Varun Chopra’s inclusion to play in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh will be a boost to his community’s involvement in the game back in Ireland

Tim Wigmore27-Jan-2016Barely a fortnight ago, Ireland’s Under-19 players were still reflecting on the disappointment of missing out on qualification for the World Cup. Now, after Australia’s withdrawal from the competition because of security concerns, Ireland are preparing to begin their World Cup campaign with a televised game against India.The match will hold particular significance for Ireland’s youngest player, Varun Chopra. In 1974, Varun’s father, Vishal, then aged five, was in a car driven by his mother, Asha, who was eight months pregnant. On a street in Derry, she was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The bullet had diverted off the arm of a policeman it was intended for. It later led to an official apology from the IRA. Asha is believed to have been the only Irish-Asian killed by the IRA.Vishal immediately moved to Mumbai to be with his grandparents, but returned to Ireland aged 17 “to see if I could make something of my life”. He now lives in Coleraine, in the north of Northern Ireland, where Vishal met his wife and built a career importing jewellery. “Heaven on earth I call this place,” he says. “It is the nicest place on earth. That is why I chose to come back here. Ireland has given me a lot and I hope that me and my children will be here forever. My family in India all know about the game. Hopefully they’ll be supporting the youngster!”One of Vishal’s other children, Rishi, is a 20-year-old offspinner who already plays for the North West Warriors, one of the three sides in Ireland’s interprovincial competition.”He gets good revs on the ball, and as a result generally gets ‘drop’ – a key ingredient,” says the former Ireland offspinner Kyle McCallan, now a selector, although Rishi’s release point, “past perpendicular”, can cause problems with his line.Varun, a legspinner who turns 16 on February 1, the day of the match against New Zealand, is reckoned to be even more promising. He caught McCallan’s eye immediately when he saw him three years ago. “He has a repeatable action and bowled with impeccable accuracy. What was more impressive was that he spun it hard and had the ability to spin it both ways.”A combination of cold weather and damp pitches means that bowling spin in Ireland is no glamorous pursuit. “In Ireland it’s absolutely freezing, so it is tough. You need good weather, which hopefully we’ll get in Bangladesh,” says Varun.Chopra impressed selector and former spinner Kyle McCallan with his ability to spin the ball hard and turn it both ways•Ian Jacobs/ICCAs a young legspinner, it has been Varun’s fortune to work with Bobby Rao, the former legspinning allrounder from India who later settled in Ireland. Varun worked with Rao from the age of 10.”He is a great learner,” Rao says. “He is a genuine orthodox legspinner with a well-disguised googly. The wickets in Bangladesh take turn – he will be a match-winner for Ireland.”Tall for his age, Varun tends to bowl flat and quick for a legspinner, in a manner bearing some resemblance to Anil Kumble. In person he has the shyness one would expect of a 15-year-old unaccustomed to doing media interviews. But his ambition is easy enough to detect.”The aim is to be a professional player and represent the Ireland senior team in a couple of years. Hopefully this experience will help me big time and can help me into the main team in a couple of years,” he says. Like Rishi, who is studying at Leeds Beckett University, Varun aspires to eventually gain a county contract. That would provide vindication for copious hours spent travelling from Coleraine to Bready, where indoor training is held during the winter.Varun had just turned seven when Ireland toppled Pakistan on St Patrick’s Day in 2007. The years since have seen the image of Irish cricket transformed. “A lot more people follow cricket and Ireland cricket’s profile is increasing – a lot more people know about it and are following it,” he says.For Cricket Ireland, the story of the Chopras has a greater significance. The era of professionalism in Irish cricket has so far passed the Irish-Asian population by. Ireland have not fielded an Irish-Asian since 2005, despite a growing population from cricket-loving Asian countries – the non-Chinese Asian population is the fastest growing demographic in the Republic of Ireland, and there are over 60,000 people of South Asian descent living across Northern Ireland and the Republic.Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, admits there is “anecdotal” evidence that Irish-Asian fans who have attended ODIs between Ireland and Pakistan or Sri Lanka in recent years are less inclined to attend other matches.Varun (left) with older brother and offspinner Rishi•Vishal ChopraBut Cricket Ireland is attempting to grow links with the Irish-Asian community. In 2014, Shapoorji Pallonji, an Indian construction billionaire who is the world’s 55th richest man, agreed to fund the board’s academy for the next decade, giving around €2.5 million in total.Efforts are being made to nurture the best Irish-Asian talent, especially around Dublin, where the concentration of cricketers of South Asian heritage is highest: a Cricket Inclusion Development Officer for Cricket Leinster targets some Asian areas. Cricket Ireland is currently helping fund artificial wickets and nets in Ballyhaunis, a small town in the west of Ireland that has the highest percentage of immigrants in the country. Almost one-third of registered club players in Munster are of South Asian descent.Yet there is also recognition that despite financial support from the ICC, which is meagre compared to that which the weakest Full Members get, Cricket Ireland could do more to engage the Irish-Asian community. This will be one focus of the board’s new strategic plan, which will be launched in the next few months.”The new strategy will highlight opportunities to reach out to cricket-loving expats from outside of Ireland, especially within the Asian communities, and the need to shift perceptions of cricket as an elitist, exclusive sport to one that is open and accessible,” says Richard Holdsworth, Performance Director of Cricket Ireland.”The challenges are how to engage with the community in the right way, and whether we try and integrate that community into existing cricket structures – through clubs – or whether we need to devise new channels of entry to the game here, similar to the Chance to Shine programme in England,” Deutrom says. “It’s likely to be a mix of the two.”Part of Cricket Ireland’s challenge is to find poster boys for the growing Irish-Asian cricket community. “We certainly hope that the success of the Chopras will continue into the senior squads and inspire other youngsters of South Asian descent to join their local club and play for Ireland,” Deutrom says.The Chopra brothers could become the standard-bearers for Irish-Asian cricketers. And, if all goes well for the boys and their country, Varun and Rishi could one day be Irish spin twins in a Test match. “That would be a dream come true,” Vishal says. “Anything is possible if you work hard enough.”

