All posts by h716a5.icu

Khawaja covers for Thunder's fumbles

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Despite another creaky performance that highlighted the weaknesses in their side, Usman Khawaja just about proved the difference against Perth Scorchers

Jarrod Kimber11-Jan-2018Last season, Sydney Thunder won three games in the Big Bash League. They finished last, with the worst net run rate as well.The games they won included one featuring a staggering fifth-wicket partnership of 84 between Pat Cummins and Eoin Morgan, sealed off the last ball. In another, Fawad Ahmed took 4 for 14. Their third win was a good effort from the bowlers, and then James Vince breaking the chase in the Powerplay.Cummins hasn’t played yet this year, Morgan doesn’t have a contract, and Vince has been busy with England (and now seems to have caught Joe Root’s gastro). Two seasons back they won the whole thing. Mike Hussey and Jacques Kallis played, Andre Russell in his pomp and Usman Khawaja was so good David Warner got demoted from the Australia opening position.The Thunder were great, and then they were horrible. And then there is this year.It’s hard to work out how this current team wins. Their seam bowling is almost always ordinary, they don’t get off to fast starts, they routinely manufacture their No. 6, and you could make a pretty solid case that last season Cummins was their best batsman.In this game, they played the best team in the competition; but the best team in the competition without the Marshes, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, and Jason Behrendorff.Coming in, the Thunder had won two games from six.The problems for the Thunder start right at the top. Kurtis Patterson, their opener, made a hundred on his Shield debut at 18. He’s a talented player. But he’s not been a good T20 player. In 24 matches, he has made no fifties. He faces 15 balls per game, but strikes at 110, so on average he’ll produce 16 runs. It gets worse: Patterson scores a boundary every 6.4 balls in the Powerplay, the average is 5.4. Not only is that 17% worse than the average, with all but two players outside the circle he doesn’t even hit a boundary per over.In 11 out of 17 innings of over 10 balls, he has scored slower than his team, despite coming in during the Powerplay virtually all the time. He’s outscored when he is at the crease by his team-mates, and he faces more balls in the Powerplay than the man at the other end. So he doesn’t hit boundaries or rotate the strike well, he doesn’t make fast runs, or go on for big scores.

Their overseas signing hasn’t been going well, their allrounder captain isn’t bowling, and their long-term seamer is a one-dimensional player

Coming in at No. 4 is Callum Ferguson, who hasn’t made a fifty in his last 28 BBL innings. He strikes at 120, and his average is 22.58. But Ferguson can play, he averaged over 40 in ODIs, and he’s the sort of batsman when in who ups the rate well. You cannot afford to play both of them, and if you do, Ferguson has to bat higher up the order than he currently does.Their depth outside the squad is also a problem. Aiden Blizzard is a quality player, but he’s getting on. Ryan Gibson has had a shocker of a year (30 runs in five hits). So when Vince is healthy, and with the Thunder hoping Khawaja doesn’t get called up as injury cover for the ODI side, they will most probably drop Patterson or Ferguson.But their batting problems don’t end with these two and the depth. At No. 6 they’re batting Arjun Nair. Every time he comes out to bat the commentators talk about how he hits the ball to unusual places; well, he has now hit 303 runs in his 25 professional games across all formats. So at the moment, he rarely hits the ball anywhere. The problem was there last year, when Cummins batted six, but Cummins made it work. This year Nair has 49 runs at a strike rate of 119.51, which is handy. But when you have two slower batsmen up the order who don’t make big scores, Nair either needs to make more runs, or make his runs really fast. He may get there, but he hasn’t shown that yet.Tonight, none of that mattered. Since 2012, Khawaja is averaging 72 in BBL cricket. He was excellent again, scoring at 9.96 runs an over and making almost half their score. The rest of the Thunder scored at 7.5.Other than Khawaja, the other thing holding this team together is their spin.The Thunder spinners are outstanding. Over the last two years they’ve gone at 6.84 and over, the pacers at 8.75. That isn’t because they’ve been in the soft middle overs: even when the pacers bowl those overs, the spinners are better. They are also way better in the Powerplay, going at 5.9 compared to 8 an over. And with Nair getting more confident since last year, their spinners are even better now.The problem is that while one batsman like Khawaja can often win the game for you, generally you need most of your bowlers to play well. One-off bowling performances win far less game than one-off batting. So even Fawad, who has nine wickets and at economy of 5.9 this year, can’t win many games.That means the Thunder seamers have to be better – and they have lost Russell and Cummins since last year. Coming into the Scorchers game, Gurinder Sandhu’s last five outings had him leaking over ten runs an over.Gurinder Sandhu celebrates Alex Doolan’s wicket•Getty ImagesOne thing Sandhu’s good at is bowling with the new ball. His econ is 6.8, he strikes every 19 balls, and his average is 21. That’s him ranked sixth, fifth and third for those skills in Powerplay. He bowls 38% of his overs in the Powerplay; but he doesn’t often bowl more than one over. This was the first time since 2012-13 that he bowled more than two overs in it. In that game, also against the Scorchers, he took 1 for 18. So you have a team whose seam bowlers are struggling in the Powerplay, and a bowler who gets smashed when he bowls outside the Powerplay, who doesn’t bowl enough in it.Tonight was Sandhu at his best; he swung the ball massively; he got the big wicket of Ashton Turner, and when he did come back on to bowl at the death, he did so with confidence. His over should have iced the game. But even Mitch McClenaghan – brought in to shore up their seam bowling – gets in green and becomes like all the other recent Thunder seamers: incredibly expensive. And the one player who could probably help, Shane Watson, has bowled 7.4 overs for the season.So their overseas signing hasn’t been going well, their allrounder captain isn’t bowling, and their long-term seamer is a one-dimensional player.When Fawad finished his overs, the Scorchers needed 74 from 30; they got 70 of them.It’s not like the Thunder fielded brilliantly either, this might’ve been the worst fielding of a tournament that has already been plagued by drops. In the last over they fumbled, missed a run-out, and that is not even including McClenaghan’s full-toss no-ball.Khawaja covered their flaws against this Scorcher-lite team. But as good as he was, and as much as the weakened Scorchers struggled, it still came down to the last ball. And with a boundary needed to win the game, a full toss was delivered. Luckily for them, it was mishit.The Thunder have now won three games in this year’s BBL. They won, but how.

