The West Indies wicketkeeper-batter talks about his international resurgence, moving to a new IPL franchise, and the T20 World Cup

Interview by Santokie Nagulendran18-Mar-2022After a disappointing 2021 IPL and T20 World Cup, Nicholas Pooran found a second wind in international series against England and India this year. Ahead of the 2022 IPL, Pooran was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 10.75 crore (approx. US$1.43 million) at the auction. In this interview he speaks about his prep leading into the tournament with a new franchise, his time as stand-in captain for West Indies, and looking ahead to the T20 World Cup in Australia later in the year.You were the most expensive West Indian player at this year’s IPL auction. Does that sort of money bring added pressure?
As a professional player, sometimes I guess it does, especially when you’re not doing well, the media targets you, a lot of fans criticise you, so it [the fee] definitely does play a part. But as a professional it’s your job to put that noise behind you and just try to perform for the teamYou had a disappointing season by your own standards last year, averaging 7.75 with the bat for Punjab Kings. Do you feel like you need to prove yourself this year?
It doesn’t feel like that. Just because I had one bad season, it’s not going to change the player I am. I am doing pretty well in international cricket and everyone sees that. For me it’s about giving back to my team – the Sunrisers have invested a lot in me and so I just want to give my all for them – to me it’s about being the best version of myself.Related

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Looking back at that last season, what do you think were the reasons for your lack of form?
Things like this happen; everyone goes through patches in their career. First game last year, I got a first-ball duck, then next game, I got a second-ball duck. Eventually I went out to bat and didn’t even face a ball, got run out (). I’m not dwelling on it too much, I believe I am a much better player now, and I learnt a lot from that IPL season. Have you been working on anything technically?
Every player has technical flaws, but to me it’s more mental, having that clarity in my game. Once I can get into that clear space, I think I’ll be all right. As you can see in my last few T20 games, the last three international series, I’ve started to get into that mindset, knowing exactly what I want to do. So hopefully it continues and people can stop saying I need to keep proving myself.You featured at three, four and five for Punjab Kings, but for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, you mainly bat lower down the order. What is your preferred batting position in the format?
I’ve just started to bat at No. 3 [for West Indies] and I’m having some success there. I’m enjoying it at the moment, but for me it’s about doing exactly what the team wants. If I’m picked for a situation, a sitting role, I’ll give my 100%. So for me, I don’t have a favourite number, I know I can bat anywhere and contribute to the team.Pooran managed just 85 runs in 11 innings for Punjab Kings in the IPL last year•BCCIWhat are the differences between batting at three compared to four or five?
Massive difference. At three sometimes, if you come in in the powerplay, the ball is swinging, it’s then just a matter of facing a couple balls and you basically have the freedom to execute your skills to maximise only two fielders being outside the circle. Batting later and coming in the tenth or 15th over, it’s about having that clarity in your execution, the skill and ability to perform in those different roles. If you look around at international cricket, not many openers can finish an innings, so to me it’s about being versatile and working on your skills to adapt. But it’s definitely easier batting at the top of the innings than in the back end.Sunrisers Hyderabad also signed your West Indies team-mate Romario Shepherd. What qualities does he bring to the format?
He’s very hard-working; he’s someone I’ve seen over the last couple of years work hard at his craft. I believe he’s a really smart cricketer, he’s someone who will fight to the end and has that never-give-up attitude. We saw it against England, where he almost pulled that victory off for us. I believe in the near future he will be one of the best allrounders in T20 cricket, because he has that ability – he can bowl quick, bowl at the death, and also smash it very far.You will also be working with fellow Trinidadian Brian Lara, who is the batting coach at the franchise.
Yeah, we have had a couple of conversations in the recent past. He’s simply superb, amazing when it comes to batting and how he views the game. So yeah, looking forward to that opportunity to work with him.KL Rahul was the wicketkeeper when you were at Punjab Kings. This season there’s an opportunity to be first-choice keeper at SRH. Are you looking forward to wearing the gloves?
To me it doesn’t really matter. I enjoy wicketkeeping, and I do enjoy fielding as well. As a wicketkeeper, I’m more involved on the field, in terms of team spirit, trying to make that magic happen when things are not going our way. So, yes, I’m looking forward to the opportunity, whether I’m wicketkeeping or not. As a player who is Indo-Caribbean, do you feel a special connection when in India?
Yeah, I feel a connection. I actually kind of feel like it’s home, I really feel like that. The locals are very friendly, you just have to go there to feel that vibe. I try to learn Hindi and eat as much Indian food when I’m there as well. So to me, I definitely feel that connection.You’ve recently stood in for Kieron Pollard as West Indies captain, and you seem very confident around the players. Is leadership something that comes naturally to you?
It’s come naturally, but I’ve learnt a lot from Pollard, since the Barbados Tridents days [CPL 2017] – I saw how he went about things and developed from there. As a leader you have to talk the talk and walk the walk. You have added responsibility and want the best for your team. At the end of the day it’s about winning the game of cricket, and if I’m in that leadership position, I have to do that extra work. The added responsibility has worked out so far for me.Pooran stood in as West Indies captain after the 2021 T20 World Cup when Pollard picked up at hamstring injury at the tournament•Michael Steele/ICC/Getty ImagesWe’ve seen some local media backlash in the Caribbean against Pollard and head coach Phil Simmons in recent months. Does the team take notice of it?
To be honest, everyone has social media, we know what is happening. I can remember in the England series there were a lot of things going around, and that just made us better as a team. I think we came out and played proper cricket and were successful. That motivated us.Everybody just looks at the outcome, but there’s a lot of work to be done with the West Indies cricket team. I think we are developing, developing a bit slow, but we are seeing progress. Coach Simmons and Pollard are doing an excellent job at the moment, it’s definitely tough being a West Indian and also a West Indies fan. At the end of the day, yes, we want results, but how do we get results? We just can’t turn up and say we are going to be successful. It’s going to take a while for us to cross that bridge, but I am seeing improvements, especially with the batting and bowling. We may not be as consistent as we would like, but that’s the game of cricket; it takes time. After last year’s T20 World Cup we saw Dwayne Bravo retire from international cricket, and Chris Gayle is stepping away as well. How big has their contribution been to West Indian cricket?
Their records speak for themselves. Chris Gayle has the runs record in the format, two T20 World Cups, DJ Bravo also has two World Cups and the wickets he’s taken in international cricket. And it’s not just their records either; their leadership, they’ve been around for a long, long time. For me, if you’re involved with West Indies cricket for over 15 years, that means something special. Those two were my childhood heroes. I was fortunate to play with them and learn from them. A lot of younger players would have got the opportunity to experience just how it feels to be in the dressing room with those two guys.I also believe they are two of the happiest men alive, on and off the cricket field, and that is one of the most important things in life, to do everything with a smile.You played in the Big Bash League for Melbourne Stars in 2020. Now with the 2022 T20 World Cup looming, would you say conditions suit you more in Australia than they did in the UAE?
I believe the wickets in Australia are very good to bat on. I certainly enjoyed my time at the Big Bash in 2020, so I’m looking forward to that opportunity to play in Australia again. Not only me, I know a lot of our players would like the conditions there as well. It’s going to still be a challenge – we have qualifiers first – but we are ready for it.”Gayle and Bravo were my childhood heroes; I was fortunate to play with them and learn from them”•AFP/Getty ImagesAfter returning from the limited-overs series in India, you took some time to play local T10 Cricket in Trinidad. How did you enjoy that?
I really enjoyed it. It’s been two years without local cricket in Trinidad, it’s good to be back with the guys [Sunil Narine, Evin Lewis, Kieron Pollard all took part]. Trinidad has a lot of good cricketers, but it’s also about giving back as well. When I was younger I would have wanted international players to come back to share some knowledge and learn from them. So hopefully a youngster can learn something from me.Do you see T10 Cricket as being distinct from T20?
Definitely different from T20 cricket. I see T10 cricket as being all about freedom. Doesn’t matter as much about the game situation, with the first ball, if you feel like hitting a six, go for it, nobody is going to be angry with you. But it’s also helping the game and helping players expand their game, that fearlessness encouraged in the format brings out more in every player. You spoke with Sir Desmond Haynes, who is the new West Indies selector, about playing red-ball cricket…
We had a small conversation. It went well actually, so let’s see what happens in the future. Going forward, it’s a conversation I need to have with the selectors and coach. It’s difficult, we don’t really get much time off for ourselves. I believe there should be a compromise, but everyone sees it differently.After the IPL finishes in May, West Indies have a few white-ball series, so I don’t know when there’s actually time for me to play first-class cricket or what the way forward is. It’s a challenge. Playing Test cricket is still in my plans, but as I say, everything happens at the right time. When it’s my time to play Test cricket, I’m sure I will.Outside of Trinidad and Tobago, which is your favourite ground to play in?
Dubai International Cricket Stadium. I feel like I have a special connection with that ground, I scored a century there in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup, which means something to me. That was my most memorable moment so far in terms of my cricket career. It will always have a special place in my heart.

