The Ireland keeper and umpire talks about how she came to cricket after nearly making it in football

S Sudarshanan11-Feb-2023Cricket was nowhere on Mary Waldron’s radar.”My only recollection of it growing up was watching my dad watching a cricket match on Channel 4 during my school holidays,” she chuckles. “And I was mad because I was like, ‘What is this on TV? This is ridiculous!'”About 25 years on, Waldron has played not just as a wicketkeeper for Ireland Women, she has also represented Ireland in football. She also tried her hand at basketball and hockey in school.She was among the first players to benefit from Cricket Ireland’s part-time contracts for women in 2019 and also among the 20 first fully professional women cricketers for Ireland, when the board invested £1.5 million in the game last year. She has also been on the ICC’s International Panel of Development Umpires for over three years.Related

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Waldron is now in South Africa for the T20 World Cup – her fourth, after Ireland narrowly missed out in 2020 – and at 38 is the oldest player in the competition. Her enthusiasm belies her age, though. She believes this is the best time to be playing cricket for Ireland.”We have been crying out for more support over the years and it’s finally here,” she says. “The bus is nearly full with all the support staff. To be part of that journey and to see it come to fruition and see all the other players just at the start of their journey. It’s actually really exciting.”Gutted not to play in the last World Cup, purely because you get to play against the best in the world on such a cool occasion.”Because even a couple years ago, we’d be like, ‘What’s the fixture list for the year? We might be going on one tour’ – or you just never really knew. But now we have a Future Tours Programme. We know what we’re doing. And it’s very exciting.”Growing up in hill country south of Dublin, Waldron only got into organised sport at 12, in secondary school, when she joined a football club. She was picked for the Ireland Under-16s when she was 13. She also played basketball, volleyball, and a bit of hockey at school but football was her focus. Transport was limited in the mountains, so her parents – whom she calls “very good sports parents” – drove her around. There was only one occasion, she recalls, when her father said no to her on a matter to do with sport.Waldron prudently wears protective gear standing up to the stumps in a 2022 T20I. “In hindsight now, looking at some of the fielding I did – like standing far too close to the batter and that sort of stupid stuff – I didn’t know what I was doing!” she says•Ramsey Cards/Sportsfile/Getty Images”I asked my dad if I could join a basketball club as well and he said no,” she says. “And that was just purely because there was not enough hours in the day. I was already going to hockey training at that stage, going to soccer, going into school games and stuff. It was just not logistically possible.”Her first brush with cricket came when she was at University College, Dublin. By then she had represented Ireland in football and had played all the age groups in the sport. One of her friends was “obsessed with cricket” and asked her to come watch her play. Waldron went along and liked what she saw, and ended up joining Pembroke Cricket Club in Sandymount, which her cricket-mad friend played for. While football was important to her – she was training hard and playing at a high level – playing cricket allowed her to socialise and network outside of her primary sport, which she liked.Once, when Pembroke’s wicketkeeper was unavailable, they picked Waldron to keep because of her ability to be unflinching. “I wasn’t scared of the ball, and actually in hindsight now, looking at some of the fielding I did – like standing far too close to the batter and that sort of stupid stuff – I didn’t know what I was doing!” she says. “I kept for a few games even though football was still priority.”The following pre-season I was keeping in a game and the Ireland A coach saw me and said I should come to training the following Friday. So it was very random, very organic, how that came about, but I just loved it from there.”She made her ODI debut in July 