England’s less-is-more mantra will be tested like never before, but the pressure-off approach has worked so far

Matt Roller14-Jun-2023England’s Test team have adopted a simple, three-word mantra when it comes to their preparation: less is more.While Australia were getting ready for Friday’s first Ashes Test at The Oval, by thrashing India to win the World Test Championship, England’s players and management were playing golf in Loch Lomond. Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, there is no training just for training’s sake.”It was perfect, trying to get away from cricket for a week or so,” Harry Brook told the BBC. “Then we’ve come back, hit the ground running and go hard at training. There was a bit of alcohol involved… it was more of a team-bonding week, and we all bonded very well.”The squad is full of golfers, with Zak Crawley – who plays off a handicap of one – said to be the pick of the bunch. McCullum is a tournament ambassador for the New Zealand Open and a regular in the annual Pro-Am event; his own handicap has dropped significantly since he took the job.Brook is not far off Crawley himself, and became partners with his Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Brian Lara in India. They took pride in an unbeaten record for the first half of the IPL, but were eventually beaten by Marco Jansen and the professional at Hyderabad Golf Club. He views golf as an opportunity to get away from cricket.”When you’re training, you hit it hard and train your nuts off,” Brook said. “Other than that, you get away from the game – and golf is a very important part of that. It takes you away from cricket. Professional sport as a whole can be very draining and tough, so to be able to play another sport and take the mind off it is perfect.”Related

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England cricketers have always loved golf, but some have feared the repercussions of being seen to play too often. “I used to play once every two weeks,” Graeme Swann said. “There was always the feeling that if I’m playing golf four times a week and I’m not performing, that’s an easy target; it’s going to get pointed out.”There is now a culture of individuals taking personal responsibility for their preparation, rather than being dictated to. Training sessions are optional; McCullum blares out an eclectic playlist over his speakers as batters swing as hard as they can. Players’ availability to play county cricket is largely left up to them, as is the final call on participation in franchise leagues.Take Joe Root. He has not played a County Championship match in over a year, and decided to enter the IPL auction at a low base price (INR 1 crore/£100,000) in order to maximise his chances of being picked up. He spent the vast majority of his two-month stint with Rajasthan Royals running drinks, but justified his decision to ESPNcricinfo during the tournament.Brendon McCullum bazballs on a Millbrook Resort golf course after England’s Test series against New Zealand•Getty Images”If you want to, you can look back at anything and say, ‘well if you didn’t do that then you might’ve done better here’. It doesn’t make any difference,” Root said. “It’s about how you turn up and you perform when those big games come around and that’s what you should be judged on, not the decisions you make prior to it, especially when you’re an experienced player.”Root has batted once in a first-class match in the last month, making 56 in England’s one-sided Test against Ireland. Brook’s only innings lasted seven balls. Jonny Bairstow last faced a red ball in a match a month ago; Stokes has not done so since February, and Moeen Ali since September 2021. McCullum had no qualms with Moeen missing training on Wednesday to collect his OBE from Windsor Castle.ESPNcricinfo’s data suggests that recent red-ball practice makes a slight difference in England – or at least, that it has over the last 15 years. Since 2008, England’s top-seven batters who have played at least one first-class game in the month before a home series have averaged 40.1; those who have not have averaged 38.1. England bowlers who have played in the month before average 27.0 in the series itself, compared to 28.3 for those who have not.But the differences are marginal, and for every example of a player who has struggled with minimal match preparation, there is a counter-example of one who has flourished. Much of the build-up to England’s first Test of the Stokes-McCullum era focused on Bairstow’s late arrival from the IPL, where he was short on runs; he responded with one of the all-time great summers by an England batter.”Every Test match I’ve played so far, I’ve felt like I’m ready two days out – and that’s the same today,” Brook said on Wednesday. “We’ve got another training day tomorrow so I’ll top up and see how I am before then. I haven’t not played any cricket… I’ve been playing IPL cricket and playing against the best bowlers in the world anyway. I feel like I’m ready and I don’t feel short of cricket at all.”The minimalistic approach to preparation stems, at least in part, from a recognition of Test cricket’s parlous state. “You can understand why people don’t want to play Test cricket,” Brook added. “There’s so many franchise competitions out there and there’s so much money you can get; it’s like being a footballer.”And so, England see no point ramping up the pressure in the weeks leading up to a Test match by turning them into an intense endurance test. Instead, they fall back on that simple mantra: less is more.

