Also, why didn’t the Capitals try to knock the Royal Challengers out?

Alagappan Muthu02-Nov-2020What is the secret to Devdutt Padikkal’s success this IPL?The basics. A tall left-hand batsman with quick feet and outstanding timing, he has made 472 runs in 14 matches so far. No uncapped Indian in his debut season has made more.Padikkal’s success is built on his off-side play. And in case anyone’s forgotten, bowlers still target the top of off stump with the new ball, even in T20 cricket.Anrich Nortje tried to do that and was lofted for a one-bounce four over cover point. The shot brought Virat Kohli up to his feet, his eyes bulging out of his head. It was hit that cleanly.No left-hander has made more runs (236 at a strike rate of 136) through the off side than Padikkal. His weight transfer into the ball, his balance at the crease and his timing are all great assets for him going forward.Why didn’t Capitals try to knock Royal Challengers out?If you make the playoffs, wouldn’t you rather play a team that didn’t have Kohli and AB de Villiers in it?And when all you need to do for that is score 153 in 17.3 overs – that’s a run-rate of 8.7 – it seems a worthwhile pursuit.But remember, the Capitals were coming off four back-to-back losses. A theme of those losses was their batting malfunctioning badly.They couldn’t afford that in this must-win game. They had to ensure their own qualification first. And to do that, they simply had to win the game.That’s why they never really went after the target with the intention of knocking their opposition out of the IPL.Is the outswinger a weakness for Prithvi Shaw?His game is about hitting the ball on the up. When he is in form, he simply times the ball. When he is not, he looks like he’s trying to hit it too hard. And that’s where the problems begin.Since Shaw likes room to hit through the off side, he usually stays leg side of the ball. Since he’s more of a back-foot player, he can also at times be stuck on the crease. And with his bat starting around second or third slip as it comes down, he also has a tendency to get squared up.The outswinger can exploit all of these tendencies, whether it is by getting a nick through to the keeper or by beating the edge and knocking back the off stump as Mohammed Siraj did in the second over of the chase.According to ESPNcricinfo’s data, he has made 21 runs off 20 outswingers this season and lost his wicket to them three times. That translates to an average of 7 and a strike rate of 105.ESPNcricinfo LtdAre there better end-overs options than the wide yorker?On a slow pitch? Possibly.There was an offcutter that Daniel Sams bowled to Padikkal in the 15th over that didn’t just grip in the pitch. It almost refused to go to the other end.Eventually it did, but only so it could give the batsman three different headaches. Extra bounce. Lack of pace. And turn like a Muralitharan offbreak.Padikkal tried to scoop it, but the ball popped out to where short square leg would have been.Given that evidence, Sams should have been concentrating on hitting just back of a length with his slower balls. So long as he didn’t give any room, he would be golden. Instead he went for those wide yorkers in the 18th over and got whacked around by de Villiers and Shivam Dube for 18 runs.

In another closely fought contest, New Zealand were unable to replicate last year’s stunning chase

Danyal Rasool01-Nov-2022What happened at Lord’s in 2019 will likely never be supplanted as the most iconic contest between these two sides. But while that might be easy to compartmentalise as the unrepeatable freak event it was, last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final between England and New Zealand felt far more replicable. This may not have been a semi-final, but for all practical purposes, it was a knockout for England, and, for large parts, New Zealand seemed to be clocking that what worked in Abu Dhabi worked pretty well in Brisbane, too.It was a game of fluctuating quality, some sensational power hitting countered by canny spin bowling, stunning displays of athleticism neutralised by simple dropped chances. There was the cat-and-mouse game around match-ups and data, as each team jostled to gain the slenderest of statistical edges, unsurprising for two modern teams with little disparity in ability to distinguish them. There was enough tactical nous to keep contemporary T20 afficionados interested, enough emotional jeopardy for casual viewers and nervous partisans alike. It was, to stoop to cliché, a fantastic advert for the T20 game.England were arguably the better side in Abu Dhabi, and deservedly got their reward in this game – even if one win out of two might be the least reward they could expect. Even winning the toss felt like a key moment for an England side that have won eight of 10 completed games defending scores this year, and just three of 12 looking to chase.Related

