Seemingly comfortable win undermined by injury concerns and negative net run rate

Danyal Rasool31-Oct-2022Anyone who watched Monday night’s game at the Gabba in bits and pieces, and then allowed the scorecard to fill them in on the rest, would wonder why there was any cause for negativity. Australia beat Ireland by 42 runs. Aaron Finch – whose notoriously scratchy innings against Sri Lanka has dogged him for the past week – was the Player of the Match, smashing eight boundaries, including three sixes, in a 44-ball 63. Mitchell Starc, despite operating as a second-change bowler, found prodigious swing and frightening accuracy in the fourth over, a wicket maiden that saw both the stumps of both Curtis Campher and George Dockrell knocked back, gutting the Irish chase before it could even begin.And yet as the players shook hands, this felt anything like an unequivocally positive day for the hosts and defending champions. Finch, in truth, had struggled for the best part of that innings, which was characterised by lack of timing and some questionable shot selection, particularly in the powerplay. By the end of the 14th over, Finch had managed just 40 off 36 deliveries; his team-mates had scored 68 off 48 in that time. It was only when Mark Adair sent down a horror 11-ball 15th over that Finch finally broke free; the question around whether that had more to do with ordinary bowling than a batter who has truly returned to form seems pertinent.In addition, he was off the field for much of the Ireland innings, nursing a hamstring injury that a scan will reveal more of. It was the other overriding concern that coloured Australia’s view of the win, with Tim David and Marcus Stoinis also going off the field at various points of the second innings, each with hamstring issues.And Starc, who had begun so brightly, ended up conceding 43 off his next three overs, the fourth most expensive figures in his T20I career. The lower-order recovery from Ireland, spearheaded by Lorcan Tucker, who blitzed his way to a 48-ball 71, also extinguished any hopes Australia had of getting close to England – their likely rivals for second place in this group – on net run rate, at least for now. From 25 for 5, Ireland fought their way to 137, meaning even a win against Afghanistan in their final group game might not be enough for Australia to qualify.Starc, speaking afterwards, was keen to draw on the positives for Australia, even as he acknowledged the back end of the Ireland innings didn’t go according to plan for the hosts. “It was obviously different,” he said. “I mean, better to experience it now than in the finals.Related

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“It was still I guess a little bit frantic while they were still striking the ball quite nicely. Probably changed a bit with having Aaron off the field and probably what he was planning to do [might have been different], and I’m not part of the messages or the conversations coming on and off the field. I couldn’t tell you how that affected the guys who ran the show there. We’ll regroup and see where we place when we get to Adelaide.”In effect, Australia’s imperfect victory only shines a further spotlight on the game to follow in Brisbane, with England aware any sort of win against New Zealand puts them in pole position to qualify for the semi-finals. New Zealand’s thumping win over Australia, and the subsequent washout against England, meant Finch’s side could ill-afford to lose any opening to take matters into their own hands. Yet, presented with a golden opportunity after getting rid of the Ireland top order for a pittance, Australia watched as control, if not the two points, slipped out of their grasp.”I guess you could look at that [the net run rate situation],” Starc said. “First and foremost, we need to win these games, so we tick that box. I think we bowled quite well, and generally here at the Gabba in night games when it gets dry, it’s generally a good chasing wicket. Our powerplay was excellent, and we certainly put them on the back foot. I think they tried to stay aggressive and batted quite well throughout the innings.”We won the game, and we move on to Adelaide now. We’ll wait and see what the result is tomorrow and then we could be not having to worry about talking about net run rate.”It was a night on which Australia won, and won fairly comfortably. But how good that victory looks will only become apparent in the next 24 hours, after New Zealand’s game against England on this ground. And for Australia, it’s the loss of that chance to control their own destiny, rather than the win itself, which might end up being the defining characteristic of Monday night’s game at the Gabba.

