Young batters stood up, the seamers excelled in hot conditions, and Bangladesh rolled Afghanistan over with five sessions to spare

Mohammad Isam17-Jun-2023A winning margin of 546 runs is something out of an book of records. Three of the four 500-plus-run victories in Test history have come between 1911 and 1934. Bangladesh’s win against Afghanistan in the one-off Test in Dhaka is the only entrant from the 21st century. Here’s a look at the various strands that came together for them as they pulled this result together.Why didn’t Bangladesh declare earlier?The road Bangladesh took to get to this result hasn’t sat well with everyone. On ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary, suggestions from fans included “they should declare with a 400 lead” and “why aren’t they declaring yet?” Some even suggested that Bangladesh were disrespecting their opponents. Similar thoughts echoed across social media and were also discussed by the few who showed up at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Even though head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe had made it clear before start of the third day’s play that his side was going to bat the whole day.It made sense for Bangladesh to bat out the third day. They wanted to have a healthy lead and give ample time (and rest) to their bowlers before they set about chasing the last ten Afghanistan wickets. Even though there was a 40-50% chance of rain, there was no threat of long wet spells, and the last two days were going to offer enough overs to go for the win.Related

Hathurusinghe lauds 'professional approach' by Bangladesh quicks

Taskin Ahmed grabs four as Bangladesh annihilate Afghanistan in their biggest Test win

Stats – Bangladesh's record win and a new high for their pacers

Ebadot kickstarts Bangladesh's fast bowling romance

Shanto blazes away in scorching Dhaka heat

Bangladesh also didn’t think Afghanistan were pushovers. After all, the visitors had beaten them by 224 runs in Chattogram four years ago. Granted, Rashid Khan – who took took 11 wickets in that game – was missing this week in Dhaka, but so were Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.On the third evening, Mominul Haque had denied talk of any “revenge” for that Chattogram Test. He said international sport doesn’t work that way. They were just looking to bat long, and give the bowlers a comfortable target to defend. Afghanistan were 45 for 2 in 11 overs on that third evening, chasing 662, and finished on 115 for 9 on the fourth morning, when Zahir Khan had to retire hurt with a blow to the elbow. Bangladesh had won the match with five sessions to spare.Litton happy with character shown by battersStand-in captain Litton Das said after the match that he felt pride seeing the margin of victory, on a challenging pitch, in unfavourable weather conditions.Litton: ‘You have to work equally hard, whoever you are playing against.’•BCB”You don’t get a win margin like this every day,” he said. “Credit goes to the batters. The wicket wasn’t easy, but [Bangladesh] batted really well. Bowlers did well too, maintained line and length. They had it slightly easy due to the help from the wicket. When you win a Test match, it is a big achievement. As a captain, you can’t ask for a bigger win than this one.”We believed a lot would depend on the first innings. We bowled them out for 146. The margin [of difference] started to show. It was still a difficult wicket. Our batters showed great character in the second innings. Credit must go to our batters and bowlers.”Litton said the Bangladesh top order has been showing character since last year, when Mahmudul Hasan Joy made impressive runs in New Zealand and South Africa. Zakir Hasan got a century on debut against India last year too. They scored a fifty each in this game.”Zakir is playing his third Test but even on his debut, he didn’t seem to be playing Tests for the first time,” Litton said. “He missed out on a big one due to his run-out in the second innings. I liked the way he batted. He is quite mature.”Joy is similarly mature. He showed great character in New Zealand. We want our young players to show character. They must be determined to do well for the country.”Test cricket in the new era: Bangladesh too scoring quickerBangladesh’s scoring rate stood out in both innings – 382 and 425 scored at run rates of 4.44 and 5.31, respectively. They batted in similar fashion in the one-off Test against Ireland in April, scoring at 4.82 across the two innings. It is certainly a step up from their run rate of 3.27 in Tests from October 2016 till before that Ireland game.

“In a few years’ time, we won’t have some of these senior players. If you don’t manage it now, suddenly it would become difficult when they are really gone. It would have been better had they played, but we have some capable newcomers.”No seniors? No problem, says Litton

Litton said that Test cricket’s evolution has meant that batters now give more thought to taking advantage of hittable balls rather than leaving it just because it’s a five-day game. “I think a batter should hit the ball that he thinks he can hit a four or a six. Why should he leave that ball? The opposition is always under pressure when there are runs on the board. Tests no longer go into the fifth day [much]. Everyone wants to score runs quickly, and if they have good bowlers, they declare the innings.”Bangladesh’s pacers offer stern test – of opposition and team-mates alike!Bangladesh declared their second innings on 425 for 4. Their fast bowlers took eight wickets between them in the final innings, with Taskin Ahmed finishing with career-best figures of 4 for 37.Bangladesh’s quicks picked up 14 wickets in the game•AFP/Getty ImagesEbadot Hossain had taken four wickets in the first innings, while Shoriful Islam picked up five wickets in the match, chipping in with top-order wickets. Their 14 wickets as a collective is now the most by a Bangladesh pace unit in a Test match. Litton said that it was exciting to see so many fielders in the slip cordon next to him as he collected balls regularly around his chest.”I really enjoyed captaining the side, particularly when I saw the ball carrying to me, going to the slips. It was fun as a wicketkeeper,” he said. “There was always a chance to get a wicket. We don’t usually play three pacers in Mirpur because of the wicket’s behaviour. But they had help from the wicket this time, so they did their job properly. I am very happy as a captain.”Litton said the Bangladesh batters now have a tough time themselves, facing their own fast bowlers in the nets. “Their pitch map tells the story. They are a lot more consistent in their lines and lengths. We bowled without cover and point in this game. We are aggressive even on flat wickets,” Litton said.”Their practice and work ethic have changed. We struggle to bat in the nets these days. Taskin, Ebadot, Khaled [Ahmed], Shoriful [Islam] and Musfik [Hasan], and the white-ball bowlers give us a lot more challenge in the nets. It makes our life easier in the matches.”Past, present and future not solely dependent on seniorsAs much as Afghanistan’s missing spin superstar remained a talking point through the Test, Bangladesh also had huge gaps in terms of experience in their line-up. But this is not the first time they have produced a big result with their big names absent. Litton served a reminder that Bangladesh were also without their two senior-most cricketers when they famously won in Mount Maunganui.”We won in New Zealand without Tamim and Shakib . That was a young team winning a Test in overseas conditions. It gave us the belief that hard work can bring success. Everyone in this team wants to play Test cricket. There is excitement in this lot.”In a few years’ time, we won’t have some of these senior players. If you don’t manage it now, suddenly it will become difficult when they are really gone. It would have been better had they played, but we have some capable newcomers.”

