A grueling – but successful – winter across formats has not dented Bairstow’s appetite

Matt Roller30-May-2022There is a vibe to England’s new teal training tracksuits, a fitting resemblance since their schedule has left multi-format players resembling competitors in a survival drama. Jonny Bairstow has been cast in many different roles over his decade-long Test career but his latest is that of the Korean TV series’ protagonist, Seong Gi-hun – the only man left standing after a brutal winter of varying challenges.Bairstow was the only England player to tour all three of the UAE, Australia and the Caribbean between October and March and emerge with both reputation and fitness intact, and in keeping with his general restlessness he travelled straight (or as straight as possible for a journey with at least two layovers) from Grenada to Mumbai.He arrived at home last Monday night after two more months in a strict biosecure environment and left for St George’s Park – England’s football training base – the following morning for two days of training and fitness testing. On Sunday night, he travelled to Lord’s ahead of the first Test against New Zealand on Thursday, where he is due to play as a specialist batter.Related

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It is a schedule that is exhausting to think about let alone undertake, and one which underlines why Rob Key was so determined to split the coaching roles along format lines when he was appointed as England’s managing director of men’s cricket. The itinerary does not get any easier over the next 12 months, either.A separate squad will travel to Amsterdam to play three ODIs against the Netherlands between the second and third New Zealand Tests, while there are a dozen more limited-overs internationals in three-and-a-half weeks between the one-off India Test and the end of July. Over the 2021-22 winter, there are tours to Pakistan (twice), New Zealand, Bangladesh and South Africa, as well as a T20 World Cup (and a series either side for good measure) in Australia.It is a daunting prospect, and one which will stretch players’ mental and physical wellbeing to the limits. Perhaps Bairstow might have been wise to skip the IPL in the circumstances but turning down an INR 6.75 crore (£690,000 approx.) contract from Punjab Kings would not have been easy; after a slow start to the tournament at No. 4, his form after moving up to open should ensure he is offered a retention for 2022.”I feel good, to be honest,” Bairstow said on Monday, speaking in the drizzle on the Lord’s outfield after training. “I’m happy with where my body’s at physically, and hopefully that is now the end of bubbles which is an excitement as well because that gives you an added amount of freshness – to be able to do some more normal things and to be able to leave your hotel.”He described the possibility of missing the first Test for some time off as “not something I’ve thought about,” adding: “You know my desire to play for England, my desire to play Test cricket. That hadn’t even come into my mind. I’ve never been one for resting when there’s opportunities to play for England: it’s extremely special.With injury concerns hanging over all of England’s cross-format seamers, Joe Root a peripheral figure in the T20I set-up and Ben Stokes openly prioritising Test cricket – “Ben won’t play white-ball this summer,” Eoin Morgan confirmed in a newspaper interview last week – Bairstow is the only member of the Test squad who can realistically be considered a first-choice pick in all three sides as things stand.”There hasn’t been a specific sit-down discussion as yet [about workloads] but obviously I want to be playing Test cricket,” Bairstow said. “That is something that I really want to be doing. I’m sure that conversation will be happening over the next period of time, because if you are playing in all three formats, there are things you are potentially going to have to miss out on.”

Captain Gerhard Erasmus says the experience of the last T20 World Cup gave them an idea of the skills required at this level

Firdose Moonda16-Oct-20223:07

Craig Williams: ‘Don’t be surprised if Namibia start winning big games’

Two days short of a year ago, Sri Lanka bowled Namibia out for 96 in their T20 World Cup opener and won by seven wickets. Not even 365 days have passed, but, as Gerhard Erasmus put it, “the tables have been turned”. His team has just beaten Sri Lanka by 55 runs to start the 2022 T20 World Cup.The difference between those two events? 12 months, of course, but not just any 12 months – 12 months of immense growth for the Namibian side.”There was more hype and childish belief last year,” Erasmus said. “This year was more something of [knowing] we can relate to that level. Mentally, we can relate to that level. We can also now physically and skilfully relate to that level.”Related