But there are more reasons at play than just the sentiment around former coach Justin Langer

Tristan Lavalette28-Nov-20220:42

Green: I’m trying to learn how to leave the ball again

Allan Border once observed that Australia playing a Test match in Perth was akin to them being overseas.Whether it was said in jest or not is hard to tell because Perth Test matches hit differently due to the innate parochialism of locals, who have a particularly strong identity unique from the rest of the country.Western Australia, separated to the east coast by the vast Nullarbor Plain, in the 1930s became the only Australian state to ever attempt being its own country.Talk of secession half-jokingly resurfaced during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when WA closed its border for much of 2020 and 2021.While tough talking premier Mark McGowan became a divisive figure nationwide, he had celebrity status within his state that is extraordinary in Australian politics, as he shrewdly antagonised those ‘over east’ which was lapped up by increasingly secluded West Australians.Related

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The one-eyed fervour spills over into sports, where local teams are passionately supported to the degree that you sense WA cricket fans care more for Perth Scorchers than the national Australia team.With low crowds tipped for the first Test at Optus Stadium against West Indies starting on Wednesday, amid favourite son Justin Langer’s messy exit as Australia coach going through the wringer, the relationship between West Australians and the national team is in focus.Amplified by social media, there is a perception that West Australians aggrieved over the Langer saga will essentially boycott the first Test played in Perth since December 2019. With ticket sales sluggish, the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium could look something of an eyesore with dire predictions of less than 10,000 fans attending day one.There are low expectations of what the crowd will be like this week•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesWhile public support is undoubtedly behind Langer, whose gravitas once saw him flagged as a potential saviour of the state’s lifeless opposition political party, there are several factors contributing to the lack of interest over a Test starting mid-week that might struggle to reach the weekend if West Indies’ past struggles in Australia rear.Unlike when they used to dominate at the WACA during their heyday, West Indies simply aren’t a drawcard and lack marquee players. Marketing this event has not been easy.When Perth missed out on hosting an Ashes Test last summer, due to its hard border, it was instructive that WA Cricket chief executive Christina Matthews publicly campaigned to host South Africa this season.In a notable contrast to years gone by, there is a lack of WA players in the national selection frame despite the state currently dominating men’s domestic cricket. The notable exception is Cameron Green who will be the sole WA cricketer playing in the first Test.Even though on the cusp of superstardom, as he eyes riches in the IPL, Green is still relatively unknown to the masses as the unassuming 23-year-old starts slowly becoming more comfortable in the public spotlight.As he prepares for his first home Test, Green has been something of a hook to fuel media coverage of the match, fronting the cameras several times in recent weeks and given a lengthy profile in the magazine of the local Sunday newspaper.It was noteworthy press for cricket, which has increasingly been pared back in Perth amid a saturation of coverage for the obsessively followed Australian Football League, which has eaten into cricket season with its never-ending post-season transactional period.The two-day AFL draft, where the best youngsters are selected into the system, concludes on Tuesday and has predictably dominated the local airwaves and print.Justin Langer had a stand named after him at Perth Stadium•Getty ImagesAnticipation for a long-awaited Test in Perth has been tempered too by a number of international matches having already been played there well before it is officially summer.It will likely cause a chuckle from those on the other side of the country, but there could already be international cricket fatigue in Perth after hosting five games of the men’s T20 World Cup, highlighted by an India-South Africa blockbuster and Australia-Sri Lanka in matches attracting a combined 70,000 fans.There was also a quickly forgotten Australia-England T20I before that in early October, which more than 25,000 attended, consistent with the mishmash of a saturated international calendar that most people can’t keep track of.But, perhaps most importantly, it’s increasingly difficult to pinpoint the public sentiment over the current Australian team, who some believe are on the nose nationwide after they generated modest home support during the T20 World Cup.There has been some ire directed at captain Pat Cummins, reasons which don’t totally make sense, but could chip away at the team’s overall popularity.It all means there is the potential awkwardness of Australia getting a frosty reception on home soil. But given the apparent apathy for this inconspicuous Test, that’s probably unlikely.

