Their captain looked underdone with the ball, and their fielding was patchy, as Australia had another bad day in Perth

Alex Malcolm23-Nov-20241:39

McDonald: ‘Second new ball could be our entry point back’

Mitchell Starc has never had a great poker face. Frustration was writ large all over it after Usman Khawaja was unable to grasp a rare low edge offered by Yashasvi Jaiswal at first slip.India were 104 without loss, leading by 150, on the same surface they had been bowled out on for 150 just 24 hours earlier. The same pitch which Australia had been bowled out for 104 on earlier in the day.It was the same exasperated look Starc had cut before tea when he was bowling around the wicket to Jaiswal with four men in the deep with a 22-over old ball.It was the same exasperation he had shown the night before in the post-day press conference, when he bristled at the idea that the pitch was too spicy to bat on.”The bowlers are allowed to bowl good balls,” Starc said. “There’s a lot spoken about when there’s a lot of runs, it’s like, the bowlers bowled badly. When there’s wickets, the [pitches] are tough. You’re allowed to bowl good balls. Maybe credit should go to both teams’ bowlers.”Despite 20 wickets falling in four sessions, the pitch was now deemed so flat that Starc was replaced by a batter to bowl bouncers with a 24-over old ball that still had a decent shine and Kookaburra’s gold lettering on it. The seam movement had diminished quite a bit in the middle session of day two, as the warm Perth sun and several extra rolls had helped settle the surface. But it hadn’t diminished so much as to warrant Pat Cummins abandoning all plans of standing the seam up on a good length and using Marnus Labuschagne to bowl bouncers after 24 overs.Australia had a bad day. They’ve had two bad days in a row. By the close, India’s lead had swelled to 218 and the opening partnership remained unbroken on 172. It was such a bad day that coach Andrew McDonald did the post-play press conference in a sure sign that things had gone rapidly awry after six months of careful planning.Starc was entitled to be frustrated by it all given he has been one of their standout performers over two poor days with both bat and ball. He had survived nearly the same number of deliveries as Australia’s entire top six combined while batting on this pitch.But it is rare to see this Australian unit so frazzled. Calm and consistent is their mantra. They have been anything but. They will never say it publicly, but there is no doubt Starc and his fellow bowlers were frustrated at the batting unit. These types of tensions happen all the time in cricket teams all over the world. It was clearly there today, exacerbated by the wonderfully controlled partnership between Jaiswal and KL Rahul who deserve an enormous amount of credit for grinding some excellent bowling down over a long period with outstanding decision-making and execution.But truthfully, Starc and Josh Hazlewood aside, Australia’s side have not looked particularly sharp overall.Related

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Cummins has epitomised that lack of sharpness. He came in deliberately undercooked. He was the only one of the three fast bowlers not to play a Sheffield Shield game before the Test series. He said before the Test that he prefers to be underdone ahead of a big series.It has shown across two days. He has been the most expensive of the quicks and the least threatening.The opposing captain, Jasprit Bumrah, had hardly overpitched in 18.2 overs of flawless bowling to tear through Australia’s batting line-up. Cummins’ lengths were nowhere near as precise by comparison. He is one of the few bowlers in the game to have been driven down the ground on multiple occasions.He dropped Rishabh Pant on 26 on the first day and failed to take a review that would have dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy on 11, having burnt two reviews earlier on frivolous appeals.He bowled a bouncer late on the second afternoon that went for five wides. It is rare to see Cummins perform so far below his high benchmark.The pressure mounted on Pat Cummins and Australia on day two in Perth•Getty ImagesAustralia’s fielding has not been flawless either. Khawaja has dropped two chances across two days. One cost very little, the cost of the other is still counting.Just after his miss, Steven Smith had a run-out chance following a mix-up between Jaiswal and Rahul. But Smith’s throw to the non-striker’s was wide and wild, giving Nathan Lyon no chance of gathering cleanly.McDonald presented a picture of calmness, despite how his team had performed.”Morale is always good,” McDonald said. “It’s a pretty level team, whether it’s a good day or a bad day. We’ve got some problems to solve ahead of us. There’s no doubt we’re clearly well behind the game at this stage.”McDonald showed sterner defence than his batter’s had the day before, dead-batting questions around his team’s body language and the fact that his bowling coach, Daniel Vettori, was on the other side of the world preparing for the IPL auction with another employer after the bowlers had gone wicketless through 57 overs.”In terms of the way that we bowled, I don’t think was too dissimilar [to yesterday],” McDonald said. “Potentially, early on, we may have been a fraction short if I was to be critical, but I thought they went about their work well.”Beneath that calm exterior, it is clear though that the change in pitch conditions have flummoxed a team that is meticulous in its planning, with the ball-tracking data they base a lot of their plans around suggesting the swing and seam movement had all but disappeared by the end of day two.”The surface looked considerably drier today, it dried out fairly quickly,” McDonald said. “We thought there may have been a little bit more there. I suppose, if you want to say that we’re a little bit surprised, yeah, there wasn’t as much seam movement or swing, and I think the bowlers were presenting the same in a similar fashion to the way they were yesterday.”Australia have three days to avoid exasperation turning to despair and there is a lot of cricket left in this series to fight their way back.But cracks are appearing in Perth. Just not the kind they were hoping for.

