Smart thinking, consistent selections, and a wider range of go-to players have enabled the side to reach the top four

Shashank Kishore05-Nov-2020For Royal Challengers Bangalore, the summer of 2016 was special. Not that they won the IPL – they are yet to win despite making three finals – but because they came back from the brink. Having faced the threat of elimination at the halfway mark – with two wins in seven games – they won six out of their next seven to vault into the top two and progress into the final by beating table-toppers Gujarat Lions in Qualifier-1.That resurgence was sparked by the Royal Challengers’ captain Virat Kohli, who struck a record four centuries and 973 runs that season, with ample support from Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers. That season also marked the arrival of KL Rahul as a T20 batsman.Although the Royal Challengers lost by eight runs to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final, the 2016 run should have set the template for the franchise in future pursuits of the title. Instead Kohli’s teams would end up with two last-place finishes in the next three seasons.Along the way, the Royal Challengers replaced their long-standing coach Daniel Vettori with the pair of Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra, who were in charge for two seasons before being fired following the team;s bottom-place finish in 2019.Enter Mike Hesson and Simon Katich.”We spent a huge amount of time reviewing our performance last season, in the lead up to the auction,” Hesson said at his first media briefing last year, upon taking over as director of cricket, a role the Royal Challengers carved out in their quest to put in a structure, a word Kohli has used multiple times since.Hesson brought in the former Australia opener Katich as head coach. Katich, a straight talker, came with experience in the IPL as assistant coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders, while Hesson had served as head coach for a season with Kings XI Punjab. Both men understood the challenge they were undertaking – taking charge of a franchise that had been one of the most popular, as well as one that had frequently left its fans distraught, not just with results but also their auction strategies, which had time and again left them with gaping holes in their team composition.The first step for Hesson and Katich was not to overhaul, but instead work with and polish the tools already in the shed. “We spent time identifying players for different positions and the kind of roles they will play,” Hesson said during the briefing, with Katich alongside. “There was a lot of talk on finishing innings with the ball. I feel we can improve on players we have and make them better. They are a year wiser, a year smarter. We want to maximise this playing group. You will not hear us talking of one or two players in particular. We are going to rely on all of them. Players who have not had a massive job in the past have to stand up. And we will back them.”The duo brought with them a methodical coaching philosophy that put the focus on consistency in selection, laying a solid groundwork going into auctions and rewarding X-factor players with a long rope, in contrast to the revolving door that had prevailed in previous seasons.The plan has worked so far, with the Royal Challengers making the playoffs for the first time since 2016. So how did the Royal Challengers script this turnaround?Devdutt Padikkal goes inside out•BCCIInvesting in a young Indian top-order batsmanRahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Manish Pandey (his breakthrough century in 2009 notwithstanding), Sarfaraz Khan, Sachin Baby, Mandeep Singh… the list is long. At different points in this decade, all these players were part of the Royal Challengers line-up before being discarded. While their talent was obvious, the presence of Gayle, de Villiers, Kohli and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who spent three years at the franchise, left them with few opportunities in their formative years.It appeared as if that trend would continue with Devdutt Padikkal, too. He was signed during the 2019 auction, but didn’t play a game that season. Old hands like Parthiv Patel continued to open for the Royal Challengers. Not that Patel performed poorly, but he wasn’t making a big impact.The franchise had to not just plan for this season but also for the future. Hesson had found one player who they could build that future around. Hesson, who happened to be a commentator during Padikkal’s breakthrough Karnataka Premier League season in 2018, trailed Karnataka across the country during their 2019-20 domestic season with one eye on Padikkal. He watched him consistently churn out runs and deliver titles in both the 50-overs and T20 competition for Karnataka.With a combination of fluent technique and bold strokeplay Padikkal has been the best emerging batsman this IPL. Hesson, Katich and Kohli have helped him settle in his role, and even though the Royal Challengers have continued to rely on Kohli and de Villiers, Padikkal has been a key performer.In their last league game against the Delhi Capitals, the 20-year-old eclipsed Shreyas Iyer’s record for most runs by an uncapped Indian in his debut season. He’s now closing in on the 500-run mark.Washington Sundar spins one in•BCCIRole clarity and consistency in selectionPlayers this season have got long runs in the side. After a bit of tinkering across the initial few matches, the Royal Challengers have found roles for key players and allowed them to settle into them. Aaron Finch was asked not just to help Padikkal understand match situations, but also provide robust starts. The Australia limited-overs captain struggled, but the team management did not give up easily.And though he hasn’t looked anywhere near his fluent best, he’s made a reasonable contribution with three half-century stands with Padikkal, and individual scores of 52 and 47, ensuring that the Royal Challengers seldom suffered early damage. It wasn’t until their 12th league match that the Royal Challengers replaced Finch with the less experienced Josh Philippe, whose talent has excited de Villiers among others.Philippe is yet to deliver on that promise, but the franchise is staying patient. The Royal Challengers have only used three opening combinations this season, even fewer than the four they used when they made the final in 2016. In 2018 and 2019, they used six and five opening pairs respectively.The same clarity is evident in the bowling department, too. Offspinner Washington Sundar has become as much a go-to bowler for Kohli as his senior spin partner Yuzvendra Chahal.Sundar hasn’t been straightjacketed as a powerplay specialist, something that limited him last year. If the situation has warranted it, he has bowled in the middle overs too, as he did in the final league match against the Delhi Capitals recently, when it became clear that the Royal Challengers needed to keep their net run rate in mind.Against specific teams, Sundar was given the new ball, like in the Super-Over thriller against the Mumbai Indians against Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock, who both like pace on the ball early. Like other key players, Sundar has had clarity with his role, which he alluded to in a media interaction.Navdeep Saini has been another dependable bowler for the Royal Challengers this season. In just his second IPL season, Saini has shown he has not just extreme pace but also the accuracy and the versatility to work out batsmen.In previous seasons, the Royal Challengers have struggled to balance their side, but they’ve managed to do so this year – it’s been a big reason for their good showing through the first 10 matches. That balance has been found courtesy de Villiers doubling up as wicketkeeper. De Villiers, whose back condition has needed constant monitoring in recent years, had last kept wickets for the Royal Challengers in 2013. His taking the big gloves has allowed the team to field an extra batsman or an extra bowler depending on the opposition and ground conditions.Mohammed Siraj takes off in celebration•BCCIFocus on data and match-upsAs important as stability of line-ups is, being rigid serves no purpose as was evident from the Chennai Super Kings’ performance this season. The Royal Challengers have made wise tactical calls, bringing in players based on the conditions.Take the example of Mohammed Siraj, who has played in only eight out of the 14 matches so far. Siraj was brought in specifically when they needed to strengthen their bowling in Sharjah – the smallest of the three venues, where playing an extra bowler has often been warranted.Later in the tournament, in conditions assisting swing in the open-air theatre of Abu Dhabi, Siraj blew away the Knight Riders with an outstanding spell of 3 for 8 in his four overs.Kohli had a big hand in Siraj’s success in that match particularly, where the Royal Challengers captain read the conditions as being favourable for swing bowling, and decided to change the original plan of bowling Sundar in the second over.Another smart tactical call Kohli made was bringing back Saini for an early fourth over in the Royal Challengers’ tournament opener, to go hard at the last recognised pair of Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and try and ensure the Sunrisers had no way back after a middle-order collapse. Saini burst through Kumar and Khan’s defences in the space of three balls. The Royal Challengers haven’t often shown sort of ruthlessness in past seasons, but they’ve shown they’re getting better at winning tactical battles.Chris Morris has been a valuable addition to RCB•BCCIThe Morris factorIn the past few seasons the Royal Challengers have tried a number of overseas allrounders without quite finding the right one for their needs. Marcus Stoinis spent two seasons at the franchise – 2018 and 2019 – without making too much of a noise, and before that there was Shane Watson, whom they used in a middle-order role rather than as opener as the Super Kings did so successfully in 2018. Then there was the spectacular failure of Corey Anderson as a death bowler in 2018.All three were batting allrounders whose failure to make an impact was partly down to a lack of clarity over their role.This time, the Royal Challengers were clear in their thinking. They needed a gun death bowler. They wanted a bowling allrounder and earmarked the South African Chris Morris at the auction, and were prepared to go even higher than the INR 10 crore they eventually shelled out for him. The reason was his death-overs economy rate. In the last four overs, Morris’ economy rate before this season (8.45) was the second-best among fast bowlers who had bowled at least 300 balls in this phase in the IPL, behind Lasith Malinga’s 7.82.Morris has delivered exactly what the Royal Challengers have asked of him. Of all bowlers who’ve sent down at least 30 balls in that phase, Morris (7.03) has the best death-overs economy rate. He’s also been effective in the powerplay, with an economy rate of 6.26 in this phase.Morris hobbled off the field with a hamstring niggle in the Royal Challengers’ final league game against the Delhi Capitals, having bowled just two overs. The team will desperately hope he returns fit in time for the Eliminator.Better communicationWhile the Royal Challengers have improved in many aspects, it’s not like they’ve always made the right decisions. Kohli admitted that holding de Villiers back and promoting Shivam Dube against Kings XI Punjab may have been a mistake, but even that decision gave a glimpse of the Royal Challengers’ thinking – of having a plan and having the willingness to stick with it. Kohli pointed out that one big change this season has been the transparency between the coaches and the players.”The communication is nicely designated this time,” Kohli said of the new leadership and coaching group. “It’s only when people don’t want to take responsibility you come into picture. Now people are taking their responsibility. So do we as players, but we don’t feel overburdened, which is a great thing in any system. This is the most balanced we’ve felt as a squad.”As part of their long-term vision the Hesson-Katich combine is attempting to build a culture of success and mentorship. Younger players were often the centre of team activities and bonding sessions.Gurkeerat Singh presented Finch his first Royal Challengers cap ahead of their season-opener. Chahal captained a team containing de Villiers and Finch in a practice match. Patel, who hasn’t played a single match, continues to help youngsters like Padikkal, the man who replaced him, with his batting. Dale Steyn may no longer be a regular, but he has taken Saini, Umesh Yadav and Siraj under his wing, and worked on their seam position and wrist action during numerous training sessions. Phillipe has been working with de Villiers, who has high hopes from the young Australian wicketkeeper.Through the camaraderie comes the trust and the collective belief. Such activities are not uncommon. In the end Kohli, Katich and Hesson are well aware that what will eventually matter is whether the team can win the IPL. They will feel the pressure from the owners. At the start of the IPL Sanjeev Churiwala, the outgoing chairman of the Royal Challengers, had admitted that not winning the title has piled pressure on the owners.It has not been a smooth run to the playoffs for the Royal Challengers. At one point they were threatening to finish in the top two, but they lost four matches on the bounce in the second half of the league phase.Yet here they are, in the playoffs, scampering through somehow. It isn’t ideal, but the Royal Challengers have another shot at history if they can win three more matches.

