Old debate, simple answer: Pakistan's batting just not very good

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Could Mohammad Rizwan have taken more risks? Either way, the target should have been chased

Osman Samiuddin10-Jun-20241:18

Kumble: Bumrah creates pressure on any surface

Let me warn you right now. What you’re going to read, you’ve read about before. A lot. If it feels like you’ve been reading about it for, hmmm, the last three hundred years, it’s because you have. Every time, in fact, a big tournament is on the horizon, we’re talking about it. Did it very recently ahead of this big tournament that we’re in right now.What else are you going to do though? Rewatch the highlights? Move on? How can you when the very thing you’ve been reading about and most likely furiously debating over the last three years is the very thing that is the only debate worth having after another loss to India in a world event?If you’ve spent three years either being for RizBar (and against the middle order) or against RizBar (and for the middle order), what’s one more time? As a refresher, here is a succinct summary of the matter from less than a fortnight ago, from our very own Matt Roller:

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The specific details from this game are that this time it was Mohammad Rizwan who top-scored for Pakistan with 31. He took 44 balls to do it. He hit one four and one six. He anchored their chase of 120 deep into the innings and when he fell off the first ball of the 15th, Pakistan needed 40 with six wickets in hand. Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed, the lower middle order, combined to make 24 off 39 balls. They hit one boundary between them, a fortuitous edge off Imad’s bat. In the end Pakistan fell short by six runs, with three wickets still in hand and an all too familiar script.Some of you will argue that Rizwan’s low-risk batting is actually a high-risk approach. To go so deep, to use so much resource and to still not be ahead of the game when you leave, is inherently unfair on the middle order. When Rizwan began the chase, Pakistan required a run-a-ball. When Rizwan left the chase, they needed nearly seven an over which, on that surface, was always going to be difficult.We’ve been here before, plenty of times•Associated PressCould – indeed should – Rizwan not have taken more chances like Rishabh Pant? Could he not have foregone a degree of control and chanced his bat to attempt a few more boundaries? Pant had a control percentage of 50% in his 31-ball 42 and, frankly, even that feels high. He could’ve been out at least thrice. But he took risks on a pitch that needed taking risks on, and it came off. Rizwan’s control percentage was 70%, and he took no risks except the most ill-advised one: slogging Jasprit Bumrah’s very first ball of a returning over.The counter, of course, is that Rizwan had done enough and 40 off 35 balls with six wickets to come should not have been a problem, even on that surface. All it needed was a couple of boundaries between the remaining batters and the pressure would’ve gone. That it didn’t happen is precisely why Rizwan played as he did. None of Imad, Shadab or Iftikhar tried to innovate, or manufacture a shot on a pitch which needed it. Indeed, it is an indictment that it took Naseem Shah to show the way, scooping Arshdeep Singh in the final over by when it was already too late.At one stage, across the 16th and 17th over, Imad’s shot options seemed to have whittled down to the solitary one: a cut square. Only he could barely connect. In the penultimate over, Bumrah bowled two full tosses to Iftikhar. Numbers show that Bumrah’s full tosses are harder to hit than most, but these were probably not those ones, the low ones that miss a yorker length marginally. These were thigh-high gimmes, angling right into Iftikhar’s wheelhouse. He swung at both, got a leg bye off the first and was dismissed off the second, hitting high but not getting close to the midwicket boundary. These are familiar scenes of failure, just different names. Imad, Shadab, Iftikhar today, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Azam Khan over the last few years.Imad Wasim laboured for 23 balls•Getty ImagesIf there is a hot, new fresh take in this tired old debate though, it’s this. This isn’t an either-or problem. It’s not even a debate. After years of arguing that one or the other is the real problem and that they are linked, as this loss, and this campaign, has made crystal clear (Babar Azam top-scored against the USA but with a strike rate of 102 and, Shadab apart, the middle order 33 off 25) is that both are the problem.In other words, Pakistan’s batting – top, middle, lower-middle – is just not very good.Which seems like a really obvious take, but after a game in which they failed to chase 120 it hits home like a new, revelatory truth. RizBar are consistent but low-impact openers whose low impact is hidden behind any number of pointless batting records (Most runs! Quickest to so-and-so-thousand runs! Highest average! Most century stands!). And the middle order is a long list of faceless, revolving failure. Different approaches, different philosophies, old hands, newbies, returnees, reinvented hitters, allrounders, specialists, finishers, but no solution to a continuing problem.Pakistan have made the last four and the final of the last two T20 World Cups but sift through the results and it’s rarely been the batting that has gotten them there. In fact, in the two key games of those tournaments – the semi-final against Australia and the final against England – it is the batting that has cost them.The chances of getting that far this time are fading swiftly, but the reasons for failure will be the same as they have always been.

West Indies find success via Hosein and Motie's complementary strengths

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

It is rare for teams to pair left-arm spinners together, but West Indies look set to stick with them in pursuit of a third T20 World Cup

Matt Roller18-Jun-20243:29

Bishop: Confidence the key for West Indies at the business end

Their great Test teams were built around fast bowlers, but West Indies have a proud history of spin-bowling partnerships: Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine were immortalised by Lord Beginner’s calypso; Lance Gibbs would bowl offspin at one end while Garry Sobers bowled his left-arm variations from the other; and more recently, West Indies’ T20 World Cup successes were built around a pair of spinners too.Samuel Badree was the constant – bowling his flat, fast wristspin in the powerplay. In 2012, Sunil Narine would take over from him through the middle overs; four years later, with Narine still sorting out his bowling action, the towering left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn took over and bowled containing spells through the middle, finishing the tournament with an economy rate below seven.Related

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And when West Indies had faced England last December, they landed on another such pair: selecting Guyana’s Gudakesh Motie to play alongside Trinidad and Tobago’s Akeal Hosein. Both are left-arm fingerspinners, but are very different bowlers with complementary strengths. They have played 11 matches together since, taking 35 wickets at 15.57 between them, 16 of which came in their group stages of this World Cup.The formula is simple: Hosein takes the new ball and often bowls three of the first five overs. He flights some balls but also relies heavily on his arm ball, which drifts sharply into the right-handers. “He’s a very, very integral part [of the side], especially for controlling the powerplay for us,” Rovman Powell, West Indies’ captain, said.When the field spreads, Powell brings Motie on and empowers him to flight the ball, varying his pace and looking to spin the ball hard. “Right as we come out of the powerplay is Gudakesh Motie time,” Powell said. “It’s like Akeal Hosein passing the baton onto Gudakesh Motie, and it’s been very good so far.”West Indies geared their selection to conditions, knowing that their pitches can play slow and low, and may turn more as the World Cup wears on. “We’ve been playing our entire career on these pitches: we’re not surprised when it’s slow, it’s low and it’s low-scoring,” Nicholas Pooran said. “The reason why most of our averages are 20-25 is because we bat on pitches like this.”

