Deandra Dottin proves she's still 'WoR£d B¤$$'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

She’s changed her Twitter handle, but her World Cup heroics might warrant a reversion to the old one

Annesha Ghosh14-Mar-20220:46

Walsh says Deandra Dottin ‘did everything she could to stay on the field’

Until not so long ago, Deandra Dottin’s Twitter name was “WoR£d B¤$$”. The inspiration behind the name was another tattooed, dreadlocked dispenser of misery feared by every opposition, “Universe Boss” Chris Gayle, whom Dottin has long admired.The essence of “WoR£d B¤$$” was perfectly in sync with what Dottin has long done on a cricket field: own it like it’s her private property. Her current Twitter name – her name – may not be as fun or audacious, but she’s still every bit both on the field. Three games into West Indies’ World Cup campaign, Dottin has left a crater-sized imprint on the tournament.Related

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In the tournament-opener against New Zealand, she forced a last-minute change in West Indies’ bowling plans and forced herself into the centre of their successful defence of five runs off the last six balls. Dottin had only bowled 11 overs in international cricket over the three previous years, and none in training heading into the game; she capped the match off with 1W1WW. It was equal parts heroic and preposterous.”She believes that she could win the game even when it’s almost impossible,” says West Indies head coach Courtney Walsh. “She’s a very confident individual within herself and even if she has a bad game, she doesn’t show it, but she backs herself all the time.”The New Zealand cliffhanger wasn’t the first time Dottin had dealt a final, fatal blow with the ball in a World Cup game. In the 2016 T20 World Cup final, the crowning glory of West Indies Women’s cricket history, she bowled a double-wicket, one-run 20th over to help restrict defending champions Australia to 148 for 5. The target eventually proved inadequate and, fittingly, it was Dottin who finished the game with an unbeaten 18 off 12.Dottin’s background in athletics has helped her become one of the world’s best fielders•Getty ImagesDottin’s big-hitting chops have long enjoyed greater renown than her skiddy medium-pace. Her maiden international century was the fastest in all T20Is, women’s or men’s, for over seven years until South Africa’s David Miller bettered her 38-ball effort by three balls in 2017. In the women’s game, Dottin’s record still stands.At this World Cup, Dottin’s striking skills have been on full view. During West Indies’ eventually botched chase of 318 on Saturday, Dottin’s 46-ball 62 and her blistering opening stand with Hayley Matthews gave India “a little bit of a heart attack in the first 10 overs,” in the words of their opener Smriti Mandhana.Dottin had brought out her best with the bat when she was braving recurring back and leg niggles. Her ability to absorb pressure and pain has impressed Walsh, West Indies’ highest wicket-taker in Tests, ever since he began working with the women’s team in late 2019. “She’s fully committed to do whatever she can in the team, she believes in herself and backs herself, which is very, very good,” he says.Then he gives Dottin the ultimate compliment, seeing echoes in her “never-say-die attitude [and] her self-belief” of one of his most celebrated team-mates. “Viv Richards was something like that in the dressing room [or] when he was out in the field, you know he was going to give his 100%. And that’s all you can ask for,” Walsh says. “She reminds me of him a little bit.”For someone so good at – and passionate about – the sport, Dottin has admitted she was “never really a cricket fan” when she started out. It was only because life as a dual athlete demanded more out of her than she could give in her mid-teens that she chose cricket over athletics despite having excelled at short-distance running, javelin, discus, shot-put in her early teens.The strong grounding in track and field, and her natural athletic gifts, however, went on to aid her evolution into a top-drawer all-round cricketing package, sought after in leagues all over the world. To an already jam-packed gallery of breathtaking fielding efforts, one of which even landed her in hospital straight out of a WBBL game in December 2016, she added another last week.”I think I had the best seat in the house to see that,” says Anisa Mohammed, the West Indies vice-captain, about Dottin’s one-handed catch of Lauren Winfield-Hill against England which the former West Indies fast bowler and broadcaster Ian Bishop described as “a catch and a half.” Completed mid-air at full stretch with her non-dominant left hand, the grab gave West Indies their first opening in their second successive successful defence at the World Cup.Dottin’s 46-ball 62 gave India “a little bit of a heart attack”, in the words of Smriti Mandhana•ICC via Getty Images”I think Deandra is one of those persons – she sets a very high standard for herself and in whatever aspect of the game she plays,” says Mohammed. “And to see her come out and execute, I think that was a crucial moment in the game. Deandra is a game-changer whether she’s with bat, ball or in the field. And I think it was a spectacular catch, and I know that we would continue to get more from Deandra.”Dottin’s long-time team-mate Shakera Selman calls her “a typical allrounder, who is going to do well regardless of whatever pressure we’re on or whatever pressure she’s under.” She adds that Dottin has “grown tremendously as a leader,” through her vice-captaincy stints in the recent past, “always offering suggestions to all the youngsters – even to the senior players when we’re trying to make crucial decisions.”Walsh has a similar take on Dottin’s growth. He calls her a “dream” multifaceted cricketer who has only got better and hungrier since suffering a career-threatening shoulder injury in early 2019, which grounded her for months, and put her on the brink of quitting the game and into the depths of depression.”She has come back in a lot hungrier after the injury,” Walsh says. “What I’ve seen is she’s a dream [for] a coach to find, have in a team, to perform, to what she can do because she can set the game up for you from the get-go. And if she performs the way that she can, she [would] help us win more games than we lose.”Perhaps a reversion to “WoR£d B¤$$” is warranted on Dottin’s part.

