All posts by h716a5.icu

The England quick entered the Lord’s honours board for the seventh time on Friday, four of those when India have been the opposition

Andrew Miller13-Aug-20213:08

Harmison: Anderson phenomenal even on a placid pitch

2007
5 for 42, match drawn
It might not have been apparent at the time, but this was the moment that Anderson the modern great was born. His official second coming would wait until the following winter, when he and Stuart Broad were recalled in Wellington to begin a partnership that has scarcely been interrupted since. But after another chastening winter tour, including bit-part roles in three of England’s five defeats on the whitewash tour of Australia, Anderson was conferred an early glimpse of senior status at Lord’s, with the absence of three of England’s 2005 Ashes heroes – Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard. He seized it with a display of new-found discipline, bowling within himself after a stress fracture of the back had persuaded him to ditch England’s efforts to remodel his action, and focussing instead on the guile that would become his watchword. A stunning outswinger to Rahul Dravid was a reminder of his 90mph heritage, however, as a new-look attack of Ryan Sidebottom, Monty Panesar and the debutant Chris Tremlett left India clinging on nine-down when rain and bad light (and MS Dhoni) saved them. It was a critical reprieve, as India would win the Trent Bridge Test and with it the series, but for the new head coach Peter Moores, a seed had clearly been sown.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2011
5 for 65, England won by 196 runs
A magical occasion for the 2000th Test overall, and the 100th between England and India. The sun beat down for five days, and the performances flowed throughout – foremost among them a stunning double-century from Kevin Pietersen, and a first notch on the Lord’s honours board for Dravid, 15 years after he had made 95 on debut at the same venue in 1996. England, in their absolute pomp after victory in Australia the previous winter, held the upper hand throughout the match, including a first-innings lead of 188, which had been extended to an improbable target of 458 by the time Matt Prior had muscled a second-innings century from an awkward 107 for 6. But Dravid and VVS Laxman carried India to 80 for 1 at the close, to set the stage for one of the iconic days in Lord’s history. A people’s Monday, with queues stretching for miles down Wellington Road, as scores of fans lined up for the prospect of history – with Sachin Tendulkar, seeking his 100th international hundred, set to make his final appearance at the ground. Anderson, however, was on hand to apply the heartbreak, pinning Tendulkar lbw for 12 with a nipbacker, having already scalped the overnight batters to set up a 196-run win.2014
4 for 60, India won by 95 runs
The one that got away, for England as for Anderson. This Test was the absolute nadir for Alastair Cook during a besieged year as England captain. He had been routed in the Ashes – another 5-0 as Mitchell Johnson breathed fire all over a champion team – and scorched in the media too, after the sacking of Kevin Pietersen had triggered a schism among England’s supporters. A proud home Test record had already fallen that summer too, with Sri Lanka taking their two-match series 1-0 after a nailbiter at Headingley, with Anderson breaking down in tears after being last man out from the penultimate ball of the match. After a drawn first Test at Trent Bridge, he had gone some way to atoning with first-innings figures of 4 for 60 at Lord’s, as England secured a slender lead of 24. But after M Vijay’s 95 had been bolstered by some unexpected late resistance from Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma swarmed on to centre stage. England’s resolve collapsed in a diet of happy hooking, as Sharma swept up with figures of 7 for 74 – the last five of which came in an eight-over spell either side of lunch, and each one to the short ball. Somehow Cook found the resolve to cling on as captain, and England would turn the series around 3-1. But they had touched the void in that session.3:18

Steve Harmison dissects James Anderson’s excellent bowling

2018
5 for 20, England won by an innings and 159 runs
Blink and you might have missed this one. A turkey shoot under grotesquely rain-laden skies, as stereotypically dank and English as any Test match in recent memory. The first day was lost to bad weather, and when England won the toss on the second, Anderson’s first over effectively sealed the game. A surging, seething outswinger, hooping late with the seam canted to fine leg, splattered Vijay’s stumps for 0, and unleashed an air of unshakeable pessimism in India’s dressing room. Their mood was not helped by the timing of two lengthy rain delays – the first moments after Anderson’s second wicket had left them 11 for 2 in the seventh over, and the second after Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara had combined for a run-out off the last of the 12 balls possible in the middle session. Shortly after 5pm, the innings resumed at 15 for 3. And two hours later, India were all out for 107, with Anderson cleaning up with 5 for 20 in 13.2 overs. Chris Woakes, of all people, would show how it was done with his maiden Test century in England’s only innings, before Anderson sealed the innings win with match figures of 9 for 43.2021
5 for 62, result tbc
This contest began with the presumption that England were about to take the field without either of their attack-leaders for only the second time since 2007. Broad had already been ruled out of the series with a calf tear, while Anderson missed training on the eve of the Test after reporting a niggle in his quad. But after a scan had given him the all-clear, back he came – to the astonishment of every observer bar, it seemed, his own team-mates – to lead the line once more in an extraordinarily doughty display. He was thwarted in his first eight-over spell as Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul bedded into a 126-run stand, but when he returned in the 40th over, with his team-mates toiling to match his discipline, he came up with another moment of magic to unseat a hitherto imperious Rohit for 83. Pujara followed soon afterwards, in a continuation of his lean run of scores, but at 276 for 3 overnight, India were ominously placed. But, after Ollie Robinson’s second-ball dismissal of Rahul for 129, Anderson’s opening delivery to Ajinkya Rahane was a peach, a perfectly pitched outswinger that grabbed the edge to send him on his way for 1. And though Rishabh Pant and Jadeja guarded against a complete collapse, Anderson needed only a glimpse of India’s tail to force his way back to the honours board. Ishant and Jasprit Bumrah were extracted in consecutive overs, for his 31st Test five-for, and his first since entering his 40th year a fortnight earlier.

