Chappell, Benaud and Botham were among those who reacted strongly to the controversial no-ball call

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2020 #RetroLive This was the third time – all instances in Australia – that Muttiah Muralitharan was called during a live match for throwing. Things came to a head with Arjuna Ranatunga walking off with his team only to resume playing after a 15-minute interval during which many a discussion happened with the officials. A phone call was made back home to cricket board officials too. This is what the experts and the participants said about the incident at the time.

The observers

This was the first time Umpires Ross Emerson and Tony McQuillan stood in a game involving Murali since they last called him back in 1996. So there was anticipation even before the actual no-ball call was made.”Quite amazing. The two umpires out there know more than the International Cricket Council. I think it’s all rather pathetic. It is a decision that has been made by some very respected people who have played a lot of cricket at international level and first-class level. And yet two people who might make that decision have played no more than a bit of club cricket.””The English batsmen will be sick in the stomach. I feel a little bit upset myself. Regardless of whether his action is legal or not, that should be decided at the end of the series. This is a team standing behind its bowler who has been cleared by 40 umpires across the world, but here he is called in the middle of the series…”I am a bit lost and saddened by the decisions this afternoon. Murali will be feeling sick in the stomach. He will be very confused. He has got 200 Test wickets. He has bowled a lot of overs in this series so far. Then all of a sudden he has been called for having an illegal action at the Adelaide Oval.””I have been through three of these. The first one was Ian Meckiff in Brisbane in 1963, then the second time was Muralitharan when he was called at the MCG [by Umpire Darrell Hair, whom Sri Lanka got barred from standing in their games]. Today the third time has produced the exact same feeling, which is very empty at the pit of the stomach. The ICC, I think now, will be dragged kicking and screaming into the region of solving the mess.”Getty Images”How come he can’t make a decision on that one with the naked eye and yet he can call the flick of an elbow with the naked eye? Miles out of the ground, but he relies on the replay, which is what he should have been doing with respect to the no-ball.””The fact that this has been allowed to interrupt the day’s play the way it did is quite sad. The thing that you have got to ask of the officials is how come it is allowed to happen in the middle of the arena? This is the third time in Murali’s case that it is happening in the middle of the international arena. All three times in Australia. And you would think that if somebody’s got a doubtful action, they would stop before they get to international cricket.”

The official

Doug Insole was member of the ICC committee that cleared Murali, but he explained to Channel 9 the technicalities behind it, and that the on-field umpire had the right to call even a bowler cleared by them. That he said as someone who was called once for throwing, which shocked him too.”Of those that have been seen worldwide as it were, there are one or two who have got perfectly ordinary basic actions, but who stick a bit extra when they try to do a something bit extra. Then there are one or two who have a basic fault in their action. There is no way that ICC can say that that bloke is never going to throw again. You can’t say to an umpire that this bloke is cleared, and he must never be no-balled. What you can say is that as far as the panel is concerned, his basic action, as we have seen it, is okay.”It is a desperate thing to happen to a bowler. I feel sorry for the man himself. You’d be right in saying – and one has to be a bit cagey about this – on the basis of the videotape that we saw, and I can’t remember whether everyone was on the conference call or whether one two were missing or what, but certainly the general opinion at that time was that his action, as seen on that video, was legitimate.”PA Images via Getty Images