Despite batting lower down the order, he provides huge value and consistency while playing a high-tempo game

Sidharth Monga07-May-2023For a long time in Punjab Kings’ innings against Mumbai Indians on May 3, it looked like it was not going to be possible to hit a six off the spinners. The canny Mumbai spinners, Piyush Chawla and Kumar Kartikeya, were not firing it in, they were keeping it away from the batter’ reach, and the slowish pitch was helping them out.Then Jitesh Sharma came out to bat at No. 4 in the 12th over. The fourth ball of spin he faces, Jitesh showed both the intent to take the risk and the skill to pull it off. He advanced at Kartikeya, creating momentum, and then went hard at it. The complexion of the game changed once he came out to bat: Kings scored 120 in the remaining 50 balls even though Mumbai went on to chase 215 down.Related

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Jitesh is early into his career, and there will be challenges as he continues being successful, but he is a rare Indian batter. Among Indians with 2000 T20 runs, only Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav – both top-order batters – are faster.Batting as he does lower down the order, Jitesh plays fewer deliveries than the superstars of T20 do. He doesn’t have the luxury of getting his eye in or assessing the pitch. Since the start of 2021, only two batters around the world – Tim David and Liam Livingstone – have been quicker than Jitesh in innings of under 30 balls.Nobody who has scored 750 runs in all of T20 cricket has been as quick as Jitesh when batting outside the top three. Andre Russell is a good 11 runs per 100 balls behind at No. 2.These are pretty cool numbers to have, but that’s not what make him unique. Hardik Pandya managed to do this for Mumbai for a season or two before becoming an anchor batter. Rahul Tewatia has slotted nicely into the late-order hitter role. Unlike others, Jitesh averages 37 while striking at 177 per 100 balls from No. 4 onwards. That’s what makes him rare: low number of balls per innings, high impact, remarkable consistency when playing a high-tempo game.ESPNcricinfo’s stats team put more refined numbers to Jitesh’s qualities. Since the start of 2021, Jitesh has begun his knock in the back half of the innings 27 times. Over the same period, 525 batters have started batting in the second half of the innings 15 times or more. None among those 525 strike as quickly as Jitesh’s 193.8. Rilee Rossouw comes close with 192.2, but he averages 19.9. Jitesh has been scoring 43.8 runs per dismissal in these innings. Only one among the 525 – Cam Fletcher of New Zealand – averages higher than Jitesh, but his strike-rate is 150.Jitesh Sharma is generally always on the move from the moment he walks out•BCCITo make sure this is not just too many not-outs inflating Jitesh’s average, ESPNcricinfo looked at the number of innings of 30 or above at a strike-rate of 150 and above. Only AB de Villiers (eight out of 26) and Adam Hose (five in 15) have managed such efforts more frequently than Jitesh, who has done that in eight out of his 27 knocks.These numbers match the visual evidence from his two seasons in the IPL. Nor does a glaring weakness stand out. No style of batting is an obvious match-up from the IPL ball-by-ball data. Legspin seems to be his favourite: he has struck at more than two a ball against 47 balls of legspin bowled at him in the IPL. The only place less than hot on his wagon wheel is the area between short third and point where he has struck at 130. His favourite areas are down the ground and through midwicket and covers, but when he does strike behind square, he takes full toll.It is early days yet and teams will come up with better plans to test him, but Jitesh might just be the T20 batter India have been looking for in the mold of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. Unlike Pant, he has played just 17 first-class matches, and only three since 2016. Nor does he have a great record in List A cricket. But he is not likely to be confused about his tempo when the inevitable India call-up arrives.Here’s hoping Jitesh doesn’t start playing differently like many others once he starts playing for India. There is something in that team environment that turns hitters into anchors that he himself and the management will need to protect him against.

