All posts by csb10.top

Kane Williamson resumed international cricket by doing , scoring a precise 78 against Bangladesh. He shepherded New Zealand close to the eight-wicket win, but couldn’t quite see the chase through, as he left the field retired hurt in the 39th over. Daryl Mitchell got New Zealand home with 43 balls to spare, putting the seal on the team’s dominating start to this World Cup.Williamson missed seven months of competitive cricket due to a right knee injury he sustained during last season’s IPL, and his World Cup return was thought to be improbable at the time. Even when he was named in the New Zealand side as their captain, he was expected to miss the initial stages of the competition. But not only did he return sooner than expected, Williamson showed little drop in quality, as he went through the gears against Bangladesh.Related

• Bangladesh's middle-order bungle – many questions, no proper answers

• Boult knuckles down in a changing ODI landscape

• How Litton Das' ill-fated flick encapsulated Bangladesh's luckless night

• And just like that, Williamson is back, bringing the warm glow of the familiar

• Bangladesh hoping to bat with 'courage, open-mindedness and freedom'

Williamson struck ten fours and a six in his 108-ball 78, eventually going off with cramps. More than his innings, Williamson’s biggest contribution was to add to two sizable partnerships. First, he made 82 for the second wicket with Devon Conway after New Zealand lost an early wicket. Then alongside Mitchell, he added 108 runs for the third wicket. It made the chase an easy one for New Zealand as they won with plenty to spare.At the start of New Zealand’s 246-run chase, Bangladesh gave their fans some hope when Mustafizur Rahman removed the high-flying Rachin Ravindra, opening for the first time in ODIs, in the third over. Mustafizur produced a second chance shortly afterwards when Conway, batting on 4, drove away from his body, only for Mehidy Hasan Miraz to drop the chance at point. It was a difficult diving chance, but that one sticking could have charged up Bangladesh.Soon after the reprieve, Conway struck Shoriful Islam for two fours to break free. Williamson then took his turn on Shoriful, cracking him over point and through point and cover in the 10th over. Then, it was Taskin who went for two fours in the 13th over, before he dropped Williamson at short midwicket when the New Zealand captain was on 27.Shakib, who suffered that drop, broke the second-wicket stand when he trapped Conway lbw for 45 off 59 balls. Conway’s attempted reverse sweep went awry as he missed the shot, hitting his back leg. The Conway wicket however did little to help the Bangladesh cause as the next batter, Mitchell, immediately picked up the pace.Daryl Mitchell plays a reverse sweep during his half-century•R. Satish Babu / AFP / Getty

He opened his account with a six off Shakib, before Williamson lifted his opposite number over long-on for his first six. Williamson continued to find the odd boundary for the next ten overs, hitting Shakib and Mehidy for four more boundaries before Mitchell got back into action with a stinging pull off Taskin, followed by two straight sixes off Shakib and Taskin.Even after Williamson called off his innings in the 39th over, Mitchell went after the Bangladesh bowling till the chase was completed in the 43rd over. Mitchell smashed six fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 67-ball 89.Earlier, when Williamson put Bangladesh to bat first, it took them little time to fall into their familiar top-order slide. Litton Das clipped the first ball of the innings, from Trent Boult, right into Matt Henry’s lap at fine-leg. It was a well-timed shot that he met after coming down the track but he tried it on a difficult angle with the bat. Litton became only the second Bangladeshi opener to fall in the first ball of a World Cup match, the previous being Hannan Sarkar against Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas in 2003.Tanzid Hasan produced four boundaries in a quick recovery partnership with Mehidy, but the rookie left-hander once again fell on 16. It was a tame dismissal when Tanzid clipped a ball to short square-leg in the eighth over.A third soft dismissal followed in the 12th over when Mehidy pulled Lockie Ferguson into fine-leg’s lap for 30. He struck three superb cover drives in his 46-ball stay but once again, Bangladesh sent him to a batting position which usually takes a bit of time to getting used to.New Zealand reduced Bangladesh to 56 for 4 in the next over when part-timer Glenn Philips had the in-form Najmul Hossain Shanto hit to midwicket. Conway took a tumbling catch but Bangladesh regrouped through their most experienced pair.Mahmudullah gave the ball a good bash towards the end of Bangladesh’s innings•Associated Press

