In shocking Cubs news, starting pitcher Shota Imanaga is now a free agent, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported on Tuesday.

Chicago chose not to pick up the three-year option on his contract, and then Imanaga declined his $15 million player option. It was originally expected that Imanaga would remain in Chicago.

The Cubs could still retain the veteran lefty if they extend him a qualifying offer, which would cost $22.025 million for the 2026 season. Imanaga would then have the option to accept or decline that offer. If he turned it down, he would officially become a free agent, and the Cubs would receive draft pick compensation when he signed with a new team.

Imanaga just finished up his second season with the Cubs after his All-Star campaign in 2024. In 25 regular season starts, the Japanese star posted a 3.73 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP over 144.2 innings pitched. He threw 117 strikeouts, while giving up 117 hits and 62 runs.

The ace made his postseason debut this year during the Cubs’ division series run. Imanaga started one game and appeared in another, posting an 8.10 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. He had six strikeouts and gave up eight hits and six runs.

The Cubs will now look to fill Imanaga’s spot in the starting rotation for the 2026 season. And, quite a few teams looking for a pretty strong starter will show interest in Imanaga in return.

Zohran Mamdani may have won New York City’s mayoral election on Nov. 4, but it was not for a lack of trying on the part of … his city’s athletes?

After every mayoral election, New York publishes the recipients of write-in votes—often a motley crew of celebrities and politicans past and present. This election’s field was no exception.

Here, per Spencer Gustafson of WPIX-TV and Gary Phillips of the , are the athletes who received at least one write-in vote to become mayor of New York in Jan. 2026. The list includes the living and the dead, as well as representatives of three different sports.

The list can be grouped with relative neatness into four brackets—the modern baseball figures (Alonso, Judge, Manfred, etc.), the faces of the Knicks’ 2020s renaissance (Brunson, Hart, Thibodeau, etc.), the football rookies (Dart, Skattebo, etc.), and the past greats (Anthony, Gehrig, etc.).

Mariners fans still grimacing at Judge’s MVP win over catcher Cal Raleigh must now ask themselves: would they trust the Big Dumper to run Seattle?

The Essex, and former South Africa, offspinner talks about his glorious 2019 and looks ahead to his future

Interview by Alan Gardner14-Apr-2020 How are you going during lockdown?
It’s been okay so far – started off a bit slowly. It’s quite easy to get into bad habits, and so the first couple of days was a bit like holiday. And then luckily I’ve got [Essex captain] Tom Westley living up the road. We’ve got a social-distancing running club. We go normally at about lunchtime, for about a 5-6km run. And I’ve picked up some weights from the ground, so I’m managing to try and keep the strength work up as well.So yeah, between that and an online short course that I’m doing, lockdown has been relatively productive, but the novelty has definitely worn off. I’m looking forward to getting my freedom back at some stage.Let’s go back over your 2019 season: you were the leading Championship wicket-taker, helped Essex to another four-day title, and captained the team to success in the T20 Blast. A pretty good summer, in other words?
It was. The County Championship was a little bit more predictable. Somerset really ran away with it, [while] we started off quite slowly, losing to Hampshire in the first game. We were kind of chasing our tails from then onwards because Somerset had got off to such a good start. But we knew we had to play them twice, and if we kept on winning, which we were doing at Chelmsford, and finding ways to win away from home. We knew that if we beat them twice, then we could quite possibly catch them.

“I’m quite a passionate and intense person. Especially when it comes to a competitive environment. I expect a lot – sometimes I think I expect too much”

It turned out that they faltered at the second-last hurdle, down at the Rose Bowl, so it opened the door for us. And then yeah, we always knew that weather was going to play an issue [in the final game]. We always knew that the wicket was going to be a result wicket. So yeah, everything panned out, the weather played its part. Looking back on it now, it was an extremely special season.I think what served us well was, we found ways to outscore opposition at Chelmsford. We all knew that Chelmsford wasn’t the batters’ paradise of yesteryear, but with guys like Alastair Cook and Dan Lawrence and Ravi Bopara in the middle order, we always found ways to score runs. That was the most important thing for us. And then playing at home with the turning ball, it was always fun bowling there, and being assisted by Jamie Porter. Aaron Beard really came through during the season, Sam Cook has become a stalwart of the four-day team. So it was a really good collective effort.The T20 stuff – we were absolutely horrendous at the beginning of the competition, couldn’t string consistent performances together. And it came down to Glamorgan needing to beat Hampshire, and I think Glamorgan’s record was zero from 21 or something ridiculous [16 games without a win]. And Hampshire had been playing really good T20 cricket. So we were pushing the proverbial turd uphill, if I can put it like that. But the stars aligned, we managed to beat Kent at home and Glamorgan beat Hampshire and we were through to the playoffs. I think from there we earned our place.I don’t think Finals Day could have gone any better than it did. So, yeah, it was pretty special being able to lead the team and to lift the trophy. Incredibly special. The club had never won the T20 trophy before.Harmer on Essex’s County Championship title-winning match: “[Somerset] knew the only way they were going to beat us was to prepare a wicket that would only last two days. They paid the price for that”•Getty ImagesIt was your first year as T20 captain. What did you learn about yourself and the team?
That’s a good question. I’m quite a passionate and intense person. Especially when it comes to a competitive environment. I expect a lot – sometimes I think I expect too much. So at the beginning of the tournament, there was probably too much intensity from my part. And as the tournament progressed and we were losing, I started to realise that I couldn’t control everything and I had to trust the guys and understand that everybody’s trying their best and we needed to just find ways to string together good performances and free the players up.Get away from the fear of failure, and understand that T20 cricket is for entertainment purposes. So looking to take wickets versus trying to not get hit for boundaries, and as batters, looking to take the positive option. If you’re unsure, go for the positive option. If you get out doing that, there’s going to be no hard feelings. The same as a bowler – if you get hit for a boundary trying to take a wicket, provided it’s at the right time, not, say, the last ball of an over.We identified the first six overs [as a time] to strike and take wickets. It really opens up the middle period for myself, [Adam] Zampa and Ravi to try and operate in there. That’s where we got it wrong at the beginning of the tournament. We were too defensive playing at Chelmsford, a small ground, trying to defend the whole time and as a captain, I got it wrong there. Once we started to look to play more aggressively, look to take wickets, look to score runs, it really freed the guys up and allowed them to express themselves.You also made some hard decisions, such as dropping Varun Chopra and moving Ravi Bopara down the order into an unaccustomed finisher’s role
Yeah, there were some tough conversations. Varun Chopra and Ravi fell out of contention. We felt like it was the right move having Ravi at six, but he obviously felt differently. I think it was quite well publicised that he wanted to bat higher up in the order. But for me the decision was always about: where is Ravi best for the team? And in my opinion, finishing an innings, coming in when there’s 30 balls left in a game, that’s when he is the most dangerous – in the top three or four batters in the world [at] that.

