All posts by h716a5.icu

South Africa’s dominance in Centurion, Rohit vs Rabada, and more

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Dec-2023163 First-innings lead conceded by India in Centurion. It was the fourth-lowest lead they conceded when they suffered an innings defeat. It was also the first time in 40 years that India lost a Test by an innings despite falling less than 200 runs behind after the first innings.The last such instance was against West Indies at Eden Gardens in 1983, where they were bowled out for 90 after conceding a 136-run lead in the first innings.1 Innings wins for South Africa since their readmission in 1992 with a first-innings lead of less than 163. They had defeated England by an innings and 12 runs at Lord’s in 2022 despite a lead of only 161 runs.7.66 South Africa’s win-loss ratio in Test cricket at SuperSport Park in Centurion. It is the joint-highest for any team at a venue where they played 20 or more Tests. Pakistan also have a 7.66 win-loss ratio at Karachi’s National Stadium.South Africa have won 23 of the 29 matches they have played at SuperSport Park, a win percentage of 79.31, the highest for any team at a venue in Test cricket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Innings wins for South Africa at home against India, both in Centurion. The first one came in 2010, when they won by an innings and 25 runs.1263 Balls bowled in the Centurion Test, making it the shortest completed Test between South Africa and India. The previous shortest was the Ranchi Test in 2019, lasting 1325 balls.34.1 Overs India’s second innings lasted, their joint-shortest all-out innings in South Africa. In 1996 as well, they were bowled in 34.1 overs in Dubran, for 66.Their second-innings total of 131 is their third-lowest in South Africa, after 66 and 100 they posted in that 1996 Durban Test.51 Test wickets for Kagiso Rabada against India. He became the fifth South Africa bowler to take 50 or more Test wickets against India.12.8 Rohit Sharma’s batting average in South Africa. It is the second-lowest for any player with at least ten innings in top six in the country. Mohammad Hafeez averaged 11.83 in 12 innings he batted in South Africa. Rohit’s average against Rabada in South Africa is 6.2, with five dismissals in six innings.

A recap of what’s happened with the pink ball at the Gabba, and someone overall numbers for Australia in day-night Tests

Andrew McGlashan24-Jan-2024 vs Pakistan, 2016-17Asad Shafiq almost pulled off a miracle for Pakistan, getting them to within 40 of what would have been a world-record chase. Adding 71 with Yasir Shah into the final afternoon, Australia were getting nervous before a brute of a delivery from Mitchell Starc removed Shafiq for a brilliant 137.For the majority of the game, it never looked like being so close. Australia were in the early stages of rebuilding their batting order after the series loss to South Africa a few weeks earlier. Peter Handscomb had scored a maiden Test century in a stand of 172 with Steven Smith, while fellow newcomer Matt Renshaw made 71.In reply, Pakistan were blown away under lights on the second evening as Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird wreaked havoc. Hazlewood was on a hat-trick when he removed Babar Azam and Younis Khan.After opting not to enforce the follow-on Australia quickly built their lead before leaving a target of 490. There was more top-order resistance this time, but at 220 for 6 a comfortable victory was on the cards, particularly with another night session to come. That wasn’t how it worked out.vs Sri Lanka, 2018-19Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson enjoyed themselves against Sri Lanka five years ago•Getty ImagesDespite Australia coming off a series defeat to India, Sri Lanka were predictably overwhelmed by their pace attack. Pat Cummins led the way with what remains his career-best match figures while Jhye Richardson made a mark on his Test debut.It was Nathan Lyon who claimed the first wicket of the Test, but from then on it was the home side’s quicks who got to work. Sri Lanka were bundled out in little more than two sessions on the opening day, although Australia didn’t initially have it all their own way with the bat.Early on the second day they were 82 for 4 before Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head – at the time junior members of the team – added 166 for the fifth wicket.Cummins struck with the final ball of the second day and Australia did not even need the assistance from the night-time session to complete victory with Cummins taking the first four wickets of the innings.Key statsAll of Australia’s bowlers have formidable records with the pink ball, led by Starc in terms of the wicket tally.Australia have never lost a day-night Test with their batters finding a way to score enough runs, and sometimes filling their boots. Labuschagne and Head have been particularly profitable.Although the sample size is small with just the two matches, the third session of the day has the lowest bowling average in day-night Tests at the Gabba. In Adelaide, which has hosted seven day-night Tests, it’s the first session of the day.