Shakib and Mushfiqur added 96 runs in almost even time by pressing back at the New Zealand side. Mushfiqur wasted little time by hammering Philips with his favoured slog sweep for a six. Two more Mushfiqur fours later, Shakib pulled Henry before smashing Mitchell Santner for a straight four. Mushfiqur hit Ferguson for his second six, over third man, as Bangladesh looked to be on the road to recovery.Shortly after Mushfiqur reached his fifty though, Shakib cramped up. After taking a bit of medical attention, the Bangladesh captain took off his helmet as he smashed Ravindra for a straight four and a six over midwicket. He added another six off Ferguson but he was out next ball, again trying to slog the fast bowler.Mushfiqur followed him back shortly afterwards, though the Henry delivery that bowled him kept really low. It was still a valiant knock given that he had walked in with the task of reviving Bangladesh’s innings.Tohwid Hridoy, now batting out of position at No 7, couldn’t kick on so it was left to Mahmudullah, batting at No 8 for the first time in 13 years, to ensure a decent finish. He ensured Bangladesh batted out the 50 overs, himself remaining unbeaten on 41, but it was still a sub-par team score.

Virender Sehwag, Diana Edulji and Aravinda de Silva became the latest inductees in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, on Monday.”Three greats of the game have become the latest inductees to be added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame,” the ICC wrote in its statement.A pioneer in women’s cricket, Edulji became the first Indian woman in the ICC Hall of Fame.”At the outset, I would like to thank the ICC and the Jury for having selected me to be inducted in the ICC Hall Of Fame 2023,” Edulji said. “It indeed is a great honour to be the first Indian women cricketer to be inducted and join a galaxy of cricketers, male and female from across the world.”I am delighted to be considered for this award. It’s not only a proud moment for me, my family and friends but also for BCCI and Indian Women’s Cricket.”Edulji, a former India captain, played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs in a career that spanned across three decades. A left-arm spinner, she took 107 wickets across formats. She then made an impact as an administrator, working to increase employment opportunities for female cricketers in India.”It is perhaps off the field that Edulji has had an even greater impact, having played a major role as a trailblazer for India’s women’s cricketers for many decades,” the ICC wrote.Sehwag, an explosive opener, played 104 Tests, 251 ODIs and 19 T20Is for India and was part of the sides that won the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2007 T20 World Cup.”I would like to thank the ICC and the jury for inducting me with this honour,” Sehwag said. “I feel extremely grateful for having spent a great part of my life doing what I loved most, ‘hitting the cricket ball’.”Virender Sehwag has six Test double-centuries and two triple-tons•AFP

He scored 8,586 runs in Tests, with 23 centuries to his name. He was the first Indian to hit a triple-century in Tests, and among just four players to breach the 300-run mark twice in the format. The others in that exclusive club? Don Bradman, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle.His strike rate of 82.23 is a testament to how he not only scored heaps of runs, but did it in quick time too.While his ODI exploits were still subdued in comparison, Sehwag hit 8273 runs at a strike rate of 104.33 with 15 centuries. His score of 219 against West Indies remains the third highest in the format.De Silva, who hit a century to help Sri Lanka win the 1996 World Cup final, is also known for his aggressive batting.He racked up 6361 runs in 93 Tests while scoring 9284 runs in 308 ODIs.”I am filled with profound gratitude as I accept the immense honour of being inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. This achievement is a tribute to the dedication, sacrifice, and love that have shaped my cricketing journey,” de Silva said. “My family, my parents, my sister, my wife and children are my anchor, and deserve the deepest thanks for their unwavering support and sacrifice, which have propelled me towards success. My friends, steadfast companions throughout my highs and lows, have been my pillars of strength.”To my coaches, teachers, fans and supporters, your relentless belief in me has fuelled my drive to succeed. My mentors and captains have guided and inspired me, and my teammates have been my extended family on this incredible journey. To the ones I have played against, thank you for enriching my game.”My sincere appreciation goes to the ICC, and the Hall of Fame voting committee for this extraordinary recognition. I share this honour with all who have stood by and shaped me.”

