From bottom half of the CWC League 2 to stringing together an improbable series of wins under a new coach, it has been a surreal year for the side

Shashank Kishore28-Apr-2023″Each of those 12 matches could be an episode of a Netflix series.”Monty Desai, Nepal’s head coach, is reflecting on his team’s journey from rock bottom to being a step closer to their World Cup dream.When Desai joined Nepal in February, they were second from bottom of the World Cup Super League 2 points table. They needed 11 wins from a possible 12 matches to secure a berth at the 50-over World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe this June.They got them, making for a stirring story of how an underdog team with a history of infighting and administrative challenges rose to conquer new frontiers.Related

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“It’s emotional to even talk about it, there are so many stories,” Desai says. “I don’t know where to begin.”Associate cricket is cut-throat. But it also offers many lessons in character-building and camaraderie, and stories of people who play for the love of the game without knowing if they will be loved back.On a cold spring evening in Kirtipur on March 16, Nepal were, as they soaked in the glory of having achieved the unthinkable, having pipped UAE in a thriller under fading light.The Tribhuvan University ground was teeming with far more people than it could accommodate. Thousands dotted the streets to give the team a victory parade. Nepal’s prime minister hosted a reception for the team.”It was as if we’d won a World Cup,” Desai says. “But I told the boys the journey has just begun.”

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Five nights before their game against Namibia, the first of their 12 remaining fixtures, Desai received a message from their opener Kushal Bhurtel. His mother had suffered severe burns all over her body in a freak accident and had to be brought from their hometown to a hospital in Kathmandu.”The spontaneous call from the entire team to be alongside their colleague in this moment spoke of the camaraderie,” Desai says. I could see they cared for each other.

“For Bhurtel to play the role of a son by giving his mother moral support, and then to come back and be clear on his role in the game was a tremendous achievement. He set the tone for the whole team.”Coach Monty Desai on Kushal Bhurtel’s match-winning knock when his mother was ill

“In fact, it was Bhurtel’s younger sister who insisted he stay focused on chasing his dream and the country’s dream. She is his inspiration.”When Bhurtel returned, he found himself in the cauldron of a high-pressure chase of 286 against Namibia. He remembered Desai’s words: “Walk into the unknown with excitement.” Bhurtel made 115 off 113 balls to set the tone for a stunning chase.”For him to play the role of a son by giving his mother moral support and then to come back, focus and be clear of his role [in the game] was a tremendous achievement. He set the tone for the whole team,” Desai says.After the first match of the UAE tour, where Nepal were scheduled to play three more fixtures in the CWC tri-series against UAE and Papua New Guinea, legspinner Mousom Dhakal injured his shoulder. Nepal needed to seek a replacement, but they needed a detailed report from the physio, Vikram Nyaupane, with accompanying scans that needed to be verified by an ICC committee.Nepal had a small window in which to complete their paperwork, but Nyaupane’s pregnant wife had just gone into labour in America, and he was dealing with the stress of it while being far away.”I wasn’t aware of his personal situation [and that it was happening] the same morning while we had to submit a report with all evidence in place to the ICC committee,” Desai says.”All this happened between 8 and 9am in Dubai. It was only around 11am, when we got together for a team meeting, that it was brought to my notice what he had been going through the whole night, while I was chasing him to write a proper professional email to get the job done.”I thanked him profusely for what he had done. Going back home immediately wasn’t an option for him. Being a proud Nepali, he wanted to be part of this journey; winning or losing was immaterial to him.”Sandeep Lamichhane’s inclusion in the squad for the tri-series sparked protests across Nepal•AFP/Getty ImagesAkash Gupta, Nepal’s side-arm specialist, comes from Gorakhpur, an Indian town in Uttar Pradesh along the Nepal border. Gupta would travel to and from his hometown to Kathmandu three times a week for camps and matches, without complaining of fatigue.Each step of that 12-match journey was dotted with stories like these, of adversity and the strength to overcome it.

