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Stats highlights from day two of the Australia-South Africa Test match in Perth

Gaurav Sundararaman04-Nov-20162 Number of times a team has been bowled out for a lower score than Australia’s 244 in a Test innings after a 150-plus partnership by the openers. Both these instances were by Zimbabwe: they had collapsed from 164 for 0 to 228 all out against West Indies in 2001, and from 153 for 0 to 236 all out against Sri Lanka in 2002. Incidentally, the lowest total Australia had put up after a 150-run stand by their openers before this was also against South Africa, 296 in 2011 at the Wanderers.86 Runs added by Australia’s last nine wickets. This is only the second instance of Australia’s last nine partnerships adding less than 100 in a home Test innings since February 1993 – in 2010 against England in Melbourne, they added 83. During the same period, there were 15 such instances for Australia in away Tests.1978 The previous time Australia lost their top five wickets while scoring less than 23 runs in a Test innings at home. Unlike in this match, Australia had started badly that occasion, hurtling to 24 for 5 in the first innings of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba. They had started well in this Test, reaching 158 for 0 before sliding to 181 for five.5 Number of 150-plus opening stands against South Africa in Tests in the last ten years. Including the 158-run stand between Warner and Shaun Marsh in this Test, the last-three such stands have been by Australia. Phillip Hughes and Shane Watson had added 174 in Johannesburg in 2011-12. Before that, Hughes and Simon Katich had added 184 in Durban in 2008-09.2 Batsmen who had made six consecutive fifty-plus scores in Tests against South Africa before David Warner. Warner joined Taufeeq Umar and Neil Harvey when he scored 97. Warner has three hundreds against South Africa and averages 91.42 against them in his last seven innings.184.61 Warner’s strike rate against Dale Steyn on the first day’s play. He scored 24 runs off just 13 balls including three fours and a six. However, Steyn came back strongly against Warner on day two, conceding just seven runs off 14 balls before dismissing him. While in South Africa Warner has made 117 off just 94 deliveries against Steyn and has been dismissed only once, in Australia the contest has been more even between the two: before this Test, Steyn had dismissed Warner twice in 93 balls, giving away just 59 runs.96 Warner’s batting average in Tests at the WACA – his best among venues where he has played more than one Test. Warner has scored 768 runs in Perth in just eight innings, including three hundreds and two fifties.4 Wickets by Vernon Philander in Tests in Australia before this. He had taken only four wickets from 67 overs at an average of 49.75 in two Tests. He returned figures of 4 for 56 from 19.2 overs in Australia’s first innings in this Test. This was also Philander’s first haul of three or more wickets in away Tests in 14 innings. Before this, he had taken 3 for 84 in the first innings of the Abu Dhabi Test in October 2013.2006 Previous instance of Hashim Amla scoring only one run in a Test match. It happened against India in Durban.

Mitchell McClenaghan talks about how being aggressive makes him stand out, why being a team man is important, and his World Cup and IPL journeys

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi23-May-2015While doing a photo shoot for a calendar for Bachelor of the Year in 2013 you described your job as: “Captain wants me up, sends me in one direction and says please hit this guy or get him out.” Does that still hold true?
It is a philosophy that has worked really well with me. It is a role I do well. I like being aggressive. I like getting in people’s faces. You can change the game in many ways. At times you need to be aggressive and guys will make mistakes just from your presence.Like every New Zealander, on green wickets I used to just bowl medium pace, nibble it in, swing it. I must have been 17 or 18 when my dad said to me, if you want to play first-class and international cricket you need a point of difference. He said every bowler in the country can run in and swing the ball, but there are not enough guys who run in, bowl quick, bowl heavy and bowl bouncers. So it was his motivation that kind of pushed me to want to run in hard, try and bowl quick, and my game has developed from there.Who was the first batsman you hit?
I obviously do not go out to hurt people. But it is nice when a bouncer comes off. I bowled a good one to AB [de Villiers] before the World Cup. And he got out the next over. You bowl to hopefully put them on the back foot so that they make the wrong decision. I don’t use them to hurt people but I use them as a means of setting them up to change the game for me or the guy at the other end.

