yet?” Some even suggested that Bangladesh were disrespecting their opponents. Similar thoughts echoed across social media and were also discussed by the few who showed up at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Even though head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe had made it clear before start of the third day’s play that his side was going to bat the whole day.It made sense for Bangladesh to bat out the third day. They wanted to have a healthy lead and give ample time (and rest) to their bowlers before they set about chasing the last ten Afghanistan wickets. Even though there was a 40-50% chance of rain, there was no threat of long wet spells, and the last two days were going to offer enough overs to go for the win.Related

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Bangladesh also didn’t think Afghanistan were pushovers. After all, the visitors had beaten them by 224 runs in Chattogram four years ago. Granted, Rashid Khan – who took took 11 wickets in that game – was missing this week in Dhaka, but so were Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.On the third evening, Mominul Haque had denied talk of any “revenge” for that Chattogram Test. He said international sport doesn’t work that way. They were just looking to bat long, and give the bowlers a comfortable target to defend. Afghanistan were 45 for 2 in 11 overs on that third evening, chasing 662, and finished on 115 for 9 on the fourth morning, when Zahir Khan had to retire hurt with a blow to the elbow. Bangladesh had won the match with five sessions to spare.

Litton happy with character shown by batters

Stand-in captain Litton Das said after the match that he felt pride seeing the margin of victory, on a challenging pitch, in unfavourable weather conditions.Litton: ‘You have to work equally hard, whoever you are playing against.’•BCB”You don’t get a win margin like this every day,” he said. “Credit goes to the batters. The wicket wasn’t easy, but [Bangladesh] batted really well. Bowlers did well too, maintained line and length. They had it slightly easy due to the help from the wicket. When you win a Test match, it is a big achievement. As a captain, you can’t ask for a bigger win than this one.”We believed a lot would depend on the first innings. We bowled them out for 146. The margin [of difference] started to show. It was still a difficult wicket. Our batters showed great character in the second innings. Credit must go to our batters and bowlers.”Litton said the Bangladesh top order has been showing character since last year, when Mahmudul Hasan Joy made impressive runs in New Zealand and South Africa. Zakir Hasan got a century on debut against India last year too. They scored a fifty each in this game.”Zakir is playing his third Test but even on his debut, he didn’t seem to be playing Tests for the first time,” Litton said. “He missed out on a big one due to his run-out in the second innings. I liked the way he batted. He is quite mature.”Joy is similarly mature. He showed great character in New Zealand. We want our young players to show character. They must be determined to do well for the country.”

Test cricket in the new era: Bangladesh too scoring quickerBangladesh’s scoring rate stood out in both innings – 382 and 425 scored at run rates of 4.44 and 5.31, respectively. They batted in similar fashion in the one-off Test against Ireland in April, scoring at 4.82 across the two innings. It is certainly a step up from their run rate of 3.27 in Tests from October 2016 till before that Ireland game.

“In a few years’ time, we won’t have some of these senior players. If you don’t manage it now, suddenly it would become difficult when they are really gone. It would have been better had they played, but we have some capable newcomers.”No seniors? No problem, says Litton

Litton said that Test cricket’s evolution has meant that batters now give more thought to taking advantage of hittable balls rather than leaving it just because it’s a five-day game. “I think a batter should hit the ball that he thinks he can hit a four or a six. Why should he leave that ball? The opposition is always under pressure when there are runs on the board. Tests no longer go into the fifth day [much]. Everyone wants to score runs quickly, and if they have good bowlers, they declare the innings.”

Bangladesh’s pacers offer stern test – of opposition and team-mates alike!

Bangladesh declared their second innings on 425 for 4. Their fast bowlers took eight wickets between them in the final innings, with Taskin Ahmed finishing with career-best figures of 4 for 37.Bangladesh’s quicks picked up 14 wickets in the game•AFP/Getty ImagesEbadot Hossain had taken four wickets in the first innings, while Shoriful Islam picked up five wickets in the match, chipping in with top-order wickets. Their 14 wickets as a collective is now the most by a Bangladesh pace unit in a Test match. Litton said that it was exciting to see so many fielders in the slip cordon next to him as he collected balls regularly around his chest.”I really enjoyed captaining the side, particularly when I saw the ball carrying to me, going to the slips. It was fun as a wicketkeeper,” he said. “There was always a chance to get a wicket. We don’t usually play three pacers in Mirpur because of the wicket’s behaviour. But they had help from the wicket this time, so they did their job properly. I am very happy as a captain.”Litton said the Bangladesh batters now have a tough time themselves, facing their own fast bowlers in the nets. “Their pitch map tells the story. They are a lot more consistent in their lines and lengths. We bowled without cover and point in this game. We are aggressive even on flat wickets,” Litton said.”Their practice and work ethic have changed. We struggle to bat in the nets these days. Taskin, Ebadot, Khaled [Ahmed], Shoriful [Islam] and Musfik [Hasan], and the white-ball bowlers give us a lot more challenge in the nets. It makes our life easier in the matches.”

Past, present and future not solely dependent on seniors

As much as Afghanistan’s missing spin superstar remained a talking point through the Test, Bangladesh also had huge gaps in terms of experience in their line-up. But this is not the first time they have produced a big result with their big names absent. Litton served a reminder that Bangladesh were also without their two senior-most cricketers when they famously won in Mount Maunganui.”We won in New Zealand without Tamim and Shakib . That was a young team winning a Test in overseas conditions. It gave us the belief that hard work can bring success. Everyone in this team wants to play Test cricket. There is excitement in this lot.”In a few years’ time, we won’t have some of these senior players. If you don’t manage it now, suddenly it will become difficult when they are really gone. It would have been better had they played, but we have some capable newcomers.”

Getting the chance to bat up the order has unlocked new dimensions to his game

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‘Great captaincy’ – Steyn impressed with Shakib’s bowling changes