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Dhakal’s unfortunate injury paved the way for Sandeep Lamichhane’s inclusion. But it wasn’t straightforward. He had been accused of rape by a minor and had been under trial. His selection at the time sparked anger in the country.”It is extremely disappointing but also worrisome,” noted Nepali activist Hima Bista said at the time. “The institutional protection for him shows an attitude of normalising gender-based violence,” “The narrative is, if you are a celebrity, you can get away with anything… what about the victim?”While Lamichhane was granted bail on furnishing a bond of two million Nepali rupees (US$15,400 approx), he wasn’t permitted to travel outside Nepal. But that changed when the country’s Supreme Court granted him relief.Lamichhane had been instrumental in Nepal going through the CWC tri-series in Nepal, the first four games of their 12-match streak, unbeaten. He took 13 wickets in what was his first set of games since his arrest last October.

“The institutional protection for Lamichhane shows an attitude of normalising gender-based violence. The narrative is if you are a celebrity, you can get away with anything… what about the victim?”Nepali activist Hima Bista

His participation in that series came with its fair share of objections. Scotland and Namibia, Nepal’s opponents, refused to shake hands with him after the initial games, and their respective boards issued statements condemning gender-based violence.Despite the misgivings over his inclusion within Nepal, the Cricket Association of Nepal’s decision to field him underlined the win-at-all-cost mindset that can sometimes engulf Associate teams, given that opportunities for them are few and far between. After all, their ODI status, which Lamichhane had helped them gain in 2018, was in jeopardy again.But long before his inclusion as a replacement, a decision over Lamichhane had been taken internally. Soon after taking over as coach, Desai had sought clarity from all parties concerned upfront, to prevent distractions later on.”Once the court cleared him to play, the selection committee asked what you feel about it,” Desai explains. “I said, allow him to come to the camp for a day or two. I invited him one day with a small group of senior players around. There was Rohit Paudel, our captain, Gyanendra Malla, and a couple of other players.”In our very first meeting, Sandeep said, ‘Coach, if anyone feels uncomfortable, you don’t need to bring me into the squad.’ I asked him, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he said he wants to contribute towards the team. This is where he got his identity from. I asked the captain and senior players what they felt. All of them said, if he’s cleared to play, he should be welcomed. So it was a collective call.”

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Much of Desai’s philosophy on team-building has revolved around having a “happy dressing room”. Having previously worked with Nepal in 2015, he had a ringside view of the hurdles players faced. Infrastructure was among the major considerations; clashes between players and the board weren’t uncommon either.Nepal are one of only three teams, alongside Scotland and Oman, to make it directly to the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe•Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images”The first goal was to create a happy dressing room,” he says. “I didn’t know how it had been earlier, but I was clear that everyone needed to play for one another as a group. You need to have open discussion about issues, not have a senior-junior divide.”Experience-wise, they may be different, but when it comes to their views, they needed to have an open forum. I had to impress upon them these things. Among the first things we spoke about was to create awareness, not just cricket-wise but awareness around how we manage emotions, our choice of words, our body language. We had 12 games to shape the team.”Once I connected with all of them, defined their roles and put plans in place, we were confident of being able to get something out of it. We weren’t quite sure what the end outcome would be. Qualifying for the Qualifier wasn’t even on the horizon then, because you don’t think that far.”But my Under-19 experience with Nepal told me there was potential. So when we started off, we were clear about rewriting our story. What unfolded in those 12 games was magical – one story after another.”Much of the change in culture, Desai says, is down to his rapport and understanding with Paudel, Nepal’s 20-year-old captain. It’s a responsibility Paudel has been able to warm up to without allowing it to get in the way of his batting form. Desai is all praise for Paudel’s clarity and calm handling of potentially tough situations.”In one of the games, I wanted to hold back Rohit, just to have some experience in the middle order, but he was clear he’d bat at his usual number. He had that much conviction.” Desai says. “He walked the talk with a crucial half-century.”I know with him, there’s a captain who will challenge the status quo if needed. That’s the highlight of our partnership.”

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In the final game of this long stretch of matches, Nepal were faced with the challenge of chasing their highest-ever ODI target to win. At stake was a place in the World Cup Qualifiers.

