Pakistan’s chances of finishing in the top two of the points table have taken a massive hit

S Rajesh12-Dec-2022After these two defeats against England, do Pakistan have any chance of making it to the WTC final?
The two home defeats have badly dented Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying for the final. With only three Tests left in this cycle (one against England in Karachi and two home games against New Zealand), the maximum that they can finish on is 54.76%. It is very likely that at least two teams will finish with higher percentages.For example, Australia, currently table-toppers on 75%, need only 20 points from their remaining seven Tests to ensure that they end up higher than 54.76; they can get those points with a win and two draws. India, who are on 52.08% with six Tests to play, need 44 more points, which they can get with three wins and two draws.South Africa, currently second on the WTC table at 60%, need 28 more points (two wins and a draw) from their five remaining Tests to stay above Pakistan. Sri Lanka have a tough assignment in New Zealand coming up, but a 1-0 series win will ensure they can finish with a higher percentage than 54.76.It is highly likely that at least two of these four teams will get the points required to push Pakistan out of contention.What do India need to do to ensure qualification?
India are currently fourth on the points table, but if they win each of their remaining six Tests – two against Bangladesh and four against Australia – then their percentage will rise to 68.06, which will surely be enough for a top-two finish (Australia’s numbers will drop if they lose four to India).ESPNcricinfo LtdIf India finish with a 5-1 win-loss record, their percentage will be a healthy 62.5, which will still ensure qualification as both Australia and South Africa can’t go past that number. However, if they lose two, their percentage will drop to 56.94, which will leave them relying on other results.Have Australia already qualified?
Australia are comfortably on top of the table at 75%, but they still have some work to do before they are certain of qualifying: if they lose each of their remaining seven matches in this cycle, their percentage will drop to 47.37.That said, Australia do have an opportunity to seal their qualification before they embark on what could be a potentially difficult tour of India: if they win all three home Tests against South Africa, they will finish with a minimum percentage of 63.16 even if they lose all four against India. That will ensure a top-two finish, as only India can finish higher.What are South Africa’s chances of qualifying?
South Africa are currently second on the points table, with two series to play – three Tests in Australia, and two at home against West Indies next year. If they win their home Tests but lose all of their away Tests, they will drop to 53.33. Hence, they need at least one win in Australia: a 1-2 series defeat followed by a 2-0 series win will lift them to 60%, which will keep them in contention.Are Sri Lanka still in it?
Sri Lanka are currently on 53.33%, with just two away Tests in New Zealand to go in this cycle. If they win both, their score will rise to 61.11; if the series finishes 1-1, it will drop marginally to 52.78. Thus they will probably need two wins to stay in contention.What about England, West Indies, New Zealand?
Despite England’s fantastic run under Ben Stokes, with eight wins in their last nine Tests, England are not in the race. They only have one Test remaining in the current cycle, and even if they win that, they will end up on 46.97%. That’s because they had a wretched first half of a campaign: in their first 12 Tests of this cycle, they lost seven, drew four, and won only one.West Indies can finish with a maximum of 50%, while the New Zealand can go up to 48.72% if they win their last four Tests.

Perth Scorchers’ captain talks BBL success, captaincy philosophy and a batting revival

Tristan Lavalette13-Feb-2023In trademark style, on brand for five-time BBL champions Perth Scorchers, unobtrusive captain Ashton Turner preferred not to fuel growing debate over whether he should become Australia’s next T20I captain.When asked by ESPNcricinfo, Turner, instead, paid tribute to outgoing Aaron Finch, who recently retired from international cricket to leave a leadership vacuum for Australia ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA.”I’m forever grateful for Finchy, the influence he had on me and the confidence he had in backing me,” said Turner, who has played nine ODIs and 18 T20Is from 2017-21. “As he steps aside, they are big shoes to fill.”But Turner, a disciple of the well-worn Scorchers manual of not giving much away publicly, then paused before ever so subtly putting his hand up. “I’m as confident in my game and leadership as I’ve ever been,” he said.Related

'I thought that my red-ball career had passed me by' – Turner after drought-breaking century

Turner puts Scorchers' success down to 'confidence in the depth of our squad'

Aaron Finch announces retirement from T20Is, ends Australia career

The 30-year-old Turner has been bandied around as a possible Finch successor after leading Scorchers to a successful title defence during a dominant campaign where he rediscovered his belligerent batting.After several lean years, which put him on the outer of Australia’s white-ball teams and Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield side, Turner averaged 42.33 at a strike-rate of 155.51.More impressive than those stats, Turner continually rescued Scorchers and came through in an epic BBL final against Brisbane Heat. In a player-of-the-final performance, he hit a 32-ball 53 as Scorchers thrillingly chased down 176 in front of almost 54,000 rowdy fans at Optus Stadium.Turner had similarly lifted Scorchers out of trouble with a half-century in last year’s final against Sydney Sixers, an innings which triggered his rejuvenation with the bat.With his Shield career stalled, having not played a first-class match since October 2020, Turner made a conscious decision to focus his attention on the shorter formats.”I’ve committed more time to white-ball cricket in the last 12 months, more than I ever have before,” said Turner, who remains available for Shield selection but is currently not part of WA’s powerful line-up.