2010 and played her first T20I three months later. Her rise was too rapid for it all to sink in – in her mind, football, which she played for Raheny United and Shelbourne FC, who played the Premier Division in the Irish league, was still her real game.Waldron stands in a game in the men’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifiers in 2019•Martin Gray/ICC”It was all a bit of a whirlwind. And I don’t think I thought too much about it at the time. And looking back, it was kind of mad. I remember playing in the European championships in cricket, and we’re in Holland, and I remember saying that I can’t stay because I had to go back – this was after about a year after my debut – because we had a training camp for the soccer team. It did take me a few years to transition my mindset that cricket was actually more important.”With Ireland rising as a cricketing team, it was increasingly tough for Waldron to juggle her two sports. Ireland qualified for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2014 and with cricket activities – gym, conditioning, skills work – taking up the better part of the week, she had to let go of football.”I just knew that I wouldn’t be able to commit to the soccer training,” Waldron says. “Playing in a World Cup has always been a goal, though I never wrote it down as a goal. I knew that I’d always love to play in a World Cup, and I assumed that would have been with soccer. But it just turned out that it was in cricket.”An invitation from 1990s Australia wicketkeeper Julia Price, who coached Tasmania and wanted to expand the club structure there, took Waldron to Hobart in 2015. While playing and training in Australia, she completed the Level 1 umpiring course. Back home she was a cricket development officer in a club in Malahide, where she coached the Under-15 boys’ side and also scored for and umpired in those games.That kicked off a period where, unless Ireland had a winter tour, she would travel to Australia to play and umpire. Ahead of the qualifiers for the Women’s World Cup in 2017, she moved from Hobart to Adelaide to be able to play more 50-over matches. There she took more umpiring courses and got more games under her belt as an umpire.Waldron (right) with Eloise Sheridan. The two became the first women to umpire in a men’s first-grade game in Australia in 2019•Ramsey CardsIn 2018, Waldron was appointed to the first-class panel of Umpires in Ireland and became the first woman to umpire in a men’s List A match, between Ireland Wolves and Bangladesh A. She and Eloise Sheridan of Australia became the first pair of women to umpire in a men’s first grade game in Australia in 2019. That year she stood as one of the umpires in the men’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifiers. She also has officiated in the men’s and women’s Big Bash League and in the Women’s National Cricket League in Australia.When the pandemic struck in 2020, cricket in Ireland was thrown into uncertainty. They had missed out on making it to the Women’s T20 World Cup and the next tournament was at least two years away. The 50-overs World Cup, originally to be played in 2021, was postponed.Waldron was clear – cricket was her priority and umpiring had to wait. “The potential progression for Irish women’s cricket at that stage was still huge, so even though I love umpiring, I wasn’t ready to finish playing,” she says. “There was a lot of unfinished business. Many people told me that I should retire and umpire.”I enjoyed the opportunity to train even when it was a two-day-week contract. To be fair, Cricket Ireland still gave me the opportunity to go away whenever we didn’t have a winter tour. Between time at home and being able to travel in the winter, it still was a great lifestyle. I wasn’t planning on giving that up anytime soon.”I have to be based in Ireland now for full-time contracts. But that’s not hard. Having the opportunity to play full-time and train full-time is brilliant. I wasn’t able to go to Australia for the winter but I’ll be playing [the T20 World Cup]. I don’t mind missing out on a few umpiring opportunities because I’m sure there will be chances down the line. And even if they are not, I still wouldn’t miss a chance to play in the World Cup for anything.”

