On a day when spin bowling was supposed to take a back seat, Bangladesh’s man for all moments stepped up with another telling overseas performance

Mohammad Isam31-Aug-2024Mehidy Hasan Miraz wasn’t supposed to be a big factor on what was effectively the first day of the second Test in Rawalpindi. The pitch had such a green tinge that both captains said they would bowl first if given the choice. Najmul Hossain Shanto got the call correct at the toss, so he got the first use of the pitch.Bangladesh’s fast bowlers, however, couldn’t quite break through as expected, and a century stand from the second-wicket pair of Saim Ayub and Shan Masood moved Pakistan to a promising 107 for 1 inside the 28th over.Bangladesh needed someone to step up. Enter Mehidy.Related

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This has been the story of Bangladesh’s tour so far. In the first Test, they were six down and 116 runs adrift of Pakistan’s first-innings total when Mehidy walked to the crease. He had proceeded to add 196 with Mushfiqur Rahim, a Bangladesh record for the seventh wicket. Then, on the following morning, he had picked up four wickets including the crucial scalps of Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha. Mushfiqur was adjudged Player of the Match for his 191, but Mehidy’s all-round contribution was just as vital to Bangladesh’s historic win.On Saturday, Mehidy could not expect too much help from the surface. But he has tools to compensate for that, and he showed this shortly after the lunch break. He likes to target the left-handers’ pads while bowling round the wicket to left-handers, releasing the ball with his arm slightly away from his ears, creating a testing angle into the batters. He often gets the ball to go through straight with the angle, but sometimes he gets one to grip and turn. He bowled one such ball to Masood, and sneaked past his bat when he played slightly across the line. Masood reviewed the lbw decision, but he had to walk back when the ball-tracking projection showed the ball hitting middle and leg stump.Six overs later, Mehidy had Ayub stumped when the left-hander tried to flog him down the ground. You could sense that Mehidy knew the shot was coming, as Ayub had stepped out a number of times against him. It was instructive to look at the speedgun reading: this ball clocked 83.8kph, significantly slower than the 88.3kph ball that had dismissed Masood, which is more in the range Mehidy tends to operate in. Ayub ended up a long way from the pitch of the ball, and nowhere near it when it turned past him.Those two wickets changed the complexion of the day’s play, and Mehidy continued to operate steadily as Bangladesh chipped away at the opening Mehidy had created. When they got to the lower order, Mehidy burst through it, much as he had done on the final day of the fourth Test. He had Khurram Shahzad caught at mid-off, then got Mohammad Ali to edge to slip, before Abrar Ahmed missed a delivery that turned a bit, giving Litton Das his second stumping.Mehidy has taken 10 or more wickets in an away series three times, more often than any other Bangladesh bowler•Associated PressThat wicket completed Mehidy’s third five-for on foreign soil to go with his seven at home. He has had to fight a reputation of only doing well at home; this performance will do him a world of good in that regard.And this tour hasn’t been a one-off by any means. Since the start of 2022, he averages under 30 in away Tests, a period in which Bangladesh have toured New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and now Pakistan. He took three-fors in each innings in Durban, and his last four away Tests have brought him three four-fors or better, in Antigua and now twice in Rawalpindi.Mehidy has now picked up 10 or more wickets in three separate overseas Test series. He is the only Bangladesh bowler to do this, with Shakib Al Hasan having done so twice.Mehidy’s rise has come at a pivotal time for Bangladesh. They have an ever-improving pace attack. They still have Shakib as their lead spinner, and the dependable Taijul Islam too. Mehidy is beginning to show now he can step up in difficult moments, with his captain able to trust him to hold an end up in unhelpful overseas conditions and take up a more central, wicket-taking role in home Tests.Speaking at the end of the day’s play, Mehidy reflected on the work he had done behind the scenes on his game when he was not part of Bangladesh’s squad at the T20 World Cup in June.”It was a very good wicket, but then I got some turn towards the end of the day,” Mehidy said. “I think there are days when luck also favours you. It was an overall good day. It feels great to take a five-wicket haul in Pakistan. It is a huge thing for me. People often say that I get a lot of five-fors at home, but it is always a happy occasion to get a five-for on foreign soil, that too on a good wicket. There are more challenges for spinners in these conditions. I want to continue, and develop my skill more.”I got four months to prepare myself when everyone was away at the T20 World Cup. I used that time in Dhaka very well. I camped with the Bangladesh Tigers. I worked hard under Sohel [Islam] sir with my bowling, and my batting with [Mizaunur Rahman] Babul sir. I think this series is a result of that preparation for me.”In Bangladesh’s post-Shakib future, Mehidy Hasan Miraz will likely have to bat up the order more often•Getty ImagesMehidy’s batting too has improved immensely over the last few years, to the point where he played as a middle-order batter in the ODI World Cup last year. His century against Afghanistan during the Asia Cup convinced the Bangladesh team management that they could play around with their combination and batting order by using Mehidy as a floater.He has a more fixed role in Tests, where he generally bats at No. 8.”I always try to contribute with the bat,” he said. “I am often the last recognised batter. It is funny because our batters rely on the fact that I am there at the end. Everyone relies on me. At the end of the day, it is good that everyone can rely on me. I have done well when I have been promoted up the order. I know that I can’t bat above this position [right now], which is okay with me.”Mehidy’s development as an allrounder has come in the shadow of Shakib, Bangladesh’s most illustrious cricketer and one of the greatest allrounders in cricket history. This initially meant Mehidy wasn’t always noticed, because the fans, the media, and probably even oppositions were focused on Shakib all the time. It probably helped Mehidy, ensuring that all he had to worry about was his own growth as a cricketer. It must have suited him perfectly too, since he has always come across as a straightforward, grounded individual, focused on his cricket and his family.Having Shakib around has had other benefits too. Shakib bats higher up the order, and tended to bowl more overs too, at in the early part of Mehidy’s career.”We have played together for a long time, Shakib and myself,” Mehidy said. “He gives the team a huge advantage. When we play together, the team gets two batters and two bowlers. I have got opportunities up the order when he doesn’t play, but then I come back to No. 8 when he is in the team.”At some point, both Bangladesh and Mehidy will have to think about life without Shakib, and that point may not be too far away. At that point, Mehidy will have to step up as the team’s main allrounder. So far, the signs are that he is eminently capable of doing so.

