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India’s spinners finish the job, with miserly and incisive spells

Sidharth Monga09-Oct-20242:36

Takeaways: Reddy arrives on the scene, Rinku repeats heroics

India pounced on poor bowling from the Bangladesh spinners to get out of jail on a Delhi surface that started off as tacky but kept on improving for batting as the night progressed. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh took India from 41 for 3 in the sixth over to 221, with a finishing kick provided by Hardik Pandya. In better batting conditions, the India bowling still proved too good for Bangladesh, sealing the series win.The Bangladesh spinners suffered on both comparisons. Their fast bowlers bowled 12 overs for 102 runs, but the spinners conceded 116 in their eight. And then the India spinners rubbed it in for them with nine overs for just 49 runs and five wickets.

India struggle at the start

After a toss that didn’t seem to matter – Bangladesh said they wanted to use the dew coming in later to their advantage and chase, India said they wanted to bat first to test their bowlers in dew – Bangladesh opened the bowling with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, whose arm balls were either too full or short and taken apart by Sanju Samson. On a tacky surface, the fast bowlers managed to draw misbehaviour though. Samson and Suryakumar Yadav fell to checked shots because of the slowness of the pitch, and Abhishek Sharma played on trying to slog Tanzim Hasan.Tanzim Hasan Sakib had Abhishek Sharma chopping on•BCCI

Reddy enjoys some luck

Rinku was the only one able to play smoothly from the start. Reddy got away twice in the early phase of his innings. When Litton Das dropped him down the leg side of Tanzim, Reddy moved to 6 off 4, and he was 19 off 14 when he survived an extremely close lbw – umpire’s call on impact on a reverse-sweep. That 19 included a six off a free-hit thanks to a no-ball by Mahmudullah.

Flood gates open

Rishad Hossain is a legspinner full of promise, especially in T20 cricket. However, against a Rinku intent on all kinds of sweeps, he bowled his fifth ball too full and was slog-swept for six. And then Mahmudulllah offered the free-hit. In his second over, Rishad erred on length on both sides. Reddy took him for two sixes down the ground before Rinku pulled him for one. That 24-run over took India past 100 in 10 overs.After that, only Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman managed an over without a boundary. Mehidy suffered the worst punishment as he couldn’t get Reddy off strike and kept bowling in his wheelhouse for 26 runs in the 13th over. A hundred in just his second match looked on but a slower ball from Mustafizur got the better of him to dismiss him for 74 off 34.Rinku Singh celebrated his third T20I fifty•BCCI

This was the right time for Bangladesh to squeeze in an over of spin but Hardik Pandya offered no concessions to Rishad’s errors in length. Rinku might have looked like the silent partner in the carnage but he got to his fifty at almost two a ball.As India kept losing wickets looking for quick runs, Rishad managed some respite and got to bowl the last over for just eight runs. Bangladesh were still being asked to score their highest T20I total to stay alive in the series.

A bridge too far

There’s a reason Bangladesh have never scored more than 215 in T20Is: their batters don’t seem to have the game for it. Looking for the unprecedented, the batters took too many risks and got off to a quick start but it was a matter of time before the risks caught up with them. Parvez Hossain played Arshdeep on, Washington Sundar got Najmul Hossain Shanto twice in two games, Litton Das was all at sea against Varun Chakravarthy, Towhid Hridoy was done in by an Abhishek Sharma arm ball, and the game was all but done at 46 for 4 in the seventh over.The rest was mere formalities, which involved a wicket for Riyan Parag, a stunning catch by Pandya, and a wicket at least for each of the seven bowlers India tried.

Injury-hit Rockets fail to fire as best team in tournament history extend their dominant run