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After that heavy defeat in 2021, Namibia recovered to have a fairy-tale run through the group stages and qualified for the Super 12s. There, they beat fellow Associates Scotland but were blown away by bigger teams. They lost to Afghanistan, Pakistan and New Zealand by margins of 45 runs or more and to India by nine wickets, and lessons were learned.”We’ve played India, Pakistan, all these teams before,” Erasmus said. “We’ve seen it, we’ve tasted it and we’ve sort of closed that gap by becoming one step closer to them and getting the physical feel of what it’s like. That gave us the belief this time around.”If at any point Namibia were flirting with a false sense of grandeur, they were brought right back down to earth when they saw, what Erasmus called, “the tabloids”, which gave them “about an 11% chance” of beating Sri Lanka.”As soon as we knew that, it gave us that underdog feeling again. Having that with a bit of real belief, not the childish, behind-the-scenes belief that you’ve played at that level – that’s what happened today. We just went onto the field on an equal footing to the Sri Lankan side.”

“The experiences we had from last year’s World Cup really gave us a good idea of what type of skill we need to have to be able to compete at this high level. The speed of the ball is more, the quality of the skills and the percentage of execution that guys are playing at is higher”Gerhard Erasmus

It didn’t always look that way though.Namibia were 35 for 3 inside five overs and 93 for 6 in the 15th before showing some of the progress they have made. Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit took advantage of a Sri Lankan attack that went with slow, short deliveries at the death and gave Namibia what Erasmus thought was an above-par total.”The experiences we had from last year’s World Cup really gave us a good idea of what type of skill we need to have to be able to compete at this high level. The speed of the ball is more, the quality of the skills and the percentage of execution that guys are playing at is higher. We got some powerplay boundaries today which were scored behind square. We were much more comfortable playing mystery spin [Maheesh Theekshana] and [Wanindu] Hasaranga towards the middle and towards the latter end, bludgeoning the ball a bit harder. Those types of skills, we’ve had to put together over the last 12 months.”In this time, Namibia have had several opportunities to test themselves. They went toe-to-toe with Uganda and Zimbabwe. Playing as the Richelieu Eagles, they were also part of a domestic T20 tri-series that included the Lahore Qalandars and Lions from South Africa. Erasmus emerged from that competition as its third-highest run-scorer.Over the last 12 months, Namibia focused on how to play the short ball, which is what they expected to be their biggest threat at this World Cup.The Namibia players get together in a huddle after their win•Getty Images”We worked on synthetic wickets – AstroTurf and cement wickets – at home and we trained for the short ball since we know the bounce is a bit more in Australia,” their batter Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton saidApart from attempting to mimic Australia as much as possible, they also roped in, as bowling consultant, an adopted Australian: Morne Morkel, the brother of their assistant coach Albie and someone who knows more about the short ball than most. While Zane Green described Morne as the yang to Albie’s yin – “the fun guy that brings the energy to training and matches” – Erasmus said just having someone different has helped. “Being a team where there are not many fresh players coming in because of our small player base, it’s always brilliant to have someone new on the coaching staff.”While facing Morkel in the nets would have helped improve the batters’ skills, his primary job was to help the bowlers and the results are already showing. The Namibian quicks stuck to a hard length and an off-stump line to force a Sri Lankan collapse that will be talked about for ages.Last year losing to Sri Lanka was the catalyst that pushed Namibia to up their game and reach the Super 12s; this year, beating them has to do the same job. It’s only the first match of three and Namibia can ill afford to take their victory for granted, even though they are going to celebrate it for everything it is worth.”Everyone is very glad at beating a Test nation for the first time ever [Namibia have previously beaten Ireland and Zimbabwe], and on a world stage, in the opening game,” Erasmus said. “It’s a massive event in our lives and it should be celebrated. But it’s going to take a massive mental reset from our point of view because we can get carried away with celebrations and historic events like this. The recovery periods between these games are so quick. It’s only the start of the tournament and we really need to have our eye on qualifying for the Super 12s, which is the main goal for me.”