The two could have been lost to Australian cricket if they had given in to their self-doubts. They didn’t, and the system needs to be lauded for that

Annesha Ghosh30-Mar-2022On a day Australia reached a record seventh ODI World Cup final, it’s worth thinking about what might have been had Alyssa Healy and Rachael Haynes acted on their desire to walk away from cricket.It was something both Healy and Haynes, the chief architects of their 2022 World Cup semi-final triumph over West Indies, considered between the winter of 2016 and the spring of 2017. There was uncertainty and frustration, on strictly individual levels, with how much they wanted to give cricket and how little of that goal they were likely to achieve.Related

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“For me, I probably look back and, as a 26- [or] 27-year-old, at that moment in time, I was probably just a really frustrated cricketer,” Healy said after Australia’s 157-run win over West Indies, reflecting on her career trajectory since considering an alternate career path around 2016-17. “I probably didn’t quite know where I fit in.”I had obviously had a role in the team: it was behind the stumps, and it was sort of to come in, ice the innings, and play those big shots at the back end. So, from that point of view, yes, I felt a little bit frustrated, I thought I could be able to do more, but I probably didn’t believe that I could actually achieve any more than that.”Healy’s disappointment arose from misgivings about her potential. At that point, till the 2017 Ashes, nearly eight years into her international career, she had been involved in four World Cup-winning campaigns. But her inability to make a role in the batting line-up her own, having been shunted from No. 1 down to No. 9 across formats, kept her from blossoming into the explosive batter she became much later.Haynes, for her part, was grappling with the demands of juggling a full-time day job at a marketing firm and training as an elite, but underpaid, domestic cricketer toiling away in the hope of a national comeback after a three-year gap. It was at this juncture, in late 2016, that retiring from the sport seemed the easiest way out.Cut to March 30, 2022.

“It’s been a really enjoyable thing that I’ve been able to see myself grow as a person off the field but as a cricketer as well, to just keep growing and keep developing”Alyssa Healy