The participants

“The question of Umpire Hair standing had to do with him making some comments prior to the tour in a book that he was publishing. It wasn’t in anyway connected with him no-balling Muralitharan before. As for the other two umpires, there was no question that the Sri Lankan cricket board nor any of the players felt his action was unfair. He had been cleared by 40 umpires all over the world, and a committee that had been set up of eminent bowlers. And one might say, umpires in this tournament as well. So there was never a doubt as far as it was concerned.”Arjuna walked off with his team merely to get a clarification as to how they must proceed. It would have seemed they were leaving the ground, but the basic intention was to find how they should proceed. The point was that the Sri Lankan board would have at no stage wanted the match to be abandoned because after all cricket has to continue and the lofty ideals of the game has to continue. Also we didn’t in anyway want to embarrass the Australian cricket board.”That he is different is one of the problems that has created this illusion: the permanently bent arm of his and that rotation of the shoulder and also the profuse use of the wrists, which I think creates this illusion, which umpires and people find something different in it.””I never thought it will happen because he has bowled all over the world and we have never had a problem. Then suddenly one guy comes and calls, I think it is really unfortunate. I think it is really bad on Australian cricket’s part.”Murali has a really bad arm, everyone knows about it. The person who calls, he must be having a really really good eye. I think any batsman would love to have that eye… the batsman will get thousand runs in two months if that eye comes to a batsman. The way Murali bowls, if you can pick that, he must be really amazing [to be calling him with the naked eye].”We knew we had to win the game for Murali, and that’s what happened today. We have the same umpires in a game towards the end of the tour so we have to take a firm decision what to do. We have to consult with the board and then it is up to the board or the government. It is very important. Murali has been a key person for the country and for Sri Lankan cricket.”I think we never had a problem anywhere except Australia. I think most of the cricketers will try to avoid Australia the way it goes now. And the public has been really bad on Murai, and the media has been really bad. I think it is pathetic that a person who has got 200 Test wickets is only called in Australia. I don’t think he should suffer like this. Everyone likes to come to Australia and do well in Australia but it is totally different the image we have now.””I am not allowed to comment unfortunately due to ICC regulations but what I will say is we have been brought up, if an umpire makes a decision, that’s it, you accept it and get on with the game. Today that didn’t happen.””There you are but again it comes down to the umpire, how he sees things. It is the same with lbw decisions or run-outs or whatever.” RetroLive

Sri Lanka seamer was leading wicket-taker on recent tour of England

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2024

Asitha Fernando took 17 wickets on Sri Lanka’s recent tour of England•Getty Images

Glamorgan have signed Sri Lanka fast bowler Asitha Fernando for the first two months of the season. He is expected to be available for seven County Championship fixtures up until the end of May.Asitha, 27, has taken 72 wickets 26.66 in Tests and impressed on Sri Lanka’s tour of England earlier this year, when he finished as the leading wicket-taker on either side as well as winning a spot on the Lord’s honours board for his first-innings five-for.He has played county cricket previously for Nottinghamshire, and will become the first Sri Lankan to represent Glamorgan.”I would like to thank Glamorgan Cricket so much for this opportunity,” Fernando said. “I am extremely thrilled to be a part of Glamorgan and to return to the county cricket scene this year.Related

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“My last stint helped me to improve my game a lot. I am looking forward to playing with Mason [Crane], Colin [Ingram] and all of the Glamorgan team, and am hoping to do my very best during the upcoming season.”Glamorgan’s director of cricket, Mark Wallace, said: “We’re delighted to be able to welcome a bowler of Asitha’s quality to Sophia Gardens for the start of the 2025 season.”Asitha has good experience of conditions in the UK having played county cricket previously and also while performing very well in Sri Lanka’s series with England here last summer. We look forward to Asitha taking the field for Glamorgan as the first Sri Lankan player to represent the club.”

Pakistan captain says batters “have sacrificed individual milestones for team results”, while seamers could have chance to shine when subcontinent teams visit

Danyal Rasool19-Jan-2025Pakistan captain Shan Masood put up a strident defence of Pakistan’s decision to produce a pitch that was heavily spin-friendly. After Pakistan wrapped up a 127-run win in the shortest-ever Test to produce a result on Pakistani soil, much of Masood’s press conference was dominated by talking about why the soil in question was quite as dry and brittle as it was.”We will do what we need to take 20 wickets and win the match,” Masood said. “We don’t even play domestic cricket in these conditions. It’s a new thing for us as well. We changed it during the England series because we wanted our team to win. We should appreciate the hard work of our bowlers, who got us 20 wickets consistently.”On those counts, the decision has been an unmitigated success. Ever since losing the first Test to England in October on a flat deck, Pakistan volte-faced on the kind of surfaces they wanted to prepare. Particular attention has been focused on the measures they have taken to ensure spin remains the most potent – arguably only – threat.Related