“I have been known to bite myself, bite my hand. A few of the Auckland boys have given me a bit of shit about that”

You also describe yourself as “ultra-competitive, aggressive, maybe a little bit crazy sometimes on the field”. Define crazy.
() I have calmed down a lot. I’ve got to admit it. I used to just lose the plot. I look at Dale Steyn. He just has the ability to deliver an amazing spell just after tea or towards the end of the day, when he bowls quicker than ever. I try and emulate that attitude when I play first-class cricket – you have got to get your adrenaline up, even if that is imagining that person at the other end as someone you absolutely hate. Or if the umpire gives a wide, even if it is obviously a wide, get yourself fired up and get angry at him, which makes you pumped up.Any examples of times where you did go crazy?
I have been known to bite myself, bite my hand. A few of the Auckland boys have given me a bit of shit about that. It seems to give me that adrenaline kick. When people get hit during a fight, their senses get heightened, so it is a bit of a weird one but it has worked for me to pump myself up for some spells at times.Tell us about the recent celebration where you hit the ground with the palm of your hand a few times having dismissed Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner.
We identified a couple of plans for Shikhar [Dhawan] and Davy. One of them was to take a punt and go short. It was a massive wicket. I was just pumped. In the moment I just let it out. It turned the whole match, because if one of the guys bats through, they make a decent score and that is how they win their games. In T20, guys have got to play their shots. You just bowl a ball that you hope goes to a fielder or gets you a wicket. It could have gone for six too, but thankfully it was a wicket. You have to take the gamble sometimes.I don’t plan my celebrations. I am not a [Dwayne] Bravo – I don’t plan to do a certain dance if I get a wicket. It just comes naturally. It is just emotion. It is just living in the moment. It is just giving it everything for the team and being stoked that I can contribute.”I don’t use bouncers to hurt people but I use them as a means of setting them up to change the game for me or the guy at the other end”•AFPWhat is it about fast bowling that drives you?
I might not be the most economical bowler but with the way the game is going and how flat the pitches are around the world, there needs to be a point of difference. You need to have someone in your team who can run in and change the game without the ball swinging, seaming, turning. You need to have an aggressive bowler who can enforce himself. And whether that brings some wickets or that means they have to attack the guy at the other end, which give him the opportunity to take wickets…You have three three-wicket hauls this IPL (only Ashish Nehra and Mitchell Starc have more). Can you talk about the performance against Rajasthan Royals, where they were favourites with six overs to go, needing 64 runs with eight wickets in hand. You got three wickets in quick succession and altered the result.
That is what I have done for New Zealand: being able to come and change the game in an over. Against Rajasthan Royals, they were in a good position. We probably were a little bit below par with the runs we scored and we needed to take wickets. [Sanju] Samson was playing very well on the leg side and I thought I could take the pace off and move the ball away from him especially since the wicket was starting to hold. He still struck the ball well but it went straight to the fielder. So it is about the accumulation of different factors, trying to put the percentages in your favour, and it is about bowling the right ball which has the least chance of going over the fence, and hopefully guys would have to hit it in areas they are not comfortable with. Steven Smith’s wicket was similar. You only have to watch one minute of footage to know how good he is on the leg side. Since the wicket was holding a little bit, it was going to be hard to cut and I just pitched it outside off and moved it away and he was caught at third man.What happens mentally when you are hit for three fours in an over, as in the game against Delhi Daredevils when Shreyas Iyer took you on?
Frustration. I don’t want to get hit for fours. If I’m hit for a four, the first question I ask is: did I execute the ball the way I had planned to? If I executed the ball and he played a good shot, then I can go back to my mark with a clear mind. If I did not execute it, was it a bad ball? Yes. Then I know I just have to go back to the same plans. Those are two ways to deal with it and that comes to the same result, and it makes you think positively. Sometimes when you’re angry you can forget those things and a few times, definitely in the IPL and in my career, I have let that get to me. It might affect me for one spell, but next over, next spell, no dramas. It is about being able to process things and not let it affect you for the whole match.There have been a few occasions when catches have been spilled off your bowling during this IPL, like in the Daredevils match when Iyer was dropped at deep cover when two fielders ran for the same catch.
I don’t want to point fingers. I am more about the team and I would never say anything to mates. I am frustrated obviously in the moment because important catches of, for example, top-order batsmen can change games. If you look at most T20 stats, if you take three wickets in the first six overs, you generally win the game. Not many teams come back from three down. So catches that get dropped in the first six overs for me are the most important catches. I had a coach [Dermot Reeve] for a while whose philosophy on dropped catches was, if you go off at someone, they are not going to catch the next one and it affects the whole team. You have to just smile and get on with it.Your dot-ball percentage this IPL is pretty good: 42% (109 out of 258 deliveries).
But it doesn’t seem like that. I feel like I am getting hit for a lot of boundaries ().”The way Brendon McCullum approaches the game definitely suits my style of cricket”•Getty ImagesHow much has Shane Bond (previously New Zealand’s bowling coach, now with Mumbai Indians) played a role in your development?
We are different as fast bowlers. Shane was a swinger of the ball and a faster bowler than me. He is always trying to keep me positive, helping me maintain my focus by saying things like I am one of the hardest guys to get away for batsmen if I hit my areas. He is very good during our preparations, where everything is very detailed. He understands the way different guys bowl. He never says it is one way or the highway. He is very malleable and can actually understand everyone from every point of view. He has been a big asset to my career.Barring West Indies and Pakistan, you have at least a four-wicket haul in your first match against all other main international teams in ODIs. That is some feat.
Brendon’s [McCullum] style of captaincy definitely helps. He is very aggressive. He is a brilliant captain and has a great cricketing mind. The way he approaches the game definitely suits my style of cricket. You just have to look at the World Cup and what he can do to bring a team together, and the effect his captaincy has on the performance of any player, to understand him.You sat out for most of the World Cup except for one match. Did that teach you anything?
At the start of the tournament obviously I was disappointed as my record is pretty good. But in a tournament like a World Cup it comes down to what is best for the team and what is best keeping the conditions in mind. It is all about trying to win the World Cup. If you are upset or angry that you are not playing, that can filter through to the guys who are playing, and I don’t think that is very fair. You can’t show any sort of resentment. You have got to be ultra-positive. So if I wasn’t going to play, I had to find a way to contribute in some other way, so I was bowling in the nets trying to prepare the batsmen to face Mitchell Starc and the likes. At the end of the day it comes down to the team. It is not just those 11 guys, it is the whole squad. And if you are not together you are not going to go all the way into the tournament.How has Ricky Ponting (the Mumbai Indians coach) helped you?
He gives you confidence. He is a very positive man. To see his passion and his drive to win, even when he is not on the field, you can see why the Australian team was so successful during his reign. He is very inspiring. Even when Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 235 against us, he spoke for maybe 30 seconds between the innings and he had the guys believing that they could go out and chase the target.How big is this IPL final for you?
Outside the World Cup final, it doesn’t get any bigger. This is awesome. I’m buzzing. Win or lose, we have made a lot of strides this year as a team. Under Ricky and the support staff, there has been a real shift towards a team-first mentality, putting your body on the line for your mates on the field, putting in that extra little bit of effort. We are actually doing the little things right and we have made massive gains as an organisation in terms of playing for each other and not playing as individuals.