Australia were up against West Indies. It was the semi-final of an ODI World Cup where, five years ago, then defending champions Australia’s campaign had “turned to custard”. Dubbed favourites, Australia went into Wednesday’s game undefeated in the competition. But lessons from the past, a few hiccups in their batting performance throughout the tournament, and overcast conditions at Basin Reserve meant hard work was still needed after West Indies sent them in.The runs were hard to come by in the powerplay, so openers Healy and Haynes responded with circumspection and “patience”, as Healy would later say. But it wasn’t long before Healy, the star of the 2020 T20 World Cup final, shifted gears, zooming from 11 from 29 to 129 from 107. It was her first century in eight World Cups across limited-overs cricket, and it handed her the Player-of-the-Match distinction in a second straight world tournament knockout.A big factor in Healy’s rise as a leading force in limited-overs cricket since finding herself in a whirlpool of self-doubt, which in part coincided with Australia’s elimination in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, has been Australia head coach Matthew Mott. It was Mott, who handed Healy opening duties for the assignment that came soon after the World Cup: the multi-format Ashes at home.The promotion would set Healy off on an astounding shift from a slugger to a beast. Her ODI average, which was 15.96 in 41 innings till the 2017 World Cup, boomed to 49.35 in the 41 innings since. In fact, of her five international centuries, four of those in ODIs, came since she took the opener’s spot.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”From that moment on [in 2016-17], when Motty tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘We want you to open in that home Ashes series, we want to sort of take our style of play down this route, and we’re giving you that responsibility to go out there and enjoy it,’ I felt a little bit backed,” Healy said. “I felt, maybe, it was the right time as well to be able to get that opportunity. And, I guess, that self-belief just developed over time.”I’ve had to change a few things technically over the years to stay in that role and continue to keep combating some unbelievable bowlers that share the new rock. It’s been a really enjoyable thing for me that I’ve been able to see myself grow as a person off the field but as a cricketer as well, to just keep growing and keep developing, because five years ago, I probably wasn’t sure how much more I could get out of myself. So, to be able to say that came true has been really cool.”Against West Indies, Healy anchored a 216-run opening stand with New South Wales (NSW) team-mate Haynes, who struck an enterprising 100-ball 85 to go atop Australia’s run chart this competition.Had Cricket NSW not offered Haynes three days of work per week within the state cricket set-up, to help her find a semblance of balance juggling life, training, and her job, she would have quit professional cricket. Neither Haynes’ return to the national team in early 2017, albeit via a surprise call-up on the back of injuries to several senior mainstays, nor her appointment as captain in the 2017 Ashes in the injury-enforced absence of Meg Lanning would have been a reality.Her 12 fifties and two hundreds in ODIs, a vital contribution to Australia’s record 26-match winning streak in the format, and multiple rescue acts in bilateral series and limited-overs World Cups would not have actualised either.”It’s really funny to potentially even think that Rachael wouldn’t have been there today…,” Healy said. “I guess, the one thing that we’re afforded in this group and in situations like that is perspective, and I think Rachael’s an unbelievable perspective on life. She’s got a little boy [Hugo] at home. I’m sure Leah [Poulton], her partner and little Hugo would love to be over here, cheering her on in the final but, I guess that gives us perspective.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”For me to walk out with Rach, who is just the ultimate calm head; she’s got a great cricketing brain… To be able to bounce ideas off her when I’m sort of bouncing around at the other end full of energy is really cool.”From the second ball today that she smashed through the covers and punched the glove, I saw this look in her eye, where she said, ‘Come on, we’re going to beat today’. It scared me a little bit, and I thought I better switch on and pay attention at the other end to make sure I’m doing my job as well. So, to have someone like that at the other end makes my job a lot easier, let me tell you.”The fine line between desire and deed that kept Haynes and Healy, now 35 and 32 respectively, in the national set-up also went on to help underscore Australia’s superiority over the rest of the world.”You just look at the professionalism of the game. We’re really lucky in Australia that we’re well-supported, and it’s made having a cricketing career for a further extended period of time a lot easier to sort of manage,” Healy said about lessons Haynes’ career arc could offer women’s cricket set-ups in countries that aren’t as well-resourced. “It wasn’t that long ago that you got to 30 and had to retire because life was starting to take over you.”You couldn’t afford to pay your bills, pay your rent, whatever it might have been. You needed to go and work full time outside of the game, and that wasn’t always an option. Now that it’s fully professional, it’s affording these amazing women an opportunity to continue their cricketing career well into their 30s…”On a day when Healy and Haynes yet again vindicated the faith the system has reposed in them in Australia’s pursuit of World Cup redemption, the pair’s journeys reinforced how stories of what-ifs can become celebrations of potential realised if talent is nurtured. A bit of foresight into backing players and investing in professionalising the women’s game, as Healy and Haynes exemplify, can go a long way towards achieving that goal.

The 18-year old New Zealander is all set to make her debut at the Commonwealth Games T20s

S Sudarshanan28-Jul-20224:40

Rebecca Rolls on Isabella Gaze – ‘She doesn’t flinch and for a wicketkeeper, that’s important’

A 13-year-old girl had approached Rebecca Rolls for help with her wicketkeeping and batting five years ago. Former wicketkeeper-batter Rolls, who won the Women’s World Cup with New Zealand in 2000, was impressed by what she saw.”It became obvious to me that she could catch,” Rolls tells ESPNcricinfo. “Her coordination was good and she didn’t flinch. For a wicketkeeper that’s quite important.”The teenager was Isabella Gaze, who had climbed up the ranks from school cricket and made the Auckland Under-15 side.”She was keen and really wanted to be a wicketkeeper. A lot of people don’t necessarily know at that age as cricketers what they want to do and how they want to specialise. She was quite determined that wicketkeeping was for her and that impressed me.”And then what I saw with the bat was exciting as well – she was positive and really wanted to hit the ball and get runs. I had had people throughout my sporting career that gave me time to help me out at that age, so I was keen to work with her.”

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Gaze was called up for the New Zealand camp in Nelson in January this year ahead of the women’s white-ball series against India and the Women’s World Cup. It was the first time she was around the national set-up. Among the players in the camp were fellow wicketkeepers Katey Martin and Jess McFadyen. Gaze would have to wait, clearly, to break into the New Zealand squad with Natalie Dodd, who played the last of her 18 ODIs against England last year, also around.After the World Cup, Martin hung up her boots and a month later, Gaze was among the six new players to be given central contracts by NZC. That was followed by her maiden call-up for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham starting from July 29.”When I got to the White Ferns camp in Nelson, I started realising that maybe I can work hard and break into the side in future years,” Gaze, 18, says. “I wasn’t expecting it to come this soon. When Katey Martin retired, I knew that an opportunity opened and am grateful to be given one this young and this early.”