Stats highlights from the Wankhede Stadium, where RCB ended a 10-year-long drought against MI

Sampath Bandarupalli07-Apr-20252015 – The last time Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede. RCB lost their last six outings at the venue against MI, failing to defend a total on five occasions.221 for 5 – RCB’s total on Monday is their second-highest against MI in the IPL, behind the 235 for 1 in 2015.3 – RCB have won all three matches they have played away from home this season – Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk, and MI at Wankhede. Only one team before them beat all three at their respective home venues in an IPL season – Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2012.Related

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13,050 – Runs scored by Virat Kohli in T20 cricket. He is only the fifth player and the first from India to complete 13,000 runs in the format. He is the second-fastest batter to that milestone, in 386 innings, only behind Chris Gayle (381 innings).184 – Wickets for Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the IPL, the most by a fast bowler, surpassing Dwayne Bravo’s tally of 183. Bhuvneshwar is also now the third-highest wicket-taker in the IPL.1.89% – Win probability for MI as per ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster when they needed 123 runs to win off just 47 balls. That went up to 48.42% before Tilak Varma fell in the 18th over after adding 89 runs in just 5.4 overs with Hardik Pandya.12 – Number of 200-plus totals while chasing for MI are the most by any team in T20s. PBKS are next on the list, with 11 200-plus totals. Only five of those 12 totals by MI have come in successful chases.208 – Runs scored by Indian players for RCB on Monday. It is the highest contribution from Indian batters for RCB in an IPL match, surpassing the 188 runs against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2022 eliminator.The Indian players at MI also had a good hit with the bat on Monday. They aggregated 362 runs across both innings, the third-most for an IPL match.57 – Runs conceded by Trent Boult in his four overs on Monday, the most he has conceded in his 251-match T20 career. It was also the first time he conceded 50-plus runs in an IPL match.29 – Balls that Kohli needed to complete his fifty, his fastest in the IPL since 2018. It was his fifth-fastest fifty in the IPL and his fastest in all T20s since the 21-ball fifty against West Indies in 2019 at the same venue.

The ODI side is entering a period of change ahead of the next World Cup

Andrew McGlashan07-Mar-20251:22

Agar: Australia building more depth a big positive despite loss

Australia’s transition into their title defence at the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, is now well underway after Steven Smith became the third of the victorious 2023 squad to retire from the format following David Warner and Marcus Stoinis. There could well be more to follow in the coming months as players take stock of their careers.A core group should remain for the selectors to build around as they make their plans over the next two years – Pat Cummins told ESPNcricinfo recently that the next World Cup was still firmly in his sights as captain – but how often Australia will field what could be termed their strongest team in bilateral ODIs remains to be seen given the game’s cluttered schedule, which includes a T20 World Cup next year and the ongoing priority of Test cricket.Related

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In situations like this, it’s fun to look into the crystal ball and have an (educated) guess at those that could come into the frame. For the purpose of this exercise, here’s six names who were not part of the Champions Trophy squad – so therefore doesn’t include the likes of Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Tanveer Sangha and Spencer Johnson – that could be in the mix for the next generation of Australia’s ODI side.

Cameron Green

It’s certainly not pulling a rabbit out of a hat to include Green’s name here. He would have been part of the Champions Trophy squad had it not been for the back injury that required surgery in October. But he shapes as a pivotal figure heading into 2027 because, like with the Test side, of the balance he can bring. He may be the ideal replacement for Smith at No. 3 given he is a frontline batter who has different gears. Last season he twice batted No. 3 against West Indies and was then at No. 4 in England before his injury. With Stoinis retired and Mitchell Marsh’s future uncertain, Green’s pace bowling will also be important although there may be a need to manage his workload.Mitchell Owen could come into the selectors’ planning•Getty Images

Sam Konstas

Matt Short, whose Champions Trophy was ended by injury, would appear in pole position to be Travis Head’s long-term opening partner but things can change. At 19, Konstas has plenty of World Cup cycles ahead of him and there is a decent argument to say that he should be given time to settle his red-ball game before thoughts are given to another international format. Finding the right tempo has been a challenge since his dramatic arrival into Test cricket against India, but his best innings of the last few weeks came in the One-Day Cup for New South Wales where he battled through cramp to make an 82-ball century when the next-highest score was 34.

Mitchell Owen

It was, perhaps, no surprise to see people asking the question around the Champions Trophy: “Why haven’t they called up Mitch Owen?” This season he has gone from a fringe state and BBL player into a name attracting global interest after two T20 hundreds – including the spectacular 108 off 42 balls in the BBL final – followed by 149 off 69 balls in the One-Day Cup. A T20 call-up in the near future feels quite likely and the selectors may well consider having a look at him in the ODI format to see whether that formidable striking power he possesses can be consistently translated into the longer game. His seam bowling adds another handy dimension.Xavier Bartlett made a fine start to his ODI career•AFP/Getty Images

Will Sutherland

Another allrounder of significant promise, Sutherland’s combination of splice-jarring fast-medium and his evolving middle-order batting will keep him in the selectors’ conversations. Despite Victoria falling short, he was impressive in the recent One-Day Cup final with 3 for 67 and 50. Although in a different format, his 70 off 45 balls for Melbourne Renegades against Perth Scorchers was one of the innings of the BBL season after his team had been 10 for 4 chasing 148 at Optus Stadium. However, consecutive winters hit by stress fractures in his back mean that he will continue to be carefully monitored.