There was a remarkable role reversal on day one at the Gabba as Australia resembled the tentative under-prepared team that is usually the tourists

Daniel Brettig in Brisbane21-Nov-20130:00

Chappell: Australia got mugged by reality

By Australia’s proud and repeated assertion, Brisbane is supposed to be their fortress. Many an overseas Test side have arrived at the Gabba still shaking off jetlag from a trip halfway around the world and a rudimentary preparation, their captain hearing the coin toss hit the hard, grassy pitch with a percussive sound unfamiliar to players from just about anywhere but South Africa.Sometimes they bat and get rolled, others they field and get pummelled. Always they get lost in the catacombs beneath 40,000 seats. Not once in 25 years have they won.By the time their Test match is finished, touring teams are just about ready to play in Brisbane: second innings revivals are not uncommon. But instead they are leaving town, headed south or west, invariably 1-0 down in the series and with indignant headlines ringing in their ears.As a cricket ground, the Gabba has been something like Australia’s surprise weapon, seldom offering anything other than a decided advantage to the hosts through their far greater familiarity with the place.But on day one of the Ashes a strange dynamic held sway over proceedings. Australia’s batsmen played largely with the fidgeting insecurity of nervous visitors, while Stuart Broad homed in on his quarry in a manner befitting of the Lillee, McDermott, McGrath lineage. James Anderson and Chris Tremlett were similarly confident of their roles and best avenues of attack on a ground offering rich rewards for pacemen with precision. It was possible for a moment to ignore the colour of the caps, the identity of the badges and presume this was an Australian team bowling to a touring side. The men in baggy green were strangers in their own land.All the usual sights were there. An opening batsman, Chris Rogers, surprised by the extra bounce early and lobbing a catch to gully. A No. 3 in Shane Watson fencing at a ball he should have left in the minutes before lunch, tempted into the stroke by Broad’s teasing line and exclaiming “oh no” even before Graeme Swann took the catch. Michael Clarke looked every inch the hunted and haunted visiting captain of the 1990s or early 2000s, psyched out by an intimidatory field setting and a bowler knowing exactly how to unsettle him.David Warner and Steve Smith offered hints of resistance in their contrasting ways, but also perished to the bounce. George Bailey’s first innings was not memorable – few touring debutants in Brisbane have been. And while Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson fought with commendable application and good sense to repair some of the earlier damage, Clarke’s team still ended the day looking likely to fall well short of a total commensurate with the quality of the pitch.Johnson pleased to be back