This wasn’t just an ODI against India as much as it was Murphy’s Law stretched to breaking point

Danyal Rasool12-Sep-20232:08

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The DJ’s setlist during India-Pakistan games at neutral venues – which is all India-Pakistan games now – can often be whimsically random. There are the usual pop classics from both countries, or whatever’s hovering around the top of the charts. But on occasion, a stroke of relevant inspiration hits, and halfway through Pakistan’s flawless chase against India in Dubai in 2021, Van Morrison blared through on the sound system.Related

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Two years on from Pakistan’s perfect day, India and Pakistan meet again, but in a tournament where raining and complaining have been ubiquitous, these aren’t days like those. Babar Azam wins the toss and fields first again, but the similarities end there. Minutes after he speaks, the clouds begin to clear and a watery sun peaks through; this isn’t even a day like the one Pakistan enjoyed a week prior, a repeat of which prompts the Pakistan captain into putting India in. And so begins an ODI so wretched, it rendered the first letter of that acronym redundant in its bid to haunt Pakistan over the next two days.Bowling first when armed with the most enthralling attack in the world is tempting, though this is the third successive time Pakistan have opted to do so against India in this format and ended up on the wrong end of a mauling. The last two times came at the 2019 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy, with India winning by 89 and 124 runs. And for all of Pakistan’s optimism around restricting India to a chasable 267 in Pallekele last week, it bears repeating they have never won the toss and managed a triumphant chase in excess of 250 against this opposition.But even when Rohit Sharma flicks Shaheen Shah Afridi away for six in the first over, Naseem draws a chance from Shubman Gill first ball, an aerial cut that Afridi might have reached with a more decisive lunge. Next ball, an inside edge whooshes past the stumps and goes for four. While Afridi suddenly can’t find swing and is bullied off the fuller length, Naseem sends down a maiden and then finds Gill’s edge. Somehow, keeper, first slip and second slip all go for it but let it go at the same time. Like the flick of a switch, it seems, India have suddenly worked out how to neuter what is a world-class fast-bowling attack.Shaheen Shah Afridi and Virat Kohli experience contrasting emotions•Getty ImagesPakistan’s tactical soundness through the middle overs has frequently come under scrutiny, not least during the sides’ earlier meeting when India turned the game around against spin. While that was largely down to Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan’s brilliance, Shadab Khan helps them out this time. In one of his most indifferent ODI showings, he can only seem to find long hops and full tosses as India consolidate their advantage. He does manage to get the wicket of Rohit before Afridi deceives Gill, but soon, the Colombo rains do what they had promised to all week, descending with a ferocity so intense even the Sri Lankan groundstaff have to admit defeat.Woke up on the wrong side of bed, point apiece, move on, right? Wrong. This ODI’s not yet done with Pakistan, who, in classically tragicomic circumstances, are about to be hoist by their own petard. Aggrieved at the rain scuppering what they perceived to be a strong position in Pallekele, as well as missing out on the revenue a full India-Pakistan contest would generate, they had pushed strongly for this game to be moved to a drier part of Sri Lanka. After that motion fell through due to ACC politicking, the PCB won a concession: a reserve