Fingerspinners are increasingly making their presence felt in the powerplay in IPL matches

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Sep-2020In the early years of the IPL, offspinners were the go-to spin bowlers. Late-career Muttiah Muralitharan kept the Chennai Super Kings’ middle overs tight, Harbhajan Singh rocked it for the Mumbai Indians, and before long, Sunil Narine and R Ashwin would come through. In the first five IPL seasons, offspin comprised 41% of the spin deliveries, compared to 24% for wristspin and 35% for left-arm orthodox.In the years since, however, offspinners have slipped in popularity in limited-overs cricket, compared to slow bowlers of other descriptions. Globally this perhaps has something to do with the crackdown on the doosra, which many offspin bowlers have not been able to consistently deliver legally. (The carrom ball is generally much easier to pick from the hand.)It has been no different in the IPL. Although offspinners deliver roughly the same proportion of deliveries, relative to other kinds of bowling, as in the early years of the last decade, the rise of wristspin has been marked. Where in the 2014 season offspinners, left-arm orthodox bowlers and wristspinners all delivered just under 15% of the overall deliveries bowled, the popularity of wristspin has grown significantly since then, largely due to their wicket-taking potential.

The opener hasn’t played a single T20I this year but knows the next two weeks are crucial with the T20 World Cup looming

Shashank Kishore26-Aug-20224:16

KL Rahul: ‘Playing Shaheen Shah Afridi could have helped challenge ourselves ahead of the T20 World Cup’

KL Rahul is yet to feature in a T20I this year because of injuries, and in the time he has been away, India have shifted towards a new approach to the format from a batting perspective. He may not have been an active part of this process, but he’s aware of it, and happy to buy into it as India look to fine-tune preparations leading into the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.On Thursday, Rahul had his first hit with the T20I squad after arriving from Zimbabwe, where he led India to a 3-0 sweep in the ODI series. With scores of 1 and 30 in the two innings he played in Harare, his own batting form was patchy, and Rahul’s focus in the nets was simply on enjoying an extended session.Even as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav brought out their artistry, Rahul seemed intent on bringing back his fluency. VVS Laxman even jokingly stopped him from coming out of the nets twice. Rahul enjoyed three stints in all, over a three-hour session.Related

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He was edgy against pace initially, and was beaten on length on at least three occasions by Arshdeep Singh’s angle away from him. Rahul held his own against Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s swing, though, getting right behind the line and moving swiftly into position to drive and play straight. His sessions were closely monitored by two cameras – one behind the stumps and another in front of cover, just outside the net.After his first 30-minute session, Rahul cooled off for a bit and went back in for round two against spin. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin challenged him by pushing him back with a series of quicker ones and sliders. Rahul focused on his back-foot play, and the big shots that weren’t seen in his first session slowly surfaced late into his second as he tonked a straight hit over the sightscreen.In the third session, Rahul was simply focused on meeting the ball with giant forward strides, especially against Arshdeep, who bounded in tirelessly. The left-arm seamer was tossed a new ball that he swung back in from different lines, ranging from fourth stump to middle, just to get Rahul playing straight and ensuring he wasn’t bringing his front pad in the way. For someone who has all the shots in the book, this session was all about the basics.Then, as the last round was called, Rahul had fun, paddling and ramping deliveries before ending with a flat-batted slap to walk off tired and happy. The punch on the bat as he walked off resonated with satisfaction at grinding his way in.KL Rahul last played a T20I in November 2021•BCCIOn Friday, Rahul spoke of India’s new approach and of enjoying the challenge of bringing it to life. At IPL 2022, his most-recent competitive T20 outing, Rahul’s powerplay strike rates barely crossed 100, drawing plenty of chatter from pundits and former players. In the death overs, though, which he seemed intent on building towards, he struck at 198.36. Overall, Rahul ended the season with the second-most runs – 635 in 14 innings at a strike rate of 135.38 – behind Jos Buttler.”This new approach, we’d spoken about it much before when I was part of the team early on in the year as well and just after the [2021 T20] World Cup,” Rahul said. “Last season we had spoken about what we need to improve individually and how as a team we try to be more aggressive, put the bowlers under pressure by going out there and play with a lot of authority, freedom and aggression.”So I was there when that happened. Unfortunately, I have not been able to play too many T20Is since then, but we have played the IPL, and I played with the same approach, tried to see how with that same approach I can be consistent and still contribute to the team. I haven’t played since the last two-three months, and that is a challenge for me, one I am looking forward to.”It’s done really well for us, the new approach. What the team wanted and what the captain needed has been embraced by everybody, every player in the team, which is great to see and that is the biggest step. That big step has already been taken and embraced by the players, so from now on it’s only about building on it and getting stronger and by the time the World Cup comes, everyone knows exactly what to do.”The next two weeks could be another test of Rahul’s work towards returning to being the white-ball destroyer he can be. He isn’t the captain, and he has a middle order that can take apart the best of attacks. From a team point of view, it’s all systems go. Rahul couldn’t ask for a more ideal scenario than this.