Dan Lawrence is expected to be released from England’s Test squad to play for Essex on Thursday

Matt Roller05-Jul-2023Birmingham Bears vs Essex

Dan Mousley is an injury doubt•Getty ImagesMoeen Ali’s England call-up, Glenn Maxwell’s lack of form and regular injuries to important players all threatened to derail Birmingham Bears’ Blast season – yet they topped the North Group for the second season in a row, this time with 11 wins out of 14.Dan Mousley, the offspinning allrounder who has enjoyed a breakthrough season, is a doubt after splitting the webbing in his bowling hand, while Moeen and Chris Woakes are on Test duty and Hasan Ali has departed on international duty and is replaced by left-arm seamer Dominic Drakes. But the big news is that Sam Hain – averaging 107.25 with a strike rate of 162.50 this season – is fit again after missing nearly half of the group stage through injury.Essex qualified by the skin of their teeth thanks to Feroze Khushi, who hit the last ball of their game at The Oval for six on Sunday to clinch a quarter-final berth. In Daniel Sams, they have the Blast’s 2023 MVP – according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats – while Dan Lawrence is due to be released from England’s Test squad.The Bears have not reached Finals Day – which is played at their home ground – since 2017 but go into this tie as favourites.Lancashire vs Surrey

Sam Curran is part of a star-studded Surrey line-up•Getty ImagesOn paper, these are the best two teams in the competition, both filled with international quality. Lancashire’s top six contains three of England’s T20 World Cup-winning batting line-up in Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone but it is Daryl Mitchell, the perennially underrated New Zealander, who has led the way with 409 runs at a strike rate 162.30.Luke Wells, frozen out by Sussex three years ago, has become an important cog with both bat and ball: he has reinvented himself as a modern legspinner in the Rashid Khan mould, earning a wildcard deal at Welsh Fire in the Hundred. He has kept Matt Parkinson, who leaves for Kent at the end of the season, out of the side.Surrey lost four of their last five to let a home quarter-final slip and home advantage is a major factor for Lancashire, who have not lost at Old Trafford since 2020. But they should not be underestimated: Jason Roy is fit again and slotted in at No. 3 on Sunday to avoid breaking up the prolific opening partnership between Will Jacks and Laurie Evans.Jacks has also chipped in with the ball and in Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Sunil Narine and Sean Abbott, Surrey have a number of bowlers who have a track record of playing – and performing – in knockout games. This should be a cracker.Somerset vs NottinghamshireFriday, July 7 (6.35pm)

Somerset’s attack have taken regular wickets•Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesSomerset became the first team in Blast history to win 12 group-stage games and much of their success owes to their ability to take regular wickets. They have taken 125 wickets in 14 games, 21 more than anyone else in the competition; the record for the most wickets taken by a team in a T20 season anywhere in the world is Lancashire’s 130 in the 2015 Blast.Related

Dan Lawrence fifty guides Essex to Finals Day berth in thriller at Edgbaston

Bopara released by Sussex

Maxwell, Marsh pulled out of Hundred by Cricket Australia

Injury cuts short Siddle's Somerset stint

Santner show sees Worcs hold off Derbs for knockout spot

The formula is simple enough: Craig Overton and Matt Henry strike early, Roelof van der Merwe and Lewis Gregory squeeze through the middle and Ben Green mops up at the death. The arrival of Ish Sodhi, replacing the injured Peter Siddle, means they have a wristspin option too – and Sodhi will be playing against one of his old counties.Nottinghamshire are not the T20 force they once were. They remain a dangerous side, with Joe Clarke and Alex Hales opening up and Tom Moores finding some form down the order, but have some availability problems: Colin Munro and Samit Patel missed the end of the group stage with injuries, Olly Stone’s comeback lasted three balls and Shaheen Shah Afridi has left on international duty.With Notts’ attack looking lighter than normal – and Somerset boasting a formidable batting line-up led by a rejuvenated Tom Banton – Somerset should feel confident of reaching a third successive semi-final.Hampshire vs Worcestershire

Hampshire’s John Turner is the breakout star of the Blast season•Getty ImagesHampshire are defending champions and have strengthened this year: Benny Howell missed the start of the Blast through injury but adds experience, while the South African-born seamer John Turner has been the tournament’s breakout bowler, taking 18 wickets in nine appearances.James Vince, the Blast’s all-time leading run-scorer, has been characteristically dominant and is top of the runs charts for 2023 thanks to eight 50-plus scores in 14 innings. Like Lancashire, Hampshire are very strong at home, winning six out of seven at the Ageas Bowl this season.Worcestershire, the 2018 champions, finished rock-bottom of the North Group last summer but have recruited well, with spin-bowling allrounders Mitchell Santner and Usama Mir – originally signed as a replacement for Michael Bracewell – both thriving with bat as well as ball.Josh Tongue is not expected to be released by England – he will be rested ahead of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford – so Worcestershire’s attack will rely heavily on their three main spinners: Santner, Mir and Brett D’Oliveira. Hampshire should be too strong, but if Worcestershire can get Vince early then anything is possible.