Deepak Hooda shows his range in India top-order audition

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

A journeyman cricketer, he found his big stage and delivered a Player-of-the-Series showing in Ireland

Deivarayan Muthu29-Jun-20221:47

Hooda – ‘I try to stay in the moment and play the situation’

When India captain Hardik Pandya announced that Sanju Samson was picked in the XI in the niggle-enforced absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Malahide crowd erupted with cheers and hooting. While Samson went on to mark his comeback with his first T20I half-century, it was Deepak Hooda, who truly stole the show with a spectacular 57-ball 104.On Sunday, Hooda had shown glimpses of his range, when he hit an unbeaten 47 off 29 balls to drive India’s pursuit of 109 in a rain-hit 12-over shootout. Two days later, on a sunnier afternoon, Hooda unveiled his full range en route to becoming India men’s fourth T20I centurion behind Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.Related

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The conditions on Tuesday didn’t offer as much seam or swing as it did on Sunday, but the bounce was truer. When Ishan Kishan dashed out of the crease to Mark Adair, the seamer dug it in and had him nicking behind. Five balls later, Adair banged a proper bouncer and angled it into Hooda’s front shoulder. It would’ve cramped most batters, but Hooda swiftly got into position – shuffling across off and getting inside the line – and unleashed a rasping hook over the square-leg boundary.It should’ve been a portent but Ireland’s attack didn’t read the signs. Every time they bowled short, Hooda ruthlessly put them away. According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, Hooda walloped 37 runs off 13 short or short of a good-length deliveries.Deepak Hooda became India men’s fourth T20I centurion•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhen Ireland pitched it up, Hooda was quickly onto the front foot to busily drive them straight or through his favourite extra-cover region. He then began to manufacture his own lengths by advancing at seamers as well as spinners. A down-the-track Kevin Pietersen-esque cut brought him a 27-ball half-century in the 10th over.Hooda rumbled through the sixties, seventies and eighties, and then slowed down when he was approaching a first international hundred. He needed ten balls to move from 91 to 100, which was the only blip in his innings.When Hooda ultimately reached a century, off 55 balls, he looked skywards, blew a kiss and soaked in the applause from the Malahide crowd and the Indian dugout. The celebration suggested more relief than jubilation.Having made his T20 debut in 2013, Hooda has had to wait very long for his moment. He is a journeyman. Hooda’s roots are in Haryana, but he grew up in Delhi and Baroda because of his father’s job in the Indian Air Force. Hooda could have opted to play for Services in Indian domestic cricket, but chose to make Baroda his home. Ahead of the 2021-22 Indian domestic season, however, he moved to Rajasthan after a spat with Krunal Pandya.At the IPL, he has been part of Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, largely as a middle-order batter. It was during his most recent stint with Super Giants that Hooda showed that he had the game and gears to bat in the top order too.Hooda batted four times at No. 3 in IPL 2022, scoring 154 runs at an average of 38.50 and strike rate of just under 134. A fit-again Suryakumar Yadav was widely expected to slot in at No. 3 in Ireland, but India’s team management decided to give Hooda a chance at that position and he seized it in both outings.After Hooda ushered India home in the first match, his mentor and idol Irfan Pathan tweeted: “Dabang @HoodaOnFire has been a revelation in the last one year or so. He has batted at number 1,3,4,5,6 in the last year or so & batted in style [sic].”Hooda enhanced his reputation in the second T20I and although he hasn’t bowled in his last 15 T20s, his quickish offspin is certainly an option against left-hander heavy batting line-ups. On his T20I debut, against Sri Lanka in Lucknow in February this year, he pinned down Charith Asalanka, who is otherwise strong against spin, to nine off eight balls. Shreyas Iyer aside, Hooda is perhaps the only batter among India’s T20 World Cup probables who can pitch in with the ball.”I like playing in that [aggressive] manner and according to the situation,” Hooda said at the post-match presentation after bagging the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. “Nowadays, I’m getting [the chance] to bat up the order, so I have my time and [I’m] batting according to the situation.”In India’s previous T20I series against South Africa, at home, Dinesh Karthik strengthened his case for a T20 World Cup spot, with his sensational finishing skills. In Ireland, it was Hooda’s turn to do so, with top-order salvos.

CWG 2022 – India are medal contenders, but the gold seems reserved for Australia

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

History is against Pakistan, but they would hope to change that, while Barbados are unknowns at this level

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2022

Australia

Overview
Though in a bit of a transitional phase off the field after losing head coach Matthew Mott to the England men’s white-ball set-up, Australia retain an imposing squad, which has made them world-beaters for years. Two T20 World Cup titles, two Ashes series victories, and an ODI World Cup crown in the past four years, and you can bet they are hell-bent on adding the inaugural women’s Commonwealth Games gold medal to that trophy cabinet. Their depth is breath-taking, as illustrated by the fact that a player of Ellyse Perry’s calibre has for some time now been outside their first-choice T20I side.Squad
Meg Lanning (capt), Rachael Haynes, Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade WellingtonRelated

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Recent form
Rain-affected T20s during the Ashes series at the start of the year and more recently against Ireland and Pakistan don’t provide the best gauge, but Australia were most convincing in the matches that were completed. Their run to the T20 World Cup title two-and-a-half years ago wasn’t quite as rampant as their ODI triumph at the start of this year, but they’re favourites for very good reason.Player to watch
Tahlia McGrath stunned England with 91 not out, batting for just the third time in T20Is during their Ashes series opener. It was one of those moments when England thought they had done pretty well reaching 169 for 4 only to discover Australia had yet another trick up their sleeves and McGrath led them to a thumping nine-wicket victory. She has batted four times in the format now and been named Player of the Match in each one, most recently for her 70 off 45 balls against Ireland last week. She shared a record third-wicket stand for Australia of 135 with Meg Lanning and finally has a T20 batting average – 247.00 – after being dismissed in that match.There are few better all-round athletes in world cricket than Deandra Dottin•ICC via Getty Images