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The second Test against England was played on the same used surface of the first Test, with large fans to dry it out. The third Test in Rawalpindi, which naturally does not take spin until late in games, was dried out by wedding-style heaters and fans enclosed by windbreakers; England even accused it of being raked, though concrete evidence of that has not emerged. Ahead of this Test in Multan in the middle of winter, Pakistan went one step further, encircling the surface in a greenhouse as it was warmed up by those giant heaters and fans.Every surface has produced the effect – and result, Pakistan were after. Their spinners – Sajid Khan and Noman Ali in particular – have had little trouble taking 20 wickets; none of the 60 opposition scalps have fallen to seam bowlers since. And each of those three games have produced convincing Pakistan wins.Masood pointed out the wins were not an inevitability, but a consequence of Pakistan playing the better cricket across all departments in each game. “If you’re looking individually at the batters, it doesn’t make for good reading. But our batters batted better than West Indies, and better than England’s batters in October. If you just look at hundreds and fifties and judge them by raw numbers, then it’ll be misleading. Just like we’ll have to be flexible with our playing style, viewers will also need to be flexible in their thinking. Look at India’s blueprint and their averages at home and you’ll get the point. If conditions are flat, getting 20 wickets is hard. We’ve sacrificed individual milestones for team results.”Masood’s comments indicate that Pakistan have no plans yet to change what has been a successful strategy for them. While this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle has proven an unhappy one – they will finish second from bottom in the standings – they have, on paper, a much softer draw in the next two-year cycle. It sees them play three two-Test series at home against South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and three series away from home against West Indies, England and Bangladesh. Masood made it clear they had eyes on a final berth in 2027, and that, should it happen, the route lay through “winning all our games at home”.He also dismissed any concerns over dissatisfaction of his fellow batters regarding these playing conditions, and allayed fears over the redundancy of Pakistan’s Test fast bowling. “We can’t pit our bowlers and batters against each other,” he said. “The hardest thing to do here was batting and fast bowling. West Indies didn’t score 141 in either of their innings, and yet we had one partnership [Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan] do it. The mistake is we should maybe have tried to string a few partnerships around that big one. Performances aren’t just about scoring centuries; in some conditions, 10-20 extra runs can make all the difference.”If someone has to sacrifice there, like fast bowlers or batters, then so be it. There will be oppositions where we feel we can prepare seam-friendly pitches. Then fast bowlers will get the opportunity to get wickets like the spinners got here. We need to work on how we can progress as a team. A WTC is a two-year cycle, so fast bowlers will come into it. We have away series in England and the West Indies with the Dukes ball. When a subcontinent team comes here, we may prepare seam-friendly wickets. Over the bigger picture, no one’s role is being diminished.”Pakistan do not play another Test for nine months, and have just two scheduled over the next 14 months. For Masood, this was the biggest concern, and a situation he deemed unacceptable.”I’ve complained about this issue and raised it several times; a nation like Pakistan cannot just play 4-5 Tests a year. This is something we as a nation need to push for. A ten-month gap, and then if you come and play in these conditions, it can be completely different. Our first-class season will also likely only just have begun at that time. These ten months are important, and I hope we get international and domestic cricket, and the Test players we have, hopefully we can look after them in the next ten months so they’re ready for the series against South Africa in October.”Ten months is a long time in cricket and, as Masood knows only too well, especially in Pakistan cricket. But in a nation where captains can live or die by the results their team produces, it is little surprise Masood makes no apology for a strategy which, for now, has been giving his team those wins, regardless of the optics that accompany them.

