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Jofra Archer's absence tests England's seam-bowling bench strength with eye on T20 World Cup

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Recalled David Willey and Chris Woakes can stake long-term case with new-ball wickets

Matt Roller22-Jun-2021A dozen games into his T20I career, Jofra Archer is already England’s most important bowler in the format by a stretch. England win twice as often as they lose with Archer in the side and can rely on him both to take wickets and stem the flow of runs: in their 3-2 defeat in India in March, he was both their leading wicket-taker and their most economical bowler – despite playing through an elbow injury and with a fragment of glass lodged in his hand.While Archer’s inclusion in the ODI side ahead of the 2019 World Cup brought much-needed quality at the death, it is in the powerplay that he is crucial to the T20I set-up. In 12 appearances to date, 23 of Archer’s 47 overs in the format have been in the first six, and while he has only taken five new-ball wickets, his economy rate in the powerplay (7.08) has stopped teams getting off to fast starts and forced them to take more risks against other bowlers.But Archer excepted, England have struggled with the new ball in T20Is over the last two years. They made significant improvements in India, opting to frontload by using Archer, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid in the first six overs, but were among the least effective sides in the phase in the world in the 18 months prior; out of full-member nations, only Ireland leaked more runs per over, and only South Africa took wickets less frequently.So Archer’s injury-enforced absence from their six T20Is this summer, three each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will provide England with a significant test of their short-form seam-bowling depth. It starts with back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday in Cardiff, one of the few grounds in the country where spinners have been more expensive than seamers in T20 in the Blast this season.Related

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  • Woakes keen to make T20I case after 'wasted' winter on tour

  • England reprise Wood-Archer combination to allay powerplay struggles

They are almost certain to pick Chris Jordan – who has played in 52 of England’s last 53 T20Is – despite him leaking 10.51 runs an over in India and it would be a surprise to see either Wood or Sam Curran miss out, but there is room for one more seamer, with the recalled Chris Woakes and David Willey competing for a chance with the new ball ahead of the T20 World Cup in the autumn. A schedule including two games in the space of 24 hours and three in four days will undoubtedly lead to some rotation, too.Curran has shown glimpses with the new white ball, but he played only a bit-part role in India, bowling an average of two overs per game and primarily in the middle overs, while Jordan generally bowls one in the powerplay, one in the middle and one at the death, and with middle-over ‘enforcers’ on the rise in T20, Wood seems best suited to that role. That means that whichever of Woakes and Willey plays could bowl as many as three powerplay overs, depending on how Morgan opts to use Rashid.Willey’s inclusion is particularly intriguing. He was England’s player of the series when recalled for three ODIs against Ireland last year, but was an unused squad member against Pakistan later in the summer and left out entirely for the Australia series that followed. A stress fracture ruled him out over the winter but his return suggests he is a genuine option for the World Cup, swinging the new ball, providing variety with his left-arm angle, and adding batting depth from the lower order.Woakes, meanwhile, has won a recall after six years in the T20I wilderness. It is an intriguing call to bring him back, given he did not bowl a ball in the format between August 2018 and the start of this year’s IPL, and the decision may well be linked to his “wasted” winter on the sidelines while earning nearly seven figures a year thanks to his all-format central contract. Woakes has shown in ODI cricket that he is capable in the middle and death overs but the powerplay is his strongest phase by a distance, nipping the new ball around off the seam; this is an unexpected chance but it would be no great surprise to see him take it.Chris Jordan was expensive at the death in India•Getty Images”Both Dave and Chris have played a lot for us in the past in both 50-over and T20 [cricket],” Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, said on Tuesday. “We know the potential that they have, and it’s great that they’re back involved specifically in the build into the World Cup.”There’s been a drastic improvement [with the new ball] – when we were in India, we did take wickets earlier than expected and it’s probably been our marked improvement over the winter. Hopefully we can build on that and look at other areas of improvement alongside it.”England have further calls to make regarding death bowlers and the balance of their side. With Ben Stokes only returning from injury on Sunday and not part of this squad, Moeen Ali is likely to play as the second spinner and bat in the top six. Morgan explained that Liam Dawson’s ability to bowl in the powerplay was a major factor in his inclusion as the third frontline spin option ahead of Matt Parkinson, and while Liam Livingstone could offer another option, Cardiff’s short straight boundaries are usually unkind to spinners.As for the death options, Wood and Jordan both leaked more than 12 runs an over in the final five in India, while Tom Curran struggled badly in South Africa at the end of last year. With Sri Lanka relatively light on finishers, not least after Thisara Perera’s retirement, England will doubtless aim to take early wickets and be bowling at the tail by that stage of the innings – but without Archer to call upon, that is easier said that done.

Chris Woakes basks in honeymoon phase of his second T20I coming

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Few would have expected him to be at the T20 World Cup, but he’s shown he belongs

Matt Roller30-Oct-20214:00

Jayawardene: Batting depth allows Buttler, Roy to go hard in the powerplay

Chris Woakes is not meant to be at this T20 World Cup. He went five-and-a-half years without playing for England in the format before his recall earlier this year, with his focus instead on ODI and Test cricket. If Jofra Archer had been fit, there is every chance Woakes would have spent the past week training at Loughborough in a marquee before flying to Australia next week.There was a point, long ago, when this seemed like it might be Woakes’ format. In the first appearance of his international career, back in 2011, he dragged England to a last-ball, one-wicket win in Adelaide; at the time, his package of top-and-tail bowling and lower-order hitting made him a modern T20 allrounder. Even during his effective sabbatical from England’s plans, he remained an in-demand player at the IPL auction – but he had never considered a World Cup appearance likely.

