Familiar script as England are forced to call upon the same old batting hero

Andrew Miller13-Aug-2021It’s 4pm at Lord’s, and England’s openers have done the hard yards. Dom Sibley and Rory Burns have blunted the new ball with steadfast resolve, seeing off the shine for 14 fuss-free overs. They gather their thoughts at the pavilion gate, having matched one other nudge for nudge in the hour before tea, each reaching 11 from 42 balls, including a solitary boundary apiece.The score is 23 for 0 – one run better, in fact, than India’s own openers had managed in their first 14-over stretch on the first morning – and while the deficit is still a sizeable 341, it is considerably less daunting than it might have been before James Anderson’s latest five-for. The bowlers have done their bit, it’s time to step up. Let’s do it.And right there and then, the fate of two innings diverged like the flick of the tracks on a branch line. For it was in the 14th over of India’s innings that Rohit Sharma turned on England’s fourth seamer, Sam Curran, like an incorrectly stroked cat, cuffing him for four fours in five balls to signal a charge that would not relent until Anderson was recalled to restore order almost a session later.Perhaps Sibley felt something similar was in order now that India’s own fourth seamer, Mohammad Siraj, was in his sights. Either way, his second ball of the session was a shocker – an attempt at urgency that collapsed in a tangle of limbs, like a shy diner trying to catch a waiter’s eye, and knocking over his wine-glass in the process.His swish of annoyance had more conviction than the actual stroke, and with good reason. He’d got out in identical fashion in the first innings at Trent Bridge, when almost identically entrenched on 18 from 70 balls, and though his 28 from 133 in the second dig had played a significant part in an 89-run stand with Joe Root, that innings too had perished to a hack that his technique was not minded to make work.Related

• James Anderson, the lord of Lord's when India come calling

• Stats – James Anderson, the oldest pacer with a Test five-for in 70 years

• Root key as second day ends in balance after Anderson five-for

Even by the glacial standards that have earned him two centuries and a handful of supporting roles in 22 Tests, Sibley has taken his scoring down another gear this summer. Crease occupation remains a virtue for Chris Silverwood, as he continues his attempted reboot of England’s Test fortunes, but a strike-rate of 23.07 in this series – the lowest of his career to date – has taken Sibley’s tenacity to the levels of self-parody.It’s an unsustainable rut that he is stuck in, for throughout that Trent Bridge partnership, Root’s relatively frenetic approach had revealed a significant subplot. While Sibley was his sidekick, he was visibly straining for his runs, mindful of the dangers of getting bogged down even if it meant getting skittish, particularly while Ravindra Jadeja was hassling him on the cut. It was only after Jonny Bairstow arrived to dominate an all-too-shortlived stand of 42, that Root was able to settle into his primary role (in this straitened side) of being there throughout.As a consequence, Sibley’s place for this second Test might as well have come down to a separate coin-flip, moments before the toss. Notwithstanding Zak Crawley’s average of 11.14 since the start of 2021, there seemed as much prospect of his form spluttering back to life as there was of Sibley finding even a second gear. It’s a damning indictment of England’s current stocks.Dom Sibley and Jasprit Bumrah have a chat•PA Photos/Getty ImagesEither way, Haseeb Hameed’s return at No.3 was a given – although it’s hardly wisdom after the event to suggest that that prospect had been fraught with danger, given what that benighted position has done to so many England prospects in the years since Jonathan Trott made it his own. Hameed’s average as a first-class opener is 36.02 – hardly riches by any standards – but coming into this game he had made a solitary half-century in 17 innings at No.3, and at a wince-inducing average of 17.07.It’s not for nothing that England offered the role to a placeholder in Joe Denly for 18 months. Looking back on that period now, and what his unobtrusive diligence could have offered Burns as he picked up his own tempo in the evening session, let alone Root as a third-wicket ally, and you wonder if England were too hasty in binning off a man with an average of 29.53, 24 double-figure scores in 28 visits, and perhaps most significantly in these circumstances, a strike-rate of 39.64 that speaks of an ability to keep that very strike rotating.For the time being, however, this is what we’ve got – and England have no option but to try and make it work. But it doesn’t speak too highly of one’s hopes when pity is the overriding emotion for a top-order dismissal. It’s doubtful whether Sibley would have had time to peel off his pads by the time Hameed trudged back to the pavilion for a first-ball duck – beaten round the outside edge of a middle-stump half-volley, and bowled with brain-fading totality. His first Test innings on home soil was shattered as his dreams must have felt throughout his half-decade of exile.He can come again. He’s shown that already, simply by being here. Let’s not forget, he averaged an abject 9.44 in his final season at Lancashire in 2018 before being released, of all the free-falling indignities for a former England golden child to endure.He’s barely recognisable from the fresh-faced teenager who won hearts and minds on his maiden tour of India in 2016-17 – debuting in his parents’ home state of Gujarat, and matching the methods of his captain and opening partner Alastair Cook, first in a 188-run stand in that initial Test, then in a 50-over lock-out in a failed attempt to save the second in Visakhapatnam.Before the end of the series, Hameed had flown home for surgery on a broken hand, but returned for the denouement, when he even earned himself an audience with King Kohli himself, as they chatted in the dressing room in Chennai for ten minutes about methods and mindsets, and expectations at international level. At times in the past few years, and again on this brutal return, he must have wondered if he’d been duped by those words of wisdom.”It’s cruel sometimes, isn’t it,” Anderson said at the close. “He’s worked incredibly hard, done everything right. He’s got a stack-load of runs the last couple of years and looked unbelievable in the nets… cricket can be very, very cruel and I do feel for him. But he’s got another chance in this game, and I’m sure he’ll get another chance throughout the series to show what he can do.”But for the time being, it was as you were for England’s scrambling Test fortunes. Anderson carrying the bowling; Root arriving to a hat-trick ball as if pre-ordained for a crisis, and enduring to stumps with every care that his team can muster weighing right in the middle of his shoulder-blades. Somehow, in spite of everything, they need another hero to help carry the fight.