She has come up the ranks from Trinidad & Tobago and is now carving an identity of her own

Shashank Kishore11-Oct-2024When Anisa Mohammed retired this January as only one of five women with over 300 international wickets, it was a bittersweet moment for Karishma Ramharack.Ever since she had come up the ranks in Trinidad & Tobago, Ramharack was always spoken of as Anisa’s partner-in-crime. And when she graduated to the West Indies side in 2019, that association as a bowling pair became well known globally.Ramharack has used that as a badge of honour instead of feeling aggrieved that she has never been able to carve an identity of her own. On Thursday in Sharjah against Bangladesh, Ramharack was no longer under an umbrella. Given the free license to run wild, she went from being a sidekick to a hero.Ramharack’s deceptive offspin – attributes borrowed from Anisa and Sunil Narine, two people she heard a lot about growing up – brought her 4 for 17, her second-best figures in T20Is. It helped apply the brakes on Bangladesh, while also giving West Indies a massive net run rate push; they now top the table with one game left against England.Ramharack came on in the fourth over and struck straightaway to dismiss opener Shathi Rani by deceiving her in flight to have her stumped. In her next over, having seen batters looking to step out, she had the aggressive Dilara Akter bowled with a quicker delivery fired in.With two quick wickets in the bag, Hayley Matthews turned to their other spinner, young Ashmini Munisar, to try and slip in a few quiet overs. But when Ramharack was reintroduced in the 13th, it felt like Matthews was going for her safety net with Nigar Sultana and Sobhana Mostary having put together a quickfire 40-run stand.Having teased Nigar with loop and frustrated Mostary with a carromball that seemingly had her second-guessing, Ramharack had the last laugh when Mostary was stumped looking to step out. This was a body blow Bangladesh didn’t recover from.It allowed Munisar and Afy Fletcher, the other members of what has been a spin-heavy attack this tournament, come into their own without having to contend with the pressures of bowling to two set batters.