Matt Roller31-Aug-2025In this world nothing can be certain, except death, taxes, and Oval Invincibles winning the men’s Hundred. They have topped the group stage to qualify directly for the Lord’s final for three consecutive seasons, and each night has ended with Sam Billings lifting the golden ‘H’ trophy. After two tight finals, this was a demolition job.The Invincibles have relied on continuity as their greatest strength, and three of their usual suspects performed when it mattered: Will Jacks and Jordan Cox added 87 off 55 balls to underpin their total of 168, and the livewire Nathan Sowter derailed the chase with three wickets in his first seven balls. All three have been with them since inception; so too Billings and coach Tom Moody.They joined a select handful of teams to pull off a ‘three-peat’ in short-form leagues, and achieved it without breaking a sweat. If they have not quite lived up to their moniker, then Invincibles’ record across the last three seasons is still remarkable: 21 wins, one tie and only five defeats. In a format designed for unpredictability, they have become a winning machine.In fact, the Invincibles may have been too successful for their own good. The ECB are lining up a squad “reset” next year – in the style of the IPL’s mega-auction – as new investors arrive in the Hundred. It is designed to uphold the ‘any given Sunday’ philosophy at short-form cricket’s core; on any given Sunday in the men’s Hundred, however, the Invincibles are usually winning.Sam Billings parades the trophy after Oval Invincibles’ third Men’s Hundred title•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty Images

Sowter’s starring moment

The Invincibles’ core is built around England players with international experience, with a single exception. Sowter, a journeyman legspinner, wondered if his professional career was over when Middlesex released him three years ago but has become an unlikely linchpin in the Invincibles attack, and saved his best performance of the season for the biggest stage.The Rockets were 35 for 0 after 30 balls when Sowter came into the attack, with Tom Banton and Joe Root struggling for fluency. Ten balls later, they were 38 for 3: Root holed out to long-on, Rehan Ahmed missed a straight one to depart for second-ball duck, and Banton picked out long-off. Sowter celebrated each wicket with a huge roar, and added an excellent catch at deep backward square leg to his night’s work.Adam Zampa had flown in from Australia specifically for the final – a 20,000-mile round-trip for 20 balls – and finished with typically frugal figures of 1 for 21. But despite the wicket of David Willey, brilliantly stumped by Billings, he was ultimately upstaged by his legspin partner.

Jacks, Cox lay foundations

Jacks made a statement off the very first ball of the final, crunching Willey through mid-off for four, then slashed the third through the off-side ring to become the first man to score 1,000 runs for the Invincibles. His opening partner Tawanda Muyeye fell after three early boundaries, but his dismissal brought in the tournament’s leading run-scorer in Cox at No. 3.Cox has been in stunning form this month and was soon up and running with two rasping cuts. Jacks had a life on 28, plinking a full toss to midwicket which was deemed a no-ball on height, and was quick to make use of it, reverse-sweeping Rehan for four before launching him into the upper tier of the Grandstand.Cox belted Rehan for six more before toe-ending him behind, but Jacks sensed his chance to put his foot down. He eventually fell for 72 off 41 after another flurry of boundaries and while the Invincibles were uncharacteristically quiet at the death, adding 25 off the last 20, that only served to underline the quality of Jacks and Cox’s strokeplay.Will Jacks produced the defining innings of the final•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty Images

Rockets misfortune

Is there a plague on the city of Nottingham? Andy Flower’s side have had no luck with injuries. With Adam Hose, Tom Alsop and Max Holden already out, they lost two seamers in the 24 hours before the final: first Sam Cook, who broke a thumb when Dan Lawrence smacked one back at him in the Eliminator; then Lockie Ferguson, whose hamstring went in the warm-ups.Dillon Pennington was called upon to make his debut at 20 minutes’ notice and he struck with his first ball, smiling wryly as Muyeye edged a short, wide one behind. His figures of 1 for 23 from 20 were the Rockets’ best, but their bad luck was not over: George Linde could not complete his allocation after damaging a digit while attempting a return catch off Cox.Marcus Stoinis did his best to keep the chase alive, belting five sixes in his innings of 64 off 38 balls, but the asking rate soared out of the Rockets’ control. They nominally needed 27 to win off the final ball, and Invincibles got their celebratory moment when Saqib Mahmood trapped him lbw to clinch their third straight title.

The rule allows Indian players who have not played international cricket in the last five years to go into the auction as uncapped

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Sep-2024If five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) want, they can retain their former captain and talisman MS Dhoni as an uncapped player.This is because the IPL has decided to bring back a rule that it had started in 2008, allowing Indian players who had retired from international cricket at least five years before the relevant season to go into the auction as uncapped players. The rule was scrapped in 2021. However, during the broader discussion on uncapped players, the IPL informed the franchises that it was reviving the rule.In a media release on Saturday, the IPL said: “A capped Indian player will become uncapped if he has, in the five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant season is held, not played in the starting XI in international cricket and does not have a central contract with BCCI. This will be applicable for Indian players only.”Related

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Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, Dhoni was retained as the second player by CSK for INR 12 crore. Dhoni, who turned 43 in July, last played an international match at the 2019 ODI World Cup. In case, CSK want to retain him as an uncapped player, they can do so by spending just INR 4 crore.The question of whether Dhoni will continue to play in the IPL or not has been doing the rounds for the last few seasons. After a knee surgery in 2023, he handed over the CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024 and played a limited role with the bat, coming in late in the innings as a boundary-hitter. More recently, at an event, Dhoni said he and CSK would wait for the player retention rules to be finalised before taking a decision on his future as a player.