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“Having not playing international T20 cricket since 2015, to start thinking about being selected in a World Cup squad would have been a bit ambitious,” Woakes said on Tymal Mills and Mark Wood’s BBC podcast this week. “It was never really fully on my radar. I obviously got the call-up in the summer when there were a few injuries knocking around… but I still didn’t really expect to be in this squad, by any means.”But Woakes is here regardless, determined to make the most of an unexpected opportunity as a new-ball specialist. Three games into the tournament, he has bowled 48 balls in the Powerplay, conceded 28 runs and taken four wickets. On Saturday night in Dubai, he bowled his first three overs off the reel, removed David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, and conceded runs.The secret to Woakes’ success is his length, made possible by a lethal cocktail of control and patience. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, only one of his 18 balls in the Powerplay against Australia was full, the other 17 pitching at least six metres from the stumps; it was his only second full delivery in the Powerplay in the tournament to date. “I didn’t feel like it swung much today so I just tried to find a length and find a bit of movement off the seam,” he explained.Chris Woakes celebrates Glenn Maxwell’s wicket•Getty ImagesThere were uncanny parallels throughout this game with England’s thrashing of Australia at Edgbaston in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup, a fixture that Woakes has described as “one of my favourites moments on a field”. On both occasions, he took the key wicket of Warner – bouncer out two years ago, nicking off while shuffling down on Saturday night – and set the tone for England with two Powerplay wickets.This time, the second was Maxwell’s, pinned in front by a nip-backer which he played all around; between the two was a spectacular catch, recovering from an initial misjudgement by diving back and taking a one-handed grab to see off Steven Smith. Throw in Marcus Stoinis being pinned lbw by Adil Rashid’s googly and England’s belligerence while hauling in a low total and the similarities were obvious.It was a measure of Woakes’ skill that Australia hardly attacked his third over – the sixth of the innings, on average the most expensive outside of the death as batters look to exploit the end of the powerplay – taking only two runs and a leg-bye from it. The contrast between the two teams’ approaches with the bat was stark: Australia’s top order respected England’s new-ball attack, hitting a single boundary and hardly playing an attacking shot; England treated Australia’s with disdain, taking at least one boundary off each of the first six overs.”Wickets in the powerplay give you a few balls’ grace,” Woakes had said on that podcast, “and almost a honeymoon period of just a few balls – which in T20 cricket is a lot – where you feel like you’re on top of a team and on top of a batsman, and can just do what you want to do for a change.”

“He’s one of the best new-ball bowlers in white-ball cricket in the world. He’s accurate, his pace is up, he’s confident in his all-round skills.”Eoin Morgan on Chris Woakes

“Woakesy has been excellent,” Eoin Morgan said after England’s convincing run chase. “I think over the years his strengths have been epitomised tonight. He’s one of the best new-ball bowlers in white-ball cricket in the world. He’s accurate, his pace is up, he’s confident in his all-round skills.”It’s not about hitting a line and length or getting the ball to move. In our first game that we played here he bowled a beautiful slower ball to dismiss Evin Lewis so the growth within his game is huge, even though he’s been right on top of it over the last four or five years.”The one warning sign for England arrived in Woakes’ fourth over, held back until the 17th with Morgan left covering gaps in an attack featuring only three seamers. The over cost 20 runs, 16 off them off the bat as Ashton Agar carved two sixes over midwicket – the first off a slower ball, the second when Woakes missed his length looking for a yorker. It did not prove costly, but might cause a re-think in how Morgan uses his new-ball specialist.But those are not questions for tonight. Few saw Woakes’ second marriage with T20 coming, least of all himself – it would be wrong to deny him the chance to bask in his honeymoon period.

Kraigg Brathwaite's bat does the talking as West Indies take aim at England's other guys

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

West Indies batters produce fire and fight to capitalise on absence of Anderson and Broad

Cameron Ponsonby09-Mar-2022When Kraigg Brathwaite bats, he does so for a long time and not for a good time. Normally.But on day two in Antigua, he broke character to score a brisk 55 off 70 balls and made clear the West Indies strategy when faced with an England opening attack absent of either James Anderson or Stuart Broad. Whack it.Ahead of the series, both Brathwaite and West Indies head coach Phil Simmons had refused to be drawn on whether they considered it an advantage that neither Broad nor Anderson were lining up against them. That to do so would be “complacent”. We’re focusing on us, not them etc.Related