Mehidy Hasan Miraz imparts adequate air on the ball to lure a desperate Hashmatullah Shahidi out of his crease. The slightly slower delivery dips on the Afghanistan captain, and the seam grips on the Dharamsala pitch. Shahidi, on 18 off 37, commits himself to the charge. He attempts a hit down the ground but it turns into a fatal hoick. Towhid Hridoy takes the catch at mid-on. Like he often does in home Tests, Mehidy set up the left-hander smartly with a series of dot balls.It was just the breakthrough Bangladesh needed at that stage. And as Afghanistan fell from 112 for 2 to 158 all out, Mehidy helped himself to two more wickets. At this point, normally, a frontline spinner would take off his boots, pull up a chair, and wait for the batters to finish the simple chase. Mehidy went to bat at No. 3, instead.Bangladesh know that Shakib Al Hasan is their leading cricketer. He has been the top-ranked allrounder in one format or other for a stretch of time that goes as far back as 2009. He was among the wickets on Saturday too. His class endures but it looks like he’s finally got some competition.Mehidy doesn’t think he is the next Shakib. That is actually the source of all his confidence. He doesn’t bring himself down by comparing himself to one of the game’s greats. He just does his thing. Since his international debut against England in 2016, whenever Mehidy has been asked to step up, he has stepped up. That confidence has now spread into his batting. The only thing is, nobody is sure where he will bat next.Mehidy, who was Player of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, struck his first fifty in a senior World Cup match today and took his first Player-of-the-Match award in this tournament. He has produced some great performances since December last year, not least those two great wins over India. Mehidy continued that run of form with the bat and never lost what he had with the ball. It seems as if the more responsibility he has on his shoulders, the better he plays.Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck his first World Cup fifty against Afghanistan•ICC via Getty ImagesAfghanistan, twice now, have borne the brunt of Mehidy’s great form. He struck a century, his first in ODIs, as an opener in the Asia Cup. At the World Cup, he hurt them a little with the ball and a little with the bat.”I have worked really hard on my batting,” Mehidy said, after scoring 57 off 73 balls in Bangladesh’s six-wicket victory. “I have thought long and hard about it, how I can improve my batting. I prepared myself really well. The team also gave me a lot of opportunities up the order. It is a big deal for me. But we didn’t think about the result, we wanted to get the process right. Result comes at the end of the day, so we didn’t put focus on that. We didn’t want to forget about the main job. We got our result because our bowlers came back into the game superbly.”Mehidy said that any time the team management gives him a batting position higher than his usual No. 8 spot, it is on him to take advantage of it. “Every cricketer has to adjust to different situations and he/she knows that they have to adjust to achieve something big. I have batted at No. 8 for a long time, but there was never a lot of opportunities in that position. At times there isn’t enough balls left in the innings.”I want to give my 100% in every position,” he said. “I prepared myself mentally for these adjustments. Every position presents a different situation. I don’t think too much about it when the opportunity comes in front of me. If you think simply, it is better to bat anywhere above No. 8. The team gets help if I play well. I face some problems but I don’t focus too much about it. I have to perform well for the team, that’s the most important thing. This win has made everyone, including the team and the country, very happy.”Through all the added focus he has put into his batting, Mehidy has never allowed his bowling standards to drop. On Saturday when he started poorly, his captain came over and revved him up a bit.”I gave nine runs in the first over,” Mehidy said. “I didn’t bowl well. I was nervous. I was cautious in my mind. During the drinks break, Shakib reminded me that there won’t be success if I bowl with a negative mindset. I should be very positive. If they hit you, its ok. But they should charge at you, they have to hit your good balls. I prepared myself mentally again, and I thought how I should bowl in good areas. These small things make a lot of difference.”Mehidy was surprised that the Dharamsala pitch aided the Bangladesh spinners and once they saw that was the case, they settled into old rhythms. “When the pacers weren’t doing well at the top,” he said, “it put the spinners under pressure. Shakib got two wickets, which boosted the team. We started bowling well from both ends. The pacers came back well. We didn’t expect such a wicket in Dharamsala, but we found there was turn in our first two or three overs. The ball stopped a bit. We share the pitch information quickly with the captain and the bowlers, how to bowl in this wicket. We had great communication throughout the game.”

Another Indian city, another capacity crowd. Another team dispatched to gleeful roars

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Moody: India’s bowlers relentless with their lengths

Oh hello, opposition players. Who are you guys this time? We’ve already crushed Australia, bashed New Zealand… sooo you guys must be? Hah. Just kidding, we know who you are. Come through, come through. Welcome.We’ve seen a few of you around, right? Some of you play the IPL. Even do quite well at times, I think. Look, we’re sorry, and we don’t mean much by it, but for this tournament, we have basically forgotten you. How do we put this? Those at the top of the food chain tend to be errrr… indifferent, let’s say, to the day-to-day lives of their prey.Look at how many of us there are. We’ve come to Lucknow from all over. Some of us have taken trains east from Delhi and Gurugram. Others have driven from Kanpur, from Patna, from Indore. Busloads full of us have come. Planeloads full of us. In the business class section, an Indian-origin venture capitalist from the east coast of the US is chatting all flight long to a fintech guy from Mumbai. They’re waxing nostalgic about their childhoods in the same state, trading business notes, marveling at how much India has changed, giggling about how much has stayed the same.Related

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In the cities we pack out, the restaurants are all full, the streets are a whirl of blue, and the best biryani restaurants have queues out the door. You guys know all about queues in your country, right? Hahahah, you guys invented some decent stuff once.We all a bit about the cricket, because come on, that’s what we’re here for. But we don’t spend much time talking about how good the India team is. What is there to be discussed? We know India is ridiculous. The India team knows they are ridiculous. Deep down in your hearts know India is ridiculous.We spend more time talking about you guys and all the funny comments you make in the press. Like how your team is so allergic to the word “defence” your captain has said “we don’t defend anything”. You can say that again. No wonder Sri Lanka got an eight-wicket win against you, hahah. Too good.Don’t mind us, opposition players. We will only have you in our sights for a few days. Then it’s on to a next set of opposition players.At the match, the stands are filled from top to bottom, all the way around every stand, with people in light blue shirts. You’re in the ring, and you’re surrounded.We’re screaming for our guys. Emptying our lungs. This stadium especially must make you worried, right? The stands are so high, and the canvas roof over them keeps the noise rolling back in, and on the field, you have to be hearing every cascading decibel of our exultation.Listen to the roar. The match is only just starting. All of us aren’t even in yet. But when Shubman Gill square drives a four off one of your bowlers, it’s already at ear-splitting levels. The stadium DJ sounds out instructions – a drill sergeant to 50,000-plus. We raise our arms when he tells us, call-and-response when he tells us, scream at him that our enthusiasm is “high, sir!” when he asks us. If we want to have fun on command, who are you to argue? Maybe you should focus on your own stuff.The stands were a sea of blue in Lucknow•Associated PressWhen Virat Kohli, who is chasing a record-equaling 49th century by the way, gets out coming down the track and trying to bash to leg, almost every voice in the stadium is zipped shut. It takes 50,000 people to produce this much silence. People at the urinals have got to have stopped midstream, it’s that quiet. Maybe that’s getting to you too.Don’t take it personally, opposition players. You’re all just extras on our boys’ national tour of absolute domination. You’re playing your parts just fine. We wouldn’t worry about it. You have other games.And see? Look at that. You’re bowling okay, and you field just fine. Does that make you feel a bit better?But then you also have to bat. Oh boy. It wasn’t that long ago that our bowling wasn’t that good. Now? You’re in for some trouble. Ours is the best now. When our guys surround your batters, and our bowlers surge in, and we’ve got top-to-bottom coverage of all the stands, the stadium feels like a giant set of jaws, about to swallow your puny batters.This is a spin-friendly pitch apparently, and yah, we have Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav for just such tracks, but we also have fast bowlers who are bosses on them, and they are the ones who deck your top order this time. Jasprit Bumrah, our one-of-a-kind quick. Not just a soulless cricket factory, no? Not even close. Mohammed Shami, who goes hunting for that set of stumps better than most seamers on the planet, was always going to cause you so much trouble here wasn’t he. Oh, opposition players.Before long, you are 39 for 4. Then 52 for 5. Then 98 for 7 or something. Kuldeep is spinning them so big, so quickly, your captain didn’t even have time to form the gate he spun his ball through. It’s not your fault you suck. I mean, it might be. But anyone would suck against this. Everyone has so far.Then Bumrah and Shami come back into the attack, and your useless tail hits a few boundaries how cute. But, you know, our boys are wrapping things up now. All out 100 runs short of our target, in the 35th over. It’s all over.Farewell opposition players. Best of luck in all your endeavours for the remainder of this tournament. Ahmedabad next? Try the thali. We will follow you, I guess. Either way, we’ll see some of you at the IPL, and the rest of you will line up desperately at the auction for the chance of playing in India again. Ah, you guys. It’s been a good time. For us.

