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Dwayne Bravo has said it is too early for him to think about what effect leadership may have on his personal performance

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2013Dwayne Bravo has said it is too early for him to think about what effect leadership may have on his personal performance after he took over from Darren Sammy as the West Indies ODI captain. The five-match series against Pakistan which starts on Sunday will only be Bravo’s third after he was handed the captaincy ahead of the Champions Trophy, but he admitted he need to do better with bat and ball.”Since I took over the captaincy, I have only played a few matches and I did not get much opportunity,” Bravo said, according to the . “I even missed a couple of games through injury and the one match when I was banned. But personally, I am not going to actually analyse my own performance as yet, whether the captaincy is going to affect me or not.”As I said in previous interviews, I really need to actually step up a bit more with my batting, bowling and fielding, in order for the team to do well, since the team requires me to perform at my best and once I can do that, the team and by extension West Indies cricket will benefit some more.”Bravo has had previous leadership experience, having led West Indies in an ODI series in South Africa in 2008 after then captain Chris Gayle pulled out with an injury. He also took the reins against Zimbabwe at home earlier this year after Sammy was rested. Becoming regular captain now wasn’t a massive change, Bravo said. “I have been a leader in the team since I started playing, so this new role is not much of a difference. It just makes the challenge more mental for me, but I think I have the right number of guys with the experience to help me through the tough period.”West Indies had a mixed Champions Trophy, a win and a loss followed by a rain-hit tie that led to their exit. They started promisingly with wins over India and Sri Lanka in the Jamaica leg of the tri-series but lost to both sides in Trinidad to lose out on a place in the final. Bravo asked people to show more faith in his players, saying they had performed well in the past.”I am comfortable with the squad and I am comfortable with each and every player. I know a lot of players had poor form in the last series. But they are all good players and we know what they did in the past and there is not much I can say to them, but just to make sure they believe in themselves. I have to make sure they continue to back their ability.”They have done great for West Indies in the past and people must not forget that. We all know some persons have short minds in the Caribbean, but just remember the great things they have done for us over the past eight years or so and I am looking forward to the guys who have not done well in the last series, to come forward and do well.”West Indies play the first two ODIs against Pakistan in Guyana followed by three in St Lucia before the tour concludes with two Twenty20 in St Vincent.

Marchant de Lange is back with Trent Rockets after Wahab Riaz is forced out with an injury

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2021Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur will play no further part in the Hundred. While Mandhana, of Southern Brave, will fly back home to spend time with her family before the India Women’s tour of Australia next month – and will be replaced by Ireland’s Gaby Lewis – Manchester Originals’ Harmanpreet has a quad injury. Her team will not replace her.”I would love to be able to stay with the team until the final but we’ve been away from home for a long time with more tours ahead,” Mandhana said in a statement.” I’ll be watching the team at Lord’s and hoping they can continue our good form. It’s been a fantastic competition to be involved in and I’ve really enjoyed it.”Mandhana’s final innings was her best when, on Wednesday, she hit a 52-ball 78 to lead Brave to victory over Welsh Fire. Overall, she scored 167 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 133.60. Harmanpreet, meanwhile, aggregated 104 runs from three innings, striking at 109.47.Shafali Verma (Birmingham Phoenix), Deepti Sharma (London Spirit) and the tournament’s top run-getter at the moment, Jemimah Rodrigues (Northern Superchargers), are the other Indians in the fray.The Indian players who are in the squad for the tour of Australia – one day-night Test and three ODIs and T20Is each, between September 19 and October 11 – reached Bengaluru on Tuesday and are currently in quarantine before taking part in a pre-tour camp. The players who are part of the Hundred are expected to join them after the end of the tournament on August 21 before travelling together to Australia.There has been a change in the men’s Hundred competition too, where an injury to Wahab Riaz has led to a comeback for Marchant de Lange at Trent Rockets. Curiously, de Lange was released by the team just last week when Wahab, whose participation in the tournament was delayed because of visa-related issues, was finally available for selection.De Lange was one of the bowling stars of the early bit of the competition, with eight wickets from three games, before Wahab joined the team. But he left when Wahab returned to the UK after being forced to go back to Pakistan – he didn’t have a valid work permit – and sort the matter out, and then return to link up with his team.ESPNcricinfo understands that Trent Rockets will also be without Luke Wood for the final stages of the Hundred after he suffered a side strain. The ECB confirmed on Thursday night that Saqib Mahmood would be released from England’s Test squad to play for Oval Invincibles against London Spirit on Saturday.

