Manoj Tiwary and Dhruv Shorey line up among the potential fill-in players

Deivarayan Muthu30-Aug-2020Yusuf Pathan

A match-winner for Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders back in the day, Pathan turns 38 in November. With Super Kings typically valuing experience, Pathan has plenty of that, having featured in nearly 275 games in the shortest format – only Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma have played more T20s than him among Indians. Pathan, though, doesn’t quite have recent form on his side. In his most recent IPL stint, with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019, he managed a mere 40 runs in eight innings at an average of 13.33 and strike rate of 88.88. With the ball, he sent down just one over that season before going unsold at the most recent auction.Manoj Tiwary

After finding no takers in the last two IPL auctions, Tiwary turned to commentary. Is there a middle-order slot for him now in the Super Kings side? Tiwary will be 35 this November, and last played a T20 in November 2019, but has worked with both Dhoni and Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming when they were all part of Rising Pune Supergiant. In addition to some cameos in the middle order, Tiwary was a safe outfielder for them. In the 2017 IPL final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad , where catching under lights can be tricky, Dhoni stationed him at straight long-on for Kieron Pollard and Tiwary took a smart catch in that position. Besides, when required, his round-arm darts can come in handy on the sluggish tracks in the UAE.Dhruv Shorey

He, too, might have the familiarity factor going for him, having been part of the Super Kings set-up during their title-winning return in 2018 and then in their runners-up finish in 2019. The 28-year-old Delhi batsman is largely known as a red-ball player on the Indian domestic circuit, but can also crank up the tempo in white-ball cricket like he showed during his back-to-back half-centuries against Baroda and Bengal in Kolkata in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2018. Shorey is also an excellent fielder – both in the ring and in the deep – and was the first-choice substitute for an ageing Super Kings team during his stint there. In IPL 2019, he pulled off a blinder as a substitute stationed at long-on to get rid of Andre Russell and hush the Eden Gardens crowdHanuma Vihari

Vihari can see off the new ball at the top and repair the innings in the middle order in Test cricket, but has not found his footing yet in T20 cricket. Having played 74 T20s, including stints at Sunrisers and Delhi Capitals, he has struck at under 115 and can at best be a middle-order fail-safe rather than a middle-order dasher that Raina was during his prime at Super Kings. Roston Chase, a Vihari-style player, though, has come good on the tiring tracks in Trinidad and has held the innings together for Daren Sammy’s St Lucia Zouks in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League. Pitches in the UAE won’t be too different from the ones in the Caribbean, but can Vihari emulate Chase there?Cheteshwar Pujara

Okay, we’re going a little left-field here, but can Pujara, one of the first names on India’s Test team sheet, be a last-minute replacement at IPL 2020? He last played the league in 2014, when he made 125 runs in six innings, including five in the UAE, at a strike rate of 100.80, for Kings XI Punjab. Pujara has found no takers in the IPL since. However, he did crack a 61-ball hundred – his first in T20 cricket – for Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy last year. “I am not surprised by this century, but I am sure many people are,” Pujara had told ESPNcricinfo at the time. Also, he has been training at his own facility for over a month with members of the Saurashtra Ranji Trophy team, so he will be more prepared than some post-lockdown. Will he get a chance to surprise more people at the IPL?

Stats from the career of a T20 legend

Bharath Seervi26-Aug-2020500* – Dwayne Bravo became the first bowler to take 500 wickets in T20 cricket. And he is so far ahead of his competition. The next man on the list, Lasith Malinga, has only 390 wickets. Bravo was also the first bowler to reach the milestones of 300 wickets (in August 2014) and 400 wickets (December 2017). Bravo has also played the second-most T20 matches (458) behind Kieron Pollard (504). Dirk Nannes was the first to 100 and 200 wickets milestone in the format.87 – Wickets for Bravo in the year 2016, which was his most prolific year in T20s. His tally is the second-highest for a bowler in a calendar year, behind Rashid Khan’s 96 in 2018. Bravo was the top wicket-taker in 2015 (69 wickets) and 2016 (87 wickets).