Xavier Bartlett

Given the number of absentees from the pace attack, Bartlett was unlucky not to be a replacement for the Champions Trophy. In two ODIs against West Indies last year he took eight wickets but has not played since with injury ruling him out of the England series in September then a carefully managed return through the T20Is against Pakistan. It is uncertain whether both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will reach the next World Cup, but conditions in southern Africa could be ideal for someone who can gain sharp movement with the new ball.

Lance Morris

Given how much Morris has been talked about over the last few years, it will be an incredible frustration to him that his international career has so far been limited to three ODIs as he nurses his way through various back problems and other injuries. When on song, no one is quicker in Australian cricket. Someone with his skillset could be a real X-factor on some of the faster South Africa pitches that may be offered up in 2027 but, with Test cricket also an ambition, it could come down to what his body will allow.

Pakistan’s front-line fast bowler has had a difficult couple of years, but he believes he’s peaking just in time to make a mark at his country’s first home ICC event since 1996

Danyal Rasool18-Feb-2025″You’re still not a true cricketer,” his oldest brother said suddenly, out of nowhere.Shaheen Shah Afridi looked up, surprised at what Riaz had just said. A number of the siblings – Afridi has six older brothers – were sat at home, watching cricket when Riaz, who once played an international for Pakistan when Shaheen was four, piped up. It was late 2018 and Shaheen had taken Pakistan cricket by storm, first at the PSL, where he produced figures of 3.4-1-4-5, and later with a superb start in white-ball international cricket.”Why?””Until you play Test cricket,” Riaz said, “you’re not a proper international cricketer.”Related

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“Since then,” Afridi says, “I have held in my heart that Test cricket is my true and first priority.”Riaz also gave his younger brother one of his earliest lessons about the reality of being in the spotlight in Pakistan cricket: no matter the plaudits he was enjoying in the honeymoon phase of his career, criticism and tough times will never be far away.