Plus, Wanindu Hasaranga slots into second place behind another Sri Lanka spinner on a coveted list

Sampath Bandarupalli01-Nov-20212 Jos Buttler became just the second player to score a century for England at the men’s T20 World Cup. Alex Hales was the first, having scored an unbeaten 116 also against Sri Lanka in 2014. Buttler is also one of the four men with a hundred in T20Is for England and became the second Englishman with 2000+ T20I runs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 Buttler became the first player to score a century in all three formats for England in men’s International cricket. He joins Heather Knight as the only players with a hundred for England in all three International formats.61.96 Percentage of England’s total scored by Buttler, the highest proportion of the team’s total for England in a completed innings in men’s T20Is. The previous highest was 51.54% by Liam Livingstone, who scored 103 out of England’s 201 all-out against Pakistan in Nottingham earlier this year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd77 Runs scored by Buttler in the last ten overs of England’s innings. Buttler struck six sixes and four fours in the 37 balls he faced in the second half. He scored only 24 runs in the 30 balls he faced until the end of the tenth over.45 Balls Buttler needed to complete his fifty in this match. Only one player in men’s T20Is has scored a century after taking more balls to score his first fifty runs – 47 balls by Paul Stirling against Zimbabwe in September this year.Watch cricket live on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the US. Match highlights of England vs Sri Lanka is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

60.50 Buttler’s batting average as an opener in T20Is across 26 innings in which he has scored 1089 runs. Only two openers with 1000+ men’s T20I runs average more than 50 – Mohammad Rizwan (76.92) and Buttler.4 Centuries in men’s T20Is in the UAE, including Buttler’s unbeaten 101 against Sri Lanka. It was also the first hundred in the UAE in a T20I between two Full Member nations – Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 87 for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe in March this year being the previous highest.112 Partnership runs between Buttler and Morgan for the fourth wicket, the second-highest partnership for England at the men’s T20 World Cup. The highest is 152 between Hales and Morgan for the third wicket against Sri Lanka in 2014. The 112-run stand is also the second-highest for the fourth wicket in the men’s T20 World Cup, behind Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga’s 123 against Ireland earlier this tournament.ESPNcricinfo Ltd50 Hasaranga took his 50th T20I wicket by breaking the Buttler-Morgan partnership. He needed only 660 balls to complete the milestone, becoming the second-quickest to 50 men’s T20I wickets in terms of balls bowled, behind Ajantha Mendis (576 balls). Hasaranga has picked up 14 wickets in the ongoing tournament, the joint second-most in an edition of the men’s T20 World Cup behind Mendis’ 15 wickets in 2012.7 Consecutive wins for England against Sri Lanka in T20Is. England have got the better of Sri Lanka at every meeting in this format since the start of 2016. Sri Lanka’s last T20I win against England was in 2014 at The Oval.

The series will continually be stalked by Covid-19, but the chance to hold the urn aloft on home soil beckons

Andrew McGlashan06-Dec-2021And so it’s here. The Pat Cummins era of Australia’s Test team. It was expected to arrive at some point next year but begins a few months early after a period of upheaval.It is a reassuring thought that bat vs ball will become a major talking point in a few days, although something other than runs and wickets is unlikely to be too far away. This series will continually be stalked by Covid-19 and the new variant which has brought uncertainty to Australia’s reopening plans. The Perth Test has already become a non-starter.But, for now, let’s focus on the field.Despite everything that has gone on, Australia remain favourites for the Ashes. England have won once in their last eight series down under while the last two are a combined 9-0 scoreline in favour of Australia. But it does feel like the margins have tightened. Not just because of the captaincy turnover, but the addition of Ben Stokes to England’s plans and the disrupted build-up to both sides. Never has a Gabba Test dawned with so much uncertainty over how the players will shape up but Australia should have a slight advantage given some of them have had Sheffield Shield cricket.It will be a relief to see an Australia men’s Test team on the field. The last time that happened was January 19, also at the Gabba, when one of the great home-ground records was brought to a juddering halt by India’s famous win. Since then a South Africa tour was postponed due to the pandemic and an Afghanistan Test for political reasons.Related

• Cummins to 'keep leaning on' Paine as he begins Test captaincy stint

• Eyes on David Warner, but Australia's biggest challenge will be when he's gone

• Travis Head wins the race to be Australia's No. 5 in the Ashes

• Squad vs Squad: how do Australia and England stack up?

• Tim Paine quits as Australia Test captain after explicit messages to female co-worker emerge

