All posts by n8rngtd.top

Astros Give Notable Injury Update on Isaac Paredes Days After Trading for Carlos Correa

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Days after the Astros traded with the Twins to bring Carlos Correa back to Houston in order to replace the injured Isaac Paredes at third base, the team offered a pretty big update on Paredes's injury status.

Astros general manager Dana Brown told reporters on Monday that Paredes has a severe hamstring strain but chose to forego season-ending surgery, and instead rehab the injury in hopes of making a return in the 2025 season, 's Chandler Rome reported. Paredes received a PRP injection and will rest for quite some time before the team can re-evaluate his chances of returning this year.

If Paredes had elected to undergo surgery, the recovery time would've been six months, meaning he would be out until the 2026 season.

Paredes last played on July 19 when he suffered the hamstring strain while running to first base after hitting a single. He was then placed on the 10-day injured list.

The Astros then traded for Correa on July 31 and chose to start him at third base for the first time in his MLB career. He had previously only ever played shortstop. It was a reunion for Correa in Houston, as he spent his first seven seasons there before he landed with the Twins in 2022. He waived his no-trade clause in order to go back to the Astros.

Eye on the highs and lows of the Nasser Hussain era

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Featuring subcontinental heists, rollicking chases, and (sorry, we had to) that Gabba toss

Alan Gardner06-Apr-2020What We’re WatchingEnding the Windies hoodoo
England, you may have heard, were rubbish in the ’90s. When Hussain took over the captaincy, they promptly lost at home to New Zealand and were booed by their own fans. But in the summer of 2000 something begin to stir. West Indies were in decline, but they still had Brian Lara and the two-pronged menace of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. The whole series was an underrated tub-thumper, featuring a buttock-clenching chase at Lord’s, Andy Caddick’s four in an over as West Indies were obliterated for 61 at Headingley, and the denouement at The Oval (personal highlight: Craig White pegging back Lara’s leg stump first ball), as England reclaimed the Wisden Trophy after a 31-year wait.Karachi nights
The upswing in fortunes brought about by Hussain and Duncan Fletcher was, looking back, quite extraordinary. That winter they completed an Asian double that remains almost unthinkable. It began in Pakistan, that most inhospitable of locales for touring Englishmen. After a couple of high-scoring draws in Lahore and Faisalabad, the series came down to the decider in Karachi, where Pakistan had never lost a Test. The headline acts included a double-century stand between Yousuf Youhana (before he became Mohammad Yousuf) and Inzamam-ul-Haq; Michael Atherton’s last Test hundred; Inzamam being bowled padding up to Ashley Giles in the second innings; and, finally, Hussain and Graham Thorpe dancing in the dark as England stole victory after Steve Bucknor kept the teams on in defiance of Moin Khan’s time-wasting.Lucking it out in Lanka
This was more of a saloon-bar brawl, as England came back from 1-0 down to beat a Sri Lanka side led by Sanath Jayasuriya and featuring Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. There was more than a dollop of hapless umpiring at play, too, though England were on the receiving end in Galle (just look at that Alec Stewart lbw!), where Marcus Trescothick scored his maiden Test hundred but the tourists were thrashed by an innings. In Kandy, Hussain was the beneficiary of BC Cooray’s largesse as England won a thriller and the umpires again came under fire; before a Thorpe masterclass (113 not out and 32 not out) saw England claim the series at the SSC.Headingley and all that
For all the pugnacious spirit exhibited by Hussain’s side, England still weren’t good. Pakistan got a measure of revenge for Karachi by mugging them in the final session at Old Trafford in 2001 – umpiring again in the spotlight, as David Shepherd missed a series of no-balls. True to ’90s form, the Ashes was another no contest, but the summer’s highlight came at Headingley, where Mark Butcher’s famous 173 not out gave England fans something to cheer. And while we’re here, let’s zip forward to the winter tour of New Zealand and a rollicking Test in Christchurch, which featured Nathan Astle’s supernova double-hundred as England just about clung on defending 550.Gabba dabba don’t
Sorry Nasser, we have to go there. The call to bowl first in Brisbane at the start of the 2002-03 Ashes has gone down as one of the great toss bloopers. “Looks a little bit in it,” Hussain said, “I want to give our young bowling attack the best chance of a bit of grass on the wicket and get into their batting early.” Australia ended day one on 364 for 2, although England’s cause was not helped by a shocking knee injury suffered by Simon Jones – and some equally horrific catching. After a 4-1 defeat, Hussain soldiered on through the World Cup until the summer, before handing over to Michael Vaughan – which history proved to be pretty well judged.But let’s end on a positive note, as Hussain did himself with a Frank Sinatra farewell at Lord’s: an unbeaten hundred, which included hitting the winning runs, in his final Test innings. Now that wouldn’t have happened in the ’90s.For more such curated YouTube playlists, click here.