One of the things I’m proudest of is that I feel like I’ve been able to empower a lot of guys in our group. If I wasn’t to play, we have guys who could walk in seamlessly and do a great job

“That’s where my career has been trending. I made a really deliberate effort to keep chipping away at white ball cricket 12 months a year. Generally in life if you commit more time to something, you’re going to improve.”His prowess in the middle-latter overs should be particularly appealing for the national hierarchy, whose selection of big-hitter Tim David at last year’s T20 World Cup underlined their desire to find a specialist finisher.Turner never got going previously in international cricket, averaging just 12 with a strike-rate of 84 in T20Is, but he did smash a 43-ball 84 in an ODI against India in Mohali in 2019.”I’ve had small tastes of success in international cricket, but clearly wasn’t able to perform consistently. I know I didn’t play the best I could,” he said.During his bounce back BBL season, Turner unleashed a formidable range of strokes all around the wicket having often previously relied on hitting straight for boundaries.’We’ve earned the right to think we can win games. We believe in what we’re going to do’•Cricket Australia/Getty Images”In previous seasons, my boundaries and scoring areas were consistent,” he said. “But grounds have different attributes. How you bat at Optus Stadium is different to the SCG or Bellerive. I felt like I had a clearer game plan and could trust myself.”Turner’s mastery of chasing helped transform Scorchers, whose traditional blueprint of success was to bat first and then let their miserly attack defend any such total.Scorchers had a 10-2 record this season when chasing with the only blemishes being narrow losses on the road to Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes. What had been seen as a potential weakness for Scorchers suddenly became a major strength.”There was no change to the plan, our hand was forced in the early games with teams deciding to bat first,” he said. “Momentum is a powerful thing. Once we got on a roll, I asked the players what they wanted to do.”The consensus was that the batters wanted to chase to dictate the tempo that they needed to bat. The bowlers enjoyed bowling first, so it was the way that it worked out.”That process helps illustrate Turner’s inclusive leadership, where he collaborates with decision making.”Rarely do I make a decision by myself, I spend a lot of time consulting,” he said. “I love to hear the input of other squad members and support staff. We have good conversations and come to good conclusions.”One of the things I’m proudest of is that I feel like I’ve been able to empower a lot of guys in our group. If I wasn’t to play, we have guys who could walk in seamlessly and do a great job like Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis and Mitch Marsh who have great leadership qualities.”Turner’s encouraging leadership particularly came to the fore under immense pressure in the BBL final when he was run-out during a pivotal moment after a horrendous mix-up with inexperienced batter Nick Hobson.”When we were sitting there waiting for the decision, he said ‘mate you’re a gun, you’ll get us over the line, you’ll be absolutely fine, hit good shots’,” recalled Hobson, an accountant in his day job who hit the winning runs to become an unexpected hero.”There was no resentment [over the run-out]. He’s an amazing leader. He gives his players so much belief.”Turner, naturally, played down his pep talk but it undoubtedly reinforced his ethos.”It’s easy to give guys pats on the back when we’re ahead of the game, I want to do it in every moment,” he said. “Whether it’s a high pressure moment or not…consistency is really important.”In T20 cricket there isn’t room for guys to be hesitant or doubt themselves. I want everyone to feel empowered to play the brand they want to play. I never want anyone to feel restricted.”After they overcame mostly playing on the road in BBL11 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this season’s triumph was marked by Scorchers navigating a slew of injuries and absences of overseas recruits.

GAME OVER. WHAT A GAME.@ScorchersBBL are BBL champions!#BBL12 pic.twitter.com/wfcVqfYpZc

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) February 4, 2023

It failed to destabilise them as an unruffled team repeatedly dug deep in key moments to win their second title under Turner.”It might come across as calmness but it boils down to confidence,” Turner said. “You look calm under pressure if you are confident in your skills, your team-mates and the planning and processes.”We’ve earned the right to think we can win games. We believe in what we’re going to do.”Turner is likely to be in demand on the T20 circuit, although a return to the IPL where he had an inglorious stint in 2019, is not forthcoming just yet.”I don’t lose sleep where I’m not playing but I know I could perform if opportunities arise in the IPL,” he said. “It’s a motivation for me to test myself against the best players and teams.”Who knows where Turner will be at in his career when next BBL season rolls around, but he’s already excited about plotting Scorchers’ bid for a historic hat-trick of titles in his methodical and unassuming style.”We’ve prided ourselves on continuity. Fundamentally the playing squad is going to look similar and we can take a lot of confidence out of that,” he said. “I’m really enjoying playing cricket with a smile and just helping every team I’m part of become better.”

Also: how many players have scored a hundred and taken a hat-trick on the same day in first-class cricket?

Steven Lynch25-Apr-2023Gloucestershire’s Tom Price just scored a century and took a hat-trick – on the same day. Has anyone done this before in first-class cricket? asked Quentin Holt from England