****

“Shall we sit here?””No.”The most complicated part of interviewing Pakistan’s most famous fast bowler is simply finding where to do it. As we walk through the warren of corridors, lobbies and coffee shops, it becomes obvious why Afridi dismisses the idea of sitting anywhere within public view so quickly. At about two metres tall, he can’t exactly hide, and the face perched on top of that body is one of Pakistan’s most recognisable. Every few paces, we’re stopped – or he is, more accurately – for pictures, autographs, brief chats that he tries to awkwardly but politely end, with varying degrees of success. Finally, at the back of the hotel in a little alcove hidden behind an outdoor seating area shaded by artificial palm trees, we pull up a couple of chairs.”When I got [Shubman] Gill out early on [at the 2023 ODI World Cup], I felt you could have heard a fly buzzing, such was the silence”•AFP/Getty ImagesAt ease, Afridi is in a jovial, relaxed mood, just before the start of the tri-series that will go on to serve as a dry run for the Champions Trophy.”It’s a first for pretty much all of us, isn’t it?” he says, eyes lighting up with the kind of excitement that has taken hold of Pakistani cricket supporters in the lead-up to the event. “Only a couple of players in this squad have played the Champions Trophy before, and though we won the last one, playing in front of our own people is special.”We always play these events away, and I’ve always noticed how the home team gets such huge support, which gives you a boost. When we played the World Cup [2023] in India with over 100,000 people watching at the venue, and I got [Shubman] Gill out early on, I felt you could have heard a fly buzzing, such was the silence. The crowd can create an atmosphere for that game, unlike what happens for any other game. And that is a different kind of pressure. We’re excited to experience that ourselves this time.”For Afridi, like everyone else, it is scarcity that has built up this degree of excitement. Pakistan last hosted an ICC event in 1996, and entire generations of Pakistani teams have gone without a global home event. Even Afridi’s own father-in-law, Shahid, whose career with Pakistan spanned two decades, never got to experience what Shaheen will over the next month.It is, for once in what seems like a while for Pakistan, the right tournament coming along at the right time. Pakistan have had a torrid 2024 in the other two formats – not consistent enough in Test cricket, where they finished bottom of the WTC standings, and not explosive or accurate enough in T20Is, where defeats to USA and India saw them eliminated from the T20 World Cup at the first hurdle.In Pakistan’s ODI series wins in Australia and South Africa, Afridi picked up a total of 15 wickets in six innings, the most of any Pakistan bowler•Brenton Edwards/Getty ImagesIf the year was salvaged, it was largely down to two away ODI series at the tail-end of 2024, where Pakistan came from behind to beat Australia 2-1, and swept the board 3-0 against South Africa. Pakistan’s fast bowlers, whose effectiveness and standing within the world game has been gradually eroding over the past couple of years, led that charge, with Afridi at the forefront: the most wickets at the best strike rate, and the lowest average among his counterparts. Pakistan took 54 of a possible 60 wickets against Australia and South Africa; no Australian innings extending beyond 35 overs.”Our ODI team hasn’t changed much,” Afridi says. The bowling attack, particularly, hasn’t changed much since before the World Cup. It’s been carrying on in a good run of form, and I hope that continues through the Champions Trophy.”Without any ODIs between the 2023 ODI World Cup and these two series and the one against Zimbabwe late in November in which he didn’t play, Afridi’s perpetual intensity helped him. “My net practice is like I’m playing a match,” he says. “I was dividing my bowling spells into conditions and innings phases, and how I’d adjust lengths and pace.”It appeared to pay off in Australia and South Africa, where he found ways of being effective at the top and tail of innings. He provided Pakistan with early breakthroughs in each of the three games against Australia but was also brought on to wipe out the middle and lower orders – a role he was especially prolific in during the clean sweep of South Africa.He accepts that the skill sets required in T20 and ODI cricket are different. “In ODI cricket you have to hit the same length more regularly, but variation plays a part as a surprise tactic. At the death, I try to bowl like I’m bowling in a T20. You have five fielders out as you do in a T20. You may get a bit of reverse, which you have to try and go for.”Afridi says he has been simulating match conditions while training for the Champions Trophy, bowling spells by conditions and innings phases•ICC/Getty ImagesBut he acknowledges ruefully that he says that more in hope than expectation. Two new balls have been used in ODI cricket since long before Afridi turned professional. “The squares are watered, so you can’t scuff a new ball by throwing it on there either anymore. One ball would be lots of fun, [but] I wouldn’t know much about it; I’ve only played Test cricket with one new ball!”As with any elite fast bowler, though, he has found workarounds. Against right-handers, he goes around the wicket once the swing has dissipated, which brings the stumps into play more. “The batter also has less of an opportunity to hit the ball, and if he misses, you should hit.”It has given Afridi a level of control and penetration on uncooperative wickets with the older ball. Though he disproportionately bowls around the wicket at the death, his economy rate from that angle is just a tick above a run a ball, and he has a superior strike rate and average than when he comes over the wicket. More than a quarter of his wickets have been bowled, as opposed to just over a fifth when he comes over the wicket, despite the early swing offered by two new balls.That flexibility is important in a format where he expects fast bowlers to get nothing in the Champions Trophy. “The ODI cricket we’ve played here, the wickets are all batting- friendly,” he laughs. “But it’s in Pakistan, and a new stadium has been built here in Lahore, the Gaddafi, so I’m excited to play here.” Unsurprisingly, it is Lahore, whose PSL franchise he captained to two consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023, where he enjoys playing the most, citing it as the “best atmosphere”.Afridi’s jovial demeanour, though, perhaps is partially down to him surrendering himself to the mood of the moment. He understatedly calls the last year “up and down”; there can be little argument it was the most challenging of his career. He was stripped of the T20 captaincy after just one series in charge. When the PCB drafted a statement on his behalf, appearing to suggest he was happy to move on, he denied having approved or made the statement at all.Afridi played just two of Pakistan’s seven Tests in 2024•AFP/Getty ImagesHe would later be released from the Test squad, and though that was partially down to Pakistan preparing spinning tracks at home, he wasn’t in it Pakistan’s Tests in South Africa either. While South Africa racked up 615 in a ten-wicket victory in Cape Town, Afridi was playing T20 cricket in Bangladesh in a league that was struggling to pay its players. While there has been conflicted reporting over Afridi’s current willingness to play Test cricket, he draws himself up higher in his chair at the merest suggestion he lacks it. “I will always be available for Test cricket,” he says adamantly.It has not changed his relationship with Pakistan cricket or its fans, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t affected by what’s said about him. Pakistan cricket’s sports journalism ecosystem has exploded over the last few years, with alternative accounts of various incidents routinely flying about, and there is often no way of parsing truth from fiction. The compromised relationships, conflicts of interest, relatively low barrier to entry, and virtually non-existent libel laws mean the bulwarks against false information are especially feeble.”What frustrates me is when people say things about me that are just not true. In Pakistan, unfortunately, a lot of the time fans and journalists do not tell or report the truth. That is really dispiriting to see. If people say something critical about me but it is based in fact, it doesn’t hurt me. But the lies do hurt, especially when journalists – whose job it is to tell the truth – do the opposite of it.””But,” he says, eager not to relitigate the previous year, “I try to live in the present rather than the past or future. I find myself in good form, and feel like I’m fully fit. There are always niggles and some pain for a fast bowler, but the physios are very good these days and can get us ready quite quickly. Our other fast bowlers are also in good shape, which is nice because you have to bowl in partnerships as a bowling unit. In the last few series and leagues, I have felt my body working well, and I feel like I’m in rhythm.”Afridi is not a little tired of the discussions about his bowling speeds: “I’ve never felt my pace is down in a way that it is stopping me getting wickets”•Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty ImagesHis pace, observed with hawk-like interest by supporters, has remained stubbornly in the mid-130s with the new ball, though it did go up past 140 at the death in South Africa. His bowling speeds have almost become a national obsession since a long-term injury layoff in 2022, and multiple explanations have been put forward. Some within the team management have suggested it is psychological, with Afridi reluctant to put more weight onto the front knee. Last year, the bowler himself even put it down to a malfunctioning speed-gun in Australia, and there was increasing evidence he was beginning to tire of the issue altogether.He feels more relaxed about it now. “People take a lot of interest in my speeds. But aside from the 2021 T20 World Cup, if you look at my bowling, I bowl between 135-137kph in the first over. But people notice it now and think my pace is down. But I’ve never felt my pace is down in a way that it is stopping me getting wickets. The body is a bit like a machine and can break down. Sometimes you get fatigued and you can’t show it because you have to do what the team requires of you.”The alcove we’re sitting in isn’t quite as private as one might have hoped. A view onto it opens up from some of the corridors on the higher floors of the hotel, and a small crowd begins to build up near where Afridi will inevitably have to exit.He throws his hands up. “I can’t put it off any longer,” he smiles, getting up. He runs the gauntlet to his room once more, as a couple of team security officials appear and try to keep the fans at bay. Afridi wears an easy smile; he’s in a good place with both his cricket and his body. Recent years have taught him none of that can be taken for granted.