“[It’s been] pleasantly pleasing to me to see how [the] same type of bowlers – two left-arm spinners turning the ball in the same direction – have complemented each other so well. That’s something that is new to me”Ian Bishop to ESPNcricinfo

In St Lucia, where West Indies face England on Wednesday night, conditions have been much more favourable for batters: against Afghanistan on Monday, Pooran hit 98 in a team total of 218, the highest score of the T20 World Cup so far. But with England likely to field a batting line-up filled with right-handers, Hosein and Motie should still play a role.In terms of average and economy rate, they were West Indies’ best bowlers in their 3-2 series win against England in December too, and Powell said they would “definitely” match-up well against England’s batters in a few days’ time: “When we pick the two left-arm spinners, we know that in West Indies conditions, whether the wickets are good or the wickets are bad, they’re going to be a handful because they’re world-class.”Hosein has reached an intriguing stage where he has played enough T20 cricket around the world – over 150 matches in his career, one-third of which have come in the last 12 months – that his arm ball no longer takes teams by surprise. Batters know the cues: he tends to bowl it from significantly wider on the crease, and with a slightly lower trajectory.”[It’s been] pleasantly pleasing to me to see how [the] same type of bowlers, two left-arm spinners turning the ball in the same direction – although Akeal Hosein has the arm ball – have complemented each other so well,” Ian Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “That’s something that is new to me.”They’ve got Roston Chase there [as well] as the option to turn the ball the other way. Ideally, in a perfect world, they’d like a wristspinner. They don’t have that, so they’ve gone with the two left-arm spinners. I wouldn’t mind seeing them change it up though at some point, because teams are planning for Akeal Hosein in that powerplay.”1:37

Ganga: Hosein and Motie are two ‘very different bowlers’

England are well aware of Hosein and Motie’s strengths, to the extent that they chose an uncapped slow left-armer in Tom Hartley as their back-up spinner ahead of Rehan Ahmed’s legspin following December’s tour. “There’s no question both teams know a lot about each other,” Sam Curran said. “The two spinners are probably one of their strengths.”Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, England’s openers, both have good head-to-head records against Hosein, and Salt in particular has made huge strides since he was dismissed by left-arm spin five times in six innings on a tour to Bangladesh last March. Salt has become much more confident playing through the off side, and scored two hundreds against West Indies in December.Motie is more of an unknown for England, though. He has an extensive first-class record but is relatively new to T20 cricket, only making his debut in the format in 2021, aged 26. He has never played in a franchise league outside of the CPL, where none of this England squad feature regularly, and only played against them during the December tour.Motie is short, and has a low release point, but puts significant overspin on the ball, meaning some balls are quick and skiddy, while others turn sharply off the pitch. In the group stages, he bowled arguably the ball of the tournament to date, which drifted into Daryl Mitchell from a wide angle at 62mph/99kph, before turning sharply to hit the off bail.It is rare for teams to pair left-arm spinners together in modern T20 cricket, but West Indies believe they have found a winning formula and look set to stick with it in pursuit of an unprecedented third men’s T20 World Cup. If they achieve it, it might even be enough for Hosein and Motie’s names to feature in a calypso.

How lucky were India on their last tour of Australia? A statistical model tells us

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

An analysis of expected runs and wickets, based on false shots played by batters

Kartikeya Date24-Oct-2024Rishabh Pant made 146 in 111 balls against England in India’s first innings of the Test at Edgbaston in 2022. It remains the second-quickest three-figure innings by an Indian batter in Test cricket since records for deliveries faced became available. The quickest was Mohammed Azharuddin’s 109 in 77 balls against South Africa in November 1996.How good was Pant’s innings? This is a difficult question to answer well, mostly because it is under-determined. For instance, it is not difficult to imagine that if Cheteshwar Pujara played the same 111 balls that Pant faced, he would make different choices and score a different (and almost certainly smaller) number of runs. Would Pujara be more or less likely than Pant to survive for those 111 deliveries? More generally, if the average batter made the choices that Pant made on those 111 deliveries, how many runs would result? And how many times would the average batter be dismissed, having made those choices? What are the expected runs and expected dismissals for the choices Pant made?The answer, according to the model that is described below, can be as follows.Of the 111 balls Pant faced, 73 were from right-arm quick bowlers and 38 from finger spinners. A summary of the shots Pant attempted is in the table below. xR is the expected runs for the average left-hand batter against the given bowling style when playing a specific shot.For example, Pant attempted to pull the right-arm fast-medium bowler nine times (eight of those deliveries were legal) and scored 16 runs. In the record, a left-hand batter has been dismissed 54 times in 485 false shots on the pull against the right-arm pacer. A false shot on the pull for this match-up produces 358 runs off 473 deliveries, while a successful pull shot produces 2464 (off 996). Pant played two false shots in those nine attempts. The expected wickets (xW) for those nine attempts is 0.23 (2*54/485). The expected runs (xR) figure is 18.2.Summing this up for all the shots that Pant attempted against each bowling style, and applying those to the average left-hand batter, it turns out that the average left-hand batter would have scored 97.5 runs off 111 balls and been dismissed 2.4 times, against bowlers of the type Pant faced in that innings.

The model used in this article relies on the ball-by-ball record collected by ESPNcricinfo, which lists what shot was attempted off which delivery and whether or not the batter was in control. The model also considers what style the bowler was bowling, and whether the batter is a right-hander or a left-hander. It is illustrated using examples in the table below.