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There was nothing fortunate about what followed, though. Opening has been a problem for England this year, but Jos Buttler and Alex Hales had the composure to play themselves into the contest, even as New Zealand cleverly bowled out the bulk of their slower bowlers before England’s vaunted spin-slaying left-handers had found their way to the middle.Mitchell Santner was bowled out by the 11th over, and Ish Sodhi three overs later, the pair having kept Hales and Buttler relatively leashed; their combined figures saw England manage 48 in eight overs. But the fast bowlers until then had gone for 62 off six, and it was Buttler’s assault on Lockie Ferguson that ended up having the more telling impact.The England captain came into the game with a strike rate of 160 against Ferguson, and the eight balls he faced off his first two overs only saw that go north. Ferguson was smashed for 21 runs – a sitter shelled by Daryl Mitchell notwithstanding – prompting Williamson to hold back his final two overs for the 18th and 20th.That wasn’t terrible in itself – Ferguson isn’t the worst death bowler – but it meant bowling Boult out by the 17th. But Boult is statistically New Zealand’s best death bowler since 2021, with an economy rate of 6.70 in the last four overs. On this occasion, he ended up with 0 for 40 in four; identical to his figures in that Abu Dhabi semi-final this threatened to replicate for so long. But it was just the seventh time in the last 24 T20Is he has gone wicketless. England had denied New Zealand’s best bowler wickets, as well as overs at the death. Boult has historically been more expensive against England than any other side, but they were more than making up for their caution against spin with belligerence against pace.Mitchell Santner picked up 1 for 25•Getty ImagesPerhaps, on certain days, there’s nothing you can do about Buttler in top form (other than hold on to catches, of course), but England showed they could deploy spin to useful effect just as well. While New Zealand had held Santner back until the fourth over in the hopes of extracting an early wicket via Boult’s prodigious swing, Moeen Ali was spinning it away from Devon Conway as early as the first over. When the first wicket fell and Kane Williamson walked out, Adil Rashid was called up. It was the first time since November 2021 that both Moeen and Rashid have bowled with fielding restrictions in place, but it made sense: Williamson had scored six boundaries in 157 T20 balls against spin this year.The death by match-ups only intensified, though. Finn Allen, New Zealand’s likeliest outlet for a Buttler-style blitz, was pitted against Sam Curran in the fourth over. The opener has fallen to that type of bowling once every 11 balls; it took just four balls on the night for the tactic to pay off.New Zealand had played their part in turning this contest into a cerebral battle of wits, but finding themselves outflanked, appeared to retreat into the comfort zone of what they knew. Where England had front-loaded with bat and ball at every opportunity, New Zealand treated that Abu Dhabi contest almost as their psychological happy place, and chose to backload heavily again. As Williamson tickled and tapped his way through an innings that at no point seemed to endanger England, the burden on Glenn Phillips, and the lower order to come, continued to accrue.Williamson had lasted just 11 balls in the 2021 semi-final, scoring 5, but here he hung around for a run-a-ball 40. In a lower-scoring game, or with his side ahead of the game, it might have been the anchoring knock New Zealand were after, but the asking rate was nine at the start, and 12 when he was dismissed. It’s the sort of innings that looks like poor batting at first, but in a chase, seemed even more indefensible.England, however, dealt with what had happened in a manic final three overs in Abu Dhabi like the aberration that it was rather than the template New Zealand seemed to treat it as. England are simply too good, too clever, and too disciplined to allow 60-odd runs at the death every time. And in a format where percentage play factors into just about all decision-making, New Zealand – in choosing to follow precedent – paid the price for going for the lowest-percentage option of all.

