How should we compare Ngidi’s 3 for 41 to Tabraiz Shamsi’s 0 for 17?

ESPNcricinfo stats team23-Feb-2020In a dramatic defence of what could be considered at best a middling target, South Africa came back strongly through their fast bowlers to pull off an incredible win in the second T20I of the series against Australia, in Port Elizabeth.The home team had set a target of 159, and in response, Australia were well on track to chase it down comfortably. At the end of the 17th over, the visitors required 25 runs to win. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster pegged their win chances at 89.67%.ALSO READ: Australia rue ‘missed opportunity’ as South Africa prove killer instincts at deathA required rate of just over eight runs an over in the last three with seven wickets in hand should’ve been a cruise. But Lungi Ngidi led South Africa’s late fightback in the match to ensure the home team won by 12 runs. Ngidi came back strongly at death – as has been his wont in recent times – conceding just five runs from the 18th over and also took the wicket of the dangerous Mitchell Marsh. His first two overs had gone for 25 runs. Australia’s win probability after the 18th over had dipped to 66.83% – a whopping drop of 23% over just six balls.Conventional scorecards don’t usually do justice to performances in T20 cricket: an economy of 10.25 in a 160-run game doesn’t say how well or badly the bowler bowled in crunch situations. How important were the wickets he took? That’s where ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats step in to provide context to the game’s fans.According to Smart Stats Ngidi’s was the most impactful bowling performance of the match. The algorithm reckons that the three wickets that Ngidi took – of Aaron Finch, Alex Carey and Marsh – were actually worth more: 4.1 Smart wickets. Finch is a quality T20 batsman whose wicket value, given the relatively small total that South Africa were defending, was worth 1.7 Smart Wickets. Marsh’s wicket was valued high more because it cut down Australia’s win chances by over 20%.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}})}();