8-0 or 7-1? Nah, we are not talking about one. Coming into their fifth game of the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan had not beaten Pakistan in an ODI in seven attempts. They had run them close on at least two occasions but had to suffer one heartbreak after another. But on probably the biggest stage of them all, Afghanistan finally managed to break the hoodoo. And they did it, in Chennai, by eight wickets chasing down 283 with six balls to spare, crafting their highest successful chase in ODIs in the process. A ‘W’ against Pakistan finally, and 1-7, too. It was also the highest successful chase against Pakistan in a World Cup game.Should it count as an upset? Maybe not after what Afghanistan did to England, not after the clinical manner in which they chased down the target on Monday to move to sixth position on the table.Batting first on a surface that didn’t have a blade of grass, Babar Azam had no hesitation in batting first. Babar and Abdullah Shafique’s fifties backed up by excellent cameos from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan helped Pakistan post a formidable 282 for 7.In reply, Afghanistan were switched on like men on a mission. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran posted a 130-run stand for the opening wicket, with both batters scoring fifties. Once they exited, it was the turn for Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi to shepherd the chase and close it in 49 overs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Afghanistan’s chase started on a perfect note with Gurbaz picking Shaheen Shah Afridi to the fine-leg boundary and Ibrahim driving Afridi through the covers three balls later. While Ibrahim took Hasan Ali to the cleaners, Gurbaz targeted Haris Rauf, smashing him for four fours in his opening over as Afghanistan raced to 60 after nine.While the boundary-scoring was impeccable, their running between the wickets was even better. They were also helped by Pakistan’s sloppy fielding – they were all over the place.It took Afghanistan just 15.3 overs to breach the 100-run mark. By that time, both Ibrahim and Gurbaz had brought up their fifties. Pakistan’s first wicket only came in the 22nd over, when Afridi induced a top edge off Gurbaz’s blade that was snapped up by deep third.No panic stations, though. Rahmat came in, and immediately got to work in his usual industrious style. Whenever there were a string of dot balls, Ibrahim or Rahmat broke the shackles with a boundary. They added 60 off 74 for the second wicket before Ibrahim, struggling with cramps, edged Hasan behind for 87.Any thoughts of a collapse, or even a couple of quick wickets, were quickly shut down by Shahidi and Rahmat. They added 96 unbeaten runs for the third wicket, not once giving Pakistan a sniff. The calmness with which they went about their work was probably the most striking feature of the chase.1:53

Babar: ‘The defeat has hurt us a lot’

And Pakistan looked toothless for most of the chase, the bowlers hardly getting anything out of the surface.While Rahmat with five fours and a six remained unbeaten on 77, Shahidi scored a 45-ball 48*. It was the captain who hit the winning runs, a pull/flick off Afridi to spark emotional scenes in the dugout.The first innings was one of three chunks: Pakistan dominated the first 15 overs; Afghanistan spinners had a stranglehold on the proceedings for the next 25; Pakistan pumped 91 runs in the last ten. And that seemed to have given them the momentum heading into the break.The pitch in Chennai was the same one used for India’s opening game against Australia, so Afghanistan brought in Noor Ahmad for Fazalhaq Farooqi to make it four spinners in their XI. The move, at least for the first 15 overs, seemed to have backfired.Pakistan moved to 56 for no loss in the first ten overs, the best powerplay they have had in ten innings at the World Cup. There was another first – and second – that took place in these ten overs: Abdullah Shafique hit two sixes. The first was Pakistan’s first after 1169 balls in powerplays this year.Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam – not a bad haul for Noor Ahmad•Associated Press

Pakistan had actually raced to their 50 in 7.4 overs with Naveen-ul-Haq and Mujeeb Ur Rahman both leaking runs. At this stage, Shahidi turned to Mohammad Nabi and the veteran, through his effective variations of pace and length, put a hold on the run-scoring. Azmatullah Omarzai benefited from this at the other end when Imam-ul-Haq miscued a pull to short midwicket.Babar and Shafique took the innings forward with Shafique soon reaching his second successive fifty, off 60 balls. However, once the ball got a bit older, and the surface a tad tired, it started playing a few more tricks. Between the 16th and the 31st overs, Pakistan could only manage two fours and a six and scored 61 runs while losing two key wickets. Noor struck both the telling blows.He first took out Shafique lbw with a wrong’un and then removed Mohammad Rizwan. Babar took 69 balls to reach his fifty before falling to Noor for 74.At 206 for 5 at the end of 42 overs, Pakistan seemed to be falling short of a par score. But Iftikhar and Shadab changed the script. The two added 73 off just 45 balls, taking apart what was a poor show at the death by the Afghanistan bowlers.In the end, though, the batters came through.

