“Over here on good wickets, you have to have a couple of balls up your sleeve that you can go to under pressure”

Deivarayan Muthu14-Oct-2023October 5, 2023, Ahmedabad. Trent Boult vs Liam Livingstone.It’s no secret that Livingstone is particularly strong at pumping the ball over the leg side. The old ball isn’t swinging or reversing for Boult. He denies Livingstone access to the leg-side boundary by darting four balls wide of off stump. He then dangles the bait by angling a ball into the stumps and has him chipping a catch to long-on. This isn’t any ordinary ball. This is a knuckle ball.Just over a week later, against Bangladesh at Chepauk, Boult rolls out another knuckle ball without any discernible change in his arm speed, and has Towhid Hridoy scooping a catch to short extra-cover.Related

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Boult has always been an outstanding operator with the new ball. How outstanding? Since his ODI debut in 2012 in Basseterre, nobody has taken more wickets in the first ten overs of an innings than Boult, who has 88 wickets in 106 innings at an economy rate of 4.16. The ODI landscape has changed since, and Boult is adapting to it by adding some new tricks to his repertoire.He revealed that he has been working on perfecting the knuckle ball for about two-and-a-half years. The variation had also served him well during his title-winning stint with MI New York in the inaugural MLC competition.”Yeah, practice. The old cliché,” Boult said after New Zealand beat Bangladesh in Chennai on Friday. “Yeah, I touched on [it] with Athers (Michael Atherton) at the half-time break that I’ve been lucky enough to play with some decent bowlers over the years, and sharing secrets and asking questions is always the way forward. But yeah, I think over here on good wickets, you have to have a couple of balls up your sleeve that you can go to under pressure, and touchwood, it’s coming out all right; I enjoy bowling it.”The latest knuckle ball brought Boult his 200th ODI wicket in his 107th match in the format. He is the third fastest to the landmark after Australia’s Mitchell Starc (102 matches) and Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq (104).”Yeah, I’m very proud of it,” Boult said. “It’s come with a bit of hard work and, you know, I’ve always enjoyed-one day cricket, and there’s been days where it’s been a lot more successful than others, but very good feeling to tick off 200. It is pretty exciting.”

“It has happened pretty quickly… challenge will be moving around the country with the different wickets and conditions that we face”Trent Boult on New Zealand’s three wins in three games so far

Boult had initially struggled to make the age-group representative teams – he wasn’t even in the Bay of Plenty Under-17 team – the level below Northern Districts, but he kept levelling up. Like, at 18, he made it to New Zealand’s Under-19 World Cup team that also featured Kane Williamson and Tim Southee. Even before he had played senior provincial cricket for Northern Districts, Boult made his first-class debut for New Zealand A against India A in Chennai in 2008. Fifteen years on at the same venue, Boult showed that he continues to evolve as a bowler.Boult also backed the current New Zealand team to adapt to the different conditions that will be thrown at them at this World Cup in India.”Yeah, it [three wins in three games] has all happened pretty quickly obviously,” Boult said. “It’s been a busy schedule, but I think I said earlier in an interview in this tournament that the challenge will be moving around the country with the different wickets and conditions that we face.”But the guys have been clinical so far and delivered the plans that we’ve spoken about with the ball, and yeah, the batting is going nicely as well. So [we] understand there’s a lot of cricket still to come, but it’s a good position to be in three from three.”Boult – and New Zealand – have a well-earned day off on Saturday before they resume training at Chepauk for their game against Afghanistan at the same venue on October 18.

We assess the Division One contenders in our County Championship preview

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2024.

Durham

Last season: 1st in Division Two
Director of cricket: Marcus North
Head coach: Ryan Campbell
Captain: Scott Borthwick
Overseas: David Bedingham, Scott Boland
Ins: Colin Ackermann, Callum Parkinson (both Leicestershire)
Outs: Liam Trevaskis (Leicestershire), Harry Crawshaw, Luke Doneathy, Ross Whitfield (all released), Tom Mackintosh (retired)The home county of Ben Stokes were, appropriately enough, the most Bazballingest across both divisions of the County Championship – scoring their runs at a rate of 4.39 an over and storming to seven wins out of 14 to secure Durham their longed-for return to the top tier after a seven-year absence. As with Stokes’ England, their resurrection was overseen by an affable Antipodean, Ryan Campbell enjoying immediate success with his manifesto of attacking cricket and living your best life.Durham narrowly lost to Sussex in the opening round but went unbeaten through the rest of the season to finish 66 points clear of their nearest challengers, Worcestershire. Alex Lees, an original Bazballer, topped the Division Two run charts with 1347 at 70.89, while Ben Raine and Matthew Potts were out on their own as the two most-prolific bowlers. David Bedingham passed 1000 runs, Ollie Robinson proved an inspired signing, but perhaps the greatest testament to Campbell’s impact was Graham Clark, previously pigeon-holed as a white-ball batter, who played every game and averaged 58.42.With Callum Parkinson and Colin Ackermann arriving to add to the spin stocks and middle-order batting respectively, as well as Australia seamer Scott Boland joining for the first half of the season, they look well equipped to shake up Division One.One to watch: Top-order batter Ben McKinney made a handful of first-team appearances last year and will be pushing for further opportunities. England’s captain and top-scorer at the Under-19 World Cup over the winter, McKinney has been in the Durham system since the age of 10. Impressed on the pre-season tour of Zimbabwe, scoring his maiden first-class fifty. Alan GardnerRelated