“It would have been easy for me to just roll into Essex, understand that the standard wasn’t going to be international cricket and I could just coast along, but I wanted to try and make the most of my talent”

The first four games didn’t really work for us. We couldn’t string any performances together and we felt like we needed to make the change. Same as Chops at the top of the order. We felt like we needed a bit more explosiveness and risk-taking, so we decided to tweak the batting order a little bit. It was never the idea that they would stay out of the team for the entire tournament, but we felt we needed to make some changes and bring in some fresh ideas.It was difficult having those conversations and trying to explain to those players, two guys that I feel like I get along really well with, but I guess that’s part and parcel of the captaincy role. The relationships that you have personally and the relationships that you have within a cricket team are different. I think it’s quite important to be able to distinguish that. If I think you’re not doing a job on a cricket field, it doesn’t therefore mean that I think differently of you away from the cricket field. So that was probably a bit of a learning experience, being able to separate those two things and still maintain the relationships off the field.On Finals Day, you had figures of 4 for 19 and 3 for 16, and then hit the winning runs. Another special moment?
It couldn’t have gone any better. Obviously we were excited to be at Finals Day but I didn’t want our attitude to just be that we were happy to be there. The way it worked out, it played into our hands perfectly. The wicket was extremely slow, which suited our bowling – myself, Aron Nijjar, Ravi, and we also had Cameron Delport, who had done an extremely good job for us up the order opening the batting and also was able to turn his turn his arm over and take wickets. Having guys like that in your team on a slow wicket was massive for us. And yeah, I managed to pick up some wickets, which was really nice because throughout the tournament it had always been maybe one – two if I was lucky. To get three and four wickets in the semi-final and final when we needed it was extremely rewarding.There has been a lot of talk in England recently about how difficult it is to produce spinners, with the Championship played in April and September in seam-friendly conditions. What has been your experience?
I think I’ve always enjoyed the challenge. So if somebody tells me that the wickets are green in April and you don’t really bowl a lot of spin, I want to prove you wrong. I’ve had to prove people wrong throughout my career, and I think hearing things like that as well, as an offspinner, that’s what I do. That’s my job. I’m going to try and show you that we can change perceptions and strategies.I’ve always enjoyed bowling a lot and finding ways to make things work. Chelmsford starts turning earlier than most grounds. Come the end of May, beginning of June, it’s probably more like end of July beginning of August [at other grounds]. So it has helped me a lot. The trust that Ryan ten Doeschate put in me, by giving me the opportunity to bowl quite early on – in 2017 I’d bowl a couple of overs before lunch and then start bowling after the seamers had had to go off after lunch. I think as he trusted me more and as he saw what I was all about, he started to introduce me into the game a lot earlier, which is obviously not what batters are expecting, especially in England when the ball’s nipping and swinging. I think from a captaincy perspective, Tendo bringing me into the game earlier and helped me a lot.Since your Essex debut, you have taken more first-class wickets than anyone else in the world (291 at 22.12, 74 more than the next best). Have you thrived on the extra responsibility?I stepped away from international cricket, came over to the UK as a Kolpak. So I felt that I still needed to prove to myself that I was good enough. It would have been easy for me to just roll into Essex, understand that the standard wasn’t going to be international cricket and I could just coast along, but I wanted to try and make the most of my talent. At the end of my career when I look back, as long as I can be the best version of Simon Harmer, that’s the most important thing for me.So coming over and looking for challenges, looking for ways to be better, looking for ways to perform and help Essex win more games. They had just been promoted from Division Two into Division One. The media-day chat in 2017 was all about whether or not Essex would be able to stay up or be relegated again. So yeah, I really enjoyed the challenge of county cricket. I’d followed it as a youngster. It’s very traditional still in England. You get 2500 people down to Chelmsford, which is a 6500-seater stadium. I really enjoyed the challenge, and getting the opportunity which I was looking for when I came over. Essex gave me the platform to showcase my skills and my talent.Talking of spinning pitches – what did you think of the surface Somerset prepared for last season’s title decider?
Well, it’s public knowledge that the wickets at Taunton normally turn, normally produce results. So we knew with weather imminent and going to play a part that the wicket was going to be a result wicket. The groundsman was standing on the edge of the square and when Somerset won the toss, he gave a massive celebration, fist pumping, jumping up and down. There were grooves in the wicket at a 45-degree angle about a quarter of an inch deep, and that was the most surprising thing for me. But I don’t want to get myself into trouble. [The ECB] rated it “poor”, they got a 24-point deduction, 12 of which were suspended. It could be a completely different kettle of fish at Taunton this year, but for the last game, I think they knew that was the only way they were going to beat us, preparing a wicket that would only last two days. So they paid the price for that and we ended up winning the trophy at Taunton, which was that much sweeter.

“I’ve always enjoyed a challenge and getting into a fight when I’m bowling. I think the competition is what fuels my competitiveness, my drive, my desire”

You played for South Africa in 2015 but were dropped after five Tests. Do you think you were unfairly written off in some quarters?
Professional sports is about opportunity and about being in the right place at the right time. I was lucky in the fact that I made my debut for South Africa, because Robin Peterson had stitches in his finger, Imran Tahir came in for the Port Elizabeth Test, and I was in the right place at the right time [in Cape Town] and made my debut.Now on the other end of the scale, getting dropped after five Test matches, two of which were in Bangladesh, which were rained out – so effectively three Test matches. But we had a pretty poor series, to put it lightly, on the 2015 tour to India and there were always going to be casualties. Unfortunately that’s professional cricket.I would have liked a bit more opportunity but perhaps that’s still going to come in international cricket – or not, I’m not sure. But Keshav Maharaj has done well, and taken his opportunity with both hands. So I’ve just got to work harder and if the opportunity presents itself one day, make sure that I’m better prepared than I was in 2015.Do you feel you need to play international cricket again to underline the point about how good a player you are?
I think it’s more about the level at which I compete. I’ve played three years of county cricket now and as a natural competitive sportsman, I’m itching for the next challenge. If it’s not going to be international cricket, I need to start challenging myself in terms of T20 cricket. So I then need to work on my skill set as an orthodox offspinner, who doesn’t normally play an integral role in T20 cricket. I need to find ways for me to be the bowler that a team relies on in order to take wickets. If it going to be international cricket to then compete on that stage, and to prove to myself that I am good enough to play international cricket. But if it doesn’t happen, then that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Unfortunately it’s not something in my control – whether Brexit happens at the end of the year, whether the UK leaves with or without a deal is going to play a role in whether or not I then become an overseas player or if I stay a Kolpak player. So there’s a lot of if, buts and maybes. I’ve just got to make sure that I’m on top of my game and finding ways to get better each and every season.Harmer took five wickets in the Mohali Test of 2015, and another five in the Nagpur match that followed. But that was his last Test•BCCIDo you look at spinners like R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon, see what they’re doing in Test cricket, and think, “I could do those things”?
I don’t think “I can do that as well”. It’s more, I want to see: can I do that? Can I rock up on day five at the MCG and spin a team out? Or am I not good enough to do that? Am I good enough to take wickets in India? I’ve tried it once and failed. Can I deal with the pressures of international cricket? It’s more about that, more unanswered questions versus looking at Lyon and being, “Oh, I can do that.” It’s not that at all.I think I was just happy to be there, when I made my debut in 2015. It was international cricket, everything I aspired to, all my dreams, all my goals, they’ve been accomplished, and I didn’t then reset the goalposts of where I wanted to go. Richie McCaw, in his documentary , speaks about how he had all these goals up until becoming an All Black, and then once he became an All Black, what then? He wanted to be the greatest All Black of all time. I think I could have been more proactive and better than having these goals to play for South Africa, to make my debut in international cricket… and then not resetting my goals once I got there. It’s something that I could have done better and it’s something I feel I’d be better prepared for now, whether or not the opportunity comes. It’s my own fault if it doesn’t.What do you think you’ve learned as an orthodox offspinner in the time since you played for South Africa?
It’s been learning how to adapt in certain situations and finding ways to take wickets when the conditions aren’t in your favour. Dealing with success, dealing with failure. Not worrying about what’s going on around you, not worrying about who’s taking wickets or what everybody else is doing. Focusing all my energy on myself and finding ways for me to get better. There’s been a lot on the field and off the field that I’ve learned over the last few years, but it’s probably the stuff that I’ve learned off the field that’s helped me the most.You bowled seam-up until turning to spin as a teenager. Have you retained that attacking instinct?
Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed a challenge and getting into a fight when I’m bowling. I think the competition is what fuels my competitiveness, my drive, my desire. That’s always been something that I’ve tried to do – get involved in a scrap. And I think it brings the best out of me.