Both men have great potential but they are yet to show the kind of numbers expected of them

Mohammad Isam15-Mar-2024Enigmatic. Over-rated. Talented. Misunderstood.These are generally the words that cricket fans, team-mates, coaches and journalists in Bangladesh use to describe Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar. On song, they are two of the most breathtaking strokemakers in cricket currently. Not on song, they are a source of frustration.Both happened in the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Chattogram. Litton hesitantly chipped the third ball of the match to be caught at square leg. His second duck in a row and third in the last five innings across formats. Soumya struck 68 with 11 fours, a playlist of punchy cover drives, leaned-into straight drives, sweeps and ramps. When he fell with the switch hit, caught brilliantly on the deep-point boundary, Soumya looked shocked. He often doesn’t get starts like this, so it was disappointing for him to give it away.Soumya reached 2,000 runs in ODIs during this innings. He has taken the fewest innings among Bangladesh batters to reach this mark, but it has taken him nearly 10 years. It sums up his international career. He is a force to reckon with, but only when the mood suits him.Related

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After a long time outside the team, Soumya has shown good form since December last year when he struck a career-best 169 against New Zealand. He threatened to break free in the T20Is in Sylhet but didn’t get a big one, not unlike his performances in the BPL for Fortune Barishal.Litton, meanwhile, is going through a prolonged funk. He hasn’t scored a fifty in the last ten ODI innings. He made two half-centuries in the World Cup after an ordinary first nine months in 2023. He hasn’t followed up on his 2022 form, his best year in international cricket.His mode of dismissals are worrying. Out of the 18 times he has been caught in the last 12 months, seven of them were to fielders inside the 30-yard circle.Litton has shown a tendency of not committing fully when attempting aggressive shots, which might explain why the timing and the power he usually has are not working quite so well right now. He has been caught behind six times, and that’s not because he has been reaching out away from the body. Litton has played switch hits and hooks to the wicketkeeper. He has been caught in the deep five times during the last 12 months. He sent catches to long-on and long-off against Australia and India in the World Cup when he looked set for a big score.Soumya Sarkar became the quickest Bangladesh batter to 2000 ODI runs•AFP/Getty ImagesLitton’s confidence is the biggest visible difference between his woeful present and his imperious 2022. He also curbed plenty of shots after he was dropped for a Test match against Pakistan in 2021. It was a sobering moment for him as he went back to first-class cricket and worked with one of his childhood mentors to fix things. Litton marshalling Bangladesh’s batting in their miraculous Mount Maunganui Test has now faded from memory.Litton’s downward spiral has come at a time of Soumya’s long-awaited upswing in form. He made a surprising comeback to the Bangladesh team last year. That it coincided with Chandika Hathurusinghe’s return to Bangladesh as head coach isn’t a huge surprise. Soumya had impressed Hathurusinghe very early in his first stint as the head coach, in 2014.Soumya has always struggled for consistency. Even so, selectors and team managements have always believed that he had potential, so they kept bringing him back time and again. In different formats, in different roles, in different batting positions.When Hathurusinghe returned last year, it is understood that he asked about Soumya early on. Soumya returned to the ODI side against New Zealand in September, but there was no sign of the old Soumya. He missed the World Cup squad, but in New Zealand in December, he finally played a knock that many had been waiting for.Soumya’s 169 is Bangladesh’s highest individual score in an overseas ODI. It was a magnificent effort in conditions where the side has often struggled. Soumya struck 22 fours and two sixes, while the rest of the side could muster 122 runs between them. Bangladesh lost the game but Soumya’s talent, after nine years, was vindicated.Litton, however, is going through another lull. Would it lead the new selection committee to drop him like he was dropped in 2021? It seems unlikely at this point but Bangladesh do have two more openers in their squad. If a break helps Litton, it could become a reality.

Williamson’s diabolical run-out and Southee’s drop on the last ball of the day summed up New Zealand’s mental block against Australia in Test cricket

Alex Malcolm01-Mar-2024Kane Williamson is normally unflappable. His team-mates describe him as a “miniature Buddha”. Always calm. Always present. Never fazed.The sight of Williamson looking stunned, shaking his head, not knowing where to look after a calamitous run-out where he collided with his batting partner Will Young, was the perfect metaphor for the Black Caps’ woes against Australia.It has reached the point where Australia’s Rugby team, the Wallabies, who have an equally woeful record against New Zealand’s All Blacks, should consider walking out for their next Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park in whites and Baggy Green caps, such is mental stranglehold Australia’s cricketers have over New Zealand.After letting Australia wriggle off the hook at 89 for 4, 211 for 7 and 269 for 9 to concede 383 after winning the toss and electing to bowl on a surface that offered plenty, New Zealand lost three wickets in six balls to slump to 12 for 3 on their way to being bowled out for 179.Related