Three personnel changes and a key positional switch, as England set about saving the Ashes

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Jul-20231:43

Can England channel energy from Lord’s to bring a win at Headingley?

England have made four significant alterations to their line-up ahead of a must-win third Test to keep the Ashes alive as they trail 2-0 to a buoyant Australia. In come Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, with Harry Brook moving up to No.3. Moeen’s return as the spinner following recovery from a damaged right index finger is noteworthy after England relied solely on Joe Root’s offspin for Lord’s. But the first sightings of Woakes and Wood this summer, along with Brook’s move from the sanctuary of No.5 to the frontline are three significant shifts at a crucial juncture of this summer. The trio’s individual responsibilities and narratives carry significant weight as the Ashes reach boiling point at Headingley…

“Can I have a new ball please?”

Harry Brook was working in the temporary nets with assistant coach Jeetan Patel on the dog-slinger when Stokes informed him he would bat at No.3 for this Test, replacing Ollie Pope after the vice-captain was ruled out of the summer with a dislocated right shoulder. In typical Brook fashion, he greeted the news with positivity. Brook immediately turned to Patel and asked to reload the thrower with fresher Dukes: “Can I have a new ball please?” Now that he was moving up the order, training had to be tailored immediately.”You guys have obviously seen his unbelievable start to his international career,” Stokes said, referencing Brook’s 818 runs, four centuries and average of 81.80 from his seven Tests prior to this summer’s Ashes. That haul now reads 950 at 67.85 after a relatively fallow two matches, but Stokes’ point is hardly diluted.”I know that’s been at No.5, but last summer when he was the next batter in, we had complete confidence that he could slot into our batting line-up in any position. The opportunity presented itself to him with Jonny’s injury. Look, he’s technically very gifted and, players like that, you feel you can back anywhere, you’re lucky to have them.”Harry Brook fell for a first-innings duck on a snakepit at Chelmsford in 2018 … then cut loose in thrilling style second-time out•Philip Brown/Getty ImagesFor all Brook’s talent and confidence, the main motivation behind his promotion is to keep Joe Root, the team’s best batter at No.4. In turn, it allows Jonny Bairstow to reprise last summer’s role of five at a time when the keeper-batter could not be more up for the battle after his contentious stumping at the hands of Alex Carey.Brook’s series so far has been neither here nor there, as the average of 33 suggests. An exciting first innings at Edgbaston ended in comical fashion when he was bowled off his backside for 32. A bum shot closed what could have been an emphatic second innings on 46. His half-century at Lord’s was arguably the least convincing knock of his four so far; chaotic on the evening of day two and then clumsy the morning after when moving out to leg and scuffing to cover. He could do little about a worldie from Pat Cummins that took his off stump for four in the second innings, but that merely compounded the wastefulness of the three previous knocks. He’s been in and given it away – something which he cannot do further up the chain.It’s worth taking a cursory look at Brook’s experience at first drop. It’s meaningless of course, given the last of his 13 innings in that position came in 2018 – although that’s still 13 more than Ollie Pope had played before he took on the role at the start of last summer. Back then, Brook was 19 and a very different person, let alone player.There is, however, a standout innings of 124 from May of that year, which is quite fun to extrapolate.On a Chelmsford snakepit, Brook opened and got a duck as Yorkshire were snuffed out for 50 inside 19 overs before Essex responded with 142. Gary Ballance, as captain, decided Yorkshire’s best bet in the third innings would be to go for broke. Bairstow opened the batting this time, struck a 44-ball 50, before Brook came in and played pretty much how he does now: ambitious shots devoid of fear, such as running down the pitch and hitting Simon Harmer out of the rough.Yorkshire would go onto win the match by 91 runs after setting Essex 238 to win, and everyone who took part in the match acknowledges this as a coming-of-age knock for Brook. Not only was this a maiden first-class hundred but it was probably the first time he realised just how good he was.

The Wizard Returns

Before the start of this summer, Chris Woakes reached out to Stokes. Feeling fit, refreshed and – most importantly – keen to add to his 45 Test caps, he wanted to see if there was anything he could do differently. While he had read a few things about how England have approached their cricket since Stokes took over as captain and Brendon McCullum came into the fold, he thought it best to double-check. An international cricketer of 12 years, he knew there were some messages that don’t make it beyond the dressing-room walls and into the media. He wanted to check what they were.Aged 34, he was open to trying new things at the start of the season for Warwickshire. Anything to help him fit into an England environment that looked a lot more fun than his last two Test squads – 2021-22’s 4-0 Ashes defeat followed by the 1-0 loss in the Caribbean. At the time, Stokes told Woakes not to do anything differently.That message was reiterated this week. Ahead of what will be his 13th Ashes Test and first of the Bazball era, Woakes checked in with his captain once more. “Anything for me?” he asked on Wednesday morning.”Nah, you just do you,” Stokes replied. “If I change the field, don’t worry about it because I just like doing rogue things.”James Anderson’s endurance has limited Chris Woakes’ England opportunities, but now he needs to fill his huge shoes•Getty ImagesLike Stokes, Woakes’ Test debut came against Australia in 2013, albeit in the last Test of the home series rather on the 2013-14 return leg immediately after. His Ashes memories aren’t particularly fond – a modest 38.81 average with the ball on these shores, and an unflattering 51.63 over there – but this week is an opportunity for better days.His merits as an allrounder, along with Moeen Ali, reinforce England’s batting after a long tail was, ultimately, exposed at Lord’s. And yet he will also serve a dual purpose of replacing James Anderson, who has had an ineffectual couple of weeks, and acting as Stokes’ crutch.”A big part of the team we’ve ended up picking is, worst-case scenario, if I wasn’t to bowl this game,” Stokes admitted, alluding to the chronic issue with his left knee. “It doesn’t mean I’m not going to. But yeah last week I bowled that 12-over spell and it was a tiring last two days of the game. [It is a] Very quick turnaround so I obviously had to factor that in, in terms of if I was to bowl again then couldn’t, then we’re a little bit stuck. Whereas now I don’t feel as if I’m under too much pressure to bowl with the team we’ve picked.”There is a bit of Paul Scholes about Woakes. While some doubt his standing in the English game (mostly because of a poor away record), team-mates past and present regard him as the most talented cricketer going, hence the nickname “Wiz” (The Wizard). An intermittent Test career is down to Anderson’s longevity as an opening quick and Stokes’ talismanic ways as an allrounder. Now, facing the biggest Test of his career a decade after this journey began, he must channel the former to reinforce the latter.