“I remember her coming into the team and she probably wasn’t the most athletic person within the team, even when it just came to her fielding. And even just the way she’s come on in that aspect of her game, just putting in the hard yards every single training session, trying to improve and trying to get better”Captain Hayley Matthews on Karishma Ramharack

“Yeah, I think she’s obviously someone who has been around for a little while now, but she’s been able to really come into her own I think in the last two years, making the [ICC] team in the tournament last year and then being able to have performances like these,” Mathews said. “I think she’s improved all around.”I think her control and attitude towards bowling has definitely been something that I’ve seen shift. So yeah, I think it’s been great to have her and not just playing in the line-up but going out there and really wanting to play a massive role within the team and she’s done that today.”Ramharack wasn’t always a bowler. She was quite a star in softball cricket, swatting cricket balls cross-batted for fun, until her primary school teacher decided Ramharack would be a handful in hard-ball cricket too. It turns out Ramharack was, but with the ball; she would release it front-on, palm facing the batter and getting the ball to turn both ways.It’s then that word spread that Ramharack could do something similar to what another young spinner who would make a beeline for batters at the Queen’s Park Oval. That youngster happened to be Narine, who had made waves for T&T Red Steel in 2008, around the same time Ramharack came into the Under-19s set-up locally.Being talked of in the same league as Anisa brought Ramharack come into the consciousness of the wider women’s cricketing circles in the Caribbean. The only hindrance was the absence of proper pathway structure. It meant she had to do more than the time she may have otherwise at the regional level.Since much of her time was spent training on her own, Ramharack is self-taught. It wasn’t under her debut in 2019 that she came under the High-Performance set-up. Since then, the improvements have been remarkable.”I remember her coming into the team and she probably wasn’t the most athletic person within the team, even when it just came to her fielding,” Mathews said. “And even just the way she’s come on in that aspect of her game, just putting in the hard yards every single training session, trying to improve and trying to get better. And I think that attitude shows out on the field. And I’m really glad for her and I’m really happy for her that she’s now getting the results of the hard work.”Rahmarack’s push towards being a regular received a massive leg-up in 2022 when Anisa took a six-month break from the game. It’s during this time Rahmarack developed into someone who worked out things for herself. In a way, not having to bowl in tandem and having to do it herself opened her up to a world of new possibilities.Thursday’s performance was one of a fair few super hits she has delivered. Ramharack and West Indies will be hoping there is another one reserved on Tuesday against England.

Questions for India’s selectors to ponder, as they sit down this weekend to pick the squads for the England ODIs and the Champions Trophy

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Jan-2025

Will Bumrah play the Champions Trophy?

There has been no update on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness ever since he did not come out to bowl, reportedly because of back spasms, on the final day of the Sydney Test. There has also been no word on whether Bumrah has visited the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where the BCCI’s medical wing is located. So the intrigue continues about what injury, if any, Bumrah suffered during the Sydney Test, which forced him off the ground to have scans after lunch on the second day.Related

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India play their first match in the Champions Trophy on February 20, against Bangladesh in Dubai, followed by Pakistan on February 23 and New Zealand on March 2. The semi-finals are on March 4 and 5 followed by the final on March 9. The key question for the selectors is, if the injury is not serious, how long does Bumrah need to rest before he’s match-ready? Of course if the injury is of real concern, then the selectors will play it safe and not consider Bumrah for selection. It is likely that Bumrah will be named in the 15 with an asterisk against his name, with the idea to allow him the chance to play at least one of the three ODIs against England to test his fitness levels.

Is Shami ready for ODIs?