Defending champions drill co-hosts with aggressive top-order batting in Gros Islet, winning with 15 balls to spare

Vithushan Ehantharajah20-Jun-20243:45

Badree: ‘Adil Rashid is such a skillful bowler’

A devastating 87 not out from Phil Salt, supplemented by an unbeaten 48 from Jonny Bairstow, saw England thrash West Indies by eight wickets in St Lucia. It was the kind of performance that set down a marker for the rest of the teams in the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup 2024.The defending champions made light work of their target of 181, with a clinical 97-run stand between Salt and Bairstow earning victory with 15 deliveries to spare.Played out on a fine batting deck at the Daren Sammy National Stadium, Jos Buttler opted to chase at the toss. Things looked precarious after eight overs, with West Indies getting 72 on the board for the loss of just Brandon King, who collapsed with a side strain early in the fifth over, having scored 23 off his previous 12 deliveries.Related

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A diet of spin restricted West Indies’ batters thanks to Adil Rashid – the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 21 from his four overs – and Moeen Ali, who would go on to remove Johnson Charles.Rovman Powell, promoting himself to No. 4, took 20 from the 15th over, striking Liam Livingstone for three sixes down the ground in four deliveries. But an attempt at a fourth off Livingstone’s final ball brought his downfall, caught low at short third by Mark Wood, returning to the XI in place of Chris Jordan.It was the first of three wickets to fall in the space of 12 deliveries for just six runs. Jofra Archer removed Nicholas Pooran caught behind in the next over, before Andre Russell nailed a Rashid googly straight to wide long on.Rovman Powell hit five sixes in his innings•ICC/Getty Images

That West Indies were able to reach 180 without any further loss from a position of 143 for 4 with three overs to go owes as much to Sherfane Rutherford as it does to Wood. The former was able to find 28 from 15 deliveries, 13 of them off the latter as the 18th over was taken for 19.England’s pursuit began steadily enough, reaching 58 for no loss after six overs. Roston Chase’s flat delivery eventually ended the opening stand on 67, trapping Buttler in front, before Moeen came and went, batting at No. 3 for the first time since March 2023.Salt remained, and though he did end up slowing down, Bairstow was on hand to pick up the slack, striking 46 off 21 up to the 16th over. It was then that Salt tagged back in, and unfurled a brutal attack on Romario Shepherd, striking the seamer for 30 with three fours and three sixes – the joint-most expensive over by a West Indian in a T20 World Cup.The first of those boundaries brought up Salt’s half-century from 38 deliveries, before he skewered any remaining jeopardy. It left West Indies to rue a half chance to remove Salt on seven in the third over, when he toed a hack across the line through to Pooran, who could not hold on.

Bairstow clicks himself, and Salt, into gear

Salt deserved the Player-of-the-Match award. But without Bairstow’s help, he – and maybe even England – might not have had something to celebrate.Salt had emerged from the powerplay with a respectable 35 off 20. But with the field spread, twirlers working in tandem and less of the strike, he had stalled. Going into the 14th over, he had scored just 12 more from 15 deliveries.That was when Bairstow set about a jump-start. For some reason, Powell returned to Alzarri Joseph instead of persisting with the frugal Chase. Bairstow used the pace on the ball to send the first delivery over the deep midwicket fence – the longer side, no less – before ramping the next delivery for four.Adil Rashid delivered the big wicket of Andre Russell•Getty Images

Powell attempted to correct his error by bringing Akeal Hosein back on for his final over. Bairstow, though, was in an unforgiving mood. An attempted reverse sweep brought a subdued lbw appeal before a conventional sweep, a 76-metre six heaved into the stands at midwicket, and a fortuitous inside edge brought 14 from three deliveries. The 16 from the over outright made it Hosein’s most expensive of this World Cup.It was at that point, with 40 needed from 30, that Salt set about his assault on Shepherd. Bairstow watched on from the other end, settling into the role of cheerleader as his partner went ballistic. He eventually had the honour of striking the winning run, raising his personal best at T20 World Cups to 48 not out.”Once Jos got out, I had to be the better to bat through,” explained Salt. “For Jonny to come out and take the pressure off me by taking calculated risks. I couldn’t be happier about that as a teammate.”