Rockets finally unleashed?

There weren’t many words exchanged as McCullum and Stokes told Mark Wood he would play in this third Test on Wednesday morning. The Durham quick more or less knew on Tuesday, but a necessary bowl in the middle of Headingley at full-pelt and off the full run-up on the eve of Test was an understandable last-minute check.The 33-year-old Wood has been something of an over-coiled spring this summer. He sat out the Ireland Test in anticipation of Edgbaston, then was left out for an all-medium-pace attack before a minor elbow issue – and the presence of Josh Tongue – gave England reason to hold fire. Two-nil down, this is the big one, and with a week’s gap between this and the fourth Test, the best-case scenario of an England win here potentially gives Wood a clear run to the end of this series.His last competitive match came in the Indian Premier League, on April 15, taking two for 35 for Lucknow Super Giants against Punjab Kings. Months and worlds away from where we are right now. But England have no fears about his match-fitness or durability, certainly as far as the next month is concerned.The extra pace will add a new dimension to the bouncer wars both teams have engaged in – Wood will be the quickest bowler on show this series – but it will also help England overcome a couple of issues of their own making. The request for “fast” and “flat” pitches has not come to fruition, and 2023’s offering from Dukes is only marginally better than last year’s ball. If Headingley is uncharacteristically sleepy, a player responsible for the fastest spells ever bowled by an Englishman could wake it up.Mark Wood is back to add extra firepower to England’s line-up•Getty Images”To replace someone who performed so well with someone like Mark Wood is a big positive for us,” Stokes said, after Tongue’s spirited five-wicket display at Lord’s. “And yeah, we’ve all seen the tactics that both teams actually went to. So having Woody in our bowling attack this week, if we feel like we have to go to that tactic again is obviously a big bonus for us.”Tonguey was bowling high 80s last week, so to have someone who can bowl high 90s is pretty exciting. I think as well with that, you know what, Woody’s not just an out-and-out bloke who runs in and tries to hit people. He is a very skilful bowler as well. So I’m excited that we’ve got Woody in a place where he’s able to walk onto the field and play part of the summer.”The last time Wood played an Ashes Test at home, he helped secure the urn, claiming the final wicket of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge in 2015 en route to a 3-2 series win. England need nothing less than that scoreline right now.

And was Sri Lanka’s top five managing only two runs against India also a record?

Steven Lynch07-Nov-2023New Zealand scored 401 against Pakistan at the weekend – but lost. Was this a record? asked Nasirul Hasan from Pakistan

New Zealand ran up 401 for 6 in Bengaluru last Saturday – but still lost to Pakistan, who were probably helped by the rain that curtailed the match.It was the highest total to end in defeat in a World Cup match. That record had already been broken twice in this tournament: on October 10, Sri Lanka’s 344 for 9 in Hyderabad was not enough to avoid defeat by Pakistan, while on October 28 New Zealand scored 383 for 9 against Australia in Dharamsala, but ended up just short of Australia’s total of 388. Before this year, the highest World Cup total to end in defeat was England’s 334 for 9 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 2019.In all one-day internationals, there have been only two higher totals that were not enough to bring victory. Top of the list is Australia’s 434 for 4 in Johannesburg in March 2006, when South Africa replied with 438 for 9. And in Rajkot in December 2009, Sri Lanka made 411 for 8 – but India had earlier scored 414 for 7.Has any bowler got close to the hard-to-achieve average of two wickets per ODI? Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc are not far off? asked David Cohen from Australia

As I write, Trent Boult has 207 wickets from 112 ODIs, while Mitchell Starc has 229 from 118. There’s someone else in the current World Cup who’s very close to averaging two per match: Shaheen Shah Afridi currently has 102 wickets from 52 (he was actually averaging exactly two per match before going wicketless against New Zealand in Bengaluru at the weekend).In all ODIs, the only man with more than 100 wickets to average better than two a game is the Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who currently has 112 wickets from 51 matches.Is David Warner the only player to be involved in two 250-run partnerships in World Cup matches? asked Maribel Garcia from Belgium

The short answer is yes: as I write there have been just seven partnerships of 250 or more in men’s World Cup matches, and David Warner was part of two of them. He put on 260 for the second wicket with Steve Smith against Afghanistan in Perth in March 2015, and 259 for the first with Mitchell Marsh against Pakistan in Bengaluru in 2023.In all men’s one-day internationals, there have so far been 31 partnerships of 250 or more. Warner features in five of them, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar in three.Collins Obuya has faced a record 30 different opposition sides in men’s internationals•Peter Della PennaSri Lanka’s top five managed only two runs between them against India. Was this a World Cup record? asked Rajinder Parikh from India