A quick run-through of the problem areas that each team has had to manage so far

Karthik Krishnaswamy and Gaurav Sundararaman24-Apr-202218:30

How have IPL’s new captains fared so far?

Every team wants to cover every base with quality options: top-order and middle-order batters, allrounders, keeper-batters, spinners, and fast bowlers who can bowl in the powerplay and the death. But with the total talent pool of IPL 2022 distributed among ten teams rather than eight, it hasn’t been possible for every team to cover every base. In fact, most have had to compromise on at least one area to strengthen another. Nearly every team, in short, has at least one identifiable hole. Some have been left gaping over the first half of the season, while others have been patched up to good effect. Here’s a quick run-through of the problem areas that each team has had to manage.

On Tuesday night, the veteran served a reminder that he could still do the job at the top level

Deivarayan Muthu06-Apr-20223:01

Brathwaite: Karthik has a clear mind while batting

In January 2019, R Ashwin had tweeted: “Just going through some batting numbers of Dinesh Karthik over the last 18 months and it’s not surprising to see that he has become one of the best finishers in the world right now. This version of DK is all that he ever wanted to be, I am very happy for him.”Karthik made it to India’s 50-over World Cup squad that year, largely on the back of his finishing skills in the shortest format. However, after he managed only 14 runs in two innings, including a 25-ball six in the semi-final that India lost to New Zealand, he was axed from the set-up altogether.Related

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However, that didn’t stop him from unlocking his best version: the finisher. During the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Karthik captained Tamil Nadu to final, he told ESPNcricinfo that he’s targeting an MS Dhoni-like finishing role. After having closed out multiple white-ball games for Tamil Nadu over the past few seasons, Karthik served a reminder that he could still do the job at the top level.He did it against Punjab Kings in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s opening game in IPL 2022. He did it again in Royal Challengers’ second, helping them survive a scare against his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. On Tuesday, against Rajasthan Royals, Karthik unveiled his best version once again, and Ashwin, who has seen his evolution from close quarters, was at the receiving end.When Karthik had walked out to bat, Royals Challengers were 87 for 5 in the ninth over, chasing 171 on an atypical Wankhede track where the ball gripped and turned. Yuzvendra Chahal was running riot against his former franchise, with Ashwin ably backing him up until he ran into a red-hot Karthik in the 14th over.The pair go back a long way: Karthik was Ashwin’s captain in the Tamil Nadu side that won the inaugural Syed Mushtaq Ali title in 2007. Fifteen years later, they were facing each other in a high-pressure IPL scenario.After giving up just singles off the first two balls of the 14th over, Ashwin darted a carrom ball – a front-foot no-ball – down the leg side. Karthik picked it up and swept it over short fine leg for four. Ashwin hiked his pace to 103kph and shifted his line to outside off for the free-hit delivery, but dropped it too full, as Karthik pumped him into the sightscreen with the stillest of heads and smoothest of bat-swings.Ashwin slowed it up third ball and found some grip, but Karthik was up to it, cleverly checking his drive and chipping it over Ashwin’s head once again. The next ball was a faster carrom ball from Ashwin, which swerved past Karthik’s outside edge. Karthik ultimately closed out a 21-run over with a trademark reverse-swept four from a fairly wide line outside off.Dinesh Karthik’s 360-degree game guided RCB home•BCCIKarthik turned the tables on Royals in a space of five balls. In the next over, he picked off Navdeep Saini for back-to-back fours to bring the target well within Royal Challengers’ radar. Matching up Chahal with Karthik in the 17th over was Royals’ last throw of the dice, but he coolly saw him off and saw Royal Challengers home with four wickets and five balls to spare.Karthik’s unbeaten 23-ball 44 at the strike-rate of 191.30 proved that the finisher isn’t finished yet. Karthik’s overall death-overs strike-rate of 188.01 since 2018 in all T20 cricket is the third best among Indian batters who have scored a minimum of 500 runs during this period. Only Virat Kohli (206.47) and Hardik Pandya (193.56) have a better strike rate than Karthik among Indians in the slog overs. His Royal Challengers captain Faf du Plessis is so impressed by Karthik’s finishing skills that he believes he needs to “put his name back into international cricket”.”It feels nice (laughs). I think I made a conscious effort to do justice to myself because I felt last year I could’ve done a little better,” Karthik told host broadcaster Star Sports after winning the Player-of-the-Match award. “The way I trained was a little different – hats off to the person I trained with. He put me through some things which was very important for me in life as well. I say that only because I was making a conscious effort to tell myself that I’m not done yet. I have a goal and I want to achieve something and I tried my best in terms of preparation.”I made a lot of conscious effort to play white-ball cricket, I don’t play four-day cricket anymore. The quantity of matches has reduced. I have to play that much more matches as practice matches and scenarios. So, I try and do a lot more of that… going to grounds and a lot of people have been with me in this journey when I practice. Those are the hours that you put in with nobody is seeing and those are the most important hours. Because when it comes here, it’s great. The set-up is beautiful, you have a lot of people and they’re helping me a lot, but the real work is done in the lead-up to the tournament, which is what I’ll give a lot of credit to. “Karthik’s preparation in the lead-up to the IPL involved playing in the middle order for India Cements in a T20 tournament at Theni, located about 500 kilometres from Chennai, in Tamil Nadu. This, after he had counter-punched his way to a century in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy final in December 2021 in Jaipur. And the goal is to return to India’s T20I side and help them win the World Cup although there is fierce competition for various spots.