Mahela Jayawardene’s second fifty as an opener and Travis Head’s beligerence converted a potential tricky chase of 176 into a cruise for the Adelaide Strikers

The report by Will Macpherson08-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahela Jayawardene’s second fifty as an opener converted a potential tricky chase of 176 into a cruise for the Adelaide•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Beware the wounded cricketer. At the end of the fourth over of Adelaide Strikers’ chase, Mahela Jayawardene – looking in simply sumptuous form – pushed Josh Lalor to short fine leg, and sprinted through for a single, as fast as his little legs would carry him. In doing so, perhaps with all 38 of his years showing, he overstretched, and felt one of quadriceps sting.This would be a situation relished by Brisbane Heat, on their last legs in BBL 2015-16. But, after five minutes of work treatment by the physio, Jayawardene picked himself up, pulled up his trousers (literally) and drilled James Hopes on the up through the covers for four to move to 31 off 13. By the over’s end, the Sri Lankan had driven Hopes down the ground for a stunning six. Jayawardene was not going to die wondering, and it was the foundation he set up courtesy a 30-ball 53 that helped the Adelaide Strikers move up to the top of the points table as they chased down 176 with eight balls to spare and eight wickets in hand.By the time Jayawardene’s innings had died, in the tenth over, wrongly adjudged leg before attempting to reverse sweep off a Samuel Badree googly, the Heat were on their knees, and the damage had been done. Before his injury, Jayawardene had consecutively top-edged Andrew Fekete for six, cover driven for four, then middled a pull for six; afterwards (despite some near-suicidal running from Tim Ludeman) he was ramping Ben Cutting over the keeper’s head, and skipping towards Badree and firing the ball back past him for four to bring up a second consecutive half-century since moving to the top of the order against Scorchers on Tuesday.A loss here meant Brisbane Heat’s last two games – both away from home – are irrelevant. Heat have been much improved, but they ran into a more efficient unit on Friday. Earlier, for once, Chris Lynn did not top score; Jimmy Peirson notched a fine half-century, standing and delivering, carting the ball down the ground, and targeting the leg-breaks of John Holland, before falling to Travis Head’s part-timers when ready to push on.Lendl Simmons was given leg before to Michael Neser’s second ball, but Chris Lynn appeared to shine briefly to help overcome the early damage. Billy Stanlake’s rangy seamers were dispatched for three fours in an over. Ben Laughlin was consecutively driven for four, past the umpire, then through the covers, but the introduction of Adil Rashid – now the competition’s highest wicket-taker, with 12 scalps – did for Lynn, as he tried to slog sweep against the spin and was caught at deep midwicket.Rashid’s four overs went for just a single boundary, and 17 runs, and his last delivery snared the Heat’s last dangerous hitter, Ben Cutting, bowled by a beautifully disguised googly. When Rashid was done, lusty hitting from Nathan Reardon, and a wonderful finish from Hopes, who took Neser’s final over for 17 with some impressive swiping across the line, carried Heat to 175 for 6.In response, Jayawardene’s early assault had done the damage, but Ludeman and Head picked up where he left off, accepting regular gifts from the Heat. If it was careless to allow a limping Jayawardene to amble between the wickets for ones and twos, it was downright irresponsible to drop Head on 4 (Sam Heazlett at backward point) and 7 (Josh Lalor, running in from backward square); plenty more sloppy fielding followed.As Ludeman anchored, playing conventional strokes, including a glorious cover driven four to move to 49, Head played himself in then freed the arms. They would become the first top three in BBL history to all reach 50 in a single innings, a stat in stark contrast to Peirson’s being the first 50 for the Heat this season not coming from Lynn’s bat.Lalor found a fine 14th over to briefly put Strikers’ brakes on, before Head began batting like it was the last night of 2015 all over again. Andrew Fekete played the role of Sean Abbott, driven over long-off, then twice pulled over square-leg, all for six. When he was caught swinging across the line (a ball after hitting Cutting down the ground for another six to bring up his half-century), Brad Hodge came out to drive down the ground and see them home. As their march toward a home semi-final continues, Strikers will hope the quad injury of their other elder statesman (and new lynchpin) Jayawardene is not too serious.