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Isabella Gaze with NZC chief David White after being named in the squad for the Commonwealth Games T20s•Getty ImagesBorn in the Netherlands, Gaze lived there for 18 months before moving to Hong Kong for four years and then spent a couple of years in Singapore. She played rugby in Hong Kong and Singapore and dabbled in tennis before taking up hockey. She also tried ballet, following in the footsteps of her older sister, Madison, before deciding sport was for her.”I have always really enjoyed sport and my family is always very supportive,” Gaze says. “My parents played multiple sports growing up and being raised in such a family where you are very active, sport came very naturally. It was never like a chore; it was always a choice.”At Campbells Bay Primary School in Auckland, Gaze had her first official brush with cricket. Her principal, John McGowen, used to encourage everyone to play cricket during lunch time. She would join in and eventually signed up to play for the school team.”I think I have always enjoyed wicketkeeping because you are involved in every ball and you don’t get bored on the field,” she says. “As a bowler it can be a pretty hard area where you get hit hard but with keeping it’s [largely] in your control.”In a bid to better her skills, Gaze was looking for a wicketkeeping and batting coach to help her. New Zealand’s Kirsty Flavell, the first to hit a double-century in women’s Tests and friends with Gaze’s mother, put her in touch with Rolls.”When we started, we split our sessions into half keeping and half batting,” Rolls recalls. “I am not a trained coach, I train on my instincts and how I played the game. So the way we went about it was to try and have fun and try and be positive.”I was really keen to encourage her to hit the ball hard and swing hard and have a really good bat speed. We really worked on her batting for a couple of years and as she started to make representative sides here in New Zealand, the batting coaches picked her up.”I always impressed on her that if you were the best keeper in the world but in the modern game if you can’t bat, it’s not good.”Isabella Gaze in action for the Auckland Hearts in the Women’s Super Smash 2021-22•Getty ImagesGaze made rapid strides and at 15, made her Super Smash debut for Auckland Hearts in December 2019. A couple of months later, she made her first appearance in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield match against Central Districts. She made a total of seven appearances across formats in her first season before a collarbone fracture in November 2020 ruled her out of the 2020-21 season.The following season, she kept wicket for Auckland in the T20s and for some games of the 50-over competition while playing all games across both white-ball formats. And it culminated with her becoming a centrally contracted player.In the latest phase of her career, Gaze has to juggle training and playing with studying sport and recreation part-time at the Auckland University of Technology. She is in her first year and is inclined towards majoring in sport and exercise science. “Through school I enjoyed physical education and the assignments and enjoyed the deeper side of sports,” Gaze says having carried her textbooks and laptop to Birmingham.

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Even after Gaze made the Auckland teams, she continued playing hockey until March this year, when she stopped to stay free from injuries. Hockey and tennis helped with her hand speed and bat swing in cricket. Good hand-eye coordination, as a result, also meant that it was easier for her to play inventive strokes, where it was important to get close to the line of the ball.”When you play sports that can feel the ball on an implement – like the bat or the racquet or the hockey stick – that’s quite natural to you,” Rolls explains. “She’s quite inventive already even at a young age and that comes from being close to the ball.”She’s confident and doesn’t flinch when she’s keeping. She’s confident with the face close to the ball, which is not natural for most of the players.”One of the youngest players in the New Zealand squad, Gaze strives for perfection and has a hunger and drive to succeed.”Oh she gets so frustrated when she gets something wrong! Probably reminds me of me at that age but that’s good feedback for me that we are doing the right things,” Rolls says.”She just wants it so much. She is so driven to succeed. Her drive, her tenacity… she always wants to get better. The satisfaction she gets when she gets it right – I can share that. Keepers know what I mean! She tries to make sure she makes changes to her game that give her a point of difference.”

“The tournament is very close to my heart because that is where I think I have revived myself and my cricket,” says KL Rahul

Saurabh Somani09-Jun-2022College and university cricket is where the stars of tomorrow take their first steps. And when you have a high-intensity, highly prestigious event that brings the best of young cricketers together, it creates a compelling product. That’s what the Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament is, which ESPNcricinfo will cover.It’s a one-of-a-kind college T20 tournament because its scope is international, the prestige riding on it is high, and therefore it provides one of the keenest early indicators of which youngsters have the ticker to go with the talent, which ones can take the pressure that a high-profile event brings, and which ones show the most promise for making the next step. It’s the only global platform for university and college cricket. Teams compete in national tournaments around the globe and the winners are given the chance to represent their country and compete in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Final.Small wonder then, that an IPL franchise like Rajasthan Royals also keeps a close eye on it to scout talent. There is no bigger stamp of authenticity and approval than a franchise from the biggest, brightest and most competitive T20 league in the world seeing value in what you do.In its 11th year now, Red Bull Campus Cricket has had several prominent cricketers taking part in it when they were young. That includes KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Niroshan Dickwella and Chirag Suri. In the 2013 edition, Rahul was the top-scorer in Red Bull Campus Cricket.”Red Bull Campus Cricket is very close to my heart because that is where I think I have revived myself and my cricket,” Rahul said. “I remember I had just come out of an injury and was returning to cricket after three-four months. It was Red Bull Campus Cricket at that time that got me back in shape and through this tournament I have found my way up.”MMCC, Pune, the India national men’s Red Bull Campus Cricket champions in 2021, with their spoils•Red Bull Campus CricketRahul, who has already led India in Test cricket and is one of the rare batters equally effective in all formats, had his first association with Red Bull when he represented Jain University, Bengaluru, at the 2013 Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament. Later, he signed on as a Red Bull athlete and has loved the association ever since.Rahul isn’t the only prominent Indian player who has benefitted from Red Bull Campus Cricket. The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shahrukh Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Anukul Roy, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur, Karun Nair and Manan Vohra have all been part of the tournament too, in their formative years.”Red Bull Campus Cricket gives exposure and opportunities for aspiring cricketers to enhance their skills,” Javagal Srinath, the former India fast bowler who is now technical director of Red Bull Campus Cricket, said. “Many youngsters tend to drop out of colleges in order to pursue their dreams in the world of cricket but this tournament helps to improve their game without comprising on academics. Red Bull Campus Cricket is a step in the direction of providing cricket at the college level a good lift and recognition.”And it is not just about having a tournament that gives an opportunity to university-level players, it is also about creating a pathway to a bigger and better stage. The players have opportunities to get trials at the IPL franchises based on their performance here. In fact, Red Bull’s partnership with Rajasthan Royals allows the franchise to take a look at the tournament to spot the next KL Rahul or Ruturaj Gaikwad.”Red Bull Campus Cricket has continued to grow to that end, with a women’s edition inaugurated last year, by Smriti Mandhana, one of India’s best-ever women cricketers. This year, some of the players who take part in the women’s edition will also get the priceless opportunity to interact with Mandhana.And already, Ayushi Soni, who participated in the tournament last year, has made her debut for India Women in T20Is. How a tournament like Red Bull Campus Cricket helps aid the transition of players from youth cricket to international cricket is illustrated by Soni.In essence, Red Bull Campus Cricket is a launchpad towards discovering the best cricketing talent at the grassroots level, and helping to maximise the potential of the stars of tomorrow.