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Williamson’s run-out was diabolical. Having walked out after the loss of Tom Latham, the serene mini-Buddha was in a hurry to get off the mark second ball. He pushed a drive towards straight mid-off and made a late decision to take off without calculating the proximity of a prowling Marnus Labuschagne. Young was late to react to Williamson’s call and, as they both watched Labuschagne swoop, slide and release the throw, they collided mid-pitch. Young dropped his bat, Williamson ricocheted into Mitchell Starc, who was an idle bystander, and Labuschagne hit middle from close range as he so often does.Williamson was frazzled. He turned his head to Young as if to find someone or something to blame. But the reality was, even with a clear and direct path to the crease line, the run would have been incredibly tight.As bad as the run-out was, the entire sequence encapsulated the Black Caps’ mental state against Australia.Latham has been an excellent Test opener over a decade-long career averaging over 40 before this Test with 13 centuries. But in 17 Test innings against Australia, his average drops to 25.29 with a highest score of just 63. Starc has been his chief tormentor. And it didn’t take much for Starc to remove him for a fifth time in Test cricket. A good-length delivery on a fourth stump line exposed an indecisive mind. Latham wasn’t sure whether to leave or play and dragged a late defensive shot onto his stumps.Five balls later, with Williamson having already come and gone, Rachin Ravindra fell meekly. Ravindra has no mental baggage against Australia. He slaughtered them in a stunning ODI century in Dharamsala last year. He made a Test 240 less than a month ago. But he sliced a square drive in the air straight to Nathan Lyon at point off Josh Hazlewood before he had scored.Glenn Phillips was the best on show on the day for New Zealand•Getty ImagesTwelve for 3 became 29 for 5 when two more Black Caps with no mental baggage against Australia succumbed. Daryl Mitchell was tested endlessly on the front foot by Starc, Hazlewood and Pat Cummins as Australia’s trio of quicks bowled much fuller than their New Zealand counterparts had. Mitchell tried to walk down the track at them to mix up their lengths, as he does in white-ball cricket and as Cameron Green had done with great success in his epic 174 not out. But he was beaten time and again. Finally, Cummins pitched short and Mitchell nailed a pull shot for four. Cummins sent square leg back. The next ball was a double bluff. Good length again, nipping away, Mitchell prodded and edged and was on his way.First ball next over, Mitchell Marsh burgled another with Young tickling a leg glance into Alex Carey’s gloves.”Here we go again” was the murmur among the Wellington crowd. There’s a reason New Zealand haven’t won a home Test against Australia in 31 years and none anywhere in nearly 13. The calm, controlled and consistent cricket they play against other nations seems to disappear in the Tasman winds whenever their neighbours arrive from across the ditch.It was telling that the major fight came from two men who have performed well against Australia.Success does breed success. Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips produced two of the standout batting performances in New Zealand’s 3-0 series defeat in Australia in 2019-20.They showed no fear in an excellent century stand to help New Zealand avoid conceding a larger first-innings deficit. Phillips took on Australia’s full lengths, thumping the quicks repeatedly down the ground. He was particularly savage on Starc and later climbed into Lyon on his way to a blistering 42-ball half-century.The day ended with the latest bungle on New Zealand’s part•Getty ImagesBlundell was organised and compact at the other end, but likewise cashed in on anything loose with positive footwork and great timing. But he was undone by Lyon’s turn and bounce, skipping down to the wrong length and gifting a bat-pad catch to Travis Head.Normal service resumed. Scott Kuggeleijn holed out to deep forward square with a filthy slog off Lyon second ball. The stare from Phillips at his partner as he trudged off was far more venomous than Williamson’s to Young had been earlier.Phillips fell by the sword for 71, holing out to fine leg trying to hook Hazlewood. Matt Henry is the only Black Cap to belie a poor prior record against Australia in this game. He continued to carry New Zealand after his five wickets, contributing a vital 41 off 34 with four sixes. But his side still conceded a 205-run deficit as Lyon wrapped up the tail to finish with four.New Zealand are not out of the game. Tim Southee produced two late strikes to remove Steven Smith and Labuschagne but they were not the dismissals of a bowler in top form. A filthy drag-on and a strangle down leg merely dragged his career bowling average against Australia back to 41.97 and his strike rate back to 74.9 after going wicketless in 27 overs in the first innings.The final moment of the day was an exclamation point on the Black Caps’ day and their woes against Australia. The entire team threw hands on heads as Southee sprawled to the turf at third slip having spilled a sitter off Henry to give Australia’s nightwatcher Lyon a life.Here we go again.

Family connections run deep for England’s next generation in their series with Sri Lanka

Andrew Miller29-Jun-2024The transient nature of age-group cricket means it is both part of the journey and the destination in itself. For some of the players on show in Chelmsford on Friday afternoon, their experience of playing for their country at Under-19 level will, in a few years’ time, be just another treasured memory – an interesting anecdote to slip into conversation from time to time, to remind those around them that they, too, were contenders once.For a select handful, however, by the time their careers have reached full bloom, this first ODI between England and Sri Lanka will be looked back on as just another stepping stone in what might come across as an inevitable rise to the top. Some kids, the pundits are bound to tell you in glorious hindsight, just looked the part from the very start.Never mind that such sweeping judgements are sure to gloss over all manner of pitfalls along the way. Loss of form and injury are common to even the most established of sports stars, but loss of mojo, motivation … mentors even. Who knows what obstacles will be sent to try this latest crop of talented teenagers, but you only have to click on a random scorecard from the long and illustrious history of Under-19 Internationals, to realise that the players who reach the game’s true heights are not just the exception, but exceptional.Related

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Sri Lanka secure the spoils in opening Under-19 ODI at Chelmsford