Karachi Kings are in a spot of bother and Azam Khan is making his presence felt

Danyal Rasool05-Mar-2024Sultans supremacyThe Sultans rank third on the overall wins table at the PSL, and if that doesn’t seem remarkable, it should. They started out two full seasons late, and yet just two other teams boast more wins than their 43, with their win-loss ratio of 1.535 comparing very favourably with teams in the other big franchise leagues (IPL, BBL, CPL, SA20, T20 Blast, the Hundred, BPL and LPL). In fact, it’s pushing up to top-10 levels. And it’s because every year, they seem to put together the sort of season they’re having now.Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy, from his charisma to his tactics, is unmatched across the league. A set-up that blends local with foreign coaches, and more groundbreakingly boasts the only female coaches in the league, would have likely received significantly more scrutiny if results had gone awry. Instead, their on-field performances have been near-flawless, with the league’s two top wicket-takers, a spinner and a fast bowler, hailing from the franchise. Just about every single win has been comfortable, and as the table takes shape, it’s hard to argue they aren’t the best team in the competition.The last four seasons have seen the Sultans finish top or second after the league stages, and they have made three of the last four finals. While history suggests anything can happen in the knockouts, Sultans’ league supremacy remains unrivalled.Karachi (the Kings, the crowd)If the Kings lose a game but no one shows up to watch it, did it actually happen? The team is under new management and captaincy, but all they’ve accomplished so far is demonstrate that they are slightly better than a Qalandars side at its worst. Seems like a lot of effort for little reward.The first leg was played in Lahore and Multan, and the Kings might have hoped moving to Karachi would help reinvigorate them but it hasn’t worked out like that. Then again, is it really home advantage if the home crowd doesn’t show up? The relatively sparsely populated stands in ostensibly Pakistan’s most cricket-mad city stood in stark contrast to what Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan offered.Karachi’s absent crowd is a regular whipping boy for the other franchises, especially the only one below them on the points table. But if you’ve ever been to the National stadium without a media or VIP pass, you’d be surprised that anyone shows up at all.No one quite knows how to get there on matchday, with security protocols maddeningly random, and ticket printing booths far away. And while at Gaddafi stadium, it can almost seem like there’s no bad seat, in Karachi, there’s barely a good one. Chain-link fences obstruct the view for anyone sitting closer to the front, and if you move further back, you can barely make out the players let alone the ball.It’s not the spectators who’ve let that stadium down, but the other way around. And, for now, the Kings haven’t exactly given them a reason to turn up, either.Azam Khan has come back from a quiet start with two blistering knocks•PCBThe Azam Khan culture warThe Azam Khan culture wars take on a fresh dimension every week, and after a feeble start to the PSL, two blistering innings have demonstrated the batter’s value to his side. He isn’t Pakistan’s best keeper, fielder, or runner, and so it can seem as if he has more going against him than for him. But there is perhaps no one in Pakistan cricket who can overpower a bowling attack towards the backend of a T20 innings like the Islamabad United wicketkeeper, making up for lack of agility with fearsome strength and the sweetest timing.Tim David once told ESPNcricinfo he’d consciously worked on becoming a lower-order hitter because everyone wanted to bat in the powerplay in T20 cricket. As Pakistan wrestle with how to fit an expanding pool of top-order players into the top three, Azam continues to press his case at a time of the innings few put their hands up.The PSL’s unusual spinnersWhile the national side has suddenly run dry of T20 spinners, the PSL can’t get enough of them. Leggie Usama Mir is now the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, while mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan place third and fourth.But Abrar isn’t the only unorthodox spinner in the PSL this season. Peshawar Zalmi’s Arif Yaqoob, who has barely played any first-class cricket, took four wickets in an over to deny United at the death, and has an action so uncanny you can barely keep an eye on his wrist, let alone the ball. Quetta Gladiators’ Usman Tariq, meanwhile, breaks off all his momentum by coming to a near standstill at the moment of release, and then holding the pose like a penalty taker waiting for the goalkeeper to commit.Salman Fayyaz of Qalandars appears to fall away as he sends down his legbreaks, though he did remain upright enough to take a sharp return catch and get rid of Alex Hales. Sultans have tried out Faisal Akram, perhaps best described as a left arm wristspinner with a googly for a stock delivery.Abrar remains a cut above the rest, but the emergence of the others suggests an experimentally permissive culture at the PSL. For spinners, history suggests that can only be a good thing.