Chris Gayle and Shane Watson are foes-turned-friends who will unite for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s quest to win a first title. Having buried the hatchet, will they groove to the tune?

Deivarayan Muthu11-Apr-2016The buzz at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is unmistakable on the eve of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL opener, against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The security has been strengthened. Big posters of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Shane Watson, along with their ‘Play Bold’ tagline, welcome you. Passers-by take a moment to soak in the arrival of the IPL bandwagon.Gayle, the World Boss, nay the Universe Boss, has been with the franchise since 2011. He has entertained the Chinnaswamy crowd not just with his sixes, but also with his celebratory jigs. The style, the horse dance, even a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque celebration.De Villiers or Neo from the , as South Africa team-mate Dale Steyn once referred to him, has also been part of the set-up since 2011. Kohli, the captain, has been with franchise since its inception in 2008. No wonder then that they enjoy fanatical support.Now, Royal Challengers have added a proven T20 match-winner in Watson to their already star-studded roster by paying INR 9.5 crores for his services. That he is sharing space with the ‘Big Three’ in the posters and promotions shows how much he is valued. On Tuesday, Watson and Gayle, who have had numerous run-ins in the past, may walk out together to open the batting.At the Pakistan Super League, the two bumped into each other. Gayle took to Twitter to let the world know what he thought of of his mate. “Who would have thought this would happen? Want to punch him in the belly when taking this, but #RCB need him for the #IPL.”Their rivalry dates back to December 2009. West Indies were chasing 359 for a Test-series-levelling win in Perth. Watson had Gayle caught behind. What happened next? Watson sprinted to the batting crease, got into Gayle’s face, clenched his fists, jumped up and down haphazardly and let out a ferocious roar. It was a proper send-off.Watson was fined 15% of his match fee following the incident. Gayle labelled Watson “soft” and easy to wind up. The two then fired verbal volleys at each other during the semi-final of the 2012 World T20 in Sri Lanka.At the Big Bash League this season, Watson was critical of his Sydney Thunder team-mate Gayle after his infamous interview with Channel Ten journalist Mel McLaughlin. “I have played against Chris for a long time, since I started really, and that behaviour is fairly expected,” Watson said. “People who know Chris Gayle will know those are the sort of things he can do at times, and at an inappropriate time, obviously it gets him into a fair bit of trouble.”The only problem with those remarks were that Watson had to be prepared for a counter punch. “The past cricketer who say I make myself look like a chop, the other who claim I was no good to the youngsters while playing for the Thunder, the next one who said he expect that sort of behavior from Chris – Y’all can kiss my ‘Black R*** ‘ I love Australia and I will be back again even for the … oi oi,” Gayle posted on Instagram.Ahead of Royal Challengers’ opening match, Watson admitted that he and Gayle had buried the hatchet at the PSL.”It’s amazing how the world works and how life works, I suppose,” he said. “Chris Gayle and myself have certainly had a few run-ins throughout our international careers. The day I got picked up by RCB in the auction, I saw Chris during the PSL. That was the day we had to bury the hatchet (laughs), knowing that I was going to be playing with him.”When you’re competing on the field, as soon as things change and you’re on the same team, everyone puts everything aside and moves forward. I’ve always had the utmost respect for him as a player. So it’s nice to be able to get to know him personally off the field, and you move forward.”The IPL is a strange place where partisan following and loyalty run deep. Friends turn foes. Foes turn friends. Delhi team-mates Kohli and Gautam Gambhir have had a go at each other in a game between Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders, with another then Delhi player, Rajat Bhatia, intervening to cool things down. Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh, who were at the centre of the ‘Monkeygate’ controversy, have celebrated together for Mumbai Indians. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who made the complaint about the incident, now coaches Harbhajan in the IPL.Who is to say then that Watson and Gayle won’t do the dance together?