“Among the first things we spoke about was to create awareness, not just cricket-wise but awareness around how we manage emotions, our choice of words, our body language. We had 12 games to shape the team”Monty Desai

UAE’S Asif Khan had bludgeoned a 41-ball century to help set up a target of 311. When Nepal slumped to 37 for 3, some in the crowd started to get unruly. But Bhim Sharki and Bhurtel hit counterattacking half-centuries to lead the rescue.After they were dismissed, Aarif Sheikh and Gulsan Jha played unreal cameos to keep Nepal alive. Amid all the drama, the light was fading, and 44 overs into the chase, the umpires got together and decided play couldn’t continue.”We were just behind DLS when Aarif got out. We were suddenly 15-16 behind. The crowd got emotional. Things were thrown, a few UAE players along the boundary were heckled. Paudel, Malla and a few other players appealed for calm. All this cost time.”We had to stretch to cross the finish line with DLS requirements of 20 runs in the next over or two,” Desai says. “Gulsan played an unreal knock – his first-ever fifty will forever be remembered.”When play was finally suspended, Nepal were nine runs ahead, with Jha having received support from veteran Deependra Singh Airee. Nepal had done the unthinkable.”It was the perfect culmination of us winning those one-ball battles,” Desai explains. We realised UAE will come with aggressive fast bowlers. We had mentally prepared for that. We had sessions where we prepared physically by practising ramps – scoops specifically.”And under pressure, Bhim played two crucial scoops on the leg side, Aarif played a ramp under pressure to a short ball over the keeper’s head. Those are examples of courage shown in one-ball battles that kept us on course.”

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After those heroics, Desai enjoyed a short break at home in Mumbai before joining the squad again for the ACC Premier Cup, a tournament whose winner will qualify to play this year’s 50-over Asia Cup in Pakistan this September. The top three teams from the tournament will also play the ACC Emerging Nations Cup, involving the A sides of the big five – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.Desai on his relationship with Nepal captain Rohit Paudel (standing): “I know with him, there’s a captain who will challenge the status quo if needed”•Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty ImagesDesai’s next challenge is to work with CAN to develop a robust domestic structure.”They play the Prime Minister’s Cup, which is their biggest competition. Apart from that, some private T20 leagues, but they’ve agreed to revamp the domestic structure,” Desai says. “There’s also a focus on improving ground infrastructure.”At our management meeting, there have been some discussions around ensuring windows for A tours, apart from playing some invitational tournaments in India. We will try and reach out to associations like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Vidarbha, who host such tournaments prior to the Indian domestic season. If they can accommodate us, it would be great.”They are developing two more grounds, and now with ODI status being retained, it will unlock some more funding that will open the doors not just for the men’s but also the Under-19 and women’s team.”For now, Desai and Nepal have their sights firmly on the present. They aren’t looking too far ahead and are happy to stick to their philosophy of embracing the unknown with excitement.Five years ago, Desai was part of Afghanistan’s squad as they made a remarkable comeback from nowhere to win the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. He, and the rest of Nepal, will be hoping history will repeat itself.

After a tough IPL, the fast bowler has ironed out his flaws and learnt to make adjustments with some help from Anand Rajan and Morne Morkel

Shashank Kishore02-Aug-2023 (What specialist bowler are you if you can’t even bowl four overs?)Avesh Khan remembers being knocked by this one question from within every time he didn’t complete his quota of four overs at IPL 2023.We’re in Alur, at the Duleep Trophy where Avesh is playing for Central Zone, far away from the cameras that try to dissect every minute aspect of play. And because the environment is “free”, it feels as if the curtains of diplomacy that force players to often fall back on the cliched “process” and “basics” is lifted.Related

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It certainly feels that way with Avesh as he reflects on a tough IPL. He hadn’t yet been picked in India’s T20I squad to play West Indies. His inclusion for the Asian Games cricket competition wasn’t announced at the time either. Perhaps that made it easier for Avesh to be more reflective of his shortcomings.So why was it a tough IPL 2023 for him? For starters, Lucknow Super Giants played their home games on slow and low turners. As an out-and-out fast bowler, Avesh found himself taken out of the game fast. In five of the nine games he played in, Avesh didn’t compete his full quota. In all, he managed eight wickets at an economy rate of 9.75.Avesh got to a point of self-blame, until he realised he had to learn and let go. High expectations and the pressure had got to him. Two seasons back, in 2021, he was the IPL’s second-highest wicket-taker with 24 strikes for Delhi Capitals. In 2022, he was Super Giants’ highest wicket-taker in their inaugural season where they made the playoffs.It was that performance that fuelled his India call-up. He was in the running for a T20 World Cup berth last year, until the Asia Cup that preceded it, before it all came crashing down. The most recent of his 15 T20Is came in that tournament, against Hong Kong in Dubai where Avesh’s four overs cost 53. He was, in his words, “all over the place”. He knew then that he had to reboot.