The outgoing board director discusses the challenges and rewards of her role during a tumultuous time for the game

Daniel Brettig30-Oct-2020Jacquie Hey joined the Cricket Australia board on the same day as David Peever and Kevin Roberts in October 2012.Eight years later, she is the only member of the trio leaving on her own terms, after Peever was deposed as chairman in the wake of the CA’s cultural review in 2018, and Roberts found himself compelled to resign as chief executive as a series of fractured relationships in the game caught up with him in the time of Covid-19.By contrast, Hey is leaving CA with her reputation enhanced. But the rise of the women’s game on her watch ran parallel to a rise in Australian corporate circles that left her ultimately too busy to become the governing body’s first female chair. Instead, Hey is chair of Bendigo and Adelaide Banks and a director of Qantas, among other Australia Stock Exchange listed companies.There will, then, always be an imponderable about how CA might have fared if Hey had assumed a greater position of leadership in the game instead of Peever or Roberts. Speaking on the occasion of her departure, she offers an explanation of competing priorities and instincts, with an apology on behalf of women in the game that she did not choose to take on the chair.ALSO READ: Indian summer to give true insight into Covid’s ‘new normal’ for Cricket Australia funding“One part of me would’ve loved to be chair of CA, it would’ve been such a privilege, and it is a privilege for anyone who’s held that role, and particularly as a woman, one part of me desperately wanted to do it,” Hey told ESPNcricinfo. “The other, sensible side, said I’m an ASX director on three or four boards and I would’ve had to give them all up to do the job, because it’s a pretty full-on and full-time job.”So it wasn’t that I didn’t want to be, it was just that I also wanted to do everything else I’m doing and it wouldn’t have all fit. So I did go through that, two parts of my brain saying yes do it, but no you have to give up everything else you love doing. So would I love to have done it? I would’ve. Was I prepared to give up everything else that I was doing to do it? No I wasn’t, and there were other really capable candidates to do it. So I felt like that was okay. But on behalf of all women, I’m sorry.”When Hey joined the CA board, it was part of a sweeping reform that ended more than a century of representative governance by as many as 14 directors from CA’s six state association owners. Hey, Peever and Roberts were described as “captains of industry”, and from the top of the organisation she was able to help bring about a seismic shift in the women’s game. By May 2013, CA was unveiling professional contracts for the women’s national team, and the same spirit of bold steps informed the decision to shoot for a standalone T20 World Cup.