Playing for Gloucestershire against Worcestershire at New Road last week, Tom Price followed a century – after coming at No. 9 with the score 45 for 7 – with a hat-trick (all caught by wicketkeeper James Bracey). This was the 17th time this particular double had been achieved in the same first-class match, but the first time both achievements came entirely on the same day.William Burns (Worcestershire against Gloucestershire in Worcester in 1913), Bob Wyatt (MCC vs Ceylon in Colombo in 1926-27), Learie Constantine (West Indians vs Northamptonshire in Northampton in 1928) and Mike Procter (Gloucestershire vs Essex in Westcliff-on-Sea in 1972) all completed centuries in innings they had started the previous evening, and then took a hat-trick that day. Playing for Bangladesh’s Central Zone in Savar in 2013-14, Mahmudullah ended North Zone’s innings with two wickets in two balls, then next day scored a century and completed his hat-trick when he bowled again in North’s second innings (he took four wickets in four balls in all).Procter and Sohag Gazi both did this double twice – Sohag’s second remains the only instance to date in a Test match, for Bangladesh against New Zealand in Chittagong in 2013-14.Kent’s Joe Denly scored 102 and then took a hat-trick in a T20 Blast match against Surrey at The Oval in July 2018. A month later, Andre Russell followed a hat-trick with 121 not out (from 49 balls, with 13 sixes, having come in at 41 for 5) in a CPL match for Jamaica Tallawahs against Trinbago Knight Riders in Port-of-Spain.I noticed that Taijul Islam has now played Tests against 11 different countries. Has anyone else done this? asked Mithun Mukhtar from Bangladesh

Playing in Bangladesh’s Test against Ireland in Mirpur earlier this month did mean that left-arm spinner Taijul Islam had faced all 11 possible current opponents. He completed the set in his 41st Test. But four of his team-mates were also playing against their 11th opponent, and one of them was quicker to the mark: Mushfiqur Rahim (85 Tests), Shakib Al Hasan (66), Mominul Haque (56) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (38).In ODIs, the Scotland pair of Richie Berrington and Kyle Coetzer have played against 20 different opponents. In T20I, Ireland’s Paul Stirling has chalked up an impressive 26 different oppositions; the UAE pair of Ahmed Raza and Rohan Mustafa have faced 25 (both have played fewer than 60 such matches).Someone else noticed that in the match at Mirpur, Taijul dismissed Peter Moor, who was playing for Ireland, having already done so when Moor played for Zimbabwe. They asked whether anyone else had dismissed the same batter for two different countries, and there had been two previous cases: Alec Bedser dismissed Abdul Hafeez Kardar, who played for India and Pakistan, and Courtney Walsh accounted for Kepler Wessels while he was playing for Australia and South Africa.Ireland used four different wicketkeepers in their first four Tests – has any other country done this? asked Chris O’Donnell from Ireland

Ireland’s wicketkeeper in their inaugural Test, against Pakistan in Malahide in May 2018, was Niall O’Brien, who retired almost immediately afterwards. Stuart Poynter took the gloves for their next match, against Afghanistan in Dehradun in March 2019, but he hasn’t played again; Gary Wilson took over for the match against England at Lord’s three months later, bagged a pair (as did England’s keeper Jonny Bairstow), and retired not long afterwards. Ireland didn’t play a Test for more than three years, but earlier this month Lorcan Tucker made his debut against Bangladesh in Mirpur and scored a century, which ensured he kept the gloves for the ongoing series in Sri Lanka.No other country has fielded four different wicketkeepers in their first four Tests, but India (twice, in 1952-53 and from 1952-53 to 1954-55), West Indies (1961-62 to 1963) and Zimbabwe (2011-12 to 2012-13) also chose four different keepers in the space of four consecutive matches. In the 1952-53 home series against Pakistan, India tried Khokan Sen, Nana Joshi, Vijay Rajindernath and Ebrahim Maka, before reverting to Sen for the final Test. The unfortunate Rajindernath made four stumpings, and was never selected again.But Sri Lanka lead the way here. In five successive Tests between April 1987 and December 1989, their wicketkeepers were Brendon Kuruppu (against New Zealand in Colombo), Guy de Alwis (vs Australia in Perth), Amal Silva (vs England at Lord’s), Gamini Wickremasinghe (vs Australia in Brisbane) and Hashan Tillakaratne (vs Australia in Hobart). Note that all these statistics refer to the designated wicketkeeper for the match, and exclude any temporary replacements.Dinesh Karthik is tied with Mandeep Singh and Sunil Narine for the most ducks in IPL history•BCCIDinesh Karthik has bagged two ducks in this season’s IPL already, and I heard he had 15 overall in his IPL career. Is this the most? asked Mahesh Bhasin from India

Dinesh Karthik’s two ducks for RCB so far this season – against Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals – have taken him up to share the top spot on this particular list. Also on 15 as I write are Sunil Narine and Mandeep Singh, from less than half the number of innings Karthik has had. Rohit Sharma is close behind with 14 ducks.I know Jim Laker did it, but how many others have taken the wicket of all 11 batters in a Test? asked Tim Westcott from England

During the course of his record-breaking 19 for 90 at Old Trafford in 1956, the England offspinner Jim Laker did indeed dismiss all 11 Australians he came up against. Laker was the first to do this in a Test – but it has now been done five more times.The next to achieve it was another offspinner, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, for India against New Zealand in Delhi in 1964-65. He has been followed by Geoff Dymock (Australia vs India in Kanpur in 1979-80), Abdul Qadir (Pakistan vs England in Lahore in 1987-88), Waqar Younis (Pakistan vs New Zealand in Faisalabad in 1990-91), and Muthiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka vs South Africa in Galle in 2000). Venkat, Dymock and Waqar took only 12 wickets in the match overall, the others 13.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

The team will be pleased to see their young batters taking leading roles and the tail finally generating some runs

