The ECB’s new format seems to work but we may still be counting its cost for years to come

George Dobell23-Jul-2021There was a moment, during a briefing designed to underline the simplicity of the playing conditions in the Hundred, when Alan Fordham found himself explaining what would happen in the event of a rain-affected match.Fordham used to open the batting for Northants. These days he’s the ECB’s head of cricket operations. He’s been good in both roles.But he is very much not the sort of fellow you would find in a DJ booth whipping a crowd into a frenzy. And, as he elaborated on the amended Duckworth-Lewis-Stern algorithm to be used in the event of poor weather, the thought occurred that the Hundred was in danger of becoming rather a lot of things it said it wasn’t. For, as a wag on Twitter observed, nothing says simplicity like an amended DLS algorithm.Did anybody ever say, “That cricket stuff looks good, but I it when they call ‘over’ after every six balls!” Has any protest ever featured the chant: “What do we want? The introduction of the decimal system in cricket. When do we want it? We don’t mind, as long as it’s in increments of five or 10”? Is the game really any more accessible for the introduction of the umpire holding a white card up at the end of five balls rather than shouting “over” a delivery later? It seems unlikely. All these simplifications… they’re complicated.Just as Atomic Kitten seemed – like ketchup on the table of an excellent restaurant – superfluous on that first T20 Finals Day in 2003, so the musical acts seem unnecessary here. That’s no slight on them. But setting up a stage overlooking a pitch on which no spectators are allowed hardly sets the musicians up to thrive. If you like chocolate and you like baths, it doesn’t necessarily follow that you want a bath of chocolate.In truth, there’s not much new here. Shortened formats? We’ve done that. Music? We’ve had that for years. Fireworks? The best display I ever saw was after the final of the Stanford Super Series. It was incredible. Really, the man spent a fortune on them. Sadly, it turned out not to be his fortune. Ultimately, cricket doesn’t need gimmicks. It remains a great game. Whether it’s played over 100 balls, 100 overs, five-days or four, cricket is a great game.Related