06-May-2016Dwayne Smith fell in the third over, before Shikhar Dhawan made a mess of a chance offered by McCullum. McCullum was on 3 then and Lions were 12 for 1•BCCISuresh Raina played a brief cameo before popping a return catch to Bhuvneshwar•AFPSoon after Kane Williamson’s sharp catch got rid of Dinesh Karthik, an air-borne David Warner plucked a stunner at long-off to see the back of McCullum. Lions were 34 for 4•BCCISunrisers had several moments of brilliance on the field. Substitute fielder Vijay Shankar’s stunning boundary catch sent back Dwayne Bravo who had helped rebuild through a 45-run fifth-wicket stand with Aaron Finch•BCCIRavindra Jadeja chipped in with 18 and added 27 for the sixth wicket with Finch•BCCIFinch stayed not out on 51 to steer Lions to 126 for 6•BCCIMustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar starred with the ball for Sunrisers. Bhuvneshwar took 2 for 28, while Mustafizur ended with 2 for 17•BCCIDavid Warner scored a typically quick 24 before he mistimed a pull shot and picked mid-on•AFPLions’ bowlers continued to make inroads. When Moises Henriques was caught behind for 14, Sunrisers were 55 for 3•BCCIBut Dhawan played a watchful innings to keep Sunrisers afloat•BCCIYuvraj Singh could not make an impact on his Sunrisers debut and managed just 5 off 14 balls•BCCIWhen Bravo had Deepak Hooda caught behind in the 18th over, the equation narrowed down to 19 from 16 balls•BCCIWhile Bravo took 2 for 14 in three, Dhawal Kulkarni finished with 2 for 17 in four overs•BCCIBut their efforts went in vain as Dhawan smacked back-to-back fours to help the hosts reach the target with an over to spare•BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2016Pakistan were set 343 to win and Mohammad Hafeez helped the ball to long leg to gift England their first wicket•Getty ImagesSami Aslam struck his second half-century of the match. But his team-mates weren’t quite so sturdy•AFPMoeen Ali broke through after lunch when he had Azhar Ali taken at second slip•Getty ImagesThe ball then started to reverse swing for England and James Anderson removed Younis Khan•Getty ImagesSteven Finn was pumped when he ended his wicket drought by claiming Misbah-ul-Haq•Getty ImagesAsad Shafiq bagged a pair when he was trapped lbw by Chris Woakes•Getty ImagesPakistan lost four wickets for only one run in the middle session and with the tail in sight, England closed in on their opponents•Getty ImagesSohail Khan struck some meaty blows in a 10th wicket partnership that contributed 50 runs•Getty ImagesMoeen took the final wicket to fall and pushed England into a 2-1 series lead•Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2016Jake Ball was the final wicket to fall when he couldn’t make his ground•Getty ImagesYasir Shah holds the ball aloft after finishing with six wickets•Getty ImagesStuart Broad is ecstatic after having Mohammad Hafeez caught in the slips•Getty ImagesAlastair Cook holds the catch at first slip to remove Shan Masood•Getty ImagesYounis Khan struggled to settle as Pakistan’s scoring rate slowed•Getty ImagesAlex Hales held a well-judged catch running around at deep midwicket to remove Misbah-ul-Haq for a duck•AFPSteven Finn throws his head back as he sees Younis save himself from an lbw with a review•Getty ImagesAsad Shafiq played his second important innings of the match to help steady the innings•PA PhotosYounis eventually dragged on against Moeen Ali, but it was a ball that turned sharply which was good news for Pakistan•Getty ImagesMoeen collected two big wickets to keep England in the contest•Getty ImagesSarfraz Ahmed’s innings kept the pressure on England•Getty ImagesStuart Broad couldn’t quite grasp a low chance offered by Yasir Shah•Getty ImagesSteven Finn shows his anger as Jonny Bairstow drops a catch•Getty ImagesChris Woakes claimed his tenth wicket of the match when he removed Sarfraz Ahmed•Getty Images