One year on, we quiz you on one of the greatest (and most bizarre) ODIs of all time

Sreshth Shah14-Jul-2020

David Warner is ruled out, Will Pucovski has concussion and Joe Burns is badly short of runs

Andrew McGlashan11-Dec-20202:11

Smith on Pucovski’s concussion: ‘Everyone deals with injuries differently’

Hold the line, don’t panicThis would still appear the likely route, where Burns retains his place – he has been backed from the start by selectors, coach, captain and team-mates – with fingers crossed that he gets runs at the SCG or lifts for the occasion in Adelaide. He would be partnered by Marcus Harris, who last played a Test during the 2019 Ashes and has since tweaked his technique working alongside Chris Rogers, with 355 Sheffield Shield runs in three innings under his belt including a 239. Harris has nine Tests to his name, including four against India two years where he made 258 runs at 36.85, and in the following series against Sri Lanka he opened with Burns so it would not be an entirely unknown pairing.Joe Burns is bowled•Getty ImagesThe senior prosThe ship appears to have sailed on this one, but if you glance at social media (which, of course, is where all the proper selection debate happens) then you may notice a few mentions of Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja. The former had a prolific start to the Shield season, just as everyone, including Marsh himself, was moving on from his Test career. Speaking to , Justin Langer did not slam the door shut for Marsh: “You never discriminate against age. He’s doing everything possible,” he said. Khawaja, meanwhile, holds an average of 96.80 when opening the batting including 145 in the 2016-17 day-night Test against South Africa in Adelaide.Mission for MarnusThis is perhaps gaining a little momentum, a promotion one spot up for Marnus Labuschagne to plug the gap – most likely alongside Burns, but potentially even Harris if the selectors really get spooked by Burns’ form. As Steven Smith said yesterday, the No. 3 can be in to face the second ball of the match anyway so is there a massive difference if he goes in straight away? And if you can be thrust into an Ashes Test as a concussion sub, and never look back, you can probably handle this. Labuschagne has opened nine times in his first-class career, although not since 2016, and also did it in the recent ODI series after Warner’s injury although was dismissed for 7. The other byproduct of this move would be the middle-order batsman moving up a slot each which creates room for Cameron Green at No. 6. Green has done enough to suggest he could command a spot on batting alone, regardless of the bowling workload he is capable of.Marnus Labuschagne looks on during practice•Getty ImagesFrom left fieldThis one involves another batting-order reshuffle and is a bit more out-of-the-box: shift Matthew Wade up from No. 6. If it was alongside Burns it would retain the left-right combination and, as a punchy left-hander, Wade is not too dissimilar to Warner even though not the same pedigree. It would be a leap of faith given that Wade has never opened in first-class cricket (he does have an average of 57.25 from five innings at No. 3) although he has done it a lot in white-ball cricket, including a handful of ODIs, and on the Australia A tour of England in 2019 before the Ashes made one-day scores of 117 and 155 at the top of the order. This move would actually lead to fewer batsmen moving from their current positions but, like the Labuschagne option, would also open up the spot for Green.

The PCB’s first-ever female director says she can make decisions pressure-free since she’s an independent member of the board

Umar Farooq24-Nov-2020Alia Zafar, the PCB’s first-ever female director, believes her presence in the male-dominated board will provide a sense of empowerment to women cricketers in the country. Her inclusion, she says, will also bring diversity to the table.The PCB rewrote its constitution, revamping every aspect for the governance of the cricket affairs in the country. They reduced the number of associations from eight to three in a bid to offset their influence and also brought in four independent members, including one female member in Zafar, who is presently working as a Group Head Human Resource of the Bank of Punjab.”Having a female in the board is absolutely great,” Zafar told ESPNcricinfo. “There were no women earlier in the board and when you bring women to the table, the conversation becomes more diverse. When you are approaching any area, the balance comes naturally and that will certainly help. The biggest over-arching factor is that I am an independent member, which allows me to contribute with a free mind without any hesitation.”It’s not an employment relationship, so my contribution to the table will come with a focus to providing advice and a framework without any kind of pressure. This whole scenario changes if you are taking a pay, so for me it is a just a nationalistic element and I will bring my 26 years of working experience in every possible way to make a difference.”During her career, Zafar has also been involved as a lead HR expert with Crown Agents America and as a consultant with the United Nations apart from being an avid cricket fan. She formally took charge as a PCB director earlier this month and was named to lead the PCB’s Human Resource and Remuneration Committee at the PCB. Her desire though, is to strengthen the structure of women’s cricket in the country and help it grow.”Women’s cricket hasn’t developed [as much] in Pakistan but it has a lot of potential,” Zafar said. “My presence within the PCB for itself will create a sense of empowerment for women cricketers and that is essential for us going forward, creating a pathway for females. My working background is based on my expertise around Human Resource and it’s about the performance of the team and creating momentum within the team so that we can achieve our goal and excellence.”There are a number of components put in place right now and the PCB has done a lot in term of compensation and benefits. That will help in the short term. In the long term, they are looking at the structure the women’s cricket is standing on. I understand we don’t have the presence like men’s cricket but if you want to be at the same level, then you need to have the same structure, support and approach in every area. If that’s put in place, that’s where you start growing. But at the same time, the major challenge is the culture, do women get their space in sports? It’s not just cricket, it’s in general.”The Pakistan Cricket Board members pose for a photo•PCBBesides Zafar, the other three independent members are Javed Qureshi, a former first-class cricketer, Asim Wajid Jawad, an expert in economics and Arif Saeed, an economist and corporate executive. Qureshi and Saeed are appointed for three years, and Wajid and Zafar for two.That the four independent members are part of the board is the result of Ehsan Mani reviewing the governance structure of the PCB. The new structure has been put in place to offset the influence of the regions and the departments on the board and to make it more independent, transparent and accountable.Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan and pulls a major chunk of commercial revenue from the market. Pakistan cricket has a big following in and outside the country. Every decision the board makes goes through extra scrutiny in the media and from fans. Every little detail becomes a talking point. But Zafar is ready to deal with all that.”You cannot make decisions under pressure,” Zafar said. “Decisions have to be made based on facts, strategy, skills, and discussions around it, and with an aim to have the best results. We cannot keep thinking about the potential backlash and people out there putting up slogans against us to influence our decisions. Being independent members of the board, we should be making decisions purely in the interest of Pakistan and Pakistan team.”Integrity is an important part of how you make decisions. So this stress about extra scrutiny and criticism isn’t a worry. The focus on our decisions is okay but if you are afraid of that, then you are definitely going to make wrong decisions. It’s the way it is, and we shouldn’t be influenced and we won’t be.”