A group of young, exciting top-order batters are working with new coach Jonathan Trott at the Asia Cup

Shashank Kishore26-Aug-2022Afghanistan’s strength has always been their spin attack led by Rashid Khan, but now the focus is shifting towards building a strong batting line-up under the guidance of new coach Jonathan Trott.Trott comes with tremendous pedigree as a former England batter, and he’s also got coaching experience with England’s Under-19 and Lions teams. As he settles into the Afghanistan job, Trott will have to adjust to the fact that coaches don’t always get to see a player perform at domestic level before they make the step up to international cricket.Related

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All you need to know about the 2022 Asia Cup

Rashid Khan hints at new deliveries but focused on keeping things simple

Afghanistan begin their Asia cup campaign against Sri Lanka on Saturday and they come into the tournament with a solid build-up behind them, having played five T20Is against Ireland in Belfast earlier this month. Though Afghanistan lost that series – Trott’s first as coach – 3-2, there were plenty of encouraging performances to build on, especially in the batting department. Prior to the Ireland tour, they had swept a series 3-0 in Zimbabwe.Afghanistan arrived in the UAE a week ago and had a camp in Abu Dhabi before shifting base to Dubai. They are in the tougher group and know that a slip-up against Sri Lanka or Bangladesh could mean an early exit from the Asia Cup. And while spin will continue to be their primary strength, it is the batting that could make or break Afghanistan’s campaign.Najibullah Zadran, their vice-captain, knows a thing or two about developing as a T20 batter. When he broke through in 2012, he was known to be technically correct, a player who puts a price on his wicket. But the Najibullah of 2022 is different, at least going by his recent record and the net sessions Afghanistan have had.Najibullah Zadran has evolved from a solid batter to an explosive finisher•Getty ImagesNajibullah and the rest of Afghanistan’s batting group worked on range hitting as much as developing a tighter defence. There’s been greater focus on footwork, picking lengths and developing different options for similar deliveries.Najibullah knows he carries significant responsibility in the batting line-up after his success in Ireland, where he showed off his ability to bat aggressively and set up big totals. In the third T20I, he made an 18-ball 42, having come into bat in the 14th over. In the fourth game, he made 50 off 24 balls after beginning his innings in the fourth over. Along with Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah is crucial to a young batting line-up looking to carve an identity amid the superstars in the team.”We’ve been talking to Jonathan a lot,” Najibullah said. “He brings plenty of experience, having played for England for so many years. He has been helping us cope with pressure and different situations and talking to us about having different mindsets for different situations. We’ll need it as we prepare for this tournament.”The main focus is on our batting department, especially the top order. We’ve got big hitters in the lower order who can cash in, in the death overs. In our bowling, we’ve got one of the best spin line-ups and a couple of good seam bowlers. But yes, primarily top-order batting is our big focus area.”

“He has been helping us cope with pressure and different situations and talking to us about having different mindsets for different situations.”Najibullah on head coach Trott

Najibullah believes Afghanistan’s top order has taken giant strides towards being more consistent. The experience of playing Rashid and the mystery spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the nets has helped them develop plans to counter tough challenges.”Rashid is world-class, we all know that,” Najibullah said. “He has so many variations, he varies his pace, lengths and line. We’ve been playing with each other for six-seven years, so we’re used to him. The more you play him, it gives you an advantage straightaway.”There isn’t much to say about our spin department. But even in the fast bowling, we have a couple of youngsters – Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq. We’ve mainly been talking of controlling pressure in big moments. Trott has been talking to the boys on these aspects. So overall, we’re a good team and we are looking forward to doing well.”

Acing the powerplays and keeping bowling plans simple have lifted the men in orange to first place on the Group A table

Alex Malcolm18-Oct-2022Netherlands have held their nerve to put themselves on the brink of qualifying for the Super 12s, but it has been far from nerveless.