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It’s a shame that cricket administrators don’t have more faith in it. Given decent weather, decent surfaces and decent teams, this game will sell. Whatever the format. What it requires is exposure. Even billionaires suffocate without oxygen. All this gimmickry, all this fighting, all this money, it’s all so unnecessary.There is some good news here for the organisers. There is nothing in the actual game of 100-ball cricket that need worry or offend anyone. We’ve had eight-ball overs in living memory. We’ve had four before that. We can probably cope with “sets” of five. If they wanted to change the entire T20 Blast to a 100-ball Blast well, most of us could live with that. Here’s a prediction, though: with games regularly spilling beyond their timeframe, what are the chances we are watching T10 cricket within a few years? It’s a format that would, at Olympic level, make a lot of sense*. And even professional cricketers can get through a game of T10 within a couple of hours.There is, of course, plenty to worry (some of) us about other aspects of the competition. The threat it poses to the existing formats; the threat it poses to the 18-county system; the threat it might even pose to the value of T20 leagues around the world. It really is incredible the divide that this tournament has created within the English cricket-loving world. That cannot be good.For all the breathless excitement of the commentators – some of who seem to have graduated from the Kim Jong-un school of journalism – who seem unable to see poor fielding or any empty seats, we’ll be in a better position to judge the impact of that tournament when we see how England do in the next 50-over World Cup or how they fare in the Test series against India. We should assess attendances at the T20 Blast, too, and the Royal London One-Day Cup. Sometimes the world changes very fast and there is a danger any of us could be left behind with our outdated beliefs. But this seems a mightily strange way to prepare for either challenge. When England are 40 for 5 against India, it might not look very clever.There is unquestionably some good here. So, while the official attendance of 6317 at the women’s match is a little misleading – at the start of the match, there were probably fewer than 1,000 in the ground (the ECB have subsequently said there were 1,887 there at the start); no doubt some of this audience had arrived in time for the men’s match and with an open mind towards catching the end of the women’s – it is encouraging nevertheless. It’s not so much it was, supposedly, a record for a domestic women’s match outside London (it wasn’t, actually; that’s held by a match between Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1949), as there’s no reason many of them will not have enjoyed what they saw and seek out more women’s games. The increase in cricket on free-to-air TV is welcome, too. It might all have been the game ever needed.But just gimme some truth, as John Lennon put it. While trumpeting the record figures, let’s also acknowledge that the crowd for Thursday’s men’s Hundred game at the Kia Oval was well, below what Surrey would expect for a domestic T20. And let us acknowledge that the crowd for the men’s game at Edgbaston was, at 12,137, below what Birmingham Bears (or are we calling them Warwickshire again now that there’s a second Birmingham team in town?) would expect for a T20 local derby against Worcestershire, and in line with a Friday night fixture against Lancashire or Nottinghamshire.The crowd experience at Edgbaston seemed a familiar one•Getty ImagesGiven the vast marketing outlay – the primetime TV adverts; the thousands of free tickets; the hubris and bluster – that seems a modest return. And while there were some signs of the mythical “new audience” at The Oval on Wednesday, the crowds on Thursday and Friday have seemed very similar to the normal T20 audience. We had the same chants, the same behaviour, the same enthusiasm. In no way should that be perceived as a problem – T20 audiences have kept counties afloat for two decades now; they deserve more respect than they are sometimes given – but let’s just be straight about where we are here.The use of the name Phoenix in connection with Birmingham is revealing. For those with any real association with the city, it surely evokes memories of the Phoenix Consortium. They were a group of four businessmen who bought the Rover name for £10 – yes, £10 – in 2000. Five years later, having taken £42m – yes, £42m – in pay and pensions from the company, they called in the administrators. A history of car-making that stretched back a century in the city was ended. The Longbridge area, where the car-plant once employed over 25,000 people and stretched over 70 acres, has never fully recovered.Calling a Birmingham team Phoenix, then, might be compared to founding The Margaret Thatcher Coal Mining Museum. It suggests the link between this team and the city it purports to represent is as flimsy as some of the marketing rhetoric that has accompanied it.If the idea was really to cut the length of games, they wouldn’t have introduced timeouts; if the aim was really to appeal to non-white communities, they wouldn’t have employed a coach who has been suspended for hurling racist abuse; if the ECB really wanted to protect the 18-county system, it wouldn’t have introduced a format which could endanger them. What was it the US major supposedly said all those years ago: something about being necessary to destroy a Vietnamese town in order to save it? Just give us some truth; we’ll respect it much more than the bluster we’ve been fed so far.So, what have we learned so far? The format seems to work. Just as the T20 format works. But the cost? Well, we may be working that out for many years to come.*You’re wondering why it would make a lot of sense, aren’t you? Well, it would enable more teams to participate in the very narrow Olympic window. And at an event which is meant to help develop the popularity of the game, that is a big deal

It’s clear a number of selectors across the world don’t quite know what they need to be looking for

Ian Chappell16-Jan-2022In the past few weeks we’ve witnessed opposing aspects of Test cricket. It has been shown in all its glory, but we’ve also seen many of the game’s flaws fully exposed.The Australia-versus-England series has often been frustratingly one-sided. It was apparent again when the ebullient Travis Head, aided by Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green, launched a defiant counterattack in Hobart.In the first three Tests it was mainly the home side displaying the grit and application that five-day cricket requires. That led to 12 days where Australia steamrolled their way to a series victory, while English cricket was exposed for all its ineptitude.Related

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It was only when Joe Root’s batting skill was duplicated and England finally applied some bowling nous that a Test was saved. Even then it was a close call. At the SCG, Australia were still by far the better side, expertly led and prepared to expend the required energy, but at least England unearthed some much needed fight.Some nine hours away South Africa surprisingly defeated India in an old-fashioned dogfight that included some enthralling cricket. It also involved ample emotion of the sort that has notably been missing from an Ashes contest that has been surprisingly uncontroversial so far.The South Africa series featured bowling domination on pitches that were probably too much in favour of the fielding side, but there was also some exquisite batting. Because defiant batting wasn’t prevalent, gutsy innings by Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli stood out. The exhilarating shot-making extravaganzas of Rishabh Pant and Keegan Petersen proved that aggressive batting with scoring in mind could be achieved even on testing surfaces.In particular, Petersen’s sudden rise to fame has been a revelation and raises the question of where he has been all this while. This example exposes one of the mysteries of Test cricket: do some selectors know what they should be looking for?Petersen is in his prime, at 28, but he has only played five Tests. Despite lacking experience he has all the requirements of a Test No. 3, including a wide range of shots that he is prepared to play, plus a solid defence. So why is he only playing now? Sometimes players deserve an opportunity on potential and temperament alone and this is where good selection stands out.