Barbados

Overview
Barbados will be making their international debut at the Commonwealth Games, as the representative country for the West Indian islands. As a multi-nation team is unable to compete at the Games, CWI intended to use the 2021 T20 Blaze as a qualification tournament to decide which nation would compete on their behalf. When the tournament was cancelled because of Covid-19, Barbados were chosen, having won the most recent competition in 2019.While it is the first time we’ll be seeing Barbados compete at the global stage, they aren’t short of experience among their squad. Seven of their 15-member squad have played international cricket, with six of them part of the West Indies squad that won the T20 World Cup in 2016. They will be led by Hayley Matthews, the 24-year-old allrounder who has been announced as Stafanie Taylor’s successor as West Indies captain.Squad
Hayley Matthews* (capt), Aaliyah Alleyne*, Shanika Bruce, Shai Carrington, Shaunte Carrington, Shamilia Connell*, Deandra Dottin*, Keila Elliott, Trishan Holder, Kycia Knight*, Kyshona Knight*, Alisa Scantlebury, Shakera Selman*, Tiffany Thorpe, Aaliyah Williams* Capped by West IndiesRecent form
Domestic T20s (most recent first): LWWWW
Barbados have had a strong domestic season, lifting the Super50 Cup unbeaten, while they narrowly missed out on the 2022 T20 Blaze title to Jamaica on net run-rate. Matthews topped the run charts in both tournaments, while medium-pace bowler Shanika Bruce was the leading wicket-taker in the Blaze.Player to watch
It’s hard to look past Deandra Dottin. She was the first woman to score a T20I century, she has the best T20 bowling figures for West Indies – 5 for 5 against Bangladesh at the 2018 T20 World Cup – and to top it off, she’s one of the standout fielders in the game. A natural athlete, in an alternate timeline, Dottin could have been at these games competing in another discipline – she was a junior Caribbean champion in the shot put, discus and javelin. Instead, Barbados will be grateful for her explosive presence at the top of their batting order and her readiness to put her hand up to bowl the big overs when the pressure is on. If Barbados are to spring a surprise at Birmingham 2022, Dottin’s ability to change a game single-handedly will be key.Yastika Bhatia’s emergence at No. 3 has been hugely beneficial for India•Fiona Goodall/ICC/Getty Images

India

Overview
The towering presence of two legends – Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami – may no longer be there, but the shadow of Covid-19 is clearly still there. India are effectively a squad of 13 at the moment, and it is likely to remain that way at least for the first two group games.Missing are S Meghana, the top-order batter, and premier allrounder Pooja Vastrakar, who offers fearless and clean ball-striking in the lower order apart from bowling nippy seam-ups.In a big change, though, Harmanpreet Kaur knows she is the leader, and India don’t have to switch captains as they move between formats, like they did until the 2022 World Cup when Raj was still an active player. This is Harmanpreet’s team, and the core group of Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma all have vital roles to play if India are to challenge for a medal. Gold may be tricky – Australia, remember? – but a young team, hardened by heartbreaks of the past, are determined to carve an identity. Birmingham is another opportunity.Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, S. Meghana, Taniya Sapna Bhatia, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana
Recent form
India are coming off a successful tour of Sri Lanka, where they won the ODIs (3-0) and T20Is (2-1). Rodrigues returning to form in the T20Is after a rough year – she had been dropped from the World Cup squad – was a positive, as was the transformation of Shafali Verma, who is showing signs of being more than just a feared ball-striker; she is on the way to becoming an all-round batter who can temper her game based on the conditions and the team’s needs.Player to watch
Yastika Bhatia has emerged as a vital piece in the team’s jigsaw. Her ability to hit big wasn’t in doubt, but lately, she has learnt to marry that with consistency. Her presence could take some pressure off Harmanpreet in the middle order. Yastika has also been groomed as a wicketkeeper, which also gives the flexibility of playing an extra batter or bowler based on conditions.Tuba Hassan has made an excellent start to her international career•PCB

Pakistan

Overview
Pakistan do not have a good history at major tournaments and have only won three out of 30 50-over World Cup matches [including a losing streak of 18 games] and seven out of 28 T20 World Cup games. They will hope the Commonwealth Games starts changing that. Theirs is a tough group, which includes Australia and India, a match that is set to be a sellout and could also play a major role in whether they advance to the knockouts. With Australia’s dominance in the women’s game, the Pakistan vs India match could effectively be a quarter-final, and history is not on Pakistan’s side. They have only won two out of the 11 matches they have played against India and none of the last nine. Bismah Mahroof’s baby daughter Fatima and her mother have been allowed to stay in the athlete’s village so expect more cuteness as the tournament plays out.Squad

Bismah Maroof (capt), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gul Feroza, Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Tuba Hassan

Recent form
Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in a T20I series in Karachi in May before rain severely affected their triangular series against Ireland and Australia. Their two matches ended up being washed out and Pakistan were 56 for 6 in one and had scored 94 for 8 while Australia were 28 without loss in reply in the other, and the only result they recorded was over Ireland in a match reduced to 14 overs a side.Player to watch
Legspinner Tuba Hassan made her debut in the Sri Lanka series and was Pakistan’s leading bowler with five wickets in the series at 8.80. That earned her the ICC’s Player-of-the-Month award in May. She was also recently centrally contracted by the PCB and has a lively social media presence.

