…and we’re all just watching in awe. How did India even think of leaving him out?

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Oct-20231:29

Pujara: Shami is ‘always mentally ready’ for games

Should we really be surprised? Can it actually be a shock to anybody?Mohammed Shami, who sends the ball relentlessly at the stumps, whose wrist position in frequently immaculate, who is skiddy in all the great devious and delicious ways, who can produce A+ overs at any stage of an innings, is rocking a World Cup in India.Nine wickets. An economy rate of 4.47. An average of 8.44. No other bowler in this World Cup has a set of numbers that comes close.Related

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Let us get the caveat out of the way early so it no longer hangs in the air: Shami has played only two matches so far at this tournament. One of those was on a very bowler-friendly pitch in Lucknow, against a very bowler-friendly team, in the sense that England have gone around the tournament handing out their wickets like beaming senior citizens with Halloween sweets.But there was also Shami’s 5 for 54 from 10 overs on a batting surface in Dharamsala, against a New Zealand team whose batting order has repeatedly shown itself to be a serious force even without Kane Williamson.In that performance, so much of Shami’s menace was encapsulated. The wicket of Will Young in the ninth over was the result of a little seam back into the batter, who had shaped to chop it through off originally, but ended up deflecting it back into his stumps. In the 34th over, the ball that broke the huge Daryl Mitchell-Rachin Ravindra stand was one over which Shami had rolled his fingers. This not only slowed the ball down, but also made it stay slightly lower. Ravindra hit it into the hands of long on, not even coming close to clearing that boundary.Mohammed Shami’s skillset contains everything a fast bowler needs to succeed on Indian pitches•Associated PressIn the death overs, where India really shone, Shami bowled three overs that cost 17 and reaped three wickets. He bowled a majestic inswinging yorker to Mitchell Santner, having come from wide of the crease, uprooted Matt Henry’s leg stump with a fullish delivery next ball, then had Daryl Mitchell caught at long-on, unable to get underneath a skiddy full delivery outside off.We can’t really be suprised because all of Shami’s great strengths map almost perfectly onto a venn diagram plotting attributes that make seamers effective in India. He can seam it when needed, hit yorkers pretty well, is hard to get under at the death, and was that just a liiiittle bit of reverse swing towards the end of that Dharamsala match?There is now the question of what kept him out for so long. How did India conceive of a World Cup XI in which Shami was not one of the first few names written down? The argument for leaving him out runs towards “balance”, an idea that sometimes works more magic on the mind than on the cricket field.Shardul Thakur, who had been India’s No. 8 when Hardik Pandya was fit, could offer services as a fourth seamer, but also could bat, or so the line of thinking went. In reality, Thakur averages 17.31 with the bat after 25 ODI innings, and his List A record, which accounts for 62 innings, has him averaging 17.62. This is only about 10 more runs than Shami has scored, historically, per dismissal, but if you’re really pushing it, you could claim that having someone who can at least pass the strike over to the better batters is a safer bet at No. 8.ESPNcricinfo LtdBut safe for who? The top seven, whose job it is to be making the runs anyway? Batting depth need not be the only insurance for top-order risk taking. If there is an attack you would back to defend any score at this World Cup, who else would you back but India’s?More precisely, India’s with Shami in it, because his numbers are now irresistible. In 13 World Cup games, across three editions, Shami has taken 40 wickets, at an average of 14.07 and an economy rate a tick under five. Among bowlers with more than 20 World Cup wickets, Shami’s average is comfortably the best.Even outside the Thakur conversation, Shami should probably make an India XI ahead of Mohammed Siraj. The argument for Siraj leading up to the World Cup was that he had been the world’s leading new-ball bowler in ODIs, but there’s an emerging sense that Shami might pip him on current form. Siraj averages 48.33 at this World Cup, and 61.00 in the first 10 overs, the phase where he was so potent in the lead-up to the tournament.As the tournament winds into its last few weeks, and the playing squares wear, and the bounce becomes less pronounced, there are few quicks in the world you would rather have in your side than Shami. Bumrah first, maybe. But soon after that, new head of hair, his wickets seeking those stumps as doggedly as ever, Shami.