Mohammad Isam13-May-2023Bangladesh’s three-wicket win against Ireland on Friday was only their sixth successful 300-plus chase in ODIs. The elements that stood out in this pursuit were the younger batters taking lead roles, the long tail that finally generated some runs, and the timing of it all. In a World Cup year when they are trying to enter the tournament with confidence and enhance their credentials as an ODI outfit, Chelmsford’s show was the ideal batting performance.Najmul Hossain Shanto, whose position in ODIs was dicey not so long ago, cracked his maiden century in the format. Shanto’s acceleration under pressure, when Bangladesh had lost two early wickets in a 320-chase, was heartening for the Bangladesh fans. He had been subject to a lot of trolling in the last two years but ever since the T20 World Cup in November 2022, he has grown as a batter.Related

Andrew Balbirnie: Harry Tector can become 'one of the greats of Irish cricket'

Najmul Hossain Shanto century, Mushfiqur Rahim finishing see Bangladesh to victory

Bangladesh find a home away from home to breathe life into Ireland's series in exile

After the second ODI, Shanto, however, spoke highly of Towhid Hridoy who supported him with a quickfire 68. Hridoy is more of a newcomer than Shanto, having made his debut in March this year, and quickly grabbed a middle-order spot that’s so hotly contested between him and senior batters like Mahmudullah and Afif Hossain.Shanto and Hridoy added 131 runs for the fourth wicket after Shakib Al Hasan got out softly in the 17th over. Shakib and Shanto added 61 quickly but Ireland felt they had a big say in the game when Shakib got out. Hridoy, however, shut down that notion quickly.Shanto and Hridoy had the best partnership in this season’s BPL, including a century and three fifty stands. Shanto finishing as the BPL’s highest run-getter played into his growing confidence while this year’s BPL was Hridoy’s breakout season.”This win will definitely give us a lot of confidence,” Shanto said. “Hridoy’s intent helped my batting. He never seemed nervous. Our partnership served the exact purpose. We didn’t worry about the outcome. We tried to play our natural cricket. We hope that this type of cricket will do us good in the near future.”I certainly enjoying batting with him. We had some big partnerships in the BPL. We understand how we bat together. His intent is really good for the team. It puts the opponent under pressure. He doesn’t go away from his process regardless of losing three or four wickets. I think this is how we should play. Our mantra is to stick to our own processes and natural game in any situation, without caring much about losing three or four wickets.”Shanto said that he was pleased with his own effort although not being there in the end left him a little disappointed after the game. “I am very happy to get my first ODI hundred. I felt I batted the way I wanted to bat properly. I would have been happier to finish the game.”I didn’t think much about the cold weather. I reacted to the merit of the ball. I didn’t worry about the outcome. I tried to bat positively. It was a great wicket but there was some challenge to face the new ball.”Bangladesh’s bigger and more complicated challenge was to navigate the chase with four genuine tail-enders. Some may argue that Taijul Islam is still a decent batter, but he has no limited-overs credentials. Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud and Ebadto Hossain are genuine tail-enders, so scoring 320 runs in 45 overs with the top seven seemed a bit of a tight spot for the visitors.Mushfiqur Rahim scoops it over the wicketkeeper’s head for the the winning runs•Andrew Miller/ESPNcricinfo LtdBangladesh needed another 63 runs when the last recognised pair of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy Hasan Miraz got together in the 37th over. Mehidy got out when they needed 34 runs in the last 5.2 overs. But Mushfiqur got those runs with surprising help from Taijul and Shoriful.Shanto said that Bangladesh proved that they can chase with seven specialist batters but they needed a bit of luck with the TV umpire unable to find a good enough angle to judge Mushfiqur’s run-out, and when Mark Adair bowled a no-ball in the last over.”It doesn’t matter whether we have seven or eight batters. We have to bat with responsibility and intent. I didn’t think we had fewer batters in the line-up. We chased 320 successfully. We could chase 350 successfully.”We always believed we could win, seeing the wicket and conditions. We knew we could chase this target. We spoke about it in the dressing room. We needed the luck, so we got it through the no-ball and that run out.”Shanto said that Bangladesh will look to improve in the last ODI on Sunday, but he felt the bowlers did a good job for 39 out of the 45 overs. He also mentioned that they always discussed when to bring Mehidy into the bowling attack, before figuring out that Ireland probably could be countered with the offspinner bowling from a particular end.”I don’t think we bowled badly. The coach (Chandika Hathurusingha) mentioned that we gave six or seven big overs out of the 45 overs. Otherwise, we bowled well for 39 overs. The one who got the century for them, batted really well. I think there’s no reason to blame anyone. There’s always room for improvement, but the way the bowlers did here, it will help us in the future.”We were all discussing, including the captain, about when to bring Miraz into the attack. But there was more trust on Taijul . Then we realised that it was harder to hit a right-hander from one end, because it was big. They were playing well against left-arm spin. We believe in him. He bowled well. He is very helpful. We want a situation where anyone can bowl in any situation.”