Mitchell Johnson believes his hard-earned 64 in a rearguard stand of 114 with Brad Haddin has eased his Ashes nerves and can set him on the path to a staunch bowling display in the first Test in Brisbane.
Admitting to feeling very tense at the start of the day, Johnson worked his way into the game while helping Haddin ensure the hosts will have some sort of total to bowl at.
“Runs definitely help, especially this morning when I rocked up and the nerves start kicking in standing out there in front of a big crowd and singing the national anthem,” Johnson said. “It was quite nerve-racking and quite nice to be able to get out there and bat, I got all the nerves out of my system.
“I definitely feel I’ve had that confidence in myself over the last 12 months, so hopefully that turns into a good bowling performance as well. The wicket’s definitely going to quicken up, there’s definitely swing out there.
“I’ve had a lot of experience bowling at the Gabba and I’m looking forward to bowling with the group of bowlers that we’ve got. We’ve got experience and it’s really exciting to be part of a Test match at the Gabba again.”

So how was it that Australia’s top six looked so out of synch with a ground they have professed such profound affection for? Unless they were satisfied with the simple notion that England are an older, better and more confident team than Australia, most of the 34,889 spectators in attendance puzzled over this question across the day.The answer probably lies in the conflagration of numerous circumstances, both deliberate and accidental, but all related to the summer schedule. Seldom, if ever, can the two Test teams have arrived in Brisbane ahead of the Test match without a single player on either side having played a match there so far in the summer. A resurfacing of the entire ground, the first since 2000, kept Queensland’s domestic fixtures away from the Gabba, meaning the Bulls, Tasmania and New South Wales all played their matches at Allan Border Field, a surface of far less bounce.Aware of this, Cricket Australia were keen to move the Blues’ match against Queensland last week to the Gabba by way of preparation for as many as seven members of the Test side. Logistical difficulties ensured that the match remained at AB Field, and meant that no Australian player visited the Gabba until Tuesday morning, two days out from the Test.This is not to say a lack of cricket is to blame. CA chief executive James Sutherland’s declaration that the nation’s players would reach the Gabba having played plenty of cricket requires a qualifying question. What kind? Before the Shield began, the scheduling of an ODI tour to India in October meant that Watson, Johnson, Bailey and Haddin all entered the Brisbane Test with somewhere between zero and two first-class fixtures behind them.They might have had more, but CA also decided to play the domestic limited-overs competition as a carnival style event in Sydney across three weeks to start the season. The tournament made a stuttering start on a poor pitch at Bankstown, then spluttered into life in later matches at the small and similarly slow North Sydney Oval. Exempted from India, Warner and Smith gained confidence from scoring runs but not the experience of riding the bounce on swifter four-day surfaces.Paradoxically, the greatest casualty of the schedule may actually have been Bailey, the man who bounded into the Test team off the back of his elephantine scoring feats in ODIs on the subcontinent. Anyone watching at the Gabba knew instantly how little these runs meant, scored as they were on flat pitches against amiable bowling under fielding restrictions that left the opposing captain MS Dhoni powerless to plug Bailey’s favoured scoring zones. On his return he played on low pitches at Allan Border Field and at Bellerive in Hobart, never going beyond handy starts in four innings.As he faced up to Anderson in a spell of swing and accuracy at a high enough speed to punish any error, Bailey must have wondered how better his preparation time might have been spent. As several balls whizzed past his outside edge before finally kissing it on the way into the slips, he had cause to question whether he had been set up to fail. Brisbane might be considered Australia’s fortress, but it is nothing like any of the places he, and most of the top six, have been batting on for the past two months.

The former India coach’s flaw was not that he was too Australian, as this book reveals