One issue for each team to sort in the second half of IPL 2020

Gaurav Sundararaman13-Oct-2020Kings XI Punjab: Who are their four best overseas players?The Kings XI have used 18 players in the first half of the IPL – the joint-highest in the competition; only two overseas players in their squad haven’t got a match yet. By contrast, table -toppers Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals have used just four and five overseas players respectively.The Kings XI did not play Mujeeb Ur Rahman until their sixth match and ended up bowling him after the powerplay against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Chris Jordan and James Neesham have not got consistent opportunities; Glenn Maxwell is yet to hit a six and Chris Gayle has not yet been tried. The Kings XI have swapped and changed a lot, and the clarity of roles for most players seem to be missing. With pitches slowing down, the Kings XI need to show more faith in their Indian spinners and decide which four overseas players they want to play in the next few matches which could allow them a consistent run.: Look to play Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Mujeeb and one player between Jordan and Neesham. Also, ensure these players perform roles earmarked for them in specific phases of a match.Chennai Super Kings: How can they end their batting woes? The Super Kings’ biggest challenge has been their frail and inconsistent batting. Barring Faf du Plessis, no other batsman has been consistent. The absence of conspicuous run-scoring intent at varying stages of an innings has hurt the franchise and that has played a part in the Super Kings’ failure to overhaul targets of 170 or less on three occasions. That they are the worst-performing batting line-up in the tournament this season can be gauged from their run rate in the powerplay and the middle overs: 7.14 and 7.61 respectively, worst and second-worst at the halfway mark among all teams.: Provide more batting time and opportunities to the likes of Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja and use newcomer N Jagadeesan as a floater.Kane Williamson waits for his turn to bat•BCCISunrisers Hyderabad: Williamson or Nabi? Kane Williamson has not done anything seemingly wrong to be dropped but the other three overseas players that the Sunrisers have in their mix are close to indispensable. So the only player who could be dropped among the cream is the New Zealand captain. With David Warner and Johnny Bairstow showing solidity at the top, playing Williamson at No. 4 seems like a surplus. Importantly, it is the weakness of their bowling attack that has contributed majorly to the Sunrisers’ defeats. Specifically, the bigger concern has been the fifth bowler, a role performed by the inexperienced spin twins Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad, who have conceded a combined 187 runs in 17 overs at 11 runs per over.: With Bhuvneshwar Kumar injured, the Sunrisers could considering deploying the experienced allrounder Mohammad Nabi – he can float in the middle order and strengthen the bowling unit with his offspin which can be influential on pitches that are steadily slowing down.Rajasthan Royals: Who can be the stable opening partner for Jos Buttler?The Royals have used four different opening pairs in seven matches and have added a highest of 27 for the first wicket. They average just 13.42. The Royals have lost the most number of wickets in the powerplay. This despite the presence of their captain Steven Smith and Buttler in the top order. Smith has looked awkward at the top and now the franchise has promoted Ben Stokes to open with Buttler. Will that lead to a stable partnership?: The Royals need to keep their faith in their decision-making and the batsmen they choose as Buttler’s partner.Rahul Tripathi during a fielding drill at the KKR nets•kkr.inKolkata Knight Riders: Have they identified their most effective batting order?Four wins from seven matches is not a bad start, yet the Knight Riders continue to shuffle their batting order. The primary factor behind the Knight Riders second-guessing themselves could be the weak batting form of Sunil Narine before his bowling action was reported. The extended dry run Andre Russell is going through and the lack of certainty around their captain Dinesh Karthik’s batting position are additional concerns.The Knight Riders, who are being coached for the first time by Brendon McCulllum, have played five batsmen at No. 4 in seven matches. Karthik has batted in four different positions during this period. Russell, too, has walked out at different positions while Rahul Tripathi has been juggling opening duties with batting at No. 7 every few games.: The Knight Riders have to figure out a combination comprising six bowlers and ensure the best players of spin bat up the order. The potential order could be: Tripathi, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Russell, and Karthik, along with five bowlers.Royal Challengers Bangalore: Should they continue to back Aaron Finch?Remarkably for a franchise that has finished in the lower rungs of the IPL for several years now, the Royal Challengers have identified their core group – made up of nine players – this season. Usually when teams are winning, they refrain from tweaking their combination. However, assuming that conditions are likely to favour spin in the second half of the tournament, there are two spots in the Royal Challengers’ XI that could be experimented with. One the domestic Indian player’s slot; the other, one of the two overseas recruits’ spots. With Chris Morris and Ab de Villiers expected to play all matches, either Isuru Udana or Finch could have to make way when required.Finch has not had a great run with the bat so far, averaging just 24.42 and striking at 114, although he has supported the up-and-coming Devdutt Padikkal in providing good starts. As the pitches get slower and bounce wanes, Finch might find it hard to score quick runs. In comparison, Udana’s variations might be more useful in the death, making him a more reliable pick ahead of Finch.: Replace Finch with Moeen Ali, who can offer four overs with the ball as well, at the top. Alternatively, play Adam Zampa instead of Finch and select an extra Indian batsmen, with Virat Kohli opening.Shimron Hetmyer reacts after falling to Kartik Tyagi•BCCIDelhi Capitals: Would they need a wristspinner in the second half?The Delhi Capitals’ bowling unit has been a treat to watch this season. The spinners and the pacers have been bowling exceptionally well in conditions that aren’t immensely bowling-friendly. The spinners conceded just 6.34 runs per over, striking once every 18 deliveries, in conditions that were initially perceived to be conducive to pace. With the pitches gradually starting to become sluggish and a slew of injuries plaguing their contingent, the franchise could look to play three spinners. However, their veteran wristspinner Amit Mishra has been ruled out of the tournament, meaning the Capitals’ bench strength will be put to test. They have just one spin-bowling replacement in their squad: Sandeep Lamichhane.: Replace Shimron Hetmyer or Anrich Nortje with Lamichhane based on the pitch, also with a view to adding variety to the spin department.Mumbai Indians: How to give Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard more batting time?The Mumbai Indians are easily the most balanced and arguably the strongest unit in the competition. The only possible challenge that the defending champions will want to address is figure out a way to give more batting time to Pandya and Pollard. Together they have played an average of 25 balls per match, which is just about 20% of the team’s innings, seemingly very low for the massive returns the pair can fetch.: With Pandya not bowling, he could be used to whack the opposition spinners in the middle overs while keeping Pollard for the death overs.