India’s total, meanwhile, is the lowest in an ODI innings to include a double-hundred

Sampath Bandarupalli18-Jan-2023208 Shubman Gill’s score in Hyderabad is now the highest against New Zealand in ODIs. The previous highest was Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 186 in 1999, also in Hyderabad.23y 132d Gill’s age coming into the first ODI. He is now the youngest player to score a double-hundred in men’s ODIs. The previous youngest was Ishan Kishan, who set the record with his 210 against Bangladesh last month at the age of 24 years and 145 days.19 Innings needed for Gill to complete 1000 runs in ODIs. He is now the joint-second fastest to the milestone alongside Imam-ul-Haq. Fakhar Zaman is the quickest to the mark, having got there in 18 innings. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan (24 innings) were previously the quickest Indians to 1000 ODI runs.349 for 8 India’s total in Hyderabad, the lowest total in ODIs to feature a double-century. The previous lowest was 372 for 2 by West Indies against Zimbabwe during the 2015 World Cup, when Chris Gayle scored 215.2 Batters to score a double-century in ODIs when no other batter reached fifty in the innings, including Gill in Hyderabad. The first was Martin Guptill, who scored 237* against West Indies in 2015 – the second-highest score was Ross Taylor’s 42.174 Runs difference between India’s top two scores in the Hyderabad ODI – Gill’s 208 and Rohit Sharma’s 34. It is the third-highest difference between the top two scores in an ODI innings. The highest is 198, when Rohit scored 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014. Virat Kohli’s 66 was the second-highest score in that innings.

By almost any measure, England’s new star batter is in the process of breaking the mould

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Feb-2023Ben Stokes had only just taken the Test sixes record when he suggested to previous holder Brendon McCullum that Harry Brook would take it off him soon enough. There was a whiff of jealousy in Joe Root’s admiration of the “extraordinary” way Brook was “almost bullying Test attacks”. In the space of 24 hours in Mount Maunganui, two modern-day Test greats were fawning over a youngling destined for their stock and status.Earlier this winter, seemingly a lifetime ago in the Pakistan T20I series in September and October, Mark Wood said he saw a bit of AB de Villiers in Brook. Go back further, to a transformational 2022 Test summer, and somehow Stokes was managing to big Brook up when actively choosing not to select him. He netted so well that he almost broke the captain’s vow to trust a batting line up that had won five out of six Tests.English cricket has never been comfortable with hype. And we’re not talking about the kind that Stokes and Root encountered at the beginning of their careers, micro-doses of praise as they found their feet among vaunted team-mates. This has been real, high-grade, NBA hype, like you get when a newbie becomes the fulcrum for a franchise in their rookie year. Other nations would trade their mothers to draft him.The “this kid, geez” sigh that comes with every shot Brook makes. The quiet disbelief that comes through watching someone so early in their journey look so comfortable. The reaction he evokes in the stands and on the grass banks: keeping their attention, sending them wild while remaining calm, like a DJ transitioning to a banger, and then the palpable dismay when he eventually goes. Even the similarities to Kevin Pietersen have been so prominent that you wonder what the man himself thinks of this. Pietersen was a unique brilliance. And yet this kid struts, picks lengths and hits bombs with ease that no-one one has any qualms making that comparison. No-one has dared make it before, but it seems fair game right now because Brook is worthy.He is already the kind of player that makes a Test match better with his presence. Even just typing that sentence about someone five matches into their career, who only turned 24 on Wednesday feels reckless. Which is exactly the kind of hype we’re talking about.Harry Brook drives through the covers during England’s warm-up match•Getty ImagesExcept this hype has undergone metamorphosis in the last couple of months. It’s well beyond the stage of being this nebulous concept, and now feels as though we’re contravening some duty-of-care protocol to promise so much on his behalf. Brook is already delivering more than anticipated.”I think he will go on to be a global superstar,” Stokes said after the victory at Mount Maunganui, in which Brook’s 89 and 54 were instrumental to England’s batting tempo, and earned him a third consecutive player-of-the-match award. The England captain is usually the one asking the media to keep the pressure off. Evidently, he is of a mind that this is all simply fact at this point.”You generally see if a player has got what it takes, but you never know if they’re going to be successful,” Root said. “It’s then when you throw them into the unknown – can they handle the pressure and all the external stuff? It’s been such a joy to see him come in and play how he plays.”That’s now six scores of fifty or more in Brook’s first eight innings: a grand total of 623 runs at an average of 77.87. Only five players have more runs from as many knocks, which is remarkable in its own right, and all the more so considering the nature of Brook’s play ultimately comes with a compromise: that he may leave runs out in the middle by taking more risks for the good of the team.That he already has three centuries, brought up in six innings with only one man (Mohammad Azharuddin) reaching that tally in fewer, shows he is striking an incredible balance. But it’s worth noting it is a balance never been seen before.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var a in e.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r<t.length;r++){if(t[r].contentWindow===e.source)t[r].style.height=e.data["datawrapper-height"][a]+"px"}}}))}();