Stats highlights England’s 122-run victory over Sri Lanka in Cardiff

Bharath Seervi02-Jul-20164 Number of bilateral ODI series of five or more matches in which England have not lost any game, including this series. The first such series was against Zimbabwe in 2001-02 when they won all the five matches. The second came against South Africa in 2008 when they won four of the five matches, with one game being washed out. The last such series came against India at home in 2011, which had similar result like this series – three wins, one tie and one no-result.2 Number of bilateral ODI series of five or more matches in which Sri Lanka have not managed to win a single game, including this series. The first came against India in 2014-15 when they lost all the five matches.324 England’s total in this game, which is their second highest in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Their highest of 333 for 9 came in a 60-over match in the 1983 World Cup in Taunton. The previous-highest total for England in a 50-over ODI against Sri Lanka was 321 for 7 at Headingley in 2006, which Sri Lanka chased down in 37.3 overs. This was the first time England made more than 250 runs in ODIs in Cardiff and their total is the second highest by any team at this venue.1 Number of higher victory margins, in terms of runs, for England against Sri Lanka, than the 122-run win in this ODI. They had won by 128 runs at the WACA in 1998-99, which is their biggest win against Sri Lanka.109 Runs added by Joe Root and Jos Buttler for the fifth wicket, which is the most by a England pair against Sri Lanka in ODIs. Root was involved in the previous highest as well – 98 runs with James Taylor in Wellington in the 2015 World Cup.225.00 Buttler’s strike rate in his last 20 balls of the innings, in which he scored 45 runs. In the first 25 balls he faced, he managed only 25, including one four. In the last 20 balls, he hit six fours and a six.93 Root’s tally in this match – the highest by an England batsman in Cardiff. There have been four centuries at this venue, all by non-England players. The previous highest by an England batsman was 88 by Ian Bell against Pakistan in 2006. Buttler scored 70 on Saturday, which is the third-highest score at this venue. This was the first time Root was out in the nineties, having pressed on to make a century eight times.7 Number of times the top-six England batsmen made 20 or more runs in an ODI. This was their second such instance in ODIs this year. They had achieved the feat against South Africa in Bloemfontein earlier this year when they posted 399.83 Runs conceded by Chaminda Bandara, which is the most by a Sri Lanka player on ODI debut. This is also the most by a bowler from a Full-Member side in a 50-over ODI. The previous highest by bowler from a Full-Member team in a 50-over ODI was 78 by Steven Smith in 2009-10. Bandara, though, in his last first-class match, in March, had taken 9 for 68 in the first innings.316 Runs scored by Jason Roy in this series, which is the most by an England opener against Sri Lanka. The previous highest was 298 by Alastair Cook in 2011. Root had scored 367 in the seven-match series in 2014-15, which is the only aggregate higher than Roy’s 316 for England against Sri Lanka, considering players from any batting position.4 Number of fifties by Dinesh Chandimal in this series, which is the most by a Sri Lanka batsman in a bilateral ODI series of five or fewer matches. Chandimal has scored five fifties and one century in eight ODI innings this year.12 Number of fifties made by Sri Lanka players in this series without making a century – the most for them in a bilateral ODI series. Their previous highest was ten fifties in 2004 series against South Africa. Only two teams have made more fifties without a century in a bilateral series – 13 by India in the seven matches against England in 2007 and and an equal number by Zimbabwe in five matches against Kenya in 2008-09.4 Number of run-out dismissals from Sri Lanka’s top-four batsmen in this series, which is their joint most in a bilateral ODI series. Their total of seven run-outs, from all positions, in the series, stands joint second. Kusal Perera, the opener, and Dasun Shanaka, the allrounder, were run-out twice in the series.

