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Nitschke's inbox: Haynes' replacement, new leaders and sustaining success

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What questions could the new Australia head coach face in the coming months and years?

Andrew McGlashan20-Sep-2022Replacement for HaynesWhen Nitschke and her fellow selectors next get around a table to pick the squad to tour India in December one of the key questions will be who replaces Rachael Haynes following her retirement last week. She will be a significant loss across all formats, but the most pressing one initially will be T20 with the five matches in India and an eye on next year’s World Cup.”Rachael leaves a massive void, both on and off the field,” Nitschke said in Brisbane on Tuesday. “She’ll be really hard to replace.”From a batting point of view, a lot could depend on how players go in the upcoming WBBL. If Ellyse Perry brings the form she showed at the start of the Hundred into a middle-order role with Sydney Sixers then it could be a way for her to slot back in. If there is a thought to look to the future, a player such as Phoebe Litchfield may get their chance. Then there is a more experienced figure such as Georgia Redmayne who has been on the fringes for the last couple of seasons without yet making a debut.Leadership transitionMeg Lanning’s indefinite break from the game after the Commonwealth Games followed by Haynes’ retirement has brought into focus the captaincy. If Lanning hasn’t returned by the India tour a new leader will be required, and even if Lanning is back it remains a longer-term question about who will follow her. A solution for the immediate needs if required could be Alyssa Healy, who will captain New South Wales early this season, although she would need to balance it with batting and keeping, while Jess Jonassen and Tahlia McGrath also captain their states.Related

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“There are a good group of emerging leaders in our team that are going to have opportunities to stick their hands up,” Nitschke said. “We don’t have a designated leadership group but there are people amongst the team and group that are leaders on and off the field. Some girls lead in their states. They all have different strengths.”A broader changeoverAt some point over the next few years, other players will follow Haynes’ lead and call it day – some perhaps sooner rather than later – as one of the most dominant sporting teams in history begins to break up. The Australian system is well placed to fill gaps as they emerge, but the strength of the domestic game – and areas such as Australia A – will need to come into their own. And, ideally, departures will be staggered to avoid a mass exit of three or four key players at once.”Whether it is now, in one year or two years’ time, there are going to be some changes,” Nitschke said. “For the moment we have a good strong core of a team. I expect them to continue and be around for a little while but there are going to be changes afoot. We have a really good domestic comp backing us up so it is going to be exciting seeing who puts their hand up.”

Australia’s upcoming schedule

December Away vs India, five T20Is

January Home vs Pakistan, three T20Is & three ODIs

February T20 World Cup, South Africa

Resetting goalsRight now, Australia hold every major prize going: ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, Commonwealth Games gold and the multi-format Ashes. In terms of winning, they have almost pushed the bar as high as it can go. It has been an extraordinary era. Over the last few years, the team has always had another big goal to aim at, whether it be the home T20 World Cup, ODI redemption or the gold medal push. Now they need to start again.”It’s one of the best sporting teams in Australia at the moment, or for a long time, and to be involved in that first hand and guide them in that is a pretty exciting prospect,” Nitschke said. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. I certainly won’t be going in and changing everything we do because we’ve been so successful. Think it’s about evolving with the game and looking to improve. It’s about reassessing and reevaluating.”We’ve obviously been very successful and it’s a challenge to stay at the top of the game. We know around the globe there are other teams coming for us. India continually keep challenging us and will continue to do so. We hope that just pushes us to get better as well.”Assistant coachesWith Nitschke’s promotion and Ben Sawyer having left to be head coach of the New Zealand women’s team, there will be considerable changes in the backroom set-up. Dan Marsh and Jude Coleman were the assistant coaches for the Ireland tour and Commonwealth Games. In the last couple of weeks Cricket Australia has advertised for the position and the initial deadline is September 23. “We need people with relationship-building skills, that know the game and players really well, and the trends of the global game, think that is real benefit because we are starting to perhaps play a bit more Test cricket,” Nitschke said. “To keep challenging [the players] and pushing them forward is something pretty important for us.”