Former captains Jason Holder and Nicholas Pooran, and allrounder Kyle Mayers, have turned down West Indies central contracts for 2023-24. The trio will however be available for T20I series during the year, Cricket West Indies (CWI) said in a statement announcing 14 men’s contracts and 15 women’s contracts.The men’s list included four new faces in batters Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Tagenarine Chanderpaul and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, while allrounders Zaida James and Sheneta Grimmond were part of the women’s list for the first time.In an age of increasing workloads and T20 franchise leagues providing players options to secure relative financial security, this is not the first instance of key players turning down West Indies contracts; Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle did so as far back as 2010. In a high-profile case more recently, New Zealand’s pace spearhead Trent Boult gave up his central contract in August last year, but still turned out for his country at the 2023 World Cup. In October this year, Ben Stokes turned down a three-year contract with England, only signing up for one year instead.It remains to be seen if this means Holder (32), who captained West Indies in 37 of his 64 Tests and 86 of his 138 ODIs, is done with the longer formats altogether. Pooran (28) has not played Test cricket, but has captained his side in 17 ODIs with 61 caps in the format. Mayers (31) has played 28 ODIs and 18 Tests, most famously hitting a double-hundred on Test debut to lead a weakened West Indies side to a stirring win chasing 395 against Bangladesh in Chattogram.Mayers and Pooran were retained by Lucknow Super Giants for IPL 2024, though Holder was released by Rajasthan Royals and will be looking for a new deal at the auction on December 19. Pooran has a busy T20 season ahead, set to make his debut in January for Durban Super Giants at the SA20 before travelling to the UAE, having been retained by MI Emirates for the ILT20. Then there’s the IPL, leading into the Men’s T20 World Cup in June, which West Indies are co-hosting with USA.CWI said the contracts list was drawn up taking into account “player performance during the 2022 to 2023 evaluation period” and recommendations from the selection panels.”With a busy year of cricket ahead, in all three formats, we have held several detailed discussions with the head coaches on the brand of cricket they want to play,” West Indies men’s lead selector, Desmond Haynes, said. “We are very clear in the direction we want to go. The players who have been offered contracts are among those who we expect to feature, as we look to build towards challenging for the top spot when we host and compete in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on home soil. We also have away Test series in Australia and England – these are two major assignments whilst in the 50-over format we look to build a nucleus of players aimed towards the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.”West Indies women’s lead selector, Ann Browne-John, said: “We have emphasised the development of the younger players, which we view as pivotal in the pathway to the international level.”

West Indies men’s contracts for 2023-24

Alick Athanaze, Kraigg Brathwaite, Keacy Carty, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd
Out: Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Nicholas Pooran, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr
In: Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Gudakesh Motie

West Indies women’s contracts for 2023-24

Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Hayley Matthews, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams

England have selected Mark Wood as their lone fast bowler alongside three specialist spinners in the first Test against India, which begins on Thursday in Hyderabad.That means a Test debut for left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who has 40 wickets at 36.57 from just 20 first-class appearances for Lancashire. Alongside him will be legspinner Rehan Ahmed, whose only Test appearance came last winter in Pakistan, where he took 5 for 48 in the second innings.That makes Jack Leach, Ben Stokes’ go-to spinner under his tenure, the leader of the attack, having missed the Ashes last summer with a back stress fracture. Joe Root, who claimed his career-best figures of 5 for 8 at Ahmedabad on England’s last Test tour of India, will also have a major role to play with the ball.Tom Hartley will make his Test debut as one of three spinners at Hyderabad•AFP