Which brings us to Rocky Flintoff, the 16-year-old son of a man who made his own England Under-19 debut in the Caribbean in January 1995, before going on to greater things, to put it mildly.The family connections within the current England U19 set-up are something to behold. Flintoff’s team-mates in his maiden international appearance included Haydon Mustard, son of former England keeper Phil, and Farhan Ahmed, brother of current England legspinner Rehan, as well as the captain Luc Benkenstein, whose father Dale captained Durham to their maiden County Championship triumph in 2008. “None of us see it as a burden,” Benkenstein insisted, when asked about the pressures of living up to such standards. “We’re all pretty grateful to have family members involved in the game and I think we have all used it to our advantage. It’s cool that we’re all in the same boat.”But no matter what sort of hot-housing and expectation management has gone into this latest crop of prodigies, there’s been something especially compelling about Rocky Flintoff’s brief explosion into the public consciousness.In part this can be explained by his father’s incredible profile – not simply because he was the hero of the 2005 Ashes, but because of what happened next: the injury-enforced retirement in 2010, followed by a brief T20 comeback, and the sense in the subsequent decade that he had left cricket behind to move onto shinier media opportunities.But if, in 2022, Flintoff’s acclaimed Field of Dreams documentary was the first inkling that his love of the sport had not been diminished by his absence from it, then that feeling was shown to be entirely mutual last summer, when – after being invited to get involved with England’s backroom staff – he was able to reveal the scars of his horrific Top Gear accident, safe in the knowledge that cricket fans would never dream of judging him by the same superficial standards that might have existed elsewhere in his public life.Flintoff made 22 off 25 balls•Getty ImagesAnd now, in the midst of this maelstrom, a mini-me has emerged. Footage of Rocky’s second XI exploits for Lancashire started doing the rounds in April, and not simply because of the novelty factor of seeing another Flintoff in action (or two in fact, with his elder brother Corey making his twos debut in the same match against Yorkshire).Moreover it was Rocky’s mannerisms that stopped the live-streamers in their tracks. That indefinable economy of power in his most formidable strokes, whether lofted down the ground or picked up off the hips; the extra split-second that he seems to have to assess the ball’s length and thump it right beneath his eyeline. Everything, including the down-swing of his pull shot, coupled with that coy saunter down the pitch even as the ball was still sailing over the ropes, could have been grafted from his father’s glory years of two decades earlier.None of which guarantees anything like the same levels of success as Rocky’s career develops – particularly, dare one say it, because of the scrutiny that is already built into his performances. But if his maiden England innings of 22 from 25 balls is anything to go by, he’s got the gumption to roll with the expectations. In an already losing cause, he held his own with three confident boundaries and a third straight drive that smashed the non-striker’s stumps, before taking one liberty too many and holing out to mid-off.In the end, though, the details matter not at this stage of the journey. For the record, England were unpicked by a typically canny, hard-edged Sri Lanka team whose skills were just that little bit more rounded – as is often the case for Asian teams at age-group level, unrestricted as they are by bowling limits and equipment prerogatives, and other ECB regulations that safeguard on the one hand but throttle spontaneity on the other.And they too have a host of heroes, of whom imitation will forever be the sincerest form of flattery. The enduring influence of Lasith Malinga, and latterly his original clone Matheesha Pathirana, is abundantly clear in the splay-stanced slingers of Dumindu Sewmina, armed with the new ball. Then, through the middle overs comes a conveyor-belt of wicket-to-wicket spinners, in particular Thisara Ekanayake and Vihas Thewmika, who hustle through their overs, backed up by raucous support in the field, to claim five wickets between them.At times while the match was slipping inexorably away, it was not unlike watching the fate of England’s senior team in Guyana the previous day – trial by spin clearly remains a national shortcoming, even if a gutsy stand of 90 in 16 overs between Benkenstein and his fellow Essex rookie, Noah Thain, at least guarded against a more comprehensive margin.Harry Moore bore more than a passing resemblance to Steven Harmison•Getty ImagesBut the rich promise on display could not be diminished by the scoreline. Among the most eye-catching was another of England’s four debutants, Harry Moore, who was born on April 26, 2007 – two days before that year’s World Cup final in Barbados, for those who really like to feel old.Despite having only just turned 17, Moore is a sky-scraping 6ft 5in already, and there were clear shades of Steve Harmison in his gangly-limbed approach and fierce lift from back of a length. Last summer he became Derbyshire’s youngest-ever debutant in the Metro Bank Cup; the prospect of him and Leicestershire’s own bean-pole Josh Hull leading the line into England’s future is a tantalising one.The class act of England’s top-order, meanwhile, was at the other end of the growth charts. Keshana Fonseka is barely 5ft tall in his little stockinged feet, but armed with a crunchy cover-drive, he launched England’s chase with a fluent 25 from 27 balls. The glee with which he was extracted, via a loose cut to gully, betrayed the extent to which Sri Lanka rated his game.Who knows how far any of this kids can take their games, but they are surrounded by inspiration wherever they turn in this formative stage of their development. Among those who have been assisting the team’s preparations for the Sri Lanka series are Graeme Swann, who played in England’s only Under-19 World Cup winning team in 1998, and Ian Bell, who was famously described by Dayle Hadlee as the best 16-year-old he had ever seen.It is arguable that Bell’s greatest achievement, over and above his 22 Test centuries, 13,331 international runs and four Ashes victories, is the fact that he lived up to those expectations of his precocious youth. He stands as proof that it has been done, and can be done again.

On the occasion of Afghanistan’s qualification for the T20 World cup semi-final, their captain was the heart and soul of their victory

Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jun-20244:14

Rashid: It was hard to stay calm at some points

“I’ve never seen that ever. In any level of cricket.”Ian Smith has developed such a reputation for being on the mic during cricket’s most incredible moments, he should probably publish his commentary schedule so traveling fans can also find themselves witnessing unforgettable sporting history. His is one of those rare voices that reaches into the ether and gathers such perfect descriptions of high cricketing drama that those moments themselves later feel incomplete without. What is England’s 2019 boundary-countback World Cup victory minus Smith’s “by the barest of margins” ringing in your ears?Even he’s at a bit of a loss here, though. But then he’s commentating on Afghanistan. And there’s been a cricket team like this.Right now, we are 19.3 overs into Afghanistan’s innings, and things are going poorly for them against Bangladesh. Rashid Khan had banged a six over backward point previous ball, but still, they are only at 107 for 5 with four balls left. There is history waiting to be grabbed. It doesn’t feel like Afghanistan will quite reach it.Related

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On ball 19.3, Rashid tried to snake-hit a six over the legside, but had only managed a leading edge that went deep into the offside instead. He had turned for a second and come sprinting back to keep the strike. But his partner, Karim Janat, sent him back.So right now, he is mid-pitch, and furious. The ball is only now being gathered, and there are only three deliveries left, and Rashid wants this extra run, and he also wants the strike as he has just smashed a six, and wow why the hell would you turn down this run?Rashid thrashes his bat so angrily that he loses grip and it goes spinning towards Janat, its own little vortex of rage. When Janat returns Rashid’s bat, after Rashid has comfortably regained his ground at the non-striker’s end, he has a sheepish expression. Rashid can’t stand to look at his team-mate.When he gets the strike back later that over, Rashid smokes a six over square leg so perfect it soars over the stand. It is possible no ball has been so cleanly struck all tournament. He finishes with a strike rate no one else in his team has come close to. He stomps off the field, full of intent, and ambition.

****

Fans in Khost celebrate the win against Bangladesh that confirmed Afghanistan’s place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals•AFP via Getty ImagesRashid is an outlier in a cricketing country that itself is an outlier. He is a legspin bowler in a nation which, going from neighbouring Pakistan’s experience at least, you would expect would be known for its fast bowling. When Afghanistan first burst into the global cricket consciousness in the 2015 ODI World Cup, they played to this type – the strapping Shapoor Zadran leading the attack, and Hamid Hassan – Afghan colours worn like warpaint on his cheeks – hurrying the world’s best batters.But if Afghanistan’s cricketing story is one of confounding expectations, and rising spectacularly fast, no one has confounded more, or risen as spectacularly as Rashid. Since making his debut in late 2015, he has been on the frontlines of T20 cricket’s wristspin revolution. He’s grown an entire batting section to his game, like a secondary crop in a spare field, which many other wristspinners, who dominate that one discipline, have not found cause to do.And there can be no resident Afghan quite like him in the world – as prized in Melbourne as Mumbai, as feared in London as Lahore, almost as admired in Cape Town as Kabul. Unusually for legspinners who excel at T20s, Rashid has also rocked Test cricket, taking 34 wickets at an average of 22.35 in the matches he’s played. There is almost no story of Afghan triumph that you can tell to which he has not been central, or at the very least, central-adjacent.2:26

Tamim: This is massive for Afghanistan cricket

As with any Afghan story in the last several decades there are “what ifs” for Rashid, the most obvious of which is “what if he’d just decided to play franchise cricket forever without worrying about national duties”. It’s a good question. It would have freed Rashid up to make more money. Additionally, he would not have to deal with the political realities of Afghan cricket, which have been prescribed by the Taliban since 2021.But he is here instead, in St. Vincent on a rainy night, mid-pitch, screaming at a team-mate, as irate as anyone has been on a cricket field through this World Cup.