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Bet365: 12/1

Essex

Last season: 2nd in Division One
Head coach: Anthony McGrath
Captain: Tom Westley
Overseas: Simon Harmer, Dean Elgar
Ins: Jordan Cox (Kent)
Outs: Alastair Cook (retired), Dan Lawrence (Surrey), Aron Nijjar, Josh Rymell, Eshun Kalley, Will Buttleman (all released)It’s been several seasons now since Essex were indisputably the best red-ball team in the country, but they continued to punch above their perceived weight in running Surrey close in 2023. It remains to be seen whether Tom Westley’s men can remain quite so competitive in the wake of two seismic departures, and yet – on paper – they seem to have landed a pair of incredibly worthy stand-ins for Alastair Cook and Dan Lawrence.Dean Elgar, the former South Africa captain, is about as close to a Cook clone as exists in the world game, while the young thruster Jordan Cox regards the ambition around Chelmsford to be a step-up from the stagnation he had been feeling down at Canterbury.On the bowling front, Essex’s title challenge will once again be spearheaded by their holy trinity of Sam Cook, Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer, the prolific South African spinner who played a pivotal role in Elgar’s recruitment. Such a streetwise attack is the main reason they are the bookies’ likeliest challengers to Surrey, who they kept pace with until the penultimate round last year.One to watch: It’s been said so often before, but this could be a crucial summer for Sam Cook, Essex’s new vice-captain and a man with complete command of his brief as a stump-threatening fast-medium seamer – as shown by a first-class record of 265 wickets at 19.94, including 48 at 19.60 in the 2023 campaign. At the age of 26, time is still on Cook’s side if he’s to make his Test debut – especially if England are thinking seriously about succession-planning. Andrew MillerBet365: 5/1 Dean Elgar will be aiming to fill an Alastair Cook-shaped hole at Chelmsford•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Hampshire

Last season: 3rd in Division One
Director of cricket: Giles White
Head coach: Adrian Birrell
Captain: James Vince
Overseas: Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Abbas, Michael Neser
Ins: Ali Orr (Sussex)
Outs: Aneurin Donald (Derbyshire), Ross Whiteley (Derbyshire), Mason Crane (Glamorgan, loan), Scott Currie (Leicestershire, loan), Jack Campbell, Harry Petrie (both released)Hampshire have been thereabouts for three years now with a hat-trick of third-place finishes. They matched the eight wins of champions Surrey and defeated them in the last game of the season in 2023, having also beaten second-placed Essex in the penultimate match. But by that time it was too late with a mixed bag of earlier results proving costly. That said, they won one more match than Essex and finished just four points behind them, backing up their credentials.They have a vastly experienced team including proven wicket-takers Kyle Abbott, Keith Barker and Mohammad Abbas, as well as captain James Vince and Liam Dawson, the latter having shelved all England ambitions to pursue silverware with Hampshire and franchise opportunities. Add in the prospect of young right-arm quick John Turner, who has already caught the eye of England selectors, with five wickets from his two Championship games last year including a best of 3 for 23 against Essex in July, plus the recruitment of a highly rated young opener from south-coast rivals Sussex (see below), and Hampshire appear to have the ingredients for success. They just need to put it all together.One to watch: Ali Orr was a revelation at Sussex after making his debut in 2021. An injury-hampered 2023 season and departure to a new club will no doubt leave him keen to make an impact once more, which could be very exciting for Hampshire fans yearning for a boost at the top of the order. Valkerie BaynesBet365: 10/1

Kent

Last season: 8th in Division One
Director of cricket: Simon Cook
Head coach: Matt Walker
Captain: Daniel Bell-Drummond
Overseas: Wes Agar, Beyers Swanepoel
Ins: Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), George Garrett (Warwickshire), Michael Cohen (Derbyshire)
Outs: Jordan Cox (Essex), Michael Hogan (retired), Alex Blake, James Logan (both released)Kent will want to stay up in much more convincing style than last season, where a nail-biting wait of more than an hour on the result of Nottinghamshire versus Middlesex to learn their fate left nerves shredded. Having lost the enterprising Cox to Essex and not recruited voraciously they may come to rely on the usual suspects for runs in the reliable Ben Compton and exciting allrounder Joey Evison, along with captain Daniel Bell-Drummond and Zak Crawley (when available). If Jack Leaning can improve on his 563 runs at 25.59 last season, it’s a plus.Bowling-wise, they’ve signed ex-England legspinner Matt Parkinson from Lancashire looking for “a new challenge and environment” after a successful loan spell in the 2023 One-Day Cup and he brings a wealth of experience and match-winning ability with him. The relatively inexperienced George Garrett and South African-born Michael Cohen boost Kent’s seam-bowling stocks, while Wes Agar is back from Australia for a good chunk of the season and he showed what he could do last year with 21 Championship wickets, including a best of 5 for 63 against Northamptonshire. But they will need all departments firing if they are to go from holding on by their fingernails to serious contenders.One to watch: Jaydn Denly, the 18-year-old nephew of Kent stalwart Joe, made his debut in last year’s One-Day Cup and went on to tour India with England’s U19s and play in the U19 World Cup in South Africa. A first-class debut this year would be another significant step in his development and Kent’s future planning. VBBet365: 22/1Josh Bohannon was the leading run-scorer in Division One last season•Getty Images

Lancashire

Last season: 5th in Division One
Director of cricket: Mark Chilton
Head coach: Dale Benkenstein
Captain: Keaton Jennings
Overseas: Nathan Lyon, Tom Bruce
Ins: Mitchell Stanley (Worcestershire)
Outs: Matt Parkinson (Kent), Danny Lamb (Sussex), Rob Jones (Worcestershire), Richard Gleeson (Warwickshire), Jack Morley (Derbyshire, loan), Dane Vilas (retired)Lancashire managed 55 points fewer than champions Surrey last season, drawing five games out of five at Emirates Old Trafford, and their disappointing mid-table finish prompted an overhaul over the winter. Glen Chapple’s long association with the club has come to an end, with Dale Benkenstein an intriguing choice as his successor after overseeing Gloucestershire’s winless Championship season in 2023. With several homegrown players leaving over the winter, they look like a team in transition.The most eye-catching arrival is Nathan Lyon, whose signing prompted plenty of column inches before he has even played after Tom Hartley’s breakthrough on England’s tour to India. Brendon McCullum is among those hoping that Lyon will not block Hartley’s opportunities – though Cricket Australia’s decision to limit Lyon to seven games should play in England’s favour.Tom Bruce, the journeyman New Zealand batter, has also signed across formats and will effectively replace Dane Vilas, who left the club at the end of last season. Phil Salt made a couple of hundreds last summer but will be unavailable for most of the Championship campaign due to England and IPL commitments.One to watch: George Bell’s young face belies a tough competitor and a true allrounder: he took a Championship wicket with his offbreaks last summer but will compete with Matthew Hurst for the wicketkeeping gloves in Salt’s absence. Bell was part of the England team that reached the Under-19 World Cup final two years ago and spent his winter playing grade cricket for Bankstown in Sydney – this could be his breakthrough season for Lancashire. Matt RollerBet365: 8/1