Strong returns for Victoria and Melbourne Renegades has him in national discussions while he has also taken on state captaincy

Tristan Lavalette21-Feb-2023Victoria’s interim captain Will Sutherland has found inspiration in different places, helping unlock his emerging allround skills during a standout domestic season.As a hard-hitting batter and probing seamer, the 23-year-old Sutherland unsurprisingly has long revered former Australia star allrounder Shane Watson who has become an important influence.”He’s someone I want to be like. I’ve taken a lot out of his book,” Sutherland told ESPNcricinfo, referencing Watson’s new book .”I’ve spoken to him on the phone and we’ve talked not only about how to develop as an allrounder, but the mental side of the game too.”Sutherland, who had a strike-rate of 150 in this season’s BBL, has also been keenly watching Australia’s rejuvenated arch-rival England and admits to being an unabashed admirer of ‘Bazball’.Related

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“It’s good to see the way the England team are going about it. It reinforces that people can have that sort of mindset and approach to batting. That’s certainly how I like to go about it,” he said.The tall and powerfully-built Sutherland has been making progress in his bid to become a bonafide allrounder having initially developed quicker with the ball.His pace bowling, where he conjures menacing bounce from his 6 foot 5 (1.96m) frame, has continued to impress with Sutherland the fourth highest wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield with 28 at an average of under 20.But it’s his batting that has significantly improved with Sutherland averaging 31 from his first six Shield matches in a major lift from a lowly 14 in 21 first class matches previously.He’s unleashed into a counter-attacking weapon in Victoria’s middle-order as underlined by a strike-rate of 63 this season. It might not quite be ‘Bazball’ just yet, but Sutherland’s trending in the right direction.”To be a genuine allrounder, I know I need to put a few more runs on the board,” he said. “I want to hold down No. 6 for the Vics. I feel like I’m getting a hang of things with the bat.”Sutherland credits his upswing to a mental shift in the off-season, where he focused on positive reinforcements rather than any technical tweaks.

I loved it [captaincy] and definitely something I want to keep doing. Scott Boland told me to concentrate on nailing my batting and bowling and the rest will fall into place, so I try to lead by example.