Rajasthan Royals will want a middle-order batter and allrounders

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They reached the final last season and will want to add depth to their batting to go one better this time

Sruthi Ravindranath20-Dec-2022Who they’ve got
Rajasthan Royals had their best IPL season since 2008 in 2022, when they finished as runners-up. They have let go of nine players since, but have retained their key personnel.

Follow the 2023 IPL auction LIVE

You can watch the auction live in India on Star Sports, and follow live analysis with Tom Moody, Ian Bishop, Wasim Jaffer and Stuart Binny right here on ESPNcricinfo.

Current squad: Sanju Samson (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC CariappaWhat they have to play with
They have a total of INR 13.2 crore (USD 1.6 million approx.) in their pocket, which is not great seeing that they have nine slots to fill. Four of those are possible overseas slots.What they need

  • One of Royals’ biggest strengths is their top order, which has Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson, in the main. But the next three – Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag – did not click as expected last season. Importantly, bar Parag, they don’t have anyone there that can bowl an over or two. So a batting allrounder will be a huge help. Someone who can do what James Neesham, who they have let go, can do when at his best.
  • They have a number of excellent bowlers in Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. Some back-ups for these players, both overseas and Indian, will help.
  • They have a reputation for picking little-known Indian players and backing them, so expect a few of those this time too.

The likely targets

  • For the allrounder, the obvious high-profile choices are Sam Curran, Ben Stokes – who has been part of the franchise before – and Cameron Green. But Royals also have the third-lowest purse heading into the auction, which might mean bids for Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka and Jason Holder. Not to forget Sikandar Raza, who might, in fact, be a great fit at Royals.
  • Royals would want to have solid back-up batters, and Harry Brook, who can play both as a top-order batter and in the middle order, could be one of their targets. There’s also Najibullah Zadran, who plays for Barbados Royals in the CPL. Of Indian options, they could go for Rohan Kunnummal or Bikramkumar Das or Chirag Gandhi.
  • They do have Obed McCoy, but with options like Reece Topley, Chris Jordan and Josh Little around, they might be tempted.A few options for them in the uncapped category could be Mumbai left-arm spinner Shams Mulani and Himachal Pradesh’s batting allrounder Sumeet Verma.

Can Suryakumar crack the ODI format? Kishan or Rahul as keeper?

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Key questions for India during their three-match ODI series against Australia

Shashank Kishore16-Mar-2023After retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by winning a challenging Test series 2-1, India switch focus to the ODI against Australia, their last three 50-over fixtures until July. And with the World Cup at home in October and November, every series is an opportunity to fine tune their best combination.India began 2023 with ODI wins at home against Sri Lanka and New Zealand and a number of regulars who missed those series, such as Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, are back now. Others like Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are out with injuries, with no definite timeline on their return.Here are some of the key questions regarding India’s team combination in the ODI series against Australia:Related

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Will Shreyas Iyer’s absence open up a spot for Suryakumar Yadav?

Shreyas has been prolific at No. 4 – 805 runs at an average of 47.35 with two hundreds and five half-centuries in 20 innings – but injuries have been an issue lately. He missed the ODIs against New Zealand because of back stiffness and is now out of the Australia series with a recurrence of the same problem.Suryakumar Yadav took Shreyas’ spot during the New Zealand series and scored 31 and 14 in his two innings. However, he hasn’t been able to carry his explosive and consistent T20I form into ODIs. In 50-over cricket, Suryakumar averages only 28.86 with just two half-centuries in 18 innings. If India are determined to unlock his potential in ODIs, they could look to give him three more games against Australia.

Ishan Kishan back to being reserve opener?

Suryakumar will compete with Ishan Kishan and Rahul for places in the middle order. Kishan batted in the middle order during the New Zealand series, but wasn’t able to build on his record-breaking fastest ODI double-ton against Bangladesh in December.After that knock, Kishan was widely expected to become India’s first-choice opener, but the team management backed Shubman Gill in that role, a move that has paid off. While Kishan is likely to open with Gill in Rohit Sharma’s absence in the first ODI, he could slip back into being a reserve opener once Rohit returns.