Nottinghamshire

Last season: 6th in Division One
Director of cricket: Mick Newell
Head coach: Peter Moores

Captain: Haseeb Hameed
Overseas: Dane Paterson, Will Young
Ins: Jack Haynes (Worcestershire), Josh Tongue (Worcestershire), Dillon Pennington (Worcestershire)
Outs: Stuart Broad (retired), Samit Patel (Derbyshire), Jake Ball (Somerset)Another season of transition at Trent Bridge, with the exit of a core of seasoned campaigners, including the captain Steven Mullaney, who is the new player/coach of the second XI. Despite his own modest campaign in 2023, Haseeb Hameed takes over as red-ball skipper, while Joe Clarke’s T20 captaincy is his first taste of leadership since the infamous WhatsApps scandal that has cast a pall over his career.Notts’ new blood comes in the form of a trio of Worcestershire imports in Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington and Jack Haynes, all of whom have international aspirations having played key roles in their former club’s promotion. Tongue is already firmly on England’s radar, perhaps all the more so since Stuart Broad’s retirement, but with no Test cricket until July, his desire to make a strong impression could make him a shrewd investment. On the batting front, Ben Duckett will doubtless offer a taste of early season Bazball, while New Zealand’s Will Young provides a stamp of overseas class for the first block of Championship matches.One to watch: Of all the attributes that earned Peter Moores two shots at the England head coach role, it was his ability to work with young batters that really stood out. In Haynes, he has at his disposal a richly promising strokemaker whose first three first-class hundreds came in consecutive matches at the start of the 2022 season. Despite a tougher campaign last time out, he still bookended his season with two further centuries. At the age of 23, time is very much on his side to take the next step up. AMBet365: 9/1 Josh Tongue is one of three former Worcestershire players to have joined Notts this year•Getty Images

Somerset

Last season: 7th in Division One
Director of cricket: Andy Hurry
Head coach: Jason Kerr
Captain: Lewis Gregory
Overseas: Matt Renshaw
Ins: Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire)
Outs: George Bartlett (Northamptonshire), Steven Davies, Jack Brooks (both retired), Cameron Bancroft (Gloucestershire)It was a familiar story for Somerset in the Championship last season, with their batting line-up’s inconsistency resulting in a third consecutive mid-table finish. James Rew, who turned 20 in January, was the third-highest run-scorer in Division One but found limited support, and the early-season absence of Tom Kohler-Cadmore – who is running the drinks for Rajasthan Royals – will put further pressure on the rest of Somerset’s batters to fire.Tom Abell has resigned the captaincy in order to focus on his own form, with Lewis Gregory taking over after spearheading their T20 Blast triumph last summer. Matt Renshaw, the spare batter in Australia’s Test team, will return for the first couple of months of the season to cover for Kohler-Cadmore’s absence, with George Bartlett and Steven Davies both moving on over the winter.England will be watching the progress of Somerset’s spinners closely. Jack Leach underwent surgery after sustaining a knee injury during their victory in Hyderabad and his likely absence in the early stages should open up Shoaib Bashir’s opportunities in the early summer. If not, head coach Jason Kerr has signalled that he is open to loaning Bashir out in order to ensure he gets regular gametime.One to watch: Tom Lammonby was 20 years old when he hit centuries in three consecutive Bob Willis Trophy fixtures in 2020, including the final against Essex, but has only managed three more since then and is yet to average above 30 in a full County Championship season. A stylish left-hander, he is brilliant to watch when in top form; Somerset will hope that he can reach those levels more consistently this year. MRBet365: 11/1

Surrey

Last season: 1st in Division One
Director of cricket: Alec Stewart
Head coach: Gareth Batty
Captains: Rory Burns
Overseas:Kemar Roach, Sean Abbott
Ins: Dan Lawrence (Essex)
Outs: Dan Moriarty (Yorkshire)The news that Alec Stewart will leave his post at the end of the summer gives extra motivation to a side who have had plenty over the last few years. A tilt at a third consecutive County Championship title – something no county has achieved since Yorkshire in the 1960s – will come with even more feeling in 2024, which should alarm the rest, who have collectively managed just three wins against Surrey in the last two campaigns.The return of Sean Abbott and Kemar Roach bolsters homegrown expertise, characterised by Jordan Clark, whose 48 wickets – joint-top for the club with Dan Worrall – and 427 runs were the backbone for 2023’s triumph. Along with Jamie Overton, who is eyeing up a spot in England’s T20 World Cup squad, they are not lacking for high-calibre bowling allrounders.Dan Lawrence’s arrival from Essex, the most high-profile county transfer in recent times, allows Surrey to boast a front six of Test experience even with Will Jacks at the IPL. Jacks’ absence will also allow Lawrence to ramp up his bowling, but it is with the bat he will seek to make the most noise as he continues a two-year-long knocking at the door of Ben Stokes’ Test side. Such is the talent within the squad that allrounder Aaron Hardie’s withdrawal from a two-month stint at the behest of Cricket Australia was met with a shrug.One to watch: The wicketkeeping berth is the one clear Test spot up for grabs after England’s 4-1 defeat in India, with Jamie Smith already attracting attention. An engaging stroke-maker, even against the red ball, last season’s 736 runs came at a strike rate of 65.30. The one stumbling block is that England incumbent Ben Foakes is Surrey’s designated keeper, but noteworthy scores from Smith can more than cover for that. Vithushan EhantharajahBet365: 13/8Surrey will be hoping to give Alec Stewart a winning send-off•Surrey CCC/Getty Images