And is Joe Root’s 5 for 8 the best bowling performance by an England captain?

Steven Lynch02-Mar-2021Was last week’s two-day Test at Ahmedabad the shortest of all? asked Baskar Raghavan from India
The third Test in Ahmedabad lasted just 140.2 overs – or 842 balls – in all. That puts it seventh on the list of the briefest completed Test matches: it’s the shortest since 1934-35, when England beat West Indies on a rain-affected pitch in Bridgetown, in a match that lasted only 112 overs (672 balls).Three years earlier, on a similarly spiteful track in Melbourne, Australia beat South Africa in the shortest completed Test of all. It lasted just 109.2 overs (656 balls): South Africa were bowled out for 36 (left-arm spinner Bert Ironmonger, who was two months short of his 50th birthday, took 5 for 6) and 45 (Ironmonger 6 for 18).For the list of the shortest Tests of all, click here. (Note that this table includes drawn games; to see the shortest matches with a positive result, look down the fifth column to see the winners.)Overall, as this list shows, the Ahmedabad Test was the 22nd to be finished inside two days. A lot of those were early matches played on uncovered pitches – there have been only eight two-day finishes in more than 2000 Tests since 1946. The last time England lost inside two days was almost 100 years ago, in May 1921, when Australia won by ten wickets at Trent Bridge.Axar Patel took a wicket with the first ball he bowled in both innings of the third Test. Has anyone ever done this before? asked Mithun Pandey from India
Rather surprisingly perhaps, that feat by India’s Axar Patel, who took a wicket with his first delivery in both innings of the recent two-day Test in Ahmedabad, appears to have happened only once before (full details are not available for all Tests, but there don’t seem to be many other candidates). The other man known to have done it was also an Indian left-arm bowler: Zaheer Khan dismissed the Bangladesh opener Javed Omar for a king pair in Mirpur in May 2007, striking with the first ball of both the first innings and the follow-on.Gubby Allen’s 7 for 80 against India at The Oval in 1936 remain the best figures by an England captain•Getty ImagesAxar Patel has 18 wickets after two Tests. What’s the record? And with another Test at Ahmedabad coming up, what’s the best for three? asked Jeremy King from England
Axar Patel is one of five bowlers who took 18 wickets in their first two Tests: the others were John Ferris and Clarrie Grimmett of Australia, Alf Valentine of West Indies, and Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka. Five others took more: Sydney Barnes of England and Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan had 19, Bob Massie of Australia 21 and England’s Alec Bedser 22, while the Indian legspinner Narendra Hirwani led the way with 24 wickets after two Tests.The number for Patel to shoot at in the final Test is 31, by Hirwani again – so he needs the little matter of 14 wickets to beat that. Charles “Terror” Turner of Australia had 29 wickets after three Tests, and a more recent Aussie, Rodney Hogg, had 27. Then come Mendis and Australian legspinner Herbert “Ranji” Hordern with 26, and Bedser, Ferris, the South African seamer Vernon Philander, and England’s Fred Trueman with 24.Where does Joe Root’s 5 for 8 rank on the list of best bowling figures by an England captain? asked John Lynch from Vanuatu
There have been only three statistically better bowling analyses by England captains in Tests than Joe Root’s 5 for 8 in Ahmedabad last week. Bob Willis claimed 6 for 101 against India at Lord’s in 1982, while Sussex’s Arthur Gilligan had phenomenal figures of 6 for 7 as South Africa were bowled out for 30 at Edgbaston in 1924. But the best bowling figures of all by an England captain remain Gubby Allen’s 7 for 80 against India at The Oval in 1936.It’s an indication of the scarcity of bowling captains, especially for England, that there have been only 15 five-fors by their skippers in Tests.Ishant Sharma hit the first six of his career in his 100th Test. Has anyone taken longer to hit their first six? asked Sanjit Srivastava from Canada
There is only one player who waited longer for his first Test six than Ishant Sharma, who celebrated his 100th cap in Ahmedabad by finally clearing the ropes: Glenn McGrath of Australia collected his first (and only) six in his 102nd Test. The most matches in a complete career without a single six is 86, by England’s Derek Underwood, and the most Test runs without one is 3835, by another England player, Jonathan Trott. For that list, click here.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