Since getting the pair on board for IPL 2018, the franchise has backed them relentlessly despite their multiple injuries

Deivarayan Muthu01-Oct-2020Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti set the speed guns on fire in India’s unbeaten run to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2018 in New Zealand and knocked over stumps for fun as out-and-out quicks. The Kolkata Knight Riders were so impressed by them that they broke the bank to get both Nagarkoti (INR 3.2 crore) and Mavi (INR 3 crore) on board for IPL 2018.The Knight Riders’ plan was to unleash them together on a helpful Eden Gardens pitch and ambush oppositions. However, while Mavi made fleeting appearances for the Knight Riders in 2018 and was sidelined from the entire IPL 2019, Nagarkoti hadn’t played any form of top-flight cricket, barring two Vijay Hazare Trophy games for Rajasthan, after winning the Under-19 World Cup.More than two years later, they both were fit again and playing together for the Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. In between, another bunch of Under-19 stars emerged as India made the final of the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, their former Under-19 team-mates Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw made their senior debuts, one their former Under-19 opponents Tom Banton enjoyed stints in the Big Bash League and Pakistan Super League before becoming team-mates with Nagarkoti and Mavi for IPL 2020. During the time when Mavi and Nagarkoti were on the sidelines, the coronavirus pandemic struck the world, pushing the IPL out of India to the UAE. Had the IPL got underway in April-May earlier this year, Mavi wouldn’t have been fit as he was still recovering from a stress fracture of the back he had suffered in December 2019.Both Nagarkoti and Mavi went wicketless against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Abu Dhabi although the Knight Riders secured their first points. But against the Rajasthan Royals in Dubai, everything came together for Nagarkoti, Mavi and the Knight Riders management, which has relentlessly backed the pair despite their history of injuries.The Knight Riders had similarly backed Andre Russell earlier after he had missed IPL 2017 because of a doping violation. That was expected as Russell is among the best T20 players ever. Mavi and Nagarkoti, however, were unproven in T20 cricket. Heck, Nagarkoti hadn’t played a single T20 before this IPL. Yet, the team management kept reiterating that they were “special” talents and looked after them like how a doting father would looking after his kids when any other franchise might have jettisoned them.”I literally feel like he is one of my kids – he’s that age, and he has that same emotion towards me, I think,” Venky Mysore, the KKR CEO, recently said of Nagarkoti.Ian Bishop has always spoken highly of the duo•ESPNcricinfo LtdOn Wednesday, Nagarkoti and Mavi ripped through the Royals batting line-up courtesy their bustle with the ball and in the field, providing a throwback to 2018, when they had thrilled the likes of Ian Bishop and Sourav Ganguly, and repaying the Knight Riders’ faith in them.Nagarkoti was also a livewire in the field, showing the world why his captain Dinesh Karthik likens his fielding to Ravindra Jadeja’s. When Robin Uthappa dabbed Mavi in front of him at backward point, he tore in from there, swooped down on the ball, and rifled an underarm flick that nearly ran out Jos Buttler. Then, in the 15th over, Nagarkoti sprinted at full tilt to his left from long-on, dived almost parallel to the ground, and grabbed a skied hit from Jofra Archer even though it was swerving away from his reach towards long-off. Spotting the ball under lights and catching it has been a challenge for other fielders in Dubai – as many as ten regulation catches have been spilled at this venue in just six games – but not for Nagarkoti. He showed them how to do it in style.It was Mavi who had set the scene for the emphatic defence by dismissing the in-form Sanju Samson and the dangerous Buttler in successive overs either side of the powerplay. After having Samson splice a pull to short midwicket off a 135kph hard-length delivery that cramped the batsman for room, he shifted his lines wider and had Buttler slicing a catch to short third man.Nagarkoti immediately took over and took out both Uthappa and Riyan Parag in the next over and cranked up his pace to 143kph to harry Tom Curran. The Rajasthan boy was bossing the Rajasthan Royals. At 42 for 5 in pursuit of 175, it was game over for the Royals.However, this (re)union of Nagarkoti and Mavi could well be the beginning of something “special”, as the Knight Riders have been anticipating for over two years. So, how delighted was the team management with the heroics of Nagarkoti and Mavi?”That’s something I really wanted to answer! Just the fact to see both these boys out there playing for us, representing our franchise…The fact that we stuck with them and just to see them out there, it’s so happy,” Karthik gushed at the post-match press conference. “The fact that they’re bowling well and fielding well is a bonus, but just to see them out there. I’ve been wanting to see them since the time they played the World Cup [in 2018]. It’s just great to see them both on the field.”The long-awaited match-winning returns of Nagarkoti and Mavi added so much depth to the Knight Riders attack that they didn’t need their premier spinner Kuldeep Yadav until the 16th over against the tail.