“I thought back to how I was feeling during my best innings,” he said. “I came to the conclusion that I was aggressive and imposing. Before I go out to bat, I try to do self-talk that will get me in the mood to channel those feelings from my best innings.”If my mindset is positive, I bat better. I can then rein it in from there and defend better. But I need to have that aggressive focus.”A renewed Sutherland hit his maiden first class century in Victoria’s season opener against South Australia in difficult conditions at the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide. He had previously never made a half-century since making his first-class debut in late 2019.”It was a tricky wicket and it showed that I was able to do it at this level. I’ve taken a lot of confidence out of that,” Sutherland said.It led to an eye-catching BBL season, where Sutherland helped lift Melbourne Renegades off the bottom and into the finals series.He moulded into an effective finisher of an innings but pundits, notably a continually exasperated Mark Waugh on the Fox Sports broadcast, repeatedly lamented Sutherland coming in at the death.”I definitely would like to get up higher in the order because it’s easier to get in,” he said. “As a No.7 you get straight into it and it’s more challenging. I was best suited to the role, so the ‘Gades didn’t want to change. Going forward I would like to get up to five or six.”Even though there was a prevailing feeling that he was perhaps underused by Renegades, whose bounce back season ended with a home knockout final defeat to Brisbane Heat, Sutherland nonetheless pushed his case for higher honours.He looms as an intriguing option with the next T20 World Cup less than 18 months away. The national hierarchy are paying attention to Sutherland, who has long been on the radar having been a former Under-19 Australia captain.”George Bailey [Australia’s chief selector] has been in touch with words of encouragement. It’s nice to know they’re watching even though I don’t think of higher honours,” he said.Will Sutherland could soon feature in the Australia set-up•Getty ImagesAs Sutherland’s career prospects continue to rise, his fling with Australian rules football has faded into the background. A highly-rated key forward, Sutherland was deemed a potential top 10 pick in the 2017 AFL draft.Talented teenagers of both sports have traditionally chosen an AFL pathway initially, given its heft in Australia combined with potentially more opportunities at a younger age.Australia Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey is a prime example having unsuccessfully attempted an AFL career through Greater Western Sydney Giants before reverting to cricket.”I loved footy and was incredibly close [to nominating for the AFL draft],” Sutherland said. “I played representative cricket straight through but hadn’t played much footy. It would have been a risk.”Some AFL club officials have cheekily tried to woo him, but seemingly realise it’s in vain.”I haven’t heard from them in the last year or two… probably shows that I’m starting to play better cricket,” Sutherland laughed. “Ultimately it came down to enjoyment and cricket is what I always wanted to do.”His infatuation for cricket is unsurprising with his father James Sutherland taking the reins of Cricket Australia chief executive in 2001 in a post he then held for 17 years.”My dad is the catalyst for my love of cricket. We got to travel the world to watch cricket and I was able to meet my heroes,” he said.The cricket-mad household spawned many intense battles between Sutherland and his younger sister Annabel, the allrounder part of Australia’s team at the Women’s T20 World Cup and who recently got picked up by Gujarat Giants in India’s new Women’s Premier league for AUD$122,000.’I definitely would like to get up higher in the order because it’s easier to get in’•Getty Images”A few bats were thrown at each other when we were young,” Sutherland chuckled. “That’s how we developed our competitive nature and it certainly helped turn her into the player that she is now.”While he eagerly keeps up to date with his sister’s feats in South Africa, Sutherland remains mostly concentrating on helping power Victoria to ultimate success in the Sheffield Shield and the 50-over Marsh Cup.They started a late season push with home victories over Queensland in both formats last week as Sutherland took the captaincy reins of Victoria’s Shield team with regular skipper Peter Handscomb currently on Australia’s tour of India.”I loved it [captaincy] and definitely something I want to keep doing,” he said. “Scott Boland told me to concentrate on nailing my batting and bowling and the rest will fall into place, so I try to lead by example.”Sutherland’s emergence as leader encapsulates Victoria skewing young marked by a raw pace attack boasting exciting quicks Mitchell Perry and Fergus O’Neill.”This will be the team that takes us forward. We’re going to be a formidable force,” he said.Sutherland believes Victoria can claim silverware immediately although a familiar foe likely stands in the way.”The challenge of playing in Perth is in the back of our minds,” said Sutherland about powerhouse Western Australia, who claimed last year’s Shield title after a drawn final against Victoria and currently sit on top of both competitions. “We need to get some revenge because they’ve had the wood on us for some time.”It’s a gruelling stretch ahead and there will likely be no breather for Sutherland after the Australian season as he eyes a county stint amid Ashes fanfare in the UK.”It will be a good time to be there with the Ashes on and I want to keep improving all aspects of my game,” he said. “I’m just really enjoying my cricket at the moment.”

Islamabad will persist with their shock-and-awe tactics with the bat, while Quetta look to switch things up after a lean few seasons