Roy has team's backing, but he is no longer indispensable

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

With Phil Salt in the wings, Roy’s vulnerability upfront could threaten his place

Matt Roller29-Jul-2022Five innings, 80 balls, 59 runs. Jason Roy has had a grim summer for England in T20Is and his form is becoming difficult for them to ignore.On Thursday night in Cardiff, he made a torturous 20 off 22 balls while chasing 208 – an innings that damaged England’s chances more than a first-ball duck – before lofting Tabraiz Shamsi to long-off, then beginning a slow trudge back to the dressing room that has become an all-too-familiar sight in the month since his unbeaten hundred in the final Netherlands ODI.Roy has not lacked attacking intent this summer but has struggled badly against the swinging new ball. ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data gives him a ‘control percentage’ of just 58.8, meaning he has played a false shot every 2.4 balls. His job is to play ultra-attacking shots and get England off to a fast start but it is a volatile role: when batters rely heavily on boundaries, their returns diminish alarmingly if the boundaries dry up.Related

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He has endured some difficult moments over the last two-and-a-half years. He did not enjoy the demands of touring life during the pandemic: even more so than most, Roy’s personality does not lend itself to spending days on end confined to a hotel room. Earlier this year, he pulled out of his Gujarat Titans contract ahead of the IPL to spend two months with his family after struggling off the pitch at the PSL.”Things mentally weren’t right with me at the PSL,” he said last month. “I was in a weird place because I was playing good cricket but I wasn’t enjoying myself. I wasn’t happy and it was just a dark time.” Details of a mysterious fine and suspended ban for undisclosed misconduct have still not emerged publicly, though he stressed that it has “not been spoken about” in the dressing room.Jos Buttler, his captain and opening partner, was quick to leap to Roy’s defence in Cardiff. “Every batter in the world goes through periods where you don’t hit the ball as sweetly as you would like to,” he said. “T20 cricket is a bit brutal in that way: it demands that you keep continuing to take risks and keep being brave.”That’s the job for Jason: he’s such an imposing figure and teams are scared to bowl at him. [We’ll] remind him of all the good things he’s done and tell him to trust himself even more.” Chris Jordan, his Surrey captain, went even further. “We back him 250%,” he said. “Don’t be surprised if he comes good on Sunday.”That level of support for Roy is no surprise and England will continue to back him for the foreseeable future. Since 2015, England have been hugely reluctant to drop batters from their first-choice side, reasoning that asking them to play in an ultra-attacking manner lends itself to quiet runs of form and that leaving players out, as a result, risks undermining the overriding message to be positive above anything else.Jason Roy’s strength against the back-of-length pace bowling can thrive in Australian conditions during the T20 World Cup•ICC via GettyRoy will have a number of opportunities to prove his form ahead of the World Cup. He will almost certainly keep his place on Sunday and then play eight games for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred leading into a seven-match T20I series in Pakistan and a further three matches in Australia before the main event starts on October 22.But counterintuitively, his resounding success as an attacking opener has created a position where he is no longer indispensable in the way he once was. A generation of opening batters have emulated his style in county cricket and on the franchise circuit, epitomised by Phil Salt who has run the drinks in this series after having been used out of position in his four T20I caps to date.Salt will spend August opening the batting alongisde Buttler for Manchester Originals, an ideal opportunity for him to show England’s captain that he is ready to make the step up. There are other options, too: Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes would all jump at the chance to open the batting; James Vince’s consistency in the BBL suggests he is an ideal fit for Australian conditions; any number of young players could mount a case with a standout season in the Hundred.And yet Roy still has plenty in his favour. While his record in Australia does not show it, he remains one of England’s best players against the sort of back-of-a-length pace bowling that can be expected to thrive in the World Cup. He has always been a selfless player, evidenced by his attempts to swing himself back into form rather than play within himself and prioritise his own runs ahead of the team’s cause.He has been around for a long time but only turned 32 last week: unless he peaked unusually early, there is every chance that he could be part of England’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup and beyond. Even if this proves to be the beginning of the end, his legacy is secure after his contribution to their 50-over transformation between 2015 and 2019.Roy has come back from poor form before, most notably after he was left out for the semi-final of the 2017 Champions Trophy, but there is a fine line between trust and blind faith. Now, he needs to show England that they have stayed on the right side of it.

Ugly is beautiful for Dwaine Pretorius the batter as he gets going, one tick at a time

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The allrounder’s quick runs from No. 3 in the first T20I was no surprise – he’s done it before, after all

Deivarayan Muthu11-Jun-20220:45

van der Dussen: Dwaine is probably one of the hardest hitters

At the IPL, which he described as part of his “bucket list”, Dwaine Pretorius got the opportunity to work with Chennai Super Kings batting coach Mike Hussey, who has had a strong influence on his approach.When Pretorius asked Hussey what made him tick, the former Australia batter said that he used to make notes of the things that worked for him over a period of time and repeat those at the crease. Pretorius took a leaf out of Hussey’s playbook at the IPL and made his own list of five points, on his personal website, that were “very important” for him while batting.