day for this match – and this match only.And so Pakistan return for round two of the flogging they had triumphantly negotiated themselves. By now, Afridi had gone off with an injury before returning, but Haris Rauf was the bigger concern, a side strain ruling him out of the game. Pakistan don’t need any invitation to muddle up their middle overs, but now had to contend with Iftikhar Ahmed bowling at least five. India pounced on him as if he were their last meal before winter set in, greedily hoarding up the runs, stripping him skin from bone.The death overs arrive, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul both having notched up hundreds; they remained unbeaten, of course, as the very notion of a wicket falling seemed absurd at this point. But you looked up, and suddenly, in the middle of a Naseem over, here was Iftikhar again, almost as if Spider-man had reverse-spawned into Peter Parker. But as the phantasmagorical events play out, it becomes apparent why; Naseem, too, is walking off with a shoulder injury.The skies are dark now, and not just because the sun has set. The clouds gather as Jasprit Bumrah stands at the mark, 28 hours on from Babar deciding he’d bowl first. The swing and seam Mohammad Siraj and Bumrah generated rendered them nearly unplayable. And while Pakistan have played up to what they have branded the Pakistan Way, a fear-free approach that held them in such good stead over the past month, India’s dominance and a horror two days shrinks them back into the conservative shackles they have tried so hard to break free from.Babar Azam was knocked over by a Hardik Pandya nip-backer•AFP/Getty ImagesIt isn’t until the sixth over that Fakhar Zaman gets off the mark, and when Kuldeep Yadav puts him out of his misery in the 20th, he has managed 27 off 50. By now, India’s seam-bowling allrounder Hardik Pandya had jagged one in to dispatch with Babar, and a lengthy rain delay had toyed with Pakistan’s fraying emotions, briefly raising hopes of a great escape.The weather offered them no escape, and, in truth Pakistan made no attempt at the target. Pakistan’s middle order has been a problem against worse sides, and they were not going to rediscover their groove against this charmed Indian unit. India run through a team that is melting away in front of their eyes, romping home to a victory that will take pride of place in the record books. When Kuldeep traps Faheem Ashraf in front, Pakistan still had two men to come and 228 runs to get, but that, Pakistan decide, is enough. They shake hands, prioritising getting off the pitch on a day this ghastly over throwing a hobbling Naseem and Rauf into the ring. This, for Pakistan, is not so much an ODI as Murphy’s Law stretched to breaking point.Days like these are perhaps easier to move on from, because they don’t really tell you much. Pakistan are not this bad, and India, for all their qualities, will not have it so easy again. Unlike older Pakistan sides, the penchant or appetite for reactionary recriminations doesn’t really exist anymore.Pakistan will look to nurse Naseem and Rauf back to full fitness; it is unlikely we see them again this tournament. Perhaps travelling from Hambantota to Colombo, Colombo to Multan, Multan to Lahore, Lahore to Multan, Multan to Colombo, Colombo to Pallekele, Pallekele to Colombo, Colombo to Lahore and Lahore to Colombo all in 12 days isn’t the best way to keep young men performing at the edge of their athletic ability at full fitness. Perhaps the loss is a reminder of Pakistan’s vulnerabilities and reliance on the top end of each innings, and how hard they find it when momentum slips away. Perhaps there are strategic creases to be ironed.Or perhaps, as Van Morrison crooned that day in Dubai, sometimes there’ll just be days like this.