His speed makes him an outlier even among the game’s great outliers, and mystery spin at that speed is devastating

Alagappan Muthu24-Mar-20251:36

Chawla: Noor was ‘spot on’ with his lengths

T20 is always played at breakneck speeds but even so Noor Ahmad operates on a level that feels misplaced at a cricket match. He runs in to bowl like he’s about to tackle someone that’s just stolen a little old lady’s handbag.It singles him out. Aged a mere 13, he attended an open selection trial in Kabul and made the cut. Out of a total of 125 participants or so, he made the final 15. His speed renders him an outlier even among the game’s great outliers. Batters often deal with mystery spinners by picking them off the pitch. Noor denies them even that little bit of refuge.Suryakumar Yadav held this game in his hand when he came on strike for the third ball of the 11th over. Mumbai Indians had recovered well, memories of a poor powerplay receding from view and a 200-plus total coming into focus. Noor looked up from the top of his mark, which is a considerable distance away from the bowling crease. This is very deliberate. He isn’t like Ravindra Jadeja who takes two steps and slings 100kph darts.Related

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Noor burst into the popping crease. There should really be a meme of his run-up with fire coming off of his shoes. All that momentum he gathered, plus a quick arm action ensured the ball came out at 95.6 kph. Mystery spin at that speed is devastating.Suryakumar had probably picked the googly. He was setting up for the inside out drive. But that ball was in such a hurry to turn the wrong way that it began doing so in the air. The revs Noor had put on it produced so much drift that it surpassed the abilities of one of the most destructive batters in T20 cricket. He was stumped.A flash of genius from a 20-year-old in front of the wicket and a 43-year-old behind it.Noor had taken out Suryakumar before, in IPL 2023 and back then too he was overjoyed in being able to match up against players of that calibre. On Sunday, he was the trigger for the age-old spin squeeze. Mumbai were only able to hit one boundary between the 11th and the 17th overs but Noor was able to pick up two more wickets, including the other set batter, Tilak Varma, who was unable to pick the googly out of the hand and had no time to read it off the pitch, not when it was onto him at 92kph. That was his average speed in this game. His slowest delivery was still 87 kph. Mystery spin at that pace is devastating. Mumbai were only in control of 58.3% of the shots they played against him. They were much better against R Ashwin and Jadeja (84.8%).Noor Ahmad gave CSK’s attack a point of difference•BCCIDuring the mega auction in November, Mumbai were the first team that raised the paddle when Noor’s name came up. Their scouting network is legendary but it is unlikely that they had to work very hard this time. CSK chased them down. The price went up to INR 5 crore. Mumbai backed out. Gujarat Titans, Noor’s previous team, exercised their right-to-match option. But Stephen Fleming wasn’t willing to let go. He doubled the bid. Pushed it up to INR 10 crore. At a time where most people are expecting the 300-barrier to be broken in T20 cricket, CSK are arming themselves with party poopers.”We’ve just identified that the way the game is going, your bowling has to be really specific,” Fleming had said, “And you have to take wickets to slow teams down. And if you’re just trying to contain, then some of the hitting power of players these days will just take the game away from you. So we’ve tried to be smart with our options given our retained players and add some variation, which maybe we lacked a little bit last year.”The Noor Ahmad pick was looking more at the middle [overs] to attack. So if we do get turning conditions, then we’ve got an opportunity to keep taking wickets. We’ve got [Matheesha] Pathirana at the end, which is the death aspect.”This pitch did turn and CSK used Noor not just in the middle overs, but the death as well. He picked up four wickets. That’s one less than the combined tally of all of CSK’s spinners last season at Chepauk. Wristspin is art. Noor’s is art in fast forward.

GT’s No. 4 talks about his first full-fledged IPL season and his hopes to lift the trophy

Deivarayan Muthu and S Sudarshanan28-May-20252:34

Rutherford: “Important for me to keep learning and adding to my game”

Sherfane Rutherford is a two-time IPL winner, but he didn’t play any matches in those tournaments. He was a reserve with Mumbai Indians in 2020 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. Across five seasons and five franchises (he was with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2021 as a replacement, but again, didn’t play) before IPL 2025, he batted in only ten games, but this year he has finally shed his tag as a back-up for players like Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell and carved out his own identity with Gujarat Titans.While Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler have piled on the runs at the top for GT, Rutherford has been a silent contributor in the middle order, scoring 267 runs in ten innings (as of May 27) at a strike rate of 157.05, which is higher than that of other overseas middle-order batters in the league, such as Tristan Stubbs and Shimron Hetmyer.Not many expected Rutherford to start the season ahead of Glenn Phillips, let alone bat at No. 4, but head coach Ashish Nehra and the team management saw his potential to anchor an innings as well as to finish it.”The IPL has always been one of the biggest learning curves for me,” Rutherford says. “Every time I come to the IPL, I try to learn as much from the players and coaches. I think coming into GT this year and having the chance to play [regularly] has been good for me.Related