Australia have only played nine Tests – and all at home – since the 2019 Ashes. So where do they stand?The rankings say No.3, marginally ahead of England. For sure they are not a great Test team although it was their own fault through over-rates that they missed the World Test Championship final, but they would still have made it with a victory at either the SCG or Gabba against India.Their road to the next final is a tough one with their three overseas series on the subcontinent against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. Their home contests are this Ashes, then next summer’s visits by West Indies and South Africa, if all goes to schedule, and that still feels uncertain on various levels.They did not pass 400 last season, the first time that has happened in a home summer since 1985-86 and their highest total of 369 was their lowest best since the 1978-79 season. It’s worth saying that India did not fill their boots, either, with a top score of 336 and the bowling on both sides was largely excellent, but for Australia on their own patch it was notable.The batting remains the most questionable area despite the presence of two modern greats in Steven Smith and David Warner and an emerging one in Marnus Labuschagne. They are putting their faith in Marcus Harris to turn a Test average of 23.77 into something far more substantial after some technical work to his game and have gone back to Travis Head at No. 5 ahead of Usman Khawaja.While nothing is ever certain, Cameron Green has all the attributes for a long Test career (probably higher than No. 6) but he only has four Tests under his belt and there will be a debutant wicketkeeper in Alex Carey at No. 7.The bowling attack is experienced and highly credentialed with some strong back-up in place despite the recent international retirement of James Pattinson. Captain Cummins was magnificent last season when others started to run out of steam against India and this time he’ll be scrutinised as more than a bowler. He has run through brick walls for his previous captains but how he manages himself will be one of the closely-watched aspects of this series.It will also be interesting to watch how often he takes the new ball. Josh Hazlewood is another outstanding operator and if there is swing to be found Mitchell Starc can be lethal. Starc had a tough 2020-21 season as he continued to play while carrying the burden of his severely ill father who passed away in February. His record at home remains formidable with 161 wickets at 26.93 and in the 2017-18 Ashes he took 22 at 23.54.There is, though, a debate about how many of the five Tests he (and perhaps Hazlewood) will play and whether Australia will use rotation in a condensed series. In Jhye Richardson, who played two Tests against Sri Lanka in 2018-19 before having his career disrupted by injuries, they have another quick bowler who looks primed should he be needed and there is also the perennial drinks carrier in Michael Neser.Barring injury, the spin will remain in the hands of the ever-present Nathan Lyon. The last time he missed a home Test was 2011-12 against West Indies at Perth or anywhere was the 2013 Ashes. He has been sat on 399 wickets since January and will hope for a more productive season, but his bunny from 2017-18, Moeen Ali, is not here this time. The contest with another left hander, Stokes, should be absorbing.Lyon is one of the Australians for who this might be a last home Ashes series – although given his fitness record he could still be going at 38 – but it is unlikely to be Test curtains for anyone in the current squad unless Warner decides his time is done.It had been viewed as a likely end point – and defining series – for Tim Paine, a chance to hold the urn aloft on home soil, but recent events have changed that. Now it’s Cummins hoping for that moment. A beginning, rather than an end.

McCullum’s coaching career has moved quickly since he retired as a player

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2022December 2015
McCullum announces he will retire from international cricket at the end of New Zealand’s home summer, ahead of the T20 World Cup in India. “I’ve loved my opportunity to play for, and captain, the Blackcaps, but all good things have to come to an end, and I’m just grateful for the wonderful experience of playing for my country,” he says.February 2016
McCullum signs off from Test cricket with a 54-ball hundred, the fastest in Test cricket, against Australia in Christchurch. “As a good team man, it would be nice to be remembered,” he says. “As a guy who played for the right reasons and who, if in doubt, was prepared to take the positive option.”June 2016
Delivering the annual MCC Spirit of Cricket lecture at Lord’s, McCullum criticises the “casual” approach of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, a year after giving evidence at Southwark Crown Court against his former team-mate Chris Cairns who was later cleared of all charges. “If we are to get rid of the scourge of match-fixing, a robust governing body is essential,” he says.May 2018
In an interview with the Cricket Monthly, McCullum suggests that T20 will supersede Tests. “I firmly believe that Test cricket won’t be around in time, because there’s only so many teams that can afford to play it,” he says. “And whilst we all adore Test cricket, and for me it is the purest form of the game – I’m loyal to it – I’m also a realist that people are turning up and watching T20.” He continues to play for various franchises around the world including Lahore Qalandars, Trinbago Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.November 2018
McCullum calls time on his stint at Lahore Qalandars after enduring two difficult seasons as captain. Qalandars finish bottom of the league on both occasions as McCullum struggles with the bat. In the first year, he manages just 93 runs in seven innings; in the second, his 218 runs in ten innings come at a strike rate of just 110.65. “A big thank you to Lahore Qalandars for the past two seasons,” he says. “Today we have parted ways but I leave with fond memories and friendships. I wish you all the best in the future.”Brendon McCullum takes a lap of honour in his final home game in the BBL•Getty ImagesFebruary 2019
After going unsold at the IPL auction and enduring an underwhelming season for Brisbane Heat, McCullum calls time on his career in the Big Bash. “I will continue to play T20 cricket in 2019 in various competitions around the world and will then look to transition into a coaching career,” he says.August 2019
McCullum announces he will retire from all cricket after the Global T20 Canada. “As much as I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in my 20 years of professional career – more than I ever could have dreamed of when I first entered the game – I have felt the drive to keep going harder to maintain in recent months,” he writes in a statement. He hits 36 off 22 balls in his final innings, days before his team Toronto Nationals refuse to take the field due to unpaid wages.Ten days later, he is unveiled as head coach of both Knight Riders franchises: Trinbago in the CPL and Kolkata in the IPL, taking over from Simon Katich and Jacques Kallis respectively.September 2019
Trinbago finish fourth in the six-team group stage in CPL 2019 following back-to-back title-winning seasons. They beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the eliminator but fall short against Barbados Tridents in the second qualifier, placing them third overall.September 2020
McCullum’s TKR side win all 12 of their games in CPL 2020, including an eight-wicket win against St Lucia Zouks in the final. “You could take this team anywhere around the world they’ll be highly competitive against any franchise that plays T20 cricket,” he says.KKR’s Brendon McCullum and Abhishek Nayar look on•BCCINovember 2020
Eoin Morgan, McCullum’s close friend, replaces Dinesh Karthik as KKR’s captain midway through the group stages but the team finishes fifth in IPL 2020, missing out on the playoffs on net run rate.April 2021
KKR start the season with five defeats in seven games before the tournament is put on hold because of the worsening second wave of Covid-19 in India. “It’s very, very disappointing,” McCullum says. “A saying that I’ve used throughout my career is that if you can’t change a man, change the man. So we’ll probably have to make some changes and try and bring in some fresh personnel who will hopefully take the game on a bit more.”August 2021
McCullum misses the CPL because of “personal reasons and Covid-related travel restrictions” and is replaced as Trinbago’s head coach by Imran Jan. He continues to work as a broadcaster as well as a coach, primarily for Spark Sport in New Zealand.October 2021
The IPL resumes in the UAE and McCullum’s KKR side charge to the final, winning seven out of nine games before falling to Chennai Super Kings at the final hurdle. “We’ll walk away with our heads held high,” he says.May 2022
With KKR struggling in IPL 2022, winning five of their first 12 games under new captain Shreyas Iyer, McCullum emerges as a candidate for one of the vacant England coaching roles, with new managing director Rob Key splitting the jobs down format lines. Initially linked with the white-ball role, he is appointed as England’s new Test coach. “I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we’ve confronted them head-on,” he says.