ESPNcricinfo looks at the road ahead for Gautam Gambhir as he takes charge as head coach of India

Shashank Kishore10-Jul-2024More than six years since playing his last competitive game, Gautam Gambhir takes over as India’s head coach at the age of 42, the second-youngest Indian after Kapil Dev in the late 1990s to be given the job. Fiercely competitive on the field, and feisty and outspoken off it, Gambhir takes charge of an Indian side that qualified for the finals of the last World Test Championship and ODI World Cup in 2023, and just won the T20 World Cup in 2024.What are the big assignments coming up for Gambhir?His first series in charge is a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka at the end of the month, followed by two Test series at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand, which are part of the ongoing World Test Championship. India are currently on top of the WTC points table and well placed to make the final.The first big one for Gambhir, is India’s five-Test tour of Australia at the end of the year. India won their previous two Test series in Australia, in 2018-19 and 2020-21, and this contest could be crucial to the final shaping of the WTC points table.So what does Gambhir have on his coaching resume?Well, he hasn’t coached a domestic or international team previously in List A or first-class cricket, but that’s not unusual for the Indian team. For example, both Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble did not have prior coaching experience when they took charge in 2014 and 2016 respectively.Gambhir got the job on the back of successful stints as mentor of two IPL franchises. Under his guidance, Lucknow Super Giants qualified for the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons, and then he oversaw Kolkata Knight Riders’ run to the title in 2024. So in that regard, Gambhir’s pathway to the India job is extremely different to his predecessor Rahul Dravid, who spent years as head of the National Cricket Academy and coaching India’s age-group and A teams.Will Gambhir have to make any tough calls in the near future?In terms of personnel, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20Is, the transition is already underway in that format. The ODI and Test set-ups are stable for the near future and the question of transition or succession may only arise after the Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship in 2025.Gambhir, in his role as a media professional, has been critical of senior players resting between high-profile assignments but with his tenure likely to run until the 2027 ODI World Cup, he might have to work with a workload management plan to have India’s best players at their fittest for the most important assignments.Data or instinct, where will Rohit and Gambhir meet ?After winning the T20 World Cup, Rohit thanked Dravid in a poignant note for leaving all of his “accolades and achievements at the door” and making the players feel “comfortable enough to say just about anything” to him.Rohit and Dravid were often aligned in their strategies and used data and analytics in their planning, like when they selected four spinners in their T20 World Cup squad because of conditions in the West Indies.Gambhir is driven more by instinct and less by data, something he has stated a number of times, which means he may need to get onboard with a major aspect of Rohit’s captaincy, both with India and formerly with Mumbai Indians.Rohit (37) and Gambhir (42) are also contemporaries, having made their international debuts four years apart. They were regular India team-mates between 2009 and 2013 and opponents in the IPL up until 2018.Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir appeared to bury the hatchet in IPL 2024•BCCIGambhir and Kohli being in the same dressing room?In 2009, Gambhir handed over his Player-of-the-Match award to a young Kohli who had scored his maiden ODI century. A year later, the two shared a crucial third-wicket partnership to prevent a collapse in the 2011 ODI World Cup final. Then in 2016, Gambhir made a comeback to the Test side under Kohli’s captaincy.But it’s their on-field confrontations in the IPL – as captains in 2013, and as mentor and player in 2023 – that has defined public perception of the equation between the two. In IPL 2024, however, the two were seen to be more friendly with each other in public. When asked about his relationship with Kohli, Gambhir said the “perception was far from reality.” And when Kohli was asked about it during the season, he said: “I hugged Naveen [ul-Haq, with whom he had an altercation in IPL 2023], and then the other day, Gauti came and hugged me … We’re not kids anymore.”Gambhir comes across as a firebrand in public, will he be as aggressive as a coach?It’s true that Gambhir has been involved in a fair share of heated moments – on social media and in person – over a number of issues ranging from cricket to politics. However, he is believed to be someone who goes to great lengths to stick up for those in his team. For example, his altercation with Kohli in IPL 2023 is believed to be a result of him not taking kindly to a verbal spat between Kohli and the LSG fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq. And in 2017, he had a run-in with the Delhi state coach over the handling of youngsters in the team.Gambhir has been outspoken against giving an individual excessive limelight in a team game, a philosophy he followed during his mentoring stints at LSG and KKR.So what impact did Gambhir have as mentor during KKR’s run to the IPL 2024 title?In IPL 2021, 22 and 23, Sunil Narine had scored only 154 runs and had stopped opening for KKR. Once Gambhir returned to the set up as mentor in 2024, he convinced Narine to go back up the order and to play without pressure. Narine went on to score 488 runs at a strike rate of 180.74 to go with his 17 wickets, his best bowling performance in an IPL season since 2018.Off the field, Gambhir is believed to have been a mediating influence between the head coach Chandrakant Pandit, whose old-school methods brought huge success in domestic cricket, and a number of overseas players who found Pandit’s approach unusual.