Gill has scores of 70, 21, 116, 208, 40* and 112 in six ODI innings this year – all as an opener, making it tougher for Kishan to play when Rohit is back, unless the team management picks him ahead of Suryakumar in the middle order.Kishan’s recent form hasn’t helped his cause. Since that double-hundred in Chattogram, he has a highest score of 37 in nine innings across white-ball formats. What Kishan does bring is the left-handedness that India’s top order is currently lacking, with Pant unavailable and Shikhar Dhawan out of favour.

Rahul – first-choice keeper in Pant’s absence?

It was co-incidentally in January 2020 – when Australia last toured India for ODIs – that Rahul was first considered as a regular wicketkeeping option in white-ball cricket. Pant had a concussion in the series opener in Mumbai, which opened the door for Rahul and he grabbed the opportunity with some superb glovework and explosive middle-order batting; his 52-ball 80 at No. 5 helped India level the series before they clinched it 2-1.Rahul has since become a regular keeper in white-ball cricket, and even did the job for his former IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab. In 16 innings for India at No. 5, Rahul has made 658 runs at an average of 50.61 and strike rate of 102.17, with one hundred and six fifties. Having lost his Test spot to Gill, Rahul will be eager to build on his burgeoning middle-order credentials in the ODI format.

What is India’s ideal allrounder combination?

One of key decisions India have to make is striking a balance between batting depth and enough bowling options. In Jadeja’s absence, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur filled in the bowling allrounders’ role to good effect in the New Zealand series.With Jadeja back, India can further strengthen their batting depth, especially if they play all three – Hardik Pandya, Washington and Jadeja (Axar Patel is an option as well).This will mean they have three bowling spots to fill. They could either go with Thakur, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, or sacrifice Thakur’s batting at No. 9 for Umran Malik’s bristling pace or Jaydev Unadkat’s left-arm variety.The other option they could consider is to pick one of Jadeja or Washington at No. 7 and Thakur at No. 8. This will allow them to play a wristspinner in Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav, with Shami, Siraj and Malik tussling for two slots. Or if they decide the conditions warrant three spinners and just two quicks, they have the option of picking two spinning allrounders, a wristspinner, and two specialist fast bowlers, in addition to Hardik Pandya as a third seam-bowling option.

Ladies who Switch: 'Nice to get four up against the Poms' – Annabel Sutherland interview

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Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda catch up with Australia all-rounder ahead of Women’s Ashes T20Is

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2023As the Women’s Ashes enters its white-ball phase with the first T20I at Edgbaston, Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda caught up with Australia all-rounder Annabel Sutherland, who scored a century in the Test at Trent Bridge and ask her what makes this formidable Australian side tick.

Stats – Warner and Marsh's record stand in a six-hitting blitz

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All the ODI records that were broken in Australia’s innings of 367 for 9 against Pakistan in Bengaluru