Rain couldn’t completely dent Bangladesh’s only practice match on their tour of the West Indies, as the visitors had a pretty good outing against the West Indies Select XI in Coolidge.After the four-and-a-half-hour delay on the second day, Bangladesh reduced the hosts to 87 for 9, with rookie left-arm spinner Hasan Murad bagging a hat-trick. Murad removed Daniel Beckford, Navin Bidaisee and Chaim Holder back-to-back in the 28th over, after which Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons immediately signaled the end of the match.The Bangladesh bowlers had a moderate workout on the second day. Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud took two wickets each, while Shoriful Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz also got one apiece.One of Mahmud’s strikes, which came on the first evening, included that of the West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who was also leading the West Indies Select XI. That might end up boosting his confidence ahead of the first Test against West Indies, which starts in Antigua on Friday.Earlier in the game, Bangladesh had batted for 73.2 overs on the first day, before declaring on 253 for 7. Jaker Ali and Mahidul Islam had retired on 48 and 41, respectively. Litton Das, who had missed the second Test against South Africa at home last month due to fever, retired on 31 to kickstart the West Indies tour.Mominul Haque, Bangladesh’s most experienced cricketer on tour, also made 31. Bangladesh’s concerns, though, will continue to revolve around the opening batters Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Zakir Hasan, who both got out cheaply.For the West Indies Select XI, Jair McAllister and Holder had taken two wickets each, while Kimani Melius top-scored with 23 when they batted.

From crossing the divide between both Manchester United and Manchester City and starring at Juventus to featuring for Argentina, it’s fair to say that Carlos Tevez’s career isn’t short on moments to remember, or teammates for that matter.

The iconic forward shared a dressing room with some of the best players in football history, but the two that instantly stand out are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Whilst Tevez did become an Olympic Gold Medalist with Lionel Messi for Argentina in 2004, it was with Ronaldo at club level that he enjoyed the most success.

During the two seasons they played together at Old Trafford from 2007 to 2009, the attacking duo won the Premier League twice, the Club World Cup, the League Cup and the Champions League. To say their partnership was a success would be an incredible understatement.

Their best season together came in the 2007/08 campaign as they combined to score a total of 45 Premier League goals and help Manchester United on their way to another title-winning season.

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Of course, it wasn’t long after that when Tevez committed the ultimate sin of swapping Old Trafford for the chance to join arch-rivals Manchester City, whilst Ronaldo also left for Real Madrid at the same time.

The impact Tevez often made when partnering Messi for Argentina and Ronaldo at Manchester United is undeniable and the forward has been full of praise for both over the years, previously telling reporters: “Cristiano had to work and prepare himself to be the best, while for Leo it comes naturally.

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“Those are the greatest differences that I see between the two best players on the planet. Messi plays another sport. For him to score three goals [in any given game] is normal.”

As much as Messi and Ronaldo steal the headlines, however, when asked to pick his best ever teammate, Tevez chose to name an England and United legend instead of the men who dominated the Ballon d’Or podium for over a decade.

Carlos Tevez: Rooney was my best ever teammate

Snubbing both Messi and Ronaldo, Tevez revealed that Wayne Rooney was his best ever teammate during an interview relayed by GiveMeSport.

The impact that the England legend made as part of a deadly front three with Ronaldo and Tevez is clearly something that the latter has not forgotten and will not do so anytime soon.

Whilst some are quick to undervalue Rooney’s influence, Tevez went as far as putting the former United forward above two of football’s greatest-ever players when discussing his best teammates.

After officially welcoming Kyogo Furuhashi and sealing the return of Demarai Gray, Birmingham City have reportedly set their sights on two more arrivals this summer.

Kyogo instantly sets sights on Premier League

Whilst things didn’t work out at Rennes, Kyogo remains undeniably talented. It wasn’t so long ago that he was the star of the show at Celtic and even earning reported interest from Manchester City. Now, however, he is set to take St Andrew’s by storm after arriving in a deal that could eventually cost Birmingham around €12m (£10m).

The Japanese forward has instantly set his sights on the Premier League too, telling Birmingham’s official website after putting pen to paper: “I’m very happy to be here. I’m looking forward to working together with you all.