What the modern cricket team wants – less of the Buchanans and Wrights and more of the Ted Lassos

Alan Gardner04-Aug-2024The coach is a form of transportation that gets you to the ground. So said the late great Shane Warne, who knew more than most about the game and always had a line to wind up an opponent (in this case, John Buchanan, the man in charge of the Australia team Warne played for).But then, one of Warne’s last gigs before his untimely death a couple of years ago was head coach of London Spirit in the Hundred. Just how much coaching he actually is open to question, given it was an experimental format, Eoin Morgan was the team’s captain… and Warne spent a chunk of his only season in charge isolating due to Covid. Nevertheless, he would have had plenty to pass on, even if some of it was about pizza toppings. Perhaps, given Warne’s capacity for misdirection, his original observation was an early outing for the now ubiquitous banter bus rather than a carefully considered personal philosophy.The wisdom of Warne (or otherwise) came to mind recently, after some high-profile ins and outs on the roster of international coaches. India decided that, after the grace and humility of Rahul Dravid, whose three years at the helm featured appearances in the global showpiece finals for all three formats and culminated with a first World Cup win since 2011 for them, his replacement would be Gautam Gambhir – a man of furiously beetling brow best known for getting into stoushes with the opposition during his roles as an IPL mentor. Oh, and with no actual coaching experience.Related

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Meanwhile, Matthew Mott, whose extensive CV includes multiple world titles across the men’s and women’s game, was let go halfway through a four-year deal by England having () just taken them to the T20 World Cup semi-final, where they lost to future champions, India.Perhaps this all makes more sense when looking at the example provided by England’s other head coach, Brendon McCullum, who graduated from twiddling about on the fringes of the Knight Riders T20 multiverse to overseeing a cult movement built in his name within a couple of years. Never mind arranging net practice or helping players with technique, we are now in the era of the coach as hype man, vibes merchant, live-your-best-life guru. These guys wouldn’t even take Warne’s jibe as a slight. Need a lift? No problem, bro.Trading on bluster rather than expertise isn’t completely revolutionary, of course – Ravi Shastri successfully repurposed his commentary-box routine for the dressing room as one of Dravid’s predecessors – but we’re in strange territory when Andrew Flintoff is being touted as the man to replace Mott when his most high-profile coaching achievement is teaching some teenagers from Preston not to hate cricket for a BBC documentary.As with so many things, maybe Warne was closer to the truth than we thought. A coach may not be for getting to the ground, but these days at least, they do need to pump the players’ tires.

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This year’s edition of the Hundred is supposedly being viewed as a “shop window” by the ECB, as it tries to tempt overseas investors to stick a little money in the kitty for English cricket’s long-term benefit. But what if the shop in question is more Poundland than Harrods? (For overseas readers unfamiliar with Poundland, the clue is in the name.) The ECB’s proposals to sell shares in the eight teams were described as “delusional” and a “car crash” in one newspaper report – and that was the opening night of the men’s competition, when 100 was less of a description than an unachievable goal (Birmingham Phoenix 89 off 81 beaten by Oval Invincibles 93 off 69). The fear is that whatever the window dressing, franchise owners shopping around for their next shiny toy are quickly going to realise that what’s on the plate is a nothing burger…

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Sri Lanka’s batting in their recent T20I series with India has already inspired some of the sickest burns you’re likely to read on this website. But the epic scale of their self-pwnage in the third match was so bad it almost became good, only to be ruled bad in the final analysis. With nine runs needed from 12 balls and six wickets in hand, Sri Lanka faced up to Rinku Singh and Suraykumar Yadav like a collection of tenpins in the crosshairs of Jesus Quintana. Rinku and Suryakumar duly picked off their first four wickets in international T20; Thanos clicking his fingers dreams of causing such destruction. Then, having scrambled a tie to force a Super Over, Sri Lanka managed to score one run off the bat for the loss of two wickets from four balls. Somebody please give this team a Darwin Award.