Shoaib Bashir, the other spinner in the squad, has yet to travel to India following a delay in granting his visa. He is understood to have returned to the UK from the UAE, where he was present for the pre-series training camp, in a bid to speed up the process. England hope he will be able to join them by the weekend.The sole seam position has been handed to Wood, whose extra pace and knack of reverse-swing gives him a point of difference, ahead of James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Gus Atkinson. Wood restated his class as a Test bowler last summer, coming into the Ashes for the final three matches to take 14 wickets as England overcame a 2-0 deficit to square the series 2-2.Speaking to the travelling UK media on Tuesday, Stokes had insisted he’d be happy to back “any” of England’s four seamers to lead the line, but, upon confirming the team at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, he acknowledged that Wood’s extreme pace was a tempting option to turn to. This will be the first time since 1962 that England have gone into a Test match with a solitary quick bowler.”When you go with one seamer, you look at the impact you want out of that seamer,” Stokes said. “What Woody brings with his high pace, he is a real impact bowler. If we can get the ball swinging, him bowling in the 90s-mph with a reverse-swinging ball will be very difficult to play against.”He’s a weapon we can use in short, sharp spells. We’ve already said that to him. Bowl as fast as you can in short periods. There’s no worries about thinking about long spells. You never know, things might change and he might have to bowl a few long spells. That’s how I envision using Woody before we’ve bowled a ball.”England’s previous dalliance with just one “full-time” quick came on the previous tour of India in the fourth Test at Ahmedabad. Anderson, however, was assisted on that occasion by Stokes, who claimed 4 for 89 in India’s only innings, but is unable to bowl at present as he continues his recovery from a knee operation undertaken at the end of November.Wood, for his part, acknowledged his struggles for penetration during a tough ODI World Cup campaign at the start of the winter, in which he claimed six wickets at 58.16 in seven matches, but was enthused by the prospect of fulfilling his role with Test regulations and fields to back up his methods: “I think with my track record, being the one seamer there would be question marks over me, but if it does happen it’s another thing I can hopefully prove to people I can do,” he said.Ben Foakes is set to return as England’s Test wicketkeeper•Getty Images

While the three-spin strategy is a bold move, it is not unique in India. Australia employed the same tactic this time last year, picking the trio of Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy for the last three Tests of their four-match series. Skipper Pat Cummins was the only fast bowling option in the second Test, before allrounder Cameron Green returned from injury for the third in Indore. He bowled just two overs in the match as the spinners claimed 18 of the 20 wickets in Australia’s only victory.On the prospect of Hartley’s debut, Stokes suggested the Lancashire spinner’s height and pace of bowling meant he could potentially replicate some of the success enjoyed by India’s spinners in their home conditions.”Tom is someone who’s obviously very tall,” he said. “He bowls at a very difficult pace to be able to handle out here and he’s someone who gets a lot of natural variation which, in India, is sometimes the hardest thing to face where you’ve got two of the same ball, ball after ball, and one turns square and the one could skid on and pick up pace. So it’s just trying to give ourselves the best chance of being able to exploit conditions that we have experienced from the Indian opposition out here as well.”Ben Foakes will be England’s designated wicketkeeper after being dropped last summer. Jonny Bairstow, who kept throughout the Ashes ahead of Foakes, will slot in at No. 5 after Harry Brook returned home for family reasons, with the hope Bairstow can replicate his 2022 summer form of 681 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 75.66 when playing just as a batter. Vice-captain Ollie Pope returns to the No. 3 spot after dislocating his right shoulder while fielding during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last July.Related

• Rohit: Kuldeep 'a very tempting option' as third spinner

• Shoaib Bashir receives India visa, will join Test squad over weekend

• Ben Stokes on comeback from knee surgery: 'I've done everything I needed to'

• Switch Hit: Let the spin cycle commence

• England place attributes over averages to fill spinners' void for India tour

“There’s no doubt about the skill Ben Foakes possesses behind the stumps,” Stokes said. “He can not only do things other keepers can’t but also make them look incredibly easy. So having someone like that behind the sticks is useful, especially if we do find ourselves in conditions where the ball is spinning. He’s a very special talent behind there and having someone like that can maybe take a two per cent, three per cent chance that could be massive in the series. It’s good to have someone like that behind the stumps.”I’ve already spoken to him [Bairstow] and told him Ben Foakes is going to keep and he should just worry about batting at No.5. We’ve seen what happened when he was given clarity over his role in my first summer as captain, we saw what we managed to get out of him, and I don’t want him to worry about anything other than batting at five, getting runs and what’s in front of him in the here and now.”Speaking more broadly on England’s approach to selection over the coming weeks, Stokes reiterated the need for dexterity, both in terms of thinking and use of resources.”I don’t necessarily think it’s bold or brave, it’s just me and Baz looking at the wicket and picking the XI that we think will give us the best chance,” he said. “You have always got to think that the ball is going to turn in India, but you don’t want to go in with any preconceived ideas. We have to adapt to whatever we have presented in front of us, with bat and ball.”India is one of those places where you’ve got to think about selection a lot more than anywhere else in the world, because of what you can get from the wicket.”The conditions could even see Stokes flex his reputation for funky captaincy and toss Root the new ball.”Again, as I said about the pitches, it would be a complete and utter gut thing, as most of my decisions like that are. You might even see Rooty taking the new ball depending on what I feel. If [Yashasvi] Jaiswal opens the batting you might see Rooty opening the bowling with that new ball because it’s spinning away from the bat.”England XI 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Rehan Ahmed, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Tom Hartley, 11 Jack Leach7.53am GMT: This story was updated following confirmation of England’s Test team.