When the left-hand batter sweeps the offspinner and is in control, 2.09 runs are scored per shot. When the left-hand batter successfully sweeps the slow left-arm orthodox bowler, 1.81 runs result per shot. When the left-hand batter is not in control of the sweep shot against the offbreak bowler, 0.118 dismissals occur; the corresponding figure against the slow left-arm orthodox bowler is 0.097 dismissals.To round out the information in the table, the average left-hand batter fails to control the sweep against the offspin bowler 33.5% of the time (1686 out of 5025 attempts fail), while 30.8% of sweeps against the slow left-arm orthodox bowler (1244 out of 4039) fail. For comparison, when the left-hand batter attempts to drive the offbreak bowler, the expected-runs figure is 0.89, the expected dismissals 0.141, and 9% (2354 out of 26109) attempts fail. The sweep involves greater risk, greater reward, and is more difficult to pull off than the drive. This is also why, typically, the field is set to defend the drive more often than it is to defend the sweep.Readers will note that when the ball is turning more, the drive and the sweep both carry greater risk than usual. It would be reasonable to think that the expected-dismissals figure for the drive or the sweep on a turning pitch should be higher than it would be on a flat pitch.The way the model used in this article accounts for the conditions is through the false shots record. On a turning pitch, the batter is likely to play false shots more often. For example, suppose that a left-hand batter attempts the sweep ten times against an offspin bowler on a flat pitch, and plays two false shots, instead of the expected three or four. The expected runs for these ten attempts would be 17.7. The eight successful attempts would generate 16.72, and the two failed attempts 0.94. The expected dismissals would be 0.24.On a turning pitch, the batter is likely to miss more sweeps. Let’s say the batter misses five sweeps. In this case, xR would be 12.8 runs, and xW would be 0.59. In this way, the xR and xW for every ball, and therefore for every batter and every bowler in every innings, can be estimated. The essential intuition here is that it is the false shot that makes a dismissal possible. When false shots from a particular shot type are more frequent, dismissal from that shot category is more likely too. The conditions only matter to the extent that they modify the likelihood of the occurrence of the false shot. In other words, conditions are easy or difficult depending on how often false shots occur in them.The same can also be said for bowlers. Facing James Anderson (right-arm fast-medium, under ESPNcricinfo’s classification) is a more daunting proposition than facing the average right-arm fast-medium bowler in a Test match. Anderson is more daunting because he challenges the middle of the bat more often than the average right-arm fast-medium bowler does. By evaluating expected dismissals based on the occurrence of false shots, the model accounts for this distinction. For instance, in England, Anderson induces a false shot every 4.9 balls, while the average right-arm fast-medium bowler does so every 5.1 balls. In Australia, Anderson induces a false shot every 6.4 balls, while the average right-arm fast-medium bowler does so every 6.2 balls. The model will return a higher expected-wickets figure than average against Anderson in England, and a lower xW than average against Anderson in Australia.R Ashwin induces a false shot every 5.4 balls in India, while the average offspinner does so every 6.2 balls. Outside India the gap is narrower (6.9 balls per false shot against Ashwin, 7.2 balls per false shot against the average offspinner). The model is able to accommodate these distinctions.The table below lists the 15 Test innings since 2014 with the highest xW. These could be considered the 15 most unlikely Test innings, in terms of their size and length, in the last ten years.

The table below lists the 15 unluckiest match bowling efforts in Test cricket since 2014. Mohammed Shami collected 182 for 2 at The Oval in 2018. He induced 107 false shots in the match. Over the 10,770 deliveries Shami has bowled in his Test career since the start of 2014, his xW/xR is 228.5/5775.0. He actual figures are 212/5896. His expected career bowling average since the start of 2014 is 25.7; his actual bowling average since then is 27.8.Jasprit Bumrah’s 0 for 92 in the 2021 World Test Championship final also features in the list below. He induced 55 false shots in that match without getting a wicket. This was one of only four instances of a bowler going wicketless in a Test since 2014 while producing an expected wickets total in excess of five wickets. Of the 339 instances since 2014 when a bowler has bowled at least 15 overs in a match and gone wicketless, the average expected wickets for such a bowler have been 1.77. Over his 37-Test career so far, Bumrah’s xW/xR is 168.3/3498.0. His actual career haul is 164/3365. His expected career average (20.8) closely matches his actual career average (20.51).

Only 1.6% of individual Test innings involve an xW of 3.5 or more. About 5% of Test innings involve 2.5 xW or more (see the graph below). The average individual three-figure score in a Test match involves 2.72 xW. The average innings where the xW is 1.0 (that is, between 0.50 and 1.49) produces 31.2 runs. The distribution of all innings and centuries in the graph below shows how much luckier a batter has to be than average to reach a century.Of the 792 Test hundreds scored since the start of 2014, only 41 have come in innings where the expected average (xR divided by xW) of the rest of the batters in the innings is less than 20 runs per wicket. Only eight have come in innings where xAve for the rest of the batters is less than 15 runs per wicket. These are:1.Aiden Markram’s 106 (103 balls) against India in Cape Town, 2024
2.KL Rahul’s 101 (137) against South Africa in Centurion, 2023
3.Steven Smith’s 109 (202) against India in Pune, 2017
4.Dimuth Karunaratne’s 107(174) against India in Bangalore, 2022
5.Ajinkya Rahane’s 103 (154) against England at Lord’s, 2014
6.Dimuth Karunaratne’s 158 not out (222) against South Africa in Galle, 2018
7.Dean Elgar’s 136 (228) against England at The Oval, 2017
8.Dinesh Chandimal’s 119 (186) against West Indies in St Lucia, 2018
Kartikeya DateThe xR and xW models extend the intuition underlying the control measurement to specify risks. For instance, India’s infamous 36 all out innings had an expected wickets/runs of 3.2/47.1 from those 128 balls. India’s fourth innings in Sydney on that tour lasted 786 balls from which they scored 334 for 5. The expected wickets/runs from those deliveries were 13.5/376.1.England made 420 all out in 613 balls in the third innings in Hyderabad in January this year. The expected wickets/runs from those 613 balls were 15.7/391.3. Over the course of the series, the Indian batting produced an expected average of 42.2 (their actual average in the series was 39.7), while England’s expected average was 26.0 (actual, 25.6). The figures belie the idea that it was a close series and that England were close to winning it. India were only 28 runs away from a 5-0 result.In Australia in 2020-21, India were decidedly the luckier of the two sides. Their expected average with the bat was 29.3 (actual 30.4). Australia’s expected average was 37.0 (actual 29.3). Essentially, enough Australian batters fell to early mistakes to nullify the difference in quality between the Australian and Indian attacks. The gap between the two attacks was narrower in the first two Tests (Australian batting: 32.7 xAve, Indian batting: 27.4 xAve) in 2020, than it was in the last two Tests, played in 2021 (Australian batting: 40.0 xAve, Indian batting: 30.0 xAve) after India had lost several players to injuries.The model could be modified, for instance, to consider the innings of the match in which the shot is attempted, to add greater texture. For a right-hand batter sweeping the slow left-arm orthodox bowler, the expected-wickets figure from innings one through innings four is 0.110, 0.111, 0.136, 0.123. In other words, the chance of a dismissal for a false shot on the sweep is between 11% and 14%. The conversion rate of false shot to dismissal is only marginally affected by the innings in the match.The temptation to build ever more elaborate sets of categories should be resisted. The larger the number of categories, the smaller the number of deliveries in each category, and consequently, the less stable the average expectation from each category. With more categories, it also becomes more difficult to keep them apart and ensure that they do not describe overlapping features. For example, ESPNcricinfo’s classification includes four categories of right-arm seam bowlers – right-arm medium, right-arm medium-fast, right-arm fast-medium, and right-arm fast. It becomes difficult to distinguish between the middle two. But it is also, on the other hand, easy to see why these categories might be useful. Consider, for instance, Colin de Grandhomme (medium), Chaminda Vaas, especially after his injury (medium-fast), Glenn McGrath (fast-medium), and Brett Lee (fast). The speed gun readings suggest that fast-medium bowlers fall back into the medium-fast category at times during Test matches, especially in flat batting conditions, when there’s a lot of bowling to be done. If anything, having a two-pronged classification of seam bowlers – fast and medium – would be sufficient. Ideally, an expected runs/wickets model would include the trajectory of the delivery and the batter’s control as its inputs. Absent this, the categories provided by ESPNcricinfo offer a usable proxy.This expected runs/wickets model is relatively easy to implement. They provide a baseline expectation and make it possible to measure both the relative quality of the teams involved in a match as well as relative good (or bad) fortune enjoyed by each. A model along the lines described in this article should be available in the coverage of every Test match. The figures used in this article include Tests completed on or before September 25, 2024