ECB player identification lead David Court discusses an unusual first summer in his job

Matt Roller23-Nov-2020On the surface, Zak Crawley’s case for selection at the time of his first call-up to England’s Test squad was weak. County Championship batting average? 30.55. First-class hundreds? Only three. Appearances for England-19s? Zero.But beneath that, the selectors had seen plenty that they liked. They had noted Crawley’s ability against the short ball, the rate at which he was improving, and his character, while recognising that playing half of his county fixtures at Canterbury – a low-scoring ground – meant his headline figures looked less impressive than they might have done for another player.”When we say ‘data’, we don’t just mean the numbers you’d get from ball-tracking or Opta,” says David Court, the ECB’s player identification lead. “That can involve holistic data: the aggregation of scouting reports, and that rich insight that you can get from counties and coaches.” The signal from the less quantifiable data was that Crawley was a player of high potential; 11 months later, his 267 against Pakistan rammed the point home.ALSO READ: ‘County cricket alone won’t produce international cricketers’ (2019)Court re-joined the ECB in March after four years working at the FA, filling his current role following Mo Bobat’s promotion to performance director. He had previously worked as a performance manager, and oversaw the regional Super Fours team at Under-17 level at the time Crawley was passing through.”Zak was involved in that regional tournament, so he was clearly a good player, but he didn’t play for England Under-19s. He’s obviously really progressed. One of our continued challenges is to keep looking at that potential, and asking: what are the attributes required to be successful in international cricket?”Current performance is not necessarily the best predictor of future success – that’s something I harp on about a lot. We have to be really conscious that we’re identifying potential, and not just current performance. Players’ progress is not linear, and we have to be aware of that.”

Having a young player perform like Tom Lammonby did is really positive – you want to see young players performing when the heat is onDavid Court on the opportunities afforded to young players in the Bob Willis Trophy

Crawley’s elevation to the Test side exemplified the fact that more data goes into selection meetings than a batting average modified by an algorithm, but it also added to a trend that is less celebrated at the ECB. A product of Tonbridge School, Crawley was one of nine players in England’s side for the second Test against Pakistan this summer to have attended private school, reported by the to be a record figure.It is a statistic that Court is aware of, but not one that leads him to believe there is any overwhelming bias towards people from a certain background in England’s selection process. “There are loads of factors at play,” he says. “My role is focused on international selection, so that’s not necessarily something we would discuss. It’s something we’d be aware of, but it’s definitely a wider issue around the decline of cricket in state schools.”I’m a state school boy, and even when I was at school a long time ago there were fewer opportunities to play, fewer pitches to play on than there once were. It’s multi-faceted. The other thing to say is that a lot of private school do run really good cricket programmes – they have high-quality coaching and some of the best facilities. And I guess some of the data is skewed by some schools recruiting and offering scholarships to the best young players. There are so many different factors.”Perhaps more pressing is the lack of black players within the English game. At the launch of Surrey’s ACE programme as a standalone charity, chair Ebony Rainford-Brent described talent ID among black communities as “non-existent”, but Court suggests that it is part of a societal problem, rather than an indication of unconscious biases among decision-makers.David Court joined the ECB earlier this year•ECB”It isn’t just a cricket problem,” he says. “Ebony is right: I’ve worked with her previously when I was at Surrey, and we’ve exchanged emails about where we [the ECB] might be able to help in terms of identification of players. The opportunity to play and develop is crucial: everyone working in player identification wants a wider talent pool to select from so that we can select the best players for England.”We used the idea of ‘multiple eyes, multiple times’ to address bias: we use different people from different backgrounds to look at players and use that to aggregate information before presenting it. The wider and more diverse that talent pool is, the better. Ultimately our role is to select to best players to win games for England; it would be great if – like in last year’s World Cup – we can represent modern Britain with a diverse team at the same time.”If Court’s first summer in the job was not quite as he anticipated – he joined immediately before lockdown was imposed – then he is still confident that he has managed to gain some value from it. In particular, he notes the opportunities that young players were afforded in the Bob Willis Trophy on account of the absence of overseas signings, several Kolpaks and with more players than usual on England duty as “really exciting”.”The number of England-qualified players went from 83% [in the 2019 County Championship] to 90%, alongside an increase of a few percent in the number of Under-19s. The challenge from a player ID perspective is then benchmarking that against previous performances, and working out the value of a performance in the Bob Willis Trophy compared to a normal season.Tom Lammonby works to leg•Getty Images”I managed to watch a bit of the final at Lord’s with Ed [Smith] and James [Taylor], and having a young player perform like Tom Lammonby did is really positive – you want to see young players performing when the heat is on. Even in the penultimate game, he got second-innings runs at Worcester to ensure they got to that final. Our job is to then make sense of those performances, understand which players are developing, and whether they have the long-term potential to go on and represent England.”Court’s time in football, in which he worked with clubs “right the way through from Champions League to League Two level” to have them develop their talent ID strategies, invites a comparison: which sport has a better infrastructure for the identification and development of players?”I’m still trying to establish the similarities and differences,” he says, “but one of cricket’s key strengths is the strong relationship between coaches and counties. Long may that continue as an open dialogue between county and country: it’s really healthy, and it ultimately helps the players transition into international level because we know more about them as a person as well as what’s they’re like as cricketers.”Speaking to Alec Stewart [Surrey’s director of cricket], who is one of our scouts, he sees that as a key part of counties’ role: to develop players to play for England. In all the conversations I’ve had with counties, they’ve been really open and willing to talk about which players they feel should be making a case for England and who is likely to be involved in the future from their side.”