Pat Cummins: Australia to persist with Marcus Stoinis in middle order

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

“I think we’re pretty happy with our combination, it’s worked for us over the last couple of years in T20 cricket,” he says

Daniel Brettig05-Sep-2020Australia’s first international match since the previous home summer was shut down by the Covid-19 pandemic was always going to throw up some selections. None more so than the shape of a middle order that had to be manufactured from a bevy of top-order batsmen.So there was undoubted significance to the decision to place Marcus Stoinis in the No. 5 position after a pair of domineering seasons with the Melbourne Stars as an opening batsman, either side of his failure to have any impact on last year’s World Cup in a similar “finisher” role.What damage Australia’s collapse from a virtually unassailable position against England on Friday will have had on Stoinis only he can say. But it now appears inevitable he will get numerous opportunities to make the critical role his own ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup in India, largely because other more suitable candidates appear determined to keep their more traditionally prominent spots higher up the order.While once established at the crease, Stoinis’ hitting power is unquestioned, his tendency to soak up dot balls and create pressure for the batsman at the other end has long been viewed as a deficiency for opponents to exploit. It was more or less the main reason why the Stars pushed him to the top of the order, where a full 20-over allotment and the initial powerplay gave him much more time to work with.There are numerous accomplished middle-order merchants in the BBL, not least the Adelaide Strikers’ doughty clean-up man Jon Wells. But of the players on the England tour, the best candidates for this critical role would appear to be the captain Aaron Finch, who has excelled in it in past editions of the IPL, or the prodigiously talented and adaptable Steven Smith. Both, though, appear to have settled into their top three perches. Mitchell Marsh also occupied the role in recent times when Stoinis was out of favour, while Marnus Labuschagne would happily fulfil any role offered to him.Pat Cummins, the vice-captain, was at the other end as Stoinis was unable to clear the boundary on the last ball of the night to hand England a win that had seemed impossible half an hour earlier. He indicated that the pairing of Stoinis and Alex Carey at Nos. 5 and 6 was likely to be persisted with in order to give them the chance to make the berths their own in the absence of dedicated middle-order specialists in the chosen group.”I’d say them, plus we’ve got the other guys in this squad over here that are identified in that middle order, so more than likely those guys are going to get a long run,” Cummins said. “I think we’re pretty happy with our combination, it’s worked for us over the last couple of years in T20 cricket, so it’s just about slotting those guys into those roles consistently. I’d say that’s more than likely going to happen.”It’s something we’ve spoken about for exactly that reason. They’re all the best players when they go back for domestic comps and you could argue that middle-order role is one of the hardest in any cricket team. That’s what we’ve identified – that we’ve got to try and give guys a go in that – because someone like MS Dhoni was best in the world at it because he’d played 300 or 400 ODI games. And I think you saw this week during the practice games we gave a lot of guys a go in that and we know it’s not going to happen overnight.”That’s been a common theme that the selectors and Finchy have spoken about – we’ll identify roles and give them a long run in that. I think we’ve got the right squad, the right players, it’s just about trying to get plenty of games into everyone now.”Reflecting on the result, Cummins was happy to admit that the pain of defeat was nothing like that of an Ashes Test – Australia’s last Test loss to England was Ben Stokes’ match at Headingley a year ago – but was equally forceful in stating that it was a scenario from which no one should be losing, not least the No. 1 team according to the ICC rankings.”I thought for 80% or 90% of the game we played really well, we were on top, in a commanding position and just the last third of the batting innings we let it slip, a few wickets,” Cummins said. “I felt at times like we were only two boundaries away from the game finishing in about the 15th over. So it’s a shame, something we’re going to have to try to get better at, it’s happened a few times, so I’m sure every one of us will review in our own way and think about what we could’ve done differently. But for sure, you should be winning just about every game in that position.”He also noted the oddness of playing in an empty stadium, although he doubted it had any impact on performance.”It, for sure, was strange. We know what we were signing up for, but until Starcy’s [Mitchell Starc] bowling that first over and you can hear a pin drop, it’s just weird. After a couple of overs we got into it, but it’s just odd that unless we create the noise out in the field there is absolutely no noise happening. So a bit of an adjustment, but everyone has played enough cricket. It’s certainly different being over here in England and not hearing some of the songs.”As for the BBL, a tournament that Labuschagne in particular would dearly like to show his T20 wares in, Cummins said he was hopeful of ways being found for uncontracted Australian players to take part. This comes on the back of ESPNcricinfo’s report that next year’s scheduled series against New Zealand is likely to be moved in order to give the tournament’s pointy end some clear air.”This summer’s going to have a lot more challenges than perhaps in the past, but I’m not going to rule it out, we’ll see how it all comes together,” he said. “It’s going to be busy, it’s going to be hard, but it’s a great competition, us Aussie guys love playing it [and] international guys. Even speak to some of the English guys, they really want to have a crack at it like they do every year. I’m not going to say either way, but we’ll see how it pans out.”When we’re not playing the Big Bash it means we’ve got international cricket, so whatever happens we’re normally playing cricket somewhere, but I’ll leave the scheduling to the other guys.”Whatever the scheduling, Australia’s T20I batting order remains a puzzle in which a couple of top-order pegs must be fitted into middle-order holes – Stoinis, Smith or Finch. Unless, that is, they belatedly turn to a specialist like Wells.