“It was incredibly difficult, being able to grip the bat after keeping for 110 overs”

Valkerie Baynes26-Jun-2023When Alyssa Healy strode to the crease at No. 8 on an unwelcome row of three ducks in Tests, it’s understandable that she “copped a gob-full”. What those firing the barbs didn’t understand was that she was walking in knowing that she would struggle to grip her bat.Her side had just pushed their lead past 200 on the fourth day but with more than a day to go in this Test, they needed more. Healy, Australia’s hard-as-you-like wicketkeeper and stand-in captain, swallowed some more concrete – along with some painkillers – and provided it.A half-century after seeing a faint edge off the first ball she faced deflect off the gloves of opposite number Amy Jones, helped Australia set England a record target, which proved too lofty in the end. That was thanks to Ashleigh Gardner’s eight wickets for the innings – Healy had a hand in three of those – and 12 for the match.”I was feeling like I was copping a bit of grief in the media and on the field when I walked out at No. 8 and I was getting the sense that no one really knew what was going on,” Healy told reporters after Australia had wrapped up victory by 89 runs and she had dropped to the host broadcaster before play the fact that she went into the match with two fractured fingers.Related

• Gardner, Beaumont and Ecclestone dazzle in fastest-scoring women's Test of all time

• Ashleigh Gardner eight-for, 12 in the match, as Australia claim Ashes advantage

“This is what I’ve been dealing with for the last seven days leading into the Test match. It is what it is, it’s exactly what happens as a wicketkeeper, you get knocks on the fingers.”Unfortunately for me, it was one on each hand so it made it incredibly difficult, in particular batting, being able to grip the bat after keeping for 110 overs. We’ll just reassess with it during the weekend and make sure I’m ready to go in Birmingham.”Australia now have a four-point buffer heading into the first of three T20is in Birmingham on Saturday, which will be followed by three ODIs while England need to win five of those six remaining matches to wrest back the Ashes. Australia need only to win two to draw the series and retain them.They have back-up wicketkeepers in Beth Mooney, who was the only other Australian to pass a half-century in their second innings, and potentially Phoebe Litchfield, the Test debutant who kept for one ball as Australia claimed the last wicket they needed in their warm-up against England A when Healy was injured.But given the fortitude she showed to play this match, it’s hard to see Healy sitting out voluntarily. A single-word answer emphasised that fact when asked if she could play two white-ball series knowing she had played a Test with a fractured left index finger and right ring finger: “Yep.””It was a little bit uncomfortable in the morning,” Healy revealed. “I hit in the nets early just to see what I could do after keeping for a while and keeping a lot up to the stumps so you’re taking a lot of balls on the up.”There are a few painkillers in the system and we went as low as we possibly could knowing that if we needed more we can we could do that.”But I guess the more pain you take away you’re not quite sure where your fingers are and I think that could have potentially created a few more dangerous situations for them to get into so little bit of pain out there, but all for a good cause.”Arguably Healy’s most influential dismissal was the one which gave Gardner her five-wicket haul and one that nearly wasn’t. Gardner’s arm-ball had beaten Jones’s charge, leapt off the pitch onto Healy’s battered hands, then her chest and back into the gloves in time for her to whip off the bails with the bat only a breath from being safely back inside the crease.”It’s an interesting one, because when I took the bails I knew initially she hadn’t quite made it and then then she slid it [the bat] again and I wasn’t sure if I was quick enough to take them off for that moment,” Healy said.”We all thought it was a non-event and we’d just have a look and I was more disappointed because it was Ash’s fifth wicket and she wasn’t going to get another opportunity.”When it came up on the big screen that it was pretty close and out it was a nice relief for me. I’d been trying to stay low all game because the balls have been rolling between my legs and then all of a sudden you get one that bites, it’s never fun but got the job done eventually.”Alyssa Healy stumped Amy Jones on second attempt•Getty ImagesHealy admitted that captaincy had been tough at times while having to concentrate so hard while keeping wicket as well. But she was full of praise for Tahlia McGrath, her official deputy, and the experienced Ellyse Perry, who also chipped in with advice.Healy saved her highest praise, however, for Gardner, who managed to upstage the 10 wickets for the match by Sophie Ecclestone, England’s left-arm spinner who kept her side in the game with twin five-fors.”I think she saw what Sophie Ecclestone was doing at one end then thought, ‘I’m going to get you and do it one better,'” Healy said. “I’m really proud of Ash.”She’s come a really long way as a cricketer over the last couple of seasons and really grown into an amazing allrounder, in world cricket and really adaptable to any condition in any format and I think she showed that out there in particular today.”We had Ecclestone who was taking the ball away from us a lot as right handers but to have someone like Ash who was bowling into the right handers all day, into the English side, and to take 12 wickets for the match is super impressive.”I’m also really proud of the bowling unit as a whole. They did it tough in that first innings but they reaped their rewards in that second innings, just nailing the stumps and then their simple plans, which was awesome.”Five-day Test cricket is pretty tough work but I’m just really proud of the group and the way that everyone just fought and hung in there for four-and-a-half days. We really learn on our feet exactly what it’s like and a great finish. I’m glad that we’re at the winning end of the result.”

An extended scouting network, a new main allrounder, and pizza dinners are part of their roadmap as they look to get back to winning ways in 2023

Deivarayan Muthu12-Aug-2023With two titles in the past two years in the Caribbean – the 2021 CPL and the 2022 6IXTY – St Kitts & Nevis Patriots emerged as a force that could challenge serial CPL winners Trinbago Knight Riders. But with Dwayne Bravo, who had led them to that CPL title, now returning to his home franchise for this season – and Chris Gayle not in action – they are on a mission to rebuild the side with the same-old vision of winning titles.Ambati Rayudu, who recently retired from international cricket, has signed with Patriots as their marquee player, replacing South African allrounder Tristan Stubbs. Rayudu brings with him the experience of having played over 100 IPL games and won six IPL titles – the most, along with Rohit Sharma. He will join Malolan Rangarajan, the former assistant coach at Patriots who has now been promoted to head coach, replacing Simon Helmot. This is Malolan’s first stint as head coach in a T20 league but having already worked with the franchise for three years as a strategist and assistant coach, he has earned the trust of the Patriots players and the rest of the staff. He has also been part of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s support staff in the IPL.In the lead-up to the 2021 CPL, allrounder Dominic Drakes was injured and around the same time, he had to deal with the passing of someone close to him. But Malolan and Co sat down with Drakes and created a “family-like” team environment that enabled honest conversations. He ended up hitting the winning runs in the final to give Patriots their first title.Related