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But there is a difference between saying and doing. Because West Indies came with a plan. Faced with two opening bowlers burdened with the unknown pressure of leading the attack for the first time in Chris Woakes, and opening the bowling in Tests for the first time in Craig Overton, they put their foot down.”It was pretty much just playing as it came,” Brathwaite said at the close, maintaining the party line. “I obviously got into some good positions and it paid off and we got some early runs, but I wouldn’t say it was a change. It’s a good pitch.””Some of the guys aren’t as experienced as Anderson and stuff but I thought they were decent and we’ve just got to buckle down and fight. Do not underestimate, that’s the key for us.”The first ten overs brought 45 runs and CricViz stats aplenty. Only twice in the last two years have England conceded more. Woakes’ first 20 balls brought 27 runs, the most he’d ever conceded by that stage in an innings (admittedly a small sample size). The 50 arrived in the 11th over, the fourth fastest during Joe Root’s captaincy. It was, by whichever metric you choose, right up among least-threatening new-ball spells England had bowled in the last decade. It was not good.But it would be unfair to say that England’s failings were all of their own doing. Missteps still need to be capitalised on and neither Brathwaite nor his opening partner John Campbell missed a beat in doing so. Brathwaite drove and Campbell slashed, and just when England thought they’d put a lid on proceedings as Jack Leach tied together a maiden or two, Brathwaite launched him for six.You can have all the strategies, spreadsheets, nutritionists and data scientists you want, but when it comes down to it, nothing beats hitting the ball really far as your Plan A.Brathwaite is a man riding high on batting adrenaline. For all the talk of how out-of-character this innings was in terms of his career, it wasn’t in terms of his month. In the lead up to this series, Brathwaite scored a career-best 276 for Barbados against Jamaica, an innings which came at a strike-rate of 67.81.It is a stark change for a man who has often suffered from the same criticism levelled at players such as Dom Sibley and Cheteshwar Pujara, that his slow batting adversely affects his team by putting undue pressure on the batter at the other end. But here, Brathwaite went to a run-a-ball 20, 30 and 40 before bringing up his fastest Test half-century off 62 balls.If Brathwaite set the tone with his fire, his team followed suit with their fight. A collapse from 83 for 0 to 127 for 4 threatened to derail the excellent start West Indies had made, and with the ball beginning to reverse-swing, had either Nkrumah Bonner or former captain Jason Holder fallen and exposed a fragile tail, the day could’ve comfortably belonged to England. As it happened, Bonner and Holder shared a crucial, unbroken 75-run partnership to steer West Indies to 202 for 4 at the close with the game evenly poised.”Holder and Bonner put on a really good partnership,” Brathwaite said. “The England bowlers were in a good spell and you saw the maturity fighting through, especially a period of eight overs where the ball was doing a bit. He’s [Holder] leading from the front and we just have to follow.”

Confident Hardik Tamore overcomes challenging conditions on Ranji comeback

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

An injury replacement for Aditya Tare, the keeper-batter scored 115 to help Mumbai post a competitive total

Srinidhi Ramanujam15-Jun-2022The sun only shone sporadically at the Just Cricket Academy on Wednesday, but Hardik Tamore made hay anyway.The wicketkeeper-batter brightened gloomy Bengaluru with his 115 and drove Mumbai’s progress on day two of their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Uttar Pradesh as the team posted a first-innings total of 393. It began as a dull morning, and play was delayed by two hours following heavy overnight rain, forcing the first session to be washed out without a ball bowled.But once the sun began to emerge, Tamore and Shams Mulani put Mumbai in the driver’s seat with a century stand before the bowlers took two early wickets to leave Uttar Pradesh on 25 for 2 at stumps.Related

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It has been quite a few months for Tamore. The 24-year-old from Boisar, which lies in the Palghar district in Maharashtra, led Mumbai in the CK Nayudu U-25 tournament early this year, having also previously captained their U-16, U-19 and U-23 teams. Tamore was down with Covid-19 just before landing in Ahmedabad for the CK Nayudu tournament, before returning to score 391 runs at an average of 35.55 – including a hundred and two fifties.But when it came to the Ranji Trophy, Tamore had to play the waiting game. The right-hander had played only four first-class matches prior to the Uttar Pradesh game, having made his debut as a specialist batter during the 2019-20 season. Who knew then that the Ranji Trophy wouldn’t be held the following season?And he may have not even played in 2021-22 at all, had Aditya Tare, Mumbai’s first-choice wicketkeeper, not injured his finger during the quarter-final against Uttarakhand.However, when the opportunity came his way in an all-important fixture, Tamore grabbed it and made a statement.”Before the knockouts, when we were in Bombay, he [Tare] told me ‘Just express yourself. Don’t think much. Just do whatever you have done at the Under-25 level’,” Tamore said after the second day’s play.And that is what he did on Wednesday. After bringing up his half-century off 73 balls on Day 1, he was determined to convert it into a big score. He drove through the covers; pulled and hooked with ease; and punished the half-volleys.File photo – Tamore says Mumbai coach Amol Muzumdar advised him to ‘just stay [at the crease] for as long as possible’•Cricket South AfricaHis real test came in the first hour after lunch, when Uttar Pradesh’s bowlers stuck to a fifth-stump line and hoped to find swing under overcast skies. Once conditions brightened up, though, the fast bowlers toiled as Tamore stitched a solid 113-run partnership with Mulani for the sixth wicket.”I was confident coming into this game,” Tamore said. “I played in an Under-25 tournament recently. All my team-mates, Sarfaraz [Khan] and Amol [Muzumdar, the coach] sir have encouraged me, and sir has always shown faith in me. I just wanted to perform for my team.”I was just waiting for an opportunity to bat. I did not set a target that I have to score this many runs in this match. My plan was just to play till the end. It was cloudy in the morning and the ball was swinging a lot. So Amol sir asked me to just stay for as long as possible. I didn’t want to play any flashy shots, so I relied on my basic cricketing shots.”For all that, though, Tamore stepped away from those basic shots when he was batting on 98. He may have been playing his first first-class game of the season – a semi-final, that too – but when the opportunity arose, he had the confidence to neatly find a gap with a reverse-sweep and pick up the two runs he needed to reach three figures, shortly after tea. He had gotten there in 172 balls.It was an important knock, enabling Mumbai to post a total of 393 after having been 260 for 5 overnight. They could have scored even more had it not been for a late collapse that saw them lose their last four wickets for just seven runs.But by then, Tamore had done exactly what he had set out to do: to “use the opportunity if and when that arrives”.