Rodrigues on batting at No. 5: 'I'm working on going all out from the first ball'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

She believes her experience in franchise cricket and adaptability will hold her in good stead at the T20 World Cup next month

Daya Sagar30-Sep-2024On settling down in her new batting position at No. 5
I think for me the important thing is what the team needs from me and how I can contribute, be it batting at No. 3, opening, or lower down the order. I think the team believes that me batting at that number [five] will make a massive difference for the team and I am up for it. For me, it is all about adapting to situations and conditions, the mindset is always the same. I think I’m trying to be a little more aggressive and positive, because sometimes situations at No. 5 are different than at No. 3. At No. 3, you build an innings, you build partnerships, you run and you do everything to give your team momentum. At No. 5, you already know the situation and from there you have to take whatever you get. I’ve been working a lot of that, and it starts from the nets, going all out from the first ball because it may be that you need six runs off one ball.Related

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Coming to my power-hitting, the work is still going on. I have to put in a lot more effort, maybe compared to others, because my game is more about timing. But I’ve been working on it. And I’m glad to see it coming. My dad always tells me that you don’t need to be a muscular person to score runs, you just need to have brains and get runs your way. And that is the best advice I have got on this.On the India team’s increased emphasis on fitness and fielding
From the time [Amol Muzumdar] became our coach, he made it very specific. Recently, we had a camp just on fitness and fielding. And we worked a lot there. See, it’s a long process. But we keep at it, and I can assure you that we are getting better, that is for sure. I think we will continue to get better and it’s nice to have specific things that we are focusing on and everyone is aware of it and everyone’s given a plan and we’re working to it. And also our fielding coach [Munish Bali] is very specific about it with each player. So as a team everyone is trying to get that goal.How much has watching Virat Kohli helped?
I feel we have very similar batting styles. Whenever he hits sixes, he hits it in the gaps so that he can get at least a boundary even it’s a mishit. It’s very smart cricket that he plays. That’s what I try to add to my game. And more than anything else, just sticking to my process and what style suits me, I bat like that. He also runs well between the wickets, he builds an innings, he likes working hard through the innings… so I just find a lot of similarities. I take a lot of inspiration from him.

I was just 18 when I traveled all alone abroad [for the Kia Super League]. And I had to do everything on my own – laundry, cook my own food, stay in apartments, travel alone. I think that experience changed me a lot because I’m not used to being alone”Jemimah Rodrigues

Harmanpreet Kaur has talked about wanting to emulate the men’s team…
It’s nice to dream about sitting on the bus and roaming around Marine Drive with the crowd there. But I think more than anything else, even more than that, just to lift the World Cup for India [is the main thing]. It will be the first time for the women ‘s team. The Under-19 girls have done it, but the women ‘s team hasn’t, and I think it will be a crazy feeling just to do that. So yes, we’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the men’s team and it was special watching them do what they did, and hopefully we can do that.Away from international cricket, the Delhi Capitals trio is part of Brisbane Heat in the WBBL now…
Yes, yes, yes! It feels great, honestly. You know, just to play with some Indian cricketers in different-different franchises and travel around the world playing in different conditions… I think, above all, it’s the best way to get experience. Which I can use when I play for India. At the same time, we get to meet amazing people. I’m so glad that our squad is the sam – in the sense Jess [Jonassen], Shikha [Pandey] and I – because we play for Delhi together, we play in the CPL [Trinbago Knight Riders] together, and now we will play in BBL together. It’s crazy and I am looking forward to it.Jemimah Rodrigues played a starring role in putting Trinbago Knight Riders in the WCPL 2024 final•CPL T20/Getty ImagesOn her takeaways from all the franchise-cricket exposure over the years
When I played the Kia Super League, that was the first league I played. I think more than anything else, that was a game-changer for me. I was just 18 when I traveled all alone abroad. And I had to do everything on my own – laundry, cook my own food, stay in apartments, travel alone. Everything I had to manage, the money and everything. I think that experience changed me a lot because I’m not used to being alone. Even in the Indian team, I was like the baby of the team, everyone loved and took care of me, and I knew everyone. Then this was a whole new thing, and that changed me a lot as a person, made me more independent and, at the same time, made me stronger. And also, I did really well in the Hundred, the WBBL, the WPL. The more cricket you play with such great team-mates all around the world, the better you get.Most recently, there was a magnificent innings in the WCPL ‘knockout’ for Trinbago Knight Riders…
Yeah, 100%. I think every knock was very important there. That knock [in the last league match] – it was not officially a semi-final, but actually a semi-final for our team – really gave me a lot of confidence, a lot of boost, because nothing like taking your team through and finishing a match, that too helping the team reach the final out of nowhere. I think the conditions in the CPL were a bit challenging, but I think to adapt to it gave me a lot of confidence. We will adapt to the conditions in the UAE too during the World Cup. I know how to play in different conditions, so I think that will be something I’ll be taking into the World Cup.