Pakistan's misfortunes since MisYou's farewell

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Williamson’s 228 runs were the most by a New Zealand batsman in a Test against Pakistan

Bharath Seervi07-Dec-20181984- The last time New Zealand won a Test series in Asia (excluding in Bangladesh). It came in Sri Lanka 34 years ago. Since then they have played 18 series in Asia against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka without winning any of them. The only previous occasion when New Zealand defeated Pakistan in Asia was in 1969-70.2- Number of series defeats for Pakistan in UAE since they started playing their home games there. Both of them have come in about the last 15 months and both since their ace duo Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq retired. Before these defeats, they were unbeaten in nine Test series in UAE.4- Number of Tests lost by Pakistan in UAE since Misbah and Younis retired, in seven matches. They lost two to Sri Lanka and two to New Zealand this series. Before their retirement, Pakistan had lost only four Tests in UAE in 24 matches.

Pakistan in Tests in UAE

Period Mats Won Lost Drawn W/L ratio Series defeatsAfter Younis-Misbah’s retirement 7 2 4 1 0.50 2During Younis-Misbah’s career 24 13 4 7 3.25 010- Number of times Pakistan have lost when chasing targets between 100 and 300 in the last ten years. In 18 such chases, they have won just four and lost ten of them. No other team has had that many unsuccessful chases. Pakistan’s average runs per wicket in chasing those targets just 20.61, the worst among all Test teams.7/127- William Somerville’s figures in the match – the third-best by a New Zealand spinner on Test debut. In the first Test of this series, at the same venue, Ajaz Patel picked 7 for 123 on debut.228- Runs for Kane Williamson in this Test, the most by a New Zealand captain in a Test against Pakistan. Williamson’s tally is also the third-best by a New Zealand captain in Asia.2.63- The scoring rate in this series, which is the second-lowest in any Test series of 2-plus matches in the last five years. The only series that had a lower run-rate was the Freedom Trophy in India (v South Africa) in 2015-16.5- Number of Man-of-the-Series awards for Yasir Shah, all coming since 2015 – the most for any player. R Ashwin is next with four such awards. All other Pakistan players combined have managed to win only four series awards in this period.29- Wickets for Yasir in the series at an average of 19.03. The next highest wicket-takers in the series were Hasan Ali and Ajaz Patel with 13 wickets each. Only one Pakistan bowler has picked more wickets in a three-match series – 30 wickets by Abdul Qadir in 1987-88. Yasir’s tally is also the most by a bowler in losing three-match series.

Life, the universe, and Mohammad Hafeez

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Here today, gone tomorrow, and back again, he’s made enough comebacks for all of us to have a favourite. Which one is yours?