Mitigating circumstances aplenty for England, but formulaic nature of defeat is a concern

Andrew Miller23-Mar-2021The strut of champions is an indefinable attribute for a sporting team. You can project it without actually having a trophy to back up your confidence, as Eoin Morgan’s men managed to such convincing effect in the months leading up to the 2019 World Cup. And you can lose it just as quickly, even while the big prize is still glinting in your cabinet, as Liverpool for example have been demonstrating in this season’s Premier League.So, what should we read into the post-match musings of Morgan and Virat Kohli in Pune, as the captains of England and India put very different spins on their first ODI encounter of the new World Cup cycle?Morgan, in keeping with his very procedural take on England’s white-ball evolution, insisted he was happy once again to write off a pretty thumping defeat as a “learning” experience – even if he did have to rely unusually heavily on management buzzwords at the post-match presentation, as he called on his players to “upskill”, “execute better” and “push the envelope”, among other less-than-rousing exhortations.Kohli, by contrast, was not mincing his words, or his excitement, at getting one over the World Champs in such a surging fashion.”One of our sweetest victories in recent past … I am a really proud man right now,” he gushed, with particular reference to his latest debutants, Krunal Pandya and Prasidh Krishna, who emulated the efforts of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel, among others this season, by finding their feet on the big stage at the very first time of asking.Perhaps, like Scotland’s victory at Wembley in 1967, it was a bit too convenient for Kohli to over-state such a performance at precisely the wrong moment in a World Cup cycle. But then again, England as a team and a fan-base lapped up the thrill of watching Morgan’s men go toe to toe with Australia and New Zealand in the summer that followed the 2015 World Cup. You might quibble at the timing but never at the intent, and besides, that projection of attitude didn’t exactly go to waste in the long run.Either way, the excitement, and the energy, was as palpable in India’s moment of victory as it has been absent in England’s somewhat formulaic demises in their past three games – with three failed run-chases across two formats in Ahmedabad and Pune, ostensibly their favourite form of slam-dunking a white-ball contest.Virat Kohli was pumped up by India’s performance against the World Champions•BCCIAnd yes, there are mitigating circumstances (entire bio-bubbles full of them, in fact) as well as some live and kicking evidence of the team’s enduring class and threat – most obviously in another sensational opening partnership from Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, an alliance that has now racked up more than 2500 runs in 42 innings, at an average in excess of 60 and a run-rate of more than seven an over.But, once that platform had been set, there’s no escaping the fact that England’s performance was defined by the follow-up that they lacked – most notably, the absence of Joe Root at No.3, who would have been able to stroll out to the middle at 135 for 1 in the 15th over, and tiptoe his way to a run-a-ball 30 before anyone had noticed he’d arrived.Instead, there was a short-lived appearance from Ben Stokes in his stead – an experiment that surely had more to do with his lack of traction during the T20I series than any suggestion that this will be his long-term berth in the 50-over format – and a pair of failed auditions for finishing roles from the returning Moeen Ali and the luckless Sam Billings, whose jarred collarbone had distressing echoes of his shoulder dislocation in the final months before the last World Cup.At least they got time in the middle, which is one of the most problematic aspects when it comes to stress-testing middle-order options in the 20-over format. And at least the absence of Jofra Archer at the death ensured that Tom Curran – and, to a less destabilising extent, Mark Wood – were exposed to the realities of death-bowling against India’s IPL-trained lower-order.Related