“If a captain has so much confidence in you that he asks you to set your own fields, and then you mess up, it adds to the disappointment. My field placements should’ve been better. I didn’t bowl as per the surfaces”Avesh Khan isn’t happy with his past performances

As the domestic season began, Avesh immediately got steady game-time, trying to iron out flaws and make adjustments on the fly. Also, performances along the way in red-ball cricket gave him the lift-off. His 38 wickets in eight matches were the second highest among fast bowlers in the Ranji Trophy season in 2022-23, when Madhya Pradesh made the quarter-final. Yet, Avesh insists he wasn’t in a great space going into this year’s IPL.”Partly it was the keenness to exceed my own expectations that led to me putting undue pressure on myself,” he said while chatting during the Duleep Trophy, and before India’s squad for the West Indies T20Is was announced. “I felt I had to make things happen all the time; and when you do that, you sometimes tend to deviate from your own set plans and your natural ability. That was the biggest learning from the past year.”My thinking itself was wrong. If a captain has so much confidence in you that he asks you to set your own fields, and then you mess up, it adds to the disappointment. My field placements should’ve been better. I didn’t bowl as per the surfaces. In T20 cricket, every ball can make a difference. At the IPL, with the Impact Player rule, teams can replace you anytime. And early in the season, it hurt [after being substituted in the second game]. But all these things have taught me some important lessons, and I’ve started the season well now.”Avesh certainly did start the new season well. At India’s 2023-24 domestic-season opening Duleep Trophy last month, his team Central Zone didn’t make the final. But Avesh appeared sharp, troubling batters with movement both ways. There was rhythm about his bowling that told you he had put in enough preparation in the lead-up.Avesh Khan was Lucknow Super Giants’ highest wicket-taker in their inaugural season in 2022•BCCI”I am the kind of guy who wants to bowl tough overs,” Avesh says. “There is no fear. I ask the captain for the ball. I feel I have to win two-three games for the team every season. I felt angry that I couldn’t do it earlier. If that hurt, then you feel satisfied as a bowler. I didn’t want to sit back and go through the motions. So the moment the domestic calendar was announced, I had begun my preparation a good three weeks before the Duleep Trophy.”MPCA had begun a camp for the Under-19s overseen by [head coach] Chandrakant Pandit. So I joined the camp and got good match preparation because we underwent different kinds of match simulation. It has helped a lot because match rhythm is way different to what you do at the nets. It was an intense two-week long preparation that kept me match ready.”Avesh’s natural style is to hit the deck and extract movement off the pitch. That he can do this at high pace makes him a valuable proposition. Among the things he worked on during his break with his close confidant and friend Anand Rajan, the former Madhya Pradesh allrounder, was to correct the use of his non-bowling arm which was falling away a tad quicker because of which he wasn’t able to put more body into his action. Prior to that, Avesh benefited from working with Morne Morkel, Super Giants’ bowling coach.”I’ve been fortunate to have the help of so many people along the way,” Avesh said. “[Mohammed] Shami , Umesh [Yadav], and [Mohammed] Siraj – they’ve all been very helpful in terms of trying to help me with minor adjustments. Morne had his way of boosting your confidence; however your performances were, he’d try and always look for the positive first. But he’ll also quickly tell you the mistakes you made without sugar coating.”That honesty helps, but in the IPL you’re also challenged by time and travel, and external factors. So as and when I got time off, I ensured I made some changes to my bowling – slightly change the angle of my run-up to use the crease better, [change] the release, etc. Morne also taught me the knuckleball, which we worked on quite a bit. The one advice he had for me was to be mindful of deviating from plans when under pressure.””If you can cause uncertainty in your very first over, that’s half the battle won” – Avesh Khan•Associated PressThe one other difference in Avesh’s bowling stems from a series of warm-ups prior to his first over. There’s a whole lot of upper body movements and drills he was regularly seen working on before bowling his first over of the day, right through the two first-class games at the Duleep Trophy.”It’s a simple thing – my first ball can’t be a warm up,” Avesh said. “As a bowler if you can cause uncertainty in the batter in your very first over, that’s half the battle won; they are also tentative. If I’m warmed up, I am better placed to challenge them by not giving them a chance to get their eye in. You see, the ball I bowled to dismiss Abhimanyu Easwaran first ball [against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy] was one such example. I enjoyed it so much that I think I must have watched that replay some 10-12 times. I had fun.”Avesh will hope the fun extends to the T20Is against West Indies. In the absence of the ODI regulars, all of whom will be in preparation for the Asia Cup and the World Cup, he could have a series of opportunities to impress the selectors. With a T20 World Cup lined up next year – also in the West Indies, along with the USA – this series could lend some weightage to his performances.”If you think too far, you become desperate and make mistakes,” Avesh had said on the prospect of a comeback, which wasn’t yet set in stone at the time of the chat. “I just think of what’s in front of me now. If I think ahead, I’ll get hurt. You won’t enjoy the game, you start let pressure dictating you.”As a player, it’s tough breaking out of a cycle you want to get out of. So for now, I just want to keep it simple: enjoy my game, and win matches for the team. Nothing more.”