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jun-2016England struck early when David Willey removed Danushka Gunathilaka•Getty Images/Sportsfile… and Willey was flying when Kusal Perera holed out to backward point•Getty Images/SportsfileChris Woakes also struck early to remove Kusal Mendis for 17•Getty Images/SportsfileDinesh Chandimal regrouped for Sri Lanka with 37 from 56 balls•Getty Images/Sportsfile… while Angelo Mathews anchored the innings with 73•Getty ImagesMoeen Ali ended Chandimal’s stay and a stand of 64•Getty Images… courtesy of Woakes’ catch at deep backward square•PA PhotosThe fireworks, however, were provided by Seekkuge Prasanna•Getty Images…who made 59 from 28 balls…•Getty Images… including eight fours and four sixes, before falling to Woakes for 59•Getty ImagesWilley and Liam Plunkett combined to run out Dasun Shanaka•AFPMathews fell during the closing overs•AFPFarveez Maharoof shepherded the lower order as Sri Lanka posted 286 for 9•PA PhotosEngland’s reply started badly when Jason Roy fell lbw•Getty ImagesSuranga Lakmal was right on the money, getting rid of Alex Hales•PA PhotosJoe Root inside-edged on to his stumps•PA Photos… before Jonny Bairstow was caught at point for 3, leaving England 30 for 4•PA PhotosMorgan hit a few boundaries to steady his side…•PA Photos…but Nuwan Pradeep had him caught behind for 43•PA PhotosMoeen then played on to Pradeep, with England 82 for 6•PA PhotosJos Buttler helped get England’s chase back on track•PA PhotosButtler and Woakes put on a century stand, running Sri Lanka hard•AFPSeekkuge Prasanna made the vital breakthrough …•AFP… courtesy of Dasun Shanaka’s stunning catch at long-on to remove Buttler for 93•AFPBut, needing six off the last ball for a tie, Liam Plunkett duly obliged•AFP

Jimmy Neesham talks Twitter, rating himself as an allrounder, and the most annoying thing about Brendon McCullum

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi23-Sep-2016You tweet in an unfiltered way. Not many athletes do that.
I don’t really see the point of filtering things too much. There are times when your opinion is not popular and you have to tone down a little bit. But I think the more you are yourself, the easier it is to get on with daily life.Who is the second-best cricketer at Twitter, who you follow?
A lot of people tweet me saying Virender Sehwag is quite good, but a lot of his stuff I can’t understand because it’s not in English. A lot of Indians tell me I am the second funniest behind him.Which cricketer would you would pay to watch?
I will pay to watch AB de Villiers. You don’t really pay to watch a lot of international cricketers if you are an international cricketer because it is a little hard to go in the stands and watch with the members of the public. It can get a little inconvenient, for obvious reasons.

“If a person has a very tidy, trimmed, well-maintained beard, he probably is more conscious of how he comes across to other people. And you have guys like Kane, who just lets it run wild. He doesn’t really care what everyone else thinks of his beard”