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But Curran, perhaps more than anyone in this England squad, is a player who leans on a mental projection of confidence as much as the skills that he can bring to an exacting role. He’s had a bruising time of it in recent months – at the IPL as much as with England – and right now, with his faith in his methods eroded, he’s living proof that the strongest teams are only as good as their weakest links.England are very capable of fighting back in this series, of course. But the manner of Tuesday’s defeat was markedly different from the round-for-round haymaking that the two teams indulged in four years ago, when England lost the ODIs 2-1 but not before they had posted scores of 350 for 7, 366 for 8 and 321 for 8 in consecutive innings – each one of them higher than the 318 they were set for victory here.And their deliberate retreat from the psychological high ground brings with it dangers of a different kind. Winning is a habit, as England discovered on their march to the summit in 2015-19, and confidence begets confidence along the way. Losing for the sake of learning, on the other hand, tends to become known simply as losing if you get too used to the feeling.”We actually don’t guard the No.1 status at all,” Morgan said. “Everything is built towards planning on being competitive at a World Cup and trying to improve our skills over that period of time.”The competitive nature in which we operate isn’t always about learning and making mistakes,” he added. “Sometimes people take how much quality you have to produce in an international game for granted. You can’t just have a good plan and win a game, or you can’t just learn along the way and lose a game. It has to work simultaneously.”

According to Smart Stats Sam Curran’s efforts with the ball came at a time when the opposition had a higher chance to win.

ESPNcricinfo stats team19-Apr-20212:58

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

One allrounder takes 3 for 7 and hits 26 off 20, while other takes 2 for 24 and tonks a 6-ball 13. Who would be your Player of the Match? The former? Well, that indeed was the official choice for the award in the game between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. That performance had come from Moeen Ali, and the latter, were Sam Curran’s stats in the match.However, ESPNcricinfo’s Smarts Stats rates that Curran’s impact on the match was higher than Ali’s. Smarts Stats not only takes into account the quality of the batters dismissed, but also the situation in which a bowler bowls, among other things, to arrive at an impact value for the bowling performance. The match situation is quantified and fed into the calculations through ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster tool, according to which, Rajasthan Royals’ chances of winning the match were at their highest during the Powerplay. Curran sent down three overs during that period and took out Royals’ captain Sanju Samson, in addition to dismissing Manan Vohra. Curran’s two wickets were worth 3.04 Smart Wickets, including Samson’s wicket which was valued at 1.71.ESPNcricinfo LtdBut surely the wickets taken by Ali – of David Miller, Chris Morris and Riyan Parag – were bigger than those taken by Curran? That’s where the Smart Stats looks at the ‘context’. When Jos Buttler got out to Ravindra Jadeja in the 12th over, Royals were already facing an uphill task: they needed 102 runs off 54 deliveries. Historical data in major leagues and internationals between top teams pegs the win probability of the chasing team at 30%. Smart Stats further adjusts this win probability for the batting quality left and the bowling quality it is up against in the current match. It pegged Royals’ chances at only 19% at the start of the 12th over. By the time Ali took Miller’s wicket in the next over Royals’ chances of winning had dropped to single digits. Ali twin strike in his next over – that of Morris and Parag – came at a time when the match was lost, statistically at least, according to the Forecaster. That’s why Ali’s three wickets were worth only 1.85 Smart Wickets.Curran seemingly was less economical than Ali, but he bowled three over upfront, conceding only 12 runs from this first three overs. By the time he bowled his last over – an expensive one, off which he conceded 12 runs – Super Kings had already won the match. Overall, Curran’s impact with the ball earned him 66.7 impact points, while Ali’s earned 34.7 points.
Ali managed to bridge some gap through his efforts with the bat – his 26 runs were worth 31.7 impact points, while Curran’s cameo was worth 21.5 – but Curran’s exploits with the ball meant that he was the Smart Stats player of the match.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