MS Dhoni’s men lost five wickets in the powerplay and all but crashed out of the playoffs

Saurabh Somani23-Oct-20202:38

Will Sam Curran be a key part of the Chennai Super Kings revamp?

IPL 2020 began with these two teams. Mumbai Indians were everyone’s favourites, and then the Chennai Super Kings, like they do, upended the script. Since then, there’s been a reversion to the mean. Mumbai haven’t lost a single match in regular time: six wins in eight games, one defeat in a Super Over, one defeat in a double Super Over. The Super Kings are the opposite: two wins in their next nine games, qualification hopes hanging by a thread – a thread that needs other results to go their way too. It’s going to take 37 minutes to kill all those possibilities.7.30pm
Trent Boult to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Boult is on target. Gaikwad is one of three changes for the Super Kings as they look for the “spark” that MS Dhoni said was missing. It’s an important game for him, because he’s getting a chance at the top of the order, where he’s got all his runs for India A. He looked slightly unsure in the middle order, thrown into the deep end in an unfamiliar role in the most competitive, intense T20 tournament in the world.Boult brings the first ball in, but then starts bending it away. Beaten, beaten, defensive push into the offside. Take your time Ruturaj, this could be your chance.7.34pm
It was the set-up. Three balls away, next one curving in. Gaikwad is late. The ball has hit pad. Has it taken an inside edge? Is it going down leg? Boult is pleading for an lbw. The umpire doesn’t listen. Kieron Pollard does. Boult and Pollard are on the money and Gaikwad’s day is over. Ambati Rayudu comes in and has to deal with a ‘perfume ball’ – so called because you can smell it under your nose – first up.ALSO READ: Dhoni: Next three games ‘preparation for next year’7.37pmOh hello, what do we have here? Jasprit Bumrah has taken the new ball just once for Mumbai in this IPL, against the Rajasthan Royals. He got Steven Smith out in the first over then. Pollard, leading in place of an injured Rohit Sharma, has decided to go to Bumrah due to what happened in Boult’s first over.”Jasprit, we weren’t thinking about using with the new ball but after that over from Trent and getting that early wicket… you know Rayudu has batted well against us the last couple of times and over the last couple of years. So we just decided to go for him, and it worked for us,” Pollard will say after the match.”We were thinking of having Trent open the bowling and maybe go either Nathan (Coulter-Nile) or a spinner. But, seeing a couple of balls swing and getting that early wicket, having Rayudu come in. I just thought of using our most experienced bowler and one of our better bowlers against their main batsman.”Rayudu won the Super Kings the opening match of IPL 2020 with 71 off 48. He has a couple of 40s too, one in 2018 and one in 2019.7.39pm
It takes two minutes and two short balls from Bumrah to prove Pollard’s hunch spectacularly right. The first one is back of a length, the second is banged in harder. It starts to home in just below Rayudu’s left shoulder like a heat-seeking missile. It gets too big, too fast, and is too good for him. There’s nowhere near enough room to pull, but Rayudu’s committed to the shot. The ball is committed to tangling him up into a top-edge that floats into Quinton de Kock’s gloves.Pollard and Bumrah exchange smiles while he’s walking back to bowl the next thunderbolt. The plan has worked. Not just the plan to bowl Bumrah first up, but to target Rayudu with the short stuff.The new man is N Jagadeesan. Can he show the spark Dhoni wanted? Not tonight. You feel for him and Gaikwad. They’ve put in the hard yards in domestic cricket. They’ve got their opportunity on the big stage. But they’re up against a pair of bowlers who are too hot to handle for most batsmen. Jagadeesan’s swishing at his first ball, feet not moving – they’ve not had time to move yet, to get the rhythm going yet – and it’s an outside edge to first slip.Another day, another failure with the bat for MS Dhoni•BCCI7.47pm
The Super Kings are under the pump but they have the two men best suited for a rebuilding job in Faf du Plessis and Dhoni. Both like to take their time. Both are capable of big hits later. Both have the evenness of temperament to ride out the storm.
But not tonight. Not tonight.It’s an uncharacteristic du Plessis stroke. It’s a characteristic Boult strike. He’s been doing it regularly for Mumbai upfront. Bowling coach and countryman Shane Bond will say Boult had promised “he was going to peak for this game”. Some peak. Swinging full and across du Plessis, whose normally sure footwork has gone AWOL. Maybe it’s the wickets. Maybe it’s the reality of the Super Kings’ season. Maybe it’s the bowling. Or all three. A waft and another catch behind.The Super Kings have lost more wickets than they have runs on the board: 3 for 4.The dugout looks more shocked than glum. Even in the midst of their worst season ever, they hadn’t quite expected their worst start ever to a game.”We’re pretty stunned really… It was tough watching,” coach Stephen Fleming will say after the match. He’ll repeat ‘it was tough’ three times in the same answer.7.59pm
It’s only an 18-run partnership but after what went before, the fifth-wicket stand between Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja is starting to feel like hope for the Super Kings. Bumrah’s second over has been negotiated. Krunal Pandya replaced Boult. There could yet be a rearguard.Turns out, Boult has not been taken off, he’s merely switching ends. Jadeja’s been in good ball-striking form this tournament. A counter-attack against Boult incoming? Not quite. Jadeja steps down the track, goes for the flat-batted pull. It only comes off the toe-end and into midwicket’s hands.The Super Kings are wrecked. They’re 21 for 5 inside the powerplay. All the power and the play has been enforced by Mumbai’s bowlers.8.07pm
The one glimmer of hope is the captain. Dhoni has just hit Rahul Chahar for a straight six, right out of his 2011 playbook. Maybe he can salvage something?No he can’t.The next ball’s tossed up wider outside off, and Dhoni’s going hard at this too. But it’s not in his hitting arc. It’s, in fact, in his edging arc. Caught behind. It’s 30 for 6 and the dream is officially done for the Super Kings.”It does hurt,” Dhoni will say after the game. “I think all the players are hurting.”