The toughest things were the Phil Hughes impact and the press conferences the three players had to give when they returned from South Africa. They were the things that brought me to tears

“I think it was about five years before that, we decided we would have the standalone women’s final, and then the next thing we were thinking about was where would we have it. Fairly quickly the board came to why wouldn’t we be able to fill the MCG,” she said. “We’ve got five years to think about it, the women’s game is growing, we’ve got great ambassadors playing the game, why not. Then of course the closer it got, the more nervous everyone got about ‘are we going to get there’ and to see that on that night, was just stunning.”To see the support for women’s sport generally and particularly for cricket, it’s hard to not see that as a highlight. The other one is the growth in kids playing cricket and the way they’re playing it, with the shorter pitches and the smaller grounds and the different rules. There’s fun back into it, they’re not being discouraged before they get to understand how great this game is, and that’s both boys and girls. They’re probably my two highlights, but sitting at the MCG on March 8 was pretty fantastic.”As much as those moves, plus the introduction of the WBBL, required decisive thinking, Hey also earned respect among fellow administrators for applying a level of humility to the game that is not always common among its largely male corridors of power. Her salient advice for any would-be directors is to do everything possible to avoid assuming you know what you’re getting into.Jacquie Hey, chair of the review sub-committee, alongside David Peever•Getty Images”I’ve loved cricket all my life, I played cricket, I’ve been to cricket, I’ve hung around at clubs, I’ve played indoor cricket, so I knew all that, but that’s not the extent of what it means to be on a board,” she said. “Being on a board you need to have all that, plus you need to understand the financial aspects of it, you need to understand what are the levers that make kids play cricket, what are the important things for high performance, how does international cricket work, there was a whole lot of learning for me.”So my personal view is anyone joining a board, should join it with a mind that says I need to learn, I need to listen, and I need to contribute, but I need to do all of those things. If anyone’s joining a board thinking they know it all, I’d say that’s a problem”That being said, Hey freely admits that the increasingly corporatised CA board had some harsh lessons of its own, starting with the pay dispute with the Australian Cricketers Association in 2016-17, in which Peever and Roberts pushed to break up the fixed revenue percentage model that underpinned the MoU with the players. Passions unleashed in that episode, as the players went out of contract for more than a month before CA backed down, have stayed in Hey’s mind.”The fantastic thing about being involved in sport is you get to deal with a whole range of people who are incredibly passionate about the subject,” she said. “But with passion comes all sorts of excitement and concerns and opinions and that is slightly, not necessarily absent from ASX boards, but I think when you get to the sporting arena it goes up a notch and that’s really part of the fun of being involved in sport and certainly cricket.”In March 2018, Hey can remember being asleep at the time the Newlands ball tampering scandal began to unfold, but rising early to take her son to junior sport, she had just enough time to take in a few headlines and videos before her phone began to ring incessantly.It did not stop while she chaired the CA subcommittee that oversaw the cultural review and led ultimately to a fiery press conference at the MCG when Hey had to step in numerous times to aid her embattled chairman Peever. Within days he had been removed via the withdrawal of the NSW chairman John Knox’s support. It’s an episode Hey deems “traumatic”, but not as hard as it was to work through the death of Phillip Hughes, or watch the tearful returns of Steven Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner from South Africa.”The toughest things were the Phil Hughes impact and the press conferences the three players had to give when they returned from South Africa. They were the things that brought me to tears. The press conference was a bit traumatising, but it didn’t bring me to tears,” Hey said. “It was something I needed to do, that I wanted to do, and on behalf of cricket we had to do. I didn’t find that as traumatising or tough as some of those other things that really tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel bad.”Jacquie Hey joined CA the same day as David Peever and Kevin Roberts, but she was able to depart on her own terms•Getty ImagesLooking at the outcomes of the review, Hey said that it had equipped CA with better machinery to deal and communicate better with the states and the ACA, but also informed the attitude required behind those relationships and others.”In a federated structure we’re not always going to agree all the time, and that’s healthy too,” she says. “I think we have a much more healthy, open relationship and a much better level of trust and discussion. There are occasional things that are confidential, but they’re a lot of things that are not confidential within the game of cricket and I think we’ve been better about talking about those.”At the time Earl Eddings took up Peever’s post as chairman, Hey was talked up as a viable alternative, but by then was well on the way to chairing Bendigo and Adelaide Banks. Asked whether she thinks Eddings should get another term as chairman next year, Hey sidesteps deftly, leaving it to the board she is leaving behind. But on the subject of Peever and Roberts, she offers hope that they have not lost love for cricket by departing their custodial roles in far less amiable circumstances than she is.”I think when you get a chance to be involved in the game, there’s always the love for it that you had going on and I’m sure when you’re going out,” Hey said. “I’ll leave them to talk about it, but I’m sure they have as deep a love for the game as ever, and that’s important. We do this because we all love the game.”

Also, how big a role did the change of ball play in the outcome of the match?

Sreshth Shah19-Apr-20212:58

Stephen Fleming: Moeen Ali has been ‘instrumental’ in us getting big scores

Did change of ball change the game?
On Sunday, KL Rahul, the Punjab Kings captain, had said after his team’s defeat that for teams bowling in the second innings, the dew-drenched ball gets very difficult to handle. He said he had requested the umpires to change the wet ball at various stages but was denied. Rahul ended by suggesting that games would be more equal if the team bowling second got an opportunity to change the ball.Tonight, Jos Buttler hammered a good-length ball from Ravindra Jadeja in the tenth over for a six over deep midwicket. The ball went so deep in the stands that the umpires had to get a replacement ball. The moment MS Dhoni got hold of the fresh (though not new, strictly) ball, he told Jadeja that the dry ball would turn.In his next over, Jadeja got a length ball to turn across Buttler’s bat to peg his off stump back. He then got a ball to turn in to trap Shivam Dube lbw. From the other end, Moeen Ali made full use of that ball to get David Miller, Riyan Parag and Chris Morris out. The Royals crumbled from 87 for 2 to 95 for 7, and the pendulum shifted significantly.”The wet ball was spinning a bit, so the dry ball would turn even more,” Dhoni explained in the post-match show on Star Sports. “That’s what I told Jadeja.” Buttler might have brought about his team’s downfall by sending that wet ball as far as he did.ESPNcricinfo LtdShould Super Kings look beyond Gaikwad?
After two single-digit scores in the first two games, Ruturaj Gaikwad was dropped off the first ball on Monday. He was eventually out for a 13-ball 10.The Super Kings have the lowest run rate (6.96) in the powerplay since IPL 2020, and for a team that bats so deep, that’s unusual. The Super Kings are not utilising their first six overs to the best of their potential, especially with two batters in Faf du Plessis and Gaikwad who have similar strike rates, just under 130, in T20s.So the Super Kings have two options to consider: replace Gaikwad with Robin Uthappa, someone who enjoys being a powerplay dominator. That will also allow du Plessis to play the role of an anchor.The other option is pushing Moeen Ali as an opener and getting K Gowtham in the XI. The Super Kings have Dwayne Bravo carded in at No. 9, Shardul Thakur at No. 10 and Deepak Chahar at No. 11, so they bat very deep. They can afford to play an extra bowler while still ensuring everyone in the XI can swing the bat. It might just add that extra dimension in their batting approach.There’s a third option too, slightly left field, but one that could be considered: Cheteshwar Pujara as an opener. But then, MS Dhoni doesn’t like chopping and changing. So it needs to be seen how long a rope Gaikwad gets.2:47