PCB’s over-reliance on testing and mistakes in key moments under scrutiny

Osman Samiuddin06-Mar-2021The PCB is scrambling to find a window to reschedule the curtailed sixth season of the PSL, with June in Karachi as one option. June is not usually part of Pakistan’s home season (though they did host the 2008 Asia Cup then) and windows in May and September have been talked about, but in a busy year for international cricket, space is at a premium.The board is keen to host it in Karachi, and though the UAE has been mentioned as a potential host, the fear is that if they do go that way, it would squander all the groundwork done in convincing international teams to play in Pakistan.Whenever and wherever the season is completed, the planning and implementation of a biosecure bubble will almost definitely be outsourced to a specialist firm. That will be a tacit acknowledgment by the board of the failures of this season – the board’s head doctor and the man in charge of those protocols Dr Sohail Saleem has on Saturday offered to resign – which was called off on Thursday after a spate of Covid-19 positive tests among players and staff.The outsourcing will be a key factor as they try to move ahead, even as the dust is far from settled on the events of the last week, the impact of which one senior Pakistan international has privately compared to the terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team in 2009.Related

• Covid-19: Franchises ask PCB to move remainder of PSL 2021 from Karachi to UAE

• ICC biosafety head: 'We don't want to cancel tournaments, we just want to have them safely'

• PCB accepts Dr Sohail Saleem's resignation, looks to revamp medical department

• PSL 2021 to resume in June

• Non-playing PSL franchise member left bubble despite testing Covid-19 positive

Whether it becomes as seismic as that remains to be seen, but there is clear concern within the board that it could hit both the PSL and potential touring sides later in the year.Franchises and boards, meanwhile, are still sifting through the wreckage, the former beginning to detail their experiences inside the bubble and its loopholes.Though not alone, scrutiny will be on two-time winners Islamabad United, where in Fawad Ahmed, the first positive test after the tournament began was recorded. Three other players from the franchise have tested positive since. The franchise – and the PCB – has already had to defend itself over protocols followed during a social media shoot.In communication that is expected to be sent to the PCB, the franchise reveals that despite complaining of feeling unwell after the evening game on Saturday, February 27, Ahmed wasn’t given a Covid test until the following evening, at 9pm, despite repeated requests. The franchise claims when Ahmed initially consulted the PCB doctor, informing him of a stomach pains, he was told it didn’t fit Covid symptoms. The doctor was unable to see him the next morning because of another unrelated medical incident.Though Ahmed was put into immediate isolation, it isn’t clear whether the rest of the squad, as close contacts, went into isolation – and if they did, for how long. There are conflicting reports on this, but both the PCB and Islamabad tweeted only that Ahmed had been put in isolation when they eventually made his result public and that other members had all since tested negative.The question of isolation becomes especially significant in light of a birthday party held for Azhar Mahmood, fast-bowling coach with the Multan Sultans, on the same evening as Ahmed complained of feeling unwell. Hasan Ali, Ahmed’s team-mate, attended that party (in the same hotel) as well as a number of other players from other franchises.

There is strength in unity and sharing the love. We shared one such moment of one of our very own last night. Happy Birthday @AzharMahmood11 #HappyBirthdaySultan #BestWishes pic.twitter.com/7XdOHSbRPQ

— Multan Sultans (@MultanSultans) February 28, 2021