After years of seeing his name on scorecards, our correspondent watched him in action for the first time, and it was worth the wait

Shashank Kishore28-Jun-2023Going through Ranji Trophy scorecards can be exhausting. Especially if you’ve to look up the performances of players and teams you almost never get to watch. It can become an endless scroll of numbers next to names. This is why selectors and talent scouts often seek out match referees for detailed reviews of certain players on their radar.If you’re from Tripura, a team that has won a grand sum of nine Ranji Trophy games since it came into existence in 1985-86, you can pass under the radar more easily than most. But those who have pored over scorecards involving the team will be familiar with Manisankar Murasingh – Tripura’s highest wicket-taker and run-getter in first-class cricket.Related

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Murasingh, 30, like hundreds of others from the region, grind it out in anonymity, often in sub-par facilities. Adding to their woes is the weather in India’s Northeast, where it can rain non-stop for days together between June and October, a time when players would love to be tuning up for the season. That Murasingh has managed to hold it together for 14 seasons now speaks volumes of his resolve and skill.On Wednesday in Alur, I got to watch Murasingh in action for the first time, after years of seeing his name next to impressive numbers on scorecard after scorecard.Several questions gnaw at you at the top of his mark. How quick is he? What’s his action like? Is he a swing bowler or seam bowler? Is he skiddy? Can he hustle the batters? Over two sessions, blurry ideas formed through the perusal of all those scorecards come into focus, and you begin to see a picture of Murasingh the bowler.Murasingh bowls in the high 130s (kph), or so it seems. He bustles in gun-barrel straight, gets into his delivery stride with a small jump, and transfers his momentum into a smooth release and follow-through. He doesn’t swing the ball big. Or he didn’t, in his 20 overs on Wednesday. Instead, he relies on minute deviation off the deck. This is a skill he has learned over all his years in domestic cricket.Murasingh’s 5 for 42, his 13th five-for in first-class cricket, was one of the highlights of the opening day of the 2023 Duleep Trophy, which ushered in India’s new domestic season. In nondescript Alur, Murasingh quietly delivered as East Zone shot Central Zone out for 182 before they ended the day 32 for 2.In addition to his seam bowling, Murasingh is also an explosive lower-order batter•ESPNcricinfo LtdMurasingh’s wickets came in the classic modes: nicked off, caught and lbw. The one that gave him most satisfaction was his first, of the opener Vivek Singh, beating the batter with seam movement, getting the ball to nip away past his outside edge and hit off stump. It’s a delivery fast bowlers dream of. While whatever he did after that may not have matched the thrill of that wicket, his intensity hardly dropped. After the spell, he spoke of how he has kept himself match-ready through the off-season.”Unlike earlier, where I’d trial with IPL teams and get rejected for some reason after just one or two match simulations, I decided I had to train and play more in the summers,” Murasingh said. “Since 2015-16, I kept getting a few chances, but I didn’t go. After Covid, in 2021, I’ve been playing in the Minor Counties in England. In fact, until June 24, I was playing for Philadelphia Cricket Club in the Northeast Premier League in Durham. Bowling those long spells have been beneficial.”Murasingh doesn’t worry about the opportunities that haven’t come is way. He’s grateful for what he’s had. “Opportunities like these are gold dust for someone from the far east,” he says. “I don’t want to trade this experience for anything. I get that satisfaction from knowing many people from Tripura look up to me for inspiration.”Last September, when Murasingh was named in the India A squad for the one-dayers against New Zealand A at home, he was given a rousing reception by the Tripura chief minister, and hailed as a hero. “It’s very motivating, I look at it as reward for the hard work,” he says. “It’s been tough, but you can’t play for so many years without being dedicated.”Murasingh is a big fan of Yuvraj Singh, one of the reasons why he wanted to become an allrounder. His seam bowling is his biggest asset, but his explosive lower-order game has brought him 3308 first-class runs at an average of 26.67, with four centuries and 14 half-centuries. He has a T20 strike rate of 133.95. Shouldn’t he be a valuable proposition then?”I’ve never understood how all of it works,” he says. “I trialled with Mumbai Indians in 2019. This year, I went to trials organised by Gujarat Titans. It’s hard for me to see what traits they pick. If they gave me match-time, then I’d be in a better position to assess my shortcomings. But I’ve started putting a lot of work in during the off-season. Now, England stints have helped. Otherwise, I just do gym and running in the off-season. Club cricket has now started developing so there are chances to play. So that has made a bit of a difference. Otherwise, I play a bit of football.”Beyond the fun and games, Murasingh’s immediate goal is to bowl East Zone to the title. Then he’s hoping to be picked for the 50-overs Deodhar Trophy. “I’m due to fly back to England in early August to finish my commitments. I have six more games to play. Hopefully I can go there after Deodhar and come back for the [rest] of our domestic season with enough overs.”

Where the India vs New Zealand game could be won and lost

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2023The Powerplay face-offThe semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, in which New Zealand beat India by 18 runs, was pretty much decided in the powerplay. India were 5 for 3 in the fourth over making it hard for them to chase down the target of 240 set by New Zealand.This could be one of the biggest challenges for the Indian batters on Sunday. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill have not been able to dominate the opening pair of Trent Boult and Matt Henry. India’s batters have not faced them in ODIs since that semi-final four years ago, so how they take these two bowlers on in Dharamsala will set the tone for the rest of the innings.