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai07-Oct-2018Here’s a question. If you come back as often as Mohammad Hafeez, then were you ever really away in the first place? Think this through. This was Hafeez’s first Test in over two years but I’ll wager there’s a number of us out there who a) didn’t realise that he’s been out of the Test side that long, b) that he was out of the side at all, or c) that there were other openers actually opening for Pakistan in his place. Without opening Statsguru try and name the guys who have opened for Pakistan in the time since Hafeez last played a Test (apparently since August 2016, but I don’t believe it).Don’t hold me to this but today was, by a very rough count, Hafeez’s fifth comeback. We’ll restrict this to Tests not just because this is a Test but because we didn’t invent enough numbers to keep track of his comebacks in all formats combined. There’s enough for all of us to have a favourite comeback. The most successful one was when he returned in the Misbah era, to become a lead figure in what was not a team but a collective revenge of the rejected.My favourite is when he came back at The Oval in 2006 with 95 runs of such promise and purity that it felt like there was no way that would remain his only fifty in 12 Tests in England, New Zealand and South Africa, places where real openers are made. Sure enough, one series in South Africa later, he was pretty much gone for three years. , as we say around these parts, or we basically figured out the real Hafeez and his very real limitations.Three of those comebacks have happened after he’s missed more than 15 Tests, which is the kind of homeless fact that can only find a home in a piece about a Pakistani batsman. It will surprise you none that he’s not the first Pakistani to accomplish this and neither will the identity of the first: Hasan Raza.Does it tell us anything? Not much, but you know how it feels like Pakistan are never really anywhere, not firmly in the present era, only tentatively looking towards a new one, and not fully convinced that the older one is done? The sum total of that, to the last decimal point, is Mohammad Hafeez, who’s often but never decisively been discarded for being old furniture, who’s never been truly appreciated when he’s been around, and whose very presence kind of holds you back from looking too far ahead (you go ahead and imagine not picking him for his bowling alone for next year’s World Cup).It’s actually kind of cute that Pakistan thought in his dotage they could actually slip a younger, more real opener past Hafeez without him noticing. For two long years they thought they could do this. Sami Aslam, Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad (another comebacker), Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, and toying with Fakhar Zaman too, all of which got them right back here to the easy comforts of the UAE where Hafeez, let’s face it, is still king. Pretend all you want that he was a last-minute, emergency call-up to cover for Shadab Khan’s injury but come on: this is Hafeez. He’s never not going to be around.Mohammad Hafeez sweeps•Getty ImagesAnd perhaps it’s time to embrace that idea of a solution that isn’t quite short-term and definitely isn’t long-term but just is. How long you embrace it for doesn’t matter either just as long as you know that it’s difficult to argue he’s not a solution here. Go on, try and make a case for newer, younger openers. Try and make a case for bringing back other tried, tested and younger men. Try to make a case for converting batsmen into openers. But do always come back to the following stats, numbers that make a case for Hafeez while simultaneously unmaking the case of stats as an analytical tool altogether.Since Hafeez’s big comeback, in November 2010 at the start of the Misbah era, and including today, Pakistan’s openers have put on 13 century stands. It’s remarkable because only Australia and England have more. What’s more, Pakistani openers have put on a hundred at a rate of 1 every 9.62 innings and only Australia’s have done it more frequently. And of course they’ve done it with the second-highest number of partners.Opening has been a problem for Pakistan for so long that we’ve haven’t stopped to recognise that actually it’s not such a big problem at all. Fine, ten of those stands are in the UAE but that kind of home bounty is utterly in tune with this era. Ultimately, in a time of poor openers, when settled opening pairs are overrated, Pakistan are not as bad as you think.Do you need me to spell out who’s been involved in over half of those 13 century stands? I didn’t think so.It’s no point even treading over the quality of his tenth hundred today. Of course it was good to look at, with that preternatural feel he has for strokes, the hands-out drives, the touches through point and midwicket, the studied defence. We all know he can bat and make it look good. We all know he won’t be around when Pakistan go to South Africa later this season and if he is, we all know what’s going to happen there too.Don’t think too hard about it, or what it means. Appreciate the fact that Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and allowed Hafeez to bat first on this pitch, setting Pakistan up solidly on the first day of this series. Later on you’ll get to watch Hafeez bowl and it’s not unlikely he’ll chip in with a wicket or two, and if he doesn’t you can be sure he’ll keep things tight enough for Yasir Shah. Then his action will probably get reported again. Life happens. And he’ll be gone for a while, and then he’ll be back again, not yesterday’s man, or today’s, or tomorrow’s.

Rajasthan Royals have depth, but need to get their game plans right

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Ajinkya Rahane’s position in the XI will be a matter of debate; if they can get that right, the first-season champions can go a long way

Shashank Kishore20-Mar-2019Squad
9:28

Experts see promise in Rajasthan’s squad for IPL 2019

Where they finished in 2018
Fourth in the group stage with seven wins, before losing the eliminator to Kolkata Knight Riders.Strengths
Royals have great depth, and have addressed each of their problems from last year with precision, so they don’t get exposed even when their big players aren’t available.Sample this: When Jos Buttler leaves, they can fill the void by playing Manan Vohra at the top. If Shreyas Gopal, the legspinner, has a string of poor games, they can back him up with Kerala’s S Midhun. If they want experience, they can look at Ish Sodhi. Who better than Shane Warne as a mentor?ESPNcricinfo LtdRoyals’ overseas roster has been strengthened with the additions of West Indies’ Oshane Thomas and Australia’s Ashton Turner, both of whom have left their imprints on Indian soil during ODI series in recent months. The fourth overseas slot is likely to be a toss-up between those two and Jofra Archer, depending on conditions and form. Varun Aaron and Jaydev Unadkat are the two experienced Indian quicks in the squad, with Thomas available as an alternative. Because they have a solid Indian back-ups for the overseas players, they shouldn’t be hampered too much with team balance.However, they need strategic precision. Last year, they weren’t able to maximise Buttler’s utility. In seven innings lower down the order, he managed just 120 runs at a strike rate of 126.30. When they decided to open with him, Royals had already slumped midway. But he almost single-handedly steered them to the playoffs by making 428 runs in the next six innings at a strike rate of 165.9. In the month of May alone, he tallied more runs (389) than the rest of the Royals batting combined (387).Similarly, K Gowtham’s record as a six-hitter was next to none, but he faced a total of 64 balls last season over 13 innings (four not outs in there), very low for someone who can strike a mean ball. He scored at over 200 at the death across innings. Is there a case to have him bat higher, especially in tall chases, so that they don’t leave it too late?ESPNcricinfo LtdWeaknesses
It’s no secret that Ajinkya Rahane is still eyeing a late entry to India’s World Cup squad, and there are mixed signals from the selectors and the captain over IPL performances. In any case, for him to present his case, he has to open. But won’t that come in the way of team goals?As such, Rahane is best used as a floater, an option the team management should consider. His Powerplay strike rate last season was 127, the fifth-lowest among those who faced 50 balls or more. His middle-overs strike rate of 102.5 was the worst among all batsmen who faced a minimum of 50 balls. Now, Rahane may not buy into the theory that his strike rates come in the way of a middle-order berth with the Indian team, but these are cold numbers that tell a story.Rahane’s 370 runs last season – at a Smart Strike Rate of 101 – was the antithesis of how T20 cricket has evolved. There’s no doubting his class and ability. He’s used the downtime to train and prepare. Can he return a rejuvenated T20 batsman? It’s important for the team management to make bold calls for the greater good if some combinations aren’t working, something they didn’t do enough last season.AvailabilityThe England players – Buttler and Ben Stokes, and possibly Jofra Archer, who is now eligible to play for England and is in the frame for selection – will leave on May 1 for their World Cup camp. Steven Smith is available for selection till, while Turner, who mentor Warne expects to tussle for the allrounder’s spot, will be available from April 1 following Australia’s ODI series in Pakistan in UAE. They could both leave on May 1 if they’re part of Australia’s World Cup plans. Six of their eight overseas players are likely to leave on May 1, so the pressure is on them to do all the running in their first 10 games. It remains to be seen how this pressure will impact them.The best XI1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Stuart Binny 7 K Gowtham, 8 Shreyas Gopal, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Varun AaronThe overseas questionTheir best four foreign choices for most parts should be Buttler, Smith, Stokes and one of Archer and Turner, depending on their bowling combinations. Once the Englishmen go back, they could look at Smith, Turner, Livingstone and Thomas.Will they make the playoffs?Much like in season one, where not many gave them a chance, they are in with a great chance of springing a surprise. Even if a top-two finish may seem far-fetched, they will definitely be in the running for third or fourth.Poll