Babar and Rizwan upped their game while Haris Rauf shone but several questions remain unanswered

Umar Farooq03-Oct-2022Undisputed top-order kings</b
After talk about improving their strike rates in the powerplay, opening pair Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan made significant strides forward. In the Asia Cup, Babar scored at 117.02 per 100 balls, and Rizwan 97.19 – enough to spark a debate about breaking up the pair to introduce a faster-scoring opener. But in the England series, Rizwan had a strike rate of 138.59 (129.89 in the powerplay) and Babar 143.21 (124.13 in the powerplay).Much of the criticism around the pair had been about their conservative approach early on. Both are anchors and remarkably consistent, meaning either one or both tries to bat deep into the innings. But their low strike rates in the crucial first six overs contributed to putting the middle order under pressure, and raised concerns that Pakistan were failing to maximise their run-scoring potential.Both, however, continued to make significant contributions – they were the two leading run-scorers on either side – and asserted their predominance as an opening pair. In the second Karachi match, they set a new world record for partnerships runs in a T20 chase, scoring 203 together in a ten-wicket win. Clearly, with both at the crease, Pakistan have a high chance of winning the game.When both got out early – as happened in the decider – the performances of those batting further down strengthened the Babar-Rizwan case. A prerequisite for Pakistan’s success, it seems, is the openers scoring runs.On top up top: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan•Getty ImagesMiddle order, what middle order?
The series concluded with more questions than answers around the middle order slots, with little certainly around who should bat from No. 3 to No. 7. Pakistan brought in a natural opener, in Shan Masood, and asked him to fill a hole at No. 4, but results were mixed. Having debuted in T20Is, he showed some of the improvements he has made as a T20 player – but although he finished the series with 156 runs at a strike rate of 131.09, the majority of them came in a losing cause.Haider Ali, having barely played in the last year, was given a chance to make an impression after the dropping of Fakhar Zaman (due to form and, later, a knee injury) from the 15-man squad. Pakistan backed him but he seems to have regressed as a player. He had an underwhelming five games, scoring just 36 runs at a strike rate of 94.73, and sat out the final match with a viral infection.Iftikhar Ahmed, meanwhile, provided several cameos – 28 off 17, 15 off 14, 31 off 21 and 19 off 16 – but couldn’t capitalise on his starts. Regarded as an all-round option, he impressed with the ball when called upon – three times bowling his full allocation – but at other times was curiously underused. If he can gain the faith of his captain, he could help balance the side as a sixth bowler.Related

Babar: Middle-order batters' form in New Zealand 'good signs' for T20 World Cup

Chilly Christchurch brings back the nostalgic charm of a triangular series

Top teams 'one step ahead' of Pakistan in T20 batting approach, says chief selector Wasim

Like a moth to the flame, Mohammad Rizwan shows the light to Pakistan

Haris Rauf on India-Pakistan at the T20 World Cup: 'I'm very happy because it is at the MCG'

Khushdil Shah was a shadow of his former self as a finisher, scoring 63 runs at a strike rate of 112.50, while Asif Ali started the series out of the side and ended it with a top score of 13 not out. Pakistan are still not comfortable trying Shadab Khan at four, a position where he has often excelled for Islamabad United in the PSL.World Cup planning undermined
The scoreline of 4-3 might suggest a close series but leaves Pakistan with plenty of self-doubt going into the World Cup. There is still a tri-series to be played in New Zealand, an opportunity for Pakistan to regather ahead of the tournament in Australia. Defeat to England won’t have shattered confidence but it has created enough uncertainty to hit their preparations.Pakistan played around with their combination, and experimented with their fast bowlers, but found few answers. Three members of the World Cup squad – Khushdil, Usman Qadir and Mohammad Wasim – appear to be low on confidence. Pakistan still have another 12 days to make changes to their squad without going through the Event Technical Committee and they could well look to bring in alternatives from the traveling reserves.Qadir played in the first four games before hurting his thumb in the field but was expensive, his economy 10.41; Wasim’s figures were worse, taking two wickets while conceding runs at 10.98 an over. Shahnawaz Dahani, meanwhile, one of Pakistan’s reserves, finished the series with three wickets from four matches at a cost of 170 runs, and an economy of 12.75.Haris Rauf was Pakistan’s outstanding bowler•Getty ImagesNew-ball and death bowling in safe hands
One of the major positives for Pakistan was the form of Haris Rauf. His sheer pace, canny variations, and domination of the death overs mean he is among the best T20 exponents of his generation. Previously he had been criticised for leaking runs and a lack of game awareness, but from the Asia Cup to the England series he made big leaps forward to become Babar’s go-to bowler. He played in six games, finishing as Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with eight, alongside an impressive 7.87 economy – and starred in their startling defence of 166 in game four.Pakistan are clearly missing Shaheen Afridi, who is nursing a knee injury in England and will join the Pakistan squad in Brisbane on October 15. The series gave Pakistan the chance to explore options with the new ball, with Mohammad Hasnain making an impression with his pace; his overall numbers were unremarkable, with four wickets and an economy of 9.93, but his bowing inv the powerplay – where he had an economy of 6.37 – gives him an edge. With Naseem Shah likely to return after illness and and Afridi on the comeback trail, Pakistan certainly have fast-bowling options.A sting in the tail
There was one final twist in the Lahore leg of the series. Shadab Khan, Pakistan’s vice-captain and chief spinner, a vital cog with ball and bat, had sat out the first four matches after suffering concussion during the Asia Cup. But after replacing Qadir, he aggravated a hamstring injury in the final T20I, leaving Pakistan with another headache to manage.