With Will Jacks in the waiting, Green and Maxwell could find themselves under pressure

Shashank Kishore07-Apr-20242:19

Moody: Both Green and Maxwell are under pressure

It’s alarming and astounding all at once that Virat Kohli has contributed 38% of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s runs so far. He currently holds the Orange Cap for most runs, while striking at just over 146. He’s scored quicker only once previously, in 2016 when he played a stirring role in RCB’s march to the final with a record-breaking 973 runs.There’s been an intent to go hard from the first ball, even though it hasn’t always manifested into desired outcomes. There’s been the slowdown against spin, like you saw on Saturday when R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal tied him down with exceptional bowling in the middle overs, but there’s also been the inherent desire to try and bat through simply because of how reliant they are on him.That’s because Faf du Plessis has made 109 runs, Glenn Maxwell just 32, while Cameron Green, a big-ticket pre-auction trade, has 68 runs in five innings. Prior to Saturday’s game these three had lasted all of 133 balls across 12 innings while striking at 120. These returns are in stark contrast to 2023, when du Plessis made 730 runs at a strike rate of 153.68, while Maxwell made 400 at 183.48.Related

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It’s a different story that RCB didn’t make the playoffs even then, but their overseas combination wasn’t one of those reasons. This time around, while the playoffs are already beginning to look increasingly more distant, their struggles have also had a ripple effect on the shaky middle order.Rajat Patidar, who has had much success at No. 3, has had to float around the batting order while searching for runs himself. Anuj Rawat has found himself in one game, out the next, while Mahipal Lomror inexplicably found himself on the bench against Rajasthan Royals despite making an unbeaten 17 off eight balls in their only win (against Punjab Kings) and smashing 33 off 13 against Lucknow Super Giants when all their other batters were tied down.Dinesh Karthik too hasn’t been utilised enough in a role he has been designated to play ever since he rewrote his template to become a finisher in 2018. Against the Royals, RCB strangely held back Karthik, promoting rookie debutant Saurav Chauhan instead after Maxwell was dismissed in the 15th over with the score reading 128 for 2. They managed 183 for 3, but there was this lingering feeling that they hadn’t utilized their resources well enough.”I think batting out there for quite a bit with Virat, we found the wicket was tricky and low,” du Plessis said. “In our heads, we felt 190 would be a good score. I did feel last over or two, we could have maximized 10-15 runs more. In the evening, you saw with the dew it played much nicer. I feel now in hindsight, we should’ve pushed a little harder to get to 190-195 mark.”Andy Flower, the head coach, was a point-blank about their struggles.”We’ve got issues with our batting,” he said. “You’re being generous when you say these are early days [in the competition]. We’re one from five games, not a position any side wants to be in. We’ve got Virat in superb form but the other guys are struggling a little for form and confidence.”We’re trying to do everything we can to make them feel strong and confident. As you’ve seen in this competition, scores and aggression are going only one way, we need that confidence and aggression to put the opposition under pressure and we haven’t found that form yet.”Faf du Plessis has not been able to recreate his form from IPL 2023•AFP/Getty ImagesKohli underlined the difficulties in facing spin, with the lack of pace and bounce leaving him with few options but to just hit straight. And then you saw Sanju Samson play some of the most aesthetically pleasing shots against spin, using his feet and lofting inside-out effortlessly, squatting low and sweeping into the arc between deep square and deep midwicket during the course of his match-changing 148-run partnership with Jos Buttler.Of course, there’s a world of difference between the two spin attacks. Where Royals had Chahal and Ashwin, RCB had to make do with Himanshu Sharma and Mayank Dagar. Fundamentally, spin is a problematic area no doubt, and has the potential to leave them in a tangle even when they encounter slightly tired decks as the season progresses. This is invariably bound to put even more pressure on a misfiring batting line-up.”Of course we do discuss strike rate and aggression, it’s part of the understanding of the T20 game that the level of aggression has to be above a certain threshold and you always want to be putting the opposition under pressure,” Flower explained. “Certainly taking the aggressive option, certainly on pitches like today.”The fact is at the moment our top five aren’t in sparkling form apart from Virat and that’s a tough place to be. It’s not for lack of effort. They’re working hard. Giving it everything they’ve got bit just not firing at the moment, if we’re going to turn this around, we need them firing.”Is there a workaround?There’s a growing clamor for them to bring in Will Jacks, and for good reason. His powerplay strike rate of 164.21 is the best among batters who’ve faced a minimum of 1000 balls (a fairly big sample size to consider).In his second most-recent T20 innings in February, Jacks blasted an unbeaten 53-ball 108 to help Comilla Victorians post 239. He strikes at 146 in the middle overs. He also bowls decent off spin to boot.”RCB have to seriously consider Will Jacks,” Tom Moody said on ESPNcricinfo’s ‘T20: Time-Out’. “How they fit him in is a discussion that needs to be had. I can’t se him coming in for Faf. To me, both Maxwell and Green are under pressure.”I think your hand is forced. You can’t have a potential resource in your squad and not press the trigger particularly when you’re in the position you’re in now. If you don’t do it now, when will you do it? Your season’s already gone. I’d back Faf and Virat to open and put Will Jacks at No. 3.”This move may need RCB to drop Maxwell or Green, a position they would’ve never envisaged at the start. But in desperate times, RCB may just be forced to take desperate measures or run the risk of summoning their calculator that they dust back to life unfailingly around this time, season after season.