The allrounder has battled multiple injuries to get back to international cricket. Now South Africa hope he can take on a Kallis-like role in the side

Firdose Moonda22-Jan-2021Wiaan Mulder arrived at the Wanderers in October 2016 with a helmet, hope and homework. He was 17 and already earmarked for bigger things.Geoffrey Toyana, the Lions coach at the time, had heard about a schoolboy allrounder who was being courted by other franchises, so he had gone down to St Stithians, one of South Africa’s most prestigious schools, the alma mater of Kagiso Rabada among others, to see what the fuss was all about.Toyana was so impressed by Mulder at the school that he nearly guaranteed him a place in the Lions first XI. “I remember saying to him that we don’t have many allrounders at the Lions and that if Dwaine Pretorius got selected by the Proteas, [Mulder] would be the next guy in,” Toyana said. “Within a week Dwaine was selected and even though Wiaan was busy with his school exams at that point, I couldn’t go back on my word.”Pretorius’ call-up to South Africa’s ODI squad came at the beginning of the 2016-17 season, when the domestic franchises were about to kick off their four-day competition. Mulder slotted straight into a high-performing Lions side with a strong bowling attack – bypassing the second-tier provincial structure entirely – and made his debut against the historically strong Cape Cobras. He bowled second change and took three wickets in the first innings. In the next, he was promoted to first change and took four more. Mulder had hit the big time while still occupied with his studies and turning up for training in his school uniform.

Last year came to training in a school uniform this year protea ,proud of you young a Wiaan Mulder @HighveldLions a href=”https://t.co/zyfngTYAbo”>pic.twitter.com/zyfngTYAbo

— Geoffrey Toyana (@geoffreytoyana) October 22, 2017

England vs South Africa at the Oval was a bowler-dominated Test and here are the numbers to prove it

Sampath Bandarupalli12-Sep-2022909 Balls bowled by England and South Africa before the result at The Oval, making it the fourth-shortest completed Test match in England and the shortest there since 1912.It is also the shortest completed Test to have ever gone into the fifth day. The previous one was the 2001 Hamilton Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh, completed in 1090 balls (excluding the 2000 Centurion Test match where two innings were forfeited).3 Previous instances of a five-day Test match ending with a result despite no play on the first two days. England’s innings win against New Zealand in the 1958 Leeds Test came after the first two days got washed out. New Zealand recorded innings wins in similar fashion twice against Bangladesh – the aforementioned Hamilton Test in 2001 and then at Wellington in 2019.

Also in the record books tonight: Chahar for a high, and Curran for a low

Sampath Bandarupalli21-Apr-2021171 – Runs scored by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the fall of the fifth wicket with the score on 31, the most by a team in an IPL match after losing five wickets. The Royal Challengers Bangalore held the previous record with 130 runs in 2016 against the Gujarat Lions, when they chased down 159 after being 29 for 5.The 171 runs by the Knight Riders is also the second-highest by any team in a T20 game after the fall of the fifth wicket. The highest is 184 by the Jamaica Tallawahs to chase down a target of 224 from being 41 for 5 against the Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2018 (courtesy 121* off 49 balls from one Andre Russell).ESPNcricinfo Ltd66* – Pat Cummins’ score while batting at No. 8 for the Knight Riders, the highest in IPL while batting at No. 8 or lower. Harbhajan Singh’s 64 against the Kings XI Punjab in 2015, also from No. 8, was the previous highest from such a batting position.0 – All-out totals higher than the 202 by the Knight Riders. The previous highest all-out total in the IPL was 188 by the Mumbai Indians way back in 2008, while chasing a 190-run target against the Kings XI Punjab.The Knight Riders are also just the second team in T20 history to register a 200-plus total after losing half their side inside 50 runs. The Jamaica Tallawahs, against the Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2018, recorded the first such instance.202 – The Knight Riders’ total is the highest by any team in T20 cricket with eight batters getting out in single digits. The previous highest with as many or more single-digit scores was 175 by Australia against Pakistan in the 2014 World T20. The Knight Riders’ total is also the first 200-plus total in T20s to include four ducks.ESPNcricinfo Ltd4 – Wickets for Deepak Chahar inside the first six overs in this match. He is the first player to take a four-wicket haul for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL during the mandatory powerplay. The Super Kings took five wickets inside the first six overs, the first such instance for them in the IPL.Related