****

If you want to know the story of Afghan cricket in the last 10 years, look at Rashid Khan’s statistics. If you want to know the story of this match against Bangladesh, look at his returns. With the bat he hit 19 not out off 10, with three sixes. With the ball, 4 for 23 off four overs. As if to underline his centrality to Afghanistan’s success, Rashid took out the entire middle of the Bangladesh innings, batters four, five, six and seven all dismissed by him.They were classic Rashid wickets. Soumya Sarkar played around a fast one that Rashid turned more than the batter expected, Towhid Hridoy tried to hit against the wind and the turn and was predictably caught at deep midwicket, Mahmudullah gave a thin under-edge to the wicketkeeper (another fast one), and next ball, Rashid bowls Rishad Hossain with a quick googly. There are few bowlers who read the shots batters are looking to play against them better than Rashid. In this Super Eight stage, no bowler has taken more than his eight wickets.Rashid Khan accounted for Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7 in the Bangladesh batting order•Associated PressBut this is only when he is himself bowling. Because even if you had never followed Rashid’s career, even if you didn’t know that he is one of the most naturally-gifted cricketers of his generation, even if you hadn’t clocked the bleak political reality that this team might not be allowed to play if they hadn’t captured their nation’s attention by being so good, you could still turn up to Kingstown on this rainy night, watch ten minutes of the action, and figure who was at the heart of this team’s success.Rashid is sometimes fielding at the straight boundary, because that’s where the Afghanistan dugout is and he wants to hear what the coach has to say, but he’s charging into the infield any time there’s an lbw shout. When there’s a misfield or a dropped catch – he’s on the scene chiding those players too. Yes, the ground is slippery. Yes, the ball is wet. But the captain has 4 for 23 bowling wristspin. What’s your excuse? He is at times outraged, often intense, frequently animated, almost always in his team-mates’ faces.Late in the match, sometime between the many rain breaks, Smith says of this match: “Whoever has written this script, they have done a fantastic job”.He’s right. It is as absorbing a cricket story as you could encounter. Jonathan Trott, the English coach of the Afghanistan team is barking orders from the dugout. Dwayne Bravo, the Trinidadian fast-bowling coach is prowling the edge of the field. Gulbadin Naib, whose hamstring had apparently exploded in agony as Trott asked for the game to be slowed down, and just-as-suddenly come right, is ranging the infield.Afghanistan are throwing everything at this match. But no one is throwing more at it than their captain, who knows that although he himself is franchise T20 royalty, his national team will always have to fight for every scrap they get. He knows that he and his team-mates will never play an international at home, and that there will forever be battles to fight that most international cricketers on the planet could never even conceive of.1:18

Tamim: Rashid’s mentality as strong as his skills

When he watches that last wicket go down, Rashid sinks into the wet turf and says a prayer. Naveen-ul-Haq, who has just got two wickets in two balls, is racing towards the dugout, most of his team-mates in pursuit. Bravo has erupted into exultation. So has Trott.And whoever you are in the world, whatever has driven you to follow this sport, you can find a kindred spirit in this euphoric melee.You might relate best to Trott, once a pretty dour England player (let’s be honest), now head coach of Afghanistan, who can’t help but be caught up in the moment. You could love Bravo, one of the greatest to ever play this format, erupting outside the boundary he’d been nervously pacing for hours. You could find yourself enraptured in Mohammad Nabi’s exultations – he’s been part of every Afghanistan team you can remember, but is only now about to play the biggest game of his life. You could be Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the highest run-getter of this tournament, and Afghanistan’s top-scorer of the evening, weeping helplessly in the dressing room. You could even be Gulbadin Naib, the fall-guy who doesn’t mind looking foolish to wangle an advantage for his team.Rashid, though, is alone, somewhere near the straight boundary, still on his knees.The first teammate to rush to him and envelope him in an almighty bear-hug is Janat, whom Rashid had thrown a bat at two hours earlier. Who else could have known so viscerally how much Rashid wanted this?But Janat is not the only one who understands that none of this is possible without the man he has wrapped in his arms. He is not the only one who knows how much of this improbable run to the semi-finals rested on Rashid. Or how heroically Rashid has shouldered an entire phase of Afghanistan’s cricket.

An out-of-form India captain vs a spinner who’s among the top three wicket-takers but is nowhere close to making the Indian team. Why? Because it’s complicated

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-May-20242:20

Moody: ‘Chakravarthy has grown in confidence with the team’

In a dream sequence for the players who have been picked for India’s T20 World Cup squad, they ease themselves into form against IPL teams in May, and then go on to sweep all before them in the Caribbean and USA in June, storming through the competition, devouring oppositions, playing innings that reverberate for generations, bowling spells that snap top orders in two.As far as dreams go, it is not completely unrealistic. We are in the 17th year of the IPL being the biggest franchise show in a world that has increasingly begun to favour franchise shows. Where in the earliest days of this competition, you might have sniggered at the quality of cricket, but no one has sniggered for many years now.In fact, the IPL has become such a resounding showcase of India’s primacy in the cricket market, that perhaps it has given rise to one of cricket’s ironies. India has the world’s greatest bank of cricketing talent in the world*; India has not won a global cricket title in eleven years. In that time, the Australia men’s team have won four, England two, and even West Indies and New Zealand one apiece.Related