Dominic Drakes: 'I don't want to look back and say I had a better 2021 than 2022. I don't want to be stagnant'

CPL 2023 to be played in five Caribbean countries

CPL 2023: Bravo reunites with captain Pollard at Trinbago Knight Riders

Pollard, Narine, Russell, Pooran among TKR's retentions for CPL 2023

Pathirana joins Bravo at TKR; Barbados Royals pick Athanaze, Theekshana

Drakes, now Patriots’ main allrounder in the absence of Bravo, counts such a team environment as one of the franchise’s strengths as they prepare for the new season starting August 17.”Normally when you change a head coach, it can be a bit challenging, in terms of getting the players together,” Drakes tells ESPNcricinfo. “But Malo was here before as the assistant coach when we won, and it doesn’t feel like a big change. He was always there for the players and feels like family, so I don’t think it makes a big difference as players are used to working with him.”In all the teams, even up to date, I don’t think I’ve ever been in an environment that has been so relaxed like St Kitts. Everyone felt comfortable and that they were part of something bigger than themselves. We don’t have too many superstars in the dressing room, which is good. Anyone can have a chat with anyone at any time. It’s always good to have a situation where you feel welcome.”Having worked on his fitness and having played franchise cricket all around the world, including for Birmingham Bears last month in the T20 Blast in the UK, Drakes backs himself to bowl the tough overs, this time without Bravo.”The body is feeling good. It’s just old age (laughs), but the body feels very good at this point,” says Drakes, who missed last year’s CPL due to injury. “Bravo had a very strong influence on us and on me, for sure. He helped me a lot and passed on a lot of knowledge, so looking forward to using it on my own this year. I’m not putting pressure on myself. I think the last I played with Bravo was at the T10 and I haven’t played a lot of cricket [along with him] in the last 18 months.

“In a league where there are three IPL teams, for a non-IPL team to be the first to conduct a talent scouting camp and to have a development squad in the CPL, full marks to our owner and our management”TA Adhishwar, Patriots’ director of cricket

“Playing in the UK at the Blast was a massive help. It was a different world. When you’re playing in the CPL, you don’t have as much pressure as an overseas pro. They always look forward to the overseas pro to do well. It gives you the mentality to be there in the pressure situation, so you can take that calmness and experience going into international cricket and local franchise cricket.”Local fast bowler Oshane Thomas, who was traded in from Barbados Royals, and Afghanistan wristspinner Izharulhaq Naveed, who was signed at the draft, are among the new faces in the Patriots side for this season’s CPL. Thomas is fit again and is back to hitting speeds north of 145kph while Naveed has a deceptively quick wrong’un in his repertoire, a skill that had caught Malolan’s attention when Naveed was a net bowler at RCB in the IPL. Malolan said that the squad was constructed with a sharp focus on the batting-friendly conditions at Warner Park, where Patriots will play four of their ten league matches.”Warner Park is nothing like Chinnaswamy, if you ask me,” Malolan says. “The scores can be quite identical, higher altitude so on and so forth…But Warner Park under lights is a batting paradise and the wind plays a huge, huge factor. Day games feel like you’re playing at one venue and night games feel like you’re playing in a different venue.”Most of players we have retained and [those who have] come in like Oshane have some sort of experience playing at Warner Park. We have enough experience to understand what the conditions are there – how early you go into bowling death at Warner Park, which type of bowler to attack, how to hit into the wind and against it, small details like that. If you hit high into the air, you’re gone, you’re better off hitting flat into the wind.”Patriots had a forgettable CPL last year, when they finished second from last in the six-team league. After that season, the team management cast their scouting nets wider and set up a first-of-a kind player development camp in the CPL in April this year. Allrounder Kofi James, who had also impressed in a local Antigua T20 tournament, is among the products of Patriots’ extensive scouting.Patriots finished fifth in last year’s CPL•Ashley Allen/CPL T20/Getty Images”St Kitts is not a big island,” TA Adhishwar, the director of cricket at Patriots, says. “If you see the kind of diversity in the West Indies national team, there are a lot of players from Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica. These three are the bigger islands which have a clear cricketing structure in place whereas St Kitts doesn’t have as much.”In the second-third year of a cycle, it’s difficult to get quality talent through a common recruitment process – be it an IPL auction or a CPL draft. The only way we can identify new talent was to go through guys who are undrafted and paying attention from grassroots cricket upwards. So we did a lot of talent scouting right from the Under-16s in the Caribbean to going up to senior cricketers. In a league where there are three IPL teams, for a non-IPL team to be the first to conduct a talent scouting camp and to have a development squad in the CPL, full marks to our owner Mahesh [Ramani] and our management.”For both Adhishwar and Malolan, the off-field activities and team bonding are as important as the on-field action.”It’s not just about creating facilities on the field, it’s also about creating that environment off the field,” Malolan says. “Dominic was one of those cricketers with whom I was able to connect, funnily off the field regarding on-field activities. He wanted to talk more about his bowling, then we met over pizza. Me, him, and Joshua Da Silva have this pizza dinner usually during the CPL. Things like that are going to be very important and I don’t think it’s any different to someone who has a nine-to-six job, and someone who is not comfortable there will put in their papers.”With Sherfane Rutherford, fresh from winning the Global T20 Canada, and with Evin Lewis coming into the CPL on the back of making the knockouts of the Zimbabwe Afro T10 league, Drakes believes that Patriots can do the three-peat this CPL.”I think we still see ourselves as champions,” Drakes says. “Winning two out of three cups in the last two years, I think anyone would take that. We didn’t have a really good showing last year [in the CPL], but if anything, we always have the belief to bounce back. Evin is in good form, Rutherford is in good form, and I think overall we’re in a good space to challenge for the title once again.”Having drifted away from West Indies’ T20I radar, Drakes, Lewis and Rutherford all have a point to prove. Impactful performances in the CPL could potentially put the trio back in West Indies’ plans ahead of a home T20 World Cup next year. They have everything to play for in this CPL.