Kohli-du Plessis partnership, Klaasen’s attack against spin, and other key numbers from the SRH-RCB game

Sampath Bandarupalli18-May-20232:11

Moody: Margin of error for a spinner against Klaasen is very small

1 During the SRH-RCB game in Hyderabad, Heinrich Klaasen and Virat Kohli became the first opposing pair to score centuries in an IPL match. There have been two previous instances of two centurions in the same IPL innings – Kohli and AB de Villiers against Gujarat Lions in 2016 in Bengaluru, and David Warner and Jonny Bairstow against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019 in Hyderabad.6 Number of hundreds for Kohli in the IPL. He now has the joint-most centuries in the league’s history, along with Chris Gayle. It was Kohli’s seventh century in all T20s, the most by an Indian in the format, surpassing six by KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma.872 Partnership runs between Kohli and Faf du Plessis this IPL, the most by an opening pair in an edition of the IPL. Overall, their tally is behind only Kohli and de Villiers’ 939 in IPL 2016.187 Target chased down by RCB, their third-highest successful chase in the IPL. They won chasing 204 against Kings XI Punjab in 2010 and 192 against Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016, both in Bengaluru.

Gill, de Kock and Mayers made sizeable scores too, but the Titans wicketkeeper-batter made the biggest impact

Karthik Krishnaswamy07-May-20233:00

‘Wriddhiman Saha plays in the shadows of rest of the team’ – Tom Moody

When you talk about Wriddhiman Saha, there’s always the danger that you’ll end up talking about who and what he isn’t. He spent most of his 20s not being MS Dhoni, and much of his 30s not being Rishabh Pant. And in the way he bats in T20s, all intent and no fear of losing his wicket, you could build the case that Saha isn’t Virat Kohli or KL Rahul or most other Indian openers.With all this it can become difficult to zero in on who and what Saha is.On Sunday, the four openers who featured in Gujarat Titans’ clash with Lucknow Super Giants in Ahmedabad scored a total of 293 runs, an IPL record. Shubman Gill, Quinton de Kock and Kyle Mayers made significant contributions too, but Saha perhaps played the innings of the match – ESPNcricinfo’s Impact ratings certainly thought so – and in doing so reminded the world of his considerable gifts of feet, eye and hands.There was a moment, for instance, when Saha charged Avesh Khan, and the bowler saw him coming and went short at his body. Saha read the length in a flash and swivelled on his back foot to swat the ball to the backward square leg boundary.There was another pull soon after, off Mohsin Khan, and this time Saha had to fetch the ball from well outside off stump and work against the left-armer’s angle. He hit this even better, clearing the boundary in front of square.A short ball designed to cramp him for room, another designed to make him reach for the ball and potentially lose his shape, and Saha had put them both away, clinically.It shouldn’t surprise you, then, that Saha sits among the top five run-getters from the pull and hook off fast bowlers since IPL 2022. He doesn’t score as quickly as the other four in that list, but it might interest you to know that his strike rate while pulling and hooking is marginally better than that of his opening partner Gill (187.03), a batter who looks like he was born to pull fast bowlers.When Saha bats, he looks like, well, what he is: a wicketkeeper-batter of the old school. Most wicketkeepers look like top-order batters now, but this wasn’t always the case, and in Saha there is an echo of the quirkiness of Alan Knott or Ian Healy, who often made tough runs against high-quality bowling but never looked anything other than wicketkeeperly while doing so.Gill is all smiles as his opening partner celebrates his fifty•Associated PressEven the prettiest of Saha’s shots on Sunday had this flavour: he caressed Mohsin for an effortless four between mid-off and extra-cover in the first over of Titans’ innings, but he didn’t hold his pose like Gill might’ve. Instead, his feet began an involuntary scamper to the other end before he realised there was no need to run.Unless his team is chasing a small target, Saha’s batting in the IPL is driven by the need to maximise the powerplay field restrictions, and score as quickly as he possibly can in this phase, by any means necessary. And this means he’ll often look in less control than the batter at the other end – particularly if it happens to be Gill – with a decent chunk of his runs coming off balls sliced over the infield or dragged into the leg side off the inside half of the bat.He bats this way not because he’s selfless, but because he’s pragmatic; he knows it’s the only way he can stay relevant in the IPL.On days like Sunday, however, there’s a lovely fluency to his ball-striking. The new ball was coming onto the bat beautifully, and a Super Giants attack short on both experience and rhythm – Mohsin, returning after shoulder surgery, was playing his second game and bowling in one for the first time since IPL 2022 – was serving up hittable balls at regular intervals.Where other batters may have dialled down the risk-taking on such a day, reckoning that they were scoring quickly enough without needing to do anything outlandish, Saha kept playing like Saha. He kept charging the fast bowlers; he went over the infield even when the ball wasn’t pitched right up; he walked across his stumps to manufacture a boundary to long leg even when he’d hit a six earlier in the over.Saha hit ten fours and four sixes•BCCIEven his dismissal on 81 came from this sort of intent; he stepped out to Avesh in the 12th over and looked to whip him over the leg side. He might have picked up a boundary if he’d hit it a few meters further to deep square leg’s left, but on this day he hit it within the fielder’s range.Saha was taking this sort of risk almost every time he went after the bowling. He could have been out for 15 or 20 on another day, and other innings he plays often end on scores like that. But Titans would want it no other way from him. They have plenty of batting depth, and every ball Saha doesn’t try to squeeze the most out of is a ball Hardik Pandya or David Miller isn’t getting to face.On this day, Saha’s intent brought him 81 off 43, and went a long way towards Titans all but batting Super Giants out of the game. Had Super Giants been chasing 200 rather than 228, the 88-run opening stand between Mayers and de Kock may have put them in a winning position. As it happened, they were still behind the required rate when the partnership ended, and the rest of their batting struggled to keep up.By then Saha was putting his feet up, letting KS Bharat do the dirty work behind the stumps. There was a sense of poignancy to this substitution – India’s team management phased Saha out of their Test-match plans last year to let Bharat grow into the role of Pant’s understudy.Thanks to events that no one could have foreseen, Pant is out of action for the foreseeable future, and Bharat is the only keeper in India’s squad for the World Test Championship final. There are plenty who believe Saha still deserves that spot – he may believe it himself, but he knows it isn’t in his control.All he can do is control the controllables within the role he’s given by the team that’s picked him, and he’s doing a pretty good job of it.