Warwickshire

Last season: 4th in Division One
Performance director: Gavin Larsen
Head coach:Mark Robinson
Captain: Alex Davies
Overseas: Hasan Ali
Ins: George Garton (Sussex), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire)
Outs: Ethan Brookes (Worcestershire), Henry Brookes (Middlesex), George Garrett (Kent), Manraj Johal (released)Warwickshire’s ability to sustain a title push for as long as they did last season owed plenty to the wise old men of their attack. Chris Rushworth (37) and Oliver Hannon-Dalby (34) bagged 107 dismissals between them. With neither showing any signs of tailing off and the reliable Ed Barnard likely to pick up where he left off following 29 wickets in 2023, the bowling should take care of itself, especially if they are able to squeeze a combined 10 games out of Chris Woakes and Hasan Ali around their international obligations.The batting, however, remains a live issue given the club did not seek reinforcements in the offseason despite managing the third-fewest bonus points in the division (18). Sam Hain made it beyond 700 runs (just) and Will Rhodes was the only other batter to pass 600. The former was responsible for three of the county’s seven centuries, and the former eventually decided to relinquish the captaincy after averaging a lowly 30.90. Alex Davies picks up the armband, but he, along with the likes of Rob Yates and Dan Mousley, must pick up the slack if Warwickshire are to avoid a less flattering position come September.One to watch: Part of the Edgbaston set-up since 2021, Durham University graduate Michael Booth hails from Zimbabwe and was a former age-group cricketer at KwaZulu-Natal Inland in South Africa. A fast bowler with good pace and skills, as well as being a handy lower-order batter, Booth made his county debut last summer in the One-Day Cup. VEBet365: 7/1

Worcestershire

Last season: 2nd in Division Two
Director of cricket: Ashley Giles
Head coach: Alan Richardson
Captain: Brett D’Oliveira
Overseas: Jason Holder, Nathan Smith
Ins: Josh Cobb (Northamptonshire), Rob Jones (Lancashire), Tom Taylor (Northamptonshire), Ethan Brookes (Warwickshire), Yadvinder Singh (SACA)
Outs: Jack Haynes (Nottinghamshire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Dillon Pennington (Nottinghamshire), Pat Brown (Derbyshire), Mitchell Stanley (Lancashire), Taylor Cornall (released)Worcestershire enjoyed a smooth path in returning to Division One for the first time since 2018, securing the two points needed on a weather-hit second day of their final fixture of 2023, against Yorkshire. The next challenge will be to stay there after their previous stint in the top-flight was short lived. Losing three key players to Nottinghamshire, including England bowler Tongue, could raise concerns but Rob Jones’ arrival from Lancashire will bolster the batting line-up. Allrounder Tom Taylor adds to their seam-bowling options after joining from Northamptonshire, although he was being monitored for shoulder and knee problems after a friendly fire collision with team-mate Ben Gibbon while taking a return catch in a Seconds Championship match earlier this week. Gibbon suffered a concussion in the incident.In Jake Libby Worcestershire had the third-highest run-scorer of Division Two last year, with 1153 runs at 57.65 and a highest score of 198, while Joe Leach was the joint-third wicket-taker. Winter flooding means Worcestershire are not expecting to play at New Road until May 24, when they host Nottinghamshire, with their first two home games to be played at Kidderminster.One to watch: Former West Indies captain Jason Holder has arrived for the first five games of the season on a quest to win back his Test place through domestic red-ball cricket so he’ll have plenty to prove ahead of his return home for the T20 World Cup. He’s at Worcestershire for a good time, not a long one, so it will be intriguing to see if he can make the most of it. VBBet365: 28/1

Despite some high-profile absentees, there are 13 contracted England players across seven franchises this season