Wiaan Mulder sheds weight and carries the load for South Africa

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The allrounder has battled multiple injuries to get back to international cricket. Now South Africa hope he can take on a Kallis-like role in the side

Firdose Moonda22-Jan-2021Wiaan Mulder arrived at the Wanderers in October 2016 with a helmet, hope and homework. He was 17 and already earmarked for bigger things.Geoffrey Toyana, the Lions coach at the time, had heard about a schoolboy allrounder who was being courted by other franchises, so he had gone down to St Stithians, one of South Africa’s most prestigious schools, the alma mater of Kagiso Rabada among others, to see what the fuss was all about.Toyana was so impressed by Mulder at the school that he nearly guaranteed him a place in the Lions first XI. “I remember saying to him that we don’t have many allrounders at the Lions and that if Dwaine Pretorius got selected by the Proteas, [Mulder] would be the next guy in,” Toyana said. “Within a week Dwaine was selected and even though Wiaan was busy with his school exams at that point, I couldn’t go back on my word.”Pretorius’ call-up to South Africa’s ODI squad came at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, when the domestic franchises were about to kick off their four-day competition. Mulder slotted straight into a high-performing Lions side with a strong bowling attack – bypassing the second-tier provincial structure entirely – and made his debut against the historically strong Cape Cobras. He bowled second change and took three wickets in the first innings. In the next, he was promoted to first change and took four more. Mulder had hit the big time while still occupied with his studies and turning up for training in his school uniform.

In his next match, Mulder took what are still his career-best figures, 7 for 25 against a Dolphins team that included Imraan Khan, Morne van Wyk and Keshav Maharaj. A week later he scored his maiden first-class hundred, batting at No. 8 against a Knights attack featuring Duanne Olivier and Marchant de Lange.”He had to bring his books into the change room to study,” Toyana said. “And we could all see he was talented. He could bat, he could bowl, and I was planning to use him at No. 5. We knew we had a gem in him.”From his early days Mulder was labelled a batting allrounder in the mould of – don’t say it too loudly – Jacques Kallis, and the numbers explain why. In 35 first-class matches, he has five hundreds – four at franchise level and one against India A in Mysore – and a batting average closing in on 40. Three of those matches came for Kent, for whom he played briefly in 2019.But in his fledgling international career he appears to have been used largely as a bowing allrounder. Although he first played for South Africa in 2017, Mulder has really come to notice only now, after taking nine wickets at 20.55 in the 2-0 win over Sri Lanka at home this season.Mulder made his ODI debut at the start of Ottis Gibson’s coaching tenure, when South Africa were looking for 2019 World Cup candidates, but back and ankle injuries dominated his next two summers.”He was carrying a lot of weight,” said Enoch Nkwe, who succeeded Toyana at the Lions and now works as South Africa’s assistant coach. At one point Mulder weighed 106kg and he knew he needed to shed some of it to be able to stay on the park. He was putting too much stress on his lower back, partly because of the weight, but more because of the way his forearm fell away when he delivered the ball. He had to work on straightening his arm and landing with his torso approximately in the same plane as his hips to make his action more efficient and less damaging.Mulder took nine wickets at 20.55 in the two Tests against Sri Lanka at home•AFP via Getty ImagesHe changed his diet, and on former South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel’s recommendation, worked with Andrew Gray, a biokineticist, and his wife Janine, a researcher who holds a PhD in lower back pain in adolescent fast bowlers. In the couple, Mulder found people who could help him understand his physique and how to make it work for him.”He has the right physios, the right medical team and the right coaching around him, and he has been able to pick himself up and find new ways of reaching new levels,” Nkwe said.But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The following year Mulder battled with an ankle issue and missed the 2019-20 international summer with further injury problems. His time off was sobering and he realised he had to work his way back almost from the beginning.Although Mulder went to an elite school, he comes from humble beginnings on Johannesburg’s West Rand. His parents were not financially flush and put all their resources into ensuring Mulder and his younger brother got the best opportunities.When available, Mulder plays his club cricket at the Dobsonville Cricket Club in Soweto, which is notable because Mulder is white and the club is situated in an area the apartheid-era government had demarcated for black Africans, and which still has a majority population of colour. “Some of the young white players who are from schools where they are coached by young black coaches end up playing at clubs like Dobsonville and they are encouraged to mix with different cultures,” Toyana said.In a country polarised by racial inequality, Mulder’s experience in Soweto would have been eye-opening, and it will be interesting to see how it affects the way he and South Africa’s next generation of players relate to each other. For now, he has shown an impressive level of maturity in the national set-up. When fellow quick bowler Lutho Sipamla, with whom he played at the Under-19 level, was struggling early in his first Test – going for 66 runs in 12 wicketless overs – Mulder told him to trust his ability, keep running in and to believe it would work for him. Sipamla took ten wickets for 101 across the two Tests against Sri Lanka, finishing the series in second place on the bowlers’ list, right above Mulder and below Anrich Nortje.Mulder bowled 12.5 more overs than Sipamla, taking on the role of doing the donkey work with full commitment. He explained that he understood his role as being a container and that his nine wickets at 20.55 were a bonus. In fact, the bonus for South Africa was the load that Mulder willingly carried.Nkwe cautioned that they will have to expect him to not bowl so much in the future. “We shouldn’t get too excited and allow him to bowl long spells. We understand that with the scheduling, if we start to fall into that trap of allowing bowlers to bowl long spells, it could catch up with us in three or four months’ time. It is part of player management to ensure that players don’t get burnt out or break down. He needs to continue to see himself as a batting allrounder and go after that.”Scores of 36 and 7 in the Sri Lanka series don’t necessarily indicate what Mulder is capable of. Ultimately South Africa want him to develop into a top-order allrounder in the Kallis mould. Though Quinton de Kock is currently installed at No. 5, it is not the position he performs best in (that’s No. 7), and over time it is likely that Temba Bavuma and Mulder will leapfrog de Kock into the top six. But South Africa don’t want to rush Mulder.”Technically there is still some work to do. He’s got a good cricket brain, he has got the skills, and I have no doubt he is one for the future,” Nkwe said. “There is going to be a lot of information thrown at him, so he needs to be smart about what resonates with him in this journey of becoming an all-round cricketer. We will do our best to guide him in the right direction but he will also have to do his homework,” Nkwe said.And if there is one thing Mulder knows how to do, it’s homework at the cricket.