With just over a year until the 50-over World Cup, a few of the questions facing Aaron Finch’s team

Andrew McGlashan26-Aug-20220:34

Warner: ‘Cricket schedule over next five years looks scary’

Chance for Abbott
For a cricketer of the quality of Sean Abbott, 13 international appearances since a debut in 2014 is scant reward. Injury has not always been kind to him – his recent tour to Sri Lanka was ended before it started due to a broken finger – and as a pace bowler (and pace-bowling allrounder) he is in a skillset where Australia are well served. But with Pat Cummins rested from these two series and six matches in quick succession it would be a surprise if there wasn’t an opportunity for him at some stage. He was in the side for the three games against Pakistan earlier this year where he had stronger returns with the bat than ball in what were tough conditions for pace bowlers. He enters this series on the back of a useful spell for Manchester Originals at the Hundred which included a return of 4 for 8 where he became the first bowler to complete two maiden sets of five balls in the men’s competition.Cameron Green could be down at No. 8 in an allrounder-heavy side•Getty ImagesHow many allrounders?
Abbott is also part of a wider debate about the balance of Australia’s one-day side. Ahead of next year’s World Cup there is a move to lengthen the batting at the expense of another specialist bowler. In the six matches Cameron Green has played this year he has batted at Nos. 7 and 8, effectively becoming one of three quick bowlers alongside whichever pair of specialists is selected. He took the new ball during the series against Pakistan although was sparingly used against Sri Lanka given conditions. Australia are trying to work out if the combined overs from the likes of Green, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Marnus Labuschagne give them enough bowling depth alongside two specialist quicks plus Adam Zampa. Having the batting ability of Green as low as No. 8 should, in theory, allow them to go harder earlier in an innings and push for totals well beyond 300.Related

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Who at No. 3
The day before the opening match, Aaron Finch confirmed that Steven Smith would slot in at No.3. It makes a lot of sense. Marsh has been a resounding success since moving to No. 3 in Australia’s T20I side and in his most recent ODIs – three games against West Indies last year and three against Sri Lanka after recovering from a side strain – he has taken the same role. In the 50-over format he has yet to enjoy the same returns, with a top score of 29 in six innings against West Indies and Sri Lanka, and was seen as a player capable of exploiting the powerplay. However, the knock-on effect was moving Steven Smith and Labuschagne a spot lower down in the order. Smith makes no secret of liking to start an innings as soon as possible – he made a half-century at No. 3 against Sri Lanka when Marsh was sidelined – and in 2020 against India (he has only played two ODIs since) he scored back-to-back hundreds from 62 balls from No. 3. Overall, his ODI average in the position is 53.85 – putting him comfortably inside the top 10 – it drops to 35.61 at No. 4.

Captain Gerhard Erasmus says the experience of the last T20 World Cup gave them an idea of the skills required at this level

Firdose Moonda16-Oct-20223:07

Craig Williams: ‘Don’t be surprised if Namibia start winning big games’

Two days short of a year ago, Sri Lanka bowled Namibia out for 96 in their T20 World Cup opener and won by seven wickets. Not even 365 days have passed, but, as Gerhard Erasmus put it, “the tables have been turned”. His team has just beaten Sri Lanka by 55 runs to start the 2022 T20 World Cup.The difference between those two events? 12 months, of course, but not just any 12 months – 12 months of immense growth for the Namibian side.”There was more hype and childish belief last year,” Erasmus said. “This year was more something of [knowing] we can relate to that level. Mentally, we can relate to that level. We can also now physically and skilfully relate to that level.”Related