While their abilities were not in question, it is understood that their decision to practically make themselves unavailable for India has not sat well with the selectors

Sidharth Monga28-Feb-20249:47

Sambit Bal: Iyer-Kishan omission a ‘huge statement from the BCCI’

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan have not been considered for BCCI’s annual retainers because they practically made themselves unavailable to play for India.Kishan took a break from cricket for personal reasons during the South Africa tour, and returned to action only earlier this week in the DY Patil T20 tournament. Iyer was cleared fit by the NCA before the selection for the second half of the ongoing Test series, but didn’t appear either for India or for Mumbai in the week that followed.The BCCI release announcing the contracts ended with an uncharacteristic piece of information: “The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team.”Two weeks ago, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah had written a letter to the centrally contracted players to not prioritise the IPL over domestic cricket and national duties. The letter had warned them of “severe implications”.Related

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Even Rohit Sharma, the India captain, said in his press conference after the Ranchi Test on Sunday that players who show the “hunger” for Test cricket will be given preference going forward. He said he realised Test cricket is a tough format, which needs players who will show the required hunger.When Kishan was not selected for the Tests against England, India coach Rahul Dravid said that he hadn’t yet made himself available, and that he would have to play some kind of domestic cricket to be eligible for a comeback. ESPNcricinfo understands the team management had got in touch with him during the on-going Test series against England, but Kishan said he was not ready yet. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel debuted and won the Player-of-the-Match award in his second Test.Iyer’s absence seems to be a disagreement with the fitness assessment done by the NCA. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that after the second Test, Iyer expressed discomfort in his back when playing long innings, but the medical staff cleared him of any injury. When Iyer was left out for the third and fourth Tests, the BCCI didn’t offer any reason. When he didn’t turn up for Mumbai in the next week’s Ranji Trophy match, Mumbai Cricket Association sources said he had back spasms.Shreyas Iyer had expressed discomfort in his back after the second Test against England•AFP/Getty ImagesESPNcricinfo has learnt that the selectors, who make the recommendations for contracts, were not pleased that Kishan used this time away from the game to train with his IPL captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda, and that Iyer was at Kolkata Knight Riders’ pre-season camp when missing the match for Mumbai. Iyer has since made himself available for Mumbai’s semi-final match in the Ranji Trophy.”The selectors don’t doubt their ability,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “But if the NCA is saying you are fit and you are not making yourself available for the Test series, how can the BCCI offer you a contract?”After the IPL, if they happen to get selected and fulfil the criteria of the number of matches required for a pro-rata contract, they will be awarded a contract.”The ability of Iyer and Kishan is not in any doubt. In fact, India waited till the last possible moment before the ODI World Cup to give Iyer every chance to get back to full fitness. Kishan is an ODI double-centurion, who was India’s Test wicketkeeper in Rishabh Pant’s absence until KL Rahul was also selected as a wicketkeeper for the South Africa tour. Even if Kishan had reasons to believe Rahul might have been preferred in the Tests in South Africa, in which case he decided to tend to his personal matters, his refusal to play for Jharkhand but getting ready for the IPL has not sat well with the selectors.This was perhaps the “severe implications” that Shah warned the players of in the letter, in which he also wrote that players prioritising the IPL over domestic cricket was unprecedented. Now the BCCI seems to have made a tangible statement to address the conflict.