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“It’s an opportunity I’ve been looking forward to for my whole IPL career. I think it’s important for me to keep learning, keep looking to get better, keep trying to take those opportunities given to me. And hopefully, I can make this IPL a good one for myself and for my team.”Rutherford had a rough initiation into the Titans set-up when he failed to seal a chase of 244 – at one point seeming within his grasp – against Punjab Kings. After hitting two sixes and a four off his first five balls, he got stuck against Vijaykumar Vyshak’s wide yorkers for two overs, though he has had a strike rate of nearly 180 against balls wide outside off since the start of 2021.”Hitting the ball over cover, hitting the wide ball, has been something that I’ve been known for in CPL,” Rutherford says. “My whole life, growing up, I have been good at hitting the ball on the outside. I spoke to a few players as well. One thing I learned is that it happens, and on that day, I wasn’t up to the mark for playing the wide ones.”But I feel like it is something I am good enough to do, and I’m willing to accept that challenge again. Some days it’s good to accept it and just move forward and not to dwell on it for too long.”Rutherford put that game behind him. Less than a month later, he helped finish a match against Delhi Capitals, coming to the crease when GT needed 130 off 75 balls. With Buttler in boss mode at the other end, Rutherford played a measured innings, scoring 43 off 34 balls, as Titans successfully chased a 200-plus target for the first time in the IPL.”Jos is very calm, very experienced,” Rutherford said. “The important thing in that conversation was, ‘Just play the ball and forget about the score. Just read the situation, play every ball at its merit.'”I’m a natural hitter of the ball. I can hit sixes when I want. It was important for me to just know which ball I’m going to hit and which ball I’m going to take on and just keep going, keep batting and take it as deep as possible.”Rutherford (centre) chats with Rovman Powell (left) and Dwayne Bravo, who has had a big impact on Rutherford’s career: “Ever since he came to the [CPL] squad, he was like, you’re going to bat at No. 4. He gave me that role”•BCCIA key moment in Rutherford’s evolution as a versatile middle-order batter came in the 2024 T20 World Cup game against New Zealand. On a tough Trinidad pitch, where West Indies had lost four wickets in the powerplay, Rutherford repaired the innings and then gave it a finishing kick, targeting Daryl Mitchell, the weakest link in the New Zealand attack. During his unbeaten 68 off 39 balls, he displayed a combination of skill and sense.”It was a game that needed batsmanship and I thought I did well,” Rutherford recalled. “I think as a player, I want to be that guy more often than not. As I said, cricket is a game where you have to keep trying. Once you keep trying, you know you’re in. I learned that I can always make up in the end. It’s important to rotate strike, get off strike, hit those gaps, capitalise on bad balls, and once I’m in, I can always make a difference.”It’s important for me to evolve. The game is evolving, so I want to be evolving. I made a promise to myself that I just don’t want to be a hitter. I want to be a batter. So, you know, I’m still learning, and I’m still trying to add more to my game. And I think it’s important for me to just keep learning and keep adding.”Dwayne Bravo has had a strong influence on Rutherford’s progress, having captained and mentored him during St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ run to win their maiden CPL title, in 2021.Rutherford (second from right) celebrating a win with his St Kitts and Nevis Patriots team-mates during their title-winning campaign in 2021•Randy Brooks/CPL T20/ Getty ImagesRutherford made his T20I debut for West Indies in 2018, but it was only after the 2021 CPL title under Bravo that he believed that he could cut it at the top level. He has since become a sought-after player in T20 leagues. After the IPL, he will head to MLC to play for Los Angeles Knight Riders and then join Barbados Royals in the CPL.”Bravo has always been like a brother to me,” Rutherford says. “He has been one of the coolest guys I’ve worked with as a player. And even as a coach, when he came to St Kitts that year, I could remember that he was like, ‘You’re going to bat at No. 4.’ He said, ‘You have the ability. You’re going to bat at four, so just make sure you are ready.'”I was very happy because, as I said, I always want to be a batter, not just a finisher. I think he saw that in me and gave me that role. Ever since then, I try to keep working on batting. Even when I’m in the nets, I don’t really do any big hits. I just try to play good cricket shots and get in a good position.”That didn’t happen in GT’s heavy defeat against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, where Rutherford ended up flapping Anshul Kamboj to mid-on for a duck. H e has a chance to remedy that and win his first IPL title as a playing member of a team.”Yeah, it [winning the IPL title with GT] will mean a lot,” he says. “I had this conversation with a few of my West Indies colleagues, but yeah, it’s going to be better. I kind of feel better playing… being a part of a team and contributing to a win. So I’m really excited and looking forward to it this year.”

The England captain insisted it was not a “skill issue” that caused the meltdown in Perth as the tourists plot their fightback

Vithushan Ehantharajah29-Nov-20252:51

Ehantharajah: This defeat will hurt for England

One of the few success stories from Jon Ronson’s , a book that delves into the worryingly compelling world of online humiliation and real-world consequences, comes from Max Moseley.The ex-Formula One boss’, ermmm, extra-curricular peccadilloes were plastered all over the papers in 2008. And yet, not only did he manage to survive those stories – even retaining his position as FIA president – he emerged more popular than before simply because he refused to be shamed by them. Even considering the economic and social factors that allowed Moseley to emerge unscathed from such scandal, the underlying reason why, Ronson posits, was through owning the facts of his now public sexual proclivities.Related

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Stokes: Calling England arrogant is a step too far