It has been a disappointing year for India in the shortest format but they have a positive record against in-form West Indies

Sruthi Ravindranath14-Dec-20242:52

Harmanpreet: Australia series was learning experience for young bowlers

Can India end their gloomy T20 year on a high?Despite winning 13 out of 20 T20Is they’ve played so far this year, it’s been a disappointing year for India in the format. After starting the year with a series loss to Australia in Navi Mumbai, India bounced back with a dominating 5-0 win against Bangladesh away. In July, they went unbeaten into the final of the Asia Cup but suffered a heartbreaking loss to Sri Lanka. The heartbreak continued in the T20 World Cup in October when they were knocked out in the group stage after losses against New Zealand and Australia. The next World Cup, in the ODI format, is set to take place next year in India, but this T20I series is not without context, especially for the hosts. It is a chance for them to rethink their approach in T20Is, especially in crunch games, and also start building their squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup in England.Related

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WI’s chance to improve their record vs IndiaWhile West Indies arrived in Navi Mumbai a week early to acclimatise, India have been dealt with a rough schedule. They have barely had time to prepare after finishing the ODI series in Australia, which finished on December 11, and took a day off on Friday to rest it out. That they lost 3-0 to Australia in that series also doesn’t help their case. West Indies will want to use this opportunity to improve their record against India.The results between these two sides have been one-sided, with West Indies losing 13 out of the 21 matches they have played against India. In fact, West Indies have lost their last eight games against India. But an overall improved form this year, where they have won six out of their last eight T20Is and also made the semi-final of the T20 World Cup, will add to their confidence.”We’ve been working really hard and been really focused on our game and what we can improve,” West Indies captain Hayley Matthews said on the eve of the first T20I. “Coming up against a team like India, we know it is going to be a tough assignment. But we have been playing some really positive cricket over the last year and back ourselves to hopefully go out there and be able to change things around a bit.”Harmanpreet Kaur keeps an eye on proceedings•PTI Are India too dependent on their Big Two?Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur are among the top three for most T20I runs in India this year. That Mandhana and Harmanpreet were the top run-scorers in the Asia Cup final and the T20 World Cup match against Australia, respectively, highlights India’s dependence on the duo. India have also lacked firepower in the middle order, with the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma and D Hemalatha (dropped for this series) struggling to score consistently. Rodrigues, Deepti, Mandhana, Yastika and Hemalatha also played in the recently concluded WBBL but none of them had great returns.Selection questionsIndia have dropped Arundhati Reddy and Shafali Verma from both ODI and T20I squads. When asked about the reason behind it, Harmanpreet said the question should be directed to the “right people”.Reddy was the joint-highest wicket-taker for India at the T20 World Cup. Shafali, who was dropped for the Australia ODIs as well, has been racking up the runs in the domestic one-day tournament where she’s currently the highest run-scorer for Haryana and second-highest overall with 330 runs in six games with one century and two fifties. She even took three wickets with her offspin in Saturday’s match against Vidarbha to go with her 68 off 39 with the bat.There’s also been plenty of chopping and changing. Hemalatha, who played eight matches, has been dropped from this series. Amanjot Kaur, who last played in the Australia T20Is earlier this year, has not found a spot since. Uma Chetry has been travelling with the team since her call-up for the South Africa series in July but has played just four T20Is so far.The likes of Priya Mishra, Saima Thakor, Minnu Mani and Titas Sadhu have also been named in the T20I squad as well, but whether they will get their chance to play remains a question. Seamer Thakor, who had a breakthrough WPL 2024, may earn her T20I cap and take Reddy’s place having already played six ODIs. India have also handed maiden call-ups to Uttarakhand batters Nandini Kashyap and Raghvi Bist. Both players are known for their big-hitting abilities and are coming off good domestic seasons, and India might want to try them out as they look for fresh faces to build for the next T20 World Cup.Deandra Dottin has been a key figure for West Indies since her international return•Getty ImagesThe Dottin impact for WIWest Indies have hugely benefited from Deandra Dottin’s return to internationals. She was their top run-scorer at the T20 World Cup, scoring at a strike rate of 162.16 and hitting most sixes (9) in the tournament. She singlehandedly threatened to take the semi-final away from New Zealand, first taking four wickets and then scoring 33 off 22 in the chase. Her wicket was the turning point in the game as West Indies lost by eight runs.She has also had success with the ball, highlighted by her recent performances in the WBBL, where she finished with ten wickets in Melbourne Renegades’ title run. Matthews has been excellent as an opener, but West Indies rely on Dottin’s power game for quick runs in the middle and death overs.”She is an impact player on the whole,” Matthews said of Dottin. “She is obviously a very dangerous player out on the field. When you speak about something in T20 cricket, what’s very important is boundary-hitting and six-hitting and there are probably not many people in the world that can strike a cricket ball like her. So it’s just been great to have her back. She has really enjoyed being back in the group, and I think everyone is taking her in well again. It has just been good to have it back on and off the field.”