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Rohit Sharma’s progress in the tournament this year is turning out to be a perfect peek into this dichotomy. He is captain of his national team, but no longer leads the franchise, which sought fresher ideas and regeneration through Hardik Pandya. Rohit had rocked the ODI World Cup last year, batting in a gloriously selfless vein that helped power India to that final.But right now, he’s not quite rocking the only franchise tournament he plays in. He’d made an unbeaten 63-ball 105 in a match his team lost by a sizeable margin. (Read that sentence again – it’s not one you are likely to read in the context of any other T20 tournament.) But in the last six matches, his scores have been 6, 8, 4, 11, 4, 19.This 19, against Kolkata Knight Riders, was kinda torturous. Against seamers, Rohit was beaten frequently, particularly when he tried to hit square of the wicket. When KKR’s excellent spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy came on, Rohit was visibly uncomfortable, venturing failed flicks, unconvincing sweeps, and when those didn’t work, reverse sweeps that he kept missing. In the end, a top-edged sweep off Varun had him out for 19 off 24. (This sentence you don’t need to read again; that’s a bad innings in almost any T20, let alone one that was 16-overs-a-side from the outset.)Varun Chakravarthy celebrates after getting Rohit Sharma out•AFP/Getty ImagesAnd so we come back to this irony that Indian cricket and the IPL has created. Varun is a 32-year-old wristspinner with 18 wickets this IPL (third on the tournament charts right now), as he frequently turns matches for his franchise. Varun hasn’t made the India T20 World Cup squad, or its reserves. But he’d likely have played many more than his six international matches if he’d represented almost any other team. He was outstanding in this match against Mumbai Indians, taking 2 for 17 off his four overs despite this being a rain-shortened match.”I’d never taken Rohit ‘s wicket, and I meticulously planned for it, and it worked out,” Varun said after the match. Things tend to work out when you’re on as bright a run of form as Varun is.Meanwhile, national captain Rohit, the first name on the squad sheet, is currently skidding through a tournament in a team playing like it wishes its season was already over. His franchise captain Hardik, who will be his deputy in the World Cup if you haven’t been following, hasn’t had a massively fun time in the IPL either, having experienced substantial ire from crowds that resent him for either leaving Gujarat Titans, or replacing Rohit at the helm of Mumbai Indians, or both.Elsewhere in India squad member news, Yuzvendra Chahal is having a rough run himself. Virat Kohli is being questioned for his strike rate, even as he leads the league in run volume. You begin to wonder how good a lead-in to the World Cup a two-month-long T20 competition is for India players.It has been often thought by administrators in other countries, that when India gets its machine in full swing, they will almost inevitably dominate the sport, perhaps for decades.Right now, though, what we know for sure is that India is dominating the cricket economy almost as completely as any nation has ever dominated it. Is it just a matter of time until they start rolling in the global trophies too? Watch how Rohit and Varun are going right now. It’s complicated.

One bloc of countries approaches them with maturity and flexibility; for players from the other teams, they need to like it or lump it

Osman Samiuddin20-Jul-2024Let’s say there are two kinds of players in world cricket: Player A and Player B. (If it’s easier to picture Player A as, say, a New Zealand men’s international and Player B as, I don’t know, a Pakistani men’s international, by all means go ahead.)Player A is employed by an organisation. On top of basic financial remuneration, the player receives a range of perks of a kind most stable jobs offer: holidays, parental leave, sound medical care. They are also represented by a labour association that looks out for their best interests, during their playing career and after. Their employer is sensitive to the fact that the work landscape is changing and that this is the age of the gig economy. There are ever more opportunities out there for their employees, which allow the players not only to future-proof themselves financially but also to evolve and develop as cricketers while active. A central contract for Player A offers security and is, broadly speaking, a tool for empowering them.This an unexceptional paragraph of fact in most situations except in the situation of cricket because Player B is also, on paper, employed by an organisation. But that is where the similarities end. In reality Player B is not so much an employee as someone on the wrong side of an unbalanced power equation. Player B could have a 60-page contract with not a single mention of holiday policy or time off. Player B’s contract reads more like a thin book of strictures, fattened by a detailed spelling out of the punitive consequences should they do that which they should not. Player B has no recourse to a player association that looks out for their best interests. A central contract for Player B offers the employer a means of control, emasculating the employee in a manner that takes their status close to indentured servitude.Related