Suresh Menon05-May-2012Unlike Ian Chappell, who wore his heart on his sleeve, the middle Chappell came across most often as Greg the Reticent, and occasionally as Greg the Grouchy, but even his worst critics acknowledge that his views on the game are sound and worthy of attention. Too bad he needed to understand not just the mechanics of the square cut but also what made a Virender Sehwag tick.I thought initially that India handled Chappell badly as coach, till I realised that the reverse was also true. It was not a cultural thing; in fact, reading an alternative theory presents itself. It was not that Chappell was too Australian, it was that temperamentally he was too Indian. Once that is understood, everything else falls into place.That Chappell was one of the great batsmen there is no doubt; and although the Indian experience forms only a small portion of this book, it probably throws more light on his character than the rest.Chappell’s spats with Sourav Ganguly have become part of folklore. How a friendship fell apart is neatly described. Ganguly, who had a role to play in Chappell getting the India job, felt the Australian ought to be eternally grateful and back him no matter what. Chappell’s suggestion that Sachin Tendulkar should bat at No. 4 in ODIs in the interests of the team was not well received by that batsman, nor was his insistence on Sehwag doing physical work.It is in the casual throwaway lines that Chappell reveals his Indianness. When Dilip Vengsarkar took over as the chairman of selectors, “[his] loyalties were unclear…” That is a typical Indian reaction, placing loyalty above professionalism.In his last Test, admits Chappell, he was conscious of making the runs needed to take him past Don Bradman’s aggregate for Australia, as well as of taking the catch that would give him the record ahead of Colin Cowdrey. “I didn’t want to be tempted to play another year out, of a nagging feeling of leaving something unfinished. I wanted to end my Test career with all the loose ends tied up.” (an expression for the manner in which Chappell followed his concentrate-and-relax technique while batting) tells us much about Greg the player, and a little about Greg the man, without shying away from the controversies or the personal failings. That is the strength of the book.The story of the Brisbane wicket being remade in the middle of a Test against West Indies takes one’s breath away. For the Indian reader, there are the embarrassing stories of the way the cricket board treats its contracted professionals. Chappell’s predecessor, John Wright, has written about how when he returned after an Indian victory, he was greeted at the airport with a limousine, and if it was a defeat, he was left to fend for himself.Chappell writes about how the BCCI was “usually late in paying our bills” and how “wages were paid months late.” Yet he was never given credit for putting India on the road to the pinnacle as the No. 1 Test team in the world, or indeed bringing an element of flexibility to the ODI batting order, which was initially scoffed at but later adapted.His habit of sending text messages to trusted journalists was a way of countering Ganguly’s “backgrounder sessions” for his friends in the media. That was Indian fighting Indian, and the less experienced Indian lost out.Fierce Focus: Greg Chappell
by Malcolm Knox
Hardie Grant Books
371pp, A$45

Bangladesh cricket doesn’t seem to be improving at the pace they, or the critics, want it to. But captain Shakib Al Hasan believes scores of more or near about 250 in three consecutive games points towards a bright future

Sriram Veera at the Shere Bangla National Stadium08-Jan-2010To a neutral, the one-sided contest in tonight’s match may have been really boring. A tournament already devoid of any context and struggling for quality cricket seemed to have sunk to a new low tonight in many ways. However, it would be a myopic view of Bangladesh cricket, which has shown some definite signs of progress.In ascending order, the hosts scored 296 against India yesterday, their highest score against a Test-playing country. They ended on 260 in the tri-series opener against Sri Lanka, and tonight, they were just one short of 250.Interestingly enough, on all three occasions it felt that they could easily have scored 30 runs more. Impressively, and this perhaps has been the stand-out factor, they didn’t play their usual brand of flashy cricket. Captain Shakib Al Hasan agreed, “That has been the biggest gain. Not playing any silly shots but by being sensible, we are still scoring these many runs – that has been the best part of this tournament for us. We are learning to play calmly and we are happy that we have been able to score more or near about 250 in three consecutive games.”He pointed out something interesting the other night though, after the loss to India. He said he chose to bat first not because he thought the dew wouldn’t play a part later, but it was the fear of chasing 350 that India were capable of posting. They seem to be the words of a man lacking in confidence, but Shakib believes it’s self awareness from a man who knows the limitations of the team and someone who is practical.One journalist though, couldn’t hold himself back. “Why do you say that? If you can score 297, can’t you chase 320 or 350?” Shakib’s polite response was, “All I’m saying is, we are still not quite confident of chasing those type of scores. Not yet.”One can understand where Shakib is coming from. It’s a thought from someone who reckons he should learn to walk, before thinking about running. Some might argue that it limits oneself and that one must learn to dream big. Shakib said he wanted to master the basics and get the process right, so that the results follow. He seems to be a man wary of the past when Bangladesh would dazzle briefly, but eventually fall well short of achieving anything consistently.”We have three 250 runs score consistently now, and I see it as real progress,” he said. We have seen the old flashy Bangladesh implode spectacularly so often that we must give this new calmer approach some time to succeed.Bangladesh might not have a captain who is tactically brilliant. They don’t have potent seamers and possess a few batsmen who seem to prefer to live on the edge. But in Shakib, they seem to have a very sensible captain. He answers tricky and loaded questions with a disarming honesty, hasn’t forgotten to smile, and has the confidence of his team-mates as well.He certainly seems to have the backing of the selectors. Akram Khan, one of the national selectors, hailed him as a passionate cricketer who is out to do full justice to his talent and as someone who leads by example. Coach Jamie Siddons thinks Bangladesh would be really competitive in two years’ time and Shakib concurs with the thought. It’s up to their passionate, at times perhaps too emotional, fans to take a call on where they stand. Bangladesh cricket doesn’t seem to be improving at the pace they, or the critics, want it to. But, it should have been obvious from the beginning that, it was never going to be a easy ride.