Top five: find out who the fastest to the landmark are

Abhimanyu Bose29-Mar-2025Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill has become the second-quickest to 1000 IPL runs at a single venue, reaching the milestone in his second game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in IPL 2025. He got there in just 20 innings. It came up during the fourth over of GT’s second game of the season, against Mumbai Indians (MI). Here’s a list of the five fastest batters to 1000 runs at a single venue in the IPL.Chris Gayle, Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru – 19 inningsA part of the holy trinity of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting line-up along with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle left his mark on the Bengaluru faithful by hitting bowlers all around and out of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Gayle took just 19 innings to get past the 1000-run mark at the venue, and finished with 1561 runs at an average of 41.07 and strike rate of 159.93.Chris Gayle kept racking up the runs in Bengaluru•BCCIGayle also struck three centuries in Bengaluru, including the 175 not out against Pune Warriors in 2013, which remains the highest individual score in a men’s T20. Gayle got to the 1000-run mark one game after that fabled knock as he hit a 53-ball 77 in a defeat against Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab).Shubman Gill, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad – 20 inningsBrought in as one of the four pre-auction picks GT were offered when they were introduced as a new franchise in 2022, Gill became the face of their batting line-up quickly, taking to his new home ground like a duck to water. Gill averages an incredible 60.23 in Ahmedabad with a strike rate of 160.25 after his 27-ball 38 against MI.Shubman Gill made himself at home in Ahmedabad quickly•BCCITwo years ago, Gill was nearly unstoppable at this venue, scoring 572 of his 890 runs there, with two centuries including his career-best 129, also against MI, in their Qualifier 2 match.David Warner, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium – 22 inningsDavid Warner’s love affair with Hyderabad is a storied one, and despite the unpleasant ending with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he truly made it his home away from home. In his first IPL game at the Rajiv Gandhi Internation Stadium, Warner was a visiting batter, for Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils), and he hammered an unbeaten 109 against the now defunct Deccan Chargers. He never looked back.David Warner really loved batting in Hyderabad•BCCIWarner racked up 1623 runs at an average of 64.92 and strike rate of 160.53 in Hyderabad, hitting three centuries along the way. He crossed 1000 runs at the stadium during his 59-ball 126 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2017.Shaun Marsh, IS Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali – 26 inningsThe first winner of the Orange Cap, Shaun Marsh made the most of his home venue, scoring 1064 runs at a strike rate of 130.23. He averaged 44.33 in Mohali, where he scored 289 of the 616 runs that saw him top the scoring chart in IPL 2008.Shaun Marsh celebrates a fifty that also saw him go past 1000 runs in Mohali•BCCIUnlike the three players above him on the list, Marsh got the majority of his runs from No. 3. He went past the 1000-run mark in his penultimate innings in Mohali, a 43-ball 58 against Gujarat Lions in IPL 2017.Suryakumar Yadav, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai – 31 inningsSuryakumar Yadav is widely recognised as one of the best T20 batters in the world, and it was after his move to MI from KKR that he really started to take off.Suryakumar Yadav truly came into the spotlight for Mumbai Indians•BCCISuryakumar has 1083 runs at Wankhede Stadium, 1034 of those coming for MI, with two centuries. He has struck at 162.12 at MI’s home, despite the team not playing there for two seasons during his prime owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.In MI’s penultimate home game in IPL 2024, Suryakumar struck an unbeaten 102 against SRH, going past 1000 runs at the ground in the process.

A surprise promotion to No. 3 set him on course to play a match-winning innings

Sidharth Monga30-Mar-2025Sometimes one cursory glance at a scorecard can tell you the story of the match. In a 182-vs-176 match, eight batters batted more than 10 balls. Only one managed a strike rate of over 150. That of 225. Over 36 balls.Mega auctions can be tough on the mid card. Nitish Rana was one such solid and bankable mid-card player with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In the year immediately preceding the auction, Rana injured his middle finger and played only two games. A year before that, he was their captain as Shreyas Iyer was out with injury. It is difficult for teams to reward loyalty with only so many players they can retain. In Rana’s case, the India cap he earned when two India teams played simultaneously in 2021 disqualified him from being retained in the uncapped quota.It is not to say the hurt was not justified. When KKR didn’t bid for him nor use the right-to-match card for him, Rana’s wife posted on social media: “loyalty is expensive, not everyone can afford it.” What a time then to produce his best IPL knock: only his fifth score in the 80s but his only half-century at more than two runs a ball.Related