New Zealand are monsters. Here's proof

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Our correspondent goes behind the scenes to find dirt, and dirt he does find

Alan Gardner15-Jan-2021Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in… The Light Roller wasn’t alone in wondering recently about the lack of chirpz in Australia-India encounters, and the current tour had certainly got off to an unpromising start amid debutants being welcomed with “Go well youngster” rather than a mouthful of gravel. Post-IPL bonhomie was being slathered thicker than sunscreen.Sure, Justin Langer briefly threatened to short circuit over India’s savvy use of the concussion-sub rule during a T20I in Canberra, but the spray aimed at match referee David Boon looked from afar barely more than his daughters are used to when playing UNO.Then we reached the final day in Sydney, with the Test series still on the line, and sure enough things started to get a little frisky. Out came the smack talk and the goading. The gabby greens had rediscovered their inner mongrel, and boy, was the little fella ready for a good long spell of yapping. India, backs against the wall, weren’t going to know what hit them in the face of a good old Aussie barrage led by enforcer-in-chief ()… Tim Paine?Related

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In the immortal words of these godless times: “What is this I don’t even”Honestly, it was better the other way. This is why nobody calls him Tim “Bring the” Paine. Not even ironically. The least likely heel turn in cricket history – particularly given the Australia captain’s track record on mental-disintegration tactics – was also one of the most short-lived, as Paine could afterwards barely contain his own embarrassment over what we might kindly term attempts at sledging R Ashwin.The karma police certainly weren’t impressed, issuing a dropped catch spot fine moments later. Presumably Cricket Australia also swiftly arranged for Paine to attend some sessions at the Ernie Jones Memorial Indoor Quipping School to rehabilitate his banter.Even the on-field skulduggery was tepid, betraying just how out of practice Australia have become. Rather in the manner of Captain Renault from , Langer declared himself shocked – shocked! – that Steve Smith was being accused of deliberately trying to scuff up Rishabh Pant’s guard. And to be honest, we hope this is genuine, because why would you go to the bother of trying to sabotage something most batsmen mark afresh every time they face up anyway?Let’s not get into Matthew Wade’s am-dram turn at short leg, which would have earned a rebuke for overacting from the director of . The only things less effective than these various schemes were Australia’s bowling and fielding, as they managed three wickets to go with four dropped catches on the final day.Clearly there is a lot of work to do in order to bring back the glory days. The Ashes are less than a year away, and at this rate, the entire Australian team will end up being out-sledged by James Anderson in their own backyard. That might be enough to make Langer kick over a bin not pick up the contents.

****

Heart-warming news from New Zealand, where Kane Williamson’s side have provided conclusive proof that nice guys can finish first! (Although they get relegated to the support act in semi-humorous monthly cricket columns because, y’know, clicks. Sorry, Kane. You just can’t get the readership these days.)But don’t get it twisted – the world’s No. 1 Test side have that unmistakable bit of steel about them. In order to prove as much, the Light Roller has been travelling around the land of the long white cloud in a second-hand camper van to root out some of the hitherto unknown excesses engaged in by the squad after yet another politely insistent (emphasis on the polite) display of excellence against Pakistan.Kane Williamson: Returned home to life as a new father but forgot to buy formula on the way. Later fell asleep on the couch, thus welshing on nappy-changing duties.Ross Taylor: Reportedly once put recyclable material in with his regular trash. Has been approached for comment.Henry Nicholls: Gave a four-star rating to his Uber driver in Christchurch – despite the impeccable service – after being mistaken for former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.Kyle Jamieson: Inconvenienced a couple sat in the row behind him at an Auckland cinema. Witnesses said the skyscraping allrounder “could have slid down in his seat a bit further”, although conceded leg room was also at a premium.Tim Southee: Regularly drinks milk straight from the carton.Trent Boult: Used a family member’s login to watch on Disney+. Doesn’t intend to pay for a subscription.Neil Wagner: Much praised habit of running through brick walls for the cause has led to significant repair bill at his local gym.Rumours that New Zealand are no longer world cricket’s most-welcoming hosts and “frequently hand out brutal thrashings” to tourists are being looked into.