England have not disgraced themselves to that degree on this Ashes tour. Entire universes separate a two-day defeat in the opening Test match and, say, a lifelong penchant for questionable dress-up and sadomasochism. But to go by the coverage here in Australia – and some back home – Bazball has bared its arse to the world.And so, on Saturday, not governed by shame but duty, Ben Stokes took the initiative. England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick had been pencilled in to address the media at the start of a training session at Allan Border Field, some 8km north of The Gabba, where England will be situated from Sunday. Stokes, however, decided the first official engagement since last Saturday, in the immediate aftermath of Australia’s eight-wicket win, should come from him.It was an opportunity for clarity amid what he perceives to be a sea of conjecture and unfair criticism. He disagreed with the notion his team were arrogant and gave context to their no-show for the Prime Minister’s XI fixture in Canberra. At the forefront, however, came home truths around a key position squandered – 105 in front after lunch on day two, with nine second-innings in hand, that eventuated in one of England’s most embarrassing Ashes defeats.Ben Stokes gets back into training ahead of the second Test•Getty Images”We had our foot on the throat of Australia at that time,” said Stokes, ruefully. “And I guess a good one [thought] is…you’ve never got enough when it comes to the bat and you’ve never got enough on the board when you’re trying to bowl a team out.”That’s a mentality thing. If you can think of it more like that, that will send guys out there with that real clear mind – not only about how we want to operate but where the game currently is sat. You’ve never won til you’ve won, and last week was a great example of that.”We were in such a commanding and controlling position in that Test, particularly after the first innings – being [effectively] 105 for 1, getting a lead and making them chase down 200 [205] there was still a lot of belief that we were going to do this. That doesn’t mean we don’t look back on important moments and know we could have been better, and in how we executed that.”You can all agree with me, it’s not a skill issue or a quality issue that we have with regard to that moment in that game happening. We’re all really, really good players. We’ve all shown that at different moments throughout our careers. It’s just having an understanding of where that was at that moment in time. Being 100 for 1 in the third innings was an unbelievably strong position to be in.”The introspection in the days since has come both as a team and individuals. Stokes revealed he has been wondering what he could have done differently in the field, particularly in the early stages of Head’s remarkable 123 from 83 deliveries. Stokes, shellshocked in the immediate aftermath, has since found faults in his own captaincy. He was perhaps guilty of sifting through plans too quickly, not letting them settle. Spamming the bumper ploy when England’s success had come through nailing a length. Not bowling Joe Root early enough to change the pace as Head – a leftie – began swinging for the fences.There will be much interest in England’s approach with the bat in Brisbane•Gareth Copley/Getty Images”We’ve used that time to reflect on all those kinds of things, not only from a team point of view but me as a captain – the job I have to do out there. The next time we’re potentially in a situation like that, I’ll be in a better place to handle something that happens so quickly.”I know there were areas in that fourth innings where I could have been a lot better as captain. I am the person who makes decisions about how we go out there and operate, and I am the one who gives the plans to the bowlers. On reflection of myself, I wasn’t as clear as I normally am in those moments.”That’s something I have thought about, what I can do better as a captain and a leader. Making sure wherever the game is, whatever the momentum is swinging or not, the key thing for me is to be completely crystal clear with my bowlers.”

That’s why it was such a strange feeling at the end of that game because it happened very, very quickly. We lost a game we were in control of and we all know thatBen Stokes

Clear messages, full hearts, can’t lose – therein lies the actual essence of what Stokes and Brendon McCullum have tried to instill since they joined forces in 2022. Stripping away the add-ons of Test cricket has always come with the ultimate goal of being better at Test cricket. And even in defeat, all Stokes and McCullum ask is whether you can be satisfied in having committed to your role in your own way.Self-flaggelation is discouraged – the final two sessions at Perth Stadium underlines cricket does a good enough job at promoting self-hatred – but honesty remains a vital tool. And it was instructive that Stokes decided to reiterate the blueprint here and now, when it is under its most intense scrutiny.”We keep it very simple, which is always looking to put the opposition under pressure, but then also understanding the moment we need to absorb the pressure that is being piled on to us from the opposition,” he said. “We know that we are very, very good at the first bit and we all know there are areas that we can be better doing the second bit. That is the key of it. We do that and understand that. We don’t take anything for granted around anything.Ben Stokes said England have taken time to reflect on what went wrong in the first Test•Getty Images”We’re not going ‘oh, well’, because we don’t do that. We don’t shrug it off and think ‘next time hopefully it will happen’. We are professional sportsmen, we pride ourselves on how we go about things and we pride ourselves on the results of the games we’re playing in.”We all know that we definitely could be better in those moments and I think it showed in that third innings. That doesn’t take away how well we played for the vast majority of that game, although it was quick. That’s why it was such a strange feeling at the end of that game because it happened very, very quickly. We lost a game we were in control of and we all know that.”It is likely the majority of the XI will get the chance to show they have learned from last week’s mistakes. Mark Wood is expected to miss out, but the 10 remaining could be rolled out again, each with their own shot of redemption.The second Test, ultimately, represents a do-over. The chance to shape the narrative, even if the odds are skewed very much in Australia’s favour given their dominant record in day-night cricket.Harnessing that energy and channeling it into squaring the series will not be easy. Even with the time that has passed since the opening defeat, there are still five days to go. Five more days of talking, five more days of wondering. England will be gagging for the pink-ball Test to begin.