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After that heavy defeat in 2021, Namibia recovered to have a fairy-tale run through the group stages and qualified for the Super 12s. There, they beat fellow Associates Scotland but were blown away by bigger teams. They lost to Afghanistan, Pakistan and New Zealand by margins of 45 runs or more and to India by nine wickets, and lessons were learned.”We’ve played India, Pakistan, all these teams before,” Erasmus said. “We’ve seen it, we’ve tasted it and we’ve sort of closed that gap by becoming one step closer to them and getting the physical feel of what it’s like. That gave us the belief this time around.”If at any point Namibia were flirting with a false sense of grandeur, they were brought right back down to earth when they saw, what Erasmus called, “the tabloids”, which gave them “about an 11% chance” of beating Sri Lanka.”As soon as we knew that, it gave us that underdog feeling again. Having that with a bit of real belief, not the childish, behind-the-scenes belief that you’ve played at that level – that’s what happened today. We just went onto the field on an equal footing to the Sri Lankan side.”

“The experiences we had from last year’s World Cup really gave us a good idea of what type of skill we need to have to be able to compete at this high level. The speed of the ball is more, the quality of the skills and the percentage of execution that guys are playing at is higher”Gerhard Erasmus

It didn’t always look that way though.Namibia were 35 for 3 inside five overs and 93 for 6 in the 15th before showing some of the progress they have made. Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit took advantage of a Sri Lankan attack that went with slow, short deliveries at the death and gave Namibia what Erasmus thought was an above-par total.”The experiences we had from last year’s World Cup really gave us a good idea of what type of skill we need to have to be able to compete at this high level. The speed of the ball is more, the quality of the skills and the percentage of execution that guys are playing at is higher. We got some powerplay boundaries today which were scored behind square. We were much more comfortable playing mystery spin [Maheesh Theekshana] and [Wanindu] Hasaranga towards the middle and towards the latter end, bludgeoning the ball a bit harder. Those types of skills, we’ve had to put together over the last 12 months.”In this time, Namibia have had several opportunities to test themselves. They went toe-to-toe with Uganda and Zimbabwe. Playing as the Richelieu Eagles, they were also part of a domestic T20 tri-series that included the Lahore Qalandars and Lions from South Africa. Erasmus emerged from that competition as its third-highest run-scorer.Over the last 12 months, Namibia focused on how to play the short ball, which is what they expected to be their biggest threat at this World Cup.The Namibia players get together in a huddle after their win•Getty Images”We worked on synthetic wickets – AstroTurf and cement wickets – at home and we trained for the short ball since we know the bounce is a bit more in Australia,” their batter Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton saidApart from attempting to mimic Australia as much as possible, they also roped in, as bowling consultant, an adopted Australian: Morne Morkel, the brother of their assistant coach Albie and someone who knows more about the short ball than most. While Zane Green described Morne as the yang to Albie’s yin – “the fun guy that brings the energy to training and matches” – Erasmus said just having someone different has helped. “Being a team where there are not many fresh players coming in because of our small player base, it’s always brilliant to have someone new on the coaching staff.”While facing Morkel in the nets would have helped improve the batters’ skills, his primary job was to help the bowlers and the results are already showing. The Namibian quicks stuck to a hard length and an off-stump line to force a Sri Lankan collapse that will be talked about for ages.Last year losing to Sri Lanka was the catalyst that pushed Namibia to up their game and reach the Super 12s; this year, beating them has to do the same job. It’s only the first match of three and Namibia can ill afford to take their victory for granted, even though they are going to celebrate it for everything it is worth.”Everyone is very glad at beating a Test nation for the first time ever [Namibia have previously beaten Ireland and Zimbabwe], and on a world stage, in the opening game,” Erasmus said. “It’s a massive event in our lives and it should be celebrated. But it’s going to take a massive mental reset from our point of view because we can get carried away with celebrations and historic events like this. The recovery periods between these games are so quick. It’s only the start of the tournament and we really need to have our eye on qualifying for the Super 12s, which is the main goal for me.”