The key numbers from a remarkable batting display, led by Zak Crawley’s 189

Sampath Bandarupalli21-Jul-20235.49 England’s run-rate in their total of 592, the third highest for any team in a 500-plus total in Test cricket. The top two entries on the list are also by England, who made 657 all out against Pakistan in last year’s Rawalpindi Test at 6.5 runs per over, and 524 for 4 against Ireland at a rate of 6.33 earlier this summer at Lord’s.592 England’s total in their first innings at Old Trafford. It is the first time England crossed the 500-run mark in an Ashes Test at home since the 1985 Edgbaston Test, where they made 595 for 5. England have made 500-plus totals on six occasions in the Ashes in Australia since 1985.7 Batters to remain unbeaten on 99 in Test cricket, including Jonny Bairstow at Old Trafford. Bairstow is the also only the second batter to remain not out on 99 in the Ashes, after Steve Waugh in the 1994-95 Perth Test. Geoffrey Boycott also made 99 not out at Perth in 1979-80, but the Ashes were not at stake in that series.ESPNcricinfo Ltd93 Balls Zak Crawley needed to complete his century. It is the second-fastest by an opening batter in the Ashes, behind the 85-ball hundred by Australia’s Joe Darling at the SCG in 1898. Crawley’s hundred is also the fourth-fastest by an England batter in the Ashes.1 Number of Test centuries at Old Trafford to have come in fewer balls than Crawley’s 93-ball ton. Ian Botham has the fastest Test hundred at the venue, having brought up his three figures in only 86 balls against Australia in the 1981 Ashes.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6.94 Run rate of the 206-run partnership between Crawley and Root, which came from just 29.4 overs. It is the fastest double-century stand in Test cricket by run-rate (where balls faced by a partnership data is available).
The previous highest was 6.91, also by an England pair of Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow in the 2016 Cape Town Test against South Africa, where they added 399 from 47.4 overs for the sixth wicket.6 out of England’s top seven batters scored 50-plus runs in their first innings. It is only the third such instance for England in Test cricket, with the previous two coming in 1893 at The Oval and in 1930 at Kingston. England’s first innings in Manchester is only their seventh instance of six or more batters making a fifty-plus score in the same Test innings.1 Chris Woakes is the first England batter dismissed for a duck in this Ashes series. There have been only five ducks across the four matches played in the series until England’s first innings.

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 fourth win in as many Tests at this venue has led to calls for the venue to become the first port of call for visiting teams

Alex Malcolm17-Dec-2023Australia might have found its new fortress. The Gabba, colloquially called the Gabbatoir, was once the first bastion for touring teams to breach, and Australia’s gladiators would invite them in like lambs to the slaughter.They would break their opponents’ spirits in the first five days of a tour on a fast, bouncy pitch under a harsh, unforgiving sun and send them on their way around the country for two or four more defeats.But the Gabba has only once hosted the opening Test of an Australian summer since India felled the fortress in the fourth Test of the 2020-21 series.Related