‘Sam Curran should have batted ahead of Dhoni and Jadeja’

Should Curran have batted ahead of Dhoni?
Dhoni no longer bats at No. 4 or 5 for the Super Kings. That means if things are going well for his team, he will most likely be coming out to bat in the last quarter of the innings. In that phase, it’s important to get off the blocks quickly.Dhoni, on average, has scored 11.4 runs in his first ten balls since April 2020. Sam Curran has scored 14.4 in his first ten in the same period. Add Curran’s current form from the India series, and his 15-ball 34 against the Delhi Capitals in their season opener, and Curran is much better suited to utilise the few deliveries left in an innings.The only time where Dhoni is better off coming ahead of Curran is if he needs to arrest a collapse. Dhoni gets going after playing out a few balls, and when he’s not attacking, he can be tough to dismiss. However, when you need to maximise your total – especially while batting first, and in an XI that bats so deep – your best option is to give more balls to the one who starts off quicker. As it turned out, Dhoni scored 18 in 17 balls, Curran made 13 in six. If it wasn’t for Bravo’s eight-ball 20 in the last two overs, the Super Kings would’ve struggled to breach 180.Sending Curran ahead of Dhoni is something that both Dale Steyn and Ajit Agarkar agreed with on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out show.”You’ve got to get Curran up higher, we said it games ago,” Steyn said. “You can just see that Jadeja and Dhoni are not themselves right now. Their heads were up in the air, they were trying to just muscle it, their eyes were not focused on the ball.”And then Curran comes in and hits the second ball over extra cover for six. You know he’s in form, and when a guy is in form, get them in early and let them bat.”Indeed, Dhoni said after the game that the first six balls he had faced – in which he scored just one run – could well have cost his side a match on another day.

Covid restrictions and the impending arrival of the Hundred threaten to cast a shadow on county T20

David Hopps08-Jun-2021″Data not dates” might have been the UK government’s mantra as it seeks to plot a route out of lockdown, but June 21 remains a date imprinted on the nation’s consciousness – as the government deliberately chose a midsummer’s day celebration how could it be otherwise? – and county cricket has cause to cling to that promised reawakening with more desperation than most.End restrictions on attendances after the first two weeks of the T20 Blast, with about 60% of the fixtures remaining, and the competition can just about deliver financially and in terms of entertainment.But what if the date is put back? Travel, hospitality, and all sports and culture would suffer, in the name of avoiding a third spike in Covid transmissions, but few sporting events would so obviously be hit as the Blast as it seeks to survive the most uncertain summer in its history. Losses to the professional game, already mired in debt, would run into millions.Track back three years and the county game appeared to be relatively settled. The Blast was heading towards a million spectators and corona was something visible during a solar eclipse. Then came the Hundred and Covid-19, tipping county cricket into yet another prolonged bout of uncertainty and soul-searching that will drag on for a good while yet.Related

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Gordon Hollins has experienced both sides of the debate. Now CEO at Somerset, one of the counties that will play no active part in the Hundred, other than losing half its players for an entire month, he filled a variety of roles in 12 years at the ECB, latterly the managing director of county cricket.Reflection about the relationship with The Hundred is not his most pressing thought. With the Blast 24 hours away from starting, the possibility that a feared third wave could disrupt the competition will have occupied most of his attention.Interpretation of the data depends a lot upon an individual’s risk aversion and philosophy of life. Positive Covid tests have risen disturbingly to 6,048 with the seven-day average up by 60%. But there is more promising data, too, that suggest the vaccines remain effective: hospital cases remaining steady, daily deaths barely into double figures, and vaccinations rising to 53% twice vaccinated, 77% once.There is little point in Somerset second guessing. Hollins, like every other county administrator, can merely plan and wait.”We have four matches up to 21 June and the next stage of Government unlocking,” he said. “We have sold these four matches at the 1800-2000 restricted capacity and then for the three matches after that we have sold them out to full capacity, planning for success, knowing there is a risk we will have to row back and reduce the capacity if the government’s road map isn’t delivered.”We’ll just have to roll with whatever the decision is but it would be a significant financial cost. We have the unusual combination of a relatively high membership and a relatively small ground. We took the decision to prioritise the membership who have been loyal to us for a number of years, so if the road map is not unlocked, we would not sell any tickets at all this year.”Somerset, like many counties, have already had to impose redundancies.Hollins hopes that will help see them through. “We think over the last 12 months or so we have made some tough decisions. We have had to make a dozen roles redundant. We are actually starting to build again as we look at the blue sky on the horizon, rather than the thunderstorms of the last 14 months, but we think we have managed the financials tightly enough to be able to manage that extra storm if it comes our way.”The big question is how long that lasts. If it is this year only then that’s one thing but if it goes into next year then like so many other businesses, and every other county cricket club, that’s a different situation.”

As to the Hundred, my hope is that when you have a strong England team for example, and you get euphoria around the country, the interest in county cricket goes upGordon Hollins, Somerset CEO