“If I think you’re not doing a job on a cricket field, it doesn’t therefore mean that I think differently of you away from the cricket field”

What are the technical differences between bowling spin with a red ball and with a white ball?
The biggest thing is being able to nail your skills under pressure. As an orthodox offspinner, you need to be able to nail a yorker, you need to be able to bowl a ball that doesn’t turn. You need to be able to read a batter and understand when they’re going to be looking to take you on. Normally as an offspinner, from the first ball you bowl, the batter has already decided that they’re going to take you down. So it’s then trying to find ways to get the ball to turn away from the batter, and disguising it as well as you can. Whether that be a carrom ball or a conventional legspinner, undercutter, whatever it is that works for you. It’s finding ways to add that to your arsenal and being at the top of your run and being able to say, “Okay, I’m going to bowl a carrom ball” and knowing exactly where it’s going to land. Because it doesn’t help that you can bowl it but you’re too nervous to bowl it in a game or you bowl it halfway down the wicket. So I think that’s the biggest skill in terms of T20. Obviously, there’s a lot of technical aspects that go into bowling a carrom ball, bowling a legspinner, whatever it may be, but it’s being comfortable in that skill that you can then implement it in a game when you really need it.That’s very different to red-ball bowling, which is all about repetition and subtle changes.
Yeah, absolutely. In terms of four-day cricket, you need to be as consistent over a long period of time as you can be, and looking to keep the batsman at one end. And if you can bowl six balls at a batter, you can put a lot more pressure on him than if he’s getting two singles an over and getting off strike. They are two very different disciplines but each one brings positives and negatives.You’ve mentioned Brexit. Your contract with Essex runs until 2022. What does it say about the situation where Kolpak qualifications are rescinded?
I agreed terms with Essex that if the UK leaves without a deal at the end of the year, for the last two years of my contract I would then be an overseas player for Essex.And could that open the door to playing for South Africa again?
There haven’t been any discussions from Cricket South Africa’s side, proactive discussions, about what would happen. And I don’t know how happy Essex would be if there was a three-month tour during the English summer, to just release me and be like, yep, no worries, you can go. My main responsibility lies for the foreseeable future with Essex. I came over here for the opportunity, and the security that county cricket brings, so there would need to be a lot of discussions between Cricket South Africa about what they were willing to put on the table before I would consider that option, but it’s still a long way off yet and a lot can change.What about playing for England? Is that still a possibility?
I think it started in the press, with people who didn’t really know what the implications were or how it all worked saying that I’d become England-qualified in 2020. Or can we get him involved? I think it’s all talk. The way that the visas are structured at the moment, the power lies with the ECB. All the Kolpak players are currently on a tier-five visa, which means that you would have to be in the UK for ten years before you could apply for indefinite leave to remain. There is the possibility of moving to a tier two-visa but the ECB doesn’t want to explore that, even though all the counties have a licence to issue tier-two visas. There’s still discussions between some of the counties and players and the ECB to try and move the Kolpak players to a tier two.My immediate need for that would be in order for me to buy property. The banks won’t give me a mortgage because I don’t have indefinite leave to remain, so I can’t buy property in the UK. I can’t do any other form of work in the UK. I can only play county cricket, I can’t play club cricket. I can’t do any coaching. And my girlfriend’s on a visitor’s visa, so she can be in the UK for a maximum six out of the 12 months of the year, which obviously poses its problems. There’s a lot of reasons that I would want to move to a tier-two visa.I think English cricket has given me the opportunity to become a better person and a better player. So I would ultimately like to get a British passport and be naturalised in the UK, especially for my future family. But there’s a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of dead ends at the moment. In terms of playing for England, as far as I’m aware, that’s off the table for the foreseeable future.You were in South Africa during the southern summer, playing in the Mzansi Super League. Did you follow the upheaval at CSA?
Yeah, I think they are starting to move in the right direction, in my opinion. I think Graeme Smith has a lot of experience and having him in a director of cricket role, being the bridge between the players and the board, is a smart decision from Cricket South Africa. And it’s the same with Mark Boucher. He’s got a lot of experience in international cricket, somebody that the players would have the highest level of respect for, and when he speaks about situations or game scenarios, he speaks with international cricketing experience. We know that international cricketers don’t necessarily make good coaches, but it’s a hell of a good starting point, and especially with a young group of players, which South Africa has at the moment. Getting those players to buy in and to trust somebody, I think it’s a lot easier when you’ve got somebody like Mark Boucher at the helm.

“The biggest thing is being able to nail your skills under pressure. Being comfortable enough in that skill that you can implement it in a game when you really need it”

Given there has been a lot of player turnover, retirements and so on, would South Africa benefit from having some of the Kolpak players return?
I think when you are blooding new players, there’s always an element of experience and youth. I’m 31, I’ve played a lot of cricket, but I haven’t necessarily played a lot of international cricket. I think somebody like Kyle Abbott has been around the block – he’s played in T20 leagues around the world, he’s played more than a fair amount of international cricket. So I can’t see how it would be detrimental to have guys like that in your set-up. But there’s a lot of bad blood towards the Kolpaks, and it would take South Africans and perhaps Cricket South Africa to swallow their pride and seek for those players to return. There’s been a lot said in the press about the return of Kolpak players, but the public perception still is not great.I can’t really speak for all of them. I don’t know what their feeling is in terms of playing for South Africa again. But if the Kolpak situation is taken away, then I’m pretty sure there’ll be a few more players putting their hands up for selection in South Africa.Finally, what are you hoping for from the English summer, once the coronavirus restrictions lift?
Any cricket to start off with would be great. From there, I’d really like to play in the Hundred. It’s a new tournament and I felt like I did well to get picked up in it. With the change of rules that could potentially come in at the end of the year, it could quite possibly be my only opportunity to play in it. Being a Kolpak, I qualify as a local player. If that was taken away, I would then be an overseas player. So yeah, it would be extremely disappointing if it didn’t go ahead.I don’t really see the point of having [the County Championship, curtailed] – unless you’re going to play seven or eight Championship games, so that you can play everybody once. But I think if you’re playing four or five games, it’s not really a true reflection and you’re probably better suited to playing a regional tournament, just among the sort of London and south of England clubs or whatever it may be. But all of the cricketers at the moment are just hoping for any cricket.In the meantime, you have a law degree that you are aiming to finish at some point.
I’ve registered through Open University, but it can only start in September because of the way the academic year runs. So I’m busy doing an eight-week course through the University of Cape Town in property development and investment. That’s been keeping me busy. Property is something I’m quite keen to get into in the UK. I’m invested in South Africa, but it’s something that I’d like to do here as well. It’s been pretty insightful and has made the days not boring and more productive.

Two IPL thrillers, drama in the Pakistan Super League and a Super Over between Pakistan and Australia back in 2012