Domestic cricket is not providing the grounding for batters to step up at Test level

Firdose Moonda25-Aug-2022We’ve been here before, haven’t we? South Africa’s attack have just about kept them in the contest after a batting implosion that is among the worst we’ve seen. The 151 made at Old Trafford is South Africa’s third-lowest score batting first since readmission, and it continued a concerning trend of a lack of big scores, individually and in partnerships.South Africa have long argued that their lack of runs comes from difficult home conditions but that’s not entirely true. Two of South Africa’s lowest first-innings scores since readmission have come in 2022 alone, and three of their lowest 10 since 2021. All of those blowouts happened away from home, where South Africa’s batting records have taken an alarming about-turn.In the last three years, South Africa’s top six have the worst record on the road among all Test teams. In 11 away Tests, South Africa average 26.49, having scored five hundreds and 12 fifties. The lows of the last three years look even worse against the backdrop of the highs of the past. Between 2012 and 2014, with Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers in their line-up, South Africa had the best top six on the road. They averaged 47.91 across 14 away Tests and scored 21 hundreds and 22 fifties.Related

• Engine failure condemns South Africa after Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen keep the wheels turning

• Go hard when it suits but dig deep when the force is with those who oppose you

• Jansen: 'We don't take anything for granted because Mother Cricket will kick you in the backside'

• Five years on, South Africa look to new beginnings at Old Trafford

• Jonny Bairstow guides England reply after seamers make SA rue toss choice

Before we get into the forensic examination of how and why the line-up is faring as poorly as it is, let’s address the obvious issue that emerged from Old Trafford: why did Dean Elgar choose to bat first in bowler-friendly conditions – overhead and underfoot? The answer lies more in team selection than Elgar’s giving in to his instinctive bat-first nature. With two specialist spinners, South Africa were eyeing bowling last, so… they had to bat first.They also had to leave out one of the four quicks that did the job at Lord’s and chose to bench lanky left-armer Marco Jansen, which looked like a mistake. Jansen swung the ball at an average of 1.9 degrees at pace in the first Test. Imagine what he would have been able to do here. Perhaps even imagine what he may have been able to do with the bat, after he was South Africa’s fourth-highest run-scorer at Lord’s, but don’t imagine it too much because lower-order runs cannot continuously bail the top order out.The decline in South Africa’s batting stems from the drop in quality of the domestic first-class game, which has seen batters scoring more runs more easily, against bowling that is producing fewer quality quicks than before. Between 2006 and 2010, there were only four batters in South Africa’s top-tier first-class system who averaged over 50 (minimum 1000 runs): JP Duminy, Neil McKenzie, Ashwell Prince and Albie Morkel, who scored 33 Test hundreds between them. In the last five years, there have been nine batters with averages over 50: Aiden Markram, Kyle Verreynne, Rassie van der Dussen, Pieter Malan, David Bedingham, Colin Ackermann, Raynard van Tonder, Ryan Rickelton and Keegan Petersen. All but Bedingham, Ackermann, and van Tonder have played Tests. Between them, they’ve only scored two centuries since 2018.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the same period, the number of pace bowlers who average 25 and under (having bowled at least 1000 deliveries) has come down from 12 to five. What that tells us is that South African first-class batters are not facing enough bowling that can properly prepare them for Test cricket. Nobody expects domestic attacks to be at the same level as James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson, but when South Africa’s line-up were truly tested by them, they looked out of their depth. South Africa were beaten off 43% of the balls they faced in the first hour. Sarel Erwee and Petersen (two of the batters who were selected for the Test side on the promise of recent first-class runs) were uncertain in their footwork. Erwee was only half-forward when he inside-edged Anderson to Ben Foakes; Petersen was stuck on his back foot when he was squared up by Broad.But it is Markram who is the best example of the massive step up needed when South Africa’s domestic batters make it as internationals. Since 2018, Markram averages 67.53 from 10 domestic first-class matches, with five centuries, but in 18 home Tests in the same period, he averages just over half that: 34.69, with only two hundreds. Markram has struggled in Tests over the last two years and was dropped as opener earlier in the year, only to find himself back and also struggling in the middle-order. The sensible solution would be to send him back to the first-class system to rediscover his touch but there’s every chance he won’t be adequately challenged.Why? Because South Africa’s outstanding players put their feet up when domestic red-ball cricket is being played, or occasionally, head to play in franchise leagues. Since 2018, Rabada has played one first-class match, Ngidi two, Nortje 12, and Jansen 17. As a comparison, 105 other players have played at least 24 first-class matches, which is twice as many as Nortje, and 16 others have played at least 34, twice as many as Jansen.ESPNcricinfo LtdSouth Africa are not the only team who face this issue, as T20 leagues encroach on the calendar and inevitably swallow up the domestic schedule. With CSA’s new T20 league to be played in the prime summer window in January-February, the first-class competition will be pushed further into the margins. We know all the reasons (money, money and money) that CSA has had to go down this route and we may even sympathise with it, but it won’t make performances like this any easier to stomach.”Our batters know what they have to go and do,” Kagiso Rabada said, after top-scoring with 36. “None of them are getting out on purpose. We know we have quality, it is a young batting line-up. It’s just about gaining the experience, I do think they know what they’ve done wrong. We’re backing them to do their best. If it doesn’t come off, it is what it is. They are taking responsibility. I know they are trying their best, We can’t go around pointing fingers, that’s energy sapping. We have to look forward and apply ourselves and hope to score some runs as a unit.”South Africa’s line-up sans superstars has so far relied on smaller, grittier contributions and has achieved some amazing things, including two venue-record chases against India in Johannesburg and Cape Town. They have regularly shown they are more than the sum of their parts. But when they are only that, it’s not enough and South Africa will have to ask some serious questions of their system to get better.