Sampath Bandarupalli20-Oct-2023259 – Partnership runs between David Warner and Mitchell Marsh, the second-highest opening stand in men’s ODI World Cups. The highest is 282 between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga against Zimbabwe in 2011.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – The Warner-Marsh partnership is the first 200-plus runs stand against Pakistan at the men’s World Cup. The previous highest was the unbeaten 175-run opening stand between Brian Lara and Desmond Haynes in 1992.The 259-run stand is also the second-highest for Australia at World Cups, behind the 260 partnership between Warner and Steven Smith for the second wicket against Afghanistan in 2015.367 for 9 – Australia’s total in Bengaluru is now the highest by any team against Pakistan at men’s ODI World Cups. Sri Lanka’s 344 for 9 earlier in the tournament in Hyderabad was the previous highest. It is also the second-highest ODI total for Australia against Pakistan, behind the 369 for 7 in the 2017 Adelaide ODI.4 – Consecutive ODI hundreds for Warner against Pakistan. He is only the second batter with four straight ODI tons against an opponent, joining Virat Kohli, who did it against West Indies.5 – Hundreds by Warner in ODI World Cups, the joint-most for Australia, alongside Ricky Ponting. Only two batters have scored more than five hundreds at men’s ODI World Cups – Rohit Sharma (7) and Sachin Tendulkar (6).3 – Number of 150-plus scores by Warner at ODI World Cups. No other batter has more than one. He scored 178 against Afghanistan in 2015 and 166 against Bangladesh in 2019. Warner now has seven 150-plus scores in ODIs, only one behind Rohit’s eight.ESPNcricinfo Ltd19 – Sixes by Australia on Friday are the joint-most they have hit in an ODI innings. They also struck 19 sixes against India in 2013 during an ODI at the same ground.These 19 sixes are the most that Pakistan have conceded in an ODI innings and also the joint-second by any team in a men’s ODI World Cup game, only behind England’s 25 sixes against Afghanistan in 2019.18 – Total sixes struck by the Australian openers – nine each by Warner and Marsh. These are the most sixes hit by opening batters in an ODI innings, surpassing the 16 by India (all 16 by Rohit) against Australia in 2013 and West Indies (all 16 by Chris Gayle) against Zimbabwe in 2015.1 – Warner’s 163 is the highest individual score against Pakistan at men’s ODI World Cups. The previous highest was Andrew Symonds’ 143* in the 2003 edition in Johannesburg. Warner is also the first batter with two hundreds at World Cups against Pakistan, as his first (107) came in 2019.2 – Batters with a century on their birthday at men’s ODI World Cups, including Marsh, who turned 32 on Friday with his 121. Ross Taylor was the first to score a World Cup hundred on his birthday – 131* against Pakistan in 2011 when he turned 27.

Stats – New York pitch a dream for fast bowlers, a nightmare for batters

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All the gory numbers from the eight T20 World Cup 2024 games hosted by the Nassau County International Stadium

Sampath Bandarupalli13-Jun-2024137 for 7 Canada’s total against Ireland was the highest across the eight matches in New York. Ireland’s 125 for 7 in the chase during the same game is the only other instance of a team scoring 120-plus at this venue.Nassau County Stadium became the first venue without a 140-plus total after hosting eight or more games in a men’s T20 tournament. The previous lowest ‘highest total’ at a venue was 141 at the Desert Springs Cricket Ground, which hosted twelve matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier in 2021.7.86 India’s run rate during their successful chase of 97 against Ireland. It was the only time a team had scored at above seven an over across the 16 innings in New York.113 The total South Africa defended successfully against Bangladesh, the lowest successfully defended total by any team at the Men’s T20 World Cup in a full 20-over game. India successfully defended 119 a day before South Africa’s effort. This was the joint-second lowest total defended, alongside Sri Lanka’s 119 against New Zealand in 2014.82-15 Wickets taken by fast bowlers and spinners at the Nassau County stadium. The fast bowlers bagged 82 wickets in 236.1 overs, averaging 15.71 and taking a wicket every 17.2 balls, while the spinners bowled only 61.2 overs across the eight matches, taking 15 wickets at 25.46 while striking once every 24.5 balls.

26 The highest opening stand in New York – by Ireland against Canada and Pakistan against India. It is only the second venue without a half-century opening stand in a men’s T20I tournament (Min: 15 or more partnerships).The White Hill Field in Sandys Parish that hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Final in 2019 did not witness a 50-plus opening stand across 20 innings. The highest opening partnership in those 20 innings was 44 by Bermuda against USA.12.18 The average first-wicket partnership in New York was also the lowest for any venue in a T20I tournament.138.27 Strike rate of batters while facing full balls and full-tosses from fast bowlers in New York, as per ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data. They scored 401 runs off those lengths at 44.55 runs per dismissal. The batters could only score at a strike rate of 70.86 against other lengths, and averaged a mere 11.02.

59* David Miller’s score against Netherlands was the highest by any batter at the venue. It is the second-lowest ‘highest individual score’ at any venue that hosted eight or more matches in a men’s T20I tournament.Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast hosted 12 matches of the T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2008, and recorded a highest individual score of 56, by Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate.5 Fifty-plus scores recorded in New York across the eight games. Two of them were the slowest fifties of the Men’s T20 World Cup – a 52-ball half-century by Mohammad Rizwan against Canada and Miller’s 50-ball effort against Netherlands. Suryakumar Yadav’s 49-ball fifty against the hosts on Wednesday was the joint-third slowest.