Last week Mohammed Shami was named in India’s squad for the five-match T20I series against England, which starts on January 22. It ends a testing and stressful wait stretching nearly 14 months for Shami, whose last international was the ODI World Cup final on November 19, 2023. Shami was the highest wicket-taker in that tournament and one of the key match-winners in India’s run to the final. Soon after, he underwent an ankle surgery and his ankle healed, but his return was repeatedly delayed by fluid building up and causing swelling his right knee.Shami was recently declared fit by the NCA and played three matches in the domestic 50-overs tournament, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, representing Bengal. Shami bowled a total of 26 overs across those games, including his full quota of 10 in the pre-quarterfinals. Before that, Shami also played nine matches in the domestic T20 competition, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So it seems Shami is set to make his ODI return against England, and he can use the series to sharpen up his match fitness before the Champions Trophy. He will be needed to spearhead the attack if Bumrah is not good to go.Kuldeep Yadav has not played since having a hernia surgery around October last year•ICC/Getty ImagesIs Kuldeep ready to return?
Along with Bumrah and Shami, Kuldeep Yadav played a key role in India going through to the 2023 World Cup final undefeated in the league phase. In the home Test series against England in early 2024, Kuldeep impressed once again, becoming the fastest Indian to 50 Test wickets. It seemed like he was moving towards taking over the lead-spinner’s role in the format. However, his progress has been stalled by a hernia surgery; he has not played any competitive cricket since the first Test against New Zealand in October. Eyebrows have been raised about the timing of that surgery – about why it was not done soon after the T20 World Cup but so close to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. It is understood Kuldeep’s rehab is going smooth at the NCA, but there is no clarity on whether he will be fit to play the England ODIs, which he will need as a platform to establish match-fitness ahead of the Champions Trophy.Does Jaiswal find a spot?
Yashasvi Jaiswal was international cricket’s second-highest run-maker across formats in 2024: in 37 innings (23 matches), Jaiswal scored 1771 runs at an average of 52.08. Jaiswal scored 161 in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, an innings that helped craft India’s only win in the series. Bold and clever in his strokeplay, Jaiswal has put new-ball bowlers under pressure across the longest and shortest formats, but he is still to debut in ODIs. With the hugely successful alliance of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill at the top – they are among the leading opening pairs in ODIs – do India need another opener in the 15 for the Champions Trophy? Given the opening slots belong to specialists, Jaiswal, who became the youngest man to hit a double-century in List A cricket in 2019, could still be seen as a back-up option.Does KL Rahul trump Rishabh Pant on form?•Getty ImagesWho are the two wicketkeepers?
Based on current form and impact at the 2023 World Cup, KL Rahul should be the primary keeper at the Champions Trophy. With the bat, too, Rahul played a significant role in the middle-order in the World Cup, especially on pitches where spinners dominated, using his skills to manoeuvre the ball into gaps. Among the other contenders are Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel, who is yet to debut in the format.Pant was India’s regular wicketkeeper from the 2019 World Cup up until he was sidelined by his car accident in December 2022. His protracted absence created the opportunity for Rahul. While Pant kept wicket in one game in the previous ODI series India played – in Sri Lanka last August – Rahul once again was the primary choice. The one point in Pant’s favour is he is a left-hand batter, which is an option the selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir could be interested in.Seam or spin-bowling allrounder?
Among the squads so far announced for the Champions Trophy, several teams have stacked their sides with allrounders. India, too, are likely to be tempted to take that approach with the objective of creating batting depth. You’d expect two if not all three of Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel to feature in the squad. In addition, there are several other options who can contribute a few overs with the ball while floating in the batting order: Nitish Kumar Reddy (yet to debut in ODIs), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube. Reddy and Tilak are part of the T20I series against England but Parag is still in rehab having undergone a shoulder surgery last year. One caveat is this latter group of players’ body of work is small, so the selectors could be wary of blooding them at an ICC event.

He delivered more overs than any other bowler, was faster and better than any other, but was the most expensive of the three specialist quicks

Danyal Rasool27-Dec-2024Like blindly following the recipe book for an exotic dish, it was hard to say what Naseem Shah was cooking up at first this morning. He began groggily, throwing the ball up in search of swing as if this was a Rawalpindi winter day and not a Centurion summer one. He barely broached 135kph, and was much too wide, so any away movement only meant an extra lunge for Mohammad Rizwan. If something was brewing, it was difficult to tell what that might have been.But it was that kind of morning session, a bowling effort on psychedelics, balls just floating into the ether, hovering there briefly as if the laws of gravity had briefly been suspended, and barely kissing the surface before dancing away into the wind. On a pitch where banging the ball into the surface has been the most proven way to get results, Naseem was rejecting conventional wisdom, no discernible logic behind this iconoclasm. Mohammad Abbas, 13 years his senior, tried following the rulebook to a tee, bless him. But at his pace, with little work going into the ball off his wrist, even the Centurion surface struggled to give him a leg up.So Shan Masood took him off after a four-over burst. Naseem has built up quite the oeuvre of glorious failure, the universe seemingly conspiring to refuse to give him what he was owed. But he knows, better than most, how frugal with the distribution of joy the world can sometimes be, and he will have known that on this occasion, his empty-handedness was well-deserved.Related

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Pakistan lose their way after Bosch bash hands South Africa advantage