He can be particularly dominant against spin, is working to remedy his issues against the short ball, and has a sackful of recent runs to his name

Shashank Kishore09-Dec-202280, 54, 63, 44, 50, 113*, 28*, 80, 49, 24, 82.Following India’s 3-0 loss in South Africa this January, Shreyas Iyer has batted 11 times in ODIs. In this period, he has racked up six half-centuries and a career-best 113 not out at a strike rate of 92.63. In his most recent outing on a difficult Mirpur pitch that offered both turn and variable bounce, he made a high-quality 82 off 102 balls.Much of this consistency (refer to the sequence above) can be attributed to a sense of security he’s had in a second-string India XI, led by Shikhar Dhawan. Eight of these 11 knocks have come in games Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven’t played. In their absence, Iyer has either been an accumulator or an enforcer, depending on circumstances.In an ideal world, given the year he has had – he is the highest run-getter among Full Member players in ODI cricket so far – there should be no debates around Iyer’s spot in a full-strength side. But because of stifling competition in India’s middle order, Iyer has a constant tussle on his hands.However, his string of compelling performances have put him top of the list of contenders for now though, and raised hopes of Iyer being the No. 4 batter who could lend stability to the line-up – something India have yearned for since the previous 50-over World Cup in 2019.Related

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Iyer’s biggest strengths are his ability to score freely, and access different pockets of the ground. While others may be lacking in terms of their scoring rate against spin, Iyer has gained a reputation of being unstoppable against slow bowling. Among the reasons for that are his footwork and clarity.But there’s also this growing chorus over Iyer’s vulnerability against the short ball, and not without reason. It all started at the IPL, when he was repeatedly roughed up by bouncers. He was out to short-pitched deliveries four times, and the demons unleashed by it got him one other time when Umran Malik peppered him with some bouncers before dismantling his stumps with a searing yorker.In England, these struggles were exposed point blank with that famous Brendon McCullum’s go-for-his-throat gesture to his bowlers from the balcony. It’s an area that needs work, Iyer has acknowledged, and he is trying to find remedies behind the scenes; he has seldom lacked in effort and willingness to deal with the issue. That quality, in someone as flamboyant as Iyer, will make the team management happy.When it was known Iyer wasn’t going to be part of the travelling reserves to Australia for the 2022 T20 World Cup, he set up one-on-one sessions with Abhishek Nayar, the former Ranji Trophy-winning captain with Mumbai. Iyer and Nayar have developed a fantastic working relationship over the years. The core of these private sessions in Mumbai was to help improve his game against the short ball.Those who’ve watched Iyer closely would know about his propensity to back away to slash behind point or over cover. It’s one of his release shots against the short ball aimed at the body, one that looks terribly ugly when it doesn’t come off. The idea behind the private sessions was to explore more options, and give him enough time to put them into practice by making minor tweaks to his setup.Shreyas Iyer has been vulnerable against the short ball, but he’s been working on it of late•BCCI”The initial part was to understand why he wasn’t able to play the short ball well,” Nayar tells ESPNcricinfo. “We worked on the technical side and made a slight change in his initial movements. If you watch him closely, you will see small tactical and technical changes, like where he stands, how he stands. The distance between his feet and initial movements change. His feet are a lot wider in his setup, which has helped him play the pull. In New Zealand [in November], he was playing the short-arm pull a lot more.”We started working on it during the IPL but couldn’t address the issue since matches kept coming thick and fast. So, when he had this break, we worked on his technique, prior to the [domestic] Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. Once he understood the nuances of why he wasn’t playing it well and why he’d get into a tangle, it was a lot easier to address it.”Lately, he’s had more success rather than fending or hitting over point or cover point like he did previously. Knowing him and what he’s done and his mindset towards attacking the problem, he’s not far away from pulling a 150kph bouncer for four or six. Is he there yet? He will be, very soon, but at 135-140 [kph], he’s very comfortable playing that. He’s worked really hard at it technically in terms of making those changes and understanding why he had those problems and what was affecting his short-ball game. If his numbers are so good with all these issues going around, once it’s sorted, he’ll evolve into something even more special.”For the record, since the IPL, Iyer has had a control percentage of 77 against short-of-a-length or short deliveries. The balls he’s been in control of have helped him score 134 runs at a strike rate of 97.10. Whether the technical changes now translate into a better record against the short ball, only time will tell.Looking at the bigger picture, Iyer will perhaps compete with Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda for one batting slot in the one-day middle order, if we assume that Rohit Sharma will open with one of Shikhar Dhawan or Shubman Gill, with Kohli at No. 3, followed by KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.Among those who could give Iyer serious competition, Hooda is the only one who offers some overs with the ball but has barely had any opportunities to present his case. Suryakumar’s case is compelling as well, but he can’t be judged without a fair run. While he did feature in the ODIs in New Zealand, he has been rested for Bangladesh tour. With coach Rahul Dravid stating the home season is likely to throw up opportunities to field an ideal first XI, the next few weeks could give us a peek into who India are tilting towards.It will not be surprising if that someone is Iyer, who has done everything he can to present a water-tight case to be the No. 4 India have wanted for so long.