Two Player-of-the-Match awards in his first two IPL games, the most deliveries north of 155 kph in the IPL, and the fourth fastest delivery (156.7 kph) in the history of the league – Mayank Yadav, Lucknow Super Giants’ 21-year old tearaway, is already in elite territory after his match-winning spells against Punjab Kings on Saturday and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday.His searing spell of 3 for 14 in four overs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium included the wickets of Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, batters accustomed to facing high speeds on bouncy pitches in Australia, and a well-set Rajat Patidar”Feeling really good to get two Player-of-the-Match [awards] in two games but I’m more happy that we won both games,” Mayank said after LSG’s 28-run win against RCB. “My aim is to do well for the country for as many years as I can. This is just the start, and my focus is on the main goal.”Mayank said his favourite wicket was that of Green, who was beaten on the outside edge and bowled by a delivery so fast that the ball flew off the stumps and cleared the boundary on the first bounce.”You need quite a few things to bowl at this pace – like diet, sleep and training,” Mayank said. “If you want to bowl fast, it’s important to be perfect in everything. My focus is on my diet, and also on my recovery – like [taking] ice bath.”Related

• Maxwell on Mayank: You don't often see someone of his pace

• Moody: Mayank 'definitely in the conversation' for T20 World Cup

• When Mayank hushed the Chinnaswamy

• Ferociously fast and thrillingly direct: how Mayank went bang, bang, bang

• The Mayank Yadav story: from not having a run-up to lighting up the IPL

The LSG captain KL Rahul was keeping wickets and said one of Mayank’s balls hit his gloves “really, really hard.””So happy to see Mayank bowl the way he is bowling in the last couple of games. He has quietly, patiently waited for two seasons in the dugout,” Rahul said. “[He] missed out last year because of injury unfortunately. But he has been in Bombay with the physios, working really hard.”He understands bowling 155kph is not easy. At a young age, he has already had a few injuries… He has a great temperament, and I’m enjoying seeing him bowl from 20 yards behind the stumps. That’s where I’d like to be when he’s bowling!”LSG opener Quinton de Kock said Mayank was “bowling rockets”.”Glad to have him in our team. He’s bowling really well,” de Kock said. “Normally as a youngster, a guy with express pace, you get caught up with a lot of things. But he’s keeping it really simple and doing really well.”RCB captain Faf du Plessis said it was difficult for batters to judge and adjust quickly to the “new action” of a young fast bowler.”Especially if there’s a bit of pace behind it, it’s really promising,” du Plessis said. “So it takes batters a few times just to get used to someone’s action, just to see how the ball is coming out of the hand. So really impressive to see his pace. But more impressive for me tonight was his ability to control length and bowl with some really good discipline. That’s more impressing – pace combined with accuracy.”

West Indies are one of two teams, England the other, to have won the men’s T20 World Cup twice, and being co-hosts, expectations for a record third title are high in the Caribbean for the latest edition. Rovman Powell, their captain, is aware of it, and is hoping to feed off that optimism because, as he says, winning the World Cup will mean more to cricket in the region that just one more trophy.”It’s very special, to be honest, not just for me but for the other players and for the people of the Caribbean – the possibility of winning a third World Cup title in front of our own people in the Caribbean is something very, very special,” he said at a press interaction ahead of West Indies’ tournament opener, against Papua New Guinea in Providence. “For us as players, it’s a legacy. It’s something that after we finish playing, we can sit down and tell our kids and grandkids, our family, and just replay those memories of 2024.”Also, from a financial standpoint, we know the standard of West Indies cricket, and it would be a massive boost for us to win the World Cup. So all that money that comes with winning the World Cup can be filtered down into our youth programme and to help benefit West Indies cricket.”Related