“You have to learn to adjust in new conditions,” Naseem admitted after the match. “It’s not easy but you have to be disciplined and adjust to different conditions quickly. The pitch here is at a bit of a height and the ground at a depression, so I think you have to adjust as a bowler, and it took me a few overs to do that.”But there was something Test cricket saw in Naseem, something it liked. In a country that has recently seen its express quick either lose their pace, or their interest in Test cricket, or both, Naseem still has it all.By his second spell, he was pushing up as high as 145.9kph, he had dragged his lengths back. The rebellious streak was gone, the spell was beginning to come of age, and the recipe book was being faithfully followed. When it still wouldn’t produce a wicket, Naseem dealt with the setbacks with wistful smiles rather than visible agitation. After all, he had seen from the dugout the fickle nature of Test cricket’s generosity; Kagiso Rabada had bowled better than any of the Pakistan bowlers without being rewarded for it.David Bedingham had ridden his luck against Naseem, surviving a review off the first ball of Naseem’s return spell. Pakistan, to be fair, managed their reviews about as efficiently as many lottery winners do their prizes, but it did signal a shift in intensity from a bowler whose ceiling remains a formidable force to handle. Bedingham soon paid the price for his insouciance when a shade of extra bounce, thanks to improved lengths and higher pace, became too hot to handle, and Naseem had begun to put a spell of proper old-ball Test match fast bowling together either side of lunch. Kyle Verreynne was goaded into a similar shot, and outdone by a similar delivery.By now, the crowd by Castle Corner had broken out into a chorus of grudging respect; South African spectators cannot help, it would seem, but respect a fast bowler operating at the top of his game. Chants of “Naseem! Naseem” began to go up every time he walked back to the mark, but it was the afternoon, and they were well lubricated by now, so you may be able to put some of the generosity down to that. Apparently, SuperSport Park sold more than 1 million Rand worth of alcohol on day one; the eye test would suggest day two wasn’t far behind.

“You have to learn to adjust in new conditions. It’s not easy but you have to be disciplined and adjust to different conditions quickly.”Naseem Shah

Naseem knew, though, that this day had been generous to Pakistan; none of the other bowlers had come close to matching his quality, and yet South Africa were suddenly seven down; the woefully out of form Marco Jansen was meat and drink for Naseem. By then Naseem’s second spell was a match-turning one: 3 for 28 in five overs, and the question turned from the size of South Africa’s lead to the possibility they may not get one at all.On other occasions, in other countries, that might have been work done for a brittle, express pace bowler, but Masood felt Pakistan had no other well to turn to. He tied Aiden Markram up at one end, inducing him into a false shot against Khurram Shahzad at the other end. And still Naseem bowled, him powering on from the media end blending into the background of the day. Drinks came and went, and Naseem was still there, pace slightly down, but banging it into the pitch and asking the same questions.”Fast bowling is not easy but you have to be ready. I always try to work hard and bowl more in the nets and even in domestic cricket.”The team needed it, and obviously when the captain asks you, you have to be ready. That is my habit as a fast bowler, to accept the ball when needed. I hadn’t known it would happen, but the captain thought about which bowler would be more impactful, and asked me to bowl. My body’s fine.”However, the good balls were no longer producing edges, and the occasional loosener that crept into his spell was being put away by Corbin Bosch, exactly the sort of player who Pakistan tend to allow dream career starts. There were five overs between Naseem getting a break, and the captain turning right back to him, but now, Test cricket was playing hard-to-get with him once more.The field had been spread out for Bosch, the sniff of optimism from the early afternoon had gone. The crowd, too, began to treat Naseem as the figure of heroic failure he was becoming as the innings dragged on, playfully booing every appeal, and then shouting “review it” once Pakistan’s profligacy had squandered them all.South Africa had added 88 for the last two wickets, and, despite delivering more overs than any other bowler, faster than any other bowler, better than any other bowler, Naseem’s figures showed he was the most expensive of the three specialist quicks. It is a wonder Naseem plays Test cricket with a smile on his face, but Pakistan are fortunate he does. And perhaps, a pleasant festive afternoon when Test cricket briefly smiles back is all the reward he needs.

His assault on a tricky pitch even wowed du Plessis who is often the one wowing others

Sidharth Monga24-Mar-2025

Ashutosh Sharma hit the winning six as DC won by one wicket•Associated Press

Faf du Plessis doesn’t feel awe easily. He has seen cricket all over the world, in all kinds of formats, for all kinds of teams. At 40, he is more used to leaving people in awe of his shredded body and ability to slug it out with the best of T20 players. But even his “old brain” was left in awe of Ashutosh Sharma’s hitting on a pitch that was not easy to bat on.Unprompted, du Plessis made it a point to mention during a sideline interview: “Just as an overseas player, one thing that’s remarkable for me to watch is the amount of Indian players that are so powerful and they’ve got the ability to just strike the ball so easy. You know, it wasn’t an easy pitch [to bat on]. There was a lot going on, but the two boys at the back end there, just the way they came in and just effortlessly hit boundaries. Unbelievable.”There will be another day for Vipraj Nigam, this night belonged to the “other boy”, Ashutosh. The Railways batter had a bittersweet season with Punjab Kings (PBKS) last year. He faced only 103 balls for 189 runs to regularly bring PBKS back from the brink, but kept either falling just short or not seeing the chase through himself.Related