Stats – Noman Ali first Pakistan spinner to take a hat-trick in Tests

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

He also became the first spinner to bag six wickets in the first session on day one

Sampath Bandarupalli25-Jan-20255 Noman Ali became only the fifth bowler to take a hat-trick for Pakistan in men’s Tests and the first spinner to do so. Wasim Akram took a hat-trick in consecutive Tests against Sri Lanka in 1999, while Abdul Razzaq in 2000 and Mohammad Sami in 2002 also took hat-tricks against the same opponents. The last hat-trick by a Pakistan bowler was taken by Naseem Shah against Bangladesh in 2020.ESPNcricinfo Ltd6 Wickets taken by Noman before Lunch on Saturday. He is only the sixth bowler to take six or more wickets in the opening session of a men’s Test. He is the first spinner to bag six wickets in the first session on day one.He is also the first Pakistan bowler to achieve the feat, as only Abrar Ahmed took a five-wicket haul (On debut against England in 2022) previously before lunch on the first day’s play.38y 110d Noman’s age on Saturday, making him the second oldest to claim a hat-trick in men’s Tests. Rangana Herath was 38 years and 139 days old when he took a hat-trick against Australia in 2016.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Number of instances of a team’s top three individual scores coming from their No.s 9, 10 and 11 in a men’s Test innings: both by West Indies in the ongoing series against Pakistan.Jomel Warrican (31* at No. 10), Jayden Seales (22 at No. 11), and Gudakesh Motie (19 at No. 9) were the top contributors in West Indies’ first innings in the first Test, while Motie (55 at No. 9), Warrican (36* at No. 11) and Kemar Roach (25 at No. 10) did the same on Saturday.Related

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Aaqib Javed says Pakistan's spinning pitches are here to stay

5 Consecutive Test matches with a five-wicket haul for Noman. Only Sydney Barnes, Charlie Turner and Alec Bedser had a longer streak than Noman, with five-fors in six successive Tests, while Yasir Shah also took five-wicket hauls in five consecutive matches.ESPNcricinfo Ltd41.72 Percentage of West Indies’ first innings total in Multan contributed by their tenth wicket partnership. It is the second highest for West Indies in men’s Tests, behind the 50% by Kemar Roach and Miguel Cummins, who added 50 out of 100 all-out against India in 2019.6 Bowlers to take a hat-trick before lunch on the first day of a men’s Test, including Noman. All the previous five bowlers were pacers only, with the last one being Irfan Pathan against Pakistan in the 2006 Karachi Test.

69 Balls Pakistan needed to take the first seven wickets to fall in the West Indies innings, the third fewest by any team in men’s Tests since 1999. Australia lost their seventh wicket in 56 balls against England in 2015 at Trent Bridge and 64 balls against South Africa in 2011 Cape Town.38 Runs were added by the West Indies before losing their seventh wicket. It is the second-lowest total for any team at the fall of the seventh wicket against Pakistan in men’s Tests, behind the 36 by West Indies in 1986 in Faisalabad. 38 is also the third-lowest total at the fall of the seventh wicket for West Indies in men’s Tests.20 Wickets that fell on Saturday in Multan, the most in a single day’s play in a Test match in Pakistan. The previous highest was 19 wickets on the second day of the first match of the ongoing Pakistan-West Indies series.These are also the most wickets to fall on the opening day of a men’s Test in Asia, surpassing the 18 between India and the West Indies in Delhi in 1987.16 Wickets picked by the spinners on the first day of the Multan Test. These are the most wickets for spin bowlers on the opening day of a men’s Test, bettering the 14 wickets by England and South Africa at Leeds in 1907.

Sam Curran on England omission: 'I've got to keep banging the door down'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Allrounder reveals details of phone call with Brendon McCullum as he plots international recall

Matt Roller05-Feb-2025Player of the tournament in a World Cup win. More than 100 England caps across all formats. Back-to-back Hundred trophies, one as MVP. Million-dollar IPL contracts. A walk-on role in a County Championship three-peat. At 26, Sam Curran has already achieved more than most cricketers manage across their lifetime.Yet as he heads towards the peak years of most sporting careers, Curran is experiencing a lull: for the first time since he burst into international cricket nearly seven years ago, he finds himself outside of England’s squads in all three formats. There is little doubt that he will be back at some stage, but life on the fringes brings an uneasy novelty.Curran has kept his head down since he was left out of England’s white-ball squads for their tour to India and the subsequent Champions Trophy, with his focus on the ILT20 in the UAE. But he has decided the time is now right to address it, telling ESPNcricinfo from Dubai that he will be “banging the door” down until he is back in the international set-up.Related

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  • Why England should back Curran for T20I middle-order spot

  • Curran bounces back to give England title-winning edge

“There were loads of different reasons I didn’t get picked,” Curran says. “More so the T20s, but I naturally felt I should have been in both teams. But they’ve obviously got their plans and you can look at the way they’re lining up now… The 50-over side is going to be similar to the T20 line-up, and they wanted the same structure of the top six.”At the time of his omission, Curran spoke to Brendon McCullum – whom he is yet to play under – and valued the clarity he received. “He just said: ‘You’re not in right now, but go away, score runs and take wickets.’ I respected it a lot: sometimes you just get the easy: ‘It’s not the end.’ But it was pretty clear what they wanted me to do.”Yet there is a sense that McCullum might consider his style of bowling – left-arm swing rather than seam, and speeds closer to 80mph than 90mph – an awkward fit in his England teams. His first white-ball squads contained a battery of right-arm quicks, and he overlooked Curran last summer when Ben Stokes’ hamstring tear had seemed to open up a return to the Test side.It prompted Curran to reveal his fear that he no longer “fit the mould” that England were looking for – less through his personality than his physical attributes. With McCullum in charge across formats and making abundantly clear that his preference is for a level of convergence in selection, the route back is unlikely to be entirely straightforward.But England’s 4-1 defeat to India served to highlight the value of variety in any T20 side, however expensive Curran has proved in the past two years. It means that twelve months out from another T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, the unlikely star of England’s 2022 triumph is confident that he can force his way into the side.Curran says England’s 2022 T20 World Cup win “feels quite a while ago”•AFP/Getty Images”Everyone knows things can change quickly,” Curran says. “I’m the type of guy that will go away and do well and improve. It was just a case of them going with the top six they want, and backing the five bowlers they’ve chosen. [McCullum] told me to keep banging the door down and I feel like I’ve come here and done pretty well. I’m in a good headspace.”Curran has taken the setback as well as could be hoped but the two years since England’s T20 World Cup win have not been without their challenges. He was dropped early in their disastrous defence of the 50-over World Cup and his form has oscillated between extremes – as is the case for most players whose calendars are dominated by T20.”It feels quite a while ago,” he reflects on England’s win in Australia. “There were some tough times for the team [after that]. It’s just been inconsistency, being in and out a lot of the time. That was the big message from above: go away and show consistency. I feel like hopefully I’ve done that, and will keep doing that.”