No batter has averaged as much going into his 100th Test, while his unbelievable six-year peak and his stats against the best bowlers make him one of the greatest

S Rajesh (with inputs from Shiva Jayaraman)05-Jul-2023When Steven Smith was dismissed for 34 in Australia’s second innings at Lord’s, it meant that he would miss out on being the first batter to go into his 100th Test with a 60-plus average – he fell short of that mark by 67 runs.That was an opportunity missed for Smith, but the mere fact that he got closer to this feat than any batter in Test history speaks of the staggering numbers he has racked up. Smith will enter his 100th Test with an average of 59.56; before him, the highest any batter had achieved going into the landmark game was 58.16, by Rahul Dravid. Dravid eventually finished with a career average of 52.31, which was still wonderful, but in his last 64 Tests, his average dropped by almost six runs.Can Smith maintain these exceptional standards all the way till the end of his career?ESPNcricinfo LtdThe dizzying highs
All top-class batters have periods in their career when they strike extraordinary form. With Smith, what stands out is how high that peak has been, how long he has maintained it, and the different conditions he has conquered during this period.Through a six-year period from 2014 to 2019, he averaged 72 from 56 matches, scoring 24 centuries, which works out to a hundred every 2.3 matches. Not bad for a player who started off as a legspinner, batted at Nos. 8 and 9 on debut, and bowled more overs (21) than he scored runs (13) in that Test. Since 2020, the numbers have dropped a bit, but he still averages very nearly 50 in those 27 Tests.

The three-match ODI series in Chattogram promises a fascinating contest but rain could play spoilsport

Mohammad Isam04-Jul-2023Three months before they meet in Dharamshala to begin their respective World Cup campaigns, Bangladesh and Afghanistan meet in an ODI series to test each other. There is little to separate the two sides though their rivalry is not yet recognised as such. They have only been competing for 14 years at the international level, but they sit close together in the rankings, their players know each other from time spent together in T20 leagues, and they don’t like losing to one another.

Afghanistan’s chance to bounce back

The visitors have to overcome the third largest Test defeat (by runs) of all time. Last month, Bangladesh crushed them in the one-off Test, with the game ending by noon on day four. Afghanistan fielded quite an inexperienced outfit for that game and the only players from that deflated Test side to make the ODI squad are captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah.The trio will form the crux of their ODI batting line-up, but they are complemented by the aggressive Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran. Their bowling attack is back to being close to full-strength. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will lead the spin attack with Nabi’s offspin adding crucial support. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai are gaining in experience particularly on sub-continent pitches. and while Usman Ghani didn’t agree with his omission, it seems Afghanistan have a strong white-ball unit in Bangladesh.Related

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Bangladesh look for balance

The home side’s team management have only one question in front of them: whether they want to go with an extra batter or bowler.With Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the line-up, Bangladesh have two extra bowlers already, complementing a pace attack that has looked menacing in white-ball cricket of late. Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain come into this game on the back of four-wicket hauls in the one-off Test, while Hasan Mahmud was Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker during their most recent ODI series, against Ireland in Chelmsford.The batting line-up wears a settled look. Tamim Iqbal, Litton Das and Najmul Hossain Shanto have forged a tight top-order. The middle order comprises the experienced Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim and the young gun Towhid Hridoy. Afif Hossain and Mohammad Naim are in the batting reserves.

Shakib v Rashid

The battle within the battle will be between Shakib and Rashid. Fans of each team will claim that their allrounder as the best, and there isn’t much of a sample size from which to judge their battle in ODIs; the only thing of note is that each has dismissed the other twice in this format.When expanded to include all three formats, Shakib averages 21.25 and with a strike rate of 79.43 while batting against Rashid. He has got out four times to the legspinner. Conversely, Rashid also hasn’t done well against Shakib: dismissed twice in nine innings, averaging 13.5 while striking at 77.14.Shakib and Rashid have had a tremendous impact on their respective teams. Both missed the one-off Test in Dhaka and their return will inspire their team-mates, and make this series even more worth the watch.Fazalhaq Farooqi was the leading wicket-taker in the last ODI series between the two teams•AFP/Getty Images

The monsoon threat

The forecast for Chattogram promises spells of rain or thunderstorms on every day of this white-ball series. What else can you expect during the monsoon season in Bangladesh? The only other time international cricket was played in Chattogram in July was eight years ago when Bangladesh played a rain-interrupted ODI and Test against South Africa.

Tamim wary of Afghanistan attack

Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal said his side was aware of Afghanistan’s all-round bowling strength, and won’t focus on their spin attack only. Farooqi was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series in 2022, ahead of both Rashid and Shakib. Overall, the quicks slightly outbowled the spinners in that series, which was also played wholly in Chattogram.”This ODI series will be as competitive as the last two against them,” Tamim said. “They are a good side, especially in white-ball cricket. They probably have one of the best bowling attacks in the world. I don’t expect anything less than the last series. We have to fight really hard. We can’t expect to walk in and win the game.”It is a good thing that we are playing against them at least four times before the World Cup. They will also understand our strength and weaknesses. I think it’s a good thing for both the teams. Their fast bowlers did well in the last [ODI] series against us compared to their spinners. We cannot focus too much on their spin attack. They have quality fast bowlers as well. They are one of the most quality attacks in the world. We have to be at our very best to overcome them.”Tamim said this series would be crucial to Bangladesh’s momentum ahead of the stern tests that will follow. “We have this series, the Asia Cup and the New Zealand series,” he said. “It will give us the best possible preparations. We have been playing well in ODIs recently. This is a very important series.”Our opponent has a strong bowling unit. If we can do well against them, it is the best possible confidence [we can gain].”