Matt Roller19-Mar-2024The 17th IPL season gets underway in Chennai on Friday and runs until the end of May, with strong English representation. Despite various high-profile absentees, there are 13 England players under contract across seven different franchises, with plenty at stake in the build-up to the T20 World Cup in June.Missing starsEngland’s all-format players spent four months in India during the off-season across the World Cup and their Test tour, and many have opted to skip the IPL as a result in favour of some time at home. The result is that the cast of Englishmen at IPL 2024 is slightly weaker than in most recent seasons, though there are still more than a dozen players involved.Ben Stokes and Joe Root both made themselves unavailable before the auction, while the ECB blocked Jofra Archer from entering as he continues his rehabilitation from injury. Gus Atkinson, Jason Roy (both KKR), Harry Brook (DC) and Mark Wood (LSG) have all pulled out of their deals in the past six weeks for personal reasons or to manage their workloads.All eyes on Punjab KingsJonny Bairstow is the only England player set for a third stint in India since October, having also featured in the World Cup and in last month’s Test series. He was retained by Punjab Kings despite missing the last edition through injury and has only played a dozen T20 games since the end of IPL 2022, but has an excellent track record in the IPL across three previous seasons.He is joined by three international team-mates at Punjab in Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran, who was retained on his record INR 18.5 crore (£1.8m) salary despite struggling for form over the past 12 months. Trevor Bayliss, England’s World Cup-winning 2019 coach, is in charge, adding to the sense that English viewers will follow Punjab’s fortunes more closely than any other franchise.Livingstone’s T20 form has fallen off a cliff since IPL 2023, averaging 20.76 with a strike rate of 129.30 across his last 40 matches in the format. He is still highly likely to make England’s World Cup squad, but could do with a strong tournament to rediscover his rhythm and confidence ahead of their title defence in the Caribbean.Buttler’s backJos Buttler was the MVP at IPL 2022 but had a quieter season in 2023 as Rajasthan Royals failed to qualify for the knockout stages, with more ducks (five) than half-centuries (four). He cut a tortured figure at the 50-over World Cup in India, unable to turn England’s fortunes around as they crashed out in the group stages and averaging 15.33 with the bat, but has said recently that he feels “refreshed” after a rare six-week break.”I’m feeling good, feeling refreshed,” Buttler told talkSPORT last week. “[Going to] South Africa at the start of the year was brilliant for me: I really enjoyed the tournament [the SA20]… a change of environment with some different people and to get out of the England bubble for a little bit is good sometimes, and had a bit of quiet time now before a busy period with the IPL and the World Cup.”Buttler’s leadership – both with the bat and in the field – was vital to England’s T20 World Cup triumph in Australia in late 2022, and their coach Matthew Mott will hope that a strong season with the Royals will give Buttler the ideal preparation for their title defence in the Caribbean.Jos Buttler had a forgettable IPL 2023 with five ducks, but will be hoping to turn his form around before the World Cup•BCCIWorld Cup tune-upsSeveral members of England’s likely World Cup squad will find themselves running the drinks at some stage in the tournament, with the number of overseas players allowed to feature for each team still capped at four per match. Will Jacks and Reece Topley are both likely to spend much of the season on the RCB bench, while Moeen Ali and Phil Salt are not guaranteed starters.But even if they do not end up playing much, the chance to focus on T20 cricket for an extended period of time should prove beneficial: for England players who are not involved in the IPL, the only competitive cricket on offer to help prepare for the World Cup comes in the early rounds of the County Championship season.England have only played five T20Is – all in the Caribbean in December – in the last six months and do not have any fixtures scheduled until a four-match series against Pakistan from May 22. While the outline of their squad looks relatively clear, a fringe player like Luke Wood, Tom Kohler-Cadmore or Tom Curran could yet make a late bid for inclusion based on IPL form.Backroom influxThere has been a steady increase in the number of Englishmen involved in franchises’ backroom staff across the last few seasons, with Vikram Solanki notably guiding Gujarat Titans to consecutive finals – and the 2022 title – in his role as their director of cricket.Mo Bobat left the ECB last month to become the new director of cricket at Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he will work with the former England coach Andy Flower as well as James Bell (psychologist), James Pipe (physio) and Freddie Wilde (analyst). Carl Crowe is also back at Kolkata Knight Riders as a spin-bowling coach, after leaving Lancashire.All the England players at IPL 2024Moeen Ali (CSK), Phil Salt (KKR), David Willey (LSG), Luke Wood (MI), Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes (all PBKS), Jos Buttler, Tom Kohler-Cadmore (both RR), Tom Curran, Will Jacks, Reece Topley (all RCB)

With the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year, and limited available spots in the India squad, the WPL could be the big chance for some to make heads turn

Sruthi Ravindranath21-Feb-2024

S Meghana (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

While India have their opening spots filled in the format, a good WPL outing could keep S Meghana in the fray as back-up for Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana. Meghana last played for India in the women’s Asia Cup in 2022, where she opened alongside Shafali with Mandhana playing down the order. She was part of Gujarat Giants last year, where she played at No. 3 and had an average season, her highest score being 31 off 32 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore. She was bought for her base price of INR 30 lakh by RCB in the 2024 auction, but it remains to be seen if she will get a chance to open with Mandhana, considering the franchise also has Sophie Devine, who opened last season.Related

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Sneh Rana (Gujarat Giants)

With spin-bowling allrounders likely to be in demand at the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, the experienced Sneh Rana, an India regular in the other formats, will be looking to show off her all-round skills at the WPL. Last season, Rana was made the Giants captain after an injury to Beth Mooney, and she endured a rough time in her team’s poor season. She last played for India in T20Is at the World Cup in South Africa in early 2023, where she finished with 34 runs and six wickets in eight games. India already have an experienced allrounder Deepti Sharma in the side along with the likes of youngsters Amanjot Kaur and Shreyanka Patil – who have all been part of recent T20I series – but a strong WPL season could help Rana remain in contention.

Yastika Bhatia (Mumbai Indians)

Richa Ghosh’s excellent performances in the recent home season make her the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the national side for now, which means Bhatia needs to have another season like the last to compete for a spot.She had a solid season with the bat at the last WPL, where she made three 40-plus scores in Mumbai’s title-winning campaign. A more consistent run this season – with a couple of higher scores – could tilt the scales in her favour. She had below-par performances in the last T20I series she played for India, against Bangladesh in 2023, but is a strong alternative who can bat long and score quickly, as she has shown over the years.Kiran Navgire showed glimpses of her big-hitting ability during the Eliminator last season•BCCI

Kiran Navgire (UP Warriorz)

India need finishers in their white-ball squads. Navgire showed promise with her exploits in domestic cricket, but at the last WPL, she couldn’t quite pull it off, except in the Eliminator between UP Warriorz and Mumbai Indians, where she showed what she was capable of, hitting four fours and three sixes in her 43 off 27 balls. But the big-hitter had a poor domestic season as well, where she made just 88 runs in six games for Maharashtra in the Senior Women’s T20 trophy.Warriorz coach Jon Lewis told ESPNcricinfo in December that Navgire had been “working very hard on her physical fitness during the off-season so she can be faster between the wickets”. It might be hard for the selectors to look past her if she brings her best hitting game along with some consistency to the WPL this season.