“Shanto is the sort of guy who has the mentality to take responsibility as a challenge”

Mohammad Isam13-Mar-2024When Najmul Hossain Shanto reached his century in Chattogram, Mushfiqur Rahim charged towards him with a big smile on his face, and arms raised. This was Shanto’s second century as Bangladesh captain, coming shortly after the BCB declared him as their main man across formats.Shanto is an agent of change at a pivotal time in Bangladesh cricket. Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe backs him and by the looks of it, so do the senior cricketers currently in the team.Shanto added 69 runs for the fourth wicket with Mahmudullah and 165 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket with Mushfiqur, who said that Shanto steps up as a batter with added responsibility.Related

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“Shanto thoroughly deserved the century,” Mushfiqur said. “He was excellent. It was a one-man show tonight. I think leadership brings out the best in some individuals. Shanto is definitely one of them. He really enjoys the captaincy. Shanto is the sort of guy who has the mentality to take responsibility as a challenge. I knew that he would score runs at the highest level.”Atmosphere is very important. We don’t worry about the outcome. We try to keep our processes intact. We don’t expect all seven batters to get centuries every day but as long as he sticks to his strengths and practice routines, it was just a matter of time.”Mushfiqur said that Shanto has grown as a batter as he now makes the best use of good starts. He was impressed by how Shanto managed to play after reaching the century. “He batted very well today. He plays more fluently. He can be more dominating. He used to get 50s or 60s after getting a good start but now he is playing long innings.”The way he took a single to mid-on so easily just after getting that hundred, it showed that he was so calm and thoughtful towards the team. We kept telling each other that we should keep getting the next 20 or 30 runs, so that they don’t get a sniff in vital moments.”Mushfiqur also credited Mahmudullah for his run-a-ball 37 that set the tone for Bangladesh’s chase after they lost three early wickets.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We had a good partnership but the real work was done by (Mahmudullah) Riyad bhai and Shanto. The ball was new so they could swing the ball. The dew hadn’t taken full effect. We lost early wickets too. Shanto and Riyad bhai ensured we were always ahead of the required run rate because of their partnership. They made life easy for me.”It is called experience. After that big over, he struck Hasaranga down the ground for a six. When you put the opposition’s best bowler under pressure, they have a lot to think. They allow singles rather than going for wickets, which allows the partnership to go big. Experience is really a big thing. Shanto struggled at the start but this is a partnership game. First credit for this win must go to Riyad , for showing the intent,” he said.Mushfiqur himself played an important hand, particularly in the way he handled Sri Lanka’s main bowler, Wanindu Hasaranga. He took 29 runs off 25 balls off the legspinner, who has not yet got this batter out in eight innings in all formats.”When you play a bowler for a long time, you feel confident against him. The opposite also happens. I have been able to pick him. Hasaranga is a really good bowler, so I want to ensure he doesn’t have much impact on the game. The more I play against him, I feel more comfortable.”When you face a wrist spinner, he will bowl you a flipper, googly, legspin and top spin. You can’t always pick it from the hand. Sweep is a good option to have. You have to sweep against the good ball. If you can execute it well, it puts pressure back on the bowler.”

Suryakumar Yadav is “learning the 50-over game a little bit” and the team needs to “be patient with him”, Dravid says

Deivarayan Muthu21-Mar-20233:59

Dravid: ‘Suryakumar is learning the ODI game a little bit’

Rahul Dravid reckons that India have narrowed down “17-18 players” for the forthcoming ODI World Cup at home, regardless of the result in the bilateral series decider against Australia at Chepauk on Wednesday. For India, the third match against Australia is their last ODI until the tour of the Caribbean in August, and they may only have three more in India before the World Cup begins.”I think, to a large extent, we are pretty clear about the squad and players we want,” Dravid said at a press conference. “We have almost sort of narrowed it down to 17-18 players. We have a few guys who are sort of recovering from injuries and might come into the mix, depending on the timeframe of their recoveries and how long it takes for them to come back.Related

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Will Suryakumar be able to crack the ODI code?

Can the batters fight back in spin-friendly Chennai?