Test cricket has for a long time been included in the entertainment bracket and a recognition of this has to be part of the selection process

The England side contains further selection mysteries. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are two talented young batters who have the credentials to be long-term successes at Test level. Sure, they’ve had their failures and like many before them they need a confidence boost but technically they are far better equipped than the style-challenged Dom Sibley or Rory Burns.There’s often a temptation to choose gritty players and there are times when this can be a wise selection. On the other hand, fans expect to see a few aggressive young players selected, and when these players come off, they provide great entertainment.Ever since the introduction of T20 cricket we’ve been told that Test batting is now more aggressive and fielding has improved. Well, how come the public is often being told “That’s a good leave” and “That ball was left on length”?Commentary statements should be qualified so that outfielding is described as more entertaining; slip catching has regressed.Also, I wouldn’t mind betting that of late more balls are being allowed to pass. When a classy stroke-maker like Kohli fails to score off nearly 40 balls it’s time to sensibly apportion the aggression in the game.There is a time for determination and discipline. However, Test cricket has for a long time been included in the entertainment bracket and a recognition of this has to be part of the selection process.A good Test selector is capable of including both considerations in his choices and that is why they are highly regarded. When it comes to financial rewards, cricket should start valuing selection more highly than coaching; it would make a pleasant and worthwhile change.

A look back at some of his standout performances after he became the third Australian to 500 Test wickets

Andrew McGlashan10-Dec-2021 • Updated on 17-Dec-20235 for 34 vs Sri Lanka, Galle, 2011It couldn’t have started much better. First ball in Test cricket, a beautiful, dipping offspinner which then gripped and turned to find the edge of Kumar Sangakkara’s bat and was safely held at slip by Michael Clarke. “I was so full of excitement,” he said on the day. “I wouldn’t say it was the perfect ball, I thought it was a bit wide, but I was quite happy with it in the end.” Lyon would transform it into a five-wicket haul, albeit with a helping hand from Sri Lanka’s lower order, and would later take the scalp to seal victory.Related