Lewis: Staying on a roll poses biggest challenge as England Women scatter

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Head coach Jon Lewis challenges his players to dominate the Hundred as T20 World Cup looms

Valkerie Baynes18-Jul-2024After an undefeated home summer, England’s greatest challenge will be keeping the good thing they’ve got going during what head coach Jon Lewis describes as a “tricky” time before launching their T20 World Cup campaign.England won 13 of their 14 fixtures – with a wash-out the only exception – against Pakistan and New Zealand during a home international season which is already over in mid-July, illustrating the volume of cricket on a 2024 international schedule featuring men’s and women’s T20 World Cups.Just as England men begin – they are one match into a Test series against West Indies with Tests against Sri Lanka and two white-ball series with Australia to follow – the women have finished, their only competitive cricket left before the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in October being the Hundred and a tour of Ireland which is unlikely to feature many, if any, tournament squad members.”My preference would be we get on the plane tomorrow,” Lewis admitted at Lord’s, after his side’s 20-run victory secured a 5-0 sweep of the T20Is against New Zealand on Wednesday. “But we don’t. We’ve got eight weeks between now and then. That’s a tricky period for us to manage.”I’ve just spoken to the players there in the dressing room and talked to them about my desire for them to go out and dominate the Hundred and actually show what brilliant players they are. Having a different captain, a different coach, a different coaching team giving different messages and then trying to make sure that they’re able to continue to do the things that we’ve been working on as well at the same time is really tricky for the players.”Related

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Lewis couldn’t put his finger on exactly what had clicked between England’s sometimes scrappy wins against Pakistan, whom they beat 2-0 and 3-0 in T20s and ODIs respectively, and their more clinical displays against the White Ferns, who also lost the ODI series 3-0.It could be a simple case of eradicating some winter rust and building confidence as individuals and as a team. There has also been marked improvement in consistency among the batting line-up and skill level in the field.England’s world-class spin attack of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn, the player of the series with eight wickets at an average of 6.87 and economy rate of 4.34, have imposed themselves on the opposition while the seam ranks are starting to see the benefits of Lauren Bell’s remodelled action, Lauren Filer’s growing experience and Freya Kemp’s return from a back injury.Back to playing her allrounder role, Kemp also impressed with the bat, particularly during the pivotal 3rd T20I in Canterbury where she supported fellow teenager Alice Capsey’s unbeaten 67 with an eight-ball cameo of 16 not out as England took an unassailable lead in the closest match of the series.”We’ve batted 360 degrees of the ground during this series and hit boundaries all around the ground and most of our players can access all the areas of the ground, I want that to continue,” Lewis said.”Our fielding has improved. I think New Zealand came over here and when they started this, in the 50-over series, were a better fielding side than us and over the course of the last three or four weeks we’ve really improved our fielding, from probably quite unlikely places, places that you wouldn’t expect.”People like Sarah Glenn for example, when I turned up here, we were hiding her in the field and now she’s making an impact, taking diving catches and diving stops all over the place. That’s someone that really has been able to shift their game forward in the field, but also our athleticism and our physicality is getting better. That happens when you have a group of young players and they’re all developing really fast.”All our bowling attack is pretty much, with the exception of Nat [Sciver-Brunt], 25 and under. We had two teenagers finishing the game off at Canterbury the other day, which it is really exciting. I feel that English cricket is in really safe hands for a long period of time to come.”Legspinner Sarah Glenn was player of the T20I series against New Zealand•PA Photos/Getty ImagesBut Lewis has also noticed a sense of calm and growing confidence within a group that he says is playing more intelligent cricket than before. “The hardest job for now is that the players will leave us for a four-week period and they’ll go into situations that are the same but different and so at times their confidence can go up and it can go down,” he said.”What we hope is we get back a group of players that are as confident as they are now leaving us when they come back to us. That’s not guaranteed. We’re going to have to work really hard when they come back to us to try and rebuild some people, but also to keep some people level and calm.”We know that there’s bigger challenges ahead. The conditions will be the biggest challenge in Bangladesh and understanding how to play those the best. The team that plays the conditions the best over in Bangladesh will win that tournament.”To teach that sense of calm and how to deal with different conditions, Lewis told his squad he was going to try and disrupt them during New Zealand’s visit. England played around with selection, rested experienced players – including captain Heather Knight in Canterbury – and altered batting and bowling roles to keep players on their toes.But for the most part, Lewis believes it was the fear of the unknown that was most valuable. “I just told them there would be distractions: that’s a distraction in itself,” he said with a grin. “They’re waiting, ‘what’s going to happen?’ They’re not sure what’s going to happen, so that creates pressure, it creates anxiety, creates thinking.”I didn’t really do too much to be honest, apart from telling them that. If you sow the seed then people generally overthink things… We got stuck on the bus today. I didn’t plan that. That in itself is a distraction. People were talking about getting off the bus and getting the tube to get here to make sure they can get their practice in before the game.”You just try and raise the level of anxiety within the group to a place where they were able to bring themselves back into a calm place and communicate well with each other and talk their way through situations.”The Hundred, starting on July 23, looms as another distraction. How players navigate it could go some way to informing how England show up for the World Cup.