Desperate form leaves opener no place to hide with Pakistan tour looming

Matt Roller23-Aug-2022As Jason Roy trudged off the pitch, up the stairs and into the home dressing room at The Oval, the television cameras followed him all the way.It has become a grimly familiar sight to see Roy experiencing the first two stages of grief every time he walks off after a dismissal. His shoulders slump in denial before he swears to himself in anger; bargaining, depression and acceptance follow behind closed doors. With a T20 World Cup looming, he cannot afford to repeat the process much longer.Roy’s latest failure, a tortured innings of 21 off 19 balls against Birmingham Phoenix on Tuesday night, was spread across a cruel half-hour: a miniature horror film, combined with a modicum of high farce. This was his highest score of a wretched Hundred season, in which he has scraped his way to 51 runs spread across six innings.Counterintuitively, Roy’s best innings may also have been his worst. In chewing up 19 balls – 11 of them against a hard new ball, with powerplay fielding restrictions in place – he piled pressure on his team-mates, causing the asking rate to climb higher and higher in pursuit of 167. At least a quick failure – a mercy kill, on current form – would have given the middle order time to get set.The sarcastic applause told the story. Roy’s first three innings of the Hundred at The Oval this year had not brought him a single run: he had faced five balls, been caught twice and cleaned up once. When he finally got off the mark, miscuing a back-foot punch off Kane Richardson towards point, the crowd jeered, perhaps just loudly enough to prick Roy’s conscience.He had two lives inside his first nine balls. First, he swatted at a back-of-a-length ball on his hip from Tom Helm, offering Imran Tahir a straightforward catch at short fine leg which he put down. Two balls later, he inside-edged Richardson onto the top of his leg stump via the thigh pad; the Zing bail lit up, before landing perfectly back in its groove.Both moments felt like signs that the fates had finally aligned in his favour. He has been short of runs across the last two months, but short of luck too; it has felt like fielding teams have 15 on the pitch, with every edge finding a hand, every clean strike hitting the man on the edge of the ring. Surely, finally, this was Roy’s night.And then, the inevitable. No sooner had he reverse-swept Tahir for four over short third, brimming with overdue confidence and self-belief, Roy swiped at Henry Brookes’ short ball looking to clear the short leg-side boundary, and top-edged his pull straight to Richardson at deep backward square. There was no need to look and see if the catch had been taken: Roy was already off, dragging himself away from the scene.Related

• Why Alex Hales' England return could define Jos Buttler's captaincy

• Roy has team's backing, but he is no longer indispensable

• Jason Roy to take up Oval Invincibles captaincy in Sam Billings' absence

• Topley pulls out of the Hundred to ensure he is fit for T20 World Cup

• Kane Richardson, Tom Helm drive Phoenix to key victory

Roy at his best is defined by swagger and bravado: strutting to the crease with self-assurance before imposing himself on bowlers, chest out, collar popped. Those traits have been missing for some time: every shot has looked laboured, constantly fighting a battle against himself as much as the opposition.He has always dealt in boundaries rather than singles. Across a 14-year T20 career, he has scored a boundary every five balls; in the Hundred this season, he has faced 51 balls, and managed only five fours and a solitary six. Eighteen batters have opened more than once in the Hundred this season, and Roy’s average (exactly 8.5) is the lowest.Roy has not been short of backers during his form slump. Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, England white-ball captains past and present, were on hand to offer their support on Sky Sports’ coverage at The Oval, insisting that he would come good eventually. “The more games it is, the closer you are to coming back,” Buttler said, the sort of circular logic that followed Morgan around during the 18-month drought that preceded his international retirement.It is blatantly obvious that Roy needs a break. In this sort of funk, he will need to bat for a significant period of time in order to find the rhythm that has deserted him, something which the Hundred’s form simply doesn’t allow. He is not the only Invincibles batter out of form – Rilee Rossouw and Sam Billings have struggled badly – but he is setting the tone every innings while badly out of tune.Few sporting disciplines give individual sportspeople the extremes of white-ball batting, and the elation that Roy has felt for much of his career has been replaced by slow-motion disasters, suffering failure upon failure in the glare of the spotlight. In the Blast, where some nights see as many as eight fixtures staged simultaneously, there might be somewhere else to look; in the Hundred, Roy’s drought is the story every time Invincibles’ men play.England will pick a squad for September’s seven-match T20I series in Pakistan next week and will have a huge call to make: do they stick with a player who has defined their style in white-ball cricket over seven years, or twist a matter of weeks before a World Cup in Australia? It is a decision that could define Matthew Mott’s tenure as head coach; Roy has earned England’s loyalty, but there comes a time when loyalty drifts into blind faith.