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5 for 134 and 7 for 152 vs India, Adelaide, 2014The most emotionally charged Test Australia have ever played, coming shortly after the death of Phillip Hughes. It was a game dominated by the bat and Lyon was the difference with the ball. India attacked him in both innings – Virat Kohli with a pair of brilliant hundreds – but Lyon kept finding a way through. He took out the middle order in the first innings to earn a handy lead and then, for the first time in his career, was the final-innings matchwinner. At 242 for 2, India sensed a famous victory but Lyon trapped Murali Vijay for 99 then had Ajinkya Rahane caught a short leg (although there was no bat). Less than 20 overs later this Test was over.Nice Garry: Nathan Lyon holds the ball up after claiming 8 for 50•AFP8 for 50 vs India, Bengaluru, 2017This haul remains Lyon’s best figures in Test cricket although they would come in defeat as India’s spinners, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, had the final say. Still, it was a remarkable opening-day display from Lyon as India fell from 72 for 1 to 189 all out after he had removed Cheteshwar Pujara shortly before lunch then soon after pinned Kohli lbw when he shouldered arms. “I don’t know if they’re going to spin or go straight, so if I don’t know neither does the batter really,” he said.Lyon finished with a 13-for in the Chattogram Test of 2017, his best in the format•Getty Images7 for 94 and 6 for 60 vs Bangladesh, Chattogram, 2017Later the same year, Lyon enjoyed a bountiful tour of Bangladesh capped by the best match haul of his career. And it came at a moment where Australia desperately needed it having lost the first Test in Dhaka by 20 runs. It’s a good quiz question to name the Australia XI that took the field in Chattogram (no cheating) but suffice to say Lyon opened the bowling. In the first innings he removed Bangladesh’s top four lbw then with a useful lead to work with skittled them for 157 in the second – his 10th wicket of the game a lovely piece of bowling to get the key scalp of Shakib Al Hasan.2 for 78 and 3 for 67 vs England, Brisbane, 2017An overall match tally of five wickets may not leap off the page, but this was a classy performance from Lyon which was key to the early stranglehold Australia took on the Ashes. He conceded just 2.41 runs an over throughout the Test and the first-innings display where he sent down 36 overs was a textbook example of the role a spinner needs to play in the early stages of a Test in Australia. He set his sights on Moeen Ali and never let go, produced a ripper to spin through Chris Woakes on the second day and harassed England’s other left-handers. And, of course, there was run out as well.5 for 67 and 3 for 39 vs India, Perth, 2018He was Player of the Match in Australia’s first Test victory post the ball-tampering scandal as he made terrific use of the bounce available on the Optus Stadium surface. His first-innings haul secured a precious lead and after Australia had battled for every run on a spicey pitch he helped seal the game, bowling Vijay through the gate and then having the key man – Kohli – caught at slip. “Every team wants a spinner like Nathan Lyon,” Tim Paine said. “He loves bowling to the best players in the world.”Lyon picked up the 350th wicket of his Test career in Edgbaston in 2019•Getty Images3 for 112 and 6 for 69 vs England, Edgbaston, 2019The match will be remembered for Steven Smith’s spectacular twin hundreds on his return to Test cricket, but Lyon’s nine wickets were a crucial part of a win that would set-up Australia’s retention of the urn. In the first innings he dented England’s hopes of a more substantial lead and with a big target to defend on the final day – on a surface by now offering assistance – Lyon worked through England’s flimsy batting order. His wicket of Ben Stokes was the 350th of his Test career.5 for 68 and 5 for 50 vs New Zealand, Sydney, 2020A landmark occasion for Lyon on his home ground, a venue that had not often been kind to him. It was a lop-sided contest against a New Zealand side badly hit by injury and illness, but Lyon battled through an injured thumb after he had dropped a return catch. “It’s quite special to go up on the honours board and take five wickets at your home, in front of your family and friends, and to take five at one of your favourite venues from around the world,” he said. The match return of 10 for 118 was the best by an Australia spinner against New Zealand.Nathan Lyon helped Australia to a famous victory in Pakistan•AFP/Getty Images5 for 83 vs Pakistan, Lahore, 2022Australia had been denied the game before by the rearguard of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, but didn’t let a second opportunity slip and secured a famous series win in Pakistan. At the start of the final day they needed all 10 Pakistan second-innings wickets. About an hour into the day, Lyon got to work got when he removed Azhar Ali and later added the stubborn Imam-ul-Haq for 70 off 199 balls. But the moment that really made Australia believe came when Lyon had Babar caught at slip by Smith and the lower order swiftly followed.3 for 35 and 8 for 50 vs India, Indore 2023In a helter-skelter Test that barely made the third day, Lyon earned himself a new career-best haul when he ran through India’s second innings to enable Australia to claw back a game after they had thrown away the advantage in Delhi. The highlight was his absorbing battle with Cheteshwar Pujara who played superbly on a spiteful surface before tickling Lyon to leg slip where Smith, who was captaining in the absence of Pat Cummins, held a wonderful catch. “Certainly, it’s up there as one of my career highlights,” he said.4 for 149 and 4 for 80 vs England, Edgbaston, 2023This was a very different sort of challenge for Lyon, with England’s Bazballers trying to hit him out of the attack. In the first innings he conceded more than five an over, but the wickets of Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow were vital – especially the latter with England 297 for 5. In the second innings he was superb, managing to go at a little over three an over. Luring Joe Root down the crease was a critical moment in the game as England tried to build their lead. And then, at the finish, he was there with the bat.