Are Bangladesh lagging behind because of a self-imposed limitation?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Despite knowing that they don’t have the luxury of a big hitter down the order, they have never quite looked to create one in their player development programmes

Mohammad Isam in Birmingham26-Jun-2019There and thereabouts, but not quite in the top four for the most part of the World Cup, Bangladesh have managed to keep their campaign relevant leading up to their long break in Birmingham. They remain a semi-final contender by being fifth on the points table, and by the time they play their next game against India, on July 2, they will have a clearer picture of their task ahead. What makes their campaign impressive is how they have managed so much despite their limitations.They won convincingly against Afghanistan but weren’t ruthless enough to press the accelerator while batting in the last 20 overs. They finished on 262 but Shakib Al Hasan later said that their initial target was to score 240 since they didn’t believe the pitch was conducive for a bigger score. But, even on batting-friendly pitches, they have not scored fast enough.England, who have scored at 7.26 per over in this phase since the new Powerplay rules were changed in July 2015, have made a name for themselves simply by being the fastest scoring team. India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand have all struck at around 6.50 per over during these 20 overs, but Bangladesh lag behind at 5.88.Between the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, all teams playing in this edition, except West Indies and Afghanistan, have scored at around five an over in the first 30 overs. England, who began their ODI scoring rates revolution during this period, are on top with a scoring rate of 5.76 but it is in the last twn overs where they leave everyone miles behind, scoring at 8.49 per over.While Bangladesh keep themselves abreast of the scoring rate in the first 30 overs (5.09, above Sri Lanka and Pakistan), they are way behind most sides in both the last 20 overs (5.96), as well as the last ten overs (6.76) of their innings.

Stronger teams often promote a big hitter after 30 overs to push the throttle before the 40th over because one extra fielder is allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the last ten overs, when the bowlers also try to bowl yorkers once the ball gets softer.Bangladesh haven’t done this because they rely heavily on the set batsman at the crease during the latter stages of the innings, which means that they cannot start hitting out until late if wickets fall suddenly. Until their match against Afghanistan on Monday, Mahmudullah had faced the second-most deliveries from overs 31 to 40 in this World Cup, but with a strike rate of 74, the fourth-lowest among those who have faced at least 40 balls in that phase. For comparison, Jos Buttler has scored at 140 in that period, Usman Khawaja at 118 and Sarfaraz Ahmed at 93.52, among others who are above Mahmudullah.In the last ten overs, Mahmudullah has been striking at 144 this World Cup, which is much more promising and only below big-hitters like Buttler, Hardik Pandya and Eoin Morgan, who have faced at least 40 deliveries in this phase. Mahmudullah has been given this role since 2016, and he has made a significant shift from his previous role of a lower middle-order batsman. He has raised his strike rate, but he doesn’t quite have the support of a Hardik, Andre Russell or Carlos Brathwaite to push the run rate in the slog overs.Mosaddek Hossain scored a 27-ball 52* in the tri-series final•Getty ImagesOnly once in the last 12 months have Bangladesh promoted a slogger with 12 overs remaining. Surprisingly, it was Mashrafe Mortaza promoting himself against West Indies during the third ODI in St Kitts last year, and it worked brilliantly for them. He struck 36 off 25 balls, and what was looking like a middling 260-odd total turned into 301 for 6, and Bangladesh went on to win the game by 18 runs.Despite knowing that they don’t have the luxury of a big hitter down the order, they have never quite looked for it in their player development programmes over the years.Ziaur Rahman, a pace bowling allrounder, was the last cricketer tried in this role in 2014, after which the team management and selectors got impatient with him. Since then Bangladesh have tried Sabbir Rahman and more recently Mosaddek Hossain as the designated slogger but they are both pure batsmen. They can’t just go out and whack everything for six. And, to make matters worse, there is no one auditioning for this role in the pipeline. All the domestic one-day teams are also shaped in this way, forcing pure batsmen to do all the slogging.Even Mahmudullah is effective only when he is batting with a set batsman from the top five, like he has done a couple of times in this World Cup with Shakib or Mushfiqur Rahim. When he has the assurance of a strong presence at the other end, he can go for his shots, but when he doesn’t, he has to wait for the other batsman to get set before pulling the trigger.The recent emergence of Mosaddek as someone willing to throw his bat has certainly helped Mahmudullah get out of his one-dimensional role. But there’s no guarantee that Mosaddek will last in this role for too long. There is certainly a place for him in the middle-order, especially if he becomes a regular in the limited-overs side. But, in that case, once again, Mahmudullah will be left alone in the last 20 overs.Shakib going up to No. 3 has also weakened Bangladesh’s lower middle-order, although his superb form has meant that he gets to bat a lot in the last 20 overs. But for a more lasting solution, they must look for a batsman who can produce the big hits, and is a useful fielder, if not a part-time bowler too.When Mashrafe has led Rangpur Riders in the BPL, he has used Thisara Perera’s ability to clear the fence, even on pitches where the ball hardly rises above the ankle. But while the BPL should have provided Bangladesh with a Thisara of their own, the rigid cricket culture of settling for middling totals, and never allowing themselves a batsman who will only slog, is a self-imposed limitation to their game.