Sri Lanka’s calamitous collapse in Mumbai last week – Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka were out for 1 after ducks for Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne and Sadeera Samarawickrama – was actually the worst return by the top five in the batting order in any men’s one-day international.Against Netherlands in King City in August 2013, Canada’s top five mustered four runs between them (their No. 6 was out for a duck as well).The previous worst return for the top five in the order in a World Cup match was eight runs, by Pakistan against West Indies in Christchurch in February 2015.In a women’s ODI against Australia in Dambulla in September 2016, Sri Lanka’s top six mustered just one run between them, while in a World Cup match in Hyderabad in December 1997, Pakistan’s top five collected two runs against Australia, on the way to being all out for 27.I noticed that Paul Stirling has played against 29 different opponents in T20 internationals. Is this a record? asked Elizabeth Thompson from Australia

You’re right that Ireland’s Paul Stirling leads the way here, having played official T20Is against 29 different countries. His team-mates Mark Adair and George Dockrell come next with 26; Andy Balbirnie and Harry Tector have faced 25 different opponents, as have Rohan Mustafa and Ahmed Raza of the UAE.Stirling and Dockrell have faced 20 different opponents in official ODIs, as have the Scottish pair of Kyle Coetzer and Richie Berrington. If you lump all men’s internationals together, Stirling’s 29 puts him second behind Collins Obuya of Kenya, who has faced 30 different opponents. In Tests, five Bangladeshis – Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam – currently stand alone in having played against 11 different opponents.I did see some reports during the World Cup that Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi had played against 41 different countries, but I believe this involves some matches which were not official internationals.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

The team believes that a top-eight finish at the World Cup could provide long-term stability by attracting new sponsors

Matt Roller31-Oct-2023The Royal Dutch Cricket Federation (KNCB) learned via the media on Sunday that their performances at the 2023 ODI World Cup could lead to qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy, and believe that a top-eight finish in India would provide some long-term stability by attracting new sponsors.Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s captain, blindsided some teams at the World Cup – including England – when he reiterated his side’s ambition of a top-eight finish after their defeat to Netherlands in Kolkata on Saturday night in the context of reaching the Champions Trophy.The ICC confirmed to ESPNcricinfo on Sunday that a change in the qualification process – which had previously been determined by rankings – had been ratified at a board meeting in November 2021. The change was not announced publicly at the time.Related

Afghanistan take on Netherlands in high-stakes clash

South Africa's cricketers are stronger together as they look to emulate Springboks

NZ are a mighty team, and nobody knows it better than South Africa's coach

Men in orange: how Netherlands grew a big-team mentality

Netherlands comb over batting gaps and end up looking slick

The KNCB is not represented directly at ICC board meetings – there are three Associate member directors along with the chairs of Full Member nations. Roland Lefebvre, the KNCB’s high-performance manager, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the Netherlands World Cup squad had only learned about the qualification process after reading about it online.Pakistan will qualify automatically as hosts, along with the seven highest-finishing teams at the ongoing World Cup. With three group fixtures left for all ten teams, Netherlands sit eighth in the World Cup points table and as things stand, would pip Bangladesh and England to Champions Trophy qualification.Their remaining fixtures are against Afghanistan, England and India and while two wins would almost guarantee Champions Trophy qualification, one win could be enough. Netherlands’ game against England in Pune on November 8 looms large as a potential qualification decider.”We weren’t aware,” Lefebvre told ESPNcricinfo. “I just read the articles, and the ICC said it goes back to 2021 when it was decided. It would have been nice for them to remind the world of what the situation was and the significance of this tournament. But for us, we’re still in line for the top eight.”2:50

Maharoof: ‘Champions Trophy qualification could heat things up this World Cup’

Lefebvre confirmed details of the process with ICC officials after communication from the team on Sunday. “I relayed that back to the team, who are now aware,” he said. “We will play with the same intensity, spirit, dedication and desire as in the previous six matches – but of course, the significance is huge.”Lefebvre called for greater representation of top Associates at ICC board level to avoid similar situations arising in future. “I don’t like the word ‘associate’ because it means less,” he said. “But I think we should have continuous representation of members Nos. 13-20.”In November 2021, the three Associate member directors were from Singapore (Imran Khwaja), Malaysia (Mahinda Vallipuram) and Bermuda (Neil Speight), none of whom had a men’s ODI ranking and were all ranked outside of the top 30 in men’s T20Is. Last year, Pankaj Khimji (Oman) replaced Vallipuram on the board.There were three Associate member representatives on the Chief Executive Committee, which also ratified the changes in the qualification process in 2021: Rashpal Bajwa (Canada), Mubashshir Usmani (UAE) and Sumod Damodar (Botswana). Damodar has since been replaced by Denmark’s Umair Butt.ESPNcricinfo understands that the change was made because ICC members felt that the World Cup points table would be a more accurate representation of the world’s top eight teams than the rankings, with rotation and second-string sides now a common feature of bilateral series.