For the second match running at Kardinia Park, they have turned a relatively straightforward chase at roughly a run-a-ball into a nerve-jangling last-over thriller.But to come out on top on both occasions, particularly against a disciplined Namibia attack on a difficult pitch, is proof of a maturing team that is starting to learn how to close games under pressure. But they also know that there is more work to be done, as player of the match Bas de Leede noted.”Obviously it’s very nice to walk away with two wins here, but I think it’s also a learning [experience] for us,” de Leede said. “We’ve had two good powerplays. And then how do we get to those middle overs without losing too many wickets and still scoring at the rate we want, to be able to chase possibly a higher total set by Sri Lanka on Thursday. So yeah, a bit of confidence but also, we will try and look at the things we can do better.”This is a team that has been planning and preparing for such scenarios over the last 12 months since the disastrous 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE where they twice capitulated to be bowled out for 106 and 44 against Ireland and Sri Lanka respectively to make an early exit.Related

• Batters let Namibia down as Netherlands get one foot in Super 12s

It has been helped by the influence of some fresh thinking. Ryan Cook, who took over as coach from Ryan Campbell, has been influential in setting up player-driven meetings where individuals can talk through how they would approach difficult scenarios. In Zimbabwe earlier this year, during the World Cup qualifiers, de Leede was asked by his teammates, in one such meeting, how he would approach entering a powerplay in a tricky pressurized chase after the loss of early wickets.De Leede talked through in detail how he would approach it. It was no shock then when he walked out at 0 for 1 in the opening over of the semi-final of the T20 World Cup qualifier against USA chasing 139 and peeled off 91 not out off 67 to send Netherlands to the World Cup with an over to spare.That experience, that planning, and that belief is what has Netherlands on the brink of advancing after de Leede did it again against Namibia. He kept his head when those around him were losing theirs, as Netherlands slumped from 101 for 2 to 102 for 5 with their most senior batting trio each holing out in seven chaotic balls.But de Leede calmly steered them home with a risk-free 30 not out off 30. “I thought to myself if we can take this deep it’s a five an over, six an over run chase,” de Leede said. “The main focus there was not losing any more wickets. In the end, five, six an over, it takes one boundary to get us in so it was always trying to get as deep as we could and pretty much wait for the one ball you could hit.”‘Take it deep’ is the philosophy of Dan Christian, one of the world’s most successful franchise T20 players who has won more tight games than most. He has worked as a consultant for Netherlands in this tournament and has preached self belief and self trust under pressure to deliver in key moments.Netherlands’ attack have also been clinical with the ball, another clear sign of how clear-headed they have been with their execution on two bizarre pitches in Geelong. Where Sri Lanka erred from their plans against Namibia on Sunday, and Namibia themselves erred in the powerplay on Tuesday, the Dutch attack have trusted their skills without veering away from what was working.”The more simple we can keep it, the better it is on this surface,” de Leede said. “You don’t have to have three or four different balls on a surface like this. If you can nail your length and you can nail your slower balls you are tough to face. So for us, it was great that we didn’t go searching too much and just stuck to what we know.”They now know they are one win away from a Super 12s berth, but they know nothing is guaranteed. “Winning two World Cup games is not going to do your confidence any harm,” de Leede said. “We’re definitely taking it into the next game. But like I said, there’s plenty of learnings there as well there. So I think we’re best off not getting ahead of ourselves and kicking on to the next game.”

Despite not having bowled much recently, he picked up his maiden five-for to rip through South Africa on a good batting pitch

Alex Malcolm26-Dec-2022Cameron Green’s worth has been a hot topic this week. Mumbai Indians priced him at AUD 3.15 million dollars with owner Akash Ambani stating that Green was a player who could give “lifetime value” to the franchise.If that’s his current market value in T20 cricket, where he averages 16.33 with the bat striking at 137.64, and 39.80 with the ball with an economy rate of 9.04, what kind of astronomical figure would his Test match market value be given he currently has better Test batting and bowling averages than Jacques Kallis did at the same young stage of his career, and he just ripped through South Africa on a good batting surface to put Australia firmly in control at the close of day one in Melbourne.There were a lot of eyebrows raised after Friday’s IPL auction, even within the Australian camp. But they know what he’s capable of and his performance on Monday served as a reminder.Related

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It wasn’t just that it was his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket, it was how he did it and how needed it was as Australia looked for a moment on Boxing Day like they had fluffed their lines having sent South Africa in.In nine of the last ten first-class games at the MCG, the captain winning the toss had sent the opposition in. Yet two days out from this Test, there was talk among Australia’s players and coaches that this was not the turbo-charged bowling pitch from 12 months ago or the green monster a week ago in Brisbane. Despite the recent trends, there were thoughts within the Australian team that batting first would be the right move.So it was a shock when Pat Cummins opted to bowl after the coin fell his way. And through the first 19 overs that looked like a mistake. Save for a loose shot from Sarel Erwee, Dean Elgar and Theunis de Bruyn looked relatively untroubled moving South Africa to 56 for 1 as Australia’s vaunted trio of quicks failed to hone in.Enter Green. At times on flatter wickets he has been encouraged to bowl shorter. But his extra height and bounce always represent a greater threat the fuller he goes. De Bruyn fell trying to pull a length that wasn’t short enough, with a top edge going straight up to make a key breakthrough just ten minutes before lunch.But inexplicably, after 12 balls, with the figures of 1 for 9, and only two more overs to bowl from his end before the break, Green was removed from the attack and Cummins brought himself on.The captain managed Green superbly throughout last summer with the ball getting him into the game at the right times as his batting was struggling to have an impact while managing his bowling loads. The same can’t be said this summer. Green went two months between October and December facing just 30 balls in the middle in two limited-overs games, having been stuck running the drinks at the T20 World Cup as a back-up rather than playing Sheffield Shield cricket.