The amount of reverse swing on offer down under has dropped significantly, and so has the amount of sledging

Cameron Ponsonby22-Jun-2023The sandpaper incident is a painfully taboo subject. For this article, cold approaches for interviews were either ignored or politely declined, while even warm introductions were largely given cold responses. Ultimately, three former international cricketers agreed to speak anonymously, though several more spoke off the record. Each was asked the same question: in the five years since the sport suffered its most controversial fallout in recent memory, what has changed in cricket?Accounts were consistent across the board. Sandpaper may have been a global news story but its ramifications were domestic. In Australia ball-tampering was all but gone overnight, with players speaking of a drastic dip in the amount of reverse swing seen in matches. Sledging continued to decline, in contrast to just after 2016, when Matthew Wade’s selection as wicketkeeper – due to his quick wit behind the stumps as much as his quick hands – aligned with a slight rise in on-field sledging.Related

Australia, no one cares about your ball-tampering anymore

Cricket needs a global ball-tampering inquiry to clear the air

Why is Australia so outraged at Steven Smith's team?

The ball-tampering incident: full coverage

Australian government calls for Steven Smith to be removed as captain

“It certainly reverberated down the channels in state cricket,” says one former Australia international. “There were things like Rick McCosker [who led the cultural review] coming around and interviewing people on CA’s behalf, about ‘What the hell is going on? How have we got here?’ And not just about ball-tampering, but that was a series [in South Africa] where there was a lot of animosity and on-field verbal stuff going on.”[But] I think there’s a couple of important distinctions to make. Has cricket changed? Yes, it has. Was the punishment that was handed down by Cricket Australia over the top to send a message to everyone [that] the unspoken culture and history of Australian cricket is worth more to us than anything the ICC can govern? I think it was absolutely done based off that, rather than fair process.”

****

Australia was late to adopt reverse swing. The skill arrived in the country through English professionals playing at grade clubs in the 2000s. And until Cape Town in 2018, the techniques used had been in line with the rule-bending found everywhere. A touch of lip balm applied to the ball here, the odd scratch of the nail there, maybe a quick brush of the ball against a zipper.Copping it rough: David Warner gets taunted by sandpaper-waving fans at the Edgbaston Ashes Test in 2019•Tom Jenkins/Getty Images”It was pretty similar,” says one player of his experience playing in Sheffield Shield cricket compared to the County Championship. “I wouldn’t have said either were doing it more than [the other].Such was the severity of the punishment handed down to David Warner, Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft by Cricket Australia – Smith and Warner received yearlong bans and Bancroft nine months – that the attitude to ball-tampering changed overnight.”I know in our [Shield] dressing room we talked about it and said, ‘We’re not risking anything.’ Dry shine, sweat shine. Like, no sweat with sunscreen on. It wasn’t like anyone was suggesting we might have wiped the ball on excess sunscreen on our arm. We’re talking about, you can’t see [sunscreen], it literally looks like sweat on your arm – we’re not using that. Just back sweat and anything under the shirt. No risk around that stuff was the line we took.”Another player speaks of how using things like lip balm incidentally while applying saliva on the ball, “to add a layer of really buffing the leather” went from being common practice to “basically not there”. He said, “I think it’s at a point where it’s not worth the risk and also really not how we want to be viewed anyway.”The decision to leave the lip balm at the door, however, wasn’t without risk: although teams could guarantee what their own manicure routines would be, they couldn’t second-guess what others would do. “Absolutely, that was a concern – we were a skill-based bowling attack,” said the player whose changing room had taken on a no-risks mantra.The use of sandpaper itself, however, is cricket’s bogeyman. Either side of the equator, players have heard talk of how it has been used, but claim never to have seen it actually done themselves.While it might not have been a surprise that Cameron Bancroft was implicated in the execution of the Newlands ball-tampering, the manner in which it was carried out was shocking to many•Harry Trump/Getty Images”I’ve never in my life seen someone take sandpaper onto a cricket field at any level of cricket,” says one player. “I was absolutely bewildered by the thought that anyone would think that’s a good idea.”Another said: “I was always admiring of people who could [get the ball moving]. So I would have watched and watched and watched and definitely picked up on that. That would have been one of the things that I would have been a dog with a bone about. I’ve never seen it, genuinely.”Players were shocked at the means but not the intent. Ball management has been, and in reality will continue to be, part of every dressing room in professional cricket, and in much of the amateur game too.Teams have long had specified ball managers, and for some within Australia, the fact that the role was given to Cameron Bancroft was no surprise at all.”He was the ball manager for Western Australia for a long time,” says one player. “That’s how we saw it in our dressing room… so he’s experienced in that area. I was still shocked he took a bit of f**king sandpaper out on the ground!”Despite sightings of sandpaper being rare to non-existent, stories persist. During the 2017-18 Ashes series, England suspected foul play, with Warner’s strapped hands attracting attention.”Just back sweat and anything under the shirt. No risk around that stuff was the line we took,” an Australian domestic player says about the post-Sandpapergate zero-tolerance approach to anything that might be seen as being in the ballpark of tampering•Mike Hewitt/AFP via Getty ImagesThere are a number of theories about how sandpaper is used, but the premise is the same. You place the rough side of the ball in your palm, either layered in or occasionally stuck on top of, the strapping on your hand, and as you shine one side, the sandpaper roughs up the other. Two for the price of one; every batter must go.The arrival of Covid-19 further underlined the change in the wake of the Cape Town scandal: use of saliva on the ball was banned entirely and greater scrutiny was placed on the number of players who were touching what the former British prime minister Boris Johnson called “the vector of disease” between deliveries. Nevertheless, senior Australian players are clear that where there had been ball-tampering during the 2017-18 season, from the 2018-19 pre-Covid season it had all but gone. Meanwhile younger players, whose debut came after the whole ordeal, say candidly that they struggle to even wrap their heads around the idea that saliva was once allowed to be used on the ball at all.