Alan Gardner is joined by Andrew Miller and Vish Ehantharajah to look back on England’s series-sealing win in Nottingham

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2024England wrapped up a series victory over West Indies by taking 10 wickets inside a session on the fourth day at Trent Bridge. Shoaib Bashir led the way with his first five-wicket haul at home, while there were solid contributions from all quarters. In this week’s podcast, Alan Gardner heard from Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah about the strange contrast in Bashir’s record for England and at county level, an encouraging return to form for Ollie Pope and whether we are seeing the first signs of a more refined approach to Bazball.

You don’t have to ignore the stereotypes, but you can see how South Africa have done things differently this time, and that brings with it hope of a plot twist

Firdose Moonda26-Jun-20241:08

Morkel: ‘Nervy finishes building nice character for South Africa’

If you’re a discerning follower of South African cricket, you’re either frustrated or bored with the narrative that your team can’t or won’t win a World Cup, because they don’t know how to deal with the pressure. You may recognise that even though it’s a stereotype that’s stuck for a reason, it’s also too easy to haul out for mass-readership, and lacks in critical analysis. And you will know, and even admit, that although there has definitely been some choking in the past, there have also been times when they have just been outplayed, or erred in selection, or failed to adapt to conditions, or just had rotten luck.You would have hoped – no, you would have believed – each time would be different. And you have reason to, because South Africa’s tournament-play record is excellent. They have won 75 out of 111 matches in group stages or preliminary rounds, which equates to just more than two-thirds of the matches they have played. India, who have two ODIs and one T20 World Cup to their name, have won 85 out of 124 matches, which is roughly the same victory percentage. Only Australia, with 90 out of 126 wins (71%) have done better.While you already know South Africa fall short in knockouts, but just in case you need a reminder of how short: they have won one of ten – the 2015 ODI World Cup quarterfinal. That record is worse than any team that has played more than one knockout match. And South Africa, the men, have never got to a World Cup final.Related

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If World Cups were played like leagues – competitions without finals – South Africa might have won many. But they are not. So they are about consistency, but equally about an alchemical combination of form meeting fortune.Which is what seems to be happening to South Africa at this event.They have got a perfect record – seven out of seven – but could have lost six of those.Netherlands, Bangladesh, Nepal, USA, England and West Indies all pushed South Africa to breaking point, and each time they found a way. David Miller carried the chase against Netherlands, Ottneil Baartman bowled a clutch penultimate over against Bangladesh, Quinton de Kock’s game awareness and a random deflection provided victory via a run-out against Nepal, Kagiso Rabada’s death-bowling maturity kept USA at bay, and Marco Jansen held his nerve with ball against England and bat against West Indies. There have been different match-winners in different match situations and, seemingly, a sprinkling of magic that has never before scattered itself so generously on South Africa.Seven times now, a cricket-loving nation has collectively held its breath, expecting the worst. And all seven times, they have been able to exhale and celebrate. This is uncharted territory, and who knows where it may lead?2:10