“I’m driven by winning trophies… If I can finish the tournament with loads of runs, a lot of wickets and winning a trophy, I feel that’s all I can really do”Sam Curran on playing in the ILT20

Curran is playing for Desert Vipers, Avram Glazer’s franchise, in the ILT20 and his performances helped them finish top of the group stages. He has taken six wickets with the ball but his main role has been with the bat: used in his preferred role at No. 4, he is their second-highest run-scorer and has walked off unbeaten in three successful run chases.Curran’s batting record in T20 internationals makes for ugly reading – an average of 14.24 and a strike rate of 124.47 – and it is increasingly clear that England have used him out of position. He has had no impact when used as a finisher but can control an innings from the middle order: his only T20 half-century for England came in his only innings at No. 4.If McCullum continues to favour high pace, consistent run-scoring may yet be the best way to get noticed. With England’s middle order struggling badly against spin, Curran’s status as a left-hander should play in his favour: he could feasibly be used as the one lower-tempo batter in a line-up of power-hitters, as Ben Stokes was during their 2022 success.Consolation came through the identity of the winning bidders: Chennai Super Kings, his old team. “I was buzzing,” Curran says, laughing off the significance of the price tag. “Chennai was where I kickstarted my IPL career. As soon as I was picked up, I had 10-15 messages from people who were there four years ago.”He will finally get to experience their home crowd this year, with his previous stints coinciding with Covid-enforced neutral venues. “I’ve played there as the away team, and you see the love for the players. It also helps when you have the habit of winning and great consistency with [Stephen] Fleming and those guys who have been there since the start.”A short break in the meantime will allow Curran a rare opportunity to take stock, and to keep his career in perspective. “Cricket – especially T20, let’s be honest – is very fickle,” he says. “You can get a good ball, or two bad ones, and it goes the other way: that’s what happens in T20. But for now, I’ve just got to keep banging the door down.”

India's Kolkata heist vs India's Chennai triumph vs England's Edgbaston conquest

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Three thrilling Tests, three wild finishes – have your pick

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2025Update: This poll has ended. The IND-AUS 2001 Kolkata Test moves into the final.Australia fall at the final frontier – Kolkata, 2001A Test hat-trick against the world’s top side at the age of 20. A follow-on. A historic partnership to turn the tables. A record individual score by an Indian. And a thrilling end in front of packed stands to level the series and end Australia’s streak of 16 wins. All that in one Test!After Harbhajan Singh hurt Australia with a hat-trick on the first day, Steve Waugh scored his maiden Test century on Indian soil to lead his team to a strong 445. In reply, India were bundled for 171 and asked to follow-on.They were then 232 for 4 – still 42 behind – when VVS Laxman was joined by Rahul Dravid and the two of them played out the entire fourth day with strips of iced towels around their necks to beat the heat and humidity; they still needed attention from the physio from time to time.The two ended up seeing off nine bowlers in a partnership that was instantly stamped in the game’s history. Laxman’s 281 lasted ten-and-a-half hours, and Dravid’s 180 nearly seven-and-a-half. They set Australia a target of 384. Australia succumbed on the last day against India’s spinners as Harbhajan finished with a tally of 13 for 196.Harbhajan too good for Australia – Chennai, 2001It was fitting that the series that had kept everyone on the edge of their seats ended in a thrilling last-day finish.After Matthew Hayden’s 203 had taken Australia to 391, India responded by racking up 501. Like he had in the first innings, Harbhajan Singh ripped through the Australia middle order in the second innings, as they ended the fourth day on 241 for 7, a lead of 131.On the fifth morning, Harbhajan wasted little time in picking up the last three Australia wickets, bundling them for 264. He returned second-innings figures of 8 for 84 and match figures of 15 for 127, finishing with 32 wickets for the series.But he wasn’t done.Chasing 155, India lost Shiv Sunder Das early, but Sadagoppan Ramesh and VVS Laxman added 58 to give India the advantage. But a middle-order collapse followed, and it was game on. But wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe, on Test debut, held his cool as he took India closer. India lost Zaheer Khan just four runs shy of a win, but Harbhajan sliced a Glenn McGrath delivery past point to give India a famous Test and series win.The two runs that brought the Ashes alive – Edgbaston 2005The drama began before the toss. Glenn McGrath hurt his ankle on the first morning of the match, and the man who replaced him nearly did it for Australia… with the bat. On the fourth day, Australia were 137 for 7 in their pursuit of 282. Michael Clarke was their only hope, and it took an ahead-of-the-time slower ball from Steve Harmison to dismiss him and make it 175 for 8. With Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz, who took McGrath’s place in the side, remaining, England were favourites.But minute by minute, Warne’s runs hurt England after bagging ten wickets with the ball. His stoic stand with Lee, who also looked unmoved, was fanning belief. But then, with Australia 62 runs away and the pair having added 45, a little flicker of a sound broke the silence of the stadium. Everyone searched for it. Warne found it. He had trod back onto his stumps. He was hit-wicket.Most of us would have forgotten by then that it was the Australia of their pomp. On their day, even a No. 11 could raise the ceiling with the bat and Kasprowicz did exactly that. Michael Vaughan looked frustrated with every run Lee and Kasprowicz scored. Until, with three to get, Harmison’s short ball saw Kasprowicz fending, and nudging behind to a diving Geraint Jones. Billy Bowden’s crooked finger was up, Edgbaston erupted, and Andrew Flintoff consoling Lee became an iconic image.

Grassy Dubai pitch leaves India with tricky selection calls against UAE

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

While Jitesh Sharma and Shubman Gill seem set to take over from Samson, the choice at No. 8 seems a lot less clear-cut

Shashank Kishore08-Sep-20252:54

Morkel: ‘Kuldeep knows how to get himself ready for T20 cricket’

Dubai presents teams with a unique challenge, in that no one is always certain of what the surface will throw up.The main venue has been off-limits for training sessions, so India have had to train at the nearby ICC Academy to acclimatise in the energy-sapping heat. On Monday, after completing a two-hour nets session, they made a quick hop over to the Dubai International Stadium to get a feel of the conditions for the first time. And to hit the ground running, they had their fielding session there, just to be able to get used to the outfield and the stadium’s trademark ring-of-fire floodlights, and to have a look at the pitch, which bowling coach Morne Morkel had heard “had a greenish tinge”.This unique prospect of not training at the ground they will play at has led India to explore all possibilities as far as their combination goes ahead of their Asia Cup opener against UAE on Wednesday. Morkel wasn’t going to spell out the plans, of course, but the training session threw up a few hints.Related

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  • India, Pakistan training overlap spikes Asia Cup interest

First up, it seems somewhat clear that Jitesh Sharma is winning the race to be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. And that means vice-captain Shubman Gill, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Monday, and who last played a T20I in July 2024, is set to slot back in at the top of the order alongside Abhishek Sharma.Sanju Samson, whose roles Jitesh and Gill appear set to take over, auditioned for a middle-order role during a short stint in the Kerala Cricket League (KCL), perhaps to show he can fit in wherever the team needs him to. But he was largely a bystander during Monday’s session. Across three stints since India started training on September 5, he probably donned the keeping gloves for all of five minutes, and mostly batted towards the end of each session.The other slot India are pondering is the No. 8. Do they strengthen their batting by playing an allrounder like Shivam Dube, who has bowled a fair bit in the nets, or do they get Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana to partner Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball and have Hardik Pandya as their third seamer? Over the course of the past few days, the work the team management has put into their sixth-bowler options, including Abhishek, has been noticeable.