Mitchell Marsh's swing provides late relief for Australia

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Marsh came into the team to swing the Dukes ball around corners, in the process sparing the blushes of several fatiguing team-mates

Daniel Brettig at The Oval12-Sep-2019Damien Fleming never played a Test in England. Had he done so, it might have looked a little bit like this.In the somewhat flattened atmosphere of a Test played after the Ashes had been retained by Australia, Mitchell Marsh came into the team to swing the Dukes ball around corners, in the process sparing the blushes of several fatiguing team-mates as they dropped Joe Root no fewer than three times.The decision to bowl first, by Australia’s captain Tim Paine after the team’s leaders were not exactly clear on what exactly to do should they win the toss, was quickly the source of plenty of criticism. But in truth the green grass on the pitch, a lush square and mild September weather kept the ball in good condition all day, promoting enough nip off the seam and curve through the air to create chances throughout.A greater problem for the tourists was the missed chances, Peter Siddle at fine leg, Paine snatching in front of David Warner at first slip and Steven Smith diving from second slip towards third, all spurning Root’s offerings of an expressway into England’s middle order. At the same time, Siddle struggled to summon the accuracy for which he had been chosen to play, leaving Paine somewhat flummoxed in mid-afternoon as Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood had endured heavy workloads and Nathan Lyon was struggling with his spinning finger and his line.ALSO READ: Root’s luck leaks away as Pat Cummins proves skill trumps allMarsh, though, had come freshly into the team, eager to demonstrate the judicious work he had done on his bowling since both his performance and his fitness had been subject to stinging criticism from the team’s leaders when he appeared briefly against India during the preceding home summer. Not only had Marsh been dumped from the Test team and the vice-captaincy but he had also been cancelled out from Australia’s World Cup plans and their contract list, replaced by Marcus Stoinis.Facing a fairly slim future unless he reshaped his body and his game, Marsh returned to some familiar voices in Perth: the batting coach Scott Meuleman and the WACA assistant coach Kade Harvey. Among the various things they worked on was to straighten up Marsh’s bowling action, making it easier for him to get his wrist behind the ball and duly generate movement through the air – a useful option that would serve as a change-up from the wobble seam and accuracy preferred by the balance of the Ashes pace attack.For just as the Australian collective strategy for moving the ball off the pitch was sound, so too was the concept of having another bowler capable of providing a change-up should the conditions lend themselves to him. Fleming, of course, had done that beautifully for Australia whenever fit between 1994 and 2001 – that year’s Oval Test was probably his best chance of trying his swerving methods in a Test in England, but the selectors stuck instead with the proven combination used over the preceding four matches.Since then, there have been few Australian pace bowlers as wedded to swinging the ball as Fleming had been, even allowing for the days when Mitchell Johnson and then Mitchell Starc swung the ball into right-handed batsmen from their left-armer’s angle. Ben Hilfenhaus had a strong tour of England in 2009 that may have been better remembered if the Oval Test had not been lost, but since then it has been rare to see lavish swing.Marsh, though, quickly found the changes to his action, aided by some additional tutelage from Ryan Harris on the Australia A tour, had greatly enhanced his value as a change bowler. In the meantime, the selectors wearied of Stoinis’ underperformance in the World Cup, gave Marsh the chance to press ahead by omitting his West Australian team-mate altogether from the 25-man preliminary squad for a pre-Ashes camp in Southampton.The Australian brains trust learned a lot of last-minute information about their cattle for this Ashes series in the internal trial match that subsequently took place at the Rose Bowl. Marnus Labuschagne fought hard with the bat, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle starred with the ball and Marsh contributed with both disciplines in each innings, rounding things off with a spell of 5 for 34 in the second innings.Among his six wickets in the match was an away swinger from around the wicket that pinned Travis Head lbw – a harbinger of what was ahead for the vice-captain – but also a clear sign that Marsh’s skills had improved usefully. He was kept in reserve for four Tests, bowling well and batting handily in the tour games in Worcester and Derby, before finally gaining a call-up for the Oval. What followed after tea, as Marsh partnered with Cummins, was a quality spell of swing bowling, which arguably prospered for its contrast to so much of the Australian bowling that preceded it.Mitchell Marsh suffers cramp•Getty ImagesJohnny Bairstow was thudded on the pad by an inswinging yorker after a series of deliveries running away from him, Sam Curran nicked one going across towards the slips, and Chris Woakes played around another yorker that this time straightened down the line of the leg stump. Marsh celebrated these wickets with the air of a man who knew this may be the start of a fresh phase in his wildly oscillating career, while his team-mates rounded him with a combination of happiness for a popular tourist and relief at having their workload lightened just a little.There was to be irony late in the day when Marsh, returning to try to dislodge Jos Buttler, pulled up with cramp after 15 overs for the day. Hobbling off for some treatment having bowled the first ball of his 16th over, he was replaced at the bowling crease by none other than the tireless Cummins, who after 48 overs at Old Trafford had back up with no fewer than 22.5 here. But even as England wriggled to the close eight down, the Australians knew they had a relatively simple task on the second morning, thanks largely to Marsh’s contribution.Plenty more, of course, remains to be done before Marsh can be regarded as a swing bowler in Fleming’s class or an allrounder anywhere near Ben Stokes. But there was another cricketer who did get a chance in that 2001 Oval Test, and made the most of it to be a fixture in the Test team for the next six Australian summers. His name was Justin Langer.