  • I believe whenever my body language is good and my energy is up and my mind is alert. Then that is when I play my best cricket so the first one as I’m walking out onto the field is to charge out for like five or six meters, have good intensity, run, lift my legs up, or whatever it is that makes me tick on the day but just get my energy up and I’m saying go let’s go.
  • The second one is the method, what am I going to do now in the next 3 balls? Take my time or am I going to play? What is my method? What am I thinking? Yeah, and then after that I have decided my method.
  • I get clarity on what type of shots I’m looking to play. Am I looking to go aerial? Am I looking to just defend it? Am I looking to get through the next three balls or am I looking to explode in the next three balls? This creates a lot of clarity for me.
  • Next, my fourth thing that I really make sure that I remember is a very important thing for myself and that is when I’m triggering I need to trigger quite early. So for me, the word that I think of is Get ready.
  • The last one is to watch the ball onto the bat or make good contact with the ball. That is the last thing that I would tell myself as the bowler is running in to make good contact.

Bumped up to bat at No. 3 in a steep chase of 212 against India in Delhi on Thursday, Pretorius ticked most of those points while clattering a 13-ball 29, which set the scene for South Africa’s highest successful T20I chase. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, which adds context to every performance, Pretorius’ knock was worth 38 runs.Related

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In the Covid-19-enforced absence of Aiden Markram, South Africa had promoted Pretorius as a pinch-hitter after they lost Temba Bavuma in the third over. What stood out from the get-go was the third point: clarity. Pretorius scythed his second ball, from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, for four and then he unsettled India’s premier spinner Yuzvendra Chahal by slog-sweeping his second ball over midwicket for six.India turned to Hardik Pandya, fresh off a sensational spell for Gujarat Titans in the IPL final. Hardik’s first ball burst from a short of a length and whizzed past the shoulder of Pretorius’ swinging bat. Some balls were zipping through like that while others didn’t come on to the bat on a tricky track, but that didn’t cloud Pretorius’ clarity of thought.Despite the presence of deep square-leg and long leg, Pretorius launched three leg-side sixes in four balls, taking South Africa up to 60 for 1 in five overs. When Pretorius tried to maximise the last over of the powerplay, Harshal Patel castled him with a signature slower dipper. Pretorius had done his job, though, as David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen launched from the platform he had laid.Pretorius’ promotion shouldn’t have come as a surprise to the South African audience. After all, his highest T20 score of 77 not out came from No. 3, against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers in 2019. In the Mzansi Super League final the same year, he marked his return from a hand injury with a 21-ball 43 in a similar pinch-hitting No. 3 role, helping Paarl Rocks secure the title.ESPNcricinfo Ltdvan der Dussen, Pretorius’ former team-mate at Lions and Jozi Stars, certainly wasn’t surprised with what he saw. “I think Dwaine is probably one of the guys in world cricket that hits the hardest, if you look at his domestic and international stats,” he said at the post-match press conference. “No. 3 is a position that he has been successful at before and the thing tonight [was] he had clear instruction to go in and put the bowlers under pressure.”A total of that nature you sort of know you have to go hard for 20 overs. And we know when Dwaine gets it right it’s really, really tough to bowl to him because he’s just so powerful. He played brilliantly and got out to a really good ball from Harshal, but I think he will take a lot of confidence from that and going into the series, I think he’s definitely going to put the bowlers under pressure.”With Markram still recovering from illness and young Tristan Stubbs just working his way into international cricket, Pretorius will have greater responsibility with the bat in a thin line-up during this series in India.At the T20 World Cup last year in the UAE, Pretorius had called bowling at the death as an “ugly job”. Similarly, you don’t have to look pretty while batting in the powerplay. If Pretorius can keep doing that job – with bat and ball – and keep ticking things off that list, it will give South Africa a leg-up, in the lead-up to another World Cup.

Mandhana, Rodrigues, Deepti – the Indians to watch in the Hundred

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

A week after winning silver at the Commonwealth Games, three Indians are all set to feature in the Hundred

S Sudarshanan10-Aug-20221:27

Rodrigues: The Hundred has been a blessing in my life

Eight days after winning the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma will square off against each other during the women’s Hundred. The tournament runs from August 11 to September 3 in the UK, and will serve as good preparation for India’s limited-overs tour of England, which begins on September 10.While the inaugural season of the Hundred featured five Indians, that number is down to three this year.Jemimah Rodrigues
Rodrigues was among the first overseas players to commit to the second season of the Hundred, and she will play for Northern Superchargers once again. She was their top-scorer last year – 249 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 151 – and she finished only 10 short of the leading run-getter of the tournament.Rodrigues, 21, comes into the competition in rich form. After a tough start to the year – she was dropped from India’s squad for the ODI World Cup in New Zealand – Rodrigues made a comeback to the national team for the tour of Sri Lanka on the back of strong performances in domestic competitions. She displayed an attacking side to her game, striking at 167.58 in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and at almost 140 in the Women’s T20 Challenge. Rodrigues scored 146 runs in the Commonwealth Games and finished fifth among the top-scorers of the tournament, despite suffering a wrist injury in the latter stages of the tournament.While Rodrigues has batted at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 upon her return to India’s T20I side, her role with Superchargers could be at the top of the order – the same as last year, when she had opened with her captain Lauren Winfield-Hill and used the 25-ball powerplay to good effect. However, with Winfield-Hill moving to defending champions Oval Invincibles, Rodrigues could open with Aussie batter Alyssa Healy this season.Smriti Mandhana returns for Southern Brave•Getty ImagesSmriti Mandhana
Mandhana returns to Southern Brave for a second consecutive season, after scoring 167 runs at a strike rate of 133.60 last year. She had missed Brave’s last league game and the final last year because of international commitments and her team ended up losing the final.This season, Mandhana comes to the Hundred having just broken her own record for India’s fastest T20I fifty – off 23 balls against England in the Commonwealth Games semi-final – and is likely to open the innings with England’s Danni Wyatt. Mandhana’s 159 runs in the Games came at a strike rate of 151.42. She has also had success in Australia’s WBBL, where she topped the run charts for Sydney Thunder last season.Mandhana will have Australia’s Tahlia McGrath, Molly Strano and Amanda-Jade Wellington for company as overseas players this season. In T20Is in England, Mandhana has a strike rate of over 147, which is her best among all countries she has played in. The Hundred is a chance for the India opener to rake up runs – and confidence – ahead of India’s tour of England next month.Deepti Sharma picked up the most wickets for London Spirit last year•Getty ImagesDeepti Sharma
Offspinner Deepti was the highest wicket-taker for her team – London Spirit – in the Hundred last year, and had an economy rate of less than a run a ball. She also contributed 77 runs at a strike rate of 113 in the middle order.This season, Deepti will turn out for Birmingham Phoenix – the team Shafali Verma played for last year – and add variety to their spin attack, which also includes Scotland legspinner Abtaha Maqsood and Australia’s Sophie Molineux. Phoenix will play three of their six league games at Edgbaston, the venue of the Commonwealth Games, and Deepti had an economy rate of 5.58 – the fifth best – in that tournament despite bowling in the powerplay and death.