Australia ODI talking points: how many allrounders, and who should bat No. 3?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

With just over a year until the 50-over World Cup, a few of the questions facing Aaron Finch’s team

Andrew McGlashan26-Aug-20220:34

Warner: ‘Cricket schedule over next five years looks scary’

Chance for Abbott
For a cricketer of the quality of Sean Abbott, 13 international appearances since a debut in 2014 is scant reward. Injury has not always been kind to him – his recent tour to Sri Lanka was ended before it started due to a broken finger – and as a pace bowler (and pace-bowling allrounder) he is in a skillset where Australia are well served. But with Pat Cummins rested from these two series and six matches in quick succession it would be a surprise if there wasn’t an opportunity for him at some stage. He was in the side for the three games against Pakistan earlier this year where he had stronger returns with the bat than ball in what were tough conditions for pace bowlers. He enters this series on the back of a useful spell for Manchester Originals at the Hundred which included a return of 4 for 8 where he became the first bowler to complete two maiden sets of five balls in the men’s competition.Cameron Green could be down at No. 8 in an allrounder-heavy side•Getty ImagesHow many allrounders?
Abbott is also part of a wider debate about the balance of Australia’s one-day side. Ahead of next year’s World Cup there is a move to lengthen the batting at the expense of another specialist bowler. In the six matches Cameron Green has played this year he has batted at Nos. 7 and 8, effectively becoming one of three quick bowlers alongside whichever pair of specialists is selected. He took the new ball during the series against Pakistan although was sparingly used against Sri Lanka given conditions. Australia are trying to work out if the combined overs from the likes of Green, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Marnus Labuschagne give them enough bowling depth alongside two specialist quicks plus Adam Zampa. Having the batting ability of Green as low as No. 8 should, in theory, allow them to go harder earlier in an innings and push for totals well beyond 300.Related

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Who at No. 3
The day before the opening match, Aaron Finch confirmed that Steven Smith would slot in at No.3. It makes a lot of sense. Marsh has been a resounding success since moving to No. 3 in Australia’s T20I side and in his most recent ODIs – three games against West Indies last year and three against Sri Lanka after recovering from a side strain – he has taken the same role. In the 50-over format he has yet to enjoy the same returns, with a top score of 29 in six innings against West Indies and Sri Lanka, and was seen as a player capable of exploiting the powerplay. However, the knock-on effect was moving Steven Smith and Labuschagne a spot lower down in the order. Smith makes no secret of liking to start an innings as soon as possible – he made a half-century at No. 3 against Sri Lanka when Marsh was sidelined – and in 2020 against India (he has only played two ODIs since) he scored back-to-back hundreds from 62 balls from No. 3. Overall, his ODI average in the position is 53.85 – putting him comfortably inside the top 10 – it drops to 35.61 at No. 4.

Twin spin
With an eye on a World Cup that will be staged in India, there is also the question of whether Australia feel they need to find a way to play another specialist spinner in the XI. In this current squad that option is Ashton Agar – who was ruled out of the Sri Lanka series with a side strain which saw Matt Kuhnemann given an opportunity – but his inclusion would likely need to come at the expense of a batting option. Agar has been limited to 16 ODIs since his debut in 2015, managing 16 wickets at 46.43. Maxwell is considered close to a frontline spin option in white-ball cricket and given he turns it the opposite way to Zampa that could be the likelier route.The captain’s form
It’s a topic that never seems too far away and while Aaron Finch fields questions about it with respect, he insists he is not bothered about what is written or said. “What other people think of me personally or how I’m playing, it’s actually irrelevant to me,” he told . But, still, the form of an Australian captain is of interest. In four of his last seven ODI innings he has fallen for a duck (two of the other innings have been 44 and 62) and there is probably enough evidence to suggest he is past his prime. However, it would take a big change now for him not to be captain in India next year, a tournament which shapes as his international swansong. Still, with Travis Head – who is missing these two series on paternity leave – making a strong case for a permanent spot, it would be timely for Finch to put a couple of big scores on the board.