One match you did watch from the stands, with de Villiers playing, was the 2015 World Cup semi-final.
It was a crazy experience. I actually wasn’t going to go to the game. And then one of my friends who I knew through media work had a pass in a private area, so I could watch the match from a private room and not have to deal with the kerfuffle that goes on with that sort of situation. But it was a really special evening for New Zealand cricket.”Holy f****** shitballs this is the best day of my life.” – you wrote, sitting in the third tier immediately after Grant Elliott hit the winning shot in that semi-final.
It was a pretty authentic reaction to what was happening at the time. Just like most of the rest of the nation, I certainly got swept up a little bit with the passion of the moment. It was deleted later for obvious reasons.Why?
There were some naughty words in there which I did not want to repeat. I try to stay away from those kinds of things. As I said I got a little bit excited, clearly.What quiz question do you most fancy being in?
A few friends of mine do public quizzes and they say this one: “Who was at the other end when Brendon McCullum scored his triple-hundred?” Seems to be a reasonably popular one.”A lot of Indians tell me I am the second funniest [tweeter] behind Sehwag”•Getty ImagesYou hit a hundred in that Test. On the morning when McCullum walked out to bat in the 290s, he said he was feeling really nervous. But once he got to the pitch, you looked around and said, “Gee, I didn’t think so many people would turn up to see me score a hundred.” McCullum said he started to laugh and felt a lot more clear-headed when play began. Do you remember that?
It was in the morning, during the warm-ups. Brendon was pretty fatigued and was sort of struggling to get up for the occasion. It is always nice to try and break the ice in a situation like that. Now that McCullum has retired, can you tell us anything about him that was really annoying?
He’d never let you pay for anything. He always managed to find a way to sneak off in the middle of a meal and slip some notes to a waiter. You’d go to pay at the end of the meal and the waiter would say it’s all been taken care of. A few of the lads have only just found out what a beer costs since he’s retired!What about his superstition about not changing bat grips?
Yes, he did not like to change his grip in the middle of an innings. During the 300, when he batted for two and a half days, every time he ripped his grip he would wrap strapping tape around it. A little bit of repair on the fly. And by the time he got to 290 on the fifth morning, his bat had probably more strapping tape than grip, so it was more difficult for him to get bat on ball.If you had to conceal something inside your bat what would you carry in it?
Ah jeez! Something that will make the ball go a bit further would be quite useful, but that is obviously illegal. Maybe some sort of speaker so I can listen to some music while I am in the middle batting.Can you learn anything about a cricketer from the beard he sports?
You can learn a lot. If a person has a very tidy, trimmed well-maintained beard, he probably is more conscious of how he comes across to other people. If you have guys like Kane [Williamson] who just lets it run wild, he doesn’t really care what everyone else thinks of his beard. I think it can show a little bit of a window to a person’s conscience.

“Brendon would never let you pay for anything. He always managed to find a way to sneak off in the middle of a meal and slip some notes to a waiter”

Is there anything that Williamson can’t do with the bat in hand?
He is always trying to explore new shots in training. If he does see a shot that he can’t play, it will only take him a couple of weeks to sort.Why are guys like McCullum and Williamson good at what they do?
Brendon was much more explosive. He could come out and dominate anyone on his day. His attitude was: get ’em before they get me. Try and take bowlers down. Kane plays more of a waiting game, wears the opposition bowlers down, and his record is second to none in all formats of the game. The main thing I have learned from playing under both of them is that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Use your own method and success will come once you are true to yourself.Are you patient as a player?
I don’t think I am, really. That is one of the things that I probably struggle with a little bit in Test cricket – trying to find a natural tempo to play at. My natural game is being more aggressive. In the last few months I have watched guys like David Warner, Virat Kohli, and Kane to a certain extent, who go out and still play quite aggressively in Test cricket. And now I realise you can play aggressively in the longer format of the game.What is your favourite stroke?
There is nothing better than a hook shot. When a fast bowler comes in and tries to dig it in short and a batsman just stands tall and hooks it away. Something like what Kevin Pietersen used to play is the best shot to watch.You are being talked about as a Test allrounder. How good do you think you are?
You have to think you are one of the best going around to succeed in the international game. I have been hindered by a back injury in the last couple of years. But having come back and played county cricket [for Derbyshire], I still believe if I am putting my best foot forward in both departments, then I am one of the handful of the best allrounders in the world. And hopefully over the next six months or so I can begin to prove that on the field with results, because you can think of yourself as much as you want, but that doesn’t really count unless you can put the numbers on the board.Quiz question: “Who was at the other end when Brendon McCullum scored his triple-hundred?”•Getty ImagesWhat is one cliché you want commentators to cut out?
The one that most annoys me is when commentators talk about pulling off the front foot. Any pull shot is off the front foot by definition. So when the batsman pulls off the front foot and the commentator says he is taking the bowler on, I find that really strange.How exactly do you plan to tackle R Ashwin on Indian pitches?
He is a high-quality bowler, a top-ten bowler at the moment, and in his own conditions he will be a big challenge. But we have got some pretty good players of spin in our top order. We have been talking of ways to combat him. But I certainly won’t be giving away my plans here.You have already wondered why airports don’t have hairdressers. What about hotel rooms?
It would be quite nice if hotels had Netflix in the rooms.What if you could introduce a new Law in the game?
I would quite like to see what would happen if there were no rules on ball-tampering. If you could just do whatever you wanted to the ball. That would probably make Test cricket more interesting. It could make more tedious sessions more exciting with the ball reversing more.What about cricket at the Olympics?
I think the ICC should be doing everything within their power to get cricket into the Olympics. One of our main aims as a sport should be expanding playing numbers throughout the world, and the Olympic Games is a perfect way to achieve this.What has cricket taught you so far?
Cricket has taught me that you can’t get too down during the bad times. Everyone through their career has their highs and their lows, struggle mentally and physically. If you can continue to take one day at a time and not get too disillusioned by your failures then you will probably have a lot more fun, a lot more play, a lot more success than failures.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2016It was an awful piece of judgement from such an experienced batsman•Associated PressAdil Rashid also struck as Bangladesh continued to lose their way•Associated PressBen Stokes had been the catalyst late on the second day and continued a masterful display of reverse swing•Associated PressStokes wrapped up the innings when Kamrul Islam Rabbi judged the wrong one to leave•Associated PressHowever, after a steady start, England quickly lost top-order wickets – Alastair Cook the first when he edged low to slip•Getty ImagesMehedi Hasan claimed the seventh wicket of his debut Test•Getty ImagesShakib tried to make amends for his earlier shot with two wickets before lunch•AFPMoeen Ali helped to steady England’s innings before falling for 14…•AFP…he was well caught off a sweep by Mushfiqur Rahim to leave England 62 for 5•Getty ImagesBut Stokes followed his fine bowling with a mature and sensible half-century•AFPHe was joined in a crucial sixth-wicket stand by Jonny Bairstow, who broke Andy Flower’s record for runs by a wicketkeeper in a year•AFPStokes unleashed some powerful shots as England took control•Getty ImagesKamrul Islam Rabbi claimed Bairstow as his first Test wicket•AFP