• Power-packed West Indies look to get past PNG – and the weather – in style

• Pooran hopes to rekindle 'special feeling' of 2012 and 2016

• Akeal Hosein's great escape

It’s a thought Powell visited time and again during the conference. For example, when discussing the fact that West Indies have just risen two spots on the ICC T20I team rankings to No. 4 after beating South Africa 3-0 at home (in a series where both teams were missing first-choice players), Powell stressed on the importance of results like that to help the future of the game in the country.”It’s very, very good for the West Indies to be ranked No. 4 in the world,” he said. “When I started as captain, we were around eight or nine. I made an honest reflection and I realised that we haven’t won enough series. So when I took over as captain, that was one of my first mandates – to try our best to start winning series.”And once we start winning series, then our ranking will become much better in the ICC table. And then, from a financial standpoint, more sponsors for West Indian cricket. Because sponsors love to associate themselves with winners. That’s something I am proud of, to see under my captaincy West Indies has improved significantly in the ranking.”Powell was named West Indies T20I captain in February 2023, and in 16 games in charge, he has led West Indies to ten wins. Not the three against South Africa, though. He was away at IPL 2024 at the time, representing Rajasthan Royals, and Roston Chase filled in for him. The big ones under his leadership – the series wins he mentioned – were in December 2023 when West Indies beat England 3-2 at home and, earlier, when they beat India 3-2 in a series played across the Caribbean and the USA in August 2023.Home conditions do seem to bring out the best in Powell’s boys in T20I cricket, but it can be double-edged at times.”When you are playing in front of your own crowd, it can be good and it can be bad. We are trying to look at the positive side and hope the fans will come out anticipating and hoping that we will play good cricket and entertain them,” Powell said. “If you go over the duration of the last 12 months or so, we have played some good cricket right across the world. It’s a team that has confidence, it’s a team that knows how to play T20 cricket. So hopefully during the duration of this World Cup, we can show that.”

Sammy as coach ‘should provide us with additional resources’

When West Indies won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016, Daren Sammy was their captain, and Andre Russell was in the ranks as a player. Sammy has been the coach of the West Indies white-ball sides since May 2023, just over a year now, while Russell has over the years become one of the most powerful T20 allrounders in the world. That’s two men who know what it takes to win a T20 World Cup for Powell to lean on. And that’s something that gives him extra confidence.6:07

Bishop: There is focus on Pooran to dominate a World Cup

“Having Daren Sammy as our coach – two-time World Cup winner for the West Indies – that should provide us with additional resources that we need when things get tight, because he has been in that position before,” Powell said. “Hopefully his experience and knowledge can spread across the group and be very fruitful for us in this World Cup.”As for Russell, fresh from an IPL title-winning run with Kolkata Knight Riders, Powell said that there was no question he would slot right into the XI even though he hasn’t always been available for West Indies over the years – since the start of 2023, he has played just eight T20Is, spread over two series, against England at home in December 2023 and away against Australia in February 2024.”If Andre Russell rocks up for any international team, he would definitely slot in within the team,” Powell said. “So that is no surprise to see Andre automatically slot in to our team. He comes with a wealth of experience, and he comes with additional confidence on the back of good performances in the IPL.”So we are looking forward to Andre Russell being a significant part of our World Cup and hopefully we can be a three-time World Cup champion after this one.”

India batter Shreyas Iyer has said he raised concerns about having issues with his back while playing the “longer format” after the 2023 ODI World Cup, but “no one was agreeing to it”.”I was definitely struggling after the World Cup in the longer format,” Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, said a day before the IPL final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Chennai. “When I raised my concern, no one was agreeing to it.”But at the same time the competition is with myself. When the IPL was approaching all I wanted to see was that I’ve put my best foot forward and whatever planning and strategising we [KKR] did before it, basically if we could execute it to the best of our abilities, we would have been in a great spot – and that’s where we are right now.”Iyer had recovered from a back injury to make a comeback in the Asia Cup last year, before playing the ODI World Cup in October-November. Then, in early 2024, he was picked for the first two home Tests against England, before being left out for the remaining three Tests. At the time, it was understood that Iyer had experienced back spasms a day or two after the second Test but had been cleared for selection. Then, while out of the Test squad, he went on to miss some Ranji Trophy games for his domestic side, Mumbai. ESPNcricinfo had reported that he had communicated to the Mumbai Cricket Association that he was suffering from “back spasms”, even though he had been cleared for selection by the BCCI medical staff.Related

• Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan lose BCCI central contracts

• BCCI warns players: Don't prioritise IPL over domestic cricket

It had also emerged that Iyer had attended a KKR pre-season camp when he missed one of the Ranji Trophy games. He later returned to play the Ranji Trophy semis and final, but by then had lost his central BCCI contract. A few days earlier, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had issued a warning to players to not to prioritise the IPL over domestic cricket. Iyer lost his central contract despite having fulfilled the minimum criteria set by the board in terms of matches played.A couple of weeks later, during the Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha, Iyer was not on the field for two days in a row because of back issues.Talking about his preparations for the IPL, Iyer said: “The transformation from red-ball cricket to white ball, it’s kind of difficult as a batsman and also as a bowler, I feel. It was kind of difficult at the start but once you get used to it, I think you pick up the pace and march on with the other players.”

Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, has admitted to “frustrations” that his team’s preparation for the defence of their 50-over World Cup title has been hampered by scheduling clashes ahead of this month’s tour of Bangladesh.However, Buttler insists there will be no consequences for those players who have made themselves unavailable for the tour – among them Alex Hales, Sam Billings and David Willey – given that the opportunities currently presenting themselves on the franchise circuit are too good to turn down for those players who are not centrally contracted to the ECB.”It’s quite a unique situation,” Buttler said in the wake of England’s 2-1 series loss to South Africa in Kimberley. “It’s the time we are in. The way the games are scheduled, I can sort of understand it both ways. As an England captain, on one side you wish that everyone would see playing for England as the main thing and grab any opportunity available.”But there are bigger things in play as well. The discrepancy between what people can earn playing for England and not playing for England is quite large, so that’s a factor that must be considered. For each individual that will be a different decision made at different times of their careers.Related

• Uncapped Tom Abell ruled out of England's Bangladesh tour due to side strain

• T20 franchise commitments leave England short-stocked for ODI tour of Bangladesh

• Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan tons, Jofra Archer six-for snap England losing streak

• England are behind on their World Cup studies – but there's still plenty of time to cram

“In this day and age, you’ve got to try to work with it as best you can and if people make themselves unavailable, they know they’re giving someone else a chance. But I certainly don’t want to be in a position where you rule people out and say they’ll never play for England again, or anything like that.”The squad for the Bangladesh tour includes two uncapped players in Tom Abell and Rehan Ahmed, with England having already selected 37 players across 33 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup victory – five more than they used in nearly three times as many matches (98) in the previous World Cup cycle from 2015 to 2019.With the IPL looming in April, plus a five-Test Ashes series in June and July that will be the preoccupation for a number of England’s leading multi-format players – including Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow – England will not be able to field their first-choice World Cup XI until at least the series against Ireland and New Zealand in September.Buttler, however, remains phlegmatic about the current situation, and confident that the players who have put their names forward for Bangladesh will use the chance to advance their own World Cup claims.”Wherever people are playing, we want to pick our best available team, especially for World Cups and big ICC events, so we are open minded,” he said. “It’s quite complicated, and there are some frustrations at certain points but I completely understand people’s positions and it’s an individual decision at the end of the day.”One man who has made himself available for the Bangladesh tour is Jofra Archer, who capped his return to England colours after a near-two-year absence with career-best figures of 6 for 40 in the third ODI.Jofra Archer was back in the wickets for England in Kimberley•AFP

Archer’s return to action has been a gradual process, with an initial outing for England Lions in Abu Dhabi last year followed by a run of five appearances for MI Cape Town in the SA20, prior to his two ODI outings in Bloemfontein and Kimberley.”He wants to play,” Buttler said. “When he’s come back and he’s fit, and there’s cricket available, it doesn’t seem to make sense to hold him back. He obviously needs to build his overs, and his resilience, to being able to bowl 10 overs a game and of course for English cricket looking ahead you want to see him playing Test cricket as well where he will be able to bowl spell after spell.”Archer could return to action for Cape Town this week, and is scheduled to play for Mumbai Indians in the IPL from April. Having touched speeds of up to 92mph in his England return last week, he has expressed his desire to be part of England’s Ashes plans come the English season.”He certainly needs to be playing cricket,” Buttler added. “You are always going to try to look after him and we will be guided by the medical team. But he has been sat on the sidelines for a long time and so if he’s fit and available it makes sense for him to be playing.”We all know the levels he can perform at, so to see him get back to that kind of level so quickly is incredibly impressive. It’s such a treat as a captain to have him there to throw the ball to.”He really wants the big moments, it’s something that he always stands up. Jofra wants the ball there and it’s just a great thing as a captain to have someone there like that. The more and more cricket he plays, the better he’s going to get.”