Himanshu Agrawal10-Sep-2020Pakistan v Australia, bilateral series match, Dubai, 2012
Two days after crumbling for 89 in the first T20I of a see-saw limited overs tour of the UAE, Australia nearly levelled the series. Kamran Akmal’s late fireworks pushed Pakistan to 151. Australia started the chase aggressively before Saeed Ajmal flummoxed both David Warner and Shane Watson to spark a collapse. George Bailey’s 42 off 27 kept Australia in it, and it came down to seven needed from two balls. Pat Cummins hit Abdul Razzaq for a six, but then spooned the next ball to mid-off to leave the scores level.In the Super Over, Australia scored 11. Cummins, then just 19, was chosen to defend it. Umar Akmal hit his second ball for four, and then Razzaq got another boundary off the fourth. Pakistan were left with two to get off the last ball, and Cummins’ attempted bouncer was called a wide. Akmal tapped the next ball to cover and sprinted for the single. There was a run-out chance, but Dan Christian failed to collect the throw at the non-striker’s end and Pakistan took the series.Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL, Sharjah, 2014
The Royal Challengers had begun the tournament with two wins and were favourites to chase 151, with Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Yuvraj Singh and Albie Morkel in their batting line-up. Kohli and Yuvraj scored slowly in a partnership of 55 but they still required only 29 from 25 balls when Kohli was dismissed. The runs would not come for Yuvraj, who had faced a similar predicament in the T20 World Cup final less than three weeks before. He struggled to 31 off 34 balls before holing out in the 19th over. RCB needed nine off the final over, bowled by Vinay Kumar. After three singles, Chris Lynn took a sensational catch at deep midwicket to dismiss de Villiers. Morkel had to get six from two deliveries, but Vinay Kumar allowed only three to complete a remarkable comeback win for KKR.A triple-wicket over from James Faulkner was key to an exciting Rajasthan Royals win in the 2014 IPL•BCCIKolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals, IPL, Abu Dhabi, 2014
Ajinkya Rahane’s 72 and cameos from Shane Watson and Steven Smith helped the Royals to 152. In reply, Gautam Gambhir limped to 45 off 44. With 16 needed from 11 balls, James Faulkner foxed Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Uthappa and Vinay Kumar in the same over, making Royals favourites to clinch the win. But Shakib al Hasan struck a boundary and two doubles in the last over to tie the match.In the Super Over, Manish Pandey’s six off Faulkner set the Royals 12 to get. Sunil Narine conceded four off the first three, then Watson slogged him to deep midwicket for four. Watson then took a single to leave Smith with three to get. Knowing two would be enough since Royals had the boundary advantage, Smith pushed the ball to deep extra cover for an easy double.Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators, PSL qualifying final, Sharjah, 2017
In the first qualifying final of the 2017 Pakistan Super League, Ahmed Shehzad and Kevin Pietersen led an early onslaught, taking the Gladiators to 121 in the first 10 overs. Zalmi were able to pull things back a bit, but were still left chasing 201. They were 3 for 2 in the chase, but Dawid Malan and Mohammad Hafeez kept them in it with rapid fifties. That set the match up for Boom Boom Shahid Afridi. Just three days before, he had smacked 45 off 23 to deliver a win against the same opposition. This time, his team needed 59 off 6.1 overs, and he clattered 34 from 13 deliveries. He was out in the 19th, but Zalmi needed just seven off the final over with four wickets in hand and Daren Sammy still batting. Sammy scored five off the first three balls, but then couldn’t get back on strike as Zalmi lost three straight wickets, the final two run-outs. It was a remarkable collapse. Zalmi did manage to make it to the final after winning the next qualifier, beating Gladiators comfortably to win the cup.Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars, PSL, Sharjah, 2018
A low-scoring thriller in which spinners dominated before an Andre Russell special finished the game. Yasir Shah and Sunil Narine, whose four overs went for just 10 runs, kept Islamabad United to 121. The Qalandars were cruising in the chase at 77 for 2 in the 12th over, but then collapsed, losing a wicket in nearly every over. Brendon McCullum watched from one end as his team-mates fell. Eventually, he was left with seven to get off the final over with just two wickets remaining. He was run out on the second ball, but No. 10 Salman Irshad slashed a six over deep point to tie the scores. He holed out to the next ball, and the match went to a Super Over.The Qalandars batted first, and McCullum and Umar Akmal hit a six each to get to 15. Asif Ali and Russell chased for Islamabad. McCullum dropped Asif at long-on second ball, and the ball went over the rope for six. Russell was left with eight to win off two balls. A top-edged four, a six over long-on, and Islamabad were celebrating. For the Qalandars, it was a sixth straight defeat.

The shot gives batsmen a huge unfair advantage. Bowlers will take matters into their own hands if the officials don’t step in

Ian Chappell06-Dec-2020The switch hit has attracted a lot of attention in cricket circles in the last week, fuelled mainly by Glenn Maxwell’s amazing exploit in depositing a ball in the back of the Bob Hawke stand at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.In this case, Maxwell faced up in his normal manner as a right-hander, but before Kuldeep Yadav delivered the ball, he altered his stance and grip on the bat to effectively become a left-hander. Maxwell’s shot was an amazing example of skill and superb hand-eye coordination, but was it fair? The answer is a resounding no, as far as I’m concerned.One of the main tasks of a cricket administrator is to frame laws that maintain a reasonable balance between bat and ball. If the laws or playing conditions favour one or the other unfairly then the game becomes a diminished contest.ALSO READ: Glenn Maxwell on the switch hit: It’s up to the bowlers to evolveIn the case of the switch hit, the batsman has one prime objective in mind: to make the bowler’s field placings redundant. Considering the bowler – in consultation with his captain – places his field taking into account the batsman’s style, how can it then be fair that the batsman becomes the opposite type of player with the bowler having no recourse to a change of field? This obviously hands a huge advantage to a highly skilled switch-hitter.The respected former international umpire Simon Taufel suggested the already heavily burdened on-field officials would find it difficult to adjudicate on any switch of the hands or feet. With all due respect to a man who has done the job very effectively, I disagree.The square-leg umpire is already paying close attention to the batsman’s feet in case there is a stumping, so he’ll notice any change of order. If a batsman changes the order of his feet, then the square-leg umpire ought to simply declare the ball dead and no runs result.

Don’t worry, Glenn, history shows bowlers will move to combat the switch hit, but will it be in a manner that benefits the game?

If this became the law then batsmen would have no incentive to switch-hit and balance would be restored in that individual contest.Referring to the switch hit after the game, Maxwell said: “It’s within the Laws, batting has evolved in such a way that it’s just got better and better over the years. [I] suppose it’s up to the bowlers to try and combat that.”There’s one sure way for bowlers to combat the switch hit. They can simply refuse to deliver the ball every time a batsman starts to make a move to change his feet. This would further slow over rates that are already approaching glacial pace, but it would also send a strong message to any reluctant administrators.If the administrators’ prime concern is to favour hysterical commentary and please fans who only want to see a bowler’s head on a spike then they won’t budge. However, they should do so in the knowledge that bowlers will eventually say enough is enough and take the law into their own hands.The history of the game provides administrators with multiple examples of what happens when the balance between bat and ball gets seriously out of whack. Go back to the gradual evolution from underarm to sidearm to today’s overarm bowling. These changes were forced on the game by bowlers determined to be involved in a fair contest.There are plenty more examples where bowlers have become fed up and declared war. These include the Bodyline series, chucking and ball-tampering, all of which were strong protests against a game that had become lopsided in favour of batsmen.Don’t worry, Glenn, history shows bowlers will move to combat the switch hit, but will it be in a manner that benefits the game?If batsmen want to reverse-sweep or play a ramp shot without changing the order of their feet, that’s fine. By playing in that manner, the contest remains roughly a fifty-fifty proposition.However switch-hitting greatly favours batsmen and therefore alters the balance of the contest. It’s very skillful, but it’s not fair.

The Chennai Super Kings batsman didn’t have a great start to the IPL, but he managed to turn things around

Interview by Shashank Kishore25-Nov-2020Ruturaj Gaikwad, 23, has finished what he calls the “one of the most challenging times” in his career yet. His second IPL season with Chennai Super Kings should have only been about finally being able to break into the XI and make it count. Instead, it started with him testing positive for Covid-19 multiple times and spending large amounts of time in isolation.Currently on a break from cricket after finishing the IPL with three back-to-back match-winning half-centuries, Gaikwad spoke about the time in isolation, the challenges of a bio-bubble life, and how chats with MS Dhoni and Mike Hussey helped him overcome negativity.Tell us about the IPL season. It seems to have been really tough for you, on and off the field.
It was full of ups and downs. There were a lot of lessons. It was a tough start with me testing Covid positive. There were many days where I just couldn’t do the things I wanted to, and I understood none of it was in my hands – I simply had to wait. It was a very tough time, but I’m thankful to the support I got both from the team and the management. And after that, even when I started playing and got two ducks in my first three games, they kept faith in me.What was the experience of being in isolation like?