Shamsi hits back at ‘ridiculous’ critics

Those who ascribe sentiment to superstition will look at things like the fact that Aiden Markram captained the South Africa men’s Under-19 side to the World Cup win ten years ago – which was also the last time South Africa made a T20 World Cup semi-final – and see some element of destiny in the fact that it’s Markram again. Others will view the win over Netherlands after two losses to them in the last two global tournaments as the sign that things will change. Or that the rain delay that lasted 75 minutes in what was a virtual quarter-final against West Indies earlier this week was a case of weather gods aligning on South Africa’s side.All that adds to the flavour and folklore of our sport, but none of it is fact.What is, is that South Africa have done things their own way this time. From coach Rob Walter selecting a squad by himself – his prerogative as the only selector – to Markram making left-field decisions that surprised even Walter.Walter has walked a tightrope, between angering politicians with a squad that only included one black African player and embarrassing his employers by forcing them to admit transformation had not worked as hoped, and trusting his gut. Essentially, all of that was down to one decision: the inclusion of Anrich Nortje ahead of Lungi Ngidi despite his long absence through injury and expensive returns at the IPL. Walter backed Nortje’s pace and has been proved right, mainly because of Nortje’s ability to change that pace.Aiden Markram is an understated captain off the field and an alpha competitor on it•ICC via Getty ImagesMarkram is an understated captain off the field and an alpha competitor on it. His catches to dismiss Mahmudullah and Harry Brook, both at stages where the game was about to be taken away from South Africa, gave no numerical value on the scoreboard but are worth their weight in wins. And they were no flukes. Markram has been taking stunners all year. In the SA20, Markram has 14 catches, the joint-highest across two tournaments, which includes a one-handed wonder in the qualifier to dismiss JJ Smuts this year.Though he is not scoring the runs he would want, his captaincy has made up for that. His tactics in the West Indies game was one of the best examples of flexible thinking displayed by a South African leader because: he bowled 12 overs of spin (never done before at a T20 World Cup by a South African team), and he did that before he introduced Kagiso Rabada, in the 18th over, the latest Rabada has ever bowled his first over in a T20 game.Those two examples show that Markram is willing to do what South Africans have historically not been able to, and move away from a bull-headed belief in pace despite conditions. Of course, he is only able to do that because of the quality of the spinners at his disposal and, in particular, the reliability of Keshav Maharaj. Though Maharaj doesn’t have South Africa’s best economy rate or their most wickets, it is difficult to think of an XI without him because of his ability to control stages of the game. Maharaj seldom makes the headlines but he is always part of the story and allows the rest of the attack to play around him.If there is an area where South Africa could come undone, it’s in the batting. Their top three have been inconsistent and the middle order has only shown glimpses of the reputation they came into the tournament with. But all that has to be caveated. South Africa played three of their four group matches in New York, where batting was so difficult that Walter is willing to discard those returns when he assesses his players and chooses his semi-final team. Walter said that specifically in reference to the form of Reeza Hendricks, the lowest run-scorer in the top six. Which indicates he will keep his place. “Reeza has been one of the standout T20 batters in our line-up for a while now. And he deserves the opportunity to make a few errors, but still feel trusted in our line-up.”2:02

‘SA’s batters need to take more responsibility’

The turn of phrase is both cute and crucial. T20 cricket is about allowing players the freedom to take risks without constantly being in fear of losing their place. That is not typically the South African way. This is a country where taking a chance, in life and in sport, can have serious consequences. Walter’s challenge has been to create a space for creativity while building a scaffolding of support so his players can try things and sometimes fail while still being part of his plans. So far, he has succeeded. His next challenge is to replicate that in an environment of expectation that has usually suffocated South Africa: a semi-final.What may work for him is that Afghanistan are a team they would have been happy to play if offered the choice. South Africa will see Afghanistan as a less intimidating prospect than Australia, for example. But they will also need to guard against that kind of thinking.Though Afghanistan’s batting may not seem like they can stand up to express pace and bounce, South Africa have done so much work to show that they are about more than that that they shouldn’t fall into the trap of playing to stereotypes. That also means their batting should not be spooked by Afghanistan’s spin. That would be too convenient a way to end a tournament that seems filled with new beginnings. South Africa will have to remind themselves that they have played in a most un-South African of ways and could script perhaps the most un-South African of endings. And that is the kind of plot twist their discerning fans want.

Kraigg Brathwaite targets greater discipline and consistency ahead of two-match home series with South Africa

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Jul-2024You want West Indies to be good at Test cricket? You want them to win matches consistently and not just a one-off Test victory every now and then? Then give them regular opportunities to play more Tests. Otherwise, it is very difficult to expect them to perform when they get to play Test series every six months. That is how West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite put in a nutshell the predicament of his inexperienced Test team and why the visitors lost the Richards-Botham Trophy 3-0 to England.This is the second Test series Brathwaite’s team had played so far this year, having drawn the two-match series in Australia in January. Though several players featured in the domestic four-day West Indies Championship between February and mid-April, only a few had any real experience of English conditions by the time West Indies arrived in July for the Test series. A three-day warm-up match against the ECB’s County Select XI at Beckenham, which was affected by a rain on a slower pitch, was their only preparation ahead of the Lord’s Test.Undercooked and underprepared, that was the general theme that underpinned West Indies’ plight this series. Brathwaite, though, said he was “excited” to look ahead with West Indies playing South Africa in a two-Test home series, which starts in Trinidad from August 7. “I’m very excited that we have two Test matches in a week’s time because we need more cricket,” Brathwaite said at the post-match presentation on Sunday afternoon. “Being in this competitive and this intense international game, when you are playing it more against good players, you will improve. [When Test series are] being spaced six months apart, it’s kind of tough.”Related