Bangladesh may receive most of the plaudits for their plucky performance for most of the three days of the drawn first Test but Hashim Amla believes that South Africa were in pole position when the weather intervened

Firdose Moonda25-Jul-20153:01

We had an advantage going into fourth day – Amla

Bangladesh may receive most of the plaudits for their plucky performance for most of the three days of the drawn first Test but Hashim Amla believes that South Africa were in pole position when the weather intervened. Amla, who is only in his seventh Test as captain and remains undefeated, saw an opportunity to push for a win had play been possible on the final two days.”We had a slight advantage, with Bangladesh having to bat on the last day. Even if we had got a score of 250, it would have been tough for Bangladesh to chase,” Amla said. “At 61 without loss, going into the fourth day, we had the advantage with us. The game was poised in our favour.”When play was called off midway through the third session on Thursday, South Africa were 17 runs behind Bangladesh’s first innings total but had not lost any wickets. Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl looked comfortable and were scoring quicker than South Africa had done for most of their innings. Given that, Amla’s idea that South Africa could have added another 267 runs does not seem unreasonable. Whether they would have been able to bowl a confident and mature Bangladesh line-up out on an unhelpful surface is another question.That’s why South Africa will probably take more out of the Chittagong Test from a batting perspective than a bowling one. Although their batting let them down in the first innings, the promise shown by Elgar and van Zyl bodes well for South Africa’s search for a new opening pair. Both are confident and bullish. Elgar, in his 16th Test and eighth as opener, had already adopted seniority. He was the grinder. Van Zyl, a regular No. 3 and in his fourth Test, compliments Elgar as the aggressor.Both offer a little bit with the ball as well, which did not hurt in a match where the rest of South Africa’s attack struggled. With no pace, no bounce and no swing, Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel were challenged. Amla praised their effort without being overly critical, perhaps because they all seemed to be getting back into the groove as the Bangladesh innings ended and may have been in it by the time Bangladesh batted again. “Our seamers tried exceptionally hard. “The wicket was probably the best to bat on when Bangladesh were batting and to their credit they batted really well. Our seamers tried hard and I think they put in a good showing,” Amla said.Worryingly, they did not seem to have put any effort in the weeks leading up to the series. Modern cricket’s packed schedule means rest is essential but so is preparation. Steyn and Philander did not even have a warm-up game before the first Test and Morkel bowled just five overs in the third ODI. Managing the pace pack is likely to be South Africa’s biggest challenge for the next nine months, which includes a full tour of India, a home series against England and the World T20.At least two of those series – the India tour and the World T20 – will require match-winning spinners and in that department South Africa are starting to become spoilt for choice. Simon Harmer was the most impressive bowler in the first Test, found considerable turn and showed fight in his willingness to flight the ball and invite the batsmen to take him on. He followed up a seven-wicket debut haul with a three-for in Chittagong and could push Dane Piedt to the edges of the picture.”Simon Harmer is turning out to be a good spinner for us; he showed good control, he has got a lovely energy and he fits into the team well,” Amla said. So much so that Amla “did not feel the need” to bowl their other offspinner, JP Duminy, before the 95th over of the Bangladesh innings. “We had Simon bowling offspin and Stiaan filled up a lot of overs in holding the game,” Amla explained.South Africa may further explore their spin options in the second Test in Dhaka where Amla said, “if it looks like a two-spinner wicket, it may be an option,” to play Aaron Phangiso as well as Harmer. It may also be an option to give Kagiso Rabada a run, especially if South Africa take inspiration from what Bangladesh have done with their young gun, Mustafizur Rahman.The hosts have provided a lot for South Africa to learn from, primarily that they are not to be taken lightly. South Africa saw that in the one-day series and after being humbled there, would want to ensure they make a statement in the format where they remain the top-ranked team.”We’ve come all the way from SA, so we want to be playing cricket. There’s no use getting frustrated with the weather. What counts is when we do have an opportunity, whether we take it or not,” Amla said. That opportunity will come again next Thursday.

John Glover led some late Glamorgan batting aggression to put his side in a dominant position at the end of the third day of their Championship match with Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl

04-Aug-2013
ScorecardJohn Glover did damage with the bat for Glamorgan•PA Photos

John Glover led some late Glamorgan batting aggression to put his side in a dominant position at the end of the third day of their Championship match with Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.Glover, who had hit only one previous half-century in his career, struck eight fours in an unbeaten 51 before his captain Mark Wallace declared with Glamorgan 129 ahead at 478 for nine in their first innings. In the 41 overs which remained Hampshire lost openers Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry in making 115 for 2, still 14 behind and with a day left.Both sides are in desperate need of a win, Glamorgan having won only once in ten Division Two fixtures and Hampshire twice. Glamorgan went into the third day at 226 for 4, still trailing Hampshire by 123, but they soon made up the deficit on their way to a healthy lead of their own on a pitch still offering little support to the bowlers.Chris Cooke, 73 not out, and Jim Allenby made their fifth-wicket stand worth 127 before Allenby edged Sohail Tanvir to Liam Dawson at slip when the score was 297. Cooke, eight runs short of his maiden first-class century, was dismissed in the next over, also caught at slip by Sean Ervine off Chris Wood just as a big opportunity beckoned.Cooke, whose previous best had been a modest 44, hit 16 fours, which hinted at his promise, and faced 153 balls but his exit only hastened some lower-order hitting by Graham Wagg, who made 33, Wallace, Dean Cosker and above all by Glover.Hampshire ran out of ideas in the heat of the Southampton afternoon as Wallace and Cosker each reaped 39 while the belligerent Glover took the attack to the tiring Hampshire bowling. In the end opening batsman Will Bragg, who made 5, was the only Glamorgan batsman not to reach double figures and the declaration came with No. 9 batsman Glover reaching his landmark.Glamorgan’s lead began to look formidable as Adams departed at 20, deceived by Cosker’s turn, and then Carberry departed at 102 after a second-wicket partnership of 82 with Liam Dawson.Carberry at least had the satisfaction of reaching 10,000 career runs in first-class matches while making 62 but his departure to Wagg’s medium pace lifted Glamorgan beliefs that their second win could be on the way at last.