From a solid position, it suddenly and irretrievably all went downhill, triggered by the dismissal of Babar Azam

Shashank Kishore14-Oct-20231:32

‘Lack of application, mindless batting’, says Urooj Mumtaz

It’s possible Babar Azam has never batted in as humdrum an atmosphere as what existed at the Narendra Modi Stadium while he was around, making India work. When you are box-office royalty, even a simple hand wave can fire the decibel levels. So what are the chances that a pristine cover drive elicits nothing more than pin-drop silence? It just seems wrong, right?When Babar bats, even the most objective person cannot help the odd clap or loud thump. It’s simply a natural reaction to witnessing a thing of beauty. And Babar’s shots are this most times. The kind of shots you pay big money to watch. And people who flocked into Motera on Saturday invested big, of course.Whether it was the time taken to cover train journeys from the far east or down south, or spending a night in pitched tents at designated spots on the outskirts in neighbouring Nadiad. People had traded months of savings and plenty of energy just to be able to witness the occasion.And then they saw Babar bat. There was disdain and dominance in the way he simply met the ball right under his eyes and caressed it with minimal feet. It’s the kind of batsmanship that has wings to transport you into a parallel universe. Like the on-drive he welcomed Shardul Thakur with first ball. Ufff. High elbow, straight bat, an element of wrist, a lovely followthrough. Magic.Babar was simply loading up and the stunned silence in the crowd told you quite clearly that India had a task at hand. But Rohit Sharma and Co weren’t perhaps as stressed as the crowd was; they knew their bowling had all-round awesomeness. And all it took was one awe-inspiring spell to kill off the contest. Even batters as seasoned as Babar and Mohammad Rizwan, coming off a seminal knock in the previous game, weren’t immune to it.Related

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Pakistan’s tactic seemed clear. Build an innings, go deep and then tee off. Babar was largely copybook in his pursuit, Rizwan a bit more enterprising. One of his first acts was one of daredevilry – you simply don’t sweep Ravindra Jadeja against the turn, at least not that early.ESPNcricinfo’s Karthik Krishnaswamy posed this question to Jadeja after the Australia game, asking whether he lines up a batter based on the surface and how he decides the amount of turn he wants to impart to a delivery. Jadeja jokingly dismissed it, not wanting to give away much for the risk of his plans being “printed in English” for the world to read. It’s now a popular Instagram reel beneath which there’s sound logic for anyone wanting to decode it.Rizwan completely shunned the sweep against the turn from deliveries starting on middle from there on. It was a direct acknowledgment of Jadeja’s skills. As Jadeja went about tying knots at one end, Kuldeep Yadav was strengthening this position at the other. Pakistan’s first reaction was to try and keep him out, limiting their range of shots. Kuldeep strung together 17 dots in five overs and even nearly had Babar lbw. The pressure to break free was beginning to show.The stranglehold wasn’t lost on Rohit. He duly went back to Mohammed Siraj in the hope of a wicket in the 28th over and succeeded two overs later when Siraj had Babar. He was no more than a split-second late on a ball he wanted to glide but was defeated by the skid. You wondered if all that risk was worth one run, but then it’s also a shot he profits a lot from.It’s a pressure-relieving shot that Babar plays with great finesse; when he reels off boundaries through them, it seems all too cute and mushy. So far this tournament, Babar hadn’t lasted long enough for teams to apply this kind of squeeze. Now that India had done it, it was the first time he’d been tested in a real sense. And he didn’t quite get his release shot right in the first instance. This then was the inch of an opening that India would go on to open up into an acre.Saud Shakeel could’ve been out second ball had Siraj effected a direct hit at the bowler’s end, but he couldn’t cash in on the luck. If it was skid that did Babar in, decisiveness cost Saud as he played back to one that drifted in. It was a costly mistake against Kuldeep, who is a confidence bowler.1:27

‘Lack of application, mindless batting’, says Urooj Mumtaz

When he’s in rhythm, there’s an unmistakable confidence to his wrong ‘uns. Some wristspinners use it as a stock ball, Kuldeep doesn’t, but cleverly varies his line of attack. Iftikhar Ahmed expected the ball to spin in, and because it started from outside leg, he backed himself to go through with the slog sweep even though he didn’t get to the pitch of it. This one went the other way and snuck through to crash into the stumps. At that point, Pakistan had lost 3 for 11 in 3.3 overs.This is Kuldeep 2.0, but even in his previous avatar, he’d been gobbling up Pakistan’s batters with his thrift and guile. Remember that ball to Babar from the 2019 World Cup? The ball that had Shane Warne guffawing in awe?Okay, why go that far? Let’s look back just six weeks prior, to Colombo, where he bamboozled Pakistan with a five-for at the Asia Cup. So, there’s a history of struggle against Kuldeep. Here, in a World Cup game, a combination of mental cobwebs from the past and a bowler at his peak contributed to the collapse. It’s the kind of scenario that leave captains wanting to attack from both ends and Rohit certainly wasn’t in the mood to let it slip.With Jasprit Bumrah back on, the alarm bells began to ring. Pakistan don’t play India a lot, and there’s only so much you can analyse. All told, Bumrah can bowl deliveries that can be hard to analyse. Sure, he does wicked angles, bowls mean bouncers, floors batters with pinpoint yorkers. But how can data and match-ups prepare you for his most underrated delivery – or is it underrated anymore? An offcutter that landed on a perfect length deviated just about enough to beat Rizwan’s push. To outdo a batter with Rizwan’s form, after he was well set, told you of Bumrah’s clutch mentality. And yet it wasn’t even his best ball.