“But all in all, we are pretty much in a good space, we are pretty clear about the kind of team we want to play. Hopefully, we are able to give these guys who we have zeroed in as many playing opportunities as we can. If in India, great, but even if not in India, it’s just [a matter of ensuring that] they get as many opportunities as you can [give them] to build a side.”Dravid, though, suggested that the team management was open to trying out different combinations and adopting a horses-for-courses approach even during the World Cup in October-November. The course in Chennai on Wednesday is likely to be spin-friendly, but India’s spin combination is a bit of a guessing game, with all of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar in the mix.”Within our 15 or 16 players, there are a couple of different combinations that we’d like to try and see which one’s working,” Dravid said. “It [World Cup] is a big tournament, it’s a long tournament in India, and we are playing in nine different cities and nine different conditions. So you just want to have that flexibility in your squad as well, to be able to play sometimes four fast bowlers, sometimes three spinners. Just you want to have that flexibility. Within the squad we’d like to sort of look at different options, just to ensure that we have covered all our bases for all conditions.1:37

Finch: Suryakumar needs to be sharper in the first few balls

“To a large extent, I think we have got a lot more clarity at the end of these nine games, irrespective of whatever happens tomorrow. I think we will just keep building on that clarity. We are quite clear about the kind of squad we want. For us now, it’s really just about the different playing XI combinations and just ensuring that we play different combinations at times just to ensure that we are able to do that in the World Cup and we are not surprised by anything in the World Cup.”Dravid ‘not really concerned so much about Suryakumar’Dravid shrugged off any concerns around the recent form of Suryakumar Yadav, who bagged ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia and only averages 25.47 across 20 innings in ODI cricket. He said that Suryakumar was still adjusting to the tempo of 50-over cricket, and backed him to get better with experience.”Not really concerned so much about Suryakumar,” Dravid said. “He got two first-ballers against two pretty good balls. One of the things about Surya is he is also learning the 50-over game a little bit. The T20 game is slightly different.”Even though he hadn’t played for India for a long time, in T20 cricket, he played nearly ten years of IPL, and a lot of IPL cricket, which is a tournament which is like international cricket. He has played a lot of high-pressure T20 games but in one-day cricket, there’s no equivalent tournament in domestic cricket, you’ll have to play Vijay Hazare [Trophy] and all that. Even though he has played a lot of T20 cricket, I think he has not played a lot of one-day cricket. We just need to give him some time and be patient with him. We certainly see the upside of him doing well, which is very good for the side.”

Pep Guardiola has hailed Tijjani Reijnders as an "incredible" signing after starring in Manchester City's 4-0 rout of Wolves.

Man City thump Wolves 4-0 Reijnders scores in winGuardiola praises new signingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Reijnders swapped AC Milan for City this summer, and so far, he has hit the ground running after a goal and an assist at Wolves on Saturday in their Premier League opener. Following the match, manager Guardiola heaped praise on the midfielder, saying he is the type of player they need in this division.

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He told BBC Sport: "Not just today, in Palermo (a 3-0 pre-season win) he played really good. He is a typical player we need in the Premier League. He is an incredible, big signing for us. His work ethic, a holding midfielder occupies a lot of spaces and then after the control with the ball and his movements. And then he is trying to get in behind and score – really pleased."

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After City had one of their worst seasons under Guardiola last term, the Citizens are trying to become a force once again following a plethora of signings in 2025. While it is early days in their rebuild, Dutch international Reijnders looks to be an excellent acquisition, especially in an area of the pitch where they struggled last season. But bigger tests lie ahead for him and City.

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Guardiola and Reijnders will hope they can continue their positive start to the season when City entertain Tottenham at the Etihad next Saturday. They will want revenge after a shock 4-0 loss to Spurs at the same ground last season.

Can KKR maintain their season’s flavour without Salt? How big a miss will Buttler be for RR? Is this finally RCB’s year?