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Perth’s Optus Stadium, with its equally harsh sun, bright light, and its steep and at times unpredictable bounce is fast becoming Australia’s favourite place to play at home after they poleaxed Pakistan inside four days, bowling them out for 89 in the fourth innings to set up a 360-run win and leave the tourists pondering how on earth they can win down under.It has raised thoughts inside the Australian camp about whether Perth should be the starting point for every major home series, with India looming on the horizon next summer. Captain Pat Cummins was diplomatic, but he revealed that there are others within his dressing room who believe that the visiting team’s first port should be at Perth Stadium.”I don’t have a strong opinion on that,” Cummins said after the win. “I know a few other people do. And I think the last few years, most wickets here, Adelaide’s always a great wicket, the Gabba is always pretty good. MCG is good. They’re all, I think, quite Australian fast, bouncy wickets with a bit of sideways movement. So I’m not too fussed wherever it is to be honest.”Australia’s record at Perth’s new venue is imposing. Four Test matches, four victories, the closest margin being 146 runs. It is an upgrade on the old WACA ground, which had a fiery reputation but had mellowed in its old age with Australia beaten there four times this century including once by India.The blueprint has been the same in each match at the new stadium. Bat first and post an above-par score on a surface that has offered plenty of pace and bounce for the quicks if they put it in the right areas. Then Australia’s attack goes to work on a pitch they love bowling on to take 20 wickets against opponents who simply can’t handle the steep bounce and pace of the surface as it continues to get more unpredictable as the game wears on.Australia’s bowlers would roll up this pitch and take it with them wherever they go.”Every week,” Cummins said. “It would be lovely.Pat Cummins says it ‘would be lovely’ to play in Perth ‘every week’•Getty Images”After the first few days, I think there was 12 wickets that fell, but I think they could have easily been 20. I thought it was a really good, even contest. There’s some runs to be scored there but also it felt like as a bowler if you got in the right areas there’s something in it for the whole innings. It probably broke up today in particular a lot more than I thought it would. There were some big cracks and there’s a bit more up and down than I was expecting but overall I thought it was a good wicket.”But the secret to Australia’s success is not just that their bowlers love it, but that their opponents do not know how to bat here as well as Australia’s players do. There is a specific blueprint to batting in Perth. There are plenty of runs to be had if you do your homework and follow the rules. But Pakistan’s players had not done their homework. Shan Masood was one of only two batters to have played on this pitch before in a tour match against Australia A in 2019.But he committed a cardinal sin in Perth in both innings, driving on the up away from his body to nick off twice in the match. Australia’s players simply do not take that risk in Perth due to the extra bounce. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh only drove balls that were genuine half-volleys. They left a lot of good-length balls. They sweated on chest- and shoulder-high short balls and played them with fully committed horizontal-bat shots. Anything higher was ducked under. Usman Khawaja hung back on the back foot and used the pace to deflect during his second innings of 90, rather than trying to force on the up as the pitch became more unpredictable on day four.Pakistan’s batters propped forward time and again to balls climbing from a good length to provide catching practice off the shoulder of the bat or gloves to a cordon standing halfway to the fence.Nathan Lyon, who took his 500th Test wicket on day four, praised the batters for setting up the game.”I don’t think we’re talking enough about the partnership between Usman and Mitch Marsh on a challenging wicket against quality bowlers,” Lyon said. “To have a hundred-run partnership and give Pat the chance to declare and put us in a really strong position in the game, I feel like their batting performance in this game, hats off to them, that’s what as bowlers we love to see.”Just like Australia’s batters and bowlers are challenged when they head to the subcontinent, they have no qualms about inflicting the same pain on opponents on pitches like the one in Perth.”We know from travelling overseas, you go to foreign conditions and if you’re a batter and you don’t score runs, you start questioning things,” Cummins said. “As a bowler, if you haven’t had a huge impact you start looking at your own game perhaps a bit more than you do at home. So we love those conditions. We know those conditions really well. I think that’s what makes playing and winning away from home so difficult.”

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.