Danyal Rasool and Umar Farooq12-Feb-2023Quetta GladiatorsCaptain: Sarfaraz AhmedCoach: Moin KhanBowling Coach: Umar GulFielding Coach: Ryan MaronFull squad: Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Wanindu Hasaranga, Iftikhar Ahmed, Jason Roy, Odean Smith, Ahsan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Zahid, Naveen-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Umaid Asif, Will Smeed, Aimal Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Martin Guptill, Omair Bin Yousuf, Nuwan Thushara, Qais Ahmed and Saud Shakeel, Dwaine Pretorius, Will Jacks, Nuwan Thushara, Odean Smith, Dwaine PretoriusLast season: FifthThey beat Karachi Kings twice, thumped eventual champions Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United once each the tournament but didn’t make the play-offs. They lost six games last season and over the last three seasons they have the fewest number of wins (10) of all franchises, having not made into the play-off since 2020. They were edged out last season on net run-rate (-0.708) by Islamabad United (-0.069).They had on paper a good set of overseas signing last year, with Jason Roy and Will Smeed amassing 303 runs at a strike rate of 170.22 and 240 runs at 137.14 in six games respectively. But their local players haven’t responded to that tone-setting. Their luck hasn’t been great either; Mohammad Hasnain was banned for his bowling action, Mohammad Nawaz got injured, and several overseas player were only partially available. That all meant they struggled to settle on a proper core and build around it.The only consistent thing about Gladiators is their faith in captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is the only captain in the PSL to have remained in that position since the league’s inception in 2016.What’s changed for the season?
They have Ifti-mania – Pakistan’s man of the moment, Iftikhar Ahmed, in absolute prime form. He signed off at BPL after 11 games with a sparkling strike rate of 157.39 and 351 runs and then hit Wahab Riaz six successive sixes in a festival game between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi in Quetta. Their local players appear to be in form with the middle-order brimming with confidence around Iftikhar providing the firepower. They again have a strong overseas roster and backup plans to fill in for players partially available also appear foolproof: Odean Smith is available for 8 to 9 matches but they have Dwaine Pretorius is in the roster; Will Jacks is behind Jason Roy – who could potentially miss three games; Hasaranga is available for first eight matches but they also Afghanistan’s ace spinner Qais Ahmad as backup.Player to watch
: Quetta Gladiators already have the sensational Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain. But they are even better stocked now, after signing Mohammad Zahid aka Kernal (or Colonel) Zahid, a renowned fast bowler straight off the tape-ball circuit. Though hasn’t got a big domestic career to speak of, he has the ability to hit 150 kmph and will definitely be one of the players to look out for this season.Key Stats
Naseem Shah is mastering the T20 format, having picked up 40 wickets in 32 T20s since the start of 2022 at 22.63. His strength, however, is death-overs bowling, where he concedes at 8.52 runs per over, the fifth-best among bowlers since 2022.Iftikhar Ahmed has been at his finest in the BPL after averaging only 8.14 across seven matches in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). He scored 351 runs at a 157.39 strike rate, which includes his maiden T20 hundred. This is only the second time he has scored over 300 runs in a T20 tournament, behind the 409 runs in the National T20 Cup in 2021.Alex Hales hit four sixes and four fours in his 38-ball 62•PSLIslamabad UnitedCaptain: Shadab KhanCoach: Azhar MahmoodAssistant/Spin bowling coach: Saeed AjmalFull squad: Shadab Khan, Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Sohaib Maqsood, Asif Ali, Rassie van der Dussen, Colin Munro, Hassan Nawaz, Moeen Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Mubasir Khan, Tom Curran, Mohammad Waseem Jr, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azam Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Zafar Gohar, Rumman Raees, Zeeshan Zameer, Hasan Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Tymal Mills, Gus AtkinsonLast season: PlayoffsIt was a stop-start season for Islamabad United in 2022, alternating commanding wins with narrow losses. The strength of the batting line-up allowed them to blow teams away on a number of occasions, although consistency remained elusive. However, that meant a vastly superior net run rate to other teams around them and ensured they managed to secure a playoff berth with a losing record, with four wins and six losses. They went on to beat Peshawar Zalmi in the first eliminator, before succumbing to Lahore Qalandars in a thriller in the second eliminator.What’s changed this season?Islamabad United have maintained the core of their batting line-up, both domestic and foreign, with Paul Stirling, Alex Hales, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Colin Munro all returning in 2023. They will be bolstered by having Moeen Ali – and as a replacement for him – Rassie van der Dussen, while Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Azam Khan and Shadab Khan remain fixtures in a squad with fearsome batting depth. In Mubasir Khan, they also have one of the brightest young lights in Pakistan cricket.Like last year it’s the variance between the floor and ceiling of their bowling ability that could end up determining their fate. Tymal Mills, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Wasim can all be extremely handy while on song, but have suffered significant dips in form from time to time. Tom Curran, another addition to the roster this year, falls in much the same category, while Gus Atkinson, untested in the PSL, has been expensive during his short T20 career. This is a line-up very much designed to blast out the opposition with the bat, but on days – and pitches – where that isn’t possible, there will be vulnerabilities.Player to watchAbrar Ahmed, the mystery spinner-legbreak bowler, is perhaps the most intriguing addition to this line-up. Having made his PSL debut six years ago as a baby-faced 18-year old, Abrar spent nearly four years out of T20 cricket, much of it due to a severe stress fracture of the back. He has eased his way back to the format in the last six months, most notably during an encouraging National T20 Cup in 2022. However, he owes his sudden rise to prominence thanks to an 11-wicket haul in his debut Test against England in Multan in December. How he adapts to the shortest format after red-ball success should provide significant intrigue.Key statAcross the first seven seasons of the PSL, no side has a higher run-rate than Islamabad United’s 8.40. In Pakistan, the difference is even more stark, with United the only side to boast a batting run rate in excess of 9 (9.02).