BJ Watling, the quintessential New Zealander – and the best at what he does

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

He will go down as the finest Test keeper of his time, and the best ever for his country

Sidharth Monga12-May-2021If the New Zealand cricket team were a person, it would in all likelihood be BJ Watling. The numbers will tell you they are probably the best at what they do without there being much popular acknowledgement for that. But the numbers will have certain holes in them, however those holes will be there because they don’t get as many chances as some of the others.Let’s look at Watling then. You might gawk at first if told he has been the best Test wicketkeeper of his time and the best that New Zealand have ever had. His record, though, bears it. Provided he is fit through the farewell leg of his career, Watling will retire with 76 Test caps, at least eight centuries – seven of which were scored in Tests he kept in – and close to 4000 Test runs to go with a largely unblemished career behind the wicket. Only Adam Gilchrist, Andy Flower, and Les Ames have scored more hundreds than Watling while keeping wicket in the same match.Since Watling’s debut, nobody in the world has scored more runs at No. 6 or lower. Only four New Zealanders have scored more runs in this period despite his batting so low in the order. Only Brendon McCullum comes close to his exploits as a wicketkeeper for New Zealand, but his batting suffered in matches that he kept wicket, scoring eight runs per innings fewer than when he played as a batter alone.Watling has scored his runs with his own method, soaking up a lot of balls, nurdling ones around the corner, staying away from expansive drives, and cutting and pulling when tired and frustrated bowlers err. And he has tired and frustrated the best of them, that too at times when they don’t have reasons to be tired or frustrated. Since the start of 2018, nobody has faced more balls per dismissal than Watling’s 112.9 and 131.6 when coming in to bat at four down for under 100 and 150 respectively. The joke that goes around in New Zealand is that if Watling has failed the situation was probably not dire enough.Related

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You are talking best wicketkeepers but discussing only runs scored and balls faced, you might want to say. Batting, though, is the currency in Test cricket today. The term wicketkeeper-batter is redundant because the batting is a given. Great specialist wicketkeeping is of course welcome, but it cannot come at the expense of a seventh or a sixth batter.Nor is there any sophisticated measure to compare pure wicketkeepers in cricket today. Dismissals or catches per innings is a function of the quality of bowling and conditions. Catching/stumping efficiency is better but it still carries a lot of subjectivity. Shiva Jayaraman has worked out a statistic that might tell you Watling has been among the best pure wicketkeepers. Since the start of 2018, Watling has allowed byes only 47 times in 21 Tests, his rate of 2.2 per match being the best. Niroshan Dickwella is second with 2.4. Tim Paine and Rishabh Pant, by comparison, have allowed byes on 3.3 and 4.2 occasions per match.Yet even amplified stump mics won’t bring Watling in the popular conversation around the best wicketkeeper in the world. It is possible to pick out counterarguments. And there exist valid ones. A lot of his rescue acts have come at home where pitches just keep getting better and better as matches progress. He hasn’t scored runs in India and Australia, two of the toughest places to play Test cricket in.That is the kind of question mark you can place against New Zealand’s record too even as they prepare for the inaugural World Test Championship final. They have been phenomenal at home, competitive in many countries, but haven’t come close to threatening to win a Test in either India or Australia, the gold standard in Test cricket.His third Test ton was the longest innings by a New Zealand wicketkeeper•Getty ImagesThen again how many chances do they get? India lost 4-0 in Australia in 2011-12, spent the 2014-15 tour playing a whole Test series and an ODI tri-series without winning a single match, but have kept getting their share of full tours of Australia. The same holds true for Australia and England. In the time that Watling has played Test cricket, seven teams have played more Test cricket than his New Zealand.Ajinkya Rahane made his debut four years after Watling but has played the same number of Tests as him. Virat Kohli started out two years after Watling and is closing in on a 100. In Watling’s career span, he has toured India twice. The first time was in 2010 when he played only one Test, making 6 and 2 not out, which effectively means he’s had one proper tour of India. Perhaps Watling is not good. Perhaps he is and would have improved on his second and third trips. We will never know.To Watling, it probably won’t matter. Numbers and data are not all that you accumulate playing cricket. He knows he was good enough to last so long in Test cricket. He retires knowing he has been part of some of the most special wins and moments in New Zealand’s history in Test cricket. He has had his hands battered by a red-hot, almost possessed Neil Wagner letting rip bouncer after bouncer. He has seen Trent Boult and Tim Southee set batters up from close. He has been the rock around which McCullum built his triple century, the only one in New Zealand cricket. He retires having experienced the toil of five days of high-quality cricket followed by a few beers with his team-mates. That feeling of just sitting back and looking at a group that has shared a space that only a few get to walk on: a Test field. Having won more than a few of them. Some from ridiculous situations.We can continue debating if he was the best of his time. If he should be in an all-time New Zealand XI. He is not that bothered about legacy. He just knows he can no longer dedicate as much of his energies to cricket as are required to be at the level that he played. There’s more to life. Perhaps it won’t be as thrilling and exhilarating as walking in at four down with not many on the board with the best bowlers in the world chomping at the bit, but he has had his share of that.

Selection questions for India: Who should play if Rahane is unfit? Does Siraj get in?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

India have a few things to ponder over as they prepare for the first Test against England, which begins on August 4

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2021Does Pujara start?Rohit Sharma is all set to open with Mayank Agarwal after Shubman Gill got injured. Agarwal was the back-up opener and should play ahead of Abhimanyu Easwaran, the other opener in the squad. Captain Virat Kohli will take the customary No. 4.Related

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At No. 3, though, Cheteshwar Pujara will be under pressure if he doesn’t get a big score early. Since his blockbuster tour of Australia in 2018-19, Pujara has gone 18 Tests without a century and is averaging 28. India are expected to at least start off with Pujara, but three years ago he missed the corresponding fixture so it won’t be unprecedented if Pujara is dropped.