“Our players and coaching staff want to get better, to play more cricket and be full professionals, but on the limited levels of funding we get, it’s incredibly difficult. The ICC is always talking about a level playing field… what level playing field? There’s nothing equal or supportive.”Roland Lefebvre, the KNCB high-performance manager

There were exactly three months between Netherlands’ qualification for this World Cup and their opening match against Pakistan, leaving only a short window for the KNCB to secure sponsorship for the tournament. In the event of Champions Trophy qualification, they would have a year and a half to prepare.”Qualification for this World Cup was immense,” Lefebvre said. “We had to find a main sponsor in about six weeks and it’s tough. People think you can just sort it out but the whole climate has changed. We would have one-and-a-half years to sort it out for the Champions Trophy; we would have something else to work towards.”Teams receive a participation fee – reportedly around $500,000 – for the Champions Trophy though there will still be funding challenges for the KNCB. “The ICC is not going to turn around and say, ‘Oh gosh, Netherlands, you’ve been doing so well, we’re going to give you some additional funding,'” Lefebvre said.”Our players and coaching staff want to get better, to play more cricket and be full professionals, but on the limited levels of funding we get, it’s incredibly difficult. The ICC is always talking about a level playing field… what level playing field? There’s nothing equal or supportive.”The Netherlands have only featured at the Champions Trophy once previously, losing both of their group games at the 2002 edition. If they qualify, they will become the first Associate member to play at a Champions Trophy since Kenya and the United States reached the 2004 edition.”There’s a lot at stake,” Lefebvre said, “but it’s not going to affect our play. We’ve played with passion and played as the game was designed, not driven by franchise cricket or huge contracts. The world has recognised that and we’ve been given a lot of credit for it. Let’s hope we have another win, at least, to make the top eight.”

The genius of England’s approach is that it takes the traditional consequences of dismissal out of the equation

Sambit Bal14-Feb-2024Joe Root has left the crease. It has been nine balls since he arrived. England have shaved 154 runs off their 399-run target, their stiffest in the Bazball era, in just under 31 overs, 87 of those ransacked on the fourth morning. Of the three wickets lost along the way, one belongs to the nightwatcher, who helped himself to five sumptuous boundaries.Root is England’s second most prolific Test batter. He started the Test with more runs than the whole Indian XI, and in the first innings he has gone past 1000 Test runs in India. It is a body of work built on traditionally sound Test-match craft, and in another age it would be natural to expect a batter of Root’s pedigree to bed down and take the chase deep on a pitch still comfortable for batting.But they don’t do it that way these days, and certainly not Root, who has embraced the new mode with the adroitness of a late-life convert. The last nine balls to him have already fetched 16 runs, beginning with a reverse-swept four off the first ball, from R Ashwin. The third delivery Root faced produced another attempted reverse sweep that ballooned off the glove for a fortuitous four. The seventh was belted for a six over long-off. Now he is down the pitch, eyeing the leg-side fence, which has been left unguarded.Related

• India and Australia are still the top dogs in Test cricket

• Stokes at 100: England's field marshal quantifies the unquantifiable

• India vs England, round three: scores level, stakes high

• Forget the frivolous narrative, Bazball is a hard-nosed, winning strategy

• One year of Bazball: Have England changed the Test game?

But Ashwin is bowling round the wicket. The ball has been pushed wide, and it’s going away with the arm. Root is also deceived in the flight, but he is so committed to the shot that bailing out is not an option. He finishes the wildest of flails with his bat over his shoulder, pointing towards square leg, head tilted towards the off side, and with his eyes shut. It is a horror shot that has sliced the ball up towards backward point, and the horror is fleetingly visible, as a reflex reaction, on Root’s face.To suggest that this stroke encapsulated the essence of Bazball – you hit many and miss a few – would be telling only half the story. The reward that comes with the risk is just a part of it, but what enables the approach is that failure comes with no recrimination, and in that lies its real genius. In another age, this stroke would have brought howls of indignation from fans, and analysts would have zeroed in on it as a trigger for England’s collapse.That none of that happened was an illustration of not merely how England under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have re-engineered their approach to Test batting but also how profoundly they have influenced the game’s discourse. It wasn’t only Root and the England team who shrugged it off as part of the design, but such dismissals from England’s batters have now been so normalised that this one barely registered as a misadventure to those watching. It was a demonstration of England’s success in co-opting mass perception in their repositioning of Test batting as an audacious and gallant pursuit of fast runs irrespective of outcome.This is a fundamental upending of the texture of Test cricket. In that every ball carries the risk of dismissal, batting is the most fraught of sporting endeavours. Test batting is based on the principle of minimising risks. The loss of a wicket, particularly of a top-order batter, is a massive and decisive event in Tests, unlike in the shorter formats, where the restriction on the number of overs makes batting resources seem relatively abundant.Zak Crawley has epitomised the potential of Bazball in this series•Getty ImagesThe liberating effect of the removal – or reduced impact – of the consequence of dismissals is evident in the range of strokeplay in T20 cricket. If the stumps are out of the equation, the crease can become a reference point for positioning to take aim. Being caught is merely an occupational hazard. Hitting on the up is a routine option.It isn’t that good-length balls cannot be driven, or balls cannot be hit square if they are within the line of the stumps, but Test batting is calibrated towards preservation. This gives bowlers larger margins in Test cricket. They can construct spells, formulate plans, set catchers in place, and string together sequences of balls in the knowledge that the construct and rhythms of Test cricket allow them the space to build towards dismissals. Batting is a process of continual risk assessment, but standards of safety are set much higher in Tests, which grants bowlers greater allowance for deviation from the perfect length or line, because batters tend to wait for balls close enough to drive, or short enough to cut or pull.Root’s ten-ball innings in Visakhapatnam might have seemed reckless from the beginning, and Harry Brook’s baseball-style hitting might give the appearance of an absolute disregard of the basic principles of batting, but England’s new batting philosophy is based on reorienting the mind.By removing the fear of consequences and reprisal, the England management have not only unlocked scoring opportunities that always existed but not always been accessed, they have presented their opponents a different challenge. Insouciant strokeplayers have existed through the history of the game, and in Virender Sehwag lies the example of a batter who achieved devastating success by treating every ball as a run-making opportunity, but rarely has a team as a whole adopted this as their approach.Zak Crawley has improved his average by nearly eight runs in the Bazball era, not by swinging wildly but by pouncing more aggressively on scoring opportunities. No one this series has left Jasprit Bumrah as assuredly as Crawley did, and no one has capitalised on marginal errors of length as well as he has done. He is the only top-order batter not to have been dismissed by Bumrah in the series so far. In the second Test he took eight boundaries off him, while the rest managed nine.Just as Crawley has used his reach to maximise driving opportunities, Ben Duckett, his opening partner, has pounced on the slightest offering of width to employ his most profitable shot, the cut. It’s a small sample size but Duckett, who was sidelined after four unimpressive Tests in 2016, which yielded him an average of 15.71, has scored over 1100 runs at nearly 50 since he was rehabilitated as an enforcer by the current management. The most remarkable jump is in his strike rate: to 90.06 from 57.89.