I had tested positive but I was asymptomatic. So I had to be in isolation for two weeks and then return two negatives [results] before I could rejoin the bubble. It was a time where I literally couldn’t do anything. It played on my mind, because your team-mates are all training hard, trying to prepare in the best possible way with whatever time they have for a tournament as demanding as the IPL. So it was a tough time for me. I won’t say it was easy.ALSO READ: Ruturaj Gaikwad: Covid has made me toughDid you develop a routine during your time in isolation?
It’s easy to drift into negativity. It’s a bit like being dropped and just sitting at home and doing nothing. You get that feeling sometimes. I just tried to distract myself. I watched a lot of TV shows and movies – literally all day sometimes. Then I kept talking to friends or family back home over video calls. My family was worried about how I’d handle it all by myself. It got really tough when I tested positive even after completing the two-week isolation, despite following all the routines I was given. It was very frustrating. I kept testing positive for another week, so all in all, I lost about four weeks of preparation time.What did you tell yourself then?
I just had to keep reminding myself that someday or the other I would test negative and get back to the ground. I also had the faith and belief that this wasn’t going to be my last chance to play in the IPL. I knew I had the ability and potential, so if not this year, I knew I would make a comeback some other time, maybe next year. This helped me channel things in a positive way.What did you speak about to your coach, Stephen Fleming, and MS Dhoni during this time?
They just wanted me to focus completely on my health and body, take care about how I was feeling in the mind and not allow myself to get too worked up. They kept asking me to speak to whoever I wanted at any time of the day or night. They didn’t want me to drown in negativity. MS told me: cricket-wise, you’re good; it’s just a matter of time. Those words helped me stay positive.

“If I am in a situation where I need six off two balls, I can time the ball and get the runs, as compared to someone else who will rely on big hits, so I’m not too fussed about power-hitting”

It must have been such a relief to test negative after four weeks.
Oh, it was amazing! I think we’d played Mumbai Indians and the entire team had just returned to the hotel when I [could finally meet] them. That’s when I realised, however much you talk to someone online or on video calls, it isn’t the same as seeing them in person. I hadn’t seen my team-mates for 30 days and suddenly they’re all patting you on the back, they’re around you. It was great.Our management ensured we were all in a very good space. Our team room was a lively space, where the entire team connected with each other. I got to know them all personally, whether it was DJ Bravo, Shane Watson, Faf or Dhoni. I never felt there was a senior-junior gap. Maybe if we weren’t in a bubble, things would have been different with a lot of photo shoots, sponsor events, commercial events, etc. But because we were all in one space, it helped to get to know everyone in and out, get to know their interests, likes and dislikes. It was really nice.Finally, you’re going out to debut for CSK. Walking in to bat at No. 5 in a chase of 217. And then, first ball, you’re out. What is going through your mind?
It took me four weeks to recover. I literally had two training sessions. Even though I was asymptomatic, I felt I got a bit tired easily. It takes a toll on your stamina. You have to take a lot of deep breaths, keep breathing. So for me, coming into the match and playing with that kind of intensity suddenly was a bit difficult. Maybe it wouldn’t have been had I had two weeks of preparation time.Did you regret that shot – running down the pitch first ball and being stumped?
Coming into that situation, I knew I wasn’t prepared and it was for reasons beyond my control. I had never batted at No. 5 in my career. Maybe in a few club games I may have batted at four. And if I was in this situation in a local game, I would instinctively take the bowler on. So I just trusted my instinct. I was pretty sure if I had a way, I could have easily scored ten runs off ten balls for myself. After all it was my debut. Nobody wants to get out for a duck. But I thought about what the team needed. We had lost three wickets, it was a big chase, the asking rate was high and I decided to go after the spinner. It just didn’t come off.Then in your next game you batted with Faf du Plessis in another big chase, 176 against the Delhi Capitals. You came out in the middle order again, and this time you were run out.
Yes, again I went out to bat in the middle. MS Dhoni told me to take my time, back my game and then once I got stuck in, I can go after the bowling. I had made 5, and then I was in this mix-up with Faf. I knew in that situation, he was more important to the team’s cause. It was important that he be there in the middle.I wasn’t prepared for these two games, to be honest.Trent Boult got Gaikwad for a duck in the very first over of Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians match in Sharjah•BCCIAnd then you opened the innings, in your third game, against the Mumbai Indians, and Trent Boult gets you first ball.
I was really disappointed with this duck. Two ducks in three games. Disappointed because I was opening, something I’m used to. After that game, Dhoni had a long chat with me. He said, “We know the situation you’ve gone through and how you’ve just come out of it. Just enjoy the remainder of the season without worrying about pressure or expectation. You will be playing all three remaining matches. Just enjoy your time in the middle and don’t think of what has happened.” Knowing I would still get my chances after three low scores lifted me up massively. He also spoke about how sometimes results won’t go your way despite best preparation and that as long as I was honest to the game and prepared in the best way I could be, nothing else should bother me.ALSO READ: The first single, the first hit, and Ruturaj Gaikwad shows he can do itWas there any one person you really connected with at CSK, someone you could talk a lot to about your game?
I really enjoyed spending time with Mike Hussey and talking to him. After that game against Mumbai, he told me many world-class batsmen have struggled against quality swing bowling in the past. And I was facing [Boult] for the first time. I forged a close bond with Hussey, because our games are quite similar. We rely on timing, taking quick singles. He spoke a lot about batting, the level of preparedness you should have, how you try and assess bowling, conditions, and so many other things.And finally the runs just flew off your bat and you finished with three half-centuries in a row.
It was more of a relief for me – it told me that I am good enough to be at this level and take on the best players in the world. I knew within that it was just a matter of time and it was nice to see it all come together finally.It has been nearly a month since you returned from the IPL, what have you been up to?
I’ve taken time off to be with family. I’m just giving myself some time to recover from what was a difficult time. It’s not like I’m complacent or anything, it’s not like I want to enjoy myself because I’ve scored three fifties in a row. It’s more about what I went through.What are you looking forward to doing with regard to your cricket before the next IPL?
I want to work on my fitness – that’s something I couldn’t put much work into for the last three months. So it’s fitness and strength training. As far as my batting goes, I think timing is my strength, and if I am in a situation where I need six off two balls, I can time the ball and get the runs, as compared to someone else who will rely on big hits. So I’m not too fussed about power-hitting. Yes it’s important but I’m happy with where my game is at. I would like to work more on timing the ball to perfection, working on my strengths once I start training again.

The Bangladesh allrounder looks forward to her first overseas T20 league

Mohammad Isam02-Nov-2020Look through the scorecards of Bangladesh women’s first representative match (in 2007), their first ODI (2011), their first T20I (2012), and their first major trophy win (2018) and one name pops up repeatedly: Salma Khatun.She has played 108 of Bangladesh’s 113 international matches so far, captaining in 83, and featuring in all their 27 T20I wins and all but one ODI win. She is also Bangladesh’s only female cricketer to reach No. 1 in ICC’s T20I bowling and allrounder rankings.Khatun, 30, is synonymous with Bangladesh women’s cricket. She is their most recognisable face. In 2015, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, mentioned her during a speech in Dhaka after seeing her picture on a billboard in the city.This week, Khatun will be one of two Bangladesh players, along with Jahanara Alam, participating in the 2020 Women’s T20 Challenge, a three-team tournament held alongside the IPL playoffs in the UAE.ALSO READ: Sophie Ecclestone, Deandra Dottin, Chamari Atapattu among overseas stars at Women’s T20 ChallengeLike many other players who will feature in the T20 Challenge, Khatun hasn’t played any cricket in the last seven months, but in her last international outing, the T20 World Cup in Australia, she took six wickets in four games with her accurate offspin. She is also a dependable batter and a safe fielder.The Women’s T20 Challenge, considered a precursor to a women’s IPL, will be Khatun’s first experience of playing in a T20 league and in the UAE.”I thank Almighty Allah for all this recognition,” Khatun, who will turn out for the Trailblazers, said. “It feels great. Younger cricketers respect me. I am lucky to represent the country on such a big stage. I was happy when I heard that I was going to the IPL. I was practising every day in any case, but when I heard I was going to the tournament, I started working harder.”I have never played in the UAE, so I don’t really know much about it. I have to look at the wicket and size of the boundaries to see how it will help my batting and bowling.”Khatun and Alam, who is playing her second T20 Challenge, have been training under the lights in Mirpur, supervised by Bangladesh’s bowling coach, Mahbub Ali Zaki.