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That Riyan Parag would be pushed from mid card to main event was decided and conveyed to Rana even before the RR coach Rahul Dravid talked up Parag as the No. 3 in a press conference. There was a clear plan to what Dravid wanted, and he didn’t want it telegraphed to the opposition, who had anyway taken a long flight from Chennai to Guwahati with one day’s gap between their two defeats.RR wanted to make the most of the powerplay, so it made sense to deploy a low-cost wicket, but they also wanted to deny Chennai Super Kings (CSK) the use of R Ashwin with the new ball. CSK have Khaleel Ahmed to exploit the early movement, but have struggled for a quick to share the new ball. Sam Curran’s replacement, Jamie Overton is also more of an into-the-pitch user of the older ball.Now, you might wonder, why a left-hand batter to deny an offspinner? For starters, by now you know Rana enjoys a sweet match-up against Ashwin, who finally managed to dismiss him for the first time today but not before the carnage. Ashwin, though, is not the only offspinner to suffer at the hands of Rana. Before this game, Rana averaged 33.9 and struck at 154.13 against all offspin in the IPL.It’s not that CSK were not aware of the match-up, but they didn’t have too much choice but to go to Ashwin once Rana got off to a flier. Against left-arm orthodox, Rana enjoys an even better match-up. Off 21 balls from Kuldeep Yadav, the only left-arm wristspinner he has faced before this game, Rana had scored 36 runs without getting out. There could still be a case made for going to Noor Ahmad before feeding Rana the bowling of Ashwin, but CSK are a side that plays percentage cricket. Not for them such fancy moves of bowling Noor inside the powerplay only for the seventh time in an IPL career of 26 matches.2:27

Rapid fire review: How did Rana play so well when others couldn’t?

Rana didn’t waste any time in showing why he dominates fingerspin so much. He swept Ashwin for successive sixes and a four immediately. Ashwin was aware of the spin threat, which explains the attempt at really full balls, but he ended up overcooking two of the first three. The full length nearly worked when he got an lbw call but the DRS review reinstated Rana. He went on to drive Ashwin over extra cover and also reverse-hit him for four. In between, he also played perhaps his best shot of the innings: an inside-out extra-cover drive off Noor.While it was the perfect tactical ploy by Dravid and Parag to exploit CSK’s lack of bowlers who can test Rana with high pace, Rana took care of the execution perfectly.In an interview on Rana’s comeback last year, Harsha Bhogle said he was trying to catch a glimpse of his injured finger, to which he had said: “Sir, that I can’t show you because it is my middle finger.”Given his anger at not being valued enough by his previous franchise – Rana and his wife unfollowed KKR on socials – he showed his mature side in a “rocking-the-baby” celebration.

The three teams contest a tri-series in Sharjah starting on Friday, in preparation for the grander Asia Cup next month

Danyal Rasool28-Aug-2025Pakistan and Afghanistan had initially planned a three-game T20I series to get some practice in ahead of the Asia Cup next month. That dry run has become even more faithful to conditions at the Asia Cup now that the series is being played in the UAE itself. The hosts, themselves a participant at the tournament, also join, making it a tri-nation series that in the past may just have looked like one group of an Asia Cup.Beyond its value as match practice for the Asia Cup, the significance of this tournament is limited, especially in the case of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The two sides are in different groups at that tournament, which takes place in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and not Sharjah, where all games for the tri-series will be held.The mood music around Pakistan cricket at the moment is overwhelmingly negative, but they will go into this tri-series as favourites. They’re set to continue on the path of progressive, high-intent T20 batting that has characterised their approach over the last three T20I series under new white-ball coach Mike Hesson.Related