The five-time champions have further strengthened by adding Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell to the squad

Deivarayan Muthu16-Mar-2024 • Updated on 21-Mar-2024Where CSK finished last seasonMS Dhoni’s men won their fifth IPL title on the third day of a T20 final against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad to draw level with Mumbai Indians.CSK squad for IPL 2024MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish (wk), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana, Sameer RizviRelated

Dhoni's new role, Kohli's comeback in focus in IPL 2024 season opener

Pathirana to miss initial stages of IPL 2024 due to hamstring injury

Spotlight on Rahul's batting position as LSG start afresh under Langer

Daryl Mitchell keeps the family globe-trotting tradition alive

LSG sign Adam Voges as consultant

Player availability – Conway sidelined until MayDevon Conway, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-opener, has been ruled out of the IPL until May with a thumb injury. Shivam Dube, who missed the Ranji Trophy knockouts with a side strain, has been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. It remains to be seen if he is fit to start the tournament for CSK on March 22.Matheesha Pathirana will miss the initial stages of the tournament with a hamstring injury. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Pathirana is likely to be unavailable for at least two weeks and will travel to the IPL only after getting clearance from SLC medical staff.Mustafizur Rahman has been permitted by the BCB to play IPL 2024 between March 22 and May 11. He might leave the league early to prepare for the T20 World Cup with Bangladesh’s tour of the USA.What’s new with CSK this year – New captain and more NZ flavourOn the eve of the season opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad was unveiled as CSK’s new captain, with MS Dhoni handing over the keys to the kingdom.After having released Ben Stokes and Dwaine Pretorius, CSK added New Zealand’s ODI World Cup heroes, Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, to their side. Ravindra can directly slot in at the top, in place of the injured Conway, and bowl quickish left-arm fingerspin, which gives CSK the option to also include Mitchell in the XI ahead of Moeen Ali. CSK also broke the bank to acquire Sameer Rizvi, who was strong against spin in the UP T20 league and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.At the auction in December last year, CSK also snapped up Mustafizur as a back-up for Sri Lanka slinger Pathirana. Plus, Shardul Thakur returns to CSK after two seasons.The acquisition of Rachin Ravindra could be a crucial one for CSK•ICC via Getty ImagesThe good – Spin-bowling depth and spin-hittersConsidering the potentially slow pitches at Chepauk, Dhoni and Stephen Fleming have built another squad that has a number of spin-hitters, spin bowlers, and batting depth all the way down to No.10 or No.11 Remember, Tushar Deshpande scored a career-best 123 from No.11 for Mumbai in the Ranji quarter-final against Baroda?Even the CSK newbies, Ravindra and Mitchell, have the game and temperament to counter spin, like they showed during the ODI World Cup in India last year. Maheesh Theekshana (mystery spin), Moeen Ali (offspin), Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal (left-arm fingerspin), and Prashant Solanki (legspin) tick off most varieties of spin in the attack. Mustafizur’s offcutters could also prove effective, especially if the pitches wear on.The not-so-good – Injury concernsDeepak Chahar will rock up cold, having not played a competitive game since December 2023. Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh are on a longer road back from injury and rehab. Neither seamer has played a competitive match since December 2022.Opener Gaikwad, meanwhile, has just recovered from a finger injury. He has played only one competitive game so far this year. Dhoni himself is coming off a knee surgery.Ajinkya Rahane’s recent form is patchy: he managed only 214 runs in 13 innings in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 17.83. His numbers weren’t flash either in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali tournaments.Schedule insightsCSK will start their season with back-to-back home games at Chepauk, against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans. They will then travel to Vizag to face Delhi Capitals on March 31 and Hyderabad to meet Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5. The schedule for the second half of the tournament is expected once the Election Commission of India reveals the dates of the national elections, which are expected to take place in the months of April and May.The big questionGMT 11.10am This story was updated after Gaikwad was announced as CSK’s new captain, replacing MS Dhoni

Surrey’s debutant passes his audition after stepping into county colleague Foakes’ role