His contributions to both the feel and the narrative of Ashes feels typical of his Test career: entertaining, endearing and inconsistent

Vithushan Ehantharajah03-Aug-2023Ben Stokes is hidden away at the back of the home dressing room at Headingley, puffing on a cigarette. He had entered moments earlier after being caught down the leg side off Mitchell Starc. England needed 90 more runs to win the third Test and keep their Ashes hopes alive, but their talisman in these pressure situations was out.Stokes was furious but focused on adhering to a post-dismissal routine he had refined as captain. The ethos he and head coach Brendon McCullum have cultivated relies on dressing room calm, something the Durham allrounder cedes is not his strong point after getting out. But he has developed coping mechanisms, starting with a smoke, then a systematic packing of both his cricket bags. Once that was done, he made his way to the outdoor viewing area and sat himself down next to Moeen Ali.In the tense periods, Moeen and Stokes chatted nonsense. At one point, when the partnership between Harry Brook and Chris Woakes was swelling, Moeen commented about how easily they were winning this. Stokes, speaking from experience, reminded him “there is always a twist”, which duly came when Brook was dismissed. Moeen congratulated his skipper on the call, before Woakes and Mark Wood eventually saw things home.Related

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Stokes regarded the spot next to Moeen as his best way of keeping the tension to a minimum. It is largely in keeping with the 36-year-old’s presence in the set-up outright, which has been seen as a success behind closed doors.Both Stokes and McCullum made moves to get him out of retirement last summer, specifically for the Pakistan series later that winter, believing his attacking verve with bat and ball fit the set-up perfectly. They also believed his laidback demeanour, allied with his reading of the game, would boost an already positive group.It was only when Jack Leach was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back on the eve of the series that Stokes made a second approach. Having worked on Moeen’s appetite for a return this summer during their IPL stint together for Chennai Super Kings, he dropped him a text to ask if he was up for it – “Ashes?”. He was.Seven weeks on, Moeen walks into the sunset once more. His contributions to both the feel and the narrative of an engaging series typical of his Test career. Entertaining, endearing, inconsistent and, at times, infuriating.A wound to his spinning finger reopened because it had been a while since he had bowled with a Dukes ball, and then a fan sent him a jar of medical honey which accelerated its healing. When Ollie Pope was ruled out with a shoulder injury, Moeen approached Stokes and McCullum on the penultimate evening of the third Test and asked to bat three in the fourth innings. He wanted to put his mark on the series and protect Brook, who moved back to five, and produced a vital 75 in pursuit of the target of 251.Moeen Ali added 121 for the second wicket with Zak Crawley at Old Trafford•Getty ImagesHalf-century number 15 in Manchester – only his second at No.3 – came during a thrilling stand of 121 with centurion Zak Crawley. Moeen was ranking their shots while out in the middle, giving himself the “shot of the day” tag for a glorious cover drive off Pat Cummins. Having hurt his abductor while batting in the first innings at the Oval, he decided to tee off as he could not run, and carted Cummins into the stands over square leg. He then closed it all out with 3 for 76 on the last day of his 68th and final Test to help England to a series-squaring victory.There are the other bits that don’t really matter but are worth a mention. The constant arguments with Crawley greatly amused the rest of the team. One of them being which part of the country was best at Twenty20 cricket. Crawley ultimately won that one when all four T20 Blast Finals Day teams came from the south group. He is also revered as the slickest bucket hat wearer going, rocking it with the brim turned up, like a turquoise trilby. A few players tried to copy him but couldn’t quite nail the look.This series has been as much about Moeen the vibesman as Moeen the allrounder. At the end of the match, Stokes stated he wanted Moeen “because I know what he can do on his best days”. The last day of the Ashes was exactly that.As for the others, well it’s a hard one to square. His nine dismissals were big ones – Travis Head (three times), Marnus Labuschagne (twice), Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith who he might have had twice had Stokes not botched a catch at leg sip on that final day. But the average of 51.44 reflects the lack of control, likewise the 180 runs at an average of 25.17. At the same time, he brought balance by covering for the loss of spinner and number three. A selfless, up-and-down career ends with a quietly impressive 3,094 runs and 204 wickets.When Stokes sent that message in June, Moeen immediately replied “lol”. And while lols were had, Moeen reflected he was not wholly pleased with how things went, but satisfied this Ashes and his career climaxed with a thrilling finale. Ultimately, he was grateful to himself for accepting the SOS call. He would have regretted it later in life had he not.At the end of the match, Stuart Broad insisted Moeen shared the ovation of their final Test. Broad had alerted the world a couple of nights before that this would be it. With Moeen, it felt like we knew all along.Moeen Ali is regarded among the group as the slickest bucket hat wearer going•Getty Images”I was a little bit embarrassed to be walking off with a great,” he said of leading the team off with Broad. “It proves the man he is. I didn’t want to do it and he said I had to.”I was really reluctant, but it was great. You have mates and build relationships and Broady is one of those guys. From the start, he was always amazing with me. I’ve always got on well with him and really pleased he’s finished the way he has.”With the deserved fanfare around Broad and the perfect ending for one of England’s greatest fast bowlers, you wonder whether Moeen got any closure from this last dance. Or whether he even needed it beyond a more pleasing conclusion after slinking away two years ago with little cause or opportunity for celebration.”When I played a few nice shots I thought, ‘I can still bat’,” he said. “I would have loved to get some more, but it was a great challenge. White ball is great, I love the [franchise] leagues. But there is nothing better than playing against the best attack with a new ball in their hand. It’s a challenge. It’s nice to finish knowing that [I can still bat], it was decent.”The bowling was always a fight,” he admitted. However, the challenge of a final day in the field appealed to him even while crocked, particularly at the ground where he spun England to victory against South Africa with a hat-trick. As it happens, his fourth innings strike rate of 40.2 is better than those of Shane Warne or Graeme Swann.”Maybe it’s because I’m a spinner [that fourth innings appeal to him] but I’ve never felt like a proper spinner like those guys. I don’t overthink bowling on the last day. It’s ragging so I’ll try to get it spinning as much as I can, through the gate, try to nick the lefties off.”The encouragement I got from Baz and Stokesy to go and bowl my best ball, through the gate and things like that. I think that brings the best out of me. My bowling has always been up and down, but one thing I do know is that I’ve always loved bowling in the fourth innings.”