Who’s the Punjab Kings team-mate that has impressed him the most? “Jitesh Sharma. Imagine a wicketkeeper who can bat like him down the order”

Mohammad Isam17-May-2023How would rate your IPL performance so far?
I can’t rate my own performance , but I have given my everything every time I have gone out to the field. I have no regrets in terms of my effort. I have got a Player of the Match [award], two MVPs, and one Dream 11 [award, for most fantasy points in a match], so at least I have four trophies to take home. That’s something to be humbled about, I guess.Mentally, I am at peace, and I am happy. There are home and away matches, so it is physically taxing. There’s a lot of traveling, packing and unpacking. Some cities you just go for one night, play the following day, and have to travel again. But it is the same for everybody. Coming to the end of the IPL, I always believe that any team who can stay mentally relaxed and sharp, not be fatigued, will have a better chance of going to the next round.Your best performance with the bat was the fifty against Lucknow Super Giants, and it came on a tricky pitch.
I’d say that Lucknow is a quality side with a good seam and spin attack. On that wicket, it was harder to score. It was a tough chase [of 160], so to come out on top of that game… the only reason we still have a chance to qualify is that we did well in away matches. It has been a real strength for us.It was difficult to hit from ball one. You had to give yourself a bit of time to assess the pace of the wicket. You also had to see what was happening off the wicket. It wasn’t a usual Mohali wicket, majority of which have been really good. You can tee off straight away. But I don’t think Lucknow was like that.So far, Raza has scored 139 runs at a strike rate of 141.83 and picked up three wickets in seven matches•BCCIThere was also that successful chase of 201 in Chennai? You went out to bat in the 19th over and scored 13 in seven balls. What stood out for you in that performance?
I give credit to their supporters. It wasn’t the biggest stadium I have played at, but certainly the noisiest stadium. The CSK fans were cheering their team from the first to the last ball. They were really noisy, but in a good way. It was a great vibe. I know they were supporting the home team, but I enjoyed that atmosphere. It was something different, something that I have never experienced before.Most importantly, we became the first team to successfully chase 200-plus in Chennai. It hasn’t been done before. It was nice to have our name written in the history books. That’s why you play this beautiful game, so that you can put on a performance that can be remembered for a long time.You came up against Matheesha Pathirana in that last over, and took three off the last ball to win. What are your thoughts about him as a bowler, and that last over?
Pathirana is a quality talent. I remember that [Lasith] Malinga was hard enough to face but Pathirana is just a bit trickier. His arm comes lower. Malinga was side on, I remember. On that wicket, with those cutters and his 145kph pace, you just didn’t know what’s coming. Alhamdulillah, to be able to score those runs! I was just trying to find a boundary so I was lucky to get those three runs. I hit it into a gap. I guess when it’s your day, luck favours you in weird ways.

“I think as an overseas [player], you have to try to perform every game. There will be failures along the way, but the standard of this league is so high, if overseas [players] fail to perform, then the local guys always manage to cover [for them]”