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Jul-2024While pontificating in an empty cafe at the Radisson Blu Resort in Dharamsala, one day after England’s 4-1 series defeat in India, Brendon McCullum was particularly instructive, if cryptic, on facets of his team’s approach that required an upgrade at the midway point of his tenure.One was the need to be “a more refined version of what we are”. The months ahead were to be used to determine what that might look like, by the start of this West Indies series.So then – what refinement look like? Sure, riffing on sample sizes of “one Test” is poor form. And while this is a strong West Indian attack – sharper, and with proven success in the same Australian conditions that England will face in 2025-26 – a sub-par 121 in their first innings had them up against it from the start, even before Shamar Joseph limped off.Even so, England’s 90 overs was the fourth-longest they have batted in a home innings during McCullum’s tenure, while their total of 371 was the third slowest (4.12 runs per over) of their 11 300-plus scores since he took over in June 2022.It’s a shift of sorts. England’s moments of accumulation felt like background music, rather than the ear-splitting thrash-metal shredding of the past two summers. Some of the dismissals had a familiar feel – Ben Duckett’s edge, Ollie Pope’s demise after a breezy start and Ben Stokes’ susceptibility to spin – but, otherwise, these were bruising baby knee-shuffles towards something new. Namely, a better appreciation of the match situation, particularly when West Indies’ attack dragged back their lengths after being too full on Wednesday evening.But perhaps McCullum’s most telling throw-forward in that Dharamsala address had come when he speculated on the futures of Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow, who had passed the gloves between themselves from the summer through to the winter. He remained diplomatic but did cite the need to assess England’s “weaponry” in a bid to go “toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world”. Chastened after falling to one of the best teams in the world – albeit one shorn of a handful of stars intermittently, and of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant for the duration – it was clear a new dynamic keeper was on the agenda.On that front, there was a remedy already in mind. And though Phil Salt’s displays on the limited-overs tour of West Indies at the end of 2023 were fresh in the memory, and (the other) Ollie Robinson’s shift to Chester-le-Street had brought a mountain of sprightly runs, Jamie Smith was the name flashing into the minds of those that matter.On Thursday, that name was flashing on the big screen at Lord’s as well, as last man out for 70. A more than handy start to life as a Test cricketer.Smith seemed laidback throughout, while all those watching shifted in their seats upon his arrival. The excitement about Smith has felt a long time coming: at Galle in February 2023, he produced the fastest-ever century by an England Lions player – watched live by managing director Rob Key – which led to a namecheck from Stokes all the way in New Zealand, as he prepared to lead his team in the first Test in Hamilton. Two days ago, Stokes effused that Smith “fits in perfectly with everything we want down at No.7 for us”. Well then kid, what have you got?Smith’s main regret was denying Anderson a final hit in Test cricket•Getty ImagesA steady hand, for a start. At the fall of Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson in the space of six balls, Smith had 45 from 93 deliveries; in keeping with the way he had accumulated the majority of his 677 runs for Surrey this season, but at a rate 28.28 points slower than his 2024 County Championship strike-rate of 76.67.Now was time for the real audition to begin. Foakes’ downfall, ultimately, came about through his inability to work effectively with the tail. An 80-minute 17 in the second innings of the fourth Test in Ranchi felt like the nail in the coffin. A harsh reminder of his lack of, well, “weaponry”.In fairness to Foakes, the pressure he had been under then was suffocating compared to the docile hum that greeted Smith at a typically ambivalent Lord’s. The lead was 221 – an innings victory already on the agenda – but there were lines to be read and Smith had to oblige.He shielded Bashir from the strike (tick) before unfurling a few boundaries (double tick). Unperturbed by the three men out on both sides, he launched Shamar over square leg for his first six in Test cricket, before bettering it with his second by sending Jayden Seales – comfortably the pick of the fast bowlers – out of the ground towards Paddington. Arguably as impressive was the way he swept Seales through square leg – bisecting the square-leg fielders – giving the casuals a glimpse of how he has been striking at 205.03 in the Blast, and why so many of his peers regard him as a generational talent.There were errors. A scuffed heave out to deep point resulted in the direct-hit run out of Bashir – the same player he was trying to protect. A casual flick into the hands of deep square leg not only ended the England innings, but denied Anderson a final hit with the bat. They were, however, helpful regrets that might keep the hype manageable after an altogether positive outing. This, after all, is an unfamiliar role, both behind the stumps and in his batting position at No.7.”I am slightly gutted I didn’t see that last ball go for six, so that [Anderson] could have his moment against the spinner!” Smith said at stumps. “That’s one thing I regret about that innings, I think.”It’s a new role for me [batting at 7 and keeping] but I’m happy to adapt. Batting with the tail is new for me as well so I am learning on the job a bit. I think I sold Bash down the river a bit with his run-out. Hopefully it gets easier for me, the longer I get to do it.”Of course, the hype won’t necessarily be in his control. But he has, even before today, been a man keen to manage his own destiny.Related

Lord's non-event highlights global game's growing crisis

Undercooked, inexperienced West Indies learn realities of Test cricket's grind

England close in on innings win as West Indies misfire again

West Indies batters' inexperience shows at Lord's

Atkinson upstages Anderson with seven-for as England dominate

The winter just gone, Smith opted out of the Lions tour, and even decided against putting himself up for the IPL auction – despite interest from a couple of franchises. After a decent showing for Gulf Giants in the ILT20, a tidy PSL offer came in which was also spurned. He wanted the time off to rest up and attack the County Championship season for this very moment.”I probably went to Surrey at times batting fairly low down the order and keeping wicket, and didn’t feel I was probably showing my full potential,” he said. “I really wanted to go out and make a name for myself. And I guess trying for people to take notice. That’s where it all stemmed from.”These decisions are never easy decisions to make because obviously, you’re losing out on one thing. But I was pretty at peace with my decisions as and when they’d come. If they wouldn’t have gone so well, I’d still been happy with this decision.”For a 23-year-old, that is a whole lot of sense and clarity, which suggests he will fit right in to this England team. Crucially, his attacking whims are ripe for England’s pursuit of a different kind of balance.A group trending towards a new and improved iteration of themselves have, in Smith, someone who can become a handy conduit to the best bits of their past.