“He said to me, ‘I think the guys are going to try to bowl fuller to you tonight, so come out and hit them straight,'”

Sidharth Monga08-May-20222:50

Vettori: Conway’s style of play will intimidate the spinners

Sunday’s partnership between Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad – their third straight fifty-plus stand, two of which have been over hundred – was a perfect example of complementing each other.If Gaikwad jumped out of the crease and smacked a huge six to the first ball Anrich Nortje bowled, Conway took care of the major spin threat by skipping down Axar Patel for two sixes in his first over and Kuldeep Yadav for two sixes and a four in his first. In all, Conway took 54 runs off 20 balls of spin, and Gaikwad struck at 200 against Nortje and Shardul Thakur.Related

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It is interesting because only last year Gaikwad was the spin hitter and Faf du Plessis the pace hitter. This year, Gaikwad has shown great affinity for high pace as seen against Umran Malik too. It is no surprise that Conway is doing well against spin: he averages 77.78 against spin and strikes at 141.61 since 2018. So he is not just a power hitter against spin but also someone who does it as a relatively low risk.What made Conway so difficult for the spinners was that he not only swept and reverse-swept but also charged at them to hit them down the ground. The commentators on air said such batters are the most difficult to bowl to for a spinner.In all, Conway stepped down to four balls from the spinners, and hit them all for sixes. Murali Kartik, a former spinner himself, told Conway at the post-match presentation how hard it is to bowl to batters who can do both. Conway revealed stepping down is not one of his bigger strengths, and that captain MS Dhoni had a role to play in that shot.”I have got to give credit to MS tonight,” Conway told Star Sports. “In the last game I swept quite a lot, and I unfortunately got out playing the sweep. And he said to me, ‘I think the guys are going to try to bowl fuller to you tonight. So maybe come out and try to hit them straight.’ So he sort of gave me the guidelines to try to execute that. That’s what I tried to do.”Till this match, Conway had stepped out only 31 times in 1049 balls of spin that he had faced in T20 cricket. The results were good in a strike rate of 222.58 but he had also got out four times. The sweep has been more of a percentage shot: he used it three times more frequently for about three times the average but at a lower strike rate of 155.55. In this game, though, he consciously used stepping out as a strategy, and his instinct to pick the length early and play spin well took over.What will Dhoni’s experience tell Conway now that spinners might start planning for the advance down the wicket too?

Dawson, Wheal, Crane and Ellis all ply their usual trade at Hampshire and it’s Brave’s loss