That leaves the Hundred – its monetary benefits even more essential, its advocates contend, now that Covid has wrecked the game’s financials. But many county cricket followers are adamant that the Hundred, if successful, is actually a canker that will gradually destroy the 18-team county structure. The battle lines are partly generational, but not entirely so. County cricket is built upon history, community and a deep sense of belonging. The Hundred is a marketing gambit, intended to satisfy a new, made-for-TV global audience which has little interest in tradition, but simply wants the quick fix of big names on big grounds.Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Hollins adopts a positive view about the potential synergies that many – this correspondent included – do not share.”Do I agree with the premise that the Hundred will undermine the Blast?” he said. “I can only talk for myself but I feel we have a really passionate support here who will support Somerset before the Hundred. And having a Somerset team that is competitive to service, or accommodate, that interest is really important. I don’t have any fear that the Blast here will cease to be relevant.”My job as CEO of Somerset is to ensure that the Hundred delivers positive outcomes for Somerset CCC. That’s not just about money, it’s about making sure that if the audience widens as forecast – in terms of the increased number of people who are interested in cricket, and the interest it creates at club level – then Somerset need to pick up the benefits of that, whether it be players playing the game or people attending matches. I believe we can do that. I’ve got to look at it that way.”As to the Hundred in a wider sense, my hope is that if you look at the history when you have a strong England team for example, and you get euphoria around the country about England, what happens really consistently is that the interest in county cricket goes up.”The Ashes 2005 is the ultimate example of that. I was at Durham at that time and Durham’s attendances during that summer went up significantly that summer. I’m hoping that the Hundred does that for county cricket and that it creates the noise and the awareness and pulls in people from lots of different places.”English football could never have got away with the imposition of such a new structure – the quick death of the European Super League is proof of that. But Premier League football is all powerful, and international football knows its limits, whereas, in professional cricket, the international programme has become more and more empowered over the past generation, arranging tours at the last minute, withdrawing players without warning and treating clubs with disregard – the Indian Premier League being the one exception.Getting fans back in grounds for the Blast is essential to county finances•Alan Martin/Action Plus via Getty ImagesBut cricket has no long-term future if it is merely reliant on the same old players traversing the world for another T20 payday, changing countries, clubs and shirts with barely a thought, any sense of loyalty limited to the confines of the dressing room and their own sense of professionalism.The Blast might have suffered its annual rush of eve-of-tournament withdrawals, but it is still a central part of a 18-team professional circuit unmatched in the world. Many of them might not be able to claim a relevance with the entire community (could they ever?), many are over-reliant on the efforts of the private school sector, but they still develop and employ around 450 English-qualified professionals, most of them possessing a deep sense of club commitment.And those who cannot get into the grounds for the Blast can now watch on live county streaming services that are improving every year, with every boundary and every wicket available on video clips, and more online coverage than ever before. We fear county cricket is in a time of crisis, but it might just be entering a golden age.To gaze upon Taunton as crowds returned for the Championship last week was to rediscover a sense of optimism. “I think there is massive expectation,” said Hollins as he observed spectators clearly happy to feel the sun on their backs and hear the sound of bat on ball.”When Championship cricket returned to Taunton after 614 days you could feel the buzz around the ground,” he reflected. “Every time a boundary was scored the whole thing was amplified beyond what it normally would have been. There was so much excitement about being back.”Yes, it’s a slightly different audience for the T20 Blast, but by the number of people desperate to get their hands on tickets for the Blast I’d say the anticipation is greater than ever. I have never subscribed to this death of county cricket scenario. This club goes back to 1875. It has survived two massive world wars. A competition like the Hundred that is well intended is not going to destroy county cricket.”There is such depth to county cricket that I don’t buy that it’s dying at all, I think it can and will go from strength to strength.”

Struggles of Pujara, Kohli and Rahane are beginning to become a concern for India

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Aug-20213:33

VVS Laxman analyses Pujara, Kohli and Rahane’s dismissals

Since 2020 India’s middle-order batters – Nos. 3 to 5 – average 27.44 in 13 Test matches with just one century. That is the second-worst average globally, only behind West Indies’ 27.06 in 13 Tests.India’s middle order comprises Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. So far in 2021 Pujara has made 389 runs at nearly 28. Kohli has got 271 runs at 27. And Rahane has 261 runs at less than 20. Neither of the three has got a half-century so far in the first two Tests of the England series. There has been just a solitary 50-run stand involving two of these three middle-order batters since the start of 2020 – that was the 61-run alliance between Kohli and Rahane in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in June in Southampton.In Nottingham, James Anderson consumed Pujara and Kohli on successive deliveries while Rahane ran himself out embarrassingly. On Thursday, Kohli repeated the mistake he committed in the first Test, this time against Ollie Robinson, while Anderson rattled Pujara and Rahane with deliveries they should have ideally left alone. In both the Tests, the middle-order collapse hurt the hard work and the solid platform created by opening pair of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma.Related

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While we are talking about three of the best batters in modern-day cricket, including Kohli who is a bonafide great, no one will disagree that their struggles are beginning to become a concern for India. More than the lack of runs, it is the repetitive mistakes each is committing that will bother head coach Ravi Shastri and batting coach Vikram Rathour.In India’s second innings of the WTC final, Kohli went pushing at a length ball from Kyle Jamieson that was moving away from the fourth stump and thereby offered a simple catch to the slips. At Trent Bridge, Anderson pitched the exact same delivery which Kohli once again got sucked into playing and walked back with a golden duck on the first ball of his series. These were the kind of deliveries Kohli had successfully left aside against Anderson and co. on India’s 2018 tour of England where he emerged as the best batter on both sides. Kohli has been restless to score runs but with a vulnerable defensive technique on the off stump.Two days before this Test, Kohli worked on his trigger movement and head position under the close watch of Shastri. While Kohli portrayed confidence scoring runs at a fair clip on Thursday, former India Test opener Deep Dasgupta remained unconvinced by the technical tinkerings. According to Dasgupta, Kohli’s front foot (left) is now straighter, pointing to the bowler, which is affecting his balance and his head is consequently falling sideways with his right hip and shoulder opening up in the process. Previously, that same front toe, Dasgupta says, would move towards mid-off and cover allowing him to get a better stride towards the ball as well as leaning into the stroke with the right balance.Adaptability has been a strength of Kohli and mentally he remains confident as the steadfast innings against England in the first Test of the home series in Chennai, and the 44 against New Zealand in the WTC final proved that.In contrast, both Pujara and Rahane have been brittle with the bat and the mind. With Pujara you sense the team management has had a word with him post the WTC final about him looking for runs. Pujara signed out of Trent Bridge with an aggressive square-driven four on the penultimate evening and once again showed the same inclination to score during his brief stay on Thursday.However Anderson had got him twice with deliveries where Pujara was all at sea and responded without moving his feet. On Friday morning, Pujara faced throwdowns from Rathour, who chatted to the batter about finding the right balance in his stance by flexing his knees and staying still at the time of facing the delivery.Cheteshwar Pujara walks off for 9•PA Photos/Getty ImagesVVS Laxman, who is one of the ESPNcricinfo experts for this series, can relate to some of the technical errors that have crept into Pujara’s game, something the former Indian great was bothered by in the last years of his career due to a bad back. “Pujara just needs to find the right balance and weight distribution on both legs which will allow him to move his feet and be nimble,” Laxman says. “He always had a tendency of crouching too much because of which his head is not still and he gets stuck on the crease. I had this issue in 2011-12 because of my back injury. He needs to exaggerate that feet movement in nets/ throwdowns only then can he move better in the match.”Then there is Rahane. Post his heroic century in Melbourne in December, Rahane has made just 269 runs in 14 innings with just one half century. On the first ball he faced from Anderson on Friday, Rahane was rooted to his crease playing at a delivery that was always shaping away if you just read the seam. But Anderson was bowling from wide of the crease creating the impression that he was angling it into Rahane, who failed to resist the temptation.Laxman believes Rahane got lured into playing a delivery he should have ideally left because of his “eagerness to score”. Rahane, Laxman points out, has been “restless” and “searching” for runs from the Australia tour. “Even today (he had) very, very tentative footwork. Whenever you are indecisive, and whenever you are trying to look at the outcome you always (are) trying to reach out towards the ball especially when you are not high in confidence. You saw Rahane get out in Australia (in) very similar fashion – you talk about Adelaide, you talk about Brisbane.”Laxman then went on dissect the delivery from Anderson on Friday that defeated Rahane as well as Pujara on Thursday. “If you see the replay very closely I thought he was late on the ball. Because his front foot (left) was still in the air. It was not planted (and) that’s why there’s no transfer of body weight. Once there is no transfer of body weight, once you don’t take a front foot stride, you are always playing besides the body, which means you are always reaching out towards the ball. Which is what lead to the dismissal of Pujara and it was the same with Rahane.”From the outset of this tour Kohli has been asked more than once about the lack of contributions recently from Pujara and Rahane. Kohli has defended his two senior batters saying it is a “collective” effort that India needs to pick the team to respond to difficult situations. But without the contributions the questions will keep mounting.The inconsistency and weak form of the three senior batters has not yet come to haunt India in this series, but it has allowed England to stay in the game. India started Friday on 278 for 3 but their last seven collapsed for just 86 runs. If they want to stick to the template of playing four fast bowers – regardless of whether Shardul Thakur plays – then the Indian middle order needs to show more spine and head.