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As he got his new team, Delhi Capitals (DC), closer and closer against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday night, you wondered if those memories played on his mind. Of the time he took Kings from 150 for 6 to the threshold of the target of 200 set by Gujarat Titans, brought it down to the inexperienced Darshan Nalkande in the last over, but holed out to long-on and watched the victory from the dugout. Or the time his daring comeback ended two short of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 182. Or, indeed, his 61 off 28 against Mumbai Indians from 77 for 6, when he fell in the 18th over and had to watch an agonising defeat.That last year might or might not have played in his head during this chase, but it did between the two seasons. “I learnt a lot from the last year,” Ashutosh said. “Last year I brought the team close in two-three matches but left the job unfinished in the end. The whole year I focused on that. I visualised how I am finishing matches. Even in domestic cricket, I focused on finishing games. That’s why I was able to finish on such a big stage.”I have a lot of belief in myself. That if I play till the last ball, anything can happen. Stay calm. Bring it down to a few balls. Stay clear with what shot you can play. Play only those shots you have practiced in the nets.”That belief was perhaps best apparent in the way he tried to steal a single when Kuldeep Yadav was on strike. There was this inherent belief that only he was the man to do it, and he charged his runs perfectly: not before the ball left the bowler’s hand, but he was halfway up the pitch by the time the ball reached Kuldeep. One such dash even cost them a wicket (of Kuldeep), but that didn’t faze Ashutosh. If the bowler was going to err, Ashutosh was going to send the ball out of the ground.1:07

What did Ashutosh Sharma do right?

The hitting was so clean he barely looked up, let alone run, just in case the ball doesn’t go past the boundary. As du Plessis said, this was not a flat deck by any means. Sample the ball that got Tristan Stubbs out, drifting into leg, turning to hit the pad and then the wicket. Or indeed the one in the last over that nearly spun past No. 11 Mohit Sharma and also dragged him out of his crease. A deflection off the pad saved him from getting stumped and gave Ashutosh another shot at a first successful heist in the IPL.During those two balls at the non-striker’s end, Ashutosh displayed the remarkable quality you need in cricket: care like hell but play like you couldn’t care less. “I was confident,” Ashutosh said of the time spent at the non-striker’s in the last over. “It is part of the game, but it was not part of my batting. I was very normal. ‘If he will take a single, I will hit a six’.”Hit a six he did. Sometimes you just need that bit of extra luck to push you over the line, but there is no substitute for bringing yourself into that situation again and again.

All the stats highlights from India’s third ODI against England

Deep Gadhia12-Feb-2025356 – India’s total while batting first at Ahmedabad is their highest at the venue surpassing the 325 for 5 they posted against West Indies in 2002. South Africa’s 365 for 2 remains the highest by any team at this venue.It is also the joint third-highest total for India against England in ODIs, alongside the 356 for 7 they posted in Pune back in 2017.142 – Runs by which India won the final ODI against England, their second-biggest victory margin against England. The biggest was when India beat them by 158 runs at Rajkot in 2008 courtesy Yuvraj Singh’s unbeaten 138.Related

Gill century, and Kohli, Shreyas fifties power 3-0 rout of England

100 – Shubman Gill became the first Indian batter and the 13th overall to score a century in his 50th ODI. Mohammad Kaif’s unbeaten 95 against South Africa in 2003 was the previous best by an Indian in their 50th ODI game.5 – Gill also became only the fifth batter to have scored centuries in all formats at a single ground. He now has a ton each in Tests, ODIs and T20Is in Ahmedabad to add to his three IPL tons at the venue.Quinton de Kock in Centurion, Babar Azam in Karachi, David Warner in Adelaide, and Faf du Plessis in Johannesburg are the other four batters to have scored hundreds across all formats at a single venue.ESPNcricinfo Ltd7 – Hundreds scored by Gill so far in this ODI career of 50 matches, making it the most by an Indian batter in their first 50 games. Shikhar Dhawan had six, whereas all three of Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir and KL Rahul had five each.3 – Fifty-plus scores for Gill in this series, including a hundred making him just the seventh Indian batter to have scored more than 50 in all the games of a 3-match bilateral ODI series and the first one to do so against England. Navjot Singh Sidhu in 1994 against West Indies and Shikhar Dhawan in 2014 against Sri Lanka also made three fifties in as many games but were part of a five-match series.11 – Number of times Kohli has been dismissed by Adil Rashid in international cricket, the most for him against a player alongside Josh Hazlewood and Tim Southee. Rashid has got the better of him four times in Tests, five times in ODIs and twice in T20Is.164.70 – Shreyas Iyer’s strike rate against pacers in this series against England. It is the best by an Indian batter who has scored at least 100 runs in an ODI series since 2002. Virender Sehwag’s 161.29 in the Bangladesh Tri-Series in 2010 was the previous best.4 – Consecutive bilateral ODI series lost by England. They have lost to India, Australia and twice to West Indies, all since Dec 2023. Only once before have they lost four on the trot when they lost a series each to South Africa, Australia, Pakistan and India in 2005 and 2006.