“I get fired up more in bigger games, but I score goals because of team-mates, so I’m grateful for that. I’d like to achieve the same here, and hopefully my goals will make everyone happy.

“I have good memories (from Celtic) with lots of titles, so it was a wonderful three and a half, four years. Lots of fans still say hello to me, so I felt I was really lucky. But this is a new place, and I’d like to do my best here.

“I’m here to help the team. I’d like to express what I can do on the pitch. I don’t want to talk a lot, but there’s a chance that we can go up to the Premier League. We all want to aim for that and after nine months, it will be great if we share the happiness of achieving that.”

What would once be a dream target could yet become realistic for the Blues next season, as Tom Brady and Tom Wagner reportedly turn their focus towards two more potential arrivals for Chris Davies.

Birmingham now eyeing Hara alongside free agent

As reported by Caught Offside, Birmingham and Wagner are now eyeing a move to sign Taichi Hara from Kyoto Sanga as well as an unnamed South Korean winger who is close to becoming a free agent. Both could yet arrive and take the Blues’ list of incomings to as many as 11 in another transformative summer at St Andrew’s.

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Named target Hara has already featured in Spain with Alaves and in Belgium with Sint-Truiden, but currently plies his trade in Japan with Kyoto Sangra. It’s there that he has earned plenty of praise from Japanese Football, with the X account taking the chance to speak about the forward’s “great” form back in September.

At 26 years old, Hara could now get the chance to add English football to what is a diverse CV if Birmingham push on with their interest and make their move this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur are in the market for another new forward this summer after sealing a permanent deal for Mathys Tel, with Thomas Frank reportedly eager to reinforce his brand-new squad ahead of the tactician’s debut campaign in the Champions League.

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It will be Frank’s first-ever season managing in Europe’s most illustrious competition, and far more eyes will be on the Dane in comparison to his successful stint at mid-table Brentford.

The pressure that comes with leading a ‘big six’ side will be very new to the 51-year-old, but it is something that Frank will need to take in his stride over the course of this three-year contract.

“Thomas Frank has done a brilliant job at Brentford, but this is a whole different kettle of fish,” said BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Chris Sutton.

Son Heung-min

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James Maddison

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Pedro Porro

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Dominic Solanke

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Dejan Kulusevski

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via WhoScored

“Because of the expectation at Tottenham, Frank won’t get time to get his feet under the table. He will be under pressure from the off. Postecoglou has just won them their first major European trophy for 41 years and has gone. So already you have to wonder what does Frank need to do this season to keep his job?

“The aim for Frank will be to keep them in the Champions League, and whether that is by making the top four or five, that is not going to be easy. That is a big ask for this squad, to compete on both fronts. We know this Tottenham team is better than 17th place, because they finished fifth in Postecoglou’s first year, but other Premier League teams have improved since then.”

Above all, Frank will need backing in the transfer market, and their indefinite deal for Tel simply won’t be enough.

Son’s very possible move to Saudi Arabia, which would put an end to his legendary 10-year stay at N17, has exacerbated Frank’s need for another proven winger, with Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo among their key targets in that regard.

Tottenham make contact over signing Antoine Semenyo

Tottenham have already been tipped to make a £65 million bid for Semenyo, but that won’t be enough, as journalist Pete O’Rourke explains to Football Insider this week.

According to the reporter, Spurs have made contact over a deal for Semenyo, with the Cherries having placed a £70 million valuation on their star front man. However, if Frank’s side meet this price tag and make the Ghanaian their club-record signing, Bournemouth are confident they can sign a “swift” replacement and have a “contingency plan” in place.

O’Rourke adds that there is a “real possibility” that Bournemouth could lose Semenyo amid Spurs’ approach, and he could be their fourth high-profile exit of the window after Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and potentially Illia Zabarnyi, who’s in advanced talks to join PSG.