Cameron Ponsonby12-Aug-2022Home, famously, is where your heart is. A quirk of the modern cricketer, adorned in various shades of neon as they trot across the globe, is that they live out of a suitcase whilst pledging their heart and soul to a different franchise six weeks at a time.And tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be a Chattogram Challenger.A lifelong adventure of international flings that rarely, if ever, collide with your one true love at home. But sweat away, sailor you don’t mind.However, in today’s fixture between Southern Brave and London Spirit, four of the visiting Spirit side and 80% of the bowling attack in Liam Dawson, Brad Wheal, Mason Crane and Nathan Ellis ply their trade at Hampshire, with a fifth, Glenn Maxwell, also previously of this parish.The result was a cricketing episode of Whose Home Is It Anyway? A comedy improv show where the away team’s five ‘home’ players outnumber the home team’s three (James Vince, James Fuller and Ross Whiteley) and they trade gags as Jake Lintott and Crane bowl googlies to their heart’s content in the background.”We had the Blast here”, said Hampshire’s T20 final match-winner Ellis to Sky Sports ahead of the game, “so I was expecting some noise when my name came up on the screen. There was nothing.”When I played for Hampshire I got a room with a balcony [in the adjoining Hilton]. Now I’m here as a visitor, I’m facing the other way with no balcony.”Nathan Ellis. A stranger in his own kingdom.Mason Crane celebrates taking the wicket of Alex Davies•ECB/Getty ImagesIn the first innings, London Spirit reached an ultimately match-winning total of 147 thanks to Daniel Bell-Drummond who, in his first appearance of the competition, top scored with 46 off 33 balls.But the plot thickened when Spirit’s ‘away’ bowling attack took on Brave’s home batting line-up. Between Dawson, Ellis, Wheal and Crane, London Spirit’s attack had taken 69 Blast wickets this year for Hampshire. And of Brave’s top seven, Vince, Whiteley and Fuller had combined for over 1000 runs.”It’s pretty much the Hampshire winning attack with Chris Wood on the bench”, Bell-Drummond said after the game. “So they obviously know the ground really well and know Vince and Fuller extremely well. So that was very helpful for us.”Ahead of the opening game of the season, Southern Brave had asked to reduce the boundaries to 70m all around only to be denied due to competition regulations. It is unclear whether the change was requested for reasons of business or pleasure, but crucially, it would have made it different.The result of the move not being allowed, however, is that the dimensions of the ground remained the same as those in the Blast. A fact all the more important due to Hampshire’s longstanding success at the Ageas existing on a diet of pace-off bowling being combined with boundaries that are large enough to be considered intercontinental borders.As the chase began, so too did the all Hampshire affair as Vince faced up to the offspin of Maxwell. However, in a moment very much not in the script, Vince was bowled. A big wicket has never been met with such silence, as a stunned stadium looked on in disbelief. Most of all Vince, who stood his ground and waited for the replay in disbelief that a ball would have the audacity to go anywhere near his stumps on his own ground of all places.It wasn’t until Jordan Thompson came on as second change that Spirit abandoned their Hampshire connection. Dawson bowled his 20 deliveries in two sets of 10, conceding just 21 runs in the process, before Crane too bowled a set of 10. In total, all of Crane and Dawson’s deliveries were sent down from the Pavilion end as London Spirit’s Hampshire played Southern Brave at their own game.”Hampshire play on used wickets here”, said Spirit captain Eoin Morgan to Sky at the close, “they’ve pushed the boundaries out with Mason, Dawson, [Danny] Briggs over the years and taken pace off the ball and used variations.”Whether they’ve set targets or chased them down, they’ve been really busy, they’ve not gone gung-ho with the bat, looking for boundaries, they’ve built momentum with ones and twos and applied pressure in a different way.”It was fitting then, that it was only to Ross Whiteley that Spirit’s plan almost came crumbling down. Whiteley, newly signed to Hampshire this year after playing for Brave last season, struck 52 off 33 balls to get Brave within striking distance before ultimately falling nine runs short.”It’s always fun playing against your mates,” Whiteley said after the game, “and knowing how successful they’ve been it’s always going to be tricky.”They’re great bowlers and they know how to bowl on that surface. They’ve shown it, winning a trophy this year, and they’ve done it again tonight.”In the end, home advantage won out. Just not in the way we’re used to.

Australia hope Starc and Green’s return to the XI will “bridge the difference” between them and India

Alex Malcolm21-Feb-2023Australia face an uphill battle trying to find lower-order runs in the third Test in Indore and it may shape their selection.Australia are still picking up the pieces from their second-innings collapse on Sunday in Delhi where they lost 8 for 28 in 74 balls to concede a 2-0 series lead to India. India’s lower-order batting, meanwhile, has been one of the major differences between the two sides in the series so far.But the visitors did have India 139 for 7 on the second day before Axar Patel and R Ashwin added 114 for the eighth wicket to ensure India did not concede a first-innings deficit.Related

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Similarly in the first Test in Nagpur India were 240 for 7, leading by just 63 before Ravindra Jadeja, Axar and Mohammed Shami added 160 for the last three wickets to hand the home side an insurmountable lead of 223.By contrast, Australia were 162 for 6 in the first innings in Nagpur to be all out for 177. They were 227 for 6 in the first innings in Delhi only to be bowled out for 263. Peter Handscomb was set at the other end on both occasions but was unable to garner any support from Australia’s bowlers.Australia batting coach Michael Di Venuto admitted it is difficult to help inexperienced spinners Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann find a way to contribute with the bat in Indian conditions when even Steven Smith is having trouble handling Ashwin and Jadeja.”That’s a hard one especially when two guys are brand new to Test cricket and coming in there,” Di Venuto said. “Nathan [Lyon] has shown some good resolve. It’s encouraging. Potentially changes. Potentially Starcy [Mitchell Starc] comes in who’s done well with the bat here in the past. That adds a little bit more depth to the batting. Patty [Cummins] showed in the first innings a good method of defence and attack, so it is there. The younger ones, that’s a work in progress. That’s a big learning curve for them with the bat and the ball.”There is a clear gap in talent with the bat between Australia’s and India’s bowlers. Axar Patel averages nearly 34 in first-class cricket and 31.80 in Test cricket, while Ashwin is batting at No. 9 in this current India team with five Test centuries to his name. Coach Andrew McDonald noted India’s depth of batting.”They bat right through to nine, and that’s the reality,” McDonald said on Monday. “On the flip side to that, we’ve got to make sure we bridge that difference with our lower order as well. That’s been a clear distinct difference in the two Test matches so far, where you get a team five down and suddenly they creep out. They got 400 in that first game in Nagpur, it wasn’t a 400 wicket.”By contrast, Australia have had Cummins batting at No. 8 with a Test average of just 15.93. Intriguingly, after 17 Tests of their respective careers, Cummins had a higher Test average (20.95) than Jadeja (20.62). Jadeja has become a world-class allrounder, fulfilling his Test batting potential having scored 12 first-class centuries overall, including three triples, while Cummins has regressed.