Windies given the run around

Intent comes in many different forms. England blitzed the six-count on the tournament’s truest batting pitch, but the difference between the running out in the middle told as true a story.West Indies, for all their might, set a new unwanted record of 51 dot balls – the most any team has registered in a T20 World Cup when posting a score of at least 180. They were also responsible for the previous highest – 50 – in the 2016 edition, albeit when they chased down 193 to take down India in the semi-final on their way to their second title.Moreover, they were second-best when making use of this ground’s lop-sided dimensions, failing to rotate the strike as much as they could, and running just nine twos across their 120 deliveries. Not only did England run three more in 15 fewer deliveries, but they even managed a three in the fourth over when Buttler could not quite time a cut to the cover point sponge. It brought Salt on strike for the final ball of the over, which he used to get going by charging at Russell and launching him back over his head and onto the roof for the first of five sixes.Jofra Archer was consistently around the 90mph mark•ICC/Getty Images

Archer glee

At the time, the purchasing of Powell’s wicket for 20 runs from Livingstone’s only over did not seem a smart deal. Powell was only averaging 16.25 coming into this match. Having cooled a partisan St Lucian crowd, watching their captain hoist three quick sixes was a surefire way to get them warmed up for the arrival of Russell to assist Pooran, who was set on 32.Both were back in the hut 11 deliveries later. And while Rashid’s snaring of Russell was the icing on the cake in this little stanza that shifted the match England’s way, it was Archer’s in the 17th over that vindicated Buttler’s investment.Over the wicket to Pooran, Archer hammered a tight line across the left-hander. Ranging from full and yorker length, barring one misstep – a full toss third ball which Pooran guided through point for four – Archer had it all his own way.He was too sharp – consistently around the 90mph mark – and too unwavering for a batter slowly falling into a funk, desperate for room to access his favoured hitting zones down the ground. The least full of all the deliveries was the one that took the edge through to Buttler, Pooran presenting the face of the bat in defeat rather than defiance.With six wickets, Archer is now England’s joint top wicket-taker alongside Rashid, boasting an economy rate of 6.58, which is lower than any of his teammates barring Reece Topley (5.50), who has played two fewer games and is still yet to register a dismissal.But the best stat of all is that Archer has now turned out five times for England in the last 15 days. The previous five caps came in the space of 448 days. After the nightmare run of elbow and back injuries over the last two years, the 29-year-old may finally be out the other end.

The three-match T20I series will feature a mix of those in the World Cup squad and others likely to be reserves

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-2024Brandon King will lead West Indies in the T20I series against South Africa which acts as preparation for the World Cup in the absence of full-time captain Rovman Powell who remains at the IPL with Rajasthan Royals.Powell is one of a group of players who will miss the three matches on May 23, 25 and 26 due to either still being involved in the IPL or being rested following the tournament. Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders), Shimron Hetmyer (Rajasthan Royals), Alzarri Joseph (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Sherfane Rutherford (KKR) are with teams involved in the knockouts while Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope, who featured for Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals respectively, are rested.Joseph and Rutherford will be added to the T20I squad if their teams do not reach the IPL final. Matthew Forde and Kyle Mayers, who were both close to selection for the T20 World Cup, are among those who will feature against South Africa with the series likely to confirm who will be the first reserves should injury strike during the tournament.Related

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King had been in line to lead West Indies A on the recent tour of Nepal before he was ruled out through injury with Roston Chase taking over.”These are among the last competitive T20 international matches before the start of the World Cup,” lead selector Desmond Haynes said. “Players have the opportunity to fine-tune their skills and ensure they are as prepared as they can be for the World Cup, whether they are in the final squad or reserve pool.”Head coach Daren Sammy said: “We have not played together as a team since the Australia series, but we just completed a very high-intensity training camp in Antigua. Now we have the chance to integrate some of our players returning from the IPL and build some momentum as a group going into the World Cup.”The series could see a T20I debut for fast bowler Shamar Joseph who has been included in the World Cup squad. He appeared in just one during the IPL for LSG.After facing South Africa, West Indies will play Australia in a warm-up match on May 30.