Perth Scorchers strive for swift rise back up the ladder

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

For starters, they need a new opening pair, fresh bowling attack and a rejuvenated approach

Tristan Lavalette17-Dec-2019The Perth Scorchers were supposed to celebrate their new shiny stadium in style last season. Instead, it was a nightmare campaign for the the three-time champions, under new coach Adam Voges, who fell to rock bottom. Until then, the Scorchers had made every finals.In the wake of collecting the dreaded wooden spoon, there has been a lot of soul searching for the proud Perth-franchise who had firmly established themselves as the hottest ticket locally amid a crowded summer market.But there are many unknowns for the new-look Scorchers, who have lost a slew of regulars and been bitten by injury. As they prepare to open their season against Sydney Sixers, let us breakdown the main talking points as they strive for a swift rise back up the ladder.New look top order
One of the Scorchers’ main pillars during the Justin Langer era was continuity. The key plank was top-order stability led by reliable openers Michael Klinger and Shaun Marsh – two of the most prolific BBL players ever. However, with Marsh largely absent and Klinger struggling in his final season, the Scorchers’ top-order was unsettled, underlined by the seven different opening combinations they used.After Marsh’s shock exit to Melbourne Renegades, the Scorchers need to unlock a new combination. Cameron Bancroft has often been used in the middle-order, but appears a suitable replacement for Klinger at the top. Emerging batsman Josh Inglis is in line to also start as an opener after impressing for Western Australia in the Shield, where he recently fell short of a maiden century.Voges could opt to pair the aggressive Inglis with English recruit Liam Livingstone in what would go against the Scorchers’ traditional tactics at the top. Recruit Kurtis Patterson will also be eyeing a top-order berth but is set to miss the opening few weeks of the season due to a quadricep injury.Mitchell Marsh needs to fire
If he hadn’t punched a wall during a moment of madness in a Shield match, Mitchell Marsh might well be playing for Australia. Instead, his prospects of an imminent recall appear remote after being left out of the ODI squad for India next month.It’s been a miserable time for Marsh but the silver lining for the Scorchers is that he should be available for the entirety of the BBL. Marsh will play against Sydney Sixers, although a return to bowling is a way off as his wrist recovers.Even so, a firing Marsh with the bat is exactly what the Scorchers need after they had the lowest run rate last season at just over seven-an-over and were overly reliant on Ashton Turner, who has been selected to tour India.Marsh, Turner and explosive youngster Cameron Green could form a potentially damaging middle-order – something the Scorchers severely lacked last season with departed allrounder Hilton Cartwright completely out of sorts.Getty ImagesShaky attack
For so long, the Scorchers’ attack was the backbone of the team. They seemingly could defend any total through their eclectic quicks and accurate spinners such as Brad Hogg and Ashton Agar.As has been a bane for some time in the West, injuries have struck spearhead Jason Behrendorff and death overs specialist Andrew Tye. Western Australian cricket has been blessed with a rotating line of quicks over the years but depth will be tested with Nathan Coulter-Nile having left for Melbourne Stars.The Scorchers were able to trial youngsters last season with Matthew Kelly being a notable beneficiary. He unveiled a lethal yorker on several occasions making him a potential option to replace Tye’s trickery in the latter overs.A pace attack of Kelly, English recruit Chris Jordan, Jhye Richardson and Joel Paris – the forgotten left-armer who played two ODIs against India in 2016 – has the potential to measure up against previous menacing Scorchers pace arsenals.The spin department, however, looms as a weakness much like last season. Agar has been selected to tour India putting pressure on veteran recruit Fawad Ahmed to perform.Pressure on Adam Voges
After a poor start to his stint, where the side won only four games, Voges has a chance to rejuvenate the Scorchers’ methodology which did look rather stale last season.There are a couple of areas, however, he should take from the Justin Langer play book. Undoubtedly, he would have spent a fair bit of time sharpening the team’s fielding – an aspect where they were almost peerless in before last season’s standard dipped.Internal expectations will continue to be high for the Scorchers ensuring Voges will be feeling the pinch. Externally, however, the Scorchers have been somewhat written off in an opportunity for Voges to tap into a hallmark of the Langer era and instill a backs against the wall mentality.Establishing Perth Stadium as a fortress
Before last season, playing the Scorchers in Perth was the most feared prospect in the BBL. At the WACA, appropriately dubbed as ‘The Furnace’, capacity crowds intimidated opponents and, simultaneously, spurred the Scorchers.The Scorchers won 25 of 36 matches at the WACA before moving across the opposite bank of the Swan River. The home edge hasn’t been the same since for the Scorchers who have won just three of eight matches at Perth Stadium.It’s hard to exactly pinpoint the struggles. There has been a purposeful push for the Perth Stadium pitch to mirror the fast-paced WACA and, accordingly, it did play quickly last season. Perhaps the Scorchers just weren’t good enough.Yet there are differences with the Burswood ground featuring massive square boundaries. Particularly in batting, the Scorchers simply weren’t able to exploit them but maybe it’s just a matter of time before they master the nuances. After all, they started slowly at the WACA by winning just six of 11 across the opening two BBL seasons.The harder challenge might be replicating the WACA’s intimate atmosphere, where almost every game was sold out. Perth Stadium has been criticised for being sterile and – whether you agree with that sentiment or not – big crowds are needed for the massive stadia to come alive.Huge home crowds fuelled a surprising AFL premiership run for West Coast Eagles in 2018. The Scorchers are unlikely to get the 50,000-plus numbers West Coast attracted but would be hoping for something around the 40,000 mark – which is what they started with last season before the wheels fell off.By the end of their miserable campaign, the Scorchers were attracting a lowly crowd of barely over 16,000 – which just won’t frighten any visiting team.