‘All told, 8 for 36 in 80 balls and little over an hour – it’s what nightmares are made of’

That was reserved for Shadab Khan, who was befuddled by late seam movement that squared him up and kissed the top of off. They’re deliveries you dream of as a fast bowler. This was no dream though; it was unfolding in reality. Pakistan’s innings had just gone from being one full of hope half an hour earlier to a collapse of epic proportions. The heart of their innings had just been ripped out in broad daylight.And just like that, the soft underbelly of their middle order, which had been papered over by individual brilliance on other nights, stood exposed. Rizwan had done the papering over three nights ago. Tonight’s collapse left you wondering what would’ve been had Rizwan retired out with cramps back then. But now they were back to square one. Big top, weak middle.For much of their innings, Pakistan had been walking a tightrope anyway, and that one passage of play from Kuldeep and Bumrah was the nightmare from hell that had the potential to undo everything they’d built up so far at this World Cup. Two wins, including a record chase, the emergence of young stars in Saud and Shafique, the return to form of Babar, and the Rizwan magic. All told, 8 for 36 in 80 balls in little over an hour – it’s what nightmares are made of.It all suddenly felt a little foggy for Pakistan. And the humdrum quiet was gone from the Motera.

If Royals go far, they could also find themselves without Buttler late in the season

Himanshu Agrawal19-Mar-2024Where Rajasthan Royals finished last seasonRoyals started strongly by winning four of their first five games but could win only one of the next six. Eventually, they finished fifth with 14 points, two short of qualifying for the playoffs.RR squad for IPL 2024Jos Buttler* (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore* (wk), Sanju Samson (capt, wk), Shimron Hetmyer*, Rovman Powell*, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Donovan Ferreira*, Kunal Singh Rathore (wk), Shubham Dubey, Riyan Parag, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult*, Nandre Burger*, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Abid Mushtaq[Updated after Adam Zampa pulled out]*Overseas playersPlayer availability: Prasidh ruled outPrasidh Krishna has been ruled out for the second successive season. He picked up a quadriceps injury during the Ranji Trophy and underwent surgery on February 23. Royals are yet to name a replacement.If Royals make the playoffs, they might be without Jos Buttler, who will lead England in a five-match T20I series against Pakistan at home, which begins on May 22.Related

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What’s new with RR this year?A lot. To begin with, they traded Devdutt Padikkal to Lucknow Super Giants for Avesh Khan. At the auction, the Royals bought Rovman Powell, Nandre Burger, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shubham Dubey and Abid Mushtaq.The good – Jaiswal, Jurel and spinnersRoyals boast of an experienced spin duo of R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, having lost Adam Zampa’s services. Zampa was not always a first XI player, but picked up eight wickets in six appearances in 2023.Last season, Chahal grabbed 21 wickets to finish as Royals’ highest wicket-taker. That took his overall IPL tally to 187, the most in the history of the tournament. Having been left out of India’s both white-ball squads, he will have a point to prove.Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel, who are now capped India players, will look to carry their confidence of having performed well in the Tests against England. Jaiswal had an impactful season last year as well, when smashed 625 runs at a strike rate of 163.61, including a century and five half-centuries. One of the fifties came off 13 balls, an IPL record. Batting in the lower order, Jurel scored 134 runs in the 88 deliveries last year, at a strike rate of 172.72.The not-so-good – lack of quality allroundersAfter releasing Jason Holder, Royals did not pick an allrounder at the auction. That means despite the Impact Player rule, they may end up with just five bowling options.However, Royals will be buoyed by Riyan Parag’s brilliant all-round show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 510 runs at an average of 85.00 and a strike rate of 182.79. That included seven half-centuries in ten innings. Parag also bagged 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.29. The big question is: can he do it in the IPL, too?Schedule insightsRoyals’ four games in the first leg of the IPL are well spaced out. They start with two home matches against LSG and Delhi Capitals, on March 24 and 28 respectively, before travelling to Mumbai for a game on April 1. Four days later, they play Royal Challengers Bangalore at home.The big question