Aayan Khan – UAE's teenage record-breaker

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

The 16-year old broke Mohammad Amir’s record to become the youngest to play at a men’s T20 World Cup

Shashank Kishore16-Oct-20221:25

CP Rizwan: ‘Really hard to score boundaries in Geelong’

When Aayan Khan was named in UAE’s starting XI against Netherlands in Geelong, the Goa-born teenager broke Mohammad Amir’s record and became the youngest to play in the men’s T20 World Cup. He was just 16-years-and-335-days old.It wasn’t the perfect debut Aayan may have hoped for, but one that he and the UAE team will learn a lot from, especially after giving Netherlands a huge scare during their chase of 112.Aayan is primarily a batting allrounder, but the presence of more established players pushed him down to No. 8. When he eventually took strike with nine balls to go, he had to give a stumbling innings some impetus; UAE had slipped from 91 for 2 to 104 for 6. Aayan managed five off seven balls and was dismissed off the penultimate delivery of the innings, trying to back away and carve one over extra cover.With the ball, he delivered one over in the powerplay, largely holding his own with some thrifty wicket-to-wicket left-arm spin, barring one full toss that was swept to the square-leg boundary by Max O’Dowd. His dismissal of Colin Ackermann in his third over, when he induced a top edge to deep square leg, triggered a bit of panic in the Dutch camp. Aayan finished with figures of 3-0-15-1.It was only Aayan’s third T20I, having made his debut during Bangladesh’s tour of the UAE in September this year. And CP Rizwan, his captain, believes Aayan can go a long way.”He has a good head on his shoulders and reads the game really well,” Rizwan said at the post-match press conference. “To be able to execute his skills in a World Cup game, I thought he bowled reasonably well. I’m sure there’s a big future for him.”Aayan Khan hit 93, and was the Player of the Match against West Indies in this year’s Under-19 World Cup•Ashley Allen/ICC/Getty ImagesAayan had moved to the UAE at the age of two in 2007. He idolises Hardik Pandya, and was inspired to play cricket when he watched India lift the 2011 World Cup. From taking throwdowns from his father Afzal, who played club cricket in Goa before migrating to the UAE to work at a bank, Aayan took baby steps at a more formal coaching set up in 2012. His rise has been swift since.Aayan writes and throws with his right hand but bowls with his left because his father had wanted him to bowl like Irfan Pathan. Aayan wasn’t the tallest in his group, and so his coaches at Desert Cub worked on turning him into a spinner by showing him videos of Ravindra Jadeja.As a ten-year old, he played at the Under-16 level, and graduated to club cricket and A division – the highest grade below the national team – at the age of 14. Since then, Aayan has been scoring big runs for Sharjah Fujairah Pacific Gymkhana. Earlier this year, he played a starring role by hitting 93 and being the Player of the Match in UAE’s upset of West Indies at the Under-19 World Cup in the Caribbean, where they won the plate final.Aayan’s career has seen a surge in the last six months. In August, he was called up as part of UAE’s reserves for the Asia Cup qualifiers in Oman. After UAE failed to make it to the main tournament, the selectors’ search for a young allrounder led to Aayan getting a chance when Bangladesh toured the UAE for two T20Is.Aayan scored 25 off 17 balls on debut to keep UAE in the chase until he was the ninth batter dismissed. They eventually fell short by seven runs.The inaugural ILT20 – a six-team franchise competition – in the UAE this January also brings with it several possibilities, not least the chance to impress IPL owners and scouts. Now, while he is also lugging his school textbooks around Australia, Aayan could have two more opportunities against Sri Lanka and Namibia to show the world what he can do.