What if Rahane is not fit?One of the reasons India might not initiate the Pujara debate yet is the uncertainty around Ajinkya Rahane, who missed the three-day warm-up fixture in Durham with a hamstring injury. That is also the reason Suryakumar Yadav was named as a back-up batter for the tour. The BCCI remains optimistic that vice-captain Rahane will be ready, but if he is not, the choice is between two batters.Hanuma Vihari remains the frontrunner for the spot having been the sixth batter in the line-up since the last England tour, but this team management is not averse to punting on current form. And KL Rahul, who last played a Test in 2019, has current form with a hundred in the warm-up fixture.

Lower middle orderIndia’s lower middle order failed in New Zealand last year; they lost. Their lower middle order scored runs in Australia; they won. They went with a similar combination as the Australia tour – Rishabh Pant at 6, two spinners who bat – into the World Test Championship final, but they failed; India lost. Nos. 6, 7 and 8 are a pivotal part of India’s XIs. This is where they have to balance their runs against their wickets and dismissals behind the wicket.India’s lower middle order played a big role in their win in Australia•Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty ImagesBy all accounts, Rishabh Pant is healthy and ready to play after he suffered from Covid-19 in the middle of the last month. While India are likely to retain the two spinners – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – because they give the attack variety, experience and numbers while shoring up the batting, if the conditions make spin redundant, there could be a rethink that could involve an extra batter or Shardul Thakur.

Does Siraj get in?There was a temptation to play him in the World Test Championship final, but India went in with their experienced trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. At some point in the series, Mohammed Siraj will get a chance even if India stick with the same three for the series starter. Given their batting limitations, all four will struggle to play together.

Can West Indies overcome recent form to defend their title?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran’s form, and Andre Russell’s fitness will be key for them

Firdose Moonda21-Oct-20214:01

Talking tactics – How can West Indies best use Chris Gayle?

Big picture

As the defending champions and the only team to hold this title twice, West Indies should be favourites but they come into this tournament in worse shape than either of the previous two they won. Since their 2016 triumph, West Indies hold a win-loss ratio of 0.666, which means they’re losing two out of every three games they play. No other team in the Super 12 is doing that bad, with most doing losing once in every two matches, if that.There’s always an argument to be made that pre-tournament form counts for less than we think it does, especially when it comes to West Indies, especially since their recent record is at least partly down to not always having their best players available. But at an event where teams have to win at least three group matches to progress to the semi-final, emerging victorious every third game, as West Indies have been doing, simply won’t be enough. West Indies will need to reel off strong performances successively, and there are also questions over whether they have the personnel to do that.Their squad includes two of the five players who have appeared at every T20 World Cup to date – Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo – and there’s a debate over Gayle’s inclusion because of his recent form. Curtly Ambrose doesn’t think Gayle should be an automatic pick, resulting in Gayle lashing out and Viv Richards coming to Ambrose’s defence. Apart from the concerns around Gayle, West Indies will also be worried about Nicholas Pooran’s lack of runs, and the gamble they took by including Ravi Rampaul on the CPL form (he last played for them nearly six years ago) and leaving Jason Holder out.Despite all that, West Indies will be playing for something bigger than themselves. They’ve confirmed they will continue to gesture in support of anti-racism and will take a knee before each game.

Recent form

Fairly average. West Indies lost 3-2 in a see-saw series to South Africa, beat an understrength Australian side 4-1 and then lost the only match that was not rained out in a four-game series, to Pakistan.

Batting

Much responsibility will rest on the shoulders of the opening pair of Evin Lewis and one of Lendl Simmons and Andre Fletcher. Lewis is West Indies’ highest T20I run scorer in 2021 and sixth in the world, while Simmons is their next most successful batter. Shimron Hetmyer will have to operate as the glue between those in the line-up whose form has come under the microscope – Gayle and Pooran – and the pressure on Hetmyer may grow. Lower in the order, Roston Chase, who has never played a T20I but topped the CPL run charts will play an important all-round role while Kieron Pollard’s finishing could prove decisive.Chris Gayle has scored only one half-century in his last 26 T20I innings•AFP/Getty Images

Bowling

Left-arm seamer Obed McCoy has been one of the finds of the year for West Indies after establishing himself in the shortest format side over the last few months and becoming their leading bowling this year. He will have the experience of Bravo and Andre Russell to draw on, which gives West Indies a strong pace attack albeit without Holder. It remains to be seen whether they have enough in the spin department. Legspinner Hayden Walsh is their frontline slower bowler with the rest of the duties falling to allrounders Fabian Allen, Chase and perhaps even Gayle.