The 25-year-old bagged 13 goals and seven assists in all competitions last season, playing a decent mixture of roles on the left and right-hand side.

Semenyo’s versatility and proven Premier League experience would be invaluable for Frank, but Daniel Levy will need to dig deep into his pockets.

The Argentine star has missed Inter Miami’s last two matches due to a muscle injury.

Could see minutes on SaturdayRodrigo De Paul absentTigres visit Wednesday in Leagues Cup playGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAFPWHAT HAPPENED?

Lionel Messi trained alongside his teammates on Wednesday in a session open to the media, signaling that his return to the field is near after missing two matches due to a muscle injury suffered against Necaxa in the Leagues Cup.

The notable absence at Florida Blue Training Center was Rodrigo De Paul, who was not sidelined for physical reasons but to finalize a visa process.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

missed Messi last Saturday in their 4-1 loss to Orlando City, a defeat that dropped them to sixth in the Eastern Conference with 42 points, though they still have three games in hand compared to other MLS clubs.

Messi could return as early as Saturday against LA Galaxy, although head coach Javier Mascherano has stressed he's in no rush to bring his star back, aiming to have him fully fit for Wednesday’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal clash against Tigres.

DID YOU KNOW?

Saturday's match will be the first encounter between LA and Miami since the Galaxy won the title. However, barring something unforeseen, it won't be a preview of this year's potential MLS Cup. LA haven't lived up to expectations and are currently sitting 15th in the Western Conference. 

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

will await Messi's status ahead of hosting LA Galaxy on Saturday as they look to get back to winning ways.

The 29-year-old batter’s toil in Pakistan’s first-class circuit attained meaning in Multan when he made a century on Test debut

Danyal Rasool15-Oct-2024Kamran Ghulam has never made any attempt to hide his desperation. All he wanted to do was play international cricket, and he would wait as long as it took. On Tuesday, 11 years on from his first-class debut, as he sat in front of the media after becoming the 13th Pakistani to score a hundred on Test debut, it is that burning desire he repeatedly recalled.”I’d been waiting for my chance a long time but I never gave up,” Ghulam, 29, said. “I had been waiting for my chance. That’s all I thought about. I kept being selected and then omitted from squads, and all I used to think about was how to take the chance I’d been given.”That thinking has paid off well. Ghulam came into the side under huge pressure as he replaced Babar Azam. The stakes were further raised by the situation he walke out to – Pakistan were 19 for 2, having lost Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique cheaply as the England spinners threatened to run riot.”When I came to the wicket we’d lost two wickets. But I wanted to play with a positive mind like I do in first-class cricket. That was at the back of my mind, and I wanted to play my natural game.”And Ghulam’s domestic oeuvre is particularly hefty. Only 12 players have scored more runs in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy since he made his debut in 2013, with his average, a smidge under 50, placing him behind only Fawad Alam, Saud Shakeel and Usman Salahuddin.It was what he drew on as he negotiated a tricky opening session, banking his aggressive shots before lunch, and setting the platform for a 149-run partnership with Saim Ayub that gently eased England’s grip on the game. He hung around when Ayub fell, building up another 65-run stand with Mohammad Rizwan, one in which he brought up his century with a slap over midwicket off Joe Root. By the time he fell, missing a drive off Shoaib Bashir who cleaned him up, he’d scored 118: his 17th first-class hundred.”I’ve scored a lot of first-class runs,” Ghulam said. “I didn’t care about the venue or the team, I just needed to make my debut. I knew I had a lot of hard work behind me, and thankfully that work has paid off for me.”He also acknowledged the circumstances in which he’d made his debut, paying tribute to the man he replaced in the side. “Babar is a very good player and at the back of my mind I was thinking he’s a legend, a very good player. But I thought I’d give 110% and play with a positive mindset. I knew I had to take my opportunity.””And,” he says in his vulnerable, soft spoken tone with characteristic understatement, “when it came, I did well.”