Spinner thrives once more despite lack of county hinterland, as Cook’s struggles show dangers of expectation

Vithushan Ehantharajah24-May-2025It would be wrong to judge Sam Cook as a Test cricketer based on one appearance.Cook’s previous 321 red-ball wickets had come at 19.85, earning him the right to 31 overs across both innings of this Zimbabwe Test, even if they only produced 1 for 119. But as that first-class average ticks above 20, a little of the lustre has dulled from a bowler broadly accepted as a true master of his craft. Nevertheless the 27-year-old’s overdue Test debut will, for now, be front of the queue for examples of the difficulties with transferring form from the County Championship to the Test format.And yet, the man leading Cook and his new England teammates off the field at the conclusion of the first Test of the summer was Shoaib Bashir, saluting all corners with the match ball as he went. Somerset’s unwanted offspinner, who had taken two wickets at an average of 152 during a three-game loan spell with Division Two Glamorgan, had career-best figures of 6 for 81 – and consequently best match returns of 9 for 143. Not only did he walk off as the matchwinner – for the second time at this ground in an 18-month-old international career – but also as the youngest Englishman to reach the 50-wicket mark.Before the cascades of “yeah but the average is 36.39”, “yeah but he’s bowled more overs than anyone” and “yeah but it’s Zimbabwe”, consider this… it’s Shoaib Bashir. A 21-year-old who still talks about himself as “a work in progress”. Everything he says is tempered with gratitude and a competition-winner sparkle in his eyes that has not dulled since this six-foot-four, six-first-class-match-experience youngling was thrust into the spotlight of an India tour.The contrast between the lots of Bashir and Cook are clear, but perhaps more pronounced are what they tell us about this Test side Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have concocted out of salt and spirit. Cook’s nerves, even after pocketing his maiden dismissal three overs into his debut, spoke of an anxiety at wanting to prove he deserved to be at this level, even if he was backed with the new ball and crowded slip cordons. Bashir, on the other hand, has never exuded anything other than belief he belongs at this level despite evidence to the contrary.It is as much an orchestrated feeling as one hinging on the fact that, unlike Cook, Bashir has no base to retreat to. Prior to his temporary move to Cardiff at the start of this season, Stokes gave him a call and essentially told him not to worry – he’d be back home soon. Even his travails at the start of the year on the Lions tour of Australia, taking just four wickets after a difficult finish to the New Zealand series at the end of 2024, were set against unwavering support from the England management. As Bashir said on Friday evening, “England cricket is my happy place.”The trust in him to bowl long spells allows him to bed in, as he did in the first innings during a stint that began as first-change and was only ended in his 13th over by a botched caught-and-bowled chance that ripped open his left ring finger. All but one of his 18 second-innings overs came on the bounce from the Radcliffe Road End on Saturday.Crucially, this has not simply been a case of Stokes tossing Bashir the ball and hoping for the best, plugging him in for long stretches to make the prospect of wicket-taking merely an act of probability – an obscure strand of privilege, like some kooky Guinness World Record holder who just so happens to have a really big bath and ready access to that many tins of baked beans.Sam Cook endured a tough Test baptism, in which his first-class average ticked above 20•Getty ImagesOver the last year, Bashir has adjusted his release points. This Test, he has been 5cm closer to the stumps when operating over the wicket, with a more noticeable 8cm closer when around, as he was often to Zimbabwe’s left-handers. He has also worked on his approach, after realising he needed to be a little bit straighter having noticed an issue when poring over the 524.3 overs he sent down last year.”My run-up is a bit straighter,” Bashir said. “It just allows me to finish off my action a little bit more.”It also allows me to get better shape on the ball so I can land the ball on the seam and then, if I want miss it for the ball to go straight on, I can do that as well. It just builds into my action nicely and yeah, I just feel like it’s quite natural to me.”Granted, the sample size is just the 34.4 overs over the last couple of days, but the results are promising. His lines are neater, with just 16 per cent of his deliveries down the leg-side in this Test, compared to 32 per cent previously. His proportion delivered in the channel outside off has almost doubled in this Test compared to his six previous home Tests.And of course, there were a few gifts among Saturday’s six as Zimbabwe’s middle- and lower-order had a dart for a few souvenir runs of this first English Test in 22 years. But there was enough within, say, the first-innings snaring of visiting captain Craig Ervine at first slip and the two bowled dismissals of Tafadzwa Tsiga, both spinning through the gate, that spoke of a personal development that has meant he can meet his captain more than halfway.On day two, Stokes made a note of imploring Bashir to be a little more patient. Previously, he would have not let any negativity pass his spinner’s ears nor tried to overcomplicate matters for a player still working out his place in the game with the gifts he has.Related