Sakariya and Gaikwad talk about their maiden India call-up and what they’re most looking forward to in Sri Lanka

Shashank Kishore11-Jun-2021The year 2021 has given Chetan Sakariya some of his most cherished memories. But it has also taken away the pillars of his life. In February, his younger brother died by suicide days before the IPL auction. In May, soon after Sakariya impressed in his maiden stint with the Rajasthan Royals, he saw his father succumb to Covid-19.At 23, Sakariya is no stranger to hardships and struggle, having been the sole breadwinner of his family for the last three years, but he now wants to live with the happy memories life has thrown at him, like the news of his India call-up for the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka in July.Related

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“I would’ve been happy just going to Sri Lanka as a net bowler, so this is a massive surprise,” Sakariya told ESPNcricinfo. “At the IPL, I thought I exceeded my own expectations. Initially, I thought I may have to wait for my turn [at the Royals], but once I got into the camp, the kind of confidence and faith everyone showed in me, I got the vibes that I’ll start. So while it is a surprise [to be picked for India], I’m very much ready and confident with the way I’ve prepared.”After the IPL was suspended, Sakariya, a left-arm medium pacer, resumed training in the third week of May. Much of his routine has been focused on improved fitness and developing a strong core. He has been working under the mentorship of AT Rajamani Prabhu, a renowned strength and conditioning coach, in Chennai. The pair first worked together during a pre-IPL camp.”I enjoyed training under him at Royals, so when I was ready to resume, I expressed keen interest in training again under Rajamani sir. The franchise was very supportive of that and arranged everything – like my accommodation and travel – in Chennai, so that I could become a better version of myself. For the last 15 days, I’ve had two intense training sessions every day, with a short break for lunch and rest.”Sakariya has specifically been working on “energy system development”, a training method he explains as something where you “sustain energy over a long period of time through a dedicated training routines”. Ask him about the benefits, and he spontaneously says it has helped improve his agility.”I feel my movements are swifter, my core is stronger, and I believe I’m bowling a tad quicker as well. This side of training isn’t something I knew a lot of growing up, but I’ve felt a lot of change in the way I feel about myself. It’s been a busy routine in Chennai, but one I’m happy and satisfied with. I’m looking forward to learning a lot more with the Indian team.”Ruturaj Gaikwad is focused on getting “the process right”•BCCI/IPL

Sakariya isn’t the only one to have utilised this break to make changes to the way he approaches his training. Opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, also part of the 20-man tour party led by Shikhar Dhawan, focused on “sleeping early and become a morning person” so that the 7-11am window during lockdown at home in Pune was utilised in the best way possible.”In Pune, there’s been a lockdown since May, and things have been open only from 7-11am. So I wanted to ensure I didn’t spend that time sleeping,” Gaikwad said. “I wanted to utilise more of that time for my fitness work and gym work. I didn’t want myself to be caught off guard and be in a situation where I was picked but wasn’t conditioned enough.”Because he has tuned himself to going to bed early, he almost didn’t come to know of his India call-up on Thursday night when it was announced – he happened to check his phone only because he mistook the repeated ringing for distress calls from his friends.”When I go to sleep, I generally switch off mobile data. I know if it’s an emergency, someone will generally call twice. When my phones started ringing continuously, I wasn’t first sure what it was,” Gaikwad said, laughing. “Then two journalists informed me of my selection.”I had to wake my parents up to tell them. They were quite deep in sleep, and weren’t fully able to process what I was telling them at first. But this morning they woke up really happy and made some (sweets) at home, and I was happy to make an exception and have them to celebrate the happy news.”Like Sakariya, this is Gaikwad’s maiden call-up. Unlike Sakariya, Gaikwad, has been in and around the India A set-up. While he says the ultimate dream is to earn a debut, he wants to keep his mind blank and soak in the experience of being on tour with the national team.”I had a few good scores for India A two years ago, but I wasn’t thinking much about my selection,” he said. “Even now, I’m not thinking on the lines of ‘will I play’. My main focus is on doing my processes right. I’m looking forward to learning the knack of adaptability, something that will be very important going forward.”Once you play international cricket, teams and players watch you, they make plans against you. Dhawan and a few of the other seniors have played a lot of international cricket, so I’d like to learn from them by chatting to them about how they assess conditions, how they’ve adapted, how they’ve used their experience and learnt from their failures.”I am also really excited to train and spend a month under Rahul Dravid, who was our India A coach when I was part of the team two years ago. He was with us on three tours, and we started to get familiar with each other. So when he was appointed the National Cricket Academy chief, I was personally disappointed at not being able to pick his brains anymore. But now, getting a chance to do that will be very useful for me.”