Our correspondent finds that the hottest face-offs in cricket now are currently happening off the field

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Mar-2022Faulkner vs the PSL
Come on PCB. What are you doing? Why are you mistreating him?James Faulkner. Player of as many as one Test, and an international cricketer from a mere five years ago. All he wanted was to be paid. Or to be paid twice, depending on who you believe. (Faulkner alleges the PSL didn’t pay him. The PSL claims he wanted to be paid twice.) Whatever happened, what we know is this. One day, horrified at his treatment at the PSL, Faulkner ragequit the tournament, throwing a bat and a helmet at a massive hotel chandelier, because how else will you get the common man to sympathise with your plight?”It hurts to leave as I wanted to help to get international cricket back in Pakistan,” Faulkner later tweeted. Don’t cry for Faulkner, folks. He’s not the victim here. I mean… he is the victim. But not as much as Pakistan.IPL vs PSL
The IPL wishes it had this kinda drama, don’t @ me.Saha vs journalist
We’ve all read the tweet by now, right? Wriddhiman Saha, who, on top of being dropped from the Test squad, was threatened by an unnamed journalist over text. Essentially, the journalist wanted an interview with Saha, but Saha seemingly ignored the request, and the journalist responded by “threatening” Saha, stating: “I don’t take insults kindly. And I will remember this.”Obviously this is terrible. Terrible that not all interactions between players and journalists don’t conform to this power dynamic. Can you believe there are media people throwing daggers at this journalist, when it would clearly be so much easier for all of us if players were so scared they’d never knock back interview requests?Taking a page out of this guy’s book, we’re taking this opportunity to threaten cricketers who dare to deny interview requests from the Briefing and its subsidiaries (the Light Roller). Please find the list of threats below.- Your ESPNcricinfo profile pic will be changed to a photo of you getting clean-bowled.
– If you gain weight, you will be body-shamed in only the most emasculating language (“Chubby-wub Perera bags four”*).
– All non-match-winning performances will be described as “flaccid”. When people google that word, a photo of you appears.
– No big-cat comparisons. The only animals you will be likened to are goats, donkeys, and warthogs.
– Justin Langer will be told you are looking for daily coaching videos, as intense as he can make them, please.
– All poor performances from age 30 onwards will be framed as a decline in ability (we do this anyway, but still).*Not aimed at any Perera in particularAustralia vs their own nature
New Zealand cited a security threat and pulled out of their matches in Pakistan at the last minute. England withdrew because of [look up whatever this nonsense was]. But, so often criticised for pulling out of tours if so much as a baby sneezes unexpectedly, Australia have landed in Pakistan marking the first, momentous return to the country by a… wait, how do we say this since Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh have all been there in the last few years? The first return to Pakistan by a Europea… wait, that’s not right… first-wor… nope. Hmm, look, don’t make us say it. If it’s safe for them, it’s safe for, umm, other teams like them. (Pack away the chandeliers in case, though.)Next month on the Briefing:
– World’s most popular cricketers line up for exclusive interviews with the Briefing.- Faulkner inspires a generation of Pakistani kids to get rich enough playing cricket to throw a chandelier-level tantrum. #Hero

His second successive golden duck added to the growing chorus calling for him to take a break

Shashank Kishore23-Apr-20225:07

Vettori: This is the time when Kohli could turn to his friends, mentor

It’s the second over of the innings. Kane Williamson has to strain his vocal cords to get Aiden Markram’s attention. He wants to move Abhishek Sharma from backward point to first slip. He wants to strengthen the slip cordon in a T20 powerplay with Markram now at second slip. He’s had to literally yell from across the pitch because the decibel levels have soared.Virat Kohli takes strike to Marco Jansen, who until four years ago could barely mumble a word to Kohli while assisting India’s then all-format captain as a net bowler in Pretoria. The Jansen of 2022 isn’t as conservative with his actions, though.Jansen is expressive with his body language and most certainly expressive with his words. If he wants to give Jasprit Bumrah a send-off, he very well will, after roughing him up with a succession of short balls. Even if it means copping a few when it’s his turn to bat. It comes from an unmistakable confidence in his abilities.The inswing to the right-hander is his natural ball. But it’s the one that holds its line that had brought him much success during a breakthrough home summer against India. It’s this very ball that has him all pumped up this evening. He sends Faf du Plessis’ off stump cartwheeling.Now, he’s up against Kohli. The Mumbai crowd can be unforgiving at the best of times. Kohli will know all too well the feeling of being booed here. But now, they’re willing him on. To score runs. Just about anything that can classify as “form”.Kohli, bat-twirler and ferocious gum-chewer, faces up. His body language exudes naked aggression. Even before the openers had walked out to bat, there he was, all padded up, helmet strapped in, gloves set, like they usually are every single game. Nothing different there.What has been different this IPL, though, is Kohli has been searching for runs. He has blown more cold than hot. Where’s the timing? Is he struggling with bubble fatigue? Is he a victim of his own greatness? Where are the hundreds? Where’s the genius chase master? Even MS Dhoni has wound the clock back. Surely, Kohli isn’t far away.2:17

Is Kohli a victim of bubble fatigue?