Vrinda Dinesh (UP Warriorz)

Vrinda Dinesh is just 22, hasn’t played international cricket yet, but has been all the talk ahead of WPL 2024. The top-order batter had teams tussling for her at the auction and was finally roped in by Warriorz for INR 1.3 crore.Karnataka’s Vrinda starred in the 2022-23 Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy, finishing as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament – 477 from 11 innings at 47.70 – following which she impressed in the final of the ACC emerging tournament against Bangladesh in June last year, where she caught the attention of a few scouts.She also turned out for the India A side for the series against England in December. In the 2023-24 Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, she scored 211 runs at 154.01. India do have their top order in place in the format, but Vrinda could come into contention if she replicates what the likes of Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque did last season.

He has transformed into the most dangerous T20 batter in the past 12 months with his aggressive intent and six-hitting ability

Shiva Jayaraman30-Mar-2024Heinrich Klaasen has turned into the six-hitting machine few IPL fans would’ve predicted him to become a year ago. They wouldn’t have seen it coming even when he hit five sixes in a 46-ball 81 on a tricky wicket in Cuttack in 2022. Or when he biffed seven sixes in a 30-ball 69 in Centurion back in 2018. These performances were too sporadic for anyone to sit up and take notice of his striking ability.However, there were early telltale signs in the 2023 SA20 league of what was to come later. In a match against Paar Royals in the SA20, Klaasen clobbered six sixes in just 19 balls. All told, he hit 17 sixes in that season from 221 balls – one every 13 balls. In the 2023 IPL, he improved that rate to one six every 10 balls. And he hasn’t looked back ever since. Klaasen has been constantly turning the dial on his six-hitting game as he has gone from one franchise league to the next. In The Hundred Competition last year, Klaasen hit 17 sixes in 106 balls – on six every 6.2 deliveries on an average. That average came down to one every 5.8 balls in the SA20 league this year. In two matches in the IPL this year, Klaasen has taken just 63 balls to hit 15 sixes. Admittedly, that rate is so extraordinary that it likely to come down as the season progresses. But the progress over the past year is apparent.!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}}}))}();

All the key stats from England’s swift victory over Oman in Antigua

Sampath Bandarupalli13-Jun-2024101 Balls remaining when England reached their target of 48. It is the biggest win margin in terms of balls to spare at the Men’s T20 World Cup, beating Sri Lanka’s 90 balls against Netherlands in 2014, when they chased down the target of 40 in five overs.1 England’s win by 101 balls is now the biggest in terms of balls to spare by any Full Member team in men’s T20Is. Sri Lanka’s win against Netherlands by 90 balls in 2014 was the previous biggest. England’s win against Oman is also the joint-ninth biggest in terms of balls in men’s T20Is.47 Oman’s total against England is the fourth lowest by any team in the Men’s T20 World Cup. The 39 all out is the lowest, by Netherlands against Sri Lanka in 2014 and Uganda against West Indies last week. Netherlands also got bowled out by Sri Lanka for 44 in the 2021 edition.1 Oman’s 47 all out at North Sound is their lowest total in the T20I format. Their previous lowest was 78 all out against Nepal in 2022, the only other instance of Oman getting bundled out under 100 in men’s T20Is.The 47 all out is also the second-lowest by any team against England in men’s T20Is, behind the 45 all out by West Indies in 2019.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid became the first trio to take three or more wickets in an innings at the Men’s T20 World Cup. There have been 18 previous instances of three bowlers bagging three or more wickets in a men’s T20I innings, but none at a World Cup.4 Number of previous instances where all ten wickets in a men’s T20I innings were shared between only three bowlers.Only one of the previous four instances was by a Full Member team – India’s Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi against West Indies in Lauderhill in August 2022.2 Phil Salt became only the second batter to hit sixes off the first two balls of a men’s T20I innings (where ball-by-ball data is available). Tanzania’s Ivan Selemani hit sixes off the first two balls of a T20I in 2022 against Rwanda’s Martin Akayezu.There has been only one other instance of sixes hit on the first two legitimate deliveries of a team innings in all internationals – Spain’s Awais Ahmed, who hit back-to-back sixes after Joseph Burrows bowled a no-ball during their chase of 11 against Isle of Man in 2023.99 Number of balls the game between England and Oman lasted. It is the second-shortest unreduced match by balls bowled at the Men’s T20 World Cup. The game between Netherlands and Sri Lanka in the 2014 edition at Chattogram ended in 93 balls.These two are the only instances of a men’s T20I involving a Full Member team completed in less than 100 balls. Overall, only 12 men’s T20Is ended with a result despite less than 100 balls being bowled (unreduced matches).

Shamar Joseph’s role in stubborn 10th-wicket stand carries faint echoes of Tino Best

Alan Gardner20-Jul-2024Now let’s hear from our fictional correspondent, T. Wayne Mark, at Trent Bridge: “Reports of the death of West Indies cricket have been exaggerated – again!” Not that they aren’t still up against it after three days of the second Test. And we won’t get into the structural inequalities that mean they are required to regularly serve up miracles in order to quieten the noise around their continued viability as a Test nation.Those facts can’t be overlooked, but nor should another display of guts and grit that has helped keep this contest in the balance going into the fourth day. True, Kraigg Brathwaite’s side are perhaps not the likelier winners, with the expectation that they will be asked to pull off a record chase on this ground. There’s an element of regret, too, given the errors on day one that prevented them from bowling England out for a score in the region of 300-350, and how that might have tipped the scales.It is also the case that (spoiler alert) a mention for Tino la Bertram Best, the fast-living former fast bowler whose charisma outshone his record during a colourful international career that came to an end a decade ago, does not evoke the halcyon days of West Indian Test dominance on these shores in the way that some other names might. But bear with me.Related