****

Ball-tampering was, of course, only half the story, the other being how Australia had allowed an environment to develop where such a thing could happen. The fallout made as much for a cultural introspection for Australia as a cricketing one.That 2018 series with South Africa was vicious to the point of vile. The two teams had history. In 2014, Faf du Plessis described the Aussies as a “pack of dogs”, a comment that Warner barked his approval of on the pitch in response. In the first Test of the 2018 series, there was the infamous stairwell incident, where a fight nearly broke out after Quinton de Kock allegedly directed a crude comment at Warner regarding his wife.”Watching the Australian team and what happened through that period,” a former Australian international said, “I feel it started from the national team point of view to get a bit ugly.The ball-tampering affair was seen as such a scandal in Australia at the time that the likes of the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, spoke about it publicly. “It beggars belief,” the PM said•Getty Images”I don’t reckon I’d seen it get that ugly at first-class level – I couldn’t name a time where it had. You know, players doing things that I thought were out of character was really stealing my attention.”A guy like Nathan Lyon, who I wouldn’t have said is overly provocative. What he is, is a bit of a court jester sometimes, starts conversations about weird stuff… but when AB de Villiers got run-out in that series and [Lyon] dropped the ball on his chest when he was lying on the ground, that’s like, things were getting out of control.”And so the hammer came down on Australian cricket. McCosker conducted the cultural review, Iain Roy the Cape Town investigation, and Malcolm Turnbull the prime ministerial sideline swipe.”I have to say,” Turnbull said on television, “that [to] the whole nation who holds those who wear the baggy green up on a pedestal, about as high as you can get in Australia… this is a shocking disappointment.”How can our team be engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief.””Matthew Wade’s selection as a keeper,” recalls one player, “where he replaced Peter Nevill in 2016, and it was sort of an [endorsement of an] attack-dog mentality. Matt was and still is an incredible cricketer, so it’s not a slight on him – it’s more like, it was outwardly spoken by a team hierarchy that we wanted a keeper that was going to get in people’s faces. Bring that attitude that we drive the contest. And that was, without necessarily explicitly saying it, very much part of the process.”Matthew Wade’s (left) selection as Australia’s Test wicketkeeper to follow Peter Nevill was seen in many quarters as the team deciding to consciously be more abrasive in the field•Ryan Pierse/Cricket Australia/Getty Images”I wouldn’t necessarily disagree,” replied another player to the idea that the symbolism of Wade’s selection (though mouthy Australian wicketkeepers have historically not been rare) had had an impact on sledging in the Sheffield Shield. “Like, yes, it might have been a little bit of an upturn, but I reckon if you’re looking at a stock-market worm, it may have just been a little uptick for a little while. I’d still say it wasn’t really a patch on the stuff that was going around earlier in my career.”The world has changed rapidly since then, to one where domestic opponents can also be domestic team-mates, depending on what the colour of the ball is, and international opponents can be franchise team-mates. The idea that the people you play against each week are consistently the worst blokes in the competition no longer rings true.”You are now not just a state cricketer, you’re basically on the market as a free agent. And if you’re a f**kwit, people know about it – you get delisted, you don’t last.”Sandpaper’s impact on sledging in Australia was to yank the steering wheel back in the direction in which the game had already been travelling – and would continue to do so around the rest of the world.”Everyone still gets in the contest,” concludes one Shield player. “It’s not like it’s an Under-12 game of cricket. But it’s more I think all of this coupled together, and [also] a bit of a realisation from everyone that we can’t carry on, we should play with smiles on our faces and remember why we play cricket in the first place.”

.@marnus3cricket was enjoying being back under the helmet for the Aussies! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/GaCWPkTthl

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 8, 2021