Australia need to forget the pitch-doctoring allegations and adapt asap

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Their familiar weakness against spin has been exposed. They need to make sure it does not affect them mentally

Ian Chappell12-Feb-2023The mouth-watering India versus Australia Test series featured a lot of chatter about selection and pitch-doctoring in the lead-up.The noise was exactly that in the case of the pitch. Not unexpectedly, it turned out to be nothing more than a fairly typical first-day Indian red-soil wicket. It was by no means impossible to play on, as Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith showed, but Australia failed to post a testing first-innings total.The state of the pitch was put into perspective by the Indian captain Rohit Sharma. He played a masterful innings that displayed confidence in his own defence, his wide stroke range on a turning – but not impossible pitch – and his ironclad discipline.Related

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Rohit’s confidence in his defence was crucial. If a player doesn’t trust his defence on Indian pitches he can easily be panicked into trying to do something that he’s not capable of, and this ends up in an embarrassing dismissal.Not only did Rohit reveal a wide range of shots, he also frustrated the Australian bowlers with the way he only played them when the time was right. He showed all players, home and touring, how to play on Indian pitches, and his example was flawlessly followed by the much improved Ravindra Jadeja.The move to open in Test cricket saved Rohit’s career. He looked like he might waste his enormous skill down the order but batting above Virat Kohli has prevented him being overawed by the ex-captain’s popularity. Captaincy has also played a big part in Rohit’s revival; the discipline required to lead a team has added another level to his batting.For his part Jadeja displayed the improvement in his game in both batting and bowling. He has always had talent but now he also has the belief. To see the clever tweaks he’s made in both skills tells you that Jadeja has a high cricket intelligence.

The media making allegations about pitch-doctoring is nothing new. Players need to ignore this little game or else it has a debilitating effect on the visiting team

On the subject of pitches in India, the first thing a touring player has to realise is that he will face a lot of spin. However, he should also understand that the Indian quicker bowlers are not without skill on these surfaces. If a visiting player thinks anything else, he is badly misinformed.The selections in this match were a mixture of brave choices and one that was a head-scratcher. The omission of Travis Head, despite his troubles against good spinners, was difficult to fathom. The choice of offspinner Todd Murphy in his first Test after only seven first-class games was brave. Nevertheless it also displayed great faith in Murphy’s skills.Murphy was economical but also took wickets and he was unafraid to bowl a leg-stump line to contain the Indian batters. The problem was Australia’s lack of first innings runs, which meant the bowlers had to perform the most difficult of tasks: take wickets while also containing the batters.In the end the choice Australia made, to favour economy over wicket-taking potential, quickly took its toll and India capitalised on bowlers tiring from a heavy workload.The first Test has exposed Australia’s weakness against good spin bowling on turning pitches. If they can ensure this setback doesn’t mean their mental capacity to cope in India is not dented, it will keep them in the series. If they waver, they are in big trouble.The media making allegations about pitch-doctoring is nothing new. Players need to ignore this little game or else it has a debilitating effect on the visiting team. Far too much emphasis is put on how pitches are going to play and on doctoring. It’s worth remembering that both teams have to play on the same pitch.The reality is that India have developed into a very strong side all round the world, with a special feel for how to win at home. If Australia, who have a weakness against spin in India, don’t adapt to conditions quickly, they are going suffer the same fate that has befallen other visiting sides.

Questions for Australia: how many allrounders are too many in an ODI XI?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The visitors will use the upcoming three ODIs to find answers for the World Cup in India later this year

Andrew McGlashan16-Mar-2023

How many allrounders?

Last year, Australia experimented with a deep batting order that at times had either Cameron Green or Glenn Maxwell come in at No. 8. Maxwell has put together a terrific run at No. 7, where he averages 48.10 with a strike-rate of 123.33 since 2020. In the early stages if his ODI career, Green has also played valuable innings lower down the order, most notably the match-winning 89 not out against New Zealand. It’s a combination that could be on show again in India as the selectors determine whether it will be worth using at the World Cup. Mitchell Marsh (who won’t bowl in this series), Marcus Stoinis also fall into the batting-allrounder category while Sean Abbott and Ashton Agar are bowling allrounders. The theory of a deep batting order is that if matches are dominated by the bat, the impact of the extra batting will outweigh what a specialist bowler would bring and provide the power to either set or defend a target.

Does Marnus Labuschagne fit in?

Australia’s top three will be David Warner, Travis Head and Steven Smith, but after that there might be some room for shuffling, depending on how many allrounders play. Marnus Labuschagne made his ODI debut in India in early 2020 and had a promising start with a century and two fifties in his first six innings. Overall he now averages 32.16 with a strike-rate of 84.54 and there has been the question raised as to whether having him and Smith at No. 3 and 4 is the best fit. The value of having two Test batters in those roles was shown against New Zealand in Cairns last September when the ball was zipping around for Trent Boult and Tim Southee. They added 116 to set up Australia’s victory. However, it’s unlikely the ball will be doing much zipping at the World Cup. Labuschagne’s bowling has also faded.

Is there a place for Josh Inglis?

Alex Carey is the incumbent ODI wicketkeeper and has a good record in the format. Against New Zealand last year he and Green added 158 for the sixth wicket to transform a chase from the depths of 44 for 5. However, Josh Inglis – a dynamic, versatile batter solid with the gloves – is nipping at Carey’s heels. In the recent Marsh Cup final, he made 138 off 110 balls and his overall List A strike-rate is an impressive 112.97. There’s a strong chance he will play a utility role in the World Cup squad, providing both batting and wicketkeeping cover, but there is a case to be made that he is worthy of a place in the starting XI.Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc – all three may not play together in ODIs•Getty Images

Can Maxwell be the second spinner?

Maxwell is still on the comeback trail from the badly-broken leg he suffered in November but it is hoped he can play a reasonably significant role with the ball. He will likely have a vital part to play in the World Cup. In 2019 and 2020 he went 13 matches without taking an ODI wicket, but he has developed his offspin significantly over the last few years. He took 4 for 52 against New Zealand in Cairns in September and sent down his full complement of 10 overs in four matches last year. Agar is the other frontline spinner in the squad but his ODI record is less impressive than his T20I returns.