Lawrence handcuffed by opener brief as window of opportunity starts to close

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Surrey batter’s unorthodox talent appears to have been stymied by move up the order

Vithushan Ehantharajah06-Sep-2024Both Dan Lawrence and Ben Duckett walked off before their respective catches had been taken.A swift look to the ball sailing harmlessly in the air towards the cordon. Eye rolls so exaggerated you could almost hear the optic nerve strain through the stump mics, before sharp turns and sorry marches back to the Pavilion. Synchronised annoyance, albeit hours apart.The reactions from a short-changed crowd at the Kia Oval could not have been more different. Raucous cheers for Duckett, who rewarded their patience with an 86 that felt like an attempt to speed run a Test century. Soul-cringing gasps and groans for Lawrence, tangled in his own limbs attempting to work to square leg, followed by sympathetic applause that made his torturous 5 off 21 feel a little worse.It is hard not to empathise with Lawrence’s struggles over the last two weeks. A promising pair of thirties in the first Test have made way for three single-figure scores, with enough across 55 balls to pass judgement on his worth in an unfamiliar role.Related

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The last England opener to go five or more innings without passing 50 once was the now-discarded Alex Lees against South Africa in 2022. By contrast, Duckett has maintained his streak of fifties in every Bazball series he has played.Comparing the two, however, is foolish. Because one is the most consistent Test opener in the world now, and the other isn’t an opener outright. So, when they were both greeted by low, dank skies and floodlights on full beam at 11am, it was no surprise the bloke who has made an international career out of this caper was far better equipped to deal with a new ball and lavish movement than the one doing this as a favour in Zak Crawley’s absence.Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have talked up Lawrence’s capacity as a reserve opener before finally pulling the cord for this series. All that while knowing he has never really been one professionally, with just five of 177 first-class innings in the top two. The reason he is at this level is through a body of work as a dynamo in the engine room of a batting line-up.Like any moonlighter out of their comfort zone, there have been times when it looks like Lawrence has been trying to do an impression of an opener. Like, for instance, taking 11 balls to get off the mark, with a scampered two tucked into midwicket with all the conviction of a festival bartender pouring a Guinness.Meanwhile, at the other end, Duckett was in his element. After a quiet start, his back-to-back charge-and-slaps to close out Milan Rathnayake’s first over took the score to 45, which was what the opening stand would finish on. Duckett had 36 of them – off 35 deliveries, no less.”There is no surprise, this is how Ben Duckett plays Test cricket,” mused Sri Lanka bowling coach Aaqib Javed. And that’s, basically, it. Duckett goes out and does right by himself. Lawrence would have been better served doing an impression of his partner.Even in a world where openers are encouraged to scoop fast bowlers – which Duckett did for the first time in Tests on Friday, for six, four and his dismissal – no amount of vibes can cover for the differences between top- and middle-order living.Lawrence has been reared on the latter for the past nine years at Essex and Surrey; at his best when an innings is already in motion, capable of slowing it down but, more often than not, speeding things up. But up top, particularly in the first innings of a Test match, there is nothing to groove with. And while that is no problem for Duckett, armed with the game and personality to make mischief in an empty room, Lawrence needs a rhythm.The irony here is that Lawrence’s natural game – which we haven’t seen this summer – is uniquely homespun