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But the counter to Brathwaite came from his team’s head coach, Andre Coley, who believed to get more matches West Indies would need to justify their “case” by winning more. “The Catch-22 is: to get more matches they [West Indies] need to be performing in the matches that you do get for some kind of case to be made about increasing the number of matches,” Coley said afterwards.Coley did, however, point out that West Indies would need better preparation ahead of Test series, especially through a combination of more practice matches to allow his players to get a better understanding of the local conditions. “For the matches that we do have, it’s really an opportunity for us to be the best that we can and then potentially look at how we lead into Test matches, if there’s an opportunity for us to maybe have more [warm-up] matches in that particular environment, if it’s foreign to us, or engage in more bilateral discussions where these things can be facilitated.”However, both captain and coach were on the same page in their immediate review of why West Indies lost to England. While Coley said they could have “competed better”, Brathwaite said West Indies lacked “discipline” in every facet thus restricting them to being “good in phases” but not for long stretches of a game.”[Our] discipline altogether wasn’t good,” Brathwaite said. The blame lay with both batters and bowlers, he said.After the second day’s play at Lord’s, Jayden Seales, who won the West Indies Player-of-the-Series award with 13 wickets, said it was “frustrating to look at the scoreboard” because his batters had failed in both innings which eventually cost them the first Test. Though the batters came good at Trent Bridge in the second Test, with Kavem Hodge scoring his maiden century, Brathwaite blamed the bowlers for not being “as good” as they were “supposed to be” in the first innings and the team for fluffing catches.

“It’s about having within this squad a certain level of bravery to be able to stand up to that [extreme pace] and expect that this is the level of cricket that you are at, but at the same time, it’s not beyond you”Andre Coley on his players’ battles against Mark Wood

At Edgbaston, West Indies’ bowlers failed to create any sustained pressure after reducing England to 54 for 5, allowing them to post 376 in their first innings. While there were some good spells, there never seemed any structured plan to dominate or restrict the England batters. By the time Mark Wood and Ben Stokes combined to pull the guillotine, West Indies were defeated in mind and body language, in front of a cheering full house.Why did the bowlers fail to impose themselves? “Really and truly we weren’t as consistent as you need to be,” Brathwaite said. “If you look back, the guys [England batters] scored a lot of runs square of the wicket. You want to be hitting top of off stump. We didn’t hit that area long enough. You had some decent pitches in the second and third Tests and if you have a good pitch you pretty much are going to score on both sides.”It wouldn’t always be easy to control it and obviously when you are playing against good batsmen, you give them momentum. So one thing you have got to do is get back to where we were in Australia: you look at the percentages and where we pitched the ball there – consistently on that top of off stump. We weren’t there consistently throughout this series and that put a lot of pressure on controlling the run rate.”Coley, too, agreed, saying that after picking up three wickets on the first evening, if England were bowled out under 300, West Indies could have had “some kind of lead” but it was “definitely a missed opportunity”.Mikyle Louis raised his maiden Test fifty•Getty Images”There’s history around the series,” he said. “The fact that we had the trophy and now pretty much turned it over with a young emerging side, there would’ve been a lot said about this being a walkover. Obviously, we should have competed better, but we did show a lot of fight during the series.”West Indies, Coley pointed out, were not exactly going home empty handed. There were some takeaways and as an example he presented the case of Mikyle Louis, who became the first player from St Kitts and Nevis to play Tests for West Indies, making his debut at Lord’s and completing his Test initiation with a maiden fifty at Edgbaston, having faced among the fastest spells of extreme pace bowling from Wood at Trent Bridge first and then again in the third Test.Coley said that Louis, 23, was brave, but importantly the England experience would teach him a lot. “I can remember having a conversation with Louis about Mark Wood, about playing back home first-class cricket where potentially maybe 10, 20 people in the stands [watching] versus 20,000 people in the stands [in England] and then the uproar when the bowler comes in. So definitely, it is a steep learning curve for him and the other battles.”That’s the game. You keep learning. There were instances as you would’ve seen or able to recall in the second Test or even here where we really stood up to that and played pretty well. So it’s really about replicating that and having, for me, within this squad a certain level of bravery to be able to stand up to that and expect that this is the level of cricket that you are at, but at the same time, it’s not beyond you. Just being positive and having as much common sense as possible.”