David Warner: a giant among openers, among the best Test batters at his peak

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Stats show Warner will remain one of the best openers to have played for Australia, and perhaps the best opener of his era

Shiva Jayaraman24-Dec-2022Eleven years since making his debut in Tests after playing just 11 first-class matches, David Warner is all set to be only the 14th player – and the third opener – to play 100 Tests for Australia. So far, Warner has 7922 runs at an average of 45.52 and a strike rate of 71.20. He is seventh on the list of openers with most runs in Tests, and has 24 hundreds – the second-most by any opener for Australia.Only four other Test openers have more centuries than Warner. Among the 118 batters with at least 3000 Test runs since 1992, Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist are the only ones to have scored faster than Warner.The best at a tough gig
Playing through an era that has largely been difficult for openers, Warner has been the most prolific of them. As opener – where he has played 179 of his 182 innings so far – Warner has 7883 runs at an average of 46.10, over a 1000 runs more than the second on this list. Since his debut, only 11 openers have lasted long enough to score at least 2000 Test runs. Among them, Warner’s average of 46.10 is easily the best.Also since Warner started in Tests, the next best opener is Alastair Cook, who scored 6555 runs at an average of 41.75. Warner’s 24 hundreds since then are ten more than the next most among openers. In fact, since his debut, openers from New Zealand (20) and West Indies (16) have collectively hit fewer Test hundreds than Warner.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe other Australia openers to partner Warner over the years have a combined tally of 16 Test hundreds. No one has more than five centuries among them. Before his current opening partner Usman Khawaja, Warner had opened with 14 different batters for Australia in Tests. Barring Khawaja, who has scored 1325 runs at an average of 69.73 in 24 innings as opener, no one has managed to average better than Warner as opener. Since his debut, Australia’s openers have a combined average that is almost ten runs less than Warner’s 46.09 as an opening batter.

Fab four, or five?
In under a couple of years after his debut, Warner entered a phase in his career when he wasn’t just the best opener at the Test level, but was also among the top batters. Starting with the 2013-14 Ashes and ending with the home season in 2015-16, Warner scored 3066 runs at an average of 62.60 and made those runs at a strike rate of 81.50 in 27 Tests. No batter scored more runs in Tests than Warner during this time.Among 76 batters to have played at least 20 innings in that period, Warner’s average of 62.57 was the fourth-best, only behind Kane Williamson, Steven Smith and Angelo Mathews, who was ahead of Warner by the smallest of fractions.Warner’s best in Test cricket started with his hundred in the second innings of the Gabba Test in the 2013-14 Ashes. In his next 49 innings, Warner added another 12 centuries to his kitty. He was as prolific as Smith and Virat Kohli during their own best streak of 50 innings. Barring them, none of the currently-active Test batters have scored 13 hundreds over 50 innings.During that time, Warner accumulated 3017 runs at an average 62.90. Apart from Warner, only four batters with active Test careers scored 3000 or more runs over 50 successive innings. Three of those are from the famous notional quartet of the Fab Four – Kohli, Smith and Williamson. Marnus Labuschagne’s amazing recent run in Tests puts him also in that elite league. Joe Root scored 2849 runs at an average of 63.10 during his best stretch of 50 Test innings, and just missed out from this list.

However, none of these batters came close to the frenetic pace at which Warner scored his runs. Warner scored those 3017 runs at a staggering strike rate of 80.20. From the above five batters, Kohli came closest to Warner, but he was still slower by 20 runs per 100 balls.In fact, none of his contemporaries has matched the scoring pace that Warner managed during his best years. Among batters with active careers who scored at least 2000 runs in their most prolific 50-innings streak, Rishabh Pant comes closest to Warner with a strike rate of 74.10.Three Ashes tours: one successful, one forgettable
Warner has scored 1883 runs at an average of 39.22 as an opener in the Ashes. Only three other openers from Australia – Mark Taylor, Bill Lawry and Arthur Morris – have scored more runs in the Ashes. Warner has 17 50-plus scores against England, one every three innings.However, Warner has been half the batter in England as he has been in Australia. At home, he has scored 1237 at an average of 51.50 in the Ashes. In 25 innings in England, he has scored just 651 runs at an average of 26.

The 2015 Ashes was Warner’s best in England: he made 418 runs at an average of 46.40 in that series. Those were decent numbers for an opener in England. Only four other openers have ever managed to hit more 50-plus scores in an Ashes series in England than Warner’s five in that series.

His last Ashes in England, though, was disastrous. He could manage just 95 runs from ten innings, with Stuart Broad dismissing him seven times. It was a forgettable series for Warner, as no batter to bat ten times from Nos. 1-7 in an Ashes series had ever averaged under ten runs per dismissal before Warner.The last Ashes in Australia was also by far Warner’s worst at home. He made a bright start in the series with two scores in the nineties in his first two innings, but lost steam after that. Warner made just 84 runs in the other six innings, including a pair in the last Test in Hobart. Warner’s 273 runs in the series came at an average of 34.10, whereas in his first two Ashes in Australia, Warner had scored 964 runs at an average of 60.30.Impeccable home record despite recent dip
Warner has always been a formidable batter on the bouncier and faster pitches in Australia. In spite of the rut he has got himself into recently, he averages an excellent 57.30 in Australia, scoring 4929 runs from 53 matches. Eighteen of his 24 Test hundreds have come at home.Before 2021, Warner had averaged 65.90 in Tests in Australia. Among batters to score at least 3000 runs in home Tests since the post-war era until 2020, only Kohli, Smith and Garry Sobers averaged more than Warner.But his last ten home Tests have fetched him just 445 runs at an average of 24.70. His twin scores of nineties in the Ashes are the only fifties he has struck in 18 innings, but he has also been dismissed before reaching double figures in eight of those innings. In his first 43 Tests in Australia, Warner had been dismissed in single digits on only 12 occasions from 75 innings.

But Warner isn’t new to setbacks – both on and off the field – and has managed to come back strongly in the past. His unbeaten 335 against Pakistan in Adelaide in 2019 – the second-highest score by an Australia batter in Tests – was an illustration of that. That innings, and the 154 he got in the first Test of that series, followed his return to Test cricket after serving the ball-tampering ban and a disastrous Ashes in England.His 100th appearance for Australia might inspire him to make yet another comeback at the age of 36. Even if it doesn’t, Warner will remain one of the best openers to have played for Australia, and perhaps the best opener of his era.