West Indies squad for T20I series vs South Africa

Brandon King (capt), Roston Chase, Alick Athanaze, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Mathew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh

His first Test century in 14 innings helped the visitors recover from 45 for 3 on the first day in Galle

Mohammad Isam17-Jun-2025What could Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim have wished for after enduring a fairly long time without Test centuries? Couple of helpful pitches in Sylhet and Chattogram, perhaps. But those had come and gone. Under pressure, Shanto and Mushfiqur broke free from their barren run on Tuesday on a Galle pitch that allowed them to play freely yet kept them honest to the fact that they couldn’t just play their shots freely.On the eve of the first Test against Sri Lanka, Shanto had pointed out how Galle is at its best for a batter on the first couple of days before the spinners take charge. However, Bangladesh were reduced to 45 for 3 on the first day itself as ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake and seamer Asitha Fernando struck early. But Shanto and Mushfiqur added 247 for the fourth wicket, and went back undefeated on 136 and 105, respectively.It was Mushfiqur’s 12th Test hundred, and his first in 14 innings since August last year. His highest score in this period was 40 against Zimbabwe. After play on the first day against Sri Lanka, Mushfiqur recalled his first innings in Galle from 12 years ago, when he got Bangladesh’s first double-hundred in Tests.Related

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“I think I get a pretty good wicket every time I have played in Galle,” he said. “I have seen how some other Tests here had a lot of purchase for spinners. We knew that one of us out of the seven batters had to capitalise on the first two days in Galle. If I am not wrong, myself and [Mohammad] Ashraful batted the whole day here in 2013. It was my plan this time too; I was telling Shanto that we need to bat the whole day.”It was Mushfiqur’s fourth century against Sri Lanka, and his second in the island nation. He said that he had told his younger team-mates about what to expect from Sri Lankan pitches.”After Bangladesh, I [most] love playing in Sri Lanka,” Mushfiqur said. “There is always a sporting wicket, whether it is the red or white ball. If you apply your strength here, you can do well – whether you are a batter, quick bowler or spinner. I was telling this to a few of our young players who are playing their first Test in Galle.”I like to play with wind around. I have to adjust when the newer ball turns a bit, or against the older ball. It is really special to play in Galle. I love batting here.”Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim added an undefeated 247 for the fourth wicket•Associated Press

Mushfiqur, though, acknowledged that he wasn’t as comfortable this time. Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva changed the field several times, often putting catchers in different positions and asking the bowlers to switch from conventional lines. Mushfiqur spent 23 balls in the nineties, before reaching the three-figure mark in the 86th over.”These are not easy runs. I took a lot of time in the nineties, as they were not giving me a freebie,” Mushfiqur said. “It shows that they are a tough side to score against. They made smart bowling changes and field placements. I trust my process when I am batting with control. Usually, we see that our opponents send a fielder to the deep after two or three boundaries. Sri Lanka change their fielding according to the conditions. You have to bat patiently against them.”Mushfiqur insisted that taking plenty of singles allowed him and Shanto to put the pressure back on Sri Lanka. He also praised Shanto, who got to his first Test century since November 2023, for dominating proceedings at the other end without giving a sniff to the opposition.”I think rotating the strike is important – maybe as much as hitting fours or sixes,” Mushfiqur said. “Rotation of strike causes problems for the bowlers, especially when there’s a left-hander and a right-hander [combination] in the middle. It is very important to pick singles as the fielding side have to constantly change their placements. This is why we are always in training so that we remain fit.”Shanto has been in good form for a pretty long time. He has a good Test record. He is a good batter. It was nothing special. I was really impressed by his control factor today. He scored a hundred in Kandy some years ago, but I thought this was the right approach. It is important to play a chanceless innings, when you are mostly in control. It is going to give confidence to the next batters.”Mushfiqur said that Bangladesh must look to take advantage of such a start by batting long on the second day.”It is obviously a satisfying effort. Nobody wants to get any less runs after playing for so many years for your country,” he said. “You can’t get runs in every game, but when you do the right things over and over, hopefully the big score will come soon enough. When it does come around, you have to make sure to make it count. I am not finished yet. I will try to maximize tomorrow.”