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“He’s got some unbelievable natural ability, his height and how much he puts on the ball and the ability to change from square to upright seam,” Stokes said. “The skill is undoubted, but a big progression with him, I think, is working out building towards a dismissal – not getting too giddy.”That was the word that he used out there – not getting too giddy with things. He’s always in the competition and you can see when he’s in the battle.”For a young inexperienced individual to have those characteristics whilst also wanting to constantly get better and make little tweaks and working with Jeets (Jeetan Patel, spin bowling coach) the way that he does – it’s very, very exciting.”It speaks to where England are with Bashir that even Stokes admits it is “an odd story”. This kid plucked from obscurity and left exposed in fame ever since.There are still plenty more chapters to go, all of which Bashir’s Islamic faith tells him have already been written. What is clear is that the challenge of India to come next month will determine just how exposed he is – or just how far he has really come.

South Africa make second-lowest total; Jacob Bethell England’s second-youngest ODI centurion

Sampath Bandarupalli07-Sep-2025342 England’s margin of win by runs in the third ODI at Southampton against South Africa is the highest for any team in men’s ODIs. The previous biggest margin was India’s 317-run win against Sri Lanka in 2023 at Thiruvananthapuram.South Africa’s previous biggest defeat was by 276 runs against Australia at Mackay, two weeks ago. They have been on the receiving end of two of the top seven biggest defeats in men’s ODIs in the space of 15 days.72 South Africa’s total at Southampton is their second-lowest in men’s ODIs, behind the 69 all-out against Australia in 1993 at the SCG. It is also the fourth-lowest total for any team against England in men’s ODIs.South Africa’s innings lasted 20.5 overs, their second-shortest all-out innings in men’s ODIs, only a ball more than the 83 all-out in 20.4 overs against England in 2022 at Manchester.Getty Images414 for 5 England’s total in the third ODI at Southampton is their highest in the format against South Africa. Their previous highest was 399 for 9 at Bloemfontein in 2016.This was the fourth instance of South Africa conceding a 400-plus total in men’s ODIs, only behind West Indies (5), while England have got past 400 on seven occasions, only behind South Africa (8).21y 319d Jacob Bethell’s age on Sunday, when he scored 110. He is now the second-youngest man to score an ODI hundred for England. David Gower had two hundreds by that age – at 21 years and 55 days against Pakistan in 1978 and at 21 years and 309 days against Australia in 1979.ESPNcricinfo Ltd24 Runs added by South Africa before the fall of the sixth wicket, the lowest by them in a men’s ODI. The previous lowest was 36 runs against Afghanistan in last year’s Sharjah ODI. It is also the fewest runs needed by England to take the opposition’s first six wickets in a men’s ODI.The Southampton ODI is only the second occasion of South Africa being six wickets down in the first ten overs in a men’s ODI (where balls faced by partnerships are available). Last year’s ODI at Sharjah against Afghanistan is the other instance.4 for 5 Jofra Archer’s returns in the first ten overs of South Africa’s innings. Only one bowler has had better average in the first ten overs of a men’s ODI innings while taking four or more wickets – 4 for 4 by Makhaya Ntini against Australia at Cape Town in 2006 (where ball-by-ball data is available).80 Runs conceded by Codi Yusuf in his ten overs are the most on ODI debut for South Africa. The previous most was 73 by Duanne Olivier against Pakistan in 2019.Yusuf’s new-ball partner, Nandre Burger, conceded 95, the joint-second most by a bowler for South Africa in a men’s ODI, behind only Dale Steyn’s 96 against Australia in 2016.