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If Player A foregoes a central contract, they are not ostracised by their board. They have an adult discussion about priorities and commitments and areas of overlap, which might be to the potential benefit of both parties. If Player B foregoes a central contract, on the other hand, they’re dead to the board. Socially they are seen in similar ways to betrayers or deserters.For Player A, an NOC (no-objection certificate) to play in a franchise league is a formality. For Player B, the NOC is merely a symbol of their powerlessness and exploitation. It’s a little like the global tyranny of visas. A sizeable minority of people doesn’t think about visas at all, jetting off to another country at a minute’s notice. The majority, meanwhile, suffocates under the weight of the requirement, spending half their lives filling out visa forms and paying exorbitant fees for the pleasure, and the other half waiting anxiously for them to be granted. If your visa doesn’t come through, tough (and suck up the financial hit) but at least you can envy-scroll through the Insta feeds of that minority, eh?These are broad, non-specific sketches. There are shades of course: some Player As are not as well off as other Player As, and some Player Bs are not as oppressed as other Player Bs. But the point is this: central contracts have become a modern bellwether for the health of the international game. When they were first widely adopted, a quarter of a century ago, they were celebrated as a game-changing step in the professionalisation of the game. (Australia, forever ahead of the curve, have had them since the mid-’80s). Now when players turn them down, it’s a sign that the international game is fading into irrelevance; the ECB chief executive, Richard Gould, called contracting “an existential issue” earlier this year, before overhauling the system to try and make the ECB as attractive an employer in the marketplace as a Chennai Super Kings.Except that it isn’t as simple as that because, as Player A and Player B show, central contracts might have started off with the same promise but they now represent multiple realities. Yes, turning them down (or choosing shorter deals as some England players did) in one part of the cricket world – let’s lump Australia, New Zealand and England together, clumsily, as a western bloc – suggests that international cricket is no longer what it was. But in South Asia, cricket’s biggest population, where the game is that much bigger, the option of turning a central contract down doesn’t really exist. Some players might be minded to, but turning down those who run the game is still seen as a snub in these parts, not an employment choice. So what does it say about international cricket there, where central contracts are desirable exploitative?Kane Williamson can choose to decline an annual contract with New Zealand and not have his loyalty questioned, unlike subcontinental players when they look for similar options•Mark Brake/ICC/Getty ImagesBy opting out of their contracts, for example, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult were essentially making choices for their work-life balance. There are few, if any, who can think of doing that in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or India.On paper, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir did pretty much what Boult did: opt out of central contracts, but still be available to return to play in a big ICC event. In reality, both first fell out with the PCB because of tensions over their availability for Pakistan, and NOCs, then had to make a public show of retiring so they could get those NOCs, and then had to take back their retirements to be available for Pakistan again. And that’s to say nothing of the toxicity that surrounded all this, the sniping from ex-players, coaches, selectors and fans; pretty much what Boult did in the same way ice is pretty much like fire.Ishan Kishan took a break for “personal reasons” (a phrasing that in itself puts one in the mind of those old Bollywood days when flowers were used to symbolise on-screen kisses) late last year and promptly lost his place in the side and from the central contracts pool. If Usama Mir had been a citizen of any of the western bloc countries, he would have filed and won a restraint of trade case against the board for refusing him an NOC, as the PCB did. Yet as a Pakistani cricketer he can’t even think about quitting his central contract, because, well, see Player B in the third para above. And because even without a contract, he’ll still need to rely on the board’s good graces to issue him an NOC, so it’s best not to piss them off.Not that long ago, of course, Player A was in a similar bind. Remember the agitations of Kevin Pietersen in 2012, wanting to play a full season of the IPL even as it clashed with his England commitments? It’s taken time for the ECB and NZC and CA to arrive at the pragmatism and flexibility they exhibit today. In truth, they had no choice because of a truly bonkers cricket calendar and labour laws in their countries. And it’s something to hear Tom Latham say that flexibility is needed. By contrast, Player B is discovering that the more complex the calendar gets, the more their board treats it as the Ming vase to their hammer.It would be remiss to not mention West Indian cricketers here, who were the first to collectively push against the inadequacies of the central contracts system in this new world. But they are somewhat unique in hovering somewhere between – or maybe being a bit of both – Player A and Player B. They have agitated and been punished by board administrations, but also been supported by a strong players’ association and reaped rewards. Pioneering, perhaps, rather than unique.West Indies’ players fought long and bitter battles for their right to ply their trade around the world•Getty ImagesUltimately central contracts are only a symptom. It is, as the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA, formerly FICA) has unfailingly been reminding us for over a decade, the scheduling, stupid. Two parallel cricket calendars, international and domestic franchise leagues, running side by side through the year, every year, neither shrinking; two calendars, let’s not forget, designed by the same people, only, pretending as if each were drawn up in isolation from their own selves.No wonder Tom Moffat, the WCA chief executive, says his organisation has all but given up hope that these same people will ever come together and formulate a workable structure. A soon-to-be-published WCA survey, says Moffat, will show that players want the WCA to put forward some solutions. Eighty-four per cent of players surveyed want ring-fenced windows during which either only T20 leagues are being played or only international cricket, and not both concurrently.Good luck with that. The geographical footprint of cricket is one thing: how do you squeeze leagues in North America and the Caribbean, in Australia and the subcontinent, in the UK and southern Africa, into a couple of windows? Plus, the bilateral calendar is hardly uniform, and lately the white-ball portion of it has started feeling especially random. And there are ICC events every year now.Instead, it might be simpler to do what cricket is doing anyway at the moment, which is to sit back and wait for the BCCI to do something about it. And the BCCI is currently engaged in a face-off with itself for which, by way of explanation, I can’t think of anything better than that Spiderman meme. On one side is the richest board in world cricket, doing more than its bit for international cricket, touring as many countries as it can (apart from one, natch), engaging in pointless bilaterals with countries that need them but also playing five-Test series and prioritising the World Test Championship, and paying its cricketers handsomely to play international cricket. On the other is the board that owns the richest, most expansionist T20 league in the game with one window already carved out for it and other windows being created in other parts of the world by franchises from that league. And it doesn’t allow its players to go play in those leagues, or any others.Recently, the BCCI publicly reasserted the primacy of India duty above the IPL, which is – how to put it – interesting times. The rest of the world will have to wait to see how that plays out (or if at all it does because, you know, inertia is not unknown in Indian cricket administration). And then, as the phrase goes, adjust accordingly.

Abhishek Sharma failing to make the most of his opportunities was perhaps the only thing that didn’t go to plan for India against Bangladesh

Hemant Brar13-Oct-20244:28

Takeaways: Samson and Hardik fly, but Abhishek misses out

Abhishek’s missed opportunity

When Abhishek Sharma was picked as the only regular opener in the squad, it was clear he was going to play all three matches. It gave him an opportunity to strengthen his case as India’s back-up opener when Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal return. He did show great intent but failed to last more than 11 balls in any of the games – though, to be fair to him, he was run out for no fault of his in the first T20I in Gwalior. With ball, he sent down three overs and took one wicket for 18 runs.Related

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Samson shows his strength

After two successive ducks in Sri Lanka, it seemed like Sanju Samson was going to fall behind, again. Opening the innings against Bangladesh, he looked good in the first T20I before holing out for 29 off 19 balls. Finally, in the third T20I, he showed why he has so many backers – in a masterclass in effortless hitting, he scored the second-fastest T20I hundred for India. It may not make him India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in a full-strength squad, but he shouldn’t have to worry about his place in the squad when the team tours South Africa next month for four T20Is.

India’s fearless approach

At the start of the series, Suryakumar Yadav had said he wanted his players to be selfless. And the players followed their captain’s order to a T. Samson’s innings in the first T20I was one such case. Given India were chasing only 128, he could have taken his time after a quick start but he was dismissed attempting a six. The second T20I in Delhi gave an even bigger example of that approach. Even after being reduced to 41 for 3 in the sixth over, they kept their foot on the pedal and eventually got 221 for 9. When everything went as per the plan in the third T20I, they posted 297 for 6, the second-highest total in the format.2:39

Ten Doeschate: ‘We don’t give opportunities; the guys earn them’

India, a team of allrounders

Another significant feature of India’s playing XIs in the series was the presence of a plethora of allrounders. Till recently, India struggled to find players who could chip in with both bat and ball. But that is no longer the case. Without compromising on the batting depth, Suryakumar had at least seven bowling options in every match. Hardik Pandya showed he could still finish with bat and bowl at a lively pace. Nitish Kumar Reddy emerged as Hardik’s worthy understudy, scoring 74 off 34 balls and taking two wickets in only his second T20I. Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar also gave good accounts of themselves in the limited chances they got.

Varun’s successful comeback

With multiple allrounders in their XI now, India do not necessarily need a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja. In this series, they went with Varun Chakravarthy as their lead spinner (who can’t really bat) and he did not disappoint. Making a comeback after three years, Varun started with a three-for in the first T20I before picking up 2 for 19 in the second. He capped it with an economical 4-0-23-0 in the last game. He will face stiff competition when Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are available but he has done no harm to his chances.1:53

‘Always good to have competition within the team’ – Varun Chakravarthy

Mayank leaves his mark

When Mayank Yadav was picked after a long injury layoff, everyone wanted to see if he was the same 155kph bowler who took the cricket world by storm at IPL 2024. Making his T20I debut in Gwalior, he started with a maiden and bowled 18 of his 24 deliveries above 140kph. Twelve of those were in excess of 145kph. Even though his top speed in the series was 150.3kph, he was largely accurate and played all three games without any fitness concerns. He has also worked on his slower ball and used it regularly.Mayank and Reddy’s debuts, though, might not be great news for Lucknow Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad, their respective IPL teams. Now they cannot keep them for INR 4 crore, the retention fee for uncapped players. Kolkata Knight Riders were lucky in that sense as Harshit Rana had a viral infection before the third T20I and remains uncapped.