“In terms of planning at the moment, we will be covering all bases and then we’ll make a decision obviously on match day”Morne Morkel

“I’m always pushing for allrounders to work hard on both skills,” Morkel said. “Sometimes guys can get a little bit naughty and practice or focus just on one skill. But here, in this environment, we want to leave no stone unturned.”On the day, we’re going to need somebody to do the work for us and conditions might favour him [Dube] more than somebody else. So, for us, it’s about being professional. It’s about taking that responsibility of putting quality work in there.”The more guys that can give the captain options, that is obviously a great position to have. Yes, we will have our frontline guys that we can attack [with]. But if we can keep on developing guys, part-time guys to do a job, it gives us so many more options in terms of combinations for selection.”With the No. 8 slot up for debate, Harshit Rana (R) is a candidate to partner Hardik Pandya (L) and Jasprit Bumrah in the seam attack•AFP/Getty ImagesDuring the Champions Trophy in March, when they played all their matches in Dubai, India weren’t averse to playing four spinners, with Mohammed Shami as the lone specialist seamer and Hardik as the all-round option. This allowed India to play both Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav in their XI. That was in ODIs, of course, where India had a failsafe in Ravindra Jadeja at No. 8. Jadeja is retired from T20Is, leaving India with no such luxuries.”I think when the Champions Trophy was played at that time, there was a lot of cricket on the surfaces here and they looked a little bit tired,” Morkel said. “Tonight [Monday] we will have a first look at the surface. And I believe there’s quite a bit of a grass covering on the square.”So we’ll have a good idea going into the first game in terms of what is sort of a better way to go. But in terms of planning at the moment, we will be covering all bases and then we’ll make a decision obviously on match day.”Given the heat factor, the team will likely have an optional session on Tuesday. India will have the chance to train once more after the UAE game, in the lead-up to their match against Pakistan on September 14.

All you need to know about Women's ODI World Cup 2025

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Your one-stop destination to know all about the 13th edition of the tournament that will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka

Srinidhi Ramanujam25-Sep-2025

An ODI World Cup in India? Tell me more… when is it?

Yes, that’s right. The Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, hosted by India with a few games to be played in Sri Lanka, starts September 30. The semi-finals are on October 29 and 30 and the final on November 2.A total of 31 matches will be played over 34 days in a round-robin format, with the top four teams progressing to the knockouts. All matches will begin at 3pm IST (0930 GMT) except New Zealand vs England on October 26, which will start at 11am IST (0530 GMT).This is the fourth time India is hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup, having done so in 1978, 1997 and 2013, and the first time for Sri Lanka.Related

  • Harmanpreet: 'This time we will cross the line'

  • Athapaththu's goal? A maiden semi-final for SL

  • The 2025 World Cup promises to take women's cricket to brand-new heights

  • Suzie Bates: 'I feel like there's no milestones on my list anymore'

  • Devine to retire from ODIs after the World Cup

Tell me about women’s ODI cricket since the last World Cup

It has never been more high-scoring. Before the 2022 ODI World Cup, the participating teams for the current edition had crossed the 300 mark a combined 44 times. Since then, they have had 34 totals of 300 or more between them, with Australia and India posting 400-plus once each. This surge highlights the growing skill and depth in women’s batting, setting the stage for an exciting tournament.The tournament will feature an all-female line-up of match officials. The prize pool, meanwhile, has soared to US$ 13.88 million – nearly four times of what it was in 2022.

Which teams are playing?

Eight teams are participating. India qualified by virtue of being the hosts and were joined by the top five teams – Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, South Africa – in the Women’s Championship cycle.Bangladesh, Ireland, Pakistan, West Indies, Thailand and Scotland competed in the World Cup Qualifier in Lahore, where Pakistan and Bangladesh secured their spots.

So no West Indies?

That’s right. This is the first time in six editions since 2000 that West Indies will not be part of a Women’s ODI World Cup. They narrowly missed out after Bangladesh pipped them by 0.013 on net run rate.Australia are the defending champions•AFP/Getty Images

Tell me about the venues

Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam and Navi Mumbai in India, and Colombo in Sri Lanka will host the games. Colombo will host ten matches – all Pakistan games, the first semi-final, and the final if Pakistan qualify. Originally, Bengaluru was one of the host cities but was removed after the M Chinnaswamy Stadium was denied police clearance following the stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations in June.

Do India have home advantage?

Not quite. While India are the co-hosts, the venues tell a different story. The Holkar Stadium in Indore has never hosted women’s internationals. The Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati is yet to stage a women’s ODI, and its last women’s T20I was back in 2019. Visakhapatnam last hosted a women’s ODI in 2014, and while Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium has seen sold-out crowds for women’s T20Is and the WPL, it has never hosted a women’s ODI. The unfamiliarity with these grounds means India may not enjoy the advantage host countries generally do.

Isn’t it going to rain in Colombo?Yes, probably. The north-east monsoon looks like it has arrived a little early this year, and the cricket is almost certain to be affected. In the week leading up to the tournament, it seems as if the monsoon hasn’t settled in properly yet however, which means while there are showers around, they don’t stay all day. As Sri Lankan grounds get fully covered, generally this means cricket can usually happen every day. Expect rain-curtailed matches, however.

Are Australia still the favourites?

On form, yes. They have lost just four of their 31 ODIs since the start of 2023 and remain the benchmark in the format. They have a settled core and an unmatched tournament pedigree, having won the title seven times.India are yet to play an ODI in three of their four World Cup venues•Getty ImagesBut India won’t be far behind. They have had a strong run in 2025, losing only four of their 14 ODIs so far. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes her side can “beat Australia on any day” and they showed glimpses of that in the recent 2-1 series loss to them. Even Australia captain Alyssa Healy acknowledged that this is the “most stable” Indian team she has seen. That said, England, New Zealand and South Africa cannot be ignored.

Where and when will the high-profile contests take place?