Opportunity for Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis

Both Abbott and Ellis can consider themselves unlucky not to have played more for Australia. With neither Josh Hazlewood or Pat Cummins available against India there could be an opening for one if not both of them. Although not like-for-like players – Abbott offers more with the bat – they may be battling for one spot at the World Cup. Abbott was outstanding against New Zealand last year, sending down a remarkable spell of 5-4-2-1 in the second match. Ellis, meanwhile, who replaced Jhye Richardson in this squad, has made an excellent start to his T20I career and had a strong case to be the T20 World Cup squad.

Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood: two out three?

In relation to fast bowlers (and again the allrounder debate), it looks difficult for Australia’s Big Three to play in the same XI. It won’t be resolved in this series with two of them unavailable, but the balance of the side could give an insight. Cummins has been earmarked for the World Cup captaincy and Mitchell Starc is a white-ball great. That leaves Josh Hazlewood, who is also an outstanding limited-overs bowler, facing being forced out of the XI. It’s also interesting to ponder whether there is a scenario where, even as captain, Cummins does not play every game in the World Cup.

Stevie Eskinazi: 'I couldn't be sitting in front of the TV having done much more'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The Blast’s leading run-scorer since 2020 is eyeing an overdue Hundred contract in Thursday’s draft

Matt Roller21-Mar-2023Stevie Eskinazi has dyed his hair peroxide blond, and no wonder. He has been ignored by the Hundred throughout its first two editions and with the 2023 draft taking place on Thursday evening, he will do just about anything to get himself noticed.Across the last three seasons, nobody has scored as many runs in the Vitality Blast, the counties’ T20 competition, as Eskinazi. He has been playing for – and last season, captaining – the second-worst team in the country, Middlesex, but has churned out runs with remarkable consistency while scoring at a strike rate of 147.Yet in the Hundred, England’s new, premier short-form tournament which is played in the height of summer, he has been unwanted. In the competition’s first draft, back in 2019, that was understandable: he was relatively new to white-ball cricket, and had never managed more than 57 in a T20 innings.In 2021, after the Hundred’s first season was deferred by the pandemic, Eskinazi entered the re-draft as the second-highest run-scorer from the previous Blast season, but again went unpicked. Last year, after another strong Blast in 2021, he was overlooked again.He seemed a safe bet for selection as a ‘wildcard’ or a replacement player after taking his strike rate to new heights, past 150, in the 2022 Blast, but the phone call he hoped for never came. In the 50-over Royal London Cup, which runs parallel to the Hundred, he hit 146, 182 and 135 in three consecutive innings, then watched on with incredulity as batters with a handful of professional T20 appearances won replacement deals ahead of him.Performing with some success in Australia – he averaged 26.75 with a strike rate of 131.28 in his nine games for the Scorchers – and a pair of 50-over half-centuries for England Lions last summer have reinforced Eskinazi’s belief in his own ability. “It does spur you on a little bit,” he says.”I feel like I’m in a good position to try and capitalise on being a miles-better player now than I was at the age of 25. I’ve definitely tried to keep up with modern trends at the top of the order; put simply, it’s just go bloody hard, and don’t stop going hard.” At 28, he is approaching his peak as a batter, and retains hope of winning an England cap one day.But first, he has his sights set on Thursday’s draft. “I don’t reckon I could be sitting in front of the TV having done too much more than I have done in the last 11 months or so,” he reflects. “I’ll probably have my family around – and might have a beer or two, to either celebrate or commiserate.”He believes he has improved his game against spin over the winter after working with Adam Voges in Perth, and with Mark Ramprakash during Middlesex’s pre-season training, and hopes that providing a wicketkeeping option – “I’m not saying I’m Jack Russell, but I did a lot of keeping earlier in my career” – can finally secure him a deal.Yet counterintuitively, being overlooked repeatedly might just have made Eskinazi a better cricketer. At the time of the Hundred’s first draft in 2019, he averaged 30.95 in T20 cricket with a strike rate of 130.40; in the three-and-a-half years since, he has averaged 36.42 while striking at 144.25.”There’s been a bit of that ‘I’ll show them’ mentality,” he reflects. “Particularly last year, I was going out feeling a bit like me against the world: ‘these guys don’t think I’m good enough – I want to give them absolutely no reason not to select me next year.'”I’m enjoying going out and trying to entertain people by pushing the boundaries of my own capabilities, playing shots that I never thought I could, and just seeing how much fun I can have giving it an absolute whack, basically.”Whether that is good enough to merit a Hundred contract will become clear on Thursday evening.