Najmul Hossain Shanto’s match-readiness and Nahid Rana’s pace are worries, but Simmons is hoping for things to fall in place in time

Mohammad Isam10-Feb-2025Bangladesh are cramming extra training sessions into their schedule in a bid to shift their mindset from T20Is to ODIs ahead of the Champions Trophy. Head coach Phil Simmons is confident that the players can get themselves accustomed to the format despite not playing an ODI since December.The BPL ended on February 7, and the following day, some of the players turned up at a training camp at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. These were mainly cricketers whose BPL teams had been knocked out before the final. The team will train in Dhaka till February 12, after which they leave for the Champions Trophy – their first match is against India in Dubai on February 20.”I agree that it is not the best preparation, but they were playing white-ball cricket, which means that they are sharp skills-wise,” Simmons said. “We have to get their minds up to 50-over cricket in the next six or seven days. They have the skills. They are performing. It is about getting to that 50-over mentality now. We will have double practice sessions in the next couple of days. We bat and bowl in the morning, and then do the same under the lights.Related

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“We are getting ourselves prepared to bat for 50 overs. The first part of the preparation is about Dubai. Once we can get ourselves in the right frame of mind, and work on the right things for Dubai, I think we can start [preparations for] the rest the competition as well. We will get familiar conditions in Pakistan after that.”Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is a worry, particularly because he hasn’t played a lot in the last couple of months. Shanto missed the tour of the West Indies owing to a hamstring injury. His last international outing was in November last year. He returned with the National Cricket League T20s, and then played five games for Fortune Barishal in the BPL.”He was working very hard all of those days when he wasn’t playing,” Simmons said. “We are going to need a strong mental attitude from everyone in the team. I think he possesses that, so I look forward to him continuing his work.”Simmons admitted that Nahid Rana’s drop in pace towards the back-end of the BPL was a concern, but he was relieved since Rana has upped his pace in the training sessions.”He has looked slower than normal in the last couple of games. The run-up was less than normal approaching the wicket,” Simmons said. “They [Rangpur Riders] got knocked out early so he had a bit of rest. He looked sharp in training yesterday. The pace was coming back. The run-up was as quick as it was in the Caribbean.”This is Simmons’ last assignment in his current contract, and there are questions about the future. But Simmons wasn’t giving any clues.”I won’t be here if I didn’t believe [that we can win],” he said. “I think you prepare as best as you could when you go into a tournament. On that day, you play your best games. That’s what I look to do, on every occasion. I think we have made a lot of strides in the Caribbean. I think we have a good chance once we play to the best of our ability.”

The thinness of resources in Pakistan’s middle order has opened the door for Misbah-ul-Haq to revive, once again, his international career

Cricinfo staff26-Nov-2009The thinness of resources in Pakistan’s middle order has opened the door for Misbah-ul-Haq to revive, once again, his international career. Misbah was dropped from all three Pakistan squads before the team left on its tour of New Zealand, following a poor run with the bat this year.The withdrawal of Younis Khan from the New Zealand trip, however, not only left Pakistan without a captain, but also a No. 3 who averages 50 in Test cricket. Mohammad Yousuf, who took over the captaincy from Younis, immediately asked for Misbah’s return, citing the need for his experience in a middle order which included inexperienced batsmen Fawad Alam and Umar Akmal in the first Test in Dunedin.A member of the selection committee told Cricinfo that Misbah would most likely be in New Zealand before the second Test, due to begin in Wellington on December 3. “We don’t know exactly what day he will go, but we are keen to send him there to be part of the squad,” the official said. The decision needed to be approved by the board but that is thought to be a formality.The request for Misbah’s inclusion was initially turned down by Pakistan’s selection committee. However, following the failure of most of Pakistan’s batting line – the Akmal brothers apart – in the first innings of the ongoing first Test in Dunedin, the selectors agreed to send Misbah out to New Zealand. Before the younger Akmal saved Pakistan with a hundred on debut, Pakistan had collapsed to 85 for 5, and the middle order of Alam, Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, was looking undermanned, particularly with an opening pair as flimsy as Imran Farhat and Khurram Manzoor.The decision is bound to cause comment, especially as Pakistan already have a large 17-man squad touring in New Zealand. Additionally, they already have a middle-order option, Faisal Iqbal, in place. If he plays, he will at least provide a safe pair of hands in the slips. Farhat, who has a long history of dropping chances in the slip cordon, was at first slip and he promptly dropped two in New Zealand’s first innings.Misbah returned to the Pakistan team after a five-year hiatus in 2007, in magnificent fashion. His inventive, fearless batting led Pakistan to the brink of World Twenty20 glory that same year, and he bolstered his reputation as Pakistan’s man for a crisis by scoring two Test hundreds in India towards the end of the year. The returns since were not so spectacular and this year in particular has been poor – an average of 28.57 in five Tests and 300 runs in 13 ODIs. He has been scoring domestically, however, the route through which he came back into the national side in 2007 and the day he was axed, he responded with a career-best 284 in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy.