The fact that Hampshire, and the club’s Ageas Bowl ground, remains a key local concern was evidenced by a walk-on part in the general election hoopla on Monday

Alan Gardner at the Ageas Bowl27-Apr-2015
ScorecardA new hotel finally reaches completion at the Ageas Bowl•Getty Images

The fact that Hampshire, and the club’s Ageas Bowl ground, remains a key local concern was evidenced by a walk-on part in the general election hoopla on Monday. Cricketers are notoriously apathetic when it comes to politics but Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister (for a few more days at least), was there instead to draw attention to another business venture, of the sort that are increasingly important to the finances of counties as modern-day institutions.Hampshire’s picturesque amphitheatre on the outskirts of Southampton was noticeably more busy than usual for a chilly April morning, though sadly it was not all down to the eternal pull of the Championship. Liberal Democrat leader Clegg had turned up to be photographed shaking some hands and taking a tour of the newly completed Hilton hotel at the ground.The hotel – which will feature a steakhouse called Beefy’s, the first foray into the restaurant business by Ian Botham, a close friend of Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove – is part of a £48m redevelopment, though it has been a source of controversy for its reliance on public money and the delays caused by one of the contractors going bust.Party activists bustled around the place holding placards and attempting to drum up support for the incumbent MP. The Liberal Democrats also run Eastleigh council, which helped fund the development and hotel construction after buying the ground of Hampshire in 2012. The hotel is due to open this week, a year behind schedule, and Hampshire hope it will help make their ground among the more attractive international venues in England. The question, a wag might ask, is which will be extinct first: Test matches or the Lib Dems?

Bird flies back to Australia

Hampshire have confirmed that Jackson Bird, the Australia seamer who was due to fill their overseas slot, will return home for treatment on a shoulder injury. Fidel Edwards, a Kolpak signing for the second half of the season, could join the county earlier than anticipated in order to cover the gap.
“Fidel wasn’t supposed to be coming in until later in the season, but we need that strike bowler with the new ball,” Hampshire coach Dale Benkenstein told the BBC. “We don’t know how long Jackson will be out yet, but if he does recover, he could play the last half of the season.”

Hampshire will host two ODIs this summer, featuring the touring New Zealand and Australia sides, but Bransgrove’s goal has always been to turn the Ageas into one of England’s leading Test grounds. A 2019 Ashes Test was not forthcoming when the ECB announced its most recent major match allocation but India will return in 2018; last summer, England began their Test revival with victory here but the scheduling, which saw the game start on a Sunday, and out-of-town location affected overall attendances.On-field success is only part of the equation, then, but Hampshire’s return to Division One after three years in the second tier provides further evidence of progress. Their opponents in this match, Nottinghamshire, are among those expected to compete for the title but Hampshire gave a good account of themselves on a slow day of wary cricket.Clegg did not hang around much beyond the start of play and neither did Alex Hales, Nottinghamshire’s first-innings centurion. With a general election around the corner, most parties are worrying about the polls; Hales didn’t do quite enough to protect his poles and lost off stump to former Nottinghamshire team-mate Andre Adams in the sixth over of the morning.Adams and Gareth Berg, with 73 years and plenty of historic niggles between them, helped Hampshire take 3 for 13 and the ninth Nottinghamshire wicket in time for another bonus point, before a 47-run stand between Luke Wood and Jake Ball held them up. While Wood spent the rest of the day bustling to the crease in the manner of Darren Gough, Ball’s contribution with the ball was limited to 1.5 overs before limping off with a back problem.The cloud cover that had encouraged Hampshire’s captain, Jimmy Adams, to bowl on the first day returned during the afternoon, during which the floodlights were switched on. Vernon Philander had deceived Liam Dawson into leaving his second ball – his first he had driven for four – to be bowled before lunch but Adams and Michael Carberry accumulated carefully during a second-wicket stand worth 66.They were separated by Wood, Nottinghamshire’s former England U-19 left-armer, who pitched the ball up and bowled with good pace, when he induced an edge from Carberry that was taken low at second slip by Samit Patel. Wood stood out for his nagging line and he also removed Adams, poking at one even as he thought better of it, for a gritty 61.The run-out of James Vince a few overs later gave Nottinghamshire hope of forcing the pace of the game but, as the Hampshire members huddled in the stands, Will Smith and Adam Wheater diligently plodded on until fading light brought an early close. Nottinghamshire, having drawn their opening two matches, will be hopeful that the morning brings about fresh impetus and perhaps better news on Ball. Harold Wilson is often quoted as saying “a week is a long time in politics” but, as the Test match in Grenada demonstrated, 24 hours can make quite a lot of difference in cricket.