Stats highlights from the third Test between Australia and South Africa in Adelaide where Faf du Plessis declared on the score of 259

Shiva Jayaraman24-Nov-20162 Centuries by South African captains in Tests in Australia before Faf du Plessis’ 118 not out. Graeme Smith had scored both of them – at the same venue in 2012-13 and at the WACA in 2008-09. Overall, du Plessis’ hundred was only the seventh by a South Africa captain in Tests against Australia.97.40 Du Plessis’ batting average in Tests in Australia. He has made two hundreds and two fifties in just eight innings. At the Adelaide Oval, du Plessis has made 306 runs – scores of 78, 110* and 118* – in three innings. Overall, he has 701 runs at 63.72 in Tests against Australia. Only two other South Africa batsmen with at least 500 runs against Australia – Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock – average higher than du Plessis against them.108.33 Du Plessis’ strike rate against Mitchell Starc in his innings. He faced 48 balls from Starc and made 52 runs, 36 of which came off boundaries. The other South Africa batsmen scored only 24 runs off 91 deliveries from Starc at a strike rate of 26.37.

1981 The last time Australia had five debutants in a Test series. They had handed out Test caps to Terry Alderman, Trevor Chappell, Martin Kent, Dirk Wellham and Mike Whitney in the Ashes series in England that year. While Callum Ferguson and Joe Mennie made their debuts in Hobart, this Test has three Australia debutants – Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson and Matt Renshaw.4 Number of times Josh Hazlewood has dismissed Hashim Amla in four innings in this series. This equals the most any bowler has dismissed Amla in a series. S Sreesanth had dismissed Amla four times in 69 deliveries during India’s tour of South Africa in 2006-07. Stuart Broad had got Amla four times from 207 balls in the Test series in South Africa in 2015-16. Hazlewood has bowled just 33 deliveries to Amla in this series so far.2/102 Score in the final session on the first day when artificial lights took over completely. The final session on the first day of the first floodlit Test at the Adelaide Oval had seen five wickets fall for 83 runs. However, the happenings in the first two sessions of the day were almost identical to the first Test: seven wickets fell for 171 runs in this Test. The first two sessions of the match between the hosts and New Zealand had seen seven wickets fall for 173 runs.Faf du Plessis declared South Africa’s innings at the Adelaide Oval with only 259 runs on the board – their second-lowest total on which they have declared in the first innings of a Test. The table below lists the 15 instances when teams have declared the first innings of a Test for a total of under 300 runs.

The balls faced by South Africa – 456 – were sixth on the list of fewest deliveries of a first innings of a Test before declaration.

In fact, this is the lowest team total at which a captain unbeaten at the crease has declared the first innings of a Test. The only other instance when an unbeaten captain chose to declare the first innings of a Test with a total of under 300 runs was when Geoff Howarth called New Zealand’s innings off while batting on 58* in the Wellington Test against Australia in 1982. That decision was, perhaps, forced by weather conditions with the first day of the Test already lost to rain.