****

Mathematically, the Super Kings retain a ghost of a chance to make the playoffs. Practically, a spotless record of qualifying 10 times in 10 seasons is over. It doesn’t take 37 minutes for a legacy to crumble. But these 37 minutes provided the hammer-blow soundtrack to one of the great records in the IPL ending.

Stats highlights from the fast bowler’s 18-year wait for a Test cap

Sampath Bandarupalli07-May-2021598 – Wickets in first-class cricket for Tabish Khan, the most by any player before a Test debut for an Asian team. The previous highest was 558 wickets by Malinda Pushpakumara before making his Test debut for Sri Lanka in 2017 against India. The 598 first-class wickets by Khan are also the second-most by anyone before their Test debut for a team other than England. Tim Murtagh had 712 first-class wickets before Ireland’s Test debut in 2018.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 – Players older than Khan (36 years and 146 days) on Friday at the time of their maiden Test cap for Pakistan. Miran Bakhsh was 47 years and 284 days old in 1955 while making his Test debut against India, while Amir Elahi made his Pakistan debut at 44 years and 45 days in 1952, five years after his Test debut for India.0 – Players with 500-plus wickets other than Khan in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the premier first-class tournament of Pakistan. The right-arm fast bowler has 515 scalps to his name across 115 matches he played in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.ESPNcricinfo Ltd137 – First-class appearances for Khan before his Test debut against Zimbabwe. Only Khalid Ibadulla, with 218 matches, played more first-class games than Khan before making his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia in 1964.495 – Wickets by Khan in first-class cricket during a ten-year period between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2018, which he took at an average of 22.09 and a strike rate of 42.90. Only Pushpakumara (616 wickets at 19.43 average and 36.20 strike rate) picked up more wickets in first-class cricket in those ten years at a better average or strike rate than Khan.3 – First-class matches played by Khan outside of Pakistan before his Test debut in Harare. All those three games that he played for Pakistan A against Sri Lanka A were held in Sri Lanka, where he took four wickets at an average of 81.50. His first-class returns in Pakistan read 594 wickets at 23.91.