“He is a bit different to the other three guys. Obviously he is so tall, so he gets quite a lot of bounce which is something different already. I felt like he’s got the ability to shape the ball a little bit as well. So that’s something different”Kyle Verreynne on Green

In Perth, against West Indies, where he got pad rash in both innings and didn’t bat in the game, he didn’t bowl until the 34th over in the first innings. He made an important breakthrough later in the innings dismissing Shamarh Brooks after a nagging stand to leave West Indies seven down. But he only bowled a three-over spell and was pulled from the attack as Cummins returned to wrap up the innings.In Adelaide, with Steven Smith in charge, he only bowled six overs for the match and had a catch dropped at slip. While in Brisbane, on a bowler’s paradise, he only bowled three overs as the other bowlers feasted.But even though Cummins did him no favours in the first session, Green revealed post-play that a conversation with the captain had helped him find some rhythm on Boxing Day despite his lack of bowling in the lead-up.”I had a really good chat with Patty [Cummins] actually the day before and I think he kind of finds his rhythm when he bowls fourth and fifth stump, gets it through to the keeper,” Green said. “He finds when it’s kind of kissing through, the keeper is taking it at a pretty good level, that’s how you gauge how you’re going. If you’re bowling too straight and they [batters] keep patting it back to you, you don’t really know how you’re going and how you’re feeling.”Green did that to a tee later in the day and reaped the rewards to swing the game back into Australia’s control.South Africa had slumped to 67 for 5 just after lunch, thanks largely to two sensational pieces of fielding from Marnus Labuschagne. But Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen mounted a superb counterattack sharing a 118-run stand with both making half-centuries.Australia veered away from the fourth-fifth stump channel and bowled a swathe of short-pitched stuff with only one slip as the pitch began to play superbly. They also dropped three catches, including one that dislocated Mitchell Starc’s middle finger and sent him off the field, although he would later return.Cummins was forced to turn to Green and he duly delivered, hitting the exact spots his skipper had spoken about to nick off both Verreyne and Jansen in quick succession. He then forced Kagiso Rabada to chop on before rattling Lungi Ngidi’s off stump to collect 5 for 27 as South Africa lost 5 for 10.Verreynne was impressed by what he faced from Green. “He is a bit different to the other three guys,” he said. “Obviously he is so tall, so he gets quite a lot of bounce which is something different already. I felt like he has got the ability to shape the ball a little bit as well. So that’s something different. Starc shapes the ball but the other two right-armers are more seam bowlers. So I think he offers a bit extra there.”I think because he is the fourth seamer and he is sort of playing in a batting role they get to use them in short bursts. So he can just run in for two-three overs, a lot of energy and as a batter, you’ve got to make sure that you are switched on for those periods. So yeah, it’s a luxury that they have.”Australia’s AUD 3.15 million luxury showed he is worth every cent.

Captains can decide XIs after the toss from the 13 named before it, but Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals are yet to make use of the provision

Firdose Moonda25-Jan-2023Four of the six SA20 teams have changed their XIs after the toss in line with the playing conditions that allows a captain to name 13 available players before the toss and whittle that down to 11 afterwards. That means teams were tinkered with in fewer than one-fifth of the 22 matches played so far, with the organisers conceding that the number is a little less than they anticipated, and team managements still trying to come up with ways to use this tactic to their advantage.Allowing teams to change their combinations after the toss is a unique feature of the SA20, and was put in place to create a more even playing field. “One of the major reasons we did it was to try and lessen the impact of the toss on the outcome of the game, and create an opportunity for deliberation depending on whether teams are batting or bowling,” Graeme Smith, SA20 league commissioner, told ESPNcricinfo.Three of the four teams who have made changes to their teams have done so for exactly those reasons. Durban’s Super Giants opted to include an extra spinner when they were asked to bowl first in their tournament opener against Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town did the same in their match against Super Kings at Newlands three days later, and Paarl Royals did it to swap out Ferisco Adams for Codi Yusuf against Sunrisers Eastern Cape.Related

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In the same match, Sunrisers also changed their XI, but because of an injury to Tom Abell, who was replaced by Jordan Cox.Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals are the two teams who have not made use of the provision yet, with both sides considering the move once the tournament resumes after the break due to three ODIs between South Africa and England, as more matches will be played on their home turfs. So far, these teams have played just two of their five home matches on the Highveld, with the bulk of the tournament having taken place in the Western and Eastern Cape at venues that host the Women’s T20 World Cup next month.In Cape Town, teams bowling first in day-night T20Is have won seven out of 11 games, which speaks to the ease of batting under lights and the need to strangle with the ball upfront. That is why when MI won the toss there against Super Kings and chose to bowl on a used strip, they also decided to include Afghan spinner Waqar Salamkheil in place of Duan Jansen, and it worked a treat. Salamkheil finished with 1 for 19 in four overs, and bowled Super Kings’ senior batter Faf du Plessis out.”It was the third game on that same wicket, so once we won the toss, we knew we wanted to bowl first and we knew we wanted to bowl in the day time,” Simon Katich, the MI coach explained. “We felt with the difference between batting first and chasing, and [with] the way conditions have been a little bit uneven here in Cape Town, there was a chance to use it [the rule]. It gives you that flexibility around what happens with the toss.”When the tournament resumes, there will be nine matches between Centurion and Johannesburg, so teams may make more changes after the toss•SA20His opposite number Stephen Fleming would have done the same thing if he could have, but their Sri Lankan offspinner Maheesh Theekshana had not yet arrived at the tournament. “If we had Theekshana, who arrives tomorrow, then we would have had the same idea,” Fleming said at the time.Since then, Theekshana has played in three of Super Kings’ four matches, but they have yet to use the ability to change their XI. “We think there is minimal advantage,” Albie Morkel, Super Kings assistant coach, said.But that could change once matches are played up country, where the difference in day and night times temperatures is likely to cause dew. Then, the risk of spinners not being able to grip the ball as well as they would like to may encourage the team bowling second to include a seamer instead. When the tournament resumes on February 2, there will be nine matches staged between Centurion and Johannesburg, including both the semi-finals and the final, so teams may make more changes after the toss in those fixtures.Overall, the jury is still out about this particular playing condition, with some most coaches feeling it offers a “tactical advantage”, as Fleming put it. But some, like Capitals assistant coach Dale Benkenstein, think that could come more into play in the longer versions of the game. Others, like Super Giants’ Lance Klusener, feel it “takes away some of the skill of team selection”.