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That West Indies were able to build on the fine platform provided by Kavem Hodge’s maiden Test hundred and overhaul England’s first-innings total to post 457 – their highest score overseas since Dunedin 2013, and the biggest in England since The Oval 1995 – ultimately came down to a brazen counter from Joshua Da Silva and last man Shamar Joseph that had the crowd ducking for cover and Ben Stokes scratching his head.Their stand of 71 off 78 balls included one almighty Shamar pull that smashed into the tiles on the roof of the Larwood & Voce bar and sent debris raining down on the crowd seated below. “He’s going to have to pay for that,” Da Silva joked afterwards.It was West Indies’ second-highest tenth-wicket stand in Tests against England, although some way off claiming top spot – the 143 added by Best and Denesh Ramdin at Edgbaston in 2012. Best memorably made 95 in that match, at the time the highest score by a No. 11. It was also, spookily enough, the last occasion before this one that England went into a home Test without either James Anderson or Stuart Broad in their XI.Da Silva, for his part, was thinking of another recent encounter: the deciding Test of England’s 2022 tour, when his maiden hundred turned the screw on a beleaguered opposition. “It was pretty much what I expected,” he said of England’s tactic of spreading the field for him, seemingly only focused on getting Joseph out. “The same that happened in Grenada, so I was just trying to replicate the innings I played there.”Joshua Da Silva and Shamar Joseph added valuable runs for the tenth wicket•AFP/Getty ImagesThere’s nothing like tail-end humpty to scatter the pigeons and get the beans going, and Joseph lived up to his billing as an agent of chaos. Momentum has ebbed and flowed in this Test but West Indies looked to be subsiding meekly after losing 4 for 31 in little more than an hour’s play on the third morning. Enter Joseph, with his megawatt grin and an Acme hammer straight out of a Warner Bros cartoon in place of a bat.Having seen off Chris Woakes’ hat-trick ball, he was soon demonstrating some of the shots that made his position at No. 11 in the order – below Jayden Seales, who was bowled through the gate by Woakes first ball – seem an anomaly. A jaunty 36 off 41 on debut in Adelaide six months ago was precursor to his heroics with the ball in that series and, while we have so far not seen the best of his bowling in England, this was another slice of brawling brilliance from the boy from Baracara.Joseph clobbered 32 of his 33 runs in boundaries, with Gus Atkinson bearing the brunt. Two attempts to bounce the smaller man disappeared into the stands in the space of three balls: the first a flat smear into the Fox Road Stand that could have been hit by fellow Guyanese Roy Fredericks, followed by the exuberant hoy over deep backward square leg that left its mark on the roof.Here was another Tino echo, a “mind the windows” moment but with England as the punchline instead. As West Indies galloped into an unexpected lead, there was plenty to enjoy for those wearing maroon dotted around the ground, particularly a clutch of supporters in the lower tier of the Radcliffe Road Stand.”He was pretty confident but I still had to shield him because he’s still No. 11,” Da Silva said. “He backs himself with the bat, he played some terrific shots, he broke a couple of tiles, which was good to see. But at the end of the day, it was my job to try and get the team as far as we can.”Shamar Joseph swung at will from No. 11•Getty ImagesWoakes, while conceding that the partnership had got away from them, said that England were content with the eventual outcome after West Indies had resumed on 351 for 5.”Once a field goes out, as a bowler, it’s easy to not try and get [the set batter] out and try and think of the No. 11,” he said. “But at the same time, you don’t just want to give away easy boundaries, and I think particularly here at Trent Bridge it is easy to leak boundaries, especially when a guy is in and the field’s up. So that was in our mindset, and also you don’t probably always expect the No. 11 to hit a couple into the stands either.”Fair play to them, I thought they played it pretty well. [But] I think we committed to it for long enough and eventually got the reward.”With Zak Crawley then run out while backing up in unfortunate circumstances at the start of England’s second innings, there was a frisson of tension around the ground. And while the hosts wrested the momentum back during the afternoon, West Indies bowled better to containing fields after tea, another ball change helping Alzarri Joseph to dislodge both set batters. England may yet close the door on them, as an unbroken stand late in the day between Joe Root and Harry Brook took the lead past 200 – but we’ve surely all learned not to write off West Indies just yet.

They also need to make getting rid of the opposition’s lower-order batters a priority

Ian Chappell28-Jul-2024It’s not surprising that under the adventurous captaincy of Ben Stokes, England is heeding the vital lesson that you must pick a team with one eye on Australia.
While selectors have to pick a team to beat the current opposition, they must also consider players who could help defeat the better sides. Australia is currently one of those.England is making positive choices with the inclusion of Gus Atkinson to complement the fiery pace of Mark Wood. They’ve also opted for a wicket-taking offspinner in Shoaib Bashir over the more defensive-minded Jack Leach.It wasn’t ideal that on a flat pitch and a warm day the England bowlers took a pasting at Trent Bridge. They need to learn from that setback and trust England will continue to make selections that are important on the 2025-26 tour of Australia. In the past they’ve often overlooked the fact that very good pace bowling has helped England achieve some famous victories in Australia.Related

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Those victories include Harold Larwood in the Bodyline series of 1932-33 and Frank “Typhoon” Tyson in 1954-55. Both of those bowlers were renowned speedsters, while John Snow was quick and accurate and played a vital role in the 1970-71 victory. In the 2010-11 win over Australia, England utilised a battery of pace bowlers.In looking ahead, skipper Stokes has expressed a desire to “not just compete with Australia, but beat them”.In that regard England has progressed against a battling West Indies. Significantly they’ve achieved success while using both pace bowlers Atkinson and Wood but also the crafty offspin of Bashir.A strong England side to tour Australia would include a fit Atkinson, Wood, and hopefully Jofra Archer, to ensure the seam bowlers are complemented by fast men.The Australian batting is vulnerable, especially without the aggressive opening talents of David Warner.Australia is an extremely tough tour because in addition to selecting a strong pace attack, England has to hold its chances while making sufficient runs. The latter skill is difficult because Australia currently boasts a very strong attack.