The South Africa batter on the importance of the occasional cheat meal, and her love of braai

Interview by Annesha Ghosh19-Mar-2021What do you like eating most in any given week?
. That’s probably because I’m South African, we all like to eat braai. Around the world, braai is known more as barbecue. I am a big meat-eater, so if I can have meat during my meal, I’m always happy and it puts a smile on my face.Of all the venues you’ve played in to date, where did you find the food most delicious?
During the 2017 ODI World Cup [in England], Leicester County Cricket Club served us delicious food. At the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat, where we played in 2019, I loved the Indian delicacies.As far as cooking goes, what would be your claim to fame?
I think my husband would say cannelloni. That’s one of his favourites and I enjoy making cannelloni. And if I am pressed for time I go for something Mexican, like a fajita or a burrito bowl. It’s quick, easy, and delicious.Are you the best cook in the family?
No (). I’ve been on tour so often and been playing cricket most of the time, I am grateful that my mom did most of the cooking. It was only after I got married that I realised, “Whoopsie! Mom’s not around, so I’ve got to step up.” I’ve got a few go-to meals, but every time I get back, I feel like I’ve forgotten everything. I don’t remember how to make the food! So we just then have to make a braai and I stick to a side salad, which is pretty easy.If you could pick one team-mate to cook meals for you for one year straight, who would that be?
I’d go for a WBBL team-mate, in the Melbourne Stars family: Holly Ferling. She’s made some really good food for us on tour and she’s extremely good at baking. I have got a sweet tooth, so if I’ve got to be stuck with a team-mate for 365 days, she’ll spoil me.What sort of fast food is allowed in the South Africa women’s team?
The biggest thing about fast food is [that it] is processed. You can try to stay away from processed food and instead eat real ingredients when it’s freshly made. In South Africa and elsewhere we’ve got Nando’s, which is a really healthy option. You can get good flame-grilled chicken.That being said, I do feel every now and then you’ve got to spoil yourself, just be human, and have that occasional cheat meal. I’m big on treating myself. For me, it could be a pizza or a pasta. The point is just don’t overdo it or do it too often.

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With two wickets in four balls, and a third two overs later, Anderson provides spark at the perfect moment

Andrew Miller09-Feb-2021The method may have been subtly different but the impact was every bit as spectacular. Just as Andrew Flintoff ripped open the 2005 Edgbaston Test with a sensational and never-to-be-forgotten over of high-class reverse-swing bowling, James Anderson did likewise on the final day in Chennai – to set up an England victory that deserves to be recalled as one of their finest in recent memory.In claiming two wickets in four balls, either side of an excruciatingly tight lbw shout, and a third two overs later to prise out India’s first-innings star turn, Rishabh Pant, Anderson provided the spark of inspiration at the perfect moment, as England rumbled through to a 227-run win – their sixth in a row in Asia – that sets up this four-Test series as another potential classic.”He’s the GOAT of English cricket,” Joe Root, England’s captain, told Star Sports at the close. “He’s finding ways of constantly challenging himself, and he’s getting better all the time.”Related