Kevin Pietersen wants him to “chill”. Ravi Shastri wants him to “take a break”. Dilip Vengsarkar, the man who picked him for India, straight out of the Under-19s, is sure it’s the tiredness that is getting to him. The harder he’s trying, the tougher it’s getting.Game after game, the chorus has been getting louder. Where is Kohli of the 2016 vintage? The season where he could have walked on water. The season when he made four centuries and a mind-boggling 973 runs. That aggression has gone missing. The accumulation has been painful. The struggle to force the pace against spin all evident.Royal Challengers Bangalore’s team management, however, believes he’s as free in the mind as he has ever been without the captaincy. Head coach Sanjay Bangar is confident the drought will end soon. Kohli believes, everyone believes.Williamson thinks otherwise, as he places Markram at second slip. Kohli sees one pushed full. He instinctively throws his hands at it. Brabourne doesn’t quite have the spongy bounce of Centurion, so it’s likely the ball will fly off the bat should it meet his forward stride. Except, Jansen has angled it away towards fifth stump. He has dangled a carrot.It can play on the ego of great players like Kohli. The front foot is out in no time, hands away from the body. The bolt-upright seam hits the deck and moves away a wee bit. In a split second, after he has played it, Kohli knows it hasn’t gone where he wants it to. The ball flies low to Markram. Gone. Zero. A second straight first-ball duck.Four nights ago, he had a wry smile after he flayed one straight to backward point. Here, he looks down at the pitch, looks at his bat, looks at the non-striker Anuj Rawat. As if to ask if what has happened is legitimate. He then yanks his gloves off and walks off shaking his head.The Royal Challengers dugout is stunned. Kohli is stunned. Then comes the realisation. It’s another knock that has ended in disappointment. And the chorus grows again.What is ailing Kohli the batter?

They last played an ODI in July 2021, and on top of that, will have numerous first-choice names missing

Alex Malcolm27-Mar-2022″Didn’t I?” Australia’s last ODI was so long ago that captain Aaron Finch didn’t even know he did not play in it when asked about returning to ODI cricket after a long absence prior to arriving in Pakistan. Australia last played an ODI against West Indies in July 2021, and they have only played three since December 2020.They are set to begin building towards the 2023 ODI World Cup this week with a three-match series in Pakistan. But if the Australian captain himself didn’t know who was part of Australia’s last ODI XI, then it is likely everyone needs to be brought up to speed.Who played in Australia’s last ODI team?
If you can name the XI from Bridgetown, then you truly are an Australian cricket aficionado. Or alternatively, you watch far too much cricket. Finch did not play due to a knee injury despite thinking he did.Related

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A lot of Australia’s big guns were rested after the fallout from the 2021 IPL postponement. Alex Carey captained Australia for the first time and did so with distinction, leading them to a 2-1 series win in the West Indies. Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques had opened the batting the last time Australia played – seriously? – while Matthew Wade, Ashton Turner and Dan Christian were all in that side too. However, none of the five feature on this tour to Pakistan.Cameron Green has played just one ODI so far•Getty ImagesSo who playing in the ODI series in Pakistan?
It might be easier to tell you who is not playing. David Warner, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith and Kane Richardson are the notable members of Australia’s first-choice squad that will be missing the ODI series. All bar Starc and Hazlewood had missed the last series in the West Indies too. Warner, Cummins and Hazlewood have been rested after the Test tour ahead of playing in the IPL.Meanwhile, Maxwell will not be touring since he got married only last week. Richardson was set to play but injured his hamstring at training in Melbourne before the limited-overs players left for Pakistan. And now Smith too has been ruled out of the series due to an elbow issue.Jhye Richardson was also left out of the squad as part of a long-term management strategy, but also got injured in Western Australia’s recent Marsh Cup final win over New South Wales.Thus, there are multiple new names who have not played ODI cricket before, including Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Josh Inglis and Mitchell Swepson. Cameron Green has played just one game, while Travis Head has not played ODI cricket since 2018.Travis Head remains an option to open along with Aaron Finch, though he last played an ODI in 2018•Getty ImagesWhat will the batting look like?
Possibly an experiment. Finch will need an opening partner in the absence of Warner, after Ben McDermott missed out in his only two ODIs in the West Indies and didn’t take his chance while opening in the recent five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka either.Head has an ODI century opening the batting against Pakistan and actually has a good record at the top of the order, averaging 41.08 and striking at 97.04 in 12 innings as opener, including four 50-plus scores. Since he was dropped by Australia in 2018, Head’s List A performances have been incredible. In 23 matches, he averages 59.65 and strikes at 120.62 with three centuries, including his second career double; but all of those innings have been played either at No. 3 or at 4.Marnus Labuschagne opened in his last ODI innings in December 2020, but his other 11 innings – which include a century and three fifties – have come at No. 4 or lower.Mitchell Marsh would love to bat No. 3 again as he did in the T20 World Cup and in two of Australia’s last three ODIs. Inglis has made a case to bat in the middle order after a superb T20I debut series against Sri Lanka. But Marcus Stoinis and Carey look mainstays in Australia’s lower middle order in their best available team in Pakistan. Green could also be used at No. 6 or 7 depending on how Australia want to structure their bowling attack.Australia look set to rely heavily on Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar in Pakistan•Getty ImagesAnd the bowling?
It will be a big test without Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and the two Richardsons on flat batting tracks in Lahore. Australia look set to rely heavily on the spin duo of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, and maybe use just two quicks and their allrounders to bowl the remainder of the overs.Swepson has also been added to the squad if they want a third specialist spinner or two legspinners in the XI. Jason Behrendorff has the most experience of the quicks, having played in the last World Cup. Along with Behrendorff, Dwarshuis provides a second left-arm option after being a late addition to the squad.Australia may play one left-armer and one right-armer, with Abbott and Ellis likely to get an opportunity at some stage.Do results matter for Australia with so many players out?
They do. Australia have won all three series they have played in the current World Cup Super League cycle, having beaten England, India and West Indies – each 2-1 – to have six wins and three losses. But they currently sit at seventh on the points table by virtue of having played only nine games.Australia have eight guaranteed ODIs scheduled in the next four months – the three against Pakistan will be followed by five against Sri Lanka – and all of them away from home. While their No.1 Test ranking is a priority and they will continue to rest their Test stars, the understudies won’t want to fall asleep at the wheel and put the team under unnecessary pressure heading towards the World Cup in India next year.Australia squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Adam Zampa

And where does Jimmy Anderson stand on that list?