Once again, England have slipped behind after the first Test in Australia. The recent omens aren’t great

Andrew Miller13-Dec-2021England have not won a Test match in Australia for 11 years and counting, in which time they have lost ten and drawn one across three separate series. As the attention shifts to the second Test at Adelaide, here’s a run-down on a decade of defeat … ranked in order from the moderately competitive, to the downright hideous10. Second Test, Adelaide 2017-18
Lost by 120 runs Two pink-ball Tests in this Ashes series could in theory play to England’s advantage, but aside from speculating about the cooler evening conditions and the sense that swing is good for England and bad for Australia, all there is to go on is a solitary precedent on the 2017-18 tour. And seeing as England’s 120-run defeat in that match is their narrowest loss in Australia this decade, then they might as well consider it a floodlit life-raft. More pertinently, the match featured a James Anderson masterclass in the second innings – his 5 for 43 routed Australia for 138 and briefly aroused hopes of a miracle, much as his impending recall is likely to do now. Mitchell Starc, however, is still around to ensure it won’t be forthcoming.9. First Test, Brisbane 2017-18
Lost by 10 wickets England still wonder how this one got away, let alone with such a gory final margin. From first day to last, Australia absorbed England’s energies as if it was fuel to their own internal fires – most extraordinarily Steve Smith, whose magnificent 141 not out from 326 balls included a passage of play so glacial that he added just 17 runs on the third morning. With Pat Cummins alongside him, he turned what looked like being a 100-plus deficit into a lead of 26, and so drained England’s bowlers in the process that David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were able to knock off an eventual target of 173 with contempt. The first day, meanwhile, had been lit up by the most sumptuous 83 of James Vince’s life. Had he not been run out in full flow by Nathan Lyon’s direct hit, who knows where this one would have ended up. (With an Australian victory, probably…)Ben Stokes made his maiden Test century at Perth in 2013-14•Getty Images8. Third Test, Perth 2013-14
Lost by 150 runs Sometimes all you can ask is for someone to put up a fight. That, frankly, is all that England got to take home from the 2013-14 Ashes – the cast-iron proof that, in Ben Stokes, they possessed a gem of a Test cricketer, even if it would take a few months of false starts and punched lockers for his raw ability to be fully harnessed. Elsewhere on a WACA flyer, Australia’s dominance was unequivocal – James Anderson was ransacked for 28 runs in an over by George Bailey, after centuries from Warner and Shane Watson had broken all resistance, then Alastair Cook was bowled by Ryan Harris’s ball of the century for a first-ball duck. But Stokes fronted up in pursuit of an impossible 504 target, driving with a clean straight blade and leathering the short ball with fearless resolve. The battle was lost but the respect was won.7. Fourth Test, Melbourne 2013-14
Lost by eight wickets The Ashes were gone, and Kevin Pietersen was weeks away from banishment too – the Melbourne Test of 2013 was the scene of the infamous team meeting at which his fate as an England cricketer would be sealed. But before all that blew up, KP’s twin scores of 71 and 49 gave England just something to work with, as Mitchell Johnson ripped another gale through a shellshocked batting line-up. Their first-innings 255 seemed typically insufficient, until Anderson and Tim Bresnan – in an echo of the efforts that had routed Australia for 98 in the previous Boxing Day Test – combined with Stuart Broad to seal a handy lead of 51. Nathan Lyon, however, popped up with five second-innings wickets to limit the target to 231 and make it clear that his fellow offspinner Graeme Swann, who had retired mid-series with an elbow problem, was likely to be a significant absentee. Sure enough, a Chris Rogers century and 83 for Watson rushed Australia to a 4-0 lead.Mitchell Johnson was startlingly rapid during the 2013-14 Ashes•Getty Images6. First Test, Brisbane 2013-14
Lost by 381 runs Ah, the innocence of Brisbane 2013 … when England arrived in Australia with designs on a fourth Ashes victory in a row, only months after securing a misleadingly absolute 3-0 win at home. The build-up was dominated by a media vendetta against Broad, who took a rolled-up copy of the Courier Mail into his first-day press conference after starring for England with five wickets. Heady days … and then