but routinely encouraged. The age-group set-up at Chelmsford, preachers of “it’s not how, it’s how many”, facilitated the wristy, jaw-dropping shots that are Lawrence’s staple. Even through the England pathway, changes in how talent was nurtured accelerated his maturity.In 2014, after consultations with the Football Association, the ECB re-imagined how best to work with young teenagers. Among recommendations such as creating a more fluid development programme were some holistic shifts that bear similarities to what Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have instilled in the Test side. Reduced contact time with coaches, giving players more ownership so they can grow with their games as they learn more about themselves.Lawrence thrived in that environment, and carried his brand of renegade unorthodoxy from the U19s the following year through to his first forays into the Test side in 2021. He left the 2022 tour of the Caribbean having made a strong impression on important minds. “It’s a joy to bat with him,” Root said after a 164-run partnership which featured Lawrence’s career-best score of 91. Stokes, too, was also impressed by a young man doing this his own way.And yet, Lawrence has never featured in an Stokes-led England. Might he ever?Perhaps that is dramatic. But at the minute, those wrists look handcuffed, the rebel within him suppressed and the talent lost in a vocational pursuit that has never been his calling. And given how ruthless England have been this summer – Ben Foakes, Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach dropped at the start, Matthew Potts during – would it be a surprise if Jordan Cox, newer, fresher to the set-up and – crucially – unburdened, usurped Lawrence as the spare batter?It is important to state Lawrence has not been treated harshly. These three Test caps are not a reward, but certainly “his turn” after 18 months around the squad as the alternate. He has always said he would bat anywhere for England – “even No.11” – and it just so happens his opportunity has arisen at the other end.But the harsh call could still yet come. And as he sat next on the balcony in front of the home dressing late on Friday, feet up, sandwiched by McCullum and Duckett, it was hard not to wonder how this plays out if the second innings brings another failure.The sense is Lawrence won’t be judged on his output this series because he is in an unfamiliar position. The fear, however, is this unfamiliarity seems to be robbing him of the qualities that made him an attractive proposition in the first place.

India and Australia will have to make tough selection calls to future-proof their Test sides

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Australia still have to firm up opening and spin-bowling options while India’s batting and captaincy remain a concern

Ian Chappell12-Jan-2025Australia clinched a thrilling Test series win over India, and in the process finally regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy.It was a massive performance by Australia, capably led by Pat Cummins, and along the way they introduced some new blood to the side. Australia made progress, but for India the series confirmed the concerns surrounding two stalwarts.After a slow start to the series for Cummins and Australia, the skipper became the hero. He has regularly inspired the team and once again performed the star role.Cummins took 25 wickets for the series, and when Australia needed a wicket he was the man for the job. If they needed a good player in the opposition dismissed, Cummins was best suited to the task. To cap off a monumental series, he also provided important runs at times when they were badly needed.Related

  • Do Kohli and Rohit have a future in Test cricket? 'It's up to them,' says Gambhir

  • Konstas, Webster and Boland, the unusual suspects in Australia's moment of glory

  • India did many good things, but the less-good things outweighed them

  • What did victory over India tell us about Australia's present and future?