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58 – Runs conceded by Sam Curran in his four overs, the joint-most conceded by a Super Kings player in an IPL game. Mohit Sharma also conceded 58 runs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2015. Curran’s third over cost 30 runs, the joint-most expensive over by a Super Kings bowler in the IPL. Lungi Ngidi also conceded 30 runs in the last year’s game against the Rajasthan Royals, where he conceded four consecutive sixes to Jofra Archer.0 – Instances of two individual fifties from Nos. 7 or lower in an IPL innings before today. The duo of Russell and Cummins produced just the second such instance in all T20 cricket. The first such occasion came during Jammu & Kashmir’s innings against Haryana in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2012-13.

Former Australia allrounder explains what the visitors need to do, to not only survive but also thrive in India

Alex Malcolm05-Feb-20232:11

India’s unparalleled home dominance

Australia’s batters are trying to cram for the India exam during a nearly week-long training camp in Bengaluru. The test of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel on a spinning surface likely awaits them in Nagpur.It’s an exam former Australia allrounder Shane Watson has faced before. One he freely admits he was challenged by. He went on four Test tours of India and scored a hundred in Mohali. That was in 2010 facing Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha as an opener at the peak of his powers.Ashwin and Jadeja in 2013, batting in the middle order on some rank turners, was an entirely different proposition. If Watson had his time again, he would think differently and play differently.Related