A fan watches the Delhi Test and comes away entertained and with insights into human behaviour

Abhijato Sensarma21-Feb-2023When watching cricket on television, you hear two or three commentators deliver their opinions about the game. When watching cricket in a stadium, it often seems like you hear a few thousand.The first thing you notice while walking into the Arun Jaitley Stadium is the long line of hawkers selling India jerseys. These knock-offs are as democratic as the sport can get – most sellers have just one size, which doesn’t fit all but is made to. If you arrive early enough, you’ll find plenty of people struggling to get their newly purchased apparel on before rejoining the crowd at the gates to have the edges of their single-entry tickets torn off.In the East Stand, the lower tiers of seats are exposed to the sun, and the back half are in shade. If you’ve decided to not pay an exorbitant amount of money for the drinking water sold inside the stadium, you’ll probably sit in the shade, foregoing some of the visibility in the poor Delhi air for a less dehydrated body.Ice-cream sellers walk about, each holding up two cones, usually a pair of butterscotches or chocolates. Most people ask the price – Rs 100 – and return to watching the match without further comment. A few bring out their weary wallets.As the end of play approaches, the fans try harder to haggle the sellers down to the actual marked price of the items being hawked, as the sellers wipe the sweat from their brows and do their best to get rid of their stock.From the seats in the shade, a flood of India jerseys are on display: trios of Kohli shirts sitting together, a few Rohits, and a healthy number of Dhonis in the mix too. These names are rendered in fonts as diverse as the body types they clothe. There’s a stray Surya in the distance: does the wearer know Shreyas Iyer has replaced Suryakumar Yadav in the XI for this Test?But when Suryakumar jogs around the edge of the boundary before the day’s play starts, everyone in the crowd forgets the fact too. You cannot help but applaud someone you’ve seen and adored on television for so long. Being as close as you’re likely to ever get to the players in the world’s most famous cricket team makes the infectious nature of hero-worship real for everyone.When the players finally stroll out to the middle to begin play, the cheering adds to the delight of being in a collective. If you look close enough, you spot uncensored joy on the faces of people you know would probably hold themselves back otherwise. A man with a salt-and-pepper beard sits in one corner of the stand, wearing a white floppy hat from the days when he probably played the sport himself. He points towards the middle, his other hand paternally across the shoulders of his little kid.Among the most diligent members of staff at the ground are two who are probably invisible on the televised broadcast. As soon as an over finishes and the players and umpires change ends, one of these two hard-working souls climbs up to the top of the digital advertising board at the end the next over is going to be bowled from, throwing a white sheet over it to make it blend into the sightscreen behind it. Meanwhile, the other board is unclothed for it to project its ads to everyone in the other half of the stadium.

With each ball, the anticipation grows – and each time, Pujara presents the full face of his bat in defence. At one point he has a smile on his face, and most people in the crowd are convinced he is trolling them

At one point these two begin their routine after the fifth ball of an over in India’s first innings, believing the over to have concluded, and face the animated wrath of R Ashwin, who gestures for them to put the sheet back on again. Everyone makes mistakes. Including Rohit Sharma, who could be forgiven for thinking his dismissals are being cheered for by the home side’s supporters – but the fans are buzzing with anticipation for the entry of the home favourite, Virat Kohli, instead.Everyone in the stands comes together to chant for Kohli. They egg on his edges and singles with as much enthusiasm as they do his boundaries and quick-run twos (a bit like with tennis, the speed of his running can only be appreciated when witnessed live). A small number of fans, many in Kohli T-shirts, walks out when he is dismissed in the first innings.Then, there are the trolls. Australia burn through all of their reviews quite quickly in the first innings. Each time they make an unsuccessful appeal after it, the crowd chants, “DRS, DRS, DRS”, while making the T-shape in the Australians’ direction.The crowd’s opinions are varied in quality and relevance too. Some begin to chant Kohli’s name after Ashwin stops in his run-up at one point to warn the non-striker for straying out of their crease. When someone asks why they’re shouting Kohli’s name, the response comes: “Because he’s the one who’ll entertain us with fights!”Kohli doesn’t pick any fights. Most of the match passes by without controversy. The biggest point of contention in the stands is when someone gets in other spectators’ line of sight. Each time there is a close call for an Australia batter’s wicket, or a boundary is hit by an Indian, most people rise from their seats – to spot the ball and to celebrate the occasion on their feet.There is a window of a few seconds within which one can get up, hug their friends, record shaky celebrations on their phones, and sit back down again without complaints from neighbouring fans – who usually indulge in the same routine themselves at various points. Inevitably, by the time most people have taken their seats again, a few haven’t. They are duly shouted at to sit down, with furious gestures, and sometimes a choice word or two that are as local in their flavour as they are effective in getting the point across.The only exception is during the final over of the game, on day three. With just one run required for victory and Cheteshwar Pujara on strike, almost everyone in the stadium is standing – the shorter ones on their seats. With each ball, the anticipation grows – and each time, Pujara presents the full face of his bat in defence. This happens repeatedly. At one point he has a smile on his face, and most people in the crowd are convinced he is trolling them rather than sticking to his method of solidity over flair.The crowd trolls him back, chanting, “We want six, we want six.”Pujara pushes the fourth ball over midwicket to collect a boundary instead. As he shakes hands with Srikar Bharat at the other end, then with the Australians, and finally, waves at his family in the stands with the same smile on his face, the fans hug and dance with the people they have spent the match bantering with and saving seats for.In that moment of festivity, with a dozen different chants breaking off and blending into each other, as the phone cameras record the moment in all their amateur glory, you ask yourself: where would you rather be?

Here’s how some of the biggest names in the sport reacted to the win

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-20231:26

Takeaways: India electric in the field, England tentative with the bat

Big congratulations to the U-19 girls cricket team for winning the World Cup. Well done on making the nation proud #JaiHind @bcciwomen @bcci

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) January 29, 2023