Anyone who isn’t convinced Cummins is a capable captain, and headed for the hall of fame when he qualifies, hasn’t been watching closely.Adding to his lustre as a leader Cummins claimed a 3-1 series victory after losing the first Test badly. It was a personal triumph as much as a team effort.As long as he is leading the side and the bowling attack, Australia will be hard to beat, especially in home conditions.Importantly, Australia debuted young Sam Konstas as an opener, and an experienced cricketer in allrounder Beau Webster.While Konstas’ T20-style opening onslaught saw Australia unsettle Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings at the MCG, his method is questionable for the long haul. Konstas’ youthful exuberance, both with the bat and in the field, needs to be tempered if he hopes to have a long, successful Test career.

Kohli’s consistency needs to improve in addition to him dispensing valuable advice to younger players. He also has to stop his senseless antics, like shouldering Konstas in the MCG Test

Webster made a good start and proved he has potential as a No. 6 batter. His bowling will mostly be about resting the leading pacemen, but he’s a sure-handed catcher, which counts in his favour.Australia’s winning form in the last few years has been greatly dependent on a strong bowling attack. There are some capable pace bowlers on the horizon, and as long as Cummins remains at his peak, Australia will be in reasonable shape.Despite some Sri Lankan tour selections made with an eye on the future, the batting and spin-bowling options are still in question. Australia badly need to unearth a solid opening candidate and a good middle-order player. While Steve Smith remains the best batter in the side, Australia’s totals will be okay, but any prospective replacements need to establish their credentials.For India the two big question marks are leading batters, and the selectors have tough decisions to make regarding Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.The soon-to-be-38-year-old Rohit, facing a crammed five-Test series against England in a few months, is a doubtful quantity. Although India are extremely reluctant to part with star players, lately Rohit has struggled technically and his absence would provide uncertainty over the opening position and the captaincy.KL Rahul is a decent opening alternative but the captaincy provides a bigger headache whenever Jasprit Bumrah is unavailable. Bumrah showed in Australia he’s an outstanding bowler and a decent skipper, but he needs support in both categories if India are to remain a force.Kohli’s experience in the UK would be invaluable, and of the two problematic players he’s the most likely to be resuscitated. However, his consistency needs to improve in addition to dispensing valuable advice to younger players. He also has to stop his senseless antics like shouldering Konstas in the MCG Test. If Kohli does decide to retire from Test cricket, the loss of both him and Rohit would leave a huge gap in the line-up for a tough tour.Both Australia (in the World Test Championship final against South Africa) and India play UK Tests in 2025. They should be fascinating contests but in the meantime each team’s Test selectors face some challenging decisions.

Stats – RCB kick off WPL 2025 with the tournament's highest-ever chase

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

A record number of runs were scored on Friday night in Vadodara, and Ashleigh Gardner equalled the record for the most sixes in an innings but still ended up on the losing side

Namooh Shah14-Feb-2025202 – Target chased by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to kick off WPL 2025. This was the highest successful chase in the WPL. It is only the second time a 200-plus target was successfully chased in Women’s T20s. West Indies’ 213-run chase against Australia in 2023 remains the highest.403 – Runs scored by Gujarat Giants (GG) and RCB on Friday in Vadodara, the highest aggregate for a WPL match, surpassing 391 runs scored between the same two teams in 2023.8 – Sixes hit by Ashleigh Gardner during her unbeaten 79 – the joint-most by a player in a WPL innings, equalling Sophie Devine’s record, which she got against GG in 2023.1 – RCB went past the 200-run mark for the first time in the WPL, while GG recorded their joint-highest total.ESPNcricinfo Ltd15.08 – Run rate during the partnership between Richa Ghosh and Kanika Ahuja – the second-highest for a partnership of fifty-plus in the WPL.93* – Partnership runs between Ghosh and Ahuja – the highest for the fifth wicket in the WPL, going past the 67 between Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen for Delhi Capitals (DC) against UP Warriorz in 2023.16 – Sixes by GG and RCB – the second-most in a WPL match, behind the 19 sixes in the match between RCB and DC in 2024 in Bengaluru. The ten sixes that GG hit in the first innings are also the second-highest in one innings in the WPL.12.66 – RCB’s win probability at the end of the 15th over as per ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster. That climbed to 72.91% at the end of the 16th over, as Gardner conceded 23 runs.

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