Love it or not – there’s plenty of new stuff to look forward to in the 16th season of the IPL

Alagappan Muthu29-Mar-2023*IPL horn blares*Al: No, no, no, no, no, no.Icome Inpeace: Ehhh… Ehhh….Al: What is this?Icome: It’s Planet Eyepeeyell. We changed the name as soon as I came back from Earth that last time. Remember? When you taught me all about the greatest sporting tournament in the history of forever. What do you think?Al: It’s awf– — the hook. It’s off the hook…Icome: So are you excited for the new season?Al: No.Icome: But it’s bigger and better this year!Al: They say that every year.Icome: But this time it actually is.Al: Tell me one way it’s bigger and better.Icome: Teams get to pick their XIs based on the outcome of the toss. They have provision for an impact player who could literally change the game. There’s DRS not just for wickets but for wides and no-balls.Al: I said one way.Finalising XIs after toss and the Impact Player rule will give team’s plenty to think about this season•BCCIIcome: Can you even imagine? A captain, if he has to bowl first, can stack his XI with bowlers and then swap one of them out for a batter in the chase.Al: It’s restricted to Indian players though. The impact player coming into the team can’t be an overseas pick. No wait, he can be, if there are fewer than four overseas players in the first place.Icome : That was a test.Al: Okay fine, I might have maybe sneaked a peek on ESPNcricinfo while standing in line to get my CSK jers–Icome: I knew it.Al: Shut up.Icome: Sure, but you have to appreciate the ingenuity. Rajasthan Royals, for example, can leave Devdutt Padikkal or Yashasvi Jaiswal out of their XI if they are bowling first and bring one of them in when it’s time to bat. In the meantime, if the pitch is turning, like it does in Chennai, they can call up M Ashwin or KC Cariappa to back up R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. If it’s seam-friendly, or even neutral, they can opt for the extra pace of Kuldeep Sen. The impact player can, potentially, even out home advantage.Al: Is it weird that I can’t stop thinking about how much more fun school would’ve been if they had an impact player rule. I’d take my math test and ace it. Someone else would sit through PE.Icome: Yes. It’s weird. Definitely weird.Related