You have played for many franchise teams in many leagues. Does playing the IPL tick all your T20 boxes now?
I haven’t played the Big Bash and the Hundred, but there are so many T20 leagues now, because of the overlapping, it will be difficult for me to play in all the leagues. If you said that there will be no more cricket from tomorrow, I’d say yes, I have ticked all the boxes.What about the IPL has been a true eye-opener?
One of the things I had heard about was the stadium capacity, and every game is house full. It was hard to believe because the capacity sometimes is 60,000 or 90,000. I have not played a game where a single seat has been available, whether in a small or a big city. It has left me in awe, how much the people of India love their cricket and support their cricketers.Culturally, how easy or difficult was it to be in a set-up where so many players speak Punjabi? Did your roots help you to blend in?
I come from a Punjabi background and I can speak Urdu. A lot of the conversations in Zimbabwe are in English and Shona, which is the local language. I don’t think I have spoken so much Punjabi in my life as I have done in the last six weeks. At least my Punjabi got polished a little bit.What is the expectation of a foreign player in the IPL? Is it different from other leagues?
I think as an overseas [player], you have to try to perform every game. There will be failures along the way, but the standard of this league is so high, if overseas [players] fail to perform, then the local guys always manage to cover [for them]. You will see that even if we fail, we will end up getting 200 runs.Among your team-mates, who has impressed you the most?
The guy that has impressed me the most is Jitesh Sharma. It would be great if he ends up playing for India. India being so top-heavy, imagine having a wicketkeeper who can bat like him down the order. That’s a real plus. I think he has been the player to look out for.”There are so many T20 leagues now, because of the overlapping, it will be difficult for me to play in all the leagues”•AFP/Getty ImagesHow was Sam Curran as a captain?
It is so professional in the IPL, believe me, there’s very little that’s said here. Everybody knows their roles. Everybody is clear about their roles, so when Sam captained, we had very little chat. He’d give me the field that I want, then leave it to me. This has been really great about the IPL that everyone is very clear about their individual roles. Rest of the things look after themselves.You also met the Zimbabwe Under-19s, who were touring India, and got them tickets for an IPL game.
Initially, I didn’t know where they were. I knew they were coming to India. Their coach [Prosper Utseya] told me that they were in Mumbai. I was in Mumbai, too, an hour away. We worked out the schedule, and I wanted to make sure to give them an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch an IPL game. I organised the tickets for them.I know how tough life is for our cricketers back home, more so for age-group and women’s cricket. Even though things are on the up, I still think things are tough. I asked Puma if it would be possible to buy shoes for these kids. Credit to them, they said they would take care of it. I have been with Puma for seven years. Just like that, the deal got done. They sent all the players a pair of spikes.Now, I am sure you will want to come back to India in four months [for the ODI World Cup, if Zimbabwe qualify]?
I have been saying that to everyone. I said, “Guys, I am leaving with one request: please pray that Zimbabwe qualify”. I genuinely do believe that the way they looked after me, my team-mates deserve the hospitality too. Quality of cricket, the stadiums, the crowd, the brands, the sponsorship. It is just unreal. I really, sincerely hope my fellow countrymen can be exposed to this. It can only happen if we qualify. Insha Allah, in two months’ time [at the qualifiers, which will be played in Zimbabwe], we will book our tickets for India.

Time and again, he has finished games from improbable situations that required him to go hell for leather from the outset

Shashank Kishore13-May-20231:34

Bishop on Pooran’s ‘perfect’ role at LSG

Last year, Sunrisers Hyderabad broke the bank to acquire Nicholas Pooran’s services to finish games like these. From improbable situations that require you to just go hell for leather from the outset, when all other options have been exhausted.Pooran returned a mixed bag – 306 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 144, but it wasn’t enough to be retained. Sure, in an auction, teams sometimes look to buy back players they’ve possibly exhausted a lot of their budget on, and Pooran’s tag of INR 10.75 crore was a significant chunk.But there was an element of disbelief when Sunrisers didn’t put in a single bid, even as four others went aggressively in the auction ahead of IPL 2023. When the paddle came down, he’d been signed for an even bigger sum – INR 16 crore.Related