Defending champions Australia kick things off with a high-octane trans-Tasman showdown against T20 world champions New Zealand in Indore in the second match of the tournament, on October 1.One of the most anticipated contests is the face-off between India and Australia on October 12 in Visakhapatnam. Australia will take on their Ashes rivals England on October 22 in Indore. Then there is India vs England on October 19, Australia vs South Africa on October 25, and New Zealand vs England the following day, all of which could have a big say in the semi-finals line-up.Pakistan’s Sidra Amin is in sensational form•PCB

What about India vs Pakistan?

That will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on October 5. In women’s cricket, the India-Pakistan rivalry has been firmly one-sided. The two teams have faced off 11 times in ODIs, with India winning every single game. The gulf in experience, infrastructure and depth has been evident over the years.

Hmmm… Tell me more about the players. Who are the ones to keep an eye on?

Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux has returned from her knee injury to boost Australia’s chances. Even though she hasn’t played an ODI since December, she remains vital in spin-friendly conditions. England’s Charlie Dean, another fingerspinner, could also be a key player.Among the batters, South Africa’s Tazmin Brits, India’s Smriti Mandhana and Sidra Amin of Pakistan are in the form of their lives. Brits and Mandhana have already scored four ODI hundreds this year.This will also be Heather Knight’s first tournament after she relinquished England captaincy.

What about those playing a World Cup for the first time?

In just ten months since her debut, India opener Pratika Rawal has scored six half-centuries and one century in 17 innings, and has an average of 50.12. Her ability to score consistently in different conditions has made her a crucial part of India’s batting line-up.Jemimah Rodrigues is yet to play in an ODI World Cup•Getty ImagesAmong bowlers, England spinner Linsey Smith announced her arrival in ODIs with a five-for on debut against West Indies in May. Having made her T20I debut at the 2018 T20 World Cup, she had to wait six-and-a-half-years for a chance in ODIs.This will also be the first ODI World Cup for Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal. Though she made her ODI debut in 2019, it’s only in the last couple of years that she has become a regular in the team, thanks to her wicket-taking ability. Incredible as it may sound, this is also India batter Jemimah Rodrigues’ first ODI World Cup.

Are there a few players for whom this could be the last ODI World Cup?

Certainly. New Zealand captain Sophie Devine has already said so, just like Megan Schutt and Alyssa Healy as well. It could be the same for Suzie Bates, Marizanne Kapp, Chamari Athapaththu, Heather Knight, and a few others. Harmanpreet will be 40 by the time the next edition rolls in, so it could be her last too.

Where to watch the games?

All matches will be live on the JioStar network and the JioHotstar app in India, Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, Amazon Prime Video in Australia, Sky TV in New Zealand, PTV and Ten Sports in Pakistan, Maharaja TV in Sri Lanka and Willow TV in the USA and Canada.

Moores hails 'box office' Tongue as Notts close in on title

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Fast bowler shows worth in match-turning performance, but will sit out final round on England’s orders

Vithushan Ehantharajah18-Sep-2025Josh Tongue’s final act of the 2025 English summer was taking Nottinghamshire to the cusp of the Divison One County Championship title.Tongue’s 5 for 100, his fourth five-wicket haul of the first-class season, completed a thrilling victory against Surrey. Chasing a remarkable four titles in a row, the defending champions now trail Nottinghamshire by 14 points heading into the final round.The new Division One leaders host Warwickshire at Trent Bridge next week, hoping to seal their first Championship since 2010. But they will have to do so without Tongue, who also took 3 for 43 in the first innings, with England erring on the side of caution to preserve Tongue for the Ashes, which begins on November 21 in Perth.Related

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Tongue's lashing spell puts Notts back in box seat

Tongue prevails in thriller to put Nottinghamshire on cusp of title

Tongue is currently on an ECB central contract, which is due to be extended next month, and has emerged as a crucial member of the fast-bowling armoury. His high release point, speed and ability to find movement on flat pitches are vital to England’s hopes of wrestling back the urn in Australia.Though unfortunate for Nottinghamshire and Tongue, who only made his debut for the county in April after right pectoral issues and a hamstring tear kept him out of action having joined at the end of 2023, his performances showed why the 27-year-old is worth the cotton wool treatment.He was the difference-maker on day four of this de facto title-decider, bowling 17.2 of a tense final 55.2 overs of the match. A top speed of 93mph was surrounded by consistent pace in the late 80s, and consistent spells – the longest of six overs after the lunch interval. His removals of Rory Burns (ending an opening stand of 74) and Ben Foakes accounted for two of the top four, before a blistering final 3.2 over burst ended a dogged rearguard effort, taking the final three wickets to leave Surrey 21 short of their 315 target.Nottinghamshire head coach Peter Moores likened Tongue to former England seamer Stuart Broad, for his knack of bending matches to his whim.”The best person I ever coached on sensing moments was Stuart Broad – he knew when to up it,” said Moores, who had two spells working with Broad as England coach, and is on the cusp of becoming the first head coach to win the Championship with three different teams (Sussex in 2003 and 2006; Lancashire in 2011).”The way he [Tongue] impacted the game, it’s reserved for [only] a few people. Bowlers are kings of the game, really, if they have moments like that, because they are the only people that start the process. Everybody else reacts to what they do. But when he’s doing that, and at the top of his mark, we are glued. It’s box office.”Today we saw a player who is enjoying playing the game. He’s talented, he’s got pace and he’s got something I think we should never ignore in a bowler – he’s got an awkward action. You never ignore that. He delivers from past the perpendicular; it looks like it’s coming in but sometimes it’s going away.”England’s caution with Tongue is understandable given his injury history, which includes 15 months sidelined with a potentially career-ending right shoulder issue. That ended up being alleviated unconventionally with botox injections, leading to a Test debut against Ireland in June 2023, followed by an Ashes appearance at Lord’s later that month.Further setbacks kept him out of action entirely in 2024. This year, however, he has delivered the most red-ball overs (382.3) of his career, of which 369.3 have come this summer. Not only was he England’s leading wicket-taker in the Test series against India, with 19 from just three appearances, but he currently has more first-class dismissals (54) than anyone else in the ongoing English season.”I feel like now I’m in a better place physically I can hold that pace for longer periods and longer spells,” Tongue said. “Last year was a tough year for me during my injuries. But I know the hard work that I did over the winter just gone, it’s going to put me in good stead this season.”I did a few long spells during that Test series as well, so I knew I’ll be able to do it for Notts as well. And that’s the main thing, I just want to put all my effort into to winning games of cricket – and thankfully it’s, paid off today.”Tongue is not the only player involved in the title race who will not participate in the final round. Gus Atkinson will also be absent for Surrey’s trip to Hampshire.

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