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Al: Moving on. The BBL tried something like this and ditched it …Icome: Which is exactly why the impact player has been given much greater leeway than the BBL’s x-factor substitute. He can come in at any time in the innings and take full part in the game irrespective of the work the person he is replacing has already done. Like, a team can bowl their powerplay specialist out up front and then replace him with a death-overs specialist who will still be allowed a four overs. Incredible, right? The scope of an IPL impact player is much larger than anything the cricket world has ever seen.Al: Y’know, you should DM the BCCI. They’ll really like you.Icome: And I like them. Especially now that they’ve allowed captains the chance to finalise their teams the toss. The SA20 did it first, which perhaps signalled to the IPL that they’ve got competition when it comes to innovation. Whatever happened, the fact is, now, before every game, a team gets to pick two sets of XIs and two sets of impact subs based on whether they will be batting or bowling, then depending on the outcome of the toss you lock one in and away you go. This could even minimise the effect of dew on the result. It won’t end it, because teams bowling second will always be at a disadvantage in conditions where it’s hard to grip the ball, but they’ll at least have extra options: an extra batter for when they’re batting and the ball is gripping and slowing off the pitch and an extra bowler for when they’re bowling and it feels like the runs just won’t stop.Al: Okay, I’ll admit, these new rules are cool. They’re actually a little like get-out-of-jail-free cards … except your options are limited. So you’ll have to be clever about it. You’ll have to plan ahead and, since it’s the first time, there’s also an element of hoping for the best.Icome: It’s a Shawshank situation.Al: You know Shawshank?Icome: You could say that.Allowing teams to use DRS to review wides and no-balls might prevent scenes like this one from IPL 2019•BCCIAl: Why did they extend DRS to wides and no-balls anyway?Icome: To make sure the right decision is made so everybody can calmly get on with the game.Al: You mean like VAR in football?Icome: What? No!Al: Why not? It’s a line call, being adjudicated with the help of technology, by a human being and last I checked we are still prone to error.Icome: At least it’ll prevent incidents like captains storming the field to berate on-field umpires.Al: Okay then. Let’s do an exercise. It’s the last ball of the match and there’s one run to win. You’re the third umpire. You’re called in because the batter has moved right across his crease, forcing the bowler to shift his line even further outside off in order to stay out of reach. The batter plays and misses. He appeals for a wide. It’s not given. For the record, the ball has landed well past the “wide line” but since he’s shuffled across it’s also kind of within his reach. DRS has brought you into play and you have to decide. Is this a wide or not?Icome: Uhh… yes… no… wait… I hate you.Al: So when’s the first game?Icome: Bro. You did not just ask me that.Al: Pretend I did.Icome: March 31st – Defending champions Gujarat Titans take on four-time champions Chennai Super Kings.Al: MS Dhoni’s last season.Icome: Only on earth.Al: What?!Icome: I’ve said too much.Al: It’s nice that the tournament can be spread out across the country now after the Covid-19 pandemic seasons, even if every team won’t play the other both at home and away. How did they work the schedule again?Icome: Each team in Group A plays the five in Group B twice and the four in their own group once, totalling 14 league matches per team.ESPNcricinfo LtdAl: Seems reasonable, if a bit quirky. Like here, look, Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals are all alternating between one game at home and one game away all season. CSK will play four of their last six games at home – potentially a huge advantage given how tight the playoff race gets around that time, while RCB are almost the opposite: starting their season with several matches at home and ending it almost exclusively on the road. Some franchises are going to have their work cut out coping with travel and recovery.Icome: Yeah, but it’s also exciting, right? 74 matches in 58 days with 18 double-headers. That’s nearly 300 hours of T20 cricket with afternoon games starting at 3.30pm local time and evening games at 7.30pm local time. There’s nothing like the start of a new IPL season, and as you can clearly see, the appetite for it extends beyond planetary borders. This place will have serious drip when CSK play Mumbai for the 1000th match of the IPL on May 6.*Cue the horn again*Icome: That’s just the best sound.Al: Really?Icome: Our intelligence agencies swear by it.Al: Intelligence agencies?Icome: Yeah, they use recordings of it in their enhanced interrogations – 100% results.Al: That makes sense. So is there any player you’re rooting for?Icome: Joe … Well, it feels like this season might be the start of the Gen Z era. Shubman Gill has never looked better. Harry Brook is all the rage. Cameron Green is pure gold. Sam Curran is beyond belief. And Jofra Archer man. The way he bowls, he could easily pass for one of us.Al: Yeah. Too bad Jasprit Bumrah’s injured. Seeing those two bowl together would’ve been epic.Jofra Archer will play for Mumbai Indians for the first time, but he won’t be able to team up with Jasprit Bumrah just yet•Gareth Copley/Getty ImagesIcome: But the best part of any IPL is the new guys who take the chance to own the stage. Like Ruturaj Gaikwad did in 2021. And Umran Malik did in 2022. Ricky Ponting, the Capitals coach, is already taking up a kid called Aman Khan and his power hitting. Then, we’ve got Joe Root playing his first IPL. Josh Little, the first Ireland player, to be part of the tournament. Ben Stokes ostensibly the captain in waiting at CSK, though the hierarchy there might already be wondering how long the USD 1.9 million asset will last given the turmoil his body’s already been through.Al: Speaking of which, what’s the deal with player availabilities?Icome: The South Africans will come in on April 3. The Sri Lankans after April 8. Australia and England might get precious about their players given the Ashes start on June 16. But otherwise most of the international contingent will be free to take a full part in the tournament. Injury has become a bigger concern than availability with Rishabh Pant out, which has left David Warner as captain of the Capitals, and Shreyas Iyer out, leaving Nitish Rana in temporary charge of the Knight Riders.Al: How do you know so much?!Icome: Why do you know so little?!!Al: I’m on vacation.Icome: So?Al: So I’m trying to maintain some boundaries. It’s healthy.Icome: Your coffee cup has Virat Kohli’s face on it.Al: Shut up.Icome: So, excited yet?Al: I have to tell you the truth – and not just because I passed a sign that said my nose will grow every time I lie.Al: But, I am absolutely not excited. On an unrelated note, do you guys have teleportation? I just remembered I have a … dentist’s appointment in, umm… Ahmedabad.