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It was no surprise then that Tom Moody, the former Sunrisers coach who was at the auction table when they signed him for IPL 2022, was among the first to voice out his disbelief soon after Pooran’s unbeaten 13-ball 44 helped Lucknow Super Giants to a win that seemed distant when they needed 80 off 36 on Saturday afternoon.An overhaul had meant Moody and Pooran were both out. In a sense, with the season on the line, this was perhaps an opportunity for Pooran to send out a quiet message. He walked in with Super Giants needing 56 off 27. Marcus Stoinis had briefly struggled against spin, before hitting Abhishek Sharma’s part-time left-arm everything for two back-to-back sixes. In trying for a third, Stoinis fell.SRH seemed to have the game in the bag, till Nicholas Pooran walked out•AFP/Getty ImagesPooran walked out to join Prerak Mankad, playing in only his third IPL game. His promotion up the order hadn’t yielded the kind of results Super Giants would’ve liked. There was a sense that Mankad had been stuck. It wasn’t quite the Rahul Tewatia-like struggle from that famous game in 2020, but a struggle, nonetheless.Pooran saw the ball in his arc, and went 6, 6, 6. Abhishek started the over thinking the match-up was set to test two right-handers against the longer boundary on the leg side, but ended it, much against his luck, against a marauding left-hander to the short leg-side boundary.If you were to apply brevity to Pooran’s carnage, here’s what happened: full, slot-ball: walloped over deep midwicket. Full on off, muscled down the ground. Full on stumps, swung over wide long-on. Truth be told, the hits were monstrous and so clean that boundary sizes wouldn’t have mattered.ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster pegged Super Giants’ win percentage at 30.02 when Stoinis fell but skyrocketed to 85.26 after those three sixes that brought the equation down to 38 off 24. Between overs 13 and 16, Super Giants had made 70 off 24. It capped off a stunning turnaround.”T20 is a batsman’s game. I believe they’re called part-timers for a reason, when they come on, you have to target them,” Pooran told the broadcasters about his flying start. “T20 [batting] is about risks. No risk, no reward. When a match-up is in your favour, you have to make it count. It got my innings going, thank you to the Sunrisers for that.”Momentum was firmly on Super Giants’ side. It helped Mankad shred all that pressure he seemed to have brought upon himself after an excellent start at No. 3, so much so that he barely even celebrated his maiden IPL half-century.Abhishek Sharma’s 16th over•ESPNcricinfo LtdHe was on 7 off 7 at the end of five overs but broke the shackles when he peppered the off-side boundary by holding his shape and hitting through the line against the left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi. Then when Quinton de Kock fell, he found it hard to get going even as Stoinis found his way in. Until turned it around.”It was an important game. I wasn’t happy because I couldn’t connect balls I should’ve connected, but in the end, I was happy with the result,” Mankad said. “I was trying to hit the spinners but couldn’t connect before the 10th over, I knew Mayank would get me out, I have played against him in domestic matches, I wanted to counter him and see what best I could do.”Pooran stayed right till the end to see the game through, but spoke later, albeit in a lighter vein on how he’d like to spend more time at the crease. Only twice this season, he has faced more than 20 balls in an innings; he averages 14 balls per innings to be precise.The team’s decision to hold him back in the previous game in a chase of 228 had raised a few eyebrows, and his entry point here may have well been debated long and hard had they got close and lost. But Pooran hardly left anything to chance; his impact on the game was all but defined by those three sixes that swung momentum wildly in their favour.”Definitely in T20 cricket, I’d like to bat for a longer time,” he said with a laugh. “I know how to bat in different situations having played a lot of white-ball cricket. My role is to come in and bat in the last four-five overs and try to have an impact. For the last month or so, I’ve just been preparing to put myself in good positions. I know I will face a lot of yorkers and slower deliveries, I’ve just been working on executing my skills against whatever they put against me.”

Stats highlights as Australia pull off their biggest Ashes chase in 75 years

Sampath Bandarupalli20-Jun-2023281 Target successfully chased by Australia against England in Birmingham. It is their fourth-highest successful target chase in the Ashes and their highest since chasing down 404 at the Headingley way back in 1948. Australia had not won any of the 31 Ashes Tests between 1949 and 2022, where the fourth-innings target was 250 and more, which includes 18 defeats.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2011 The last instance of Australia chasing down a target of 250-plus runs before they did it at Edgbaston was against South Africa in 2011. Pat Cummins, making his debut, scored the winning runs with a boundary off Imran Tahir in Johannesburg, like he did off Ollie Robinson on Tuesday. Australia lost 19 out of 21 Tests when the target was 250-plus runs between 2012 and 2022.26 Consecutive innings where England bowled out the opposition in Tests before failing against Australia in the fourth-innings in Birmingham. It is the joint-third longest streak for a team in bowling out the opponents in Test cricket, behind England’s 59 innings between 1885 and 1896 and Australia’s 33 innings between 1999 and 2001.