What we can be sure of is that there will be plenty of quality spin on show right through the three ODIs

Madushka Balasuriya08-Feb-2024Sri Lanka might have won three of their last five ODIs against Afghanistan, and even hold an overall win-loss record of 7-4, but the two teams head into this three-match series on completely different trajectories.Afghanistan are building. Their next major ODI tournament is right around the corner – the 2025 Champions Trophy. They have a side brimming with potential and energy, just screaming to be harnessed and let loose. They left last year’s ODI World Cup with wins over three former champions in their bag. This is not a side to be trifled with.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are rebuilding (yet again). Having failed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy, their next major ODI tournament is still three years away – the 2027 World Cup. Theirs is a side with a settled core, but one that needs to contend with a new selection committee looking to stamp its authority. And the less said about Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign the better.But despite all that, this should be as keenly contested a series as ever. Here are a few things to keep an eye out for when these sides square off.

Sri Lanka’s chance to build bench strength?

In their first media briefing after being appointed, the new selection committee pointed out the importance of building bench strength. A look at this Sri Lanka squad tells us what a best XI might look like, but could this be an ideal opportunity to give fringe players a runout against quality opposition, with not much on the line?Related

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With a T20 World Cup just four months away, it’s unlikely we’ll see much experimentation in that format, which leaves ODIs – with nothing to build towards in the short term – as a straightforward option for new faces to dip their toes in international cricket and fringe players to stay sharp.With the likes of Sahan Arachchige, Shevon Daniel, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage and Akila Dananjaya in the squad, not finding room for a couple if not all of them in the starting XI might seem like a wasted opportunity.

Can Avishka muscle his way into the T20I side?

At the best of times, Avishka Fernando is a belligerent hitter at the top of the order capable of producing aggression and intent in spades.If the recent Zimbabwe series is anything to go by, the selectors’ prefer Kusal Perera in T20Is and Avishka in ODIs. Avishka for his part, didn’t do himself any favours, notching scores of 0, 4, 0, in his three innings.This series provides him with just the chance to bring himself back into the selectors’ thoughts should a position in the top of the order in the T20I side opens up.

Hasaranga, Theekshana, Mujeeb, Noor – is spin the key?

With Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dananjaya, Qais Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad all likely to get game time, it’s safe to say spin will play a key role in the series. With Rashid Khan still absent as he recovers from back surgery, Sri Lanka might feel they hold the edge when it comes to that battle.Therefore, how well the Afghanistan batters cope with Sri Lanka’s spin threats, and how the Afghanistan spinners keep control of proceedings without their star man could well decide the series.Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran will be key if Afghanistan want to post big scores•BCCI

Will the power-hitting problem be solved?

Despite their good showing at the World Cup, Afghanistan failed to go beyond the 300-run mark even once – they batted first four times. In a tournament where sides were pounding scores of 350-plus with regularity, this seems to be a glaring shortcoming.In fact, over the course of their ODI history, Afghanistan have scored 300 or more just seven times. For a side that not too long ago wasn’t even a side, that’s understandable, but if they want to start competing with the more established sides more regularly, it’s an area where gains certainly need to be made.Sri Lanka have similarly struggled to score 300 with any regularity, with many of their bigger scores coinciding with Kusal Mendis firing at the top of the order. But when Mendis is quiet, the score tends to be low. Sri Lanka will need to find big runs from more avenues if they are to put up a better showing in major tournaments going forward.