With T20I and ODI World Cups looming, her ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing full all-round role in T20s

Andrew McGlashan13-Aug-2024Marizanne Kapp has revealed that she had decided to retire from international cricket earlier this year, but was talked out of it and is now grateful she didn’t go through with it as she feels at the peak of her powers.The toll of balancing franchise cricket with being a vital all-round cog in a rebuilding South Africa side, alongside the fitness controversy around her wife Dane van Niekerk, had become almost too much.But CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe urged Kapp not to rush into a decision. They have since worked together to look at her workload, and Kapp is now committed to South Africa for the foreseeable future, which includes T20I and ODI World Cups over the next 12 months.Related

• Goswami: 'Franchise leagues are the future of women's cricket'

• Kapp joins Melbourne Stars on three-year deal

• Kapp focuses on learnings with ODI World Cup in India

• Kapp: 'I try to keep it simple. If I stick to what I do best, it works out'

“I did retire earlier this year – or asked to retire – and luckily I didn’t,” Kapp told ESPNcricinfo. “I spoke to the director of cricket, and he actually asked me to just hang on, think it through, [and] don’t make decisions too quickly, and I’m glad that I didn’t go through with it because I feel like I’m at the peak of my career.”The older I get, I’m getting better. So it would be a shame to have worked for all those years, and now [when] I’m at my peak, I retire from international cricket. I’ve loved playing in all these leagues, but playing for your country and at World Cups is a different level. CSA have been so good to me in helping manage my workload. Now I’ll play for as long as I can contribute.”Had Kapp, who had produced an all-round display in South Africa’s first ODI win over Australia in February, retired, it would have continued a significant loss of big names from South Africa in recent years, including van Niekerk, Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee and Shabnim Ismail.Kapp’s ODI bowling workload will be carefully managed, but she remains confident of playing a full all-round role in T20s for both – her franchise sides and her country. She has committed to playing all ODIs which are part of the Women’s Championship and count towards World Cup qualification, but will miss some T20Is including November’s series against England, which overlaps with the end of the WBBL, where she has signed a three-year deal with Melbourne Stars.Marizanne Kapp on her Test hundred in 2022: “When I had that big knock, it was like, ‘I can do this, I don’t have to prove myself'”•Getty Images

“They [CSA] have been so good to allow me to play in the leagues where I can,” she said. “With T20, it’s not too hard to manage [the workload]. But in ODI cricket, I’m not 20 anymore, and my workload has been so high with the bat that it makes it impossible to continue to bowl ten overs [in every game].”If you look at the make-up of the South African team, we are a bit light on the batting front. So I am needed more with the bat. So the bowling will probably take a bit of a backseat just in ODIs.”A major factor in Kapp’s three-year deal with Stars was working with coach Jonathan Batty and playing alongside Meg Lanning – all three are part of Delhi Capitals in the WPL. The long-term offer was also key for her to have a chance to settle with one team. Last WBBL season, she was picked up by Sydney Thunder as the No. 1 draft pick, after Perth Scorchers opted to retain Sophie Devine ahead of her, but endured a torrid campaign, averaging 9.40 with the bat and taking ten wickets at 37.40.”I’m a player that’s actually very insecure, to be honest,” Kapp said. “Moving [is hard] because I always feel like you now have to prove yourself. Then you try too hard, and things get worse and worse. Unfortunately, last year when I got to Thunder, I was ill, [and] missed a lot of training. And am the type of player that if my preparation is good, then I have more confidence.”So I was low on confidence. Then you are in a new team, so it was nothing on the club or coaching staff; they were amazing to me. It’s probably not my strongest attribute, but I’m just happy I know I’m going to Stars, and they are people I’ve worked with before.”Overall, though, Kapp’s belief that she is at the peak of her career is backed up by numbers, particularly with the bat: in all T20s this year, her average is 33.06 and her strike rate at 142.97, both considerably up on her career figures, with Kapp saying strike rate had been a particular focus for her.Meanwhile, in ODIs since 2023, she is averaging 62.63. She traces the success back to the Test century against England in 2022, but admitted it had been a difficult journey.”It’s probably been my toughest couple of years; it’s not been easy,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed my batting… but [I used to] feel like the world was always so focused on my bowling and wouldn’t speak about my batting, and that makes you lose confidence. When I had that big knock, it was like, ‘I can do this, I don’t have to prove myself’, and from there on, I’ve had a different confidence in my own ability.”My faith has been a massive part of it as well, having struggled with off-field matters, everything that happened with Dane, and with Covid. I spent so much time in my room reconnecting with the Lord.”