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“One thing I didn’t really do [in India] was just accept what I had at that moment in time, instead of trying to be someone else,” Watson told ESPNcricinfo. “I was thinking, ‘Should I use my feet this time to get out and cover the ball from spinning or should I sit deep in the crease’, instead of going, ‘Well this is what I’ve got right now, and this is the best way for me to try and have success.'”For me, it was going away from using cross-bat shots off the back foot in particular, which is one of my strengths outside of turning conditions.”Using a straight bat to be able to hit off the back foot through the off side or the leg side. I wish I had got that through my head and then developed that instinct earlier because it’s much lower risk. All the good players, especially from India, very rarely do they use cross-bat shots, especially for a pull shot. They’ll hit it with a straight bat to be able to hit it through the leg side.”Ravindra Jadeja has just returned from a long injury lay-off with a seven-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy•PTI Jadeja looms large over Australia’s right-handers Watson fell to Jadeja’s left-arm spin in Delhi during the 2013 series, when Jadeja snared seven wickets in the match, and has played with him at Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Watson believes Jadeja’s pace and unrelenting accuracy make him a huge threat to both edges in turning conditions.”Facing him when the ball is turning compared to when the ball is not turning is just chalk and cheese,” Watson said. “It’s like you’re facing a different bowler when the ball is turning because he’s flatter, he’s faster, he’s accurate all the time. He’s always at the stumps.”One will turn or one will skid through. He’s very hard to be able to work through as a right-hander, to find a method that’s going to not just survive but also score runs.Obviously Australia has got some really good players of spin in there with Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. They’ve got a number of lefties as well which will negate Jadeja a bit more with the ball just turning in. If I had my time again, I would definitely play with a straighter bat to Jadeja.”Axar Patel has taken 39 wickets in six home Tests•BCCIAxar is a known unknown to Australia Axar has terrorised visiting Test teams in India with his variety of left-arm spin since bursting onto the scene against England in 2021. No Australian has faced him in Test cricket yet. Watson faced Axar in the IPL and found him a different proposition to Jadeja, yet equally uncomfortable.”Axar’s angle is what makes him really hard to line up,” Watson said. “I didn’t face him in Test cricket but I always found him really difficult to play even in T20 cricket because of his release point. He’s not low round arm, but he’s round arm and he bowls from quite wide on the crease, and with the angle that the ball comes in I was never able to really line it up. And then if the ball is turning it just seems like the ball is turning a lot more because of the angle.”It’s different to Jadeja because Jadeja is normally a bit closer to the stumps and he doesn’t create as much angle with the ball coming into the right-hander from his release point.”Axar is at the stumps all the time. It’s going to be pretty challenging. He’s a fair bit taller and his release point is still pretty high. But you don’t feel like his bounce is a threat as much because he does get balls to skid through.”The guys playing are going to have to get used to that angle and find a way to be able to line that up. Once the guys line it up they’ll be okay, but it can take a bit of time to work that out.”Ashwin’s amazing skill an ever-present challenge Australia will have at least four left-handers in the top seven. They could possibly play five if Cameron Green isn’t passed fit and Matt Renshaw retains his place at No.6 after returning to Test cricket in Australia’s previous match against South Africa in SydneyIn Watson’s experience, Ashwin’s skill level and control makes him dangerous against Australia’s right-handers as well, especially if there is bounce and sharp turn.R Ashwin has 50 wickets in eight Tests against Australia in India•AFP via Getty Images”It’s a bit easier as a right-hander but when the ball is turning and sort of jumping out of either the rough or the fresh part of the wicket, he’s relentless,” Watson said. “He hardly gives you a free ball to be able to score off.”He’s incredibly skilled. It’s not just getting the ball spinning with the occasional one that’s not going to turn. He’s got a lot of variations through his flight and pace that he still can land exactly where he wants. So even as a right-hander, when the ball’s not turning that much it’s a much easier challenge. I just batted on off stump and hit straight to the leg side knowing that unless one really explodes and I get caught at bat-pad, I’m not really exposed to that.”Whereas when the ball is turning, coming back into my stumps, it’s much more challenging to be able to try and cover that ball coming in when there’s plenty of guys around the bat.”Proactivity is the key Watson admits he didn’t need to be that proactive during his Mohali century because of the quality of the surface.”It was a really nice wicket,” Watson said. “The ball didn’t really turn much. I was facing a lot of Harbhajan Singh in that innings and I was able to be really patient. It was quite a slow hundred. At that moment in time, I wasn’t being proactive against spin, I was just waiting for a loose ball.”It makes it easier when it’s a truer wicket. Whereas the other times I’ve been in India, even in the first session there’s been times where the ball has spun out of the fresh part of the wicket, which makes more opportunities for the bowler to get you out. But it’s also harder to just try and be patient and wait for a loose ball because you’re really just a sitting duck waiting for them to get you out.”While Watson is an advocate for Australia’s batters to find their own method and stick to it, he believes the blueprint is there from the way some of his team-mates played on past tours to India.”The guys who have done it the best are the ones who are either really quick on their feet and get down and cover the spin, and or they’re really good at just getting back and allowing the ball to spin and then playing the ball,” Watson said.”I think of Damien Martyn who did incredibly well in that 2004 series, especially in Chennai where he played back and allowed the ball to spin. I think about Matt Hayden’s transformation as a player of spin where he’d either sweep or as soon as the ball was slightly flighted he would use his feet and hit dead straight. Michael Clarke was a great player of spin. His ability to be able to use his feet to get out when the ball was slightly flighted, then when it wasn’t to get back deep in his crease to let the ball spin, those are the guys who had the most success when the ball was turning quite extreme.”They’ve got a good method but they are proactive to be able to get off strike, get down the other end, but also put pressure on the bowler.”But being proactive all the time, every ball in Test matches, it takes a lot out of you physically but especially mentally because you’ve got to be really sharp all the time.”