“I loved cricket and I always said to myself that if boys can play, so can I. Nobody taught me how to hold a cricket ball or the bat. I used to do fast bowling, spin and even kept wickets”

“Jahanara gave me some information and explained what it’s like to play in the tournament. It was very helpful of her. I am going there as an allrounder, so I have to do well in all three departments. I am bowling well and I have a lot of experience, which I will apply there,” Khatun said.She is also glad to have two Bengali-speaking cricketers in her team, India’s Jhulan Goswami and Richa Ghosh. “It is definitely going to be great having them around. I have good relations with Jhulan Goswami. I speak to her every time we meet, and always in Bangla. I am sure we will speak in Bangla,” Khatun said.Khatun grew up in Khulna in south-west Bangladesh, a region known for its sporting excellence.”I loved cricket and I always said to myself that if boys can play, so can I. Nobody taught me how to hold a cricket ball or the bat. I used to do fast bowling, spin and even kept wickets. I never even thought that Bangladesh would have a women’s team. I just played because I loved the game.”I always played inside our house when I was a kid, sometimes with cousins, my uncle and the neighbourhood kids. My uncle used to take me to the ground in our village when they used to play. I always played wearing a three-piece [salwar kameez], not t-shirt and trousers.”A billboard featuring Salma Khatun•Dhaka TribuneWhen Khatun turned 17, she heard that the Bangladesh board was going to form a women’s team for which there was to be an inter-district tournament.”I went to practice wearing the three-piece. I met [future Bangladesh cricketers] Jahanara, [Ayasha Rahman] Shuktara and [Sultana Yesmin] Boishakhi that day.”Coach Sheikh Salahuddin asked me to bowl three balls of pace and three balls of spin. I wrapped my [dupatta] around my waist and went to bowl. Salahuddin Sir told me that I should bowl spin, so I became a spinner from that day. After practice, he asked me if I have trousers, t-shirt and shoes. I told him I didn’t, so the next day he got me those from his shop,” Khatun said.Soon, she was scoring hundreds and taking loads of wickets in domestic tournaments and, within a few months, was picked in Bangladesh’s first women’s team, for an Asian Cricket Council tournament in Malaysia.ALSO READ: Jahanara Alam on how she spent her time during the lockdown: ‘This time I will fast for Ramadan'”Everyone, including Salahuddin Sir, was impressed with my batting, bowling and fielding. ‘She plays better than the boys,’ people said. When we came to Dhaka for the district-level tournament, I was going to spend my first night without my mother. I knew it would be tough, but I explained to my mother that I will adjust. We ended up runners-up, and I scored a hundred in the tournament.”Later in 2007, several girls were called up from Khulna for a training camp for a tour to Malaysia. We were put up at the Dhanmondi Women’s Complex and our first coach was Zafrul Ehsan. None of us knew each other so we had to acquaint ourselves.”Khatun says that the difference in training facilities made available to the women’s team in those days are starkly different than those in place, these days. “I think we get facilities as well as the men these days,” she said.It’s because of trailblazers like Khatun that the Bangladesh board took the women’s team seriously. When you see her in the Women’s T20 Challenge, you’ll be seeing a player who has, for 13 years, been the backbone of a Bangladesh bowling attack, helped support a brittle batting line-up, and remains the team’s best fielder.With inputs from Annesha Ghosh

From Wellington 1978 to Lord’s 2015, we pick some of the most memorable England vs New Zealand encounters

Andrew Miller31-May-2021Trent Bridge, 1973 – Congdon scales the heights
England had won 20 and drawn the rest of their 42 previous encounters with New Zealand going into the 1973 series, so when they rolled their opponents for 97 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, it seemed like business as usual. But then, without warning, the worm began to turn. Despite being hit in the face by a John Snow bouncer, New Zealand’s captain Bev Congdon endured for 377 balls and the best part of seven hours, grinding his way towards a target of 479 so ethereal it felt like “climbing Mount Everest without thinking you’ll need more oxygen”. He was finally prised out by Geoff Arnold for a career-best 176, but Vic Pollard joined forces with the wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, whose intermittent swings for the fences encouraged New Zealand’s belief that glory was within their grasp. They carried the chase past the 400 mark, but then dared to look at the scoreboard and lost their footing. The last five wickets tumbled for 38, a figure that matched their eventual margin of defeat. A fortnight later, New Zealand came agonisingly close once again, Congdon making 175 this time, only for Keith Fletcher’s rearguard 178 to spare England’s blushes at Lord’s. Order was restored with an innings win in the third Test at Headingley, but New Zealand had dropped a hint that that elusive win was not far off.Bev Congdon cuts a ball from Geoff Arnold•PA PhotosWellington, 1978 – Hadlee delivers elusive maiden win
That 1973 near-miss had featured a tearaway fast bowler who returned figures of 1 for 143 in his maiden overseas Test. But five years later, Richard Hadlee was a very different beast – a lithe, whippy, channelled operator with effortless pace and a despotic command of seam and swing. His first-innings figures of 4 for 74 eked out a 13-run lead in a low-scoring tussle, and as John Wright and Geoff Howarth dragged that advantage towards three figures with just one wicket down, the Wellington crowd dared to think the unthinkable. Cue an England fightback that ought to have been decisive. Bob Willis harnessed a wind that had swirled all match long to wreck the innings with figures of 5 for 32, as New Zealand lost their nine remaining wickets for 41. On an increasingly uneven surface, however, Richard Collinge made a target of 137 look improbably daunting as he reduced England to 18 for 3, his scalps including the crucial road-block of Geoff Boycott, England’s new and soon-to-be-deposed captain, for 1. Brian Rose then retired hurt with a bruised forearm, whereupon Hadlee rounded up the stragglers with 6 for 26, and match figures of 10 for 100. England had been rolled aside for 64, and after 48 years, and at the 48th time of asking, New Zealand had secured their maiden victory over the Mother Country.Related