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

Shashank Kishore26-Aug-20224:16

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

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

The lovey-dovey rivalry between India and Pakistan

India tactically more switched on, while Pakistan look too anchor-heavy

Temperatures rise as Asia's finest gear up for their biggest pre-World Cup test

Scenes from India's training session – Kohli-Babar bromance, and intense nets in Dubai heat

Posers for India: The same old top three? Pant or Karthik, or both?

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

The South Africa quick hopes curators will not overcompensate for the two-day Gabba finish and prepare overly flat tracks in Melbourne and Sydney

Firdose Moonda24-Dec-2022It’s a golden age for fast bowling in Test cricket and Lungi Ngidi is loving it.Since he made his debut in 2018, pacers have averaged under 30 year after year – for the first time since 2000, which means there’s no better time to be a modern seamer. “You’re always in the game,” Ngidi told ESPNcricinfo from Melbourne, where South Africa arrived to play their first Boxing Day Test at the MCG since 2008. “In years gone by in Tests, the team batting first would score 450 or 500 runs and you knew, as a bowler, you were going to have a long day. Now, teams want results and that’s what people are preparing for and playing for. Everyone wants a result and we don’t see a lot of draws. There’s always a winner and a loser.”Asked when he thought the format became more cut-throat, Ngidi identified a clear change in approach. “It was once the World Test Championship (WTC) came into effect and there were points on the board and something up for grabs,” he said. “It made the game more exciting and more teams decided to go big or big home.”Ngidi is correct. Since the WTC started in 2019 there have been only 19 draws in 132 Tests, which means there has been no winner or loser in just 14.3% of Tests. Between the year 2000 and the start of the WTC in August 2019, there were 195 draws in 872 Tests (22.3%). South Africa have not drawn a Test in Ngidi’s career, and last drew in March 2017, against New Zealand, when rain washed out the final day. Since then they’ve played 45 Tests, won 23, and lost 22, with their most recent game producing a defeat inside two days on a green Gabba surface.Even for someone who enjoys spicy surfaces, Ngidi could recognise the one-sided nature of that strip, which “was leaving divots” and has been given a below-average rating by the match referee for extra bounce and occasionally excessive seam movement. “People said the Gabba is a fast bowler’s paradise and I can see why. Ideally, you want a balance,” Ngidi said.

“We all know the financial incentive for people to play in T20 leagues but if Test players got offered the same financial benefits as a T20 competition, you’d be surprised by how many would take it.”Lungi Ngidi

And balance is the key word because Ngidi would hate to see Australian curators overcompensate for the Gabba by preparing flat tracks for the remaining two matches in the series. “I’ve seen Test wickets where you bowl all day and get one wicket and those are tough. It’s pretty one-sided for the batters and it gets disheartening,” Ngidi said. “Having played on the Gabba wicket, it would suck for it to be the extreme opposite in the rest of the series.”Not least because contests between Australia and South Africa are typically billed around the battle of the bowling attacks and this one is no different. Australia’s pack includes Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Cameron Green and, if fit, Josh Hazlewood. South Africa have Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen. Read the names and it would suggest they match each other pound for pound.While South Africa’s current attack is no match for the Dale Steyn-Morne Morkel-Vernon Philander triad in terms of experience, they have more variety in their make-up and are all developing at similar rates. “We’re all around the same age and get along very well as friends. That helps us to be open and honest with each other on the field, whereas if you have a senior bowler around, it can sometimes be hard to tell him what you think,” Ngidi said. “We are shaping up well. We have a good left-arm seamer [Jansen] coming through and we’ve seen how important that is in Test cricket, and then we have a guy [Nortje] who bowls 150kph. And we have the leading [pace-bowling] Test wicket-taker this year.”Rabada’s eight-for in the Gabba Test took him past Stuart Broad on the 2022 wicket-taker’s list and at present he is only one behind the leading bowlerl, Jack Leach. He is also the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the current WTC cycle, and he remains the leader of South Africa’s red-ball attack, even though his form has dipped in the shorter formats. Rabada was their least successful bowler at the T20 World Cup, but Ngidi, who has played 14 of his 16 Tests with Rabada in the line-up, thinks his numbers look worse than they really are because of how outstanding he had been before that. “When KG goes through a slight dip, it’s amplified because of how good he is,” Ngidi said. “He has a very high standard and when things don’t go his way, he takes it quite hard. He is such a hungry cricketer and he is always striving for success. We’re a partnership and I try to give him confidence mentally. The rest, he has got nailed.”‘When KG goes through a slight dip [in form], it’s amplified because of how good he is’ – Ngidi on Rabada•Associated PressThe same cannot be said for South Africa’s batting line-up, which is in the midst of a streak of six sub-200 totals, and which have struggled in the same conditions the bowlers have relished. Although Rabada conceded the batting disappointments have become “frustrating as a team”, he asked for patience as they gain experience as a unit. Ngidi went even further. “As bowlers, we understand how hard batting is,” he said. “Some of the balls we faced out there [at the Gabba], we thought how on earth are we supposed to do this? So we understand that it’s tough for them.”Despite the batting frailties, South Africa went to Australia ranked second on the WTC points table and remain in contention for the final. To keep things that way, they have to win one of the MCG or SCG Tests and beat West Indies 2-0 at home. No one among the current squad has played a Test at either of these iconic venues – experiences Ngidi describes as a “dream come true” – and it’s plausible none of them will play a Test match there again. South Africa are not due to tour Australia in the next FTP, which runs to 2027.This is also South Africa’s last three-Test series until 2026, with only two-Test series on the cards until then as the board seeks to minimise losses from hosting Test cricket and cement a January window for its new T20 league: the SA20. Ngidi will play for the Paarl Rocks in that tournament to add to his other franchise gig, at Delhi Capitals. Though he is “enjoying all the formats at the moment”, at heart Ngidi remains a red-ball devotee. He is pragmatic, however, about the cash rewards that come with T20 leagues, which have allowed him to buy his mother a home and secure his financial future.”Test cricket is my most important format. I grew up loving Test cricket and I will always love it. If I had the opportunity to play more Tests I would,” he said. “We all know the financial incentive for people to play in T20 leagues but if Test players got offered the same financial benefits as a T20 competition, you’d be surprised by how many would take it.”