The batters who could cause Australia concern are Joe Root for his sheer ability, and Zak Crawley and Harry Brook because of their aggression and capacity to score quickly

England has an attacking batting line-up, which they’ve bolstered with the inclusion of a solid wicketkeeper-batter in Jamie Smith. The players who could cause Australia concern are Joe Root for his sheer ability, and Zak Crawley and Harry Brook because of their aggression and capacity to score quickly. If Stokes recaptures his batting form he would fall into that category, especially as he’s bowling again and taking important wickets.Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope are talented players who can score quickly. However, the Australian bowlers will be encouraged by their flirtatious tendencies and will hope they can be exposed. Pope in particular is a skittish No. 3 and is yet to prove he can succeed in Australia.How important is catching in Australia, especially off genuine pace bowlers?In the late 1970s the media inadvisably decided to choose between Don Bradman’s Invincibles of 1948 and the successful Australian team of the era. Former great Australian fast bowler Ray Lindwall admitted to me: “We [1948 team] would have won but I would’ve liked your guys catching for me.”In addition to catching well, the England team has to learn to dismiss the lower order cheaply. Despite having an excellent attacking captain – the right leader for an Australia tour – England’s record against lower-order batters is often abysmal.If Stokes is fortunate enough to have a full contingent of fit fast bowlers in Australia, this will be a confidence booster. However, he needs to make dismissing lower-order opponents via good bowling a priority rather than relying on incessant overuse of a bouncer barrage.It’s one thing to know England is more accomplished than the inexperienced West Indies and that sooner or later they’ll wilt. However it’s totally different in Australia, where a feisty home team rarely concedes easy victories.Choosing the right type of player to succeed in Australia is imperative. However, the only way England can win a tough series is if their fast bowlers perform and they hold their chances.

He rewrote the record books, piled on runs for fun, and once again put Sri Lanka in a position of dominance

Madushka Balasuriya27-Sep-2024Grab the popcorn, guys, another Kamindu Mendis century/milestone/diss track has dropped.It’s eight fifties in eight straight Tests now, five centuries in 13 Test innings – his latest, 182 not out, being his best yet – making him the fastest Asian to that feat, and oh, he’s also the third-fastest ever to do so equalling Don Bradman.Wait, he’s not done yet? Oh yeah, he reached 1000 Test runs, the third-fastest to do that too – again equalling Bradman.Related

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All of which makes the fact he was dropped for two years from the Test side after making a half-century on debut against Australia in 2022 kinda hilarious. One could question the selectors’ thinking, but at this point maybe we should be grateful. I mean, the guy really does make us all look bad.New Zealand for one were definitely fed up with his antics, with throws from the deep after a point resembling an angsty teen asked to play catch with his absentee father. Just a token gesture, waiting for the misery to be brought to a hopefully swift end.Even the weather gods seemed to have been stunned into inaction, perhaps taken by his majestic drives on the up. See, there’s actually been an extreme weather warning issued for the entirety of the Galle district, but while grey clouds shielded the sun across the day’s proceedings, the rain never arrived.Sure, it was there overnight – quick shoutout to the always excellent Galle ground staff for sorting out the covers blanketed in rainwater promptly – and it had definitely arrived all around Galle, and probably will again later in the evening. But in the middle, the mugginess from the previous day had dissipated, replaced by a comforting breeze, all seemingly to make Kamindu’s day of fun all that more pleasant.But all these records and achievements aside, perhaps the best thing about Kamindu is that his mere presence has forced a quiet transformative change in the playing XI.

“Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records”Angelo Mathews

It wasn’t long before his stirring form in 2024 resulted in a clamour for him to be pushed up the order. The solution, therefore, was to push Dinesh Chandimal up to No. 3 and give the gloves to Kusal Mendis, who in turn would go down to No. 7. As for Kamindu, he would push up to No. 5.It may be a small sample size since the switch, but the results speak for themselves.Kamindu, of course, hasn’t missed a beat, merely continuing from his performances at No. 7. If anything, he’s gotten better, only being deprived of a maiden double-century by virtue of a pre-planned declaration. “At tea, the talk was to bat for 15 overs before declaring,” Angelo Mathews explained after the day’s play.Chandimal’s flexibility in approach, meanwhile, has seen him thrive at three since taking it up at the start of the series – 30, 61 and 116 in three innings – while Kusal has flourished at seven, where his natural attacking instincts can be the difference between a competitive total and a winning one.Kusal Mendis and Kamindu Mendis added an unbroken 200-stand for the sixth wicket•Associated PressIt might have been a welcome change as well for a batter that has long been seen as underperforming. Kusal’s unbeaten 106 was his third century since the start of 2023, but it was his first against opposition that wasn’t Ireland or Zimbabwe since December 2018. In terms of strike rate, it was also his fastest at 71.14 (excluding his centuries against Ireland).”All three of them have responded well, and it worked perfectly – most importantly for the team,” Mathews said. “It’s all about the team, it’s all about the balance. And it’s all about every individual, where they’re suited to playing in the team. I think it all worked really well, and it was a very good decision by everyone.”And for Kamindu? Well, at this point there’s not much more that can be said. The most striking aspect of his batting has been the seemingly effortless repeatability of it, and a measuredness that many only find much later in their careers. Something Mathews himself touched on.”Kamindu, he has just taken off, hasn’t he? He has been unbelievable over the eight games that he has played. So happy that one of our own is breaking all the records,” Matthews said. “He has been unbelievable, he has got the skill, he’s got the temperament, he’s got the courage, he’s got everything that a batter and cricketer needs.”His maturity also belies his age. None of us were able to do the kinds of things he’s doing at that point in our careers. Definitely one of the best batters I have seen in recent years.”This purple patch of course isn’t going to go on forever, but for now, more than speculating on how long he can carry on this form, maybe we should all just sit back and enjoy the show.