“Plans certainly weren’t wrong. Our plans were good. Guys under pressure moved away from their plans of what worked and you pay the consequence in this country.”Michael Di Venuto

That gap in talent was part of the reason Ashton Agar was so heavily considered as Australia’s second or third spinner, given he has three first-class hundreds, a Test 98, and averages 28.32 with the bat in first-class cricket. But it is understood he was struggling so much with the ball in training, having taken just 20 wickets in his last 12 first-class games at a cost of 63.45 and a strike rate of 131, that he and the selectors mutually decided he was not in the right place to play in Australia’s four-man attack. The selectors are currently considering whether to fly him home to play some domestic cricket in Australia.Starc’s return from injury would bolster Australia’s batting at No. 8 but it may come at the expense of the third spinner unless Cummins is unable to play given his personal situation.”We need to find runs,” McDonald admitted. “We knew that before we came away, that runs is always the biggest challenge in India. We felt like we’d be able to take 20 wickets but how we find runs is really important. So do we bat a little deeper? Mitchell Starc coming in, he’s had some good success with the bat, albeit he’s a lower-order player. He got 99 in Mohali and 62 in Pune on a spinning wicket as well, so does he come into calculations? Do we play two quicks? All those conversations are happening but the bottom line is we do need to find runs, and that’s our big question.”Cameron Green will return in Indore which will balance the side even more. That could also open the door for Australia to do something radical and play eight batters if they had confidence in taking 20 wickets with playing just three specialist bowlers, Green and Travis Head as support. But that option would probably only be considered if an extreme spinning pitch is presented in Indore.Ultimately Australia’s top order needs to do the heavy lifting with the bat. Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, who is working as commentator on this series, has offered his support and expertise to the Australian team but it remains to be seen whether any players will reach out.Di Venuto believes Australia’s batters aren’t trusting the methods and plans that they have been working on.”Plans certainly weren’t wrong. Our plans were good,” Di Venuto said. “But if people go away from their plans they get in trouble as we saw. I think if we look back at the position we were in at 2 for 85, executing our plans very well in that second innings and ahead of the game and the wheels fell off after that.”Guys under pressure moved away from their plans of what worked and you pay the consequence in this country.”Batting, it’s a pretty simple analogy I think, you’ve got to swim between the flags in this country. If you go outside the flags and your game plan you are going to get in trouble.”Each individual has got their own method which we think can work. But if you’re coming over here and you’re not a sweeper and you’re trying to sweep, that’s not going to work. I think we have some good examples of that and saw that.”

History made, class evident, underpinned by a defiance cloaked by a Boy Next Door visage. This is Kane Williamson

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Feb-20230:40

Fulton lauds Williamson’s ‘drive and determination’

The Barmy Army’s rendition of Jerusalem had just finished by the time the ball had bumped into the boundary sponge at midwicket. The applause around the ground had dissipated by the time the announcer switched on his microphone to commemorate the four, returning with supplementary cheers which highlighted how few people were on the banks and benches of the Basin Reserve. It was 10:35am on a Monday morning. New Zealand were now 20 behind in their follow-on innings. And Kane Williamson was now New Zealand’s all-time Test run-scorer.How did he celebrate? With a bit of gardening and a re-marking of his guard. A look around to check for any subsequent field changes rather than to survey those sending acclaim his way.About five hours later, the bat was raised and the helmet off. Though not for long: century number 26, off 226 deliveries – 78 after passing fifty – was subdued because there was work still to do. Williamson always seems to have more work to do.Related