“White ball is great, I love the [franchise] leagues. But there is nothing better than playing against the best attack with a new ball in their hand”Mooen Ali

If anything, it seems this Ashes was a combination of things Moeen got to enjoy one last time. Challenging himself against an accomplished pace attack, sending down a few magical deliveries, and ribbing his team-mates. Fitting given how English cricket has experienced Moeen since debuting in 2014.His inconsistency is part of the thrill. Even in a barrage, he could hook one for six, or when the game is at its most tense, produce a surface-busting off break. Moments of joy and relief out of nowhere, making the top edges when things have calmed down and full tosses a little more palatable. Perhaps not for some, but as all corners of the Kia Oval rose to a rendition of “Stand up if you love Moeen” prior to his penultimate over in Test cricket, it is clear he occupies a unique place in the hearts of most.When he retired at the end of the 2021 summer, his father Munir, was dismayed his son finished tantalisingly short of milestones, on 2,914 runs and 195 dismissals. He was as ecstatic as anyone when Moeen decided to return.”As soon as I got that milestone, my dad checked out,” laughed Moeen. “He wants me to do well, but he checked out – he was just buzzing. That was the one thing in his head more than anything. Things happen for a reason, and it was meant to be.”Gratification in the joy he brings others. Selfless to the cause of the team. Two traits synonymous with Moeen which he underlined over the last seven weeks.The career averages probably mean history will not be kind to quantifying what Moeen Ali truly was as a Test cricketer. But at least England fans and his team-mates could experience him one last time.

The hosts haven’t always got their picks right, but Ben Stokes’ inspirational leadership continues to make it a competitively fought series

Ian Chappell16-Jul-2023The first three Tests in the Ashes series have been exciting – plenty of scintillating cricket, the odd questionable tactic, and some glaring examples of administrative blundering.The series has provided ample batting highlights, including the stubborn resistance of Usman Khawaja and the skilful placement of Joe Root. There’s been abundant audacity, ranging from the unlikely pairing of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett to the brilliant counterattacking strokeplay of Travis Head and Mitch Marsh. England’s captain, Ben Stokes, oscillates between sedate defence and explosive hitting that sends the ball sailing deep into the crowd.Related