The camaraderie – and needle – in the lead-up to the women’s exhibition T20 match in Mumbai is at a high; so is the desire to grow the game and share cricketing knowledge

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai22-May-20182:55

Exhibition T20 a precursor to women’s IPL

Ten months on from that scintillating World Cup semi-final performance, Harmanpreet Kaur has satisfied one of her long-held desires: to bat alongside one of her “favourite players” – Australia captain Meg Lanning.Ten months on from India fluffing their lines in a thrilling World Cup final, Smriti Mandhana’s self-proclaimed “boring” teetotal habits has found her an admirer in England batsman Danielle Wyatt.Ten months on from helping make either match-up possible for India at the World Cup, Veda Krishnamurthy has won over New Zealand allrounders Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine with “awesome chats”.

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Not for the first time has Harmanpreet, Mandhana or Krishnamurthy rubbed shoulders with non-India internationals; at the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia it’s been the norm since 2016. But for them – or any of their 17 India team-mates – to train at the Wankhede Stadium alongside ten top overseas players, to move to Bhangra numbers on team-bus rides, to discuss “life and cricket” during a welcome dinner at the iconic Taj hotel in Mumbai… Their journey these past few days has already become as momentous as their destination: the first ever Women’s T20 Challenge, set up as a double-header with the men’s IPL Qualifier 1.”When I went to Big Bash, all of them used to ask, ‘When is IPL starting?’ and I had no answer for them,” Mandhana, one of the captains in the one-off exhibition match, recalls on the eve of game.Annesha Ghosh

But now, as she prepares to lead Bates and her New Zealand team-mate Lea Tahuhu, Australian duo Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney, and England offspinner Danielle Hazell, Mandhana could possibly venture a tentative answer: not too long from now.

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Ten years ago, Ellyse Perry and Alyssa Healy had been watching Brendon McCullum “start the IPL with a bang”, live at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Then part of an age-group New South Wales cricket tour, the now best friends will be facing off at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.”Looking at world figures for major sporting tournaments, the IPL’s right up there in terms of crowd numbers along with NFL and Superbowl,” Perry said after training with her team, the IPL Supernovas, at the Brabourne Stadium. “From a female perspective that’s what we want to do: bring in more fans to the game, people who like watching the women’s game, appreciate the skill and nuances of the game, and also get to have their own heroes in different teams.”That, Perry believes, is the “real goal” for women’s cricket, and the match showcasing the best in women’s T20 at the IPL is a “huge landmark” in planning for the same.For Healy, who jokes about having “a bit too much of a personality” for her Trailblazers captain Mandhana to handle, the camaraderie that has blossomed in the two days’ of interaction between players is as important.”Obviously, going to the IPL and seeing all the boys learning off one another is really important for the game of cricket in general, and I don’t think women’s cricket has had that for very long,” Healy says. “There’s the Big Bash and [England’s] Kia Super League, but for us to be able to come over here and mingle with the Indian players especially and learn how to play better in their conditions, it’s only going to improve women’s cricket all around the world.”

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Suzie Bates is aware of the threats that await her in the future, both near and not so near. “I have played a lot of cricket against Jhulan Goswami, but over the past two days, I’ve had a few battles with [legspinner] Poonam Yadav in the nets. So [India T20I vice-captain] Smriti has already warned me the next time India play New Zealand, I’ll have to deal with a lot of overs from Poonam.’Annesha Ghosh

While chuckling at the prospect, Bates takes a moment to emphasise how alive she is to the immediate challenges at hand, especially from her New Zealand team-mate allrounder Sophie Devine.”They [Trailblazers] have really solid batting line-up. Meg Lanning, the way Danni Wyatt’s been batting, and Mithali Raj is a great ambassador for the game. I do enjoy having Sophie Devine in my team, but having her in the opposition is not going to be too much fun.”