Steven Lynch08-Feb-2022Has anyone scored two centuries in a match on their first-class debut? asked BPN Mendis from Sri Lanka
This notable batting feat was first performed by the great Australian opener Arthur Morris, with 148 and 111 for New South Wales against Queensland in Sydney in 1940-41. He was followed by the future Indian captain Nari Contractor, who started his first-class career with 152 and 102 not out for Gujarat in Baroda in 1952-53. Aamer Malik, who later played a few Tests for Pakistan, began with 132 not out and 110 for Lahore City against Railways in Lahore in 1979-80.Those were the only three instances in the first 200 years or so of first-class cricket, but it has become quite a regular occurrence in recent years, with five more men joining the pantheon since 2009. Noor Ali Zadran made 130 and 100 not out on his debut, for Afghanistan against a Zimbabwe XI in Mutare in 2009-10; Tharanga Indika 158 and 103 not out for Police vs Seeduwa Raddoluwa in Colombo in 2010-11; Virag Awate 126 and 112 for Maharashtra against Vidarbha in Nagpur in 2012-13; Travis Dean 154 and 109 (uniquely, both not out) for Victoria vs Queensland in Melbourne in 2015-16; and Haji Murad Muradi 102 and 142 for Amo region against Speen Ghar in Gazi Amanullah Khan Town in Afghanistan in 2017-18.Ten other men have scored hundreds in their opening two first-class innings, with the second one coming in another match. But only one has started his career with three successive centuries: Joe Solomon, later a West Indies Test regular, began with 114 not out for British Guiana against Jamaica in Georgetown in October 1956, followed that a week later with 108 vs Barbados, also at the Bourda, and added 121 in his next innings, against the Pakistan tourists in Georgetown in 1957-58. I noticed that all 11 England players featured on the scorecard during Australia’s first innings at Brisbane. How rare is this? asked Harrison Grant from Australia
That’s a good spot, as all 11 England players did indeed take a catch or a wicket (or both) in Australia’s first innings in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba last December. This had happened only twice before in Test history. The first instance came in Kingston in 2000-01, when all 11 South Africans featured on the card in West Indies’ second innings (Gary Kirsten completed the set when he caught the last man, Courtney Walsh). And South Africa were at it again in Cape Town in 2009-10, with all 11 players getting a mention as England clung on for a draw at 296 for 9. Who’s the oldest bowler to take a five-for in a Test? And where does Jimmy Anderson stand on this list? asked Richard Greenwood from England
Jimmy Anderson currently lies 21st on this particular list: he was 13 days past his 39th birthday when he took 5 for 62 against India at Lord’s last August.But Anderson will have to continue defying Father Time for a long time yet to claim top spot. The oldest man to take five wickets in a Test innings was the Australian left-arm spinner Bert “Dainty” Ironmonger, who was not far short of his 50th birthday when he collected 5 for 6 and 6 for 18 as South Africa were skittled for 36 and 45 on a spiteful rain-affected pitch in Melbourne in 1931-32. Ironmonger did play in the following season’s Bodyline series, when past his half-century.The oldest Englishman remains Kent’s Frank Woolley, whose left-arm spin brought him 7 for 76 against New Zealand in Wellington in January 1930, a few months before his 43rd birthday. Offspinner Eddie Hemmings was 41 when he took 6 for 58 against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1990.For the overall list, click here. Most of the men there were spinners; only three above Anderson – Sydney Barnes, Geoff Chubb and Frank Laver – bowled at medium-pace, and none of them was as quick as Anderson still is.Jimmy Anderson is about ten years away from being the oldest bowler to take a Test five-for•Getty ImagesWho batted the most times in Tests without ever being stumped? asked Gautham Mahabir from India
Four men have had more than 200 Test innings without ever being out stumped – and three of them are current England players. Jimmy Anderson has so far had 239 innings, Stuart Broad 223, and Joe Root 210. But they have to give best – for the time being at least – to Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene, who batted 252 times in Tests, and was never stumped.In similar vein, Kapil Dev had 184 Test innings and was never run out. Another current Englishman is second on this list at the moment: Jonny Bairstow has had 142 innings to date, and has never been run out either. The Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav has so far batted 61 times in Tests, and never been out lbw; he recently took this record from the old Australian captain Joe Darling (60).Is it true that Ryan ten Doeschate had the highest average of anyone in one-day internationals? asked Bas van der Zanden from the Netherlands
Ryan ten Doeschate played 33 ODIs for Netherlands, and finished with a batting average of 67.00. That’s currently the second-highest average for anyone who has had more than 20 innings, as this list shows. The only man above him at the moment is the South African Rassie van der Dussen, who currently averages 74.52, from 26 innings.Two other present-day players are third and fourth. As I write, Virat Kohli averages 58.53 in ODIs, and Babar Azam 56.92.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Royal Challengers have now lost nine playoff matches, the joint-most in IPL history

Sampath Bandarupalli27-May-20224 Centuries for Jos Buttler in IPL 2022, the joint-most for any player in a T20 series or tournament. Virat Kohli also scored four centuries during the 2016 edition of the IPL.2 Players to score more runs in a T20 competition than Buttler’s 824 runs in this IPL season. (And he still has one more innings left) Kohli and David Warner scored 973 and 848 runs, respectively, in the 2016 IPL.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 Hundreds by Buttler in the IPL, including one in 2021. He is one of three players with five or more centuries in the IPL. Kohli also has five hundreds, while Chris Gayle tops the list with six.195 Runs scored by Buttler in the playoffs this season, a new IPL record, surpassing Warner’s tally of 190 in 2016. Rajat Patidar is third on the list with 170 runs across the Eliminator and Qualifier 2.Most hundreds in IPL•ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Buttler’s hundred is only the second in an IPL playoff match, while chasing. Shane Watson scored an unbeaten 117 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 final. It is also only the sixth century recorded in an IPL playoff match and the first for Rajasthan Royals.8 Hundreds in IPL 2022, including the unbeaten 106 by Buttler on Friday. This is also a new tournament record, surpassing the seven that were made in 2016.ESPNcricinfo Ltd31 Sixes conceded by Mohammed Siraj, the most by a bowler in any edition of the IPL. Wanindu Hasaranga is second (30) on this list; both Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers going past Dwayne Bravo, who held the record previously with the 29 sixes conceded in 2018.10.07 Siraj’s economy rate this year is the worst for a bowler across IPL history (min 50 overs). Siraj is also only the third bowler to finish with an economy rate in excess of ten in any T20 tournament (Min: 300 balls).9 Playoff losses for Royal Challengers, the joint-most in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings have also lost nine playoff matches, although they played 11 more than the Bangalore franchise. Delhi Capitals have lost nine out of 11. Royal Challengers have lost 11 playoff matches in all T20s, also the joint-most defeats for a team.