Player to watch

Chris Gayle is the batter who made T20, and T20 is the format that made Chris Gayle, which is big enough a reason to watch him. But if you need another, at 42, Gayle is the oldest player in this tournament and although he may not like the suggestion, it could well be his last T20 World Cup. Age alone will not decide if Gayle plays in another major competition. Form has to have a say and it’s not looking too good on that front. Gayle played just two matches for Punjab Kings in the second half of the IPL before leaving the bubble to refresh himself ahead of the T20 World Cup. Before that, he scored 165 runs in 9 innings in the CPL (average 18.33), with a top score of 42 and has just one half-century in T20I cricket in 26 innings, dating back to March 2016.

Key question

How fit is Russell? He only played in three of Kolkata Knight Riders’ ten games in the second half of the IPL as he picked up a hamstring injury. Add that to the chronic knee issue that has hampered him in the past and it seems only reasonable to be concerned that Russell may not be available as much as West Indies need him to be at this tournament. If that’s the case, it’s going to affect multiple areas of their game. Russell’s batting allows West Indies to bat down to No. 9, and in his absence, they’ve often found themselves a bowling option short. Despite having Pollard and Allen in their ranks, Russell is a two-in-one West Indies cannot do without for a tournament this important and they’ll hope he is fully fit and stays that way for the next month.

Likely XI

1 Evin Lewis, 2 Andre Fletcher/Lendl Simmons, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Kieron Pollard (capt), 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Dwayne Bravo, 10 Obed McCoy, 11 Oshane Thomas/Hayden Walsh Jr

Shivam Dube fireworks get CSK's IPL party finally off the ground

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

He brought back memories of Yuvraj Singh by making six-hitting look ridiculously easy with his long reach and fast hands

Deivarayan Muthu12-Apr-20223:03

Manjrekar: Dube naturally gifted like Yuvraj

Dwayne Bravo was so twitchy in the Chennai Super Kings dugout, when Robin Uthappa took on their old friend Faf du Plessis’ arm at mid-on in the second over, that he leaned forward from his seat and almost shoved Chris Jordan away. du Plessis failed to throw the stumps down, but Bravo’s expression encapsulated the mood in the Super Kings camp. They were desperate to snap their four-match losing streak, with their head coach Stephen Fleming even saying, in the lead-up to the game, that the team is searching for evidence that they’re on the right track.It was Shivam Dube – and Uthappa – who yanked Super Kings out of the funk with a sensational assault. After being asked to bat, Super Kings had dawdled to 60 for 2 in 10 overs. Josh Hazlewood, another old friend of theirs, had settled into Test match lines and lengths with the new ball, and was rewarded with the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad for 17 off 16 balls. Suyash Prabhudessai, the debutant, then swooped down on the ball at backward point and ran out Moeen Ali for 3 off 8 balls. After joining forces at 36 for 2 in the seventh over, Dube, in particular, dismantled Royal Challengers Bangalore’s best-laid plans, propelling Super Kings to 216 for 4.Related

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Take on Wanindu Hasaranga? Of course. Pump Shahbaz Ahmed out of the attack? Easy peasy. Feed the strike to Uthappa against pace? Sounds good. Clear the bigger boundary? Yes, sir.After both Dube, who was promoted ahead of Ambati Rayudu, and Uthappa were becalmed in the early exchanges, it was Dube who properly started Super Kings’ six-hitting party when he used his long reach to pick Hasaranga’s second ball and mow it over long-on for an almighty six in the 11th over. Three balls later, he sat back for the shorter dart and hauled a pull to the midwicket boundary.Shahbaz, the left-arm fingerspinner, then came on and dared Dube to clear the bigger leg-side boundary. Dube dropped down to one knee, launching into a slog-sweep that sailed over that boundary and brought back memories of Yuvraj Singh at his peak.Shivam Dube and Robin Uthappa exploded in the end overs•ESPNcricinfo LtdMuch like Yuvraj did, Dube makes six-hitting look ridiculously easy with his long reach, strong base, fast hands, and a flourishing bat-swing. It was Dube’s six-hitting ability – he hit fives sixes in an over off Pravin Tambe in a Mumbai T20 league in 2019 and then repeated the feat in the Ranji Trophy on the eve of the IPL 2019 auction – that made everyone sit up and take notice of him. Royal Challengers forked out INR 5 crore for him at that auction.More than three years later, he left his former franchise punch-drunk with a 95 off 46 balls, studded with five fours and eight sixes. Dube’s presence meant that Hasaranga couldn’t get through the middle overs unscathed. Or maybe Royal Challengers had held back Hasaranga for MS Dhoni, but that move backfired. By the time Hasaranga had returned for his third over, Super Kings were 187 for 2 in 18 overs. Uthappa rolled out a vintage down-the-track lofted six first ball and then Dube swatted a perfectly blameless wrong’un over long-on for a six of his own.Dube is often vulnerable to rapid pace and bounce, but one of his biggest strengths is making good balls look bad. Another case in point: when Hazlewood marginally missed his yorker in the final over of the innings, Dube sat so very deep that he converted it into a half-volley and walloped a 102-metre six over his head.Dube threw his head back in despair and slumped to his knees at the end of the innings when he fell short of a century, but he had put the smiles back on the faces of his team-mates. Bravo, Jordan, and the rest of the squad gave Dube a rousing reception. A few hours later, Super Kings secured their first points.”I’m really happy I contributed to my team’s first win,” Dube told host broadcaster Star Sports after winning the Player-of-the-Match award. “It is really an honour for me to contribute for my team’s first win. I think I’m more focused this time [in IPL 2022] and I’m focused on my basics – nothing much. I spoke to many senior players. Mahi [MS Dhoni] also helped me improve my game. He told me to be still and just let the skill work in the game. As the situation demands, as the captain and coach tells me… I’m ready to bat anywhere.”Super Kings are still wondering how to fill the Deepak Chahar-sized hole, but Dube’s flexibility and power has added another dimension to their batting.