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In the closing moments of the nets session at the Brabourne Stadium, Devine walks up to the India quick-bowling allrounder and her Supernovas team-mate Pooja Vastrakar. A brief, animated chat later, Vastrakar ends her session with a string of lofted strokes over an imaginary infield and a few flamboyant strokes down the ground.Putting aside these obvious benefits of such young India internationals meeting and mixing with the best in the women’s game, there are more advantages to be had by the next tier of players too. One of the four back-up players for India’s forthcoming Asia Cup, young quick bowler Sukanya Parida, isn’t part of either squads for Tuesday’s match. That, however, she refuses to count as a missed opportunity. “Why should it when you can bowl in the nets with someone like Devine?”And pick up tips on swinging the ball both ways, while you’re at it, of course.”That’s the cool thing,” Devine says of her interactions with the Indian players. “You can learn things from people who may not belong to your own team. It’s two-way traffic and I think to be able to share the knowledge this way… that’s what grows the game.”

Magnificently clean hitting and a century stand between the New Zealand duo staged a remarkable comeback against the hosts

Danyal Rasool24-Apr-2023Mark Chapman had been threatening to do this all series, and with the stakes at their highest, he went out and did it. A breathtaking display of magnificently clean hitting against some of the best bowlers in T20 cricket saw the 28-year-old score an unbeaten 57-ball 104, chasing down 194 to mount a comeback for the ages to stun Pakistan. It is the second-highest total ever chased against Pakistan in T20s, and also means New Zealand finish the series level despite trailing 2-0 after two games. It is also New Zealand’s 100th T20I win, one that will take pride of place in New Zealand T20 folklore.Few would have given them hope of achieving this when they rocked up in Pakistan from halfway across the world and had just one practice session under their belt when the series began. The task was made even stiffer by the depleted nature of their side, with eight first-team players missing owing to IPL duty. Even on the day, victory looked particularly improbable when Imad Wasim struck to remove Daryl Mitchell, leaving New Zealand tottering at 73 for 4 at the halfway mark.

Chapman and Neesham turn tables

But Pakistan hadn’t yet accounted for Chapman, and in a series he finished with 290 runs having been dismissed just once, that made the world of difference. He smashed Faheem Ashraf for 14 in the 11th over to fire a shot against Pakistan’s bow, warning them the game – and series – wasn’t done yet. It was a warning they would have done well to heed, but were rendered powerless against Chapman’s onslaught. With James Neesham’s unbeaten 45 off 25 a more-than-able supporting act, Chapman took apart each Pakistan bowler, quick and slow, right-arm and left-arm.The next five overs saw 71 runs scored, and New Zealand had turned the contest on its head. By now, Chapman was nearing his hundred, but continued to attack. There was some luck against Shaheen Shah Afridi; Shadab Khan dropped an easy catch before Afridi dropped him off his own bowling on 98. That sloppiness allowed him to race back for two, and complete the 100 he so richly deserved.By now, it was a run-a-ball equation for the last two overs, and for Chapman in this form, it was a cakewalk. A little nudge into the on side sealed the deal with four balls to go, giving Pakistan a reality check – and a bloody nose – before the five-match ODI series begins later this week.Mark Chapman and James Neesham stunned Pakistan with their century stand•Associated Press

The triple-strike

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan might have got Pakistan off to a great start, but much like New Zealand have done in almost every match this series, the bowlers hit back strongly once more. An off-colour Babar was the first to fall, in the final over of the powerplay, as he miscued an on-side slog. Mohammad Haris came in with two balls left of the powerplay and was eager to make up for lost time, only to misread an offcutter from Blair Tickner and attempt to lap over short fine leg off his first delivery. Ish Sodhi took a comfortable catch before coming on and dispatching of Saim Ayub with a wrong’un for another duck. Pakistan had suddenly lost three wickets for one run in five balls, and a good Pakistani start had been laid to waste.