Australia’s lower order returns have been a concern but in Wellington they more than play their role

Alex Malcolm01-Mar-2024Cameron Green was sheepish on the evening of day one when he admitted he did not know how to bat with the lower order.”I’m still trying to work out how best to play with a tail,” he said. “It’s still a fine balance between still trying to score runs but then [not] making the guys down the bottom face too many balls.”It took him all of 16 hours to work it out, as he and Josh Hazlewood broke a host of records with a rare and priceless 116-run 10th wicket partnership to completely deflate New Zealand and help post a first innings total of 383 that looked above par on a tricky Basin Reserve pitch. It was the highest tenth-wicket partnership against New Zealand in Test history, and Australia’s fourth-best ever.Related

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Green continued where he left off from the opening day, making a masterful 174 not out while Hazlewood survived 62 balls for 22. It was the third-longest innings Hazlewood had faced in Test cricket in terms of deliveries, and his fifth-highest score, having not passed 11 in his last 28 Test innings across five years.Matt Henry’s fifth wicket finally broke the stand after New Zealand suffered the indignity of having the first session extended by half an hour, having not taken a wicket in the first 120 minutes of play.As good as Green and Hazlewood were, it was an insipid display from New Zealand, except for Henry who deserved to have a fifth much earlier in the morning. They had no obvious plan. There was no real vigour or intensity. They bowled with the assumption that the tenth wicket would fall at some point. But it did not. It was yet another example of New Zealand letting Australia off the hook after having them in a vulnerable position.Tim Southee’s form with the ball has to be a huge worry for the New Zealand hierarchy. One Test shy of 100, the captain went wicketless in the first innings and hardly troubled Australia’s final pair. He bowled just four maidens in 27 overs and built no pressure on any batters. In his last five Tests, he has taken just six wickets at 62.66, striking at 124.5.Green’s actions early in the morning backed up his own words about not quite knowing how to shepherd the tail. There were times it looked like Hazlewood was the senior man talking him through it. There was even one comical moment when Hazlewood almost completed two full runs after some miscommunication with Green who did not run despite an easy two being on offer to retain the strike for the next over.Hazlewood needed to survive 12 balls in the first three overs before Green found his method and started farming the strike. Green opted to play out the first four balls of each over with eight fielders on the rope, before either taking a single, walloping a boundary, or doing both.Highest 10th-wicket stands for Australia in Tests•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile Henry was still causing him enormous trouble with balls pitched on a good length, the bowlers at the other end decided to bounce him to try and keep him on strike. Green gleefully smashed five pull shots over the legside fence into the crowd with zero fear of holing out to the men stationed in the deep.Hazlewood then got into the groove smoking two cover drives himself. New Zealand’s heads dropped. The partnership climbed up the records charts, past the famous Jason Gillespie-Glenn McGrath laughathon at the Gabba in 2004.It was a redemption of sorts for Hazlewood with the bat. He had cut a forlorn figure in Australia’s last Test against West Indies as he stood still in the middle, holding the pose of an attempted forward defence while his off stump was splayed, and Shamar Joseph charged away in celebration of a famous Test win.Australia’s lower-order batting has been a major problem in recent times, save for the heroics of Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon at Edgbaston in the Ashes. There have been times where Australia have been six-out all out. The diminishing returns of Cummins, Lyon, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc with the bat has been a source of concern within the camp, although it had been papered over by their outstanding bowling contributions.So often it has been Australia who have been on the receiving end of frustrating last-wicket stands. Headingley 2019 lives long in the memory. But in the last 12 months, Australia has conceded three half-century tenth-wicket stands including two in the recent summer against Pakistan and West Indies. Only South Africa and now New Zealand have conceded one other 50-plus last-wicket stand in that time.There would have been glee in the dugout as Green and Hazlewood kept accumulating with ease. The partnership looked in no trouble at all until Hazlewood chipped one to mid-off trying another expansive drive, having been very disciplined in defence for most of the session.But he should be proud of his efforts. As should Green, whose highest Test score raised his average back up to 37.51, past the career marks of exulted Test allrounders Keith Miller and Ben Stokes.And he now knows how to bat with the tail.