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Plenty of batters have made starts but failed to convert them into match-winning scores. I was uncertain about Harry Brook’s talent leading into the series but his innings that piloted England to a much-needed victory in the third Test confirmed his outstanding ability.Australia’s bowling has been headed by Pat Cummins, who is a standout performer. Mitchell Starc displayed great attacking skill in a spirited attempt to bring Australia victory, and with it the urn at Headingley. The serious injury to Nathan Lyon at Lord’s has made it obvious how much Australia depended on their consistent offspinner.England rely heavily on the skill of Stuart Broad and his chokehold on David Warner to spearhead their attack. They belatedly introduced the big-hearted Mark Wood into the series and he proved his worth with a high-speed attack at Headingley. Wood’s inclusion highlighted a perennial English failing: selection. Not only did they fail to introduce his threatening pace until the third Test, they’ve chosen a wicketkeeper who is a batter first, in Jonny Bairstow, whose mistakes with the gloves have cost his side dearly. They also chose to offer red-carpet treatment to Moeen Ali, who in his prime was never much of a bowling or batting threat to Australia.England’s fumbling failure to catch securely and save runs on the ground has been one of the main differences between the two teams.

What Alex Carey did was simply smart cricket; there was no deviousness involved and the crowd reaction was despicable, including the ludicrous cries of “cheat”

The captaincy styles of Cummins and Stokes are very different, but they both admirably try to achieve victory from the first delivery. Stokes has done wonders in cajoling England into acknowledging the priority of scoring runs and taking wickets – as it should be.The regular bouncer barrages used by both sides does not amount to a plausible tactic, as it is too demanding on the bowler. The resultant scattered field placings are also a surefire signal to any flint-eyed batter. The most effective weapon of the bouncer is still surprise.There have been a number of controversies, headed by Bairstow’s second-innings dismissal at Lord’s. Bairstow was out and his thoughtlessness was the result of an abject failure to respect his wicket. What Alex Carey did was simply smart cricket; there was no deviousness involved and the crowd reaction was despicable, including ludicrous cries about Carey being a cheat.If Bairstow was trying to highlight the way etiquette has been ignored (a batter should be ready to face up when the bowler is in position to begin his run) his thought process was commendable but his method was totally wrong.Umpires have been lax in not enforcing this unwritten rule when it comes to batters wandering out of their crease, and the administrators are negligent for not backing umpires to the hilt. That has served to further expose the administrators’ inaction. They haven’t had the guts to explain some of the more controversial laws. Consequently the players undeservedly hear despicable chants of “Cheat!” from an ill-informed public.In the case of replays for catches, perhaps the administrators haven’t explained the process because there is overwhelming evidence that using replays doesn’t always provide the truth. This is further evidence of how administrators make mistakes and the players suffer the consequences.Midway through the Lord’s Test, I felt Australia were poised to run away with the Ashes. However, I failed to factor in Stokes’ outstanding inspirational qualities. Australia will still win the Ashes, but it’ll be a hard fight against an England side that continues to compete despite poor selection.

India’s captain and think tank made a strategic decision to go harder earlier and it has been paying off for them

Sidharth Monga17-Oct-2023Nobody mourns the reduction in the amount of ODI cricket between the last World Cup and this one. You can’t blame them. Still, it is a shame that because so little 50-over cricket is played, and even less by the best players, we might sometimes fail to notice transformative pieces of work. Rohit Sharma’s transformation since he became the full-time India ODI captain might just be one of those.In a World Cup, though, everyone notices. After the duck in the first match in difficult conditions against Australia, Rohit has practically ended two matches inside the first powerplay. He scored 76 off 43 in the first ten overs against Afghanistan, and 45 off 30 against Pakistan. As with everything he does, this was not random. Not a case of feeling good about it on the day and swinging for the hills.He has been batting with elevated intent in ODIs for a while now. Since the start of 2022, which is when he assumed the captaincy, 35 batters have scored 300 or more runs within the first powerplay in ODIs. Only two have gone quicker than Rohit’s strike rate of 111. Neither of these two – Travis Head and Phil Salt – has scored nearly as many runs as Rohit, nor is either of them in a leadership role.Related

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Revolutions in cricket are generally planned by captains but enacted by youngsters. The captain – usually a batter – rarely takes on a risky job. In the history of the sport, only two captains have gone delightfully bonkers for a considerable period of time: Brendon McCullum in 2015 and Chris Gayle in 2009.McCullum scored at 163 in the first ten overs through 2015, and Gayle at 117 in 2009. That, though, is their nature. Rohit’s method has been different. The turnaround in his career centred on his becoming obsessed with not getting out in the first 20 balls, and then gradually accelerating before exploding towards the end. He has changed the whole philosophy of his batting. Not only has he changed it, more incredibly, he encountered failure when he started making the change but still kept at it.It all began with T20Is, where India’s approach with the bat was not quite contemporary when he took over. Possibly the new management impressed upon him the need to change. Possibly he wanted the change himself. But he had to earn the right to be able to tell others to put a lower price on their wicket. He couldn’t have done so without lowering the price of his own wicket.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();