Having prioritised Test cricket last year, the batter hopes to get better and more consistent in T20 as Sunrisers eye another SA20 title

Firdose Moonda05-Feb-20252:34

Bedingham: ‘I don’t think I’ve found the sweet spot yet’

David Bedingham, intentionally or not, became the traditionalists’ hero last summer when he revealed he decided not to put his name in the SA20 draft so he could play Test cricket, specifically on South Africa’s tour to New Zealand. The SA20 was finishing as those Tests were starting and all South Africa’s first-choice players were contractually bound to stay behind for a T20 tournament still finding its feet. As expected, an under-strength Test side lost but Bedingham, with a defiant second innings century in the second Test, confirmed his reputation as a red-ball specialist.Fast-forward a few months, with schedule clashes out of the way and his spot in the Test side fairly secure, and Bedingham did enter the draft. He was picked up by defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, for what has been one of the biggest tests of his career. “I’m still trying to learn my trade in T20. I don’t think I’ve found the sweet spot yet,” he told ESPNcricinfo from Johannesburg, where Sunrisers will play the Eliminator against Joburg Super Kings on Wednesday. “Hopefully, the more I play, the better I’ll get and the more consistent I’ll get.”Perhaps, his role will become more defined. Bedingham started the campaign batting at No. 7 for Sunrisers and was promoted to opening in their third game, It took another match before he started to show glimpses of what he is capable of with a 20-ball 39 against Durban’s Super Giants. He has since also recorded two scores in the 40s which suggests he is most comfortable at the top. Indeed, of the 80 T20s Bedingham has played, he has batted in the top three in 53 of them.Related

Batters find life tougher in the SA20, but is it all the pitches?

Almost half of his matches (38) have been for Durham, where he averages 21.47 and has a strike rate of 141.19. Those numbers probably best explain the struggles he has had between trying to make an impact and searching for consistency in the shortest format. “For me, it’s just trying to find the balance of attack and defence,” he said. “In this tournament, I’ve probably found it harder to attack, so that’s why I’ve probably leaned more to [have] a defensive mindset and then in previous tournaments, let’s say in the Blast or the CSA T20, I’ve probably attacked too much.”And that approach has earned him 200 runs from ten league games which put him second on Sunrisers’ run-getter’s list, behind Aiden Markram. That tells as much of a story about how much they have struggled as it does about who they have relied on in a campaign that started with three defeats and has since been revived despite the challenges.Playing for Sunrisers has been one of the biggest tests of David Bedingham’s career•SA20

“I’ve found it quite tough. But I also feel that the bowlers that we played against have been quite good as well, so it’s probably a combination of both,” he said. “But speaking to the guys that played the first two seasons, they’ve definitely said that the wickets have played a bit tougher. I’ve spoken to Russ(ell Domingo, Sunrisers’ batting coach) and he said that in India, and England, those types of countries are probably a lot easier to bat in the first six overs, whereas in South Africa, you probably have to be a bit more circumspect. So especially in this tournament where the wickets have played quite tough, I think those first six overs have been crucial. And I think a lot of the teams, including us, have probably struggled in those first six overs.”All told, this edition of the SA20 has seen the lowest run-rate of the league phase with an average powerplay score of 45.6. Sunrisers have averaged 38.1 in their powerplay. Their opening pair has the lowest average of 15.60, and the second least number of runs, but they’re still working on their batting blueprint, particularly Bedingham.”I’ve basically tried to just play one-day cricket in those first three or four overs,” Bedingham said. “Obviously, if we have wickets in hand, then you can maybe push the tempo a bit but I’ve either been out in the first couple overs or we’ve three or four wickets in the first three overs, so it’s been quite tough to kick on and try and hit quick runs. But in saying that we’re in the Eliminator, so hopefully we can start off well and win that game.”Sunrisers are the only team to have won the SA20, and they’ve done it twice under the same coach Adi Birrell and captain Markram and seemed to have mastered the recipe for success. Now, it’s just about whether all the ingredients can come together to do it again.