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-20241:41

Moody: Faf’s leadership important in RCB’s revival

Here come the IPL 2024 playoffs. It took a thriller on Saturday to decide which of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would complete the playoffs line-up, and till the very last league game – a washout in Guwahati last night – to know who would play whom exactly, but now we know. And it’s a completely different playoff line-up from last season, with none of 2023’s top four making the cut here.Qualifier 1: KKR vs SRH, May 21, AhmedabadKolkata Knight Riders (KKR) come into the first qualifier as table-toppers, the first time they’ve finished the league phase at No. 1. They finished three points clear of anyone else on the table, despite having their last two games washed out. Will they be refreshed, or rusty? If SRH are any example to go by, a break from the cricket is a good thing: they came in after a 10-day break – partly down to the schedule and partly down to the weather – and aced a chase of 215 on Sunday against Punjab Kings. This was only the second time in IPL 2024 that SRH won a game chasing.Related

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Tripathi the link at No. 3 that SRH had been missing

Previous meeting: They’ve played each other only once this season, both team’s first game of IPL 2024. It was a high-scoring thriller that ended in a last-ball four-run win for KKR at Eden Gardens.Player availability: The England players who will be going to the upcoming T20 World Cup have withdrawn early from the IPL, and among them is one of KKR’s lynchpins this season: Sunil Narine’s big-hitting opening partner, Phil Salt.Weather forecast: “Very hot with plenty of sunshine” – that’s the forecast for Ahmedabad on May 21, and the heat will hardly relent as the lights come on for the evening match: it’s a minimum of 31C on the day. The forecast says there’s a 0% chance of rain.Eliminator: RR vs RCB, May 22, AhmedabadOn April 22, RR were top of the table, flying high, having won seven of their first eight games. At the other end of the table, RCB were languishing, having lost as many as RR had won, six of those defeats coming in a row. Fast forward to May 20, and the turnaround is stunning: RR have since won one in six and lost four in a row before Sunday’s washout. RCB have won six in a row, and thus go into this knockout encounter with all the momentum on their side.Previous meeting: They’ve played each other once this year, a convincing win for RR in Jaipur, where Virat Kohli hit a century only to be outdone by Jos Buttler.Player availability: This time, RR will be without Buttler, who’s part of the English T20 World Cup contingent that’s left the tournament. RCB will be without Will Jacks and Reece Topley for the same reasons.Weather forecast: The forecast doesn’t change much from Qualifier 1. Ahmedabad should remain hot and dry for the Eliminator.After a blazing start to IPL 2024, things have gone downhill for Sanju Samson and Co•BCCIQualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of the Eliminator, May 24, ChennaiWeather forecast: Some clouds are forecast during the day, but only a 5% chance of rain. A low of 29C, so another hot, sweaty evening in store for the players.Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2, May 26, ChennaiThere’s a possibility of a first-time winner: RCB, ending a 16-year drought in the same season that their women’s team knocked off the Women’s Premier League title in its second edition.Is this, finally, RCB’s year?•Getty ImagesOr RR could win their first title since the inaugural season when Shane Warne’s relatively unfancied team saw off MS Dhoni’s Super Kings in the final.For KKR it would be a first title since 2014, and their third overall. Quite the homecoming for Gautam Gambhir, that would be – he had captained KKR to both their previous titles, and played for them till 2017. This season, he shifted from Lucknow Super Giants back to KKR as team mentor.SRH’s only title (not to confuse them with the other franchise from Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers, who won it in 2009) came in 2016 – can they add to that?Weather forecast: Not much change from Qualifier 2, but slightly hotter even (min. 30 C) and even less chance of rain (4%).

Fulham have reportedly initiated formal discussions with Arsenal over the prospect of bringing Reiss Nelson back to Craven Cottage for the upcoming season. The 24-year-old winger, who progressed through the Gunners’ youth ranks, could rejoin Marco Silva’s side on a temporary deal, with the precise structure of the proposed move still under negotiation.

Fulham keen to re-sign NelsonHave started negotiations with the GunnersA loan deal is likely to be thrashed outFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According toa loan arrangement appears the most likely outcome at this stage, and all parties involved are believed to be working toward a swift resolution. Arsenal’s pre-season schedule adds urgency to the matter, with the club due to depart for their Asia tour on Saturday. Finalising Nelson’s future before that date could help avoid unnecessary disruption.

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Nelson spent the previous campaign on loan at Fulham but struggled for consistent game time due to fitness concerns. He made 13 appearances across all competitions before an untimely injury brought his season to a premature close. Despite those setbacks, Fulham remain interested in the versatile attacker, viewing him as a valuable addition as they look to inject more pace and dynamism into their frontline.

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The potential departure of Nelson could also clear the way for the arrival of Noni Madueke, who is on the verge of swapping Chelsea for Arsenal in a high-profile £52 million ($70 million) deal. Madueke missed Chelsea’s Club World Cup final victory to finalise details of his switch and is expected to undergo a medical this week. Madueke would bolster Arsenal’s options on the right side of attack, where Bukayo Saka has largely been unchallenged over the past few seasons.

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If Fulham do secure a deal for Nelson, it would mark their first signing of what has otherwise been a quiet summer in terms of recruitment. The winger will hope that his second coming will be more fruitful than the first.