Nothing had gone right for Mumbai Indians before the game against Delhi Capitals, and the win on Sunday could be the start of good things for them

S Sudarshanan07-Apr-20242:25

Quick review: 10/10 for Shepherd’s impactful innings

The – a traditional blowhorn in Maharashtra – that rang out at the Wankhede Stadium an over after Mumbai Indians’ powerplay was symbolic in many ways. It wasn’t quite to announce the arrival of an important figure, as in times past, but a signal of things changing for MI.MI headed into the game against Delhi Capitals on the back of three successive losses with seemingly nothing working for them. The bowlers were leaking runs; the batters were unable to do anything of note; the pre-season captaincy change had turned their large fan-base against them, or at least against new captain Hardik Pandya. With most of the stands filled by 18,000 children from various NGOs across the city, as part of MI’s CSR initiative, the powerplay – where MI blitzed to 75 for 0 – was a sign of things to come. The death-overs assault added to the mood, and by the end of the evening, MI had turned a page and stalled their losing run.What might please them the most is that the win was crafted primarily by Romario Shepherd, who was only playing his first full game for Mumbai, with assistance from Rohit Sharma, Tim David and Jasprit Bumrah. They had, after all, shunned the template they had played with so far by bringing in two overseas allrounders – Mohammad Nabi to go with Shepherd – and relied more on their Indian batters to deliver.Related

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Suryakumar Yadav’s return after a four-month absence allowed MI that luxury.The played just as he walked out to bat at the end of the seventh over. That his return lasted all of two balls did not eventually make a difference to the five-time champions’ fortunes on the day. But something did seem to have changed.Rohit continued to trust his plan of going hard at the start of the innings. His first boundary attempt was also a sign – he scooped Ishant Sharma over short fine-leg on the fourth ball he faced. Jhye Richardson, playing his first game of the season, was greeted with successive sixes. Rohit pumped six fours and three sixes inside the powerplay and narrowly missed out on a half-century.Ishan Kishan complemented Rohit, and kept the attack going. Anything short and angled into him was dispatched over the on side; anything wide was crashed over point. Along with Rohit, he added 80 in just seven overs.Most teams have been targeting the field restrictions in the powerplay to get a headstart this season, and MI did just that. Their 75 was the second-best for them in the powerplay this season – after the 76 for 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in that 523-run game – and the third-highest by any team batting first in IPL 2024.

“When you’re in the back end and there’s only 18 balls [he walked in with 13 left], you will only face about seven, eight or nine of those. You have to maximise and hit it as well as you can. Whenever you’re in that kind of role, you’re even more dangerous”Romario Shepherd

But some hit-the-deck fast bowling and a couple of thrifty overs from Axar Patel saw Mumbai slip from 80 for 0 to 121 for 4. It didn’t help that Hardik wasn’t at his fluent best despite showing glimpses of his batting mettle.Enter Shepherd. He has been working on his batting with batting coach and former West Indies team-mate Kieron Pollard. The only message to Shepherd from the team management was “hold your shape and hit the ball with a clear mind,” as Shepherd said later. He had only a shade over two overs left, which left little scope for any ambiguity.”When you’re in the back end and there’s only 18 balls [he walked in with 13 left], you will only face about seven, eight or nine of those. You have to maximise and hit it as well as you can,” Shepherd explained. “Whenever you’re in that kind of role, you’re even more dangerous, having to just ‘see-ball-hit-ball’.”Along with David, who finished unbeaten on 45 off 21, Shepherd added 53 off just 13 balls. He blasted 32 off the last over – the second-most expensive last over in IPL history – bowled by Anrich Nortje, hitting two fours and four sixes to finish undefeated on 39 off ten balls. MI got 84 in the last four overs, the most in the 17-to-20-over period in IPL 2024 and the second-highest in the 16-year history of the tournament. The cameo also meant that MI’s bowlers had enough to play with on a flat track where the boundaries on either side were more or less equidistant.3:30

A dream for Romario Shepherd – McClenaghan

That cushion came into play in the chase, thanks to local boy Prithvi Shaw. He attacked both pace and spin, and his 88-run partnership with Abishek Porel kept DC’s hopes – and the cheers from the hospitality box where some of the players’ families sat – alive.But all it took was a couple of blows from Bumrah to dash it all. He speared in a 141.3kph yorker that made a mess of Shaw’s stumps, and then had Porel miscue a 143kph full toss in his next over.While shaking hands after the match, DC captain Rishabh Pant punched Shepherd’s biceps in jest. Pollard enveloped Shepherd in a bear hug. Tristan Stubbs, who hit an exhilarating 25-ball 71 not out in the chase, seemed eager to exchange a few notes with him. Shepherd had walked away with the Player-of-the-Match award, and readily obliged.Just days before , the new year for Maharashtra’s Hindus, MI had announced their fresh start. And one of their new recruits had sounded the .