Deepak Chahar's best is also the best ever in men's T20Is

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The India quick joins Ajantha Mendis and Yuzvendra Chahal in an exclusive club

Gaurav Sundararaman10-Nov-20196 – Chahar’s 6 for 7 are the best bowling figures in men’s T20I history. Ajanta Mendis (twice) and Yuzvendra Chahal are the other two to pick up as many wickets in an innings, with Mendis’ 6 for 8 against Zimbabwe in September 2012 the best before Chahar’s. Chahar’s spell is also the joint fourth-best across all T20s.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Only one other Indian – Ekta Bisht – had taken a T20I hat-trick before Chahar. He is the 12th bowler overall to take a T20I hat-trick in men’s cricket. This is the sixth hat-trick in 2019 and India’s third across all formats in the men’s game this year after Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah recorded the feat in ODIs and Tests respectively.1.16 – Chahar’s average during his six-wicket haul, the third-best for any bowler from a Test-playing nation with five or more wickets in a T20I spell.ALSO READ: How Deepak Chahar produced the best T20I figures in history7 – Chahar’s bowling average this series, which is the second-best for India in a series of three or more matches. R Ashwin’s average of 3.88 against Sri Lanka in 2016 remains the best. Chahar now has two Man-of-the-Match awards from just seven T20Is, while Bumrah has just two from 42 T20Is. Since Chahar’s poor debut against England, he has taken 13 wickets at an economy of 4.77 and an average of 7.40 from six matches.9 – Wickets for Indian fast bowlers in the Bangladesh innings on Sunday, the most in a T20I innings. Interestingly the only other instance of this was at the T20 World Cup final in 2007 against Pakistan.3.5 – Win-loss ratio for Rohit Sharma in T20Is, the third-best for anyone to have led in 15 or more matches. Only Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asghar Afghan have a better record.1 – India have now lost only one match from the eight deciders they have played in this format. The solitary loss was against New Zealand earlier this year in Hamilton when they lost by four runs.

Celtic "were close" to signing £40m star who's now outscoring Kyogo & Kuhn

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Celtic are often praised for their transfer strategy at Parkhead, actually named the best-run club in Britain by the Fair Game Index last year.

Over the last decade or so, the Hoops have made a massive profit with the likes of Ange Postecoglou, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon selling players such as Matt O’Riley, Jota, Moussa Dembélé, Kristoffer Ajer, Virgil van Dijk and many others.

Virgil van Dijk

Kyogo Furuhashi is perhaps the most notable recent example. A scorer of 12 goals in Celtic colours this term, he departed in January to the tune of £10m.

However, there is one striker in particular the Celts must rue missing out on and he’s now outscoring that man Kyogo.

How Celtic are coping with Kyogo's departure

One man chiefly; Daizen Maeda.

The striker’s red-hot form continued at the weekend, bagging a brace against Heart of Midlothian, taking his tally to 30 goals for the campaign, described by former Hibs and Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart as “top class”.

However, Maeda aside, Celtic’s other forwards have not been hitting the heights of late, as the table below outlines.