History beckons as India look for 'killing attitude' in their quest for gold

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Can India find another gear to snatch a medal that will do more for women’s cricket in the country than anything they have done previously?

S Sudarshanan05-Aug-2022India are here again, in the semi-final of a global tournament. They have not won a world event yet, so they will be all the more keen on this one. But, if it happens, it will be a bit different to anything else on offer in the game. In the Commonwealth Games 2022, they have the chance to win one of three medals. If they can pull it off, given how crazy India as a country is about medal-winners, the next few days could do more for Indian women’s cricket than any in the past. Any medal will be a cause for celebration. But, needless to say, gold is the aim.Talk about wanting to win a medal and inspiring the next generation, while also living the Olympic dream (or something like it), abounds. This, even as cricket takes baby steps towards making the 2028 edition of the Olympics.”It [the chance to play for a medal] will take time to sink in,” Jemimah Rodrigues said after India’s win over Barbados, which sealed their semi-final spot. “Watching other athletes of India doing so well, winning medals for India, it inspires us also and gets the best out of us.”

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A post shared by Jemimah Jessica Rodrigues (@jemimahrodrigues)

In the previous four global tournaments, India have finished runners-up twice – at Lord’s in the 2017 50-over World Cup, and then in front of a packed MCG in 2020 T20 World Cup – and semi-finalists once. The other time, they fell away to a group-stage exit at the 50-over event in New Zealand earlier this year. India are now one win away from an assured medal.Related

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“It’s technically not a global event but for women’s cricket it is as good as a World Cup,” Snehal Pradhan, the former India cricketer who is in Birmingham in her capacity as a broadcaster, told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s how much a medal – a gold – will matter. All of their press conferences and conversations are about ‘we are not here for anything except a gold’.”In the World Cup, the winner takes all. Even though here the second and third place is appreciated, that’s not what India want; they want the gold.”India’s training sessions have been highly intense. While teams are allowed a contingent of 15-20 players plus five support staff in the Games Village, the BCCI has sent three additional staff members, including a throwdown specialist and a masseuse, at its own cost.”Even in training, they are working on all facets of skills,” Pradhan said. “There are two nets and then they’ll be out on the centre square doing range-hitting. Almost all batters are going through that routine where you hit out of the nets and then you are into that range-hitting training.”

“This team has redefined normal; getting to the semi-finals is absolutely normal for them. They want to continue to redefine normal. They want to set a culture for the next generation to follow and I don’t think that culture involves losing semis and finals. It involves winning the thing”Former India player Snehal Pradhan

Contributions have come from several quarters for India. While Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana have scored a half-century each, it was up to Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma to dig their side out of a hole in the must-win game against Barbados. India were reduced to 92 for 4 batting first, before the pair put on 70 off just seven overs. In the absence of allrounder Pooja Vastrakar, who reached Birmingham late after testing positive for Covid-19, Renuka Singh has stepped up and delivered two four-wicket hauls. Sneh Rana’s dashing introduction to the Commonwealth Games has complemented Deepti’s offspin, with support from Radha Yadav.”This team has redefined normal; getting to the semi-finals is absolutely normal for them,” Pradhan said. “They want to continue to redefine normal. They want to set a culture for the next generation to follow and I don’t think that culture involves losing semis and finals. It involves winning the thing. So they want to set the bar higher.”However, in hosts England, India face a team that is perhaps better-rounded than them, against whom they have won only five out of 22 completed T20Is (the numbers have improved to two out of five since the start of 2020). England ousted India from the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in 2018, while the absence of a reserve day crushed England’s hopes and put India in their maiden T20 World Cup final in 2020.Contributions have come from many quarters on India’s road to the semis•Getty ImagesEngland are being led by Nat Sciver in the absence of regular captain Heather Knight. They defeated Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand to top Group B and are being powered by the experienced Katherine Brunt and the wily Sophie Ecclestone. Teenager Alice Capsey’s attacking instincts at No. 3 have helped fill Knight’s void. Plus, there is a feel-good vibe around women’s sport in England at the moment.”England are riding the wave and the momentum of energy behind women’s sport in this country,” Pradhan said. “We can sense that in terms of how the attendances are building up, how everyone is talking about it and how the Lionesses [England’s football team that beat Germany last weekend to win UEFA Women’s Euro 2022] are still in the news even a week after Wembley. I think they will look to emulate the football team.”Equally, history beckons India. A win against England will assure them of a silver or gold medal. A loss will still give them a chance at a bronze-medal finish.During the team’s last assignment before the Commonwealth Games, in Sri Lanka last month, Harmanpreet had asked the team during a meeting about areas they needed to work on. “Killing attitude,” is what Vastrakar had said in response.It should not come as a surprise if this attitude – and Vastrakar – comes out on Saturday to take India a step closer to living their dream.

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