Spotlight on Bulawayo as Netherlands, Scotland battle for World Cup jackpot

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Cricket’s biggest prize on offer this week isn’t the Ashes, but a golden ticket to India later this year

Firdose Moonda05-Jul-2023Don’t be fooled by the hype from Headingley. The biggest game in cricket on Thursday – no, perhaps the biggest game in cricket this year – is happening in Bulawayo where Netherlands and Scotland will compete for a place at the 50-over World Cup.Few would have expected that the final contest would be between the team that finished at the bottom of the World Cup Super League, with only three wins from 24 games, and the team that finished at the top of League 2, a division that should receive much more attention than it does. That it has come down to this speaks volumes about the way cricket is developing outside of Full Member countries and rewards those who have spent the last four years slogging away for recognition they had no guarantee would come.Netherlands played series against Ireland, Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies, England, Pakistan and Zimbabwe and lost all but one of them. In that time, they were never able to top 300 but conceded over 300 five times, scored just one century in the entire campaign and were bowled out for under 200 nine times. Did it ever get tiring being beaten so often and so comprehensively? No, said Scott Edwards, in more words than that, at his pre-match press conference.Related

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“The confidence we got from coming up against these Full Member teams throughout the Super League was massive for us,” he said. “Look at our youngsters like Aryan Dutt, Shariz Ahmed, Vikramjit Singh. These sorts of guys were thrown in the deep end at the start of the Super League, so where they are now, whether they are coming up against Scotland or Sri Lanka, there’s no spotlight to it. It’s just another game of cricket. They’ve been on top of other batters and we feel like coming into this sort of tournament, we’ve done it all before. We took a lot of confidence from that and it shows where we are now.”That’s why the Dutch don’t use the word “Associate,” to describe themselves anymore. They’ve been around the big boys and, as Vikramjit Singh said two days ago, they simply call themselves “the Netherlands’ cricket team.”They believe in their ability to take down top teams and why wouldn’t they? Eight months ago, they dumped South Africa out of the T20 World Cup. Asked at this event how they digested their giant-killing ways, head coach Ryan Cook was pragmatic. He told ESPNcricinfo that because of the way his team had been preparing, they always knew they would be able to stub out a few of the more star-studded sides and it was a matter of when and not if. He also predicts there’s more to come from other so-called smaller teams and already he’s been proven right, partly about his own camp and partly about someone else’s.While Netherlands dented West Indies in the group stage, it was Scotland who sent them out of contention for a World Cup place. “We’ve put three Test nations out of the World Cup now. What more can we say?” Michael Leask, Scotland’s offspinning allrounder, said.Scotland started their campaign with a one-wicket win over Ireland, then stunned West Indies and most recently robbed the host nation, Zimbabwe, of their chance to complete a dream run to the World Cup and arguably, they’ve done it in tougher circumstances than anyone else. League 2 is gruelling with 36 matches grouped into nine triangulars, and as result, is supremely competitive. Scotland lost a third of their games but still finished top and it was not until the final phase of the tournament, when Scotland and Namibia travelled to Nepal, that they were able to confirm their spots at the World Cup Qualifier.

“We’ve put three Test nations out of the World Cup now. What more can we say?”Scotland’s Michael Leask is confident the team can pull off one more memorable win

They did all that while their organisation was found to be institutionally racist with 448 examples cited in a report, and investigations ongoing. We have seen in South Africa and Yorkshire how damaging and divisive the issue of race can be, and how it can impact results. While the Social Justice and Nation-Building hearings were held in South Africa, the national men’s team stumbled through the World Cup Super League and almost ended up in Zimbabwe themselves. As for Yorkshire, they were relegated at the end of last summer. The rights and wrongs of the cases in Scotland are still being assessed (and it’s not easy to do so because instances of racism don’t come with receipts) but the team has somehow managed to put that to one side and play well, and they recognise how difficult that has been.”We have been through a bit of a tough time but we wear this shirt with a lot of pride, and for us it’s all about leaving the shirt better than we found it,” Leask said. “Yes, there’s been some tough times, but we’re out here competing and we’re doing a very, very good job of it at the moment. The biggest thing is leaving this shirt in a better place than you found it. I believe this group’s going a long way to doing that.”That is true of them over the last five years. Scotland came close to qualifying for the 2019 World Cup but were on the receiving end of some poor decisions in the 2018 qualifier, which was played without DRS in its entirety. Eight members of the squad who participated in that tournament are back to put things right and they’ve come with an attitude of extreme determination and resilience. They treat every match like it matters more than anything else, because in their case, it does. “2018 hurt a lot of us and a lot of the squad are still here. The performances have shown that we’re not going to give up,” Leask said. “We are a side who, every time we play, we play as underdogs. But we play every game like it’s a final. We’ve fought unbelievably hard in every fixture.”Scotland have already dumped out West Indies, but can they plot their biggest victory yet on Thursday?•ICC via Getty ImagesThe Dutch say the same thing. “Going into every game in the tournament, we feel like it’s a must-win game,” Edwards said. Despite the pressure of the situation, he describes his squad as “pretty level-headed,” going into their last, and most important game, and he has good reason to. The Dutch have managed to triumph in these crunch encounters without their entire first-choice bowling attack, the bulk of whom were unavailable due to county commitments (read: need to earn a salary rather than spend three weeks competing for a one-in-10 chance to play in a World Cup). Scotland are in a similar situation, with four frontline players missing. And therein lies the cold, hard, financial truth of Thursday’s match: it could change lives and cricket boards, literally, because of the economics of the game.In English football, the championship playoff game – the match which decides which team will be promoted to the Premier League in the following season – is known as the richest game in football, because of the massive monetary benefits promotion brings. With a guaranteed participation fee of US$1 million – more than most associates get in grants from either the ICC or their governments – reaching the World Cup could prove the cash injection to keep cricket comfortably afloat in the country that gets there. Consider that they could then also attract commercial partners, and the health of the game in the country that qualifies will receive a significant boost.For teams who spend most of their time in the small print, this is their opportunity to do more than just steal a headline: it’s the chance to make a serious statement about cricket in their country and to create the investment into its future. It’s also one of the last chances to really stand out because this is the last 10-team World Cup (the next T20 World Cup is 20 teams and the next ODI World Cup will expand to 14) and, hopefully, the growth of the game will only continue from there. Now, though, it’s about that one chance to “play in a World Cup in India which is a dream for our guys,” as Edwards said.Both Netherlands and Scotland have already experienced that dreams can come true and as far as the promise of a World Cup place goes neither will want to be the one who wakes up first.