India’s takeaways from their home T20I series wins against Sri Lanka and New Zealand

Deivarayan Muthu02-Feb-20233:27

Jaffer: Shubman Gill is going to be the next big batter after Virat Kohli

Shubman Gill shows off his T20 skillsT20 was considered to be Shubman Gill’s weakest format, and there were questions about his place as an opener, considering the explosive Prithvi Shaw was waiting on the bench. In his first five T20Is of 2023, Gill had scored only 76 runs, but in the series decider against New Zealand in Ahmedabad , he showed the world he could excel in the shortest format as well.Related

Hardik: 'I don't mind coming in and playing the MS Dhoni role'

Joshi: 'I'd pick Kuldeep in India's World Cup squad but not Chahal'

Gill, Shardul and Kuldeep the winners as India gear up for the World Cup

Gill launched seven sixes, the highlight being a one-handed loft over long-off off Blair Tickner. Against Mitchell Santner, he dashed out of the crease and pumped him into the sightscreen. With an unbeaten 126 off 63 balls – India’s highest score in T20Is – Gill has arrived as an all-format batter and increased the competition for places among India’s T20I openers.Hardik Pandya’s new (ball) roleCaptain. Anchor. MS Dhoni-like finisher. Middle-overs enforcer with the ball. Hardik has juggled and aced different roles in T20 cricket of late. Now, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, he took the new ball in all six T20Is against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.In the third game against New Zealand, Hardik smartly stayed away from fuller lengths on a pitch that, according to him, became “spicier” in the evening. He ended up dismissing Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips with hard lengths. Even in the Indore ODI, when had India rested their frontline quicks, Hardik had done the job with the new ball. At the moment, Hardik is officially only a stand-in captain for Rohit Sharma, but he’s won two T20I series this year and was Player of the Series against New Zealand too.Rahul Tripathi has batted fearlessly and selflessly in whatever opportunities he has got•Associated PressRahul Tripathi tees offIn the third T20I against New Zealand, Rahul Tripathi, like Gill, also scored at two runs a ball, smashing 44 off 22 balls. But it was Tripathi’s early aggression that gave Gill the freedom to pace his innings. He fearlessly and selflessly hit the ball over the top – both in front of the wicket and behind it in the powerplay – like he usually does in the IPL. Tripathi’s attacking intent and innovative strokeplay was also on show during his 16-ball 35 against Sri Lanka in Rajkot last month. Head coach Rahul Dravid recently suggested that India haven’t moved on yet from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20Is, and that the two are just taking a break. But with a little more consistency, Tripathi will present a strong case to be a T20I regular – with or without the seniors.Kuldeep ahead of Chahal?Here we go again. Kuldeep Yadav didn’t play the T20Is against Sri Lanka, but he grabbed his chance against New Zealand: taking two wickets in nine overs at an economy rate of 5.44. If India’s recent white-ball games are an indicator, then Kuldeep seems to have edged ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal as India’s first-choice wristspinner.Kuldeep Yadav’s confidence has been sky-high ever since he made his comeback•Associated PressFormer India spinner and chief selector Sunil Joshi had told ESPNcricinfo earlier this week that he would pick Kuldeep over Chahal in India’s squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup in October-November. The T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA is still 16 months away, but the early signs are that Kuldeep is ahead of Chahal in the T20I pecking order too.Washington Sundar’s white-ball potentialIn the absence of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, Washington Sundar took his chance – both with ball and bat – against New Zealand. He was benched for the T20Is against Sri Lanka and only had a peripheral role to play in the following ODI series against New Zealand, but he played a crucial hand in India winning the T20I series. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, Washington with 168 points was the MVP of the series, ahead of even Gill (162.8).In the first T20I in Ranchi, he bowled un-hittable lengths in the powerplay before scoring a 28-ball 50 from No. 6. His captain Hardik was so impressed with his all-round show that he said the narrative of the match quickly turned into Washington vs New Zealand.When Washington was growing up in Chennai, he was tipped to become the next big opening batter from the city, like M Vijay or Abhinav Mukund. But he has now gone the Dinesh Karthik way and is working towards becoming a specialist finisher in T20 cricket.Ishan Kishan’s form fizzles outIn the absence of KL Rahul, Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan had a golden opportunity to enhance his claim to be India’s first-choice T20I wicketkeeper. It was only in December that he had smashed the fastest double-century in ODI cricket, but since then his returns have plummeted. In the T20I series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, Kishan’s struggles against spin were evident: he managed just 29 runs off 43 balls against spinners while getting out three times. In all, he tallied 64 runs across six innings at a strike rate of 84.21. With India searching for an opener who can give them blazing starts, Kishan’s performance may force them to look elsewhere.