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What Pakistan do about their bowling line-up, though, is more intriguing. Up till now under Hesson, Pakistan have – for better or worse – showcased a clear preference for allrounders over specialist bowlers in a bid to lengthen their batting line-up. It has meant anywhere between five to eight overs from non-specialists.That has worked for the most part in high-scoring contests where weaker opposition can essentially be batted out of the game; Pakistan won comfortably at home against Bangladesh, as well as two of the three games against West Indies in Florida. On slower, lower wickets where par scores range below 150, though, things have proven tricky, something Bangladesh exploited effectively in a 2-1 series defeat in July. With the surfaces in the UAE more likely to resemble those rather than anything seen at Gaddafi or Fort Lauderdale, how flexible Pakistan are with that strategy may go a long way to determining the kind of tournament they have.Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be key for Afghanistan•Associated PressAfghanistan appear particularly well-suited to exploiting this with a line-up whose batting explosiveness does not come at the expense of a quality bowling attack, particularly in the spin department. If the wickets offer slow-bowling assistance, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad are all well positioned to capitalise, with genuine allrounders, top-order attackers and fast bowlers spread throughout the squad.However, despite significant T20 pedigree and experience, there is a touch of the unknown about Afghanistan. They haven’t played a T20I all year, and even though their star players ply their trades in multiple leagues around the world, there is never a guarantee that translates to instant synchronisation within a national side. This tri-series serves as a useful lubricator to ensure all systems run smoothly at the Asia Cup, where they are in the harder of the two groups alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.For UAE, the series is the perfect preparation ahead of their biggest tournament of the year. They have played their fair share of T20 cricket this year, and shown they can compete with the bigger teams in the format, coming from behind to beat Bangladesh 2-1 in May. The multi-team Pearl of Africa series in Entebbe was perhaps less impressive despite a second-placed finish, soured by two losses to the home side Uganda.UAE will rely heavily on their captain Muhammad Waseem•SLCTheir captain and opener Muhammad Waseem is their talisman and the one clear standout player in the side; he’s the leading run-scorer this year as well as one of the more explosive batters with a strike rate in excess of 155. Lower down the order, Asif Khan betters that with a superior average as well as a strike rate of 162.50 this year. But lack of firepower elsewhere, particularly for fellow opener Muhammad Zohaib, means sustaining momentum through an innings is likely to be a challenge. Power-hitting wicketkeeper batter Usman Khan, who was lured back from the UAE by Pakistan last year, would have been a handy addition.In slower conditions, left-arm orthodox spinner Haider Ali and wristspinner Zuhaib Zubair are the home side’s best hopes at strangling an opposition. Haider was instrumental in the series decider at this very ground against Bangladesh, figures of 4-1-7-3 keeping Bangladesh to a low enough target for batters like Asif to gun down. It was followed up by wickets in Entebbe; any path to victory must have Haider sustaining those performances.This tri-series is destined to be remembered only in the context of what happens at the Asia Cup, but Sharjah has found a way of embedding itself in cricketing lore and staying there. The next week may fan those flames a while longer.

All the stats highlights from India’s win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Sep-20253:17

Which Indian spinner had the biggest impact?

9 – Asia Cup titles for India, the most for any team. The 2025 edition is India’s second Asia Cup title in the T20 format, following their previous win in 2016. They have seven titles in the ODI format – in 1984, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2010, 2018 and 2023. Sri Lanka have won six titles (five ODIs and one T20) at the Asia Cup, while Pakistan have won two (both ODIs).9-0 – India’s win-loss record while chasing against Pakistan in T20Is. These are the most matches for a team with a 100% chasing record against an opponent. It also extended the unbeaten streak of the chasing team winning in India vs Pakistan T20Is played in Dubai. Of those six meetings, India have won four and Pakistan two.127 – Runs India needed at the fall of their third wicket. It’s the second-highest they have successfully chased in a T20I after losing three wickets. The most is 134, also against Pakistan, at the 2022 T20 World Cup, where they were 26 for 3 in a chase of 160.113 – Pakistan’s total at the fall of their second wicket, the highest from which any team have been bowled out for under 150 in men’s T20Is. The previous highest was 112 by Cayman Islands against Bermuda earlier this year, when they were bowled out for 142.33 – Runs added by Pakistan’s last eight partnerships, the fewest by the team in a men’s T20I. Pakistan’s previous fewest was 56 against Australia in Hobart last year.Kuldeep Yadav got three wickets in an over•Asian Cricket Council5 – Four-wicket hauls for Kuldeep Yadav in T20Is, the joint most for India alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Three of Kuldeep’s four wickets on Sunday came in his last over, the fifth instance of him taking three (or more) in an over. Only Rashid Khan (6) has done it more often than Kuldeep in men’s T20Is (where data is available).69* – Tilak Varma’s score against Pakistan on Sunday. Only four players have scored more from No. 4 or lower in a men’s T20I final. It is also the second-highest individual score in the T20 Asia Cup finals.36 – Wickets for Kuldeep in Asia Cup across ODI and T20 formats. It’s the most by a bowler, surpassing Lasith Malinga’s 33. Kuldeep has taken 17 of them in T20 Asia Cups (all in this edition), the joint-most by any bowler.3 – Sixes hit by Sahibzada Farhan off Jasprit Bumrah in T20Is – the most by any batter against Bumrah. Farhan scored 51 runs off 34 balls against Bumrah across three innings this Asia Cup. No Pakistan batter had hit a six off Bumrah in the 14 overs he had bowled against them in T20Is before this tournament, but they hit four across 11.1 overs through this tournament.