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Christchurch, 1984 – England disappear in a puff of smoke
Rumours and innuendo stalked England’s tour of New Zealand in 1983-84, which in a previous era might have been far enough out of sight to be out of mind to the wider British public. But with Ian Botham approaching his mid-1980s zenith of tabloid notoriety, the squad’s burgeoning tendency to generate newspaper headlines meant they were pursued even to the land of the Long White Cloud – a cloud, on this occasion, that was widely reported to include a puff of cannabis smoke. Whatever their off-field recreations, the effect on England’s batting in the Christchurch Test was catatonic. “An exhibition that would have shamed a side in the lower reaches of the County Championship,” harrumphed a nonplussed Wisden, as Hadlee, that man again, claimed match figures of 8 for 44 to rout England for 82 and 93 in consecutive innings. His most telling contribution on this occasion, however, came with the bat – a blistering innings of 99 from 81 balls in New Zealand’s only innings that left the debutant Surrey seamer Tony Pigott wondering exactly why he’d agreed to postpone his wedding to shore up England’s bowling stocks.Christchurch 1997 – Atherton’s redemption seals the spoils
Plenty has been written about the one that got away on England’s 1996-97 campaign – the first Test at Auckland, where New Zealand’s No. 11 Danny Morrison belied his world-record haul of 24 ducks to dig in for 133 balls in the final two sessions to guide his side to a scarcely credible draw. The best contest by far, however, was the third Test at Christchurch – a personal triumph for England’s besieged captain Mike Atherton, who had faced calls for his resignation after a miserable first leg of the winter in Zimbabwe, but whose match tally of 212 runs for once out put a very personal seal on a 2-0 series win. Atherton’s first task was a familiar one: rescue England’s batting from a habitual malfunction, after New Zealand had posed a handy but hardly decisive 346. He duly carried his bat for an unbeaten 94, limiting the deficit to 118, and was soon back at the crease for the run-chase after Phil Tufnell and Darren Gough had combined to limit England’s target to a tantalising 305. Throughout the final day, all four results were distinctly possible, as New Zealand’s teenaged spinner Dan Vettori bowled with precocious discipline to finish with 4 for 97 in 57 overs. He was too young even for Harry Potter jibes (the first book would not be published for another four months), but at 231 for 6, with Atherton finally extracted for 118, he seemed odds-on to deliver a share of the series in only his second Test. John Crawley, however, found typically indomitable support from Dominic Cork at No. 8, as their unbeaten 76-run stand sealed England’s first overseas series win for five years.Mike Atherton carried England’s batting effort at Christchurch in 1997•EMPICS via Getty ImagesThe Oval, 1999 – England hit rock-bottom at long last
The final summer of the 1990s, and the final fiasco from an England team that was about to reach rock-bottom after a decade in which they’d been pummelled by allcomers without ever quite facing up to their structural inadequacies. Intermittent triumphs – a Barbados win here, a Melbourne win there – had masked the team’s overall woefulness, and something similar seemed to be on the cards after the first Test at Edgbaston, when nightwatchman Alex Tudor blasted a matchwinning 99 not out to gloss over the fact that England had been 45 for 7 in their first innings. By the fourth Test at The Oval, however, all the pretence was done. England really were the worst Test team in the world, as a disgruntled crowd confirming by booing the new captain Nasser Hussain during the post-match presentations. The iconic aspect of their 83-run loss was the selection of surely the most inept tail in Test history – a nine, ten, Jack of Alan Mullally, Phil Tufnell and Ed Giddins was bad enough even without Ronnie Irani as a not-very-pivotal No. 7. But the decisive aspect was the flourish of a genuine Test allrounder in New Zealand’s ranks. Faced with a collapse to 39 for 6 on the third afternoon and the potential for another fourth-innings scalping, Chris Cairns crashed onto the offensive, slamming eight fours and four sixes in a 93-ball 80. He had set his side up with 5 for 31 in England’s first dig; and now their target of 246 was simply too daunting. Mike Atherton, as so often, held the line for a three-and-a-half-hour 64, but as soon as he was extracted, the last seven wickets tumbled in eight overs.Christchurch, 2002 – Astle’s astonishing onslaught
Drop-in pitches have had a bad rap in recent times – blame the MCG’s despicably dull surfaces for that. But no one could quibble with the entertainment on offer at Christchurch in March 2002, lopsided though it may have been, when the Lancaster Park authorities popped a fresh green sod of grass in the middle of their rugby stadium and left England and New Zealand to squabble for four extraordinary days. Days one and two were as wild as a white-water ride – England were 0 for 2 after five balls and looking par for the course, yet chiselled an 81-run lead thanks to Nasser Hussain’s mind-over-matter 106, and a howling display of swing bowling from the greenhorn Matthew Hoggard, who racked up a then-best of 7 for 63. But then, overnight, the grass died, the mud dried, and the contest became a two-innings turkey shoot. Graham Thorpe cracked 200 not out from 231 balls, which seemed fairly brisk in the circumstances, as he and Andrew Flintoff set a target of 550. Cue Nathan Astle, and the most preposterous day’s tonking ever witnessed in Test history. His 222 from 168 balls went into overdrive as England claimed the new ball with New Zealand seemingly done at 302 for 8. Flintoff and Hoggard were clubbed for six fours in nine balls, each of them a golf swing through the line, but his most murderous blows were reserved for Andrew Caddick, who at one stage was clattered for five sixes and three fours in eight legal deliveries. Cairns, at No. 11 due to injury, was the ideal sidekick as England’s anxieties reached fever-pitch. But then, just as the requirement dipped below 100, Hoggard lured one wipe too many, and that was the end of that.Wellington 2008 – Anderson and Broad take the stage
Peter Moores’ twin stints as England coach both ended in ignominy, but his reputation for bringing out the best in young players was eternally vindicated at Wellington in 2008, with his backing of two men who may yet find themselves sharing the stage at Lord’s this week for the 122nd time. Three years on from the 2005 Ashes, the time was ripe for new England heroes, though it took a spineless defeat in the series opener at Hamilton to prove it. While their batting was ultimately to blame as they slumped to 110 all out in the second innings, the vacant displays of Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard were the most troubling aspects, especially given that Ryan Sidebottom had carried the fight single-handedly with 10 wickets in the match including a hat-trick. So Moores bit the bullet, and pushed both men to the margins. In their places, came James Anderson – an England cricketer for five years already but never yet trusted to be the attack leader – and Stuart Broad, whose beanpole seam had been limited to a solitary Test on a Colombo featherbed before Christmas. The pair gelled from the outset – Anderson claiming five first-innings wickets to set up the series-leveller, as Broad slotted into an unlikely enforcer’s role, pushing New Zealand on to the back foot in a series of aggressive displays that had Michael Vaughan hailing him as the “most intelligent bowler I’ve ever worked with”. The series was sealed with another doughty display in Napier, as the framework for England’s Test revival was hoisted into place.Ben Stokes inspired England the last time they met New Zealand at Lord’s•Getty ImagesLord’s 2015 – The start of something new
Quite possibly one of the finest England team performances of all time, and unquestionably one of the most timely. The roar of acclaim as Moeen Ali snaffled the catch at third man to deliver a 124-run victory on the fifth afternoon was like nothing that England had heard for months. It marked the team’s emergence from an 18-month slump, encompassing the 2013-14 Ashes debacle and the subsequent sacking of Kevin Pietersen, and culminating at the disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign, in which New Zealand’s crushing victory at Wellington had been the unquestionable nadir. The need to reconnect with the English public was overwhelming, but it seemed unlikely to happen at the first time of asking as England slumped to 30 for 4 on the opening morning. In response, New Zealand were at one stage 403 for 3 in reply. But in between whiles, something extraordinary stirred within the England dressing room. Ben Stokes followed up his first-innings 92 by slamming an 85-ball century in the second – the fastest at Lord’s in Test history – and while Joe Root twice missed out on three figures, his twin innings of 98 and 84 reaffirmed his status as England’s coming man. And then, in response to a deficit of 134, there was the captain, Alastair Cook, chugging along to a magnificent, unflustered, nine-hour 162, keeping the beat while his young guns riffed around him. Stokes sealed the turnaround with three key wickets on a pulsating final day, as news of the impending appointment of Trevor Bayliss as head coach confirmed the sense that this was the start of a new chapter for English cricket – one that would culminate, four years later, on the very same ground against the very same opponents.

He hates being called talented, but what do you do when he makes batting look so easy in challenging conditions?