Daizen Maeda

17

17

Jota

12

4

Nicolas Kühn

18

4

Adam Idah

19

6

Yang Hyun-Jun

15

5

James Forrest

1

Zero

The form of Nicolas Kühn has been particularly disappointing, considering he scored 14 times during the first half of the campaign, on course to be Celtic’s player of the season, but has now only scored twice since 5 January. That said, he looks well-set to replace Kyogo’s output in time.

Adam Idah meantime, has failed to nail down a regular starting spot, with Maeda often favoured as the centre-forward, despite being signed for a huge £9.5m fee from Norwich last summer.

So, would the Hoops’ centre-forward issue have been solved if they had been able to complete a deal to sign a “world-class” striker a few years ago? He’s now better than Kyogo.

The world-class striker Celtic almost signed

Back in the summer of 2020, Celtic almost signed Ivan Toney from Peterborough United, with then manager Neil Lennon later admitting, “we were close to getting him… I was really interested”.

Toney himself stated, “I went up there… I was actually at the training ground” Lennoxtown, which is how close the move came.

Instead, Toney joined Brentford for £5m, firing the Bees to promotion in his first season, finishing as the EFL Championship’s top-scorer, before netting 36 times in the Premier League for the club.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.

Manager Thomas Frank described him as “world-class”, before the England international was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli last summer, costing a reported fee of £40m.

In the Saudi top-flight, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Abderrazak Hamdallah and Marcos Leonardo have scored more goals than Toney this season, so let’s assess his season-by-season statistics since almost signing for Celtic.

2020/21

EFL Championship

52

33

2021/22

Premier League

37

14

2022/23

Premier League

35

21

2023/24

Premier League

17

4

2024/25

Saudi Pro League

33

22

In the 2022/23 Premier League season, Ivan Toney was the division’s third-highest scorer, behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, although the following campaign was massively hampered by his eight-month ban for breaching FA betting regulations.

Now in Saudi Arabia, Toney has rediscovered his best form, with Middle Eastern football expert Uri Levy describing his performances for Al Ahli as ‘fantastic’, advocating for him to receive an England recall.

His tally of 22 goals so far this season for Matthias Jaissle’s side means he has scored more goals than both Adam Idah (14) and Nicolas Kühn (18) this season, while doing so at a slightly-higher level; Global Football Rankings believes the Saudi Pro League to be the 31st strongest division in the world, with the Scottish Premiership down at 34th.

Thus, despite their continued domestic dominance, it’s hard to argue that Celtic wouldn’t be stronger with Toney spearheading their attack.

Celtic gem was "the next Van Dijk" but Postecoglou sold him for just £1m

The former Celtic star was described as “the next Van Dijk” by his former manager.

ByDan Emery Apr 3, 2025

Wow: Man Utd seriously considering move for "incredible" £36k-p/w ex-player

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Manchester United are now seriously considering a move for an “incredible” former player, as they are starting to realise it was a mistake to let him leave, according to a report.

Summer of change needed at Old Trafford

A slight improvement in form, coupled with the announcement of the new stadium plans, gave Man United fans cause for some excitement prior to the international break, but they were immediately brought back down to earth after the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

The loss against the Tricky Trees once again underlined the need for Ruben Amorim to strengthen his squad during his first summer transfer window as United boss, and the manager has set out to replace a number of underperforming players.

With Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee struggling, the Red Devils are looking to bring in a new striker, with the likes of Sporting CP’s VIktor Gyokeres and FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa among the potential targets, alongside Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.

Man Utd battling to sign "magnificent" 19y/o after scouts sent rave reviews

He’s a future star.

ByTom Cunningham Apr 2, 2025

There have also been suggestions Andre Onana could be replaced in the summer, and talks over a deal for AC Milan’s Mike Maignan are believed to be progressing, with the Frenchman said to be Amorim’s top target.

However, a new report from Spain has thrown another interesting name into the mix, stating Man United are seriously considering a move for former goalkeeper David De Gea, given the Spaniard’s return to form since signing for Fiorentina.

Fiorentina's DaviddeGea

The United hierarchy are said to have acknowledged they made a mistake by letting De Gea leave at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, and they are now aiming to bring him back to Old Trafford, which could lead to negotiations over a deal.

With Onana costing Amorim’s side valuable points this season, it is looking increasingly likely a replacement will be brought in this summer.

"Incredible" De Gea reigniting career at Fiorentina

The Spanish goalkeeper spent 12 seasons at Old Trafford, winning the Premier League Golden Glove award two times, including during his final season with United, but he was ultimately replaced with Onana, given the Cameroonian’s ability with his feet.

However, the 29-year-old has struggled this season, making three errors leading to goals in the Premier League, while De Gea has started to reignite his career in Italy, putting in a number of impressive performances for Fiorentina.

Journalist Josh Bunting lauded the £36k-per-week former United man for his “incredible goalkeeping” earlier this season, and he has outperformed Onana on a number of key goalkeeping metrics over the past year.

Average per 90

David De Gea

Andre Onana

Goals against

1.0

1.47

Save percentage

75.2%

71.2%

Clean sheet percentage

37%

21.3%

That said, given that De Gea is now 34-years-old, and Man United have already cut ties with him on one occasion, it is probably wise to move for a younger goalkeeper to replace Onana, and Maignan could be available at a 50% discount this summer.

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