'I try and be myself, I can't be him' – meet Tagenarine Chanderpaul

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The opener is in line for a Test debut in Perth next week after a prolific year with the bat

Andrew McGlashan25-Nov-2022So, is Tagenarine going to play the first Test against Australia?
It would be a huge surprise if he doesn’t, having made 119 against a strong Prime Minister’s XI attack in Canberra to continue a prolific year. He had made just 4 in his one outing against NSW/ACT XI last week, after missing the first innings because of illness. But on Thursday, he faced 293 balls before falling to the final delivery of the second day when he top-edged a pull against Joel Paris. The PM’s line-up included Test seamer Michael Neser as well as Mark Steketee, who has been in Australia squads. Todd Murphy, the young offspinner, and left-armer Ashton Agar bowled 41 overs between them, which is likely to be more spin than Chanderpaul will face in Perth, but should put him good stead for the challenge of Nathan Lyon. A vacancy for Kraigg Brathwaite’s partner has come up at the top of the order following the anti-doping ban handed to John Campbell.Related

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Brathwaite hopes to 'do good things together' with Tagenarine

He’s 26, so not really young for a debutant…
He’s waited a little while for this opportunity, but he effectively lost two years of his career because of Covid and did not play a match from March 2020 until February 2022. Before that gap, he had shown glimpses of his potential with a maiden first-class hundred against Barbados in 2018, and then another against Windward Islands in 2019, which at a marathon 484 deliveries is his longest first-class innings to date in terms of balls faced. From early on, he had shown the ability to bat time, facing more than 150 deliveries in an innings three times in his first two seasons. However, it’s been this year where things have really taken off: in 2022, he has an average of 89.50 including four centuries.He and his dad played together, right?
Indeed they did, 11 times in first-class cricket. The first came in 2013 against Trinidad and Tobago [Tagenarine made 42 in the first innings, Shivnarine 108 in the second], and the last in 2018, which is when Tagenarine made his maiden first-class hundred.What has his route to the Test side been?
He played in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup in the UAE, where he made 293 runs. That team also featured Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer and Brandon King. After that, he bided his time in first-class cricket before the Covid-enforced break. Earlier this year, he was rewarded for his impressive domestic form with a West Indies A call-up to face Bangladesh A where he made an unbeaten 109 in the second four-day match.Does he bat like his dad?
Make your own mind up…

What Shivnarine said
“He’s been knocking at the door since before Covid… two-and-a-half years passed with no cricket behind, then he started to get some cricket back. He started the first-class season without many runs, then he came to Florida and did some work with me. When he got back, he got a couple of hundreds and now he’s got selected to come here. Knowing the attack Australia has – these guys are relentless – if he can come here and do well, it will be a start to his career.”I try to help him sometimes but he’s a little bent in his ways. He’ll seek me out for some help but then there’s a lot of times, like any kid, when you message him but he doesn’t message back. Unless he wants something! I’ll message [while] watching the game whenever he’s playing, I’ve seen what he’s doing, if he’s doing something he’s not supposed to be doing then I’ll message and say ‘this is what I’m seeing’ and he’ll not message back for two months after.”What Tagenarine said
“I try and be myself. I can’t be him, so I can only be myself. Fingers crossed… I’ll try to get some runs if I’m selected.”And here’s a fun fact
Tagenarine has a movie credit to his name. He was plucked to play Larry Gomes in the film about India’s famous World Cup triumph.”Being a part of was a great opportunity that I stumbled upon while playing four-day cricket in St Lucia in 2018,” Tagenarine told last year. “During a practice session a scout came to the ground and asked who wanted to try out for the film. To my surprise a few months later I received a call that I had been chosen to play the part of Larry Gomes.”Lastly, but most importantly, does he mark his guard with a bail?
“Sometimes,” Shivnarine said.

Royals suffer their biggest defeat after getting blown away in 10.3 overs

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Stats highlights from RCB’s thumping 112-run victory against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur

Sampath Bandarupalli14-May-202359 Rajasthan Royals’ total against Royal Challengers Bangalore is the third lowest in the history of IPL.ESPNcricinfo Ltd10.3 The length of Royals’ innings against RCB, the second shortest all-out innings in the IPL. RCB had lasted only 9.4 overs when they were dismissed for 49 in 2017.112 Royals’ margin of defeat, their first by more than 100 runs. Their previous biggest defeat was against KKR in 2021, when they lost by 86 runs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 RCB’s wins by a margin of 100-plus runs in the IPL, the most for any team. Only one other IPL team has won by 100-plus margins more than once – Mumbai Indians (2). All of RCB’s previous wins by 100-plus runs were in Bengaluru.30 Number of wickets RCB have taken in the powerplay so far this season. It is already their best performance in this phase, surpassing 25 powerplay wickets in 2013 and 2018. Gujarat Titans are a distant second with 20 powerplay wickets so far in IPL 2023.4 RCB’s wins in afternoon games this season, a 100% record while batting first. They successfully defended totals of 189 and 171 against Royals, and 174 against Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd121 Number of innings Faf du Plessis has taken to score 4000 runs in the IPL. He is the fourth quickest to reach the milestone in terms of innings, behind KL Rahul (105), Chris Gayle (112) and David Warner (114). Du Plessis is also the fourth overseas player to complete 4000 runs after Warner (6255), AB de Villiers (5162) and Gayle (4965).

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