Rizwan’s 98* – and Pakistan’s weird slowdown

It’s perhaps churlish to nitpick a T20 hundred, but there’s no way to avoid it. Rizwan has been a run machine for Pakistan in T20Is since 2021, as well as one of their most potent matchwinners over the years. Despite a relatively lean run by his high standards, he began with the truculence befitting the format, hurtling along even as Babar struggled and wickets tumbled at the other end. He provided the start, he held the innings through the middle, and arguably merited the century at the end.But T20 centurions are like presidents – if you really want to be one – you probably don’t deserve it. Had Pakistan continued to attack the death overs like any side maximising their run-scoring potential should, Rizwan’s hundred might have come organically. Instead, he opted for relative caution, and the final few balls were almost wholly geared towards getting Rizwan those final few runs rather than giving Pakistan every extra run they could scrape.Imad was run out trying to scrape a bye, even though he was the batter in better striking form, and because that didn’t get Rizwan on strike, Faheem Ashraf took just the single rather than the two that was on off the penultimate ball. Rizwan didn’t get to three figures anyway, but that had more to do with him scoring just one boundary off his final 13 balls.Chapman, by contrast, barely seemed to register what score he was on when batting on 98. Afridi had just one ball left, and could have been milked for a single or seen off. Yet, the batter tried a high-risk jab into the on side only to see the ball fly straight up. The century didn’t matter, and yet Chapman got it – and his side the win – anyway.

Shaheen Afridi’s first over

Ahh, how we’ve missed this. Afridi didn’t have a first-over wicket to his name all series, but on Monday in Rawalpindi, it was as if that most captivating ability had never been away. It began with a first-ball wicket – not quite the inswinger tearing through a right-hand batter’s defences, but one that moved away from left-hand batter Tom Latham, who spliced it tamely to Shadab at point. A few testing inswinging deliveries to Will Young set him for the one that angled away, kissing the outside edge and carrying through to Rizwan. New Zealand were two down in an over, and Afridi was back, but only to see a remarkable comeback from New Zealand’s Nos. 5 and 6.

Albie Morkel has become the second South African player in the past one week to consider his international career over

Firdose Moonda04-Apr-2013Albie Morkel has become the second South African player in the past one week to consider his international career over. In an interview to the , Morkel admitted he does not see the IPL as an opportunity to stake a claim for a national recall.”By all counts I won’t play for South Africa again, so it’s not a desire of mine to prove anything to anyone,” Morkel wrote. “My focus will be to do my best for CSK and contribute on and off the field.”Last Thursday Ashwell Prince signed a two-year Kolpak deal with Lancashire and yesterday went to Lord’s to confirm the end of his ambitions to play for South Africa.Morkel and Prince both lost their central contracts last month, when CSA announced their 21-player list. Also dropped from the books was Jacques Rudolph, Rusty Theron and the retired Mark Boucher. The four who are still playing were told by convener of selectors Andrew Hudson that they would be considered for the national team if any of them showed exceptional form, but the reassurance has not been a comfort to two of them.Prince, who last played in the Boxing Day Test of 2011, appears to have accepted losing his place in the Test line-up. Mohammed Moosajee, the South Africa team manager who has known Prince throughout his career said that at 35, the batsmen was simply looking for ways to “further his career before retirement,” so that the administrators harbour no hard feelings over his new contract.For Morkel, the situation is a little different. He is regarded as one of the top Twenty20 allrounders in the game, has been called one of the best finishers by MS Dhoni and, on face value, seems to have all the qualities South Africa need in a powerful middle-order hitter in limited-overs. But his numbers do not match his reputation.In ODIs, Morkel averages 23.69 with the bat and 37.98 with the ball and has seldom put in the kind of match-winning performance expected of him. His strike rate in T20s sits at over 142.73, but with South Africa’s constantly changing structure there was never room to use him as an opening bowler and there was not a designated spot in the batting line-up for him.
Morkel did not settle into a role, as he did at CSK, and the lack of certainty seemed to impact on his performances. Stephen Fleming alluded to that at the 2012 Champions League when he explained why Morkel’s success in the IPL outweighed his achievements at international level.”He is a bit more secure with us and a bit more in spotlight which may make him more comfortable with CSK in his role,” Fleming said. “When you have got a talented side like South Africa, they try different techniques and tactics all the way through and he may be searching a bit for his role within the side.”The system gave Morkel many years, but not enough successive matches, to find his place and eventually cut him off. Although Hudson did not close the door on Morkel, he left it barely ajar when he said the selectors felt it was time to “move forward,” and had “one or two other options in mind for the limited-overs formats.”Ryan McLaren is the first choice allrounder at the moment but Chris Morris, Morkel’s new team-mate at CSK, is another of the players South Africa are looking to blood in that role. Morkel had nothing but praise for the man whom he may end up facing off against for a place in the starting XI. “Chris has really done well in the last two seasons in South Africa. He is a fierce competitor, bowls fast and can hit the ball long. He will definitely win CSK a few games,” Morkel said.Or his graciousness may just be another sign of how well Morkel has been managed by Fleming and how much he enjoys playing under him. Morkel will meet up with his CSK team-mates after playing in the South African domestic T20 final on Sunday which means he will not be available for their opener against Mumbai Indians on Saturday.