Stead has previously coached New Zealand to the WTC title and three limited-overs finals in global events

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2025Gary Stead has replaced Tinu Yohannan as Andhra’s head coach for the 2025-26 domestic season. Stead was the head coach of the New Zealand men’s team from 2018 to June 2025 and oversaw them to the World Test Championship title in 2021. Yohannan moved to the MRF Pace Foundation earlier this year.”Andhra cricket enters a new era under his guidance, aiming for bigger milestones and top-tier performances this season,” the Andhra Cricket Association wrote on social media.Stead, 53, is New Zealand’s most successful coach with three global limited-overs final appearances (2019 ODI World Cup, 2021 T20 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy) and a historic 3-0 Test series win in India. Before that, he had coached New Zealand Women to the final of the 2009 ODI World Cup and the 2010 T20 World Cup. He also coached Canterbury to three titles and a final in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic red-ball competition, from 2013 to 2017.Related

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As a player, he made five Test appearances for New Zealand and made 278 runs at an average of 34.75. He also played 101 first-class games and 103 List A games, where he made 4984 and 2173 runs respectively.Andhra had finished sixth in their group in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy with just one outright win from seven games. They failed to qualify for the knockouts in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy too, and lost in the preliminary quarter-final in the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Andhra will begin the 2025-26 season with a Ranji Trophy game against Uttar Pradesh on October 15.

Middlesex’s promotion hopes hit the skids with victory off the cards

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Sep-2025 Lancashire 105 for 0 (Wells 60*, Jennings 36*) trail Middlesex 211 (De Caires 52, Geddes 52, Aspinwall 4-62, Bailey 4-68) by 106 runsLuke Wells and Keaton Jennings enriched the penultimate evening of the season at Emirates Old Trafford with an unbroken opening stand of 105 but Lancashire’s Rothesay County Championship match against Middlesex looks certain to end in the draw that would almost certainly end the visitors’ chances of promotion.Replying to Middlesex’s 211, a first innings in which Tom Aspinwall and Tom Bailey both took four wickets, Lancashire ended another day shortened by rain and bad light on 105 without loss, with Jennings on 36 not out and Wells unbeaten on 60. However, only 31.4 overs were possible in Manchester on Wednesday and neither side appears to have a credible chance of forcing a win, even if Thursday’s weather permits a full 96 overs’ play. So far 210 overs have been lost in this match.
Heavy rain overnight and throughout the morning left the Emirates Old Trafford outfield saturated but after two inspections play got under way at three o’clock and Lancashire’s bowlers took only 6.4 overs to take the two wickets they needed to end Middlesex’s first innings.Tom Aspinwall had Zafar Gohar caught at long leg by substitute fielder Will Williams for 25 and then Henry Brookes followed for two in Aspinwall’s next over when he edged a cut to Matty Hurst behind the stumps. That left Aspinwall with figures of four for 62 while Tom Bailey finished with four for 68.Left with a possible 34 overs in which to bat this evening, Jennings and Wells quickly settled into their work. Wells pulled Toby Roland-Jones towards the party stand for six and Lancashire were 44 without loss at tea.
In the evening session, Wells played with even greater fluency levying maximums off both Seb Morgan and Zafar Gohar, reaching his fifty off 71 balls and ending the day just 25 runs of a thousand in first-class cricket this season. Jennings requires another 67 runs to reach the same mark but it is also a reflection of Lancashire’s recent problems that this was only the county’s second century partnership for the first wicket in the last 47 innings, a record stretching back to the end of 2023.Middlesex came into this match lying fourth in the table, 30 points behind second-placed Glamorgan. However, their hopes are almost certain to be scuppered if they fail to win this game and Glamorgan avoid defeat against Derbyshire.

Fabrizio Romano has now dropped a key injury update on Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori, after the defender was forced to leave the Italy squad.

The Gunners have already had to deal with their fair share of injuries this season, and Mikel Arteta now has more problems to contend with, as two of the manager’s most important players have recently suffered setbacks on international duty.

Indeed, there are now doubts over the fitness of Gabriel, which will be a major concern for Arteta, given that the Brazilian has started every Premier League match this season, and Carlo Ancelotti has now issued an apology.

When asked about the extent of the injury, the Brazil manager said: “Bad? I don’t know, he had a problem on his adductor the medical staff have to check tomorrow. We are really sorry for this, really disappointed, when players have an injury I hope they can recover well and soon.”

Fabrizio Romano drops update on Riccardo Calafiori's injury

It recently emerged that Calafiori has also dropped out of the Italy squad due to a hip injury, and Romano has now taken to X to provide an update, stating Arsenal staff are informed and “not anticipating a big problem or issue”, which will be a relief for Arteta.

The Italian has returned to London to be assessed by the medical team, but it is promising news that the injury is not expected to be a major issue, with the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur penciled in for next weekend.

With Gabriel also suffering an injury blow, it is of increased importance that the 23-year-old is available, as Arteta is unlikely to want to re-jig his defence too much heading into such an important game.

Much like the centre-back, the £120k-a-week defender has been one of Arteta’s most important players so far this season, featuring in all 11 Premier League games, and the Arsenal boss singled him out for high praise after the 2-0 win at Burnley earlier this month.

The Spaniard said: “Very good. He’s been really stable, some big performances. He’s a big contributor to what we’re doing defensively as well. He gives us a lot in attack with his position and his threat. He continues to create chaos for the opposition.”

As such, it will be a relief that the recent injury is seemingly unlikely to keep Calafiori out of action for too long, as the Gunners look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table next weekend, with Manchester City making the difficult trip to St. James’ Park.

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