Sidharth Monga13-Feb-20212:46

Manjrekar: Rohit Sharma is the best puller and sweeper in the Indian team

Stuart Broad bowled hardly a bad ball in his first spell of four overs. He started off with a maiden, and drew five not-in-control responses from the India batsmen. There was one ball down the pads, and one half-volley, the latter when he attempted a yorker in the first over. There was nothing short and wide. Yet, despite that maiden, Broad ended up giving 21 runs in that spell. Rohit Sharma faced 19 of those balls for 16 runs.Even before the profligate spin of Moeen Ali freed India up, Rohit had set the tone for the day. A tone that India needed on a pitch with puffs of dust and mini explosions in the first 15 minutes of play. When India lost their third wicket – two of them to balls that turned with dust flying off the top surface – Rohit had scored 65 off 62 out of a score of 85 for 3. Even after India had won an absolutely crucial toss, this was an essential innings against the new ball that turned faster than it did in the second session.Ever since that series against South Africa in 2015-16, India have rarely asked for such a pitch. They have trusted their superior spinners – and fast bowlers – to out-bowl any visiting unit on normal Indian surfaces by first containing the first innings and then bursting through in the second. They have also trusted their batsmen to match the opposition even if they do manage a big score in the first innings. That didn’t happen in Chennai last week.So India took what seems like a desperate step to ask for a rank turner for the first time since Pune 2016-17. When India did so in Pune, they were in their ninth Test of the season. This is their sixth of this season to go with the IPL and the limited-overs leg of the Australia tour. They are missing Ravindra Jadeja. They are down in the series. The spot in the World Test Championship final suddenly is not a formality anymore. To them it must have seemed a gamble worth taking in the week after lead spinner R Ashwin bowled 72 overs in his fifth Test of the season three days ago.Rohit Sharma repeatedly used the sweep to good effect on day one•BCCIWhile the toss is crucial on both the Chennai tracks we have seen, it seems India back themselves to overturn the toss disadvantage on this surface more than the one last week. Things didn’t come down to that as Virat Kohli won the toss, but the next part of the job had to be carried out by Rohit. Anyone who faces the new ball really, and this time Shubman Gill encountered a rare failure. Not only do first-innings runs become more crucial on these pitches than on others, the pace of those runs matters too because things happen quickly and a collapse is always around the corner. Even the more defensively minded batsmen bat with more urgency on these pitches. Do unto others before they do unto you.In that light, Rohit’s 161 off 231 out of the 248 runs than came while he was at the wicket is the perfect job you could ask of an opener. It might be hazardous and premature to judge a pitch before two sides have batted on it, but at times it seemed 161 alone might be a challenging total here against India’s spinners. To do so without appearing to stretch yourself or take undue risks is an exceptional ability.All Rohit did differently to Australia was play certain shots that he had put away. He said later he had to be more proactive in these conditions. There he hardly played the square drive, instead leaving balls outside off and defending when they got straighter. Here, as early as the third over, he went for the square drive. That is excellent awareness of conditions: he knew even if he did connect with the outside half of the bat, there wouldn’t be any gully catches here. Rohit scored effortlessly against Olly Stone and Ben Stokes too. By the time England went to spin at both ends, India had 48 on the board in 12 overs.Against spin too, Rohit pulled out the sweep shot liberally, a shot he played only four times out of 71 balls he faced from Nathan Lyon in Australia. He played 16 sweeps in this innings for 31 runs. The sweep again was part of the plan to be proactive against the turning ball, especially once he had pushed two men back on the boundary square on the leg side. He said he could now afford to even top-edge one or two. This is a shot India’s top order hardly played in the first Test; remember Rohit didn’t bat much against spin there. Here he advised Ajinkya Rahane to do the same. “Aada khel [Play across],” he was heard telling Rahane.Rohit Sharma celebrates a fine hundred•BCCIAs he did with Lyon, Rohit didn’t mind stepping out here, doing so to 40 of the 170 balls of spin he faced in this innings. He defended on 17 of those occasions. The intent wasn’t always to score; all he wanted to do was deny the England bowlers target practice. Once he had put bowlers off their rhythm, Rohit scored smoothly off every error he had eked out of them.Rohit hates being called talented and effortless because he feels it takes away from the hard work he puts into his batting. Yet what do you do when he makes batting look so easy in challenging conditions? If such batsmen are indeed prone to not making the most of the easier conditions, these pitches should bring the best out of them, keeping them in a heightened state of awareness. “Proactive”, as Rohit himself put it.The impact of this innings will accurately put people in the mind of what Virender Sehwag used to do. It was quite apparent the conditions were not as easy as Rohit made them look. The second innings in these conditions is generally a roulette so any correlation between method and results is easier to establish in the first innings. And this knock was as good as any that could be asked of an opener.

But, after contrasting innings, Dawid Malan seems to be dancing to a different tune

Matt Roller20-Jul-2021There was a moment in South Africa last year where it seemed as though Jason Roy’s spot in England’s T20I side was under threat. With so many options to open the batting – and most of them open about their wish to do so – Roy looked to be under serious pressure: teams were targeting him with left-arm spin and legspin, and by the end of the series, his highest score in his last 10 international innings was 24.But if England’s dressing room had any concerns about Roy’s form, they never showed it publicly. Instead, they recognised that he needed a long rope: England’s ultra-attacking brand of limited-overs cricket means that batters will fail more often than they succeed, and Roy had clearly struggled with the mental strain of bio-secure bubbles.As a result, they gave him as many opportunities as he needed to thrash his way back into form. In India, he finished the series as England’s third-highest run-scorer despite rarely looking settled at the crease, but this summer he has found his groove again in style.The situation in the deciding game of the series against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford was not tailored to Roy’s strengths. He scores significantly faster against quicker bowlers than spinners, and prefers to face balls spinning into the bat than those turning away; on a slow, turning pitch that saw more overs of spin bowled that any other T20I between full members in the last seven years, Pakistan had packed their attack with two legspinners and a slow left-armer.But Roy has never been intimidated by the idea of teams targeting his weaknesses. After taking down Glamorgan’s spinners in a Vitality Blast match before miscuing a long hop from Marnus Labuschagne to point, he laughed off the idea that dominating slow bowlers was anything new for him. “Someone has to get you out at some stage, don’t they?” he said. “Sometimes it happens to be a left-arm spinner. A leggie got me out tonight eventually, didn’t they, so I’m sure someone will have something to write about.”Instead, Roy committed to his gameplan in Manchester – take a couple of sighters in the first over and then look to dominate the powerplay – and it paid off. Only Evin Lewis and Quinton de Kock have scored faster in the powerplay in T20Is this year out of regular openers (Roy’s strike rate in the first six overs is 151.49) and he rarely shows any desire to slow down: why should he, when England bat so deep?He had taken Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first over for four boundaries – a square drive through the ring, pulls either side of deep midwicket, and a roll of the wrists to clip off the hip through fine leg – and then set his sights on the spinners, committing to the sweep shot as his best scoring option.Roy sweeps differently to other players. As Niall O’Brien, the former Ireland wicketkeeper, noted, he rotates his hips significantly more than most and tends to stay on the balls on his feet rather than going down on one knee early on, giving him slightly more power and helping him place the ball either side of boundary-riders. He nailed five out of his seven attempts at the shot on the night, and finished the series with a strike rate of exactly 200.”I just think I’ve got a stronger gameplan and am way more precise with my shots,” Roy said. “The issues have always been with the way I start my innings against spin. Speaking with Liam who has played a lot of cricket here, [he said that] letting the bowler bowl to you can be to your detriment and letting them bowl dots to you can make you fall into a little bit of a negative rut. So I was trying to be proactive as much as possible, whether that was sweeping or reverse-sweeping, and making sure I was very precise in my shots.”Related

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There will, no doubt, be those who question his decision to try and heave Usman Qadir for another six down the ground while well-set, but to do so misses the point of Roy’s role in England’s side. When picking a team with so much batting depth that Liam Livingstone comes in at No. 7, there is no expectation on Roy to see an innings through to its conclusion; England see chewing up balls and trying to take an innings deep as a higher-risk option than searching for boundaries. All told, Roy made 64 off 36; England’s other eight batters managed 89 off 82 between them.Roy’s innings contrasted starkly with the one that nearly cost England this deciding game, Dawid Malan’s scratchy 31 off 33 balls in which he struggled badly against spin and managed only two boundaries as the rate climbed. It seems increasingly like Malan is on borrowed time in this side, having managed 268 runs at a strike rate of 114.52 in T20Is since his brilliant 99 not out in South Africa in December, and his slow-starting method is at odds with England’s all-guns-blazing approach.Of course, there is still a role for touch players or anchors in modern T20, but chasing a middling total on a difficult pitch is the sort of situation which is meant to see them come up trumps. Instead, Malan was bogged down to the extent that Eoin Morgan scampered through for several tight singles simply to get him off strike towards the end of the innings.Nathan Leamon, England’s white-ball analyst, in an interview last month described “the guy who, every time he walks to the crease, hits three sixes and gets out fourth ball” as “the most valuable T20 cricketer in the world”, given the impact that such a player would have on every innings. That was the knock that Livingstone attempted to play immediately after Malan was out, hitting his first ball for six and being caught in the deep off his second; as with Roy’s innings, it seemed to underline the fact that Malan is playing a different style of T20 cricket to the rest of this squad.