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New Zealand had posted their highest total in a follow-on innings, though the ask for England’s fourth innings was within their recent reach. More to be done and only really one man entrusted to do it.Then came his demise for 132, which even then ended up being more about everyone else, beyond the rest of the batters to come to build on his work, which didn’t really happens. England had opened up an end from which they would take the remaining 4 more wickets for just 28 more. And even then, the identity of the wicket-taker (Harry Brook bowling what Joe Root described as “filthy seamers off the wrong foot”) and the manner of the dismissal (caught down the leg side) elicited a ground-wide guffaw that drowned out what ovation Williamson had as he walked off.History made, class evident, underpinned by a defiance cloaked by a Boy Next Door visage. Yet despite his on-the-day brilliance (which actually began the previous night), England were in pole position to successfully chase for the seventh time under Ben Stokes, with a target that will slot in as the fifth highest in that time.Williamson had the opportunity to sneak past Ross Taylor’s tally of 7,683 on Sunday evening, but resisted the urge – if he gets urges, or even has vices pertaining to self-gratification – to sleep four shy of top spot on 25 off 81 deliveries. He probably could have knocked it off last week on his home patch, but only managed 0 and 4 at the Bay Oval. Ah heck, maybe he was never going to do it among his own. Too showy. More attention was paid to Trent Boult, the Bay of Plenty resident in absentia.How good would that have been, though? For Mount Maunganui to celebrate their favourite son putting numbers behind what has been all but fact for some time – that he is New Zealand’s greatest? Back in 2014, after Williamson’s seventh Test hundred – a 161 against West Indies in Bridgetown – the late Martin Crowe said he’d be the best ever this nation produced. Which was noteworthy because saying someone is better than Martin Crowe is heresy in these parts, even if you’re Martin Crowe.Kane Williamson acknowledges the applause for his century•AFP/Getty ImagesEven being in the Mount for the 10 days around that first Test was to get a snapshot of why he is how he is. As it happens, his niece, who bears a striking resemblance, works as a waitress at one of the local restaurants. One set of diners from the UK, having cottoned on to this fact, couldn’t help ask if indeed she was a Williamson. “Yes,” she replied. “How do you know the Williamsons?” Presumably the family crest is an arrow pointing elsewhere.As far as Englishman on the field were concerned, all eyes were on the Williamson in the middle, in far less hospitable mood. He was integral in partnerships of 55, 75 and 158 with Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, respectively, frustrating bowlers and fielders to no end in attack and defence.

“New Zealand cricket is very lucky he [Williamson] is still playing and to offer another level of leadership. He’ll possibly go down as our greatest-ever leader.”Brendon McCullum

Every boundary, aside from the back cut laced through third man that took him to three figures, seemed to be timed well enough to both make it all the way and drag a fielder along with it, convinced they could stop it. The dead-batting of anything remotely threatening he had to play was arguably worse. Williamson’s own bowlers talk about being frustrated in the nets by a bat that seemingly turns to a pillow and puts the ball to sleep, thanks mainly to wrists so soft he must have E45 mixed in with the ice coursing through his veins. At one point, Stokes employed four fielders in catching positions between square leg and midwicket who had nothing of note to do beyond retrieving balls that had already stopped and tossing it back to the bowler. Having been in the field since just before lunch on day two, it was hard to know which was under the more pressure: the England captain’s knee or the ironclad self belief he has instilled in his charges.The latter survived, and was replenished upon Williamson’s dismissal and the ensuing collapse. There is still much to do for New Zealand, and Williamson’s part in all this, beyond whatever match-turning nuggets he can pass on to his successor Tim Southee, is basically done.Has there ever been a more “I’m him” performance for one so humble and yet obviously brilliant? Monday was yet another reminder of a great hiding in plain sight. But in a New Zealand side undergoing a transitional phase following the brilliance of those he led to the World Test Championship, Williamson will become ever more visible.Should New Zealand pull off just the fourth victory for a team asked to follow on, it will elevate this day and Williamson’s part in it further. New Zealand Cricket announced Tuesday will be free entry, and all who arrive with Kiwi allegiances will arrive with the prospect of watching something truly remarkable.The last time they queued around the roundabout this ground sits upon to see something similar was nine years ago when a certain Brendon McCullum went on to become the first Blackcap to score a triple-century. That he is here on the opposing balcony adds a little extra on Williamson’s accomplishment.McCullum once explained the difference between him and Williamson was “you sit down with him for a meal and it takes him 45 minutes to finish”. Even if McCullum preaches otherwise, he must have had a wry smile as his old mate diligently chewed for 447 minutes to give this match what could be a satisfying finale.”New Zealand cricket is very lucky he’s still playing and to offer another level of leadership,” McCullum said during his first tour briefing a couple of weeks ago in Hamilton. “He’ll possibly go down as our greatest-ever leader.”Williamson already had the Blackcaps record for most Test centuries, led the team to their greatest ever success and, now, stands astride at the top as their leading run-scorer in the format. Next on his work docket are continuing as the main focal point in a batting line-up and a totem for a team recalibrating their standing in the global game.None of that is any less important but comes with fewer ground announcements, less acclaim and no title to boast about. Is there a better man for the job?