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“I can’t think of [a better over] in my time,” he added later. “It reminded me a little bit of Flintoff in ’05, the impact of that over to Ponting and Langer, but in the context of this game it was huge.”When you are looking around, in big moments in Test matches, naturally you expect that from him and the likes of Ben Stokes, coming on and taking the wicket of Virat Kohli. Big-game players stand up and do special things.”As was the case with Flintoff at Edgbaston, all those years ago, the stage had been set by the time Anderson entered the fray in the second hour of the morning, and if the jeopardy wasn’t quite comparable given England’s weighty cushion of runs in this contest, then the opportunity was there for India, at 92 for 2, to build themselves towards a position whereby stalemate might yet be possible.The old ball, after all, had been England’s Achilles heel in overseas conditions in recent years – not least on their last tour of India in 2016-17, when their spinners were all too easily neutralised once the leather began to soften, and when Anderson himself was only semi-fit having battled back from a shoulder fracture that might have dissuaded a less dogged combatant from boarding the plane in the first place.This time, however, he arrived at the top of his mark at the top of his game – and at the age of 38 as well, of all the preposterous postscripts. It had been more than a decade, since Lord’s 2009 in fact, since Anderson had last been shunted off the new ball in a Test match, but the logic was utterly sound on this occasion. In his stead, Jack Leach benefitted from the hard bounce and rip to prise out two priceless scalps in alliance with the menacing Jofra Archer, leaving Anderson to focus on the swing as the shine began to dissipate.And just like Flintoff in 2005, Anderson needed just a single sighter before hurtling into the game. Shubman Gill had caressed his way to a wonderfully serene half-century – but even his fast hands and keen eye had no answer for a stunning off-stump heat-seeker that screeched back through the gate to send the stump cartwheeling and the contest ablaze.Anderson’s is a different brand of reverse-swing to the bruising, deck-hitting menace that Flintoff made his trademark during his early-2000s pomp. He is lighter through the crease and skiddier off the pitch, but it’s the relentlessness that sets his game apart from any other contemporary practitioner. When every ball is demanding a decision, regardless of its misbehaviour through the air or off the pitch, that makes his magic balls all the more devastating, as Rahane discovered before he could lay bat on ball.James Anderson is thrilled after beating Shubman Gill with his reverse swing•BCCINot unlike Ponting in 2005, Rahane’s immediate awareness of the dangers did little to mitigate the challenge he faced. He might have been dismissed by his second delivery, another wickedly zippy inswinger that smashed him on the shin but was adjudged umpire’s call on review. Undeterred, Anderson simply returned to the top of his mark and did it all over again – producing such a pinpoint reload that Rahane’s leg bail was left unruffled as his off stump tumbled gleefully towards the keeper.”It’s always nice to see stumps cartwheeling out of the ground because it doesn’t happen very often my age,” Anderson said. “It just really tops off a really good performance throughout the five days.”The pitch was deteriorating, which we knew, so it was about getting enough balls in the right spot,” he added. “I got lucky with the bounce on a few of them, but it got us off to a good start for the day.”[The reverse swing] was huge for us. The pitch wasn’t particularly quick, but that movement in the air makes it so much better for us seamers, it makes you feel like you can get a wicket with any ball.”And by the time Rishabh Pant was unseated with a more cerebral but no less skilful piece of bowling – drawn hard-handedly into a punch to short cover after being challenged to keep playing his natural stroke-filled game – Anderson had snaffled three wickets for seven runs in six overs, to take his tally for the winter to 11 wickets for 99 runs in 54 overs. Average 9.00, economy-rate 1.83. Incision and parsimony combined to extraordinary effect.”For someone at 38 years old to be still getting better, still being as fit as he’s ever been, is huge credit to his desire to play for England,” Root said. “He’s a great role model to the rest of the group. And his skill level is right up there. He’s still as good as anyone you’ll ever see, and long may that continue.”4:23

Bell: The best I’ve seen Anderson bowl

It’s become passé to point out that Anderson is actually rather a handy bowler in Asian conditions, in spite of the reputation that has dogged too much of his career. In the course of this wicket-spree, his average in India briefly dipped below 30 – even as he ticked past Courtney Walsh to become the most successful 30-plus fast bowler in Test history. He has the small matter of 343 at 23.44 since August 2012, numbers that aren’t a million miles from the great Dennis Lillee’s former world-record haul.For he’s been doing this for decades – he played a starring role in England’s series-levelling victory in Mumbai in 2006, and six years after that, he was hailed by MS Dhoni no less as the “difference between the sides” when his 12 wickets in England’s 2-1 series win were three times as many as any other fast bowler on either side. At Kolkata, in fact, he produced a spell so incisive that Sachin Tendulkar recently claimed he had produced “reverse-reverse swing”.Frankly, endorsements of one’s India credentials don’t get much bigger than those two names. But Anderson himself is adamant he’s got yet more to come.”It’s hard to compare, really,” he said of his original starring role in India, almost 15 years ago now. “I think I’m a very different bowler. I’ve got a lot more skills, and I feel like I can perform on a variation of surfaces.”Now back then I relied heavily on swing and reverse swing. Now I’ve got cutters and other things to help me on different pitches. And I think my consistency is also improved.”I feel like I’m getting better,” he added. “I feel like I can still keep improving my fitness, my skills and my consistencies. I don’t see why I can’t get better. And that’s what I strive to do so.”When I don’t feel like I need to come to the ground and practise my skills in the nets to get better, maybe that’s when I’ll need to start looking for something else to do. But right now I feel I can still get better and I’m enjoying the challenge of doing that.”