How Phoebe Litchfield moved up the ranks and made 2023 her own

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She made a splash at the WPL auction, played memorable knocks across formats, and has now been part of a record chase

Sruthi Ravindranath29-Dec-2023India had not seen much of the Australian batter Phoebe Litchfield.She was the first player to come up for bidding at the 2024 WPL auction. When she was sold for INR 1 crore (USD 120,000 approx) to Gujarat Giants, many wondered why she’d gone for a huge price.Litchfield isn’t unknown in the cricketing world. When she was 16, she became a social media sensation after a video of her playing cover drives at the New South Wales nets went viral in 2019. She’s played memorable knocks at the domestic level and in the WBBL. She scored an unbeaten 106 in a massive win against Ireland in June. She also showed Pakistan her big-hitting skills. India’s Jemimah Rodrigues, whom Litchfield has played with at Northern Superchargers in the Women’s Hundred, has seen what she’s capable of. And so have Giants and UP Warriorz, who tussled for her at the WPL auction table.Related

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After making a quiet international debut in India last December, 20-year old Litchfield announced herself in the country with a crucial innings in a tough chase in Mumbai. During her 78 off 89 balls in the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium, where players from both sides struggled in the heat and humidity, Litchfield showed she was capable of handling such conditions, especially with the next ODI World Cup to be played in India in 2025.”The WPL auction was pretty cool,” Litchfield said after the match. “I think to play in India, I’d come for free. It was so cool to be picked up [in the auction]. So I’m really excited for that. And then to be over here for the Test match [one-off Test] in India for the first time, it was an awesome experience and one I’ll never forget.”To have a win today is sort of the icing on the cake for a good December. I think any experience you get on these pitches and these arenas is so good for our cricket. Any time in the middle is good.”Litchfield has quickly established herself as a batter capable of being effective at any position in the order. On ODI debut earlier this year, she scored an unbeaten 78 at the top of the order against Pakistan in Brisbane, followed by 67 not out in the second ODI. An Ashes call-up followed, and she contributed 46 in the second innings to Australia’s victory in the one-off Test in Nottingham. She became the second youngest Australian woman to hit an ODI century when she scored a 106* against Ireland in July.Phoebe Litchfield took her time initially before moving to a higher gear in Mumbai•Getty ImagesLitchfield found success in the T20I format too when she scored the joint-fastest fifty, off 18 balls, coming in at No. 6 against West Indies in October. Throw in her excellent performances at the Women’s Hundred and the WBBL, where she plays for Sydney Thunder, and she’s had a year to remember.But how does she assess her 2023?”It’s been a challenge, to put it frankly,” Litchfield said. “I think the Ashes was a really big learning curve for me and then to score runs in Ireland was enjoyable, but yeah, I think Indian conditions is a whole different beast. It’s a really good challenge, but also enjoyable. [I’m] pretty happy with the score.”On Thursday, Litchfield teamed up with Ellyse Perry for the second wicket to set up a the highest successful chase away from home in women’s ODIs. She was cautious early on but grew in confidence as the innings progressed – her 78 metre six over bowler Renuka Singh’s head in the ninth over was a highlight – to put the pressure back on India’s bowlers. She also used the sweep and the reverse sweep to good effect against the spinners.”Reverse sweep’s probably one of my get-out-of-jail shots if I need to score a four or release some pressure,” she said. “I usually go to that shot if there’s some space there. I think in the Test match it probably wasn’t the greatest scenario to bring out the reverse sweep. I definitely learnt from that. I think if you know we’re 200 runs ahead, you can bring out the reverse sweep. So we’ve had chats about that and I learnt from it. But I felt it’s a strength of mine and I like to play it, so I brought it out today.”Phoebe Litchfield added 148 runs with Ellyse Perry for the second wicket•Associated PressAt the other end, the experienced Perry batted aggressively at the start of the partnership. The duo added 148 runs in 150 balls to take Australia past half the target. Perry, however, battled cramps in the middle of her innings, a sight that reminded Litchfield of Glenn Maxwell during his sensational knock at the same venue against Afghanistan in the men’s ODI World Cup in November.”She started to cramp in her calves, which was quite a funny thing… I sort of got flashbacks to Glenn Maxwell’s innings,” Litchfield said. “She just was pretty much like cramping here, probably struggling a bit, but she was hitting the ball. I think she cramped and then she hit a six down the ground. So, that’s Ellyse Perry for you. She sort of just took the game on a bit more after she started cramping, because she was like, ‘I probably won’t be out here for long’.”Litchfield has had a pretty perfect year in international cricket, but she’s identified areas she needs to improve in: scoring off more balls, taking the game on “a bit more”, and more importantly, “not getting out on 80”.

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