Williamson scored his fourth hundred in as many Tests but Taijul’s guile and perseverance kept the contest on an even keel

Mohammad Isam29-Nov-2023The first New Zealander to score centuries in four consecutive Tests. Level with Sir Don Bradman and Virat Kohli with 29 centuries. Kane Williamson is a modern-day giant, and arguably the greatest batter from his country. Into his thirteenth year in international cricket, Williamson continues to be his side’s batting linchpin, and it is often his battle with the opposition’s best bowler that decides the contest.On Wednesday, Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer, Shakib Al Hasan, got through his first day on the campaign trail in his hometown Magura. Shakib is contesting parliamentary elections, which are set to be held on January 7.Related

Shanto's century puts Bangladesh in driver's seat

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Kane Williamson, Taijul Islam star on evenly-matched second day in Sylhet

Shakib is nursing a finger injury that has put him out of contention for the Test series, and so, in Sylhet, Taijul Islam is Bangladesh’s best bowler: on paper and in the field too. He certainly bowled like the top dog on day two, which he lit up with his 12th four-wicket haul in Test cricket.Taijul has, for years, played second fiddle to Shakib. Quite naturally. But whenever Shakib has been absent or unable to bowl, which has happened quite a lot in Tests, Taijul has been both Bangladesh’s workhorse and their biggest wicket-taking threat. New Zealand discovered the potency of Taijul and his spin colleagues on Wednesday, which they ended 44 runs behind Bangladesh’s first-innings total, with two wickets in hand.Williamson’s main contest was with Taijul. He scored 38 runs off the 91 balls he faced from the left-arm spinner. After Taijul conceded a four through midwicket off a full-toss, he tightened up his lines and lengths considerably. At times it was a slow grind with Williamson hitting a couple of classical off-drives and a square-cut. Nayeem Hasan also posed some difficulty for Williamson, and just when it looked like the New Zealand great was going to get his side close to the Bangladesh total, Taijul came up with the ball of the day.It was the fifth ball after Bangladesh had taken the second new ball. Taijul tossed it up, drawing Williamson onto the forward press. The trajectory, however, undid Williamson, who was beaten for line, the ball drifting in and continuing along that path after pitching, sneaking between his bat and pad. Williamson looked back in surprise as the ball dislodged his off bail. He had seemed to have it covered, but Taijul had found that tiny gap. He had been trying to get Williamson to come forward all day and leave that space for him, or at least beat his inside edge and hit his front pad, below the flap. It had finally worked, bringing a wide smile to Taijul’s face.Williamson later said New Zealand had faced tough questions from the Bangladesh spinners. “They are very familiar with these conditions. They are very accurate. They all ask different questions,” he said. “They were all outstanding today. They asked us a lot of questions. They taught a lot of lessons as well to play in this part of this world.”Kane Williamson was patient and sure-footed against Bangladesh’s spinners•AFP/Getty ImagesBangladesh’s spin bowling coach Rangana Herath reiterated that Taijul has grown into a bowling leader in Shakib’s absence. “Taijul is always helping the attack. He is our leading spinner,” Herath said. “He created a lot of pressure [on New Zealand]. He created a lot of angles.”He has great experience, knowledge and understanding. I am so happy that he took four wickets today. Taijul plays a big role for us regardless of Shakib playing or not. He plays both attacking and defensive role. He is always relying on his line and length.”Williamson’s century was an important contribution, and he felt his partnerships with Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Philips were crucial to New Zealand’s reply to Bangladesh’s 310 all out.”It is humbling [to get the consecutive centuries record for New Zealand] but at the same time the focus is about the team,” he said. “Trying to get it to the best possible position, and be a part of as many partnerships. That’s the goal. It was the pleasing thing today, but it would have been to still be out there.”Williamson’s wicket late in the day evened up the contest, perhaps turning it slightly in favour of the home side. That’s only if they can take the two remaining New Zealand wickets quickly on the third morning, of course.”It was a tough day,” Williamson said. “I thought the batters really tried to apply themselves. Put together some good partnerships. We have a couple of wickets left. It will be nice to get a few more, and then we will have our chance to bowl. The surface is showing signs of deteriorating quite a lot. It looks like a bit of a scrap in the next few days.”