Victoria opener looms as a key man in the final but says there’s no added Ashes pressure given he joins Gloucestershire in a fortnight

Alex Malcolm22-Mar-2023Victoria opener Marcus Harris has a staggering record in Sheffield Shield finals. In four appearances, he has scored three centuries and an 81, and has two Player-of-the-Final awards.But his success has come on the back of a valuable lesson he learned in his first one, playing for Western Australia in March 2014.”It didn’t start well,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo with typical candour. “As a WA group at that time, we hadn’t been anywhere near a Shield final. We built it up to be a really big thing and I remember we ended up losing the toss and bowling for a day-and-a-half. And then I remember I was batting No. 3 and, by the end of the first over, I was in and out of my pads and back in my shorts.”Related

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On that occasion, Cameron Bancroft and Harris fell for golden ducks in the first two balls of the innings to Josh Hazlewood as WA never got close to beating New South Wales in a rain-affected draw.Harris’ personal redemption was swift. WA were again on the wrong side of a draw against Victoria 12 months later, but Harris was Player of the Match in Hobart making 81 and an unbeaten 153-ball 158 amid a tough week for his family.”My Nanna passed away the week before the Shield final, so I was really spurred on to do well that week,” Harris said. “I think it sort of took my mind off the game being so big. I had to deal with Nanna passing away and the funeral and I probably had one of my best games ever in a Shield final.”Since leaving WA to join Victoria in 2016, he has been part of two winning Sheffield Shield teams. He scored 120 and 21 in a draw against South Australia in 2017 in Alice Springs to secure Victoria a third straight title. But arguably his best performance came in Victoria’s 2019 triumph, when he made a sparkling 141 on a difficult pitch at Junction Oval against a high-class NSW attack in a game where only two other players passed 50 and the next highest score was 75.”I just think I’ve always enjoyed playing in finals, even in club cricket for Scarborough and junior finals,” Harris said. “I’ve always done okay. I just think I enjoy the big moment and I don’t put too much pressure on myself. I try and enjoy the game but it’s one of those things where I feel like it just gets me up and about.”The 2019 final had extra significance and added pressure. It was played with an Ashes tour looming in a summer where Harris was the incumbent Test opener, having earned his baggy green that season while also becoming the last batter to pass 1000 runs in a Shield campaign. While he was the Test incumbent and delivered in that Shield final, he was under pressure to keep his Test place in England with the looming returns of David Warner and Bancroft from their post-Newlands bans.There are direct parallels to this week’s Shield final. Then, like now, Harris enters the decider in Perth against WA as a key man to watch with a World Test Championship final in England and an away Ashes looming. Harris, 30, is not an incumbent Test batter but he is firmly in the frame for England having been part of Australia’s Test squad for five home Tests during the summer without playing. He did not travel to India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as Australia’s selectors opted for a horse-for-course approach with Travis Head promoted to open when Warner got injured in Delhi. But during regular conversations with Australia chairman of selectors George Bailey and coach Andrew McDonald, it has been made clear to Harris that he remains on their radar to play in England because of his experience there.

“I feel confident in my body of work that I’ve had for six or seven years now and I feel like if I’m called upon that I’m ready to go and I can perform at the level I know I can. And if that stuff doesn’t happen, so be it”Marcus Harris on his English experience

Unlike 2019, where Warner and Bancroft loomed large on Harris’ incumbency, it is Warner’s place that is under the microscope, with Harris and Bancroft at the top of the list of candidates putting pressure on him. Bancroft, who will feature for WA in this week’s final, has put his name back in the frame after scoring six Shield centuries across 23 innings in the last 12 months, including 141 against Victoria in last year’s Shield final at the WACA and four more this season.Four years older and wiser, having just got married to his partner Cat on Sunday, Harris understands that this week is not the be-all and end-all for his Ashes hopes given he is set to play for Gloucestershire in the opening round of the county championship in just over a fortnight.”I think the key is just keeping focused on what I’m doing rather than what everyone else is doing,” Harris said. “There’s always chat especially around an Ashes series. It’s the biggest series we play in. There’s always going to be chat and speculation around who’s doing what and who’s going where. I think what I have in my favour and what I have confidence-wise is that this will be my third season in England in a row now.”I’m probably not putting too much pressure on myself all the time to have to perform. I obviously want to perform every game I play in but I understand that I’m playing 12 months a year now. It’s not like if I miss out this week in the Shield game I’m not going to be able to play cricket again until October. I know I’ve got another game in a week-and-a-half’s time in England. I’m in a fortunate position where I can play all the time. And I feel like the game is in a good place now where I understand my game. I can constantly tweak and not feel like I’m hindering my game. I think that just comes with age.”If there are questions about Warner’s place for the Ashes following his disastrous 2019 series, there will inevitably be questions of Harris in the same breath given he also averaged less than 10 in the six innings he played and was similarly tortured by Stuart Broad from around the wicket.But Harris has more first-class centuries in England than any other Australian Ashes candidate currently outside the Test XI, having scored three in each of his last two seasons for Leicestershire (2021) and Gloucestershire (2022).”I’ve enjoyed the challenge of England, rocking up to a different ground every week and having to problem solve a different way to try and make runs and I think that’s helped me as a player,” Harris said. “I feel confident in my body of work that I’ve had for six or seven years now and I feel like if I’m called upon that I’m ready to go and I can perform at the level I know I can. And if that stuff doesn’t happen so be it. I know I’ve still got a season with Gloucester to play and I’ll be back home for Victoria.”That’s where his attention is this week, trying to win another Shield title for Victoria at his old stomping ground. Harris showcased his WACA experience on a difficult pitch last week, making 84 and 29 as the visitors beat the reigning champions to qualify for this week’s final. Harris missed last year’s decider because he was on tour in Pakistan. But he brings valuable WACA intel for a young Victorian line-up determined to cause an upset.”I think the tough thing for younger blokes coming to Perth, it gets spoken about so much in the meetings and before the game and sometimes you can almost psych yourself out before you actually get out there,” Harris said. “I think it’s been good for us to be able to have the game here last week before the final.”At the WACA, JL [Justin Langer] always used to speak about giving yourself 30 balls to get yourself in, just because it was so different to what we play on [elsewhere] and then go from there. But give yourself a chance early and then assess it as you go on.”

Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch, Misbah-ul-Haq are among the other headline acts at the inaugural edition of the T10 league, which kicks off on August 18

Abhimanyu Bose16-Aug-2023Who is putting the tournament together?
The tournament is being organised by T Ten Global Sports and the Samp Army franchise that plays in the Abu Dhabi T10. T Ten Global Sports falls under the umbrella of Mulk Holdings International and is the organiser of Abu Dhabi T10, Zim Afro T10, Indian Masters T10 and Sri Lanka T10.Who will be the star players on show?
There are plenty of exciting names on the roster, including several World-Cup winners. The draft for the inaugural season of the US Masters T10 was held on July 8 in Raleigh, North Carolina.The New Jersey Tritons will boast of two players who helped India win the 2011 World Cup in Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan. They also have players like RP Singh, Albie Morkel, Liam Plunkett, Jesse Ryder, Craig McMillan and Monty Panesar in their ranks.Chris Gayle, who opted to play the US Masters T10 over this year’s Caribbean Premier League, will star for Morrisville Unity. The team also has Harbhajan Singh, Kevin O’Brien, Parthiv Patel, Corey Anderson and Makhaya Ntini.Robin Uthappa and David Hussey headline Atlanta Riders’ squad, which also comprises the likes of Lendl Simmons, Grant Elliott, and Sreesanth.Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Kaif will turn out for California Knights along with Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch. South Africa legend Jacques Kallis and Peter Siddle are also on their roster.New York Warriors will feature former Pakistan stars Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq along with Kamran Akmal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, M Vijay and Munaf Patel.Mohammad Hafeez is with Texas Chargers, and they also have Ben Dunk, Pragyan Ojha, Fidel Edwards and Praveen Kumar.*Now I’m excited – when is this tournament and where can I follow it?
The tournament begins on August 18 with the final scheduled for August 27. You can follow live ball-by-ball coverage of the games on ESPNcricinfo. If you’re based in India, you can also watch the games on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports Hindi, or stream them online on JioCinema.Lauderhill, the most popular cricket venue in the USA, will host all the matches•Peter Della PennaSo there are six teams. What is the format?
The six teams will play a round-robin league and the top four teams will make the playoffs. The top two teams will play Qualifier 1 while teams three and four will face off in the Eliminator. The winner of Qualifier 1 will go through to the final and will be joined by the winner of Qualifier 2, which will be contested between the winner of the Eliminator and the team that loses Qualifier 1.The full squadsNew Jersey Tritons: Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Liam Plunkett, Albie Morkel, Naman Ojha, Jesse Ryder, Chris Barnwell, Stuart Binny, RP Singh, Bipul Sharma, Craig Mcmillan, Tim Ambrose, Rajesh Bishnoi, Abhimanyu Mithun, Monty PanesarAtlanta Riders: Robin Uthappa, David Hussey, Lendl Simmons, Muhammad Irfan, Dwayne Smith, Farhad Raza, Hammad Azam, Chaturanga de Silva, Elias Sunny, Nasir Hossain, Kamrul Islam, Junaid Siddique, Grant Elliott, Amila Aponso, Hamilton Masakadza, SreesanthCalifornia Knights: Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Kaif, Aaron Finch, Peter Siddle, Jacques Kallis, Ricardo Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ben Laughlin, Ashley Nurse, Rusty Theron, Anureet Singh, Pawan Suyal, Devendra Bishoo, Jesal Karia, Sudeep TyagiMorrisville Unity: Chris Gayle, Harbhajan Singh, Kevin O’Brien, Parthiv Patel, Corey Anderson, Rahul Sharma, Calvin Savage, Parvinder Awana, Andries Gous, Najaf Shah, Angelo Perera, Dane Piedt, Vikas Tokas, Dilshan Munaweera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Makhaya NtiniNew York Warriors: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Johan Botha, Kamran Akmal, TM Dilshan, Jonathan Carter, Umaid Asif, Sohail Khan, Murali Vijay, Jerome Taylor, William Perkins, Abdur Rehman, Munaf Patel, Cody Chetty, Chamara Kapugedera, Dhammika PrasadTexas Chargers: Ben Dunk, Mohammad Hafeez, Isuru Udana, Neil Broom, Fidel Edwards, Umar Gul, Upul Tharanga, Pragyan Ojha, Jeevan Mendis, Siddharth Trivedi, Phil Mustard, Noor Ali Zadran, Praveen Kumar, Paul Adams*