Pakistan and former Multan Sultans fast bowler says he made the decision in “an emotional state of mind”

Danyal Rasool15-Jan-2025Pakistan fast bowler Ihsanullah has reversed a decision to retire from all franchise cricket less than 24 hours after he announced it. The former Multan Sultans player said he had made the decision in “an emotional state of mind”.”I take my decision back,” Ihsanullah said, speaking to TV channel Geo Super. “No franchise picked me, and the comments of a lot of people sent me over the edge. I’m going to work hard. There are four months before the PSL. The people who didn’t select me are the same ones who will select me in the future. I have no plans to retire.”Ihsanullah, 22, made his initial announcement to retire merely hours after the conclusion of the draft for the tenth edition of the PSL, which he went unsold in. At the time, he insisted it wasn’t an emotional decision. “People are self-serving. I boycott the PSL, no one will ever see me in the PSL. Nobody has contacted me, even [Ali Tareen, Multan Sultans’ owner] supported my talent, not me personally.”After breaking through in 2023 with his high pace and wicket-taking prowess, Ihsanullah suffered an elbow injury during his first ODI series, at home against New Zealand. However, the manner in which it was treated – or not – became the subject of a protracted saga that saw his franchise’s owner Ali Tareen criticise the PCB for inappropriate support of the fast bowler, and stated it was Sultans rather than the PCB who bore the brunt of his living expenses while he recovered.Tareen told ESPNcricinfo Ihsanullah had reached out to him to apologise for that public critique of him, and thanked him again for his support during his rehabilitation. “I feel extremely sorry for Ihsanullah,” Tareen said. “He comes from a very poor family and when he broke through, he believed he would come out of poverty, but because of the actions of the PCB’s medical staff, he fears he may have to go back to poverty. The PCB have effectively washed their hands off him, and I was the one who asked the PCB to let him play the recent T20 Champions Cup. None of us can imagine what his state of mind must be.”Tareen said he had assured Ihsanullah he would keep him involved with Sultans, who have a Grade 2 department side, ensuring he has a monthly income as he attempts to work his way back to fitness. But he defended his decision to let Ihsanullah go unpicked at the draft, saying he did not feel it was possible to pick him in the recent draft because he was not ready to play the high level of cricket, that the PSL requires, by April.Last year, a damning independent report criticised “delays in the diagnosis of Ihsanullah’s injury and inappropriate prescription of treatment”, and the PCB’s chief medical officer Dr Sohail Saleem quit on the same day.The report stated that Ihsanullah did not have his right elbow pain treated, addressed and operated on appropriately, and never received the formal rehabilitation process required by his condition. It did also lay partial blame on Ihsanullah for “non-compliance with the prescribed rehabilitation plan”, even as it concluded that the plan itself was inadequate. It stated that Ihsanullah’s surgery was “planned hurriedly”, lacking specialist review and preoperative assessment. It also said that the surgeon recommended for the procedure “lacked academics and experience in the field”, calling the choice “inappropriate”.At the time, it said Ihsanullah’s return to cricket remained a prospect of the distant future. Earlier this month, in an unusually candid appearance on cricket podcast “Relukattay”, Tareen had said he spoke to a world-renowned doctor in the UK about Ihsanullah’s injury. “It’s extremely sad,” he said. “He told us there was so much scarring because of his previously botched surgery thanks to the PCB that his arm will never become perfectly straight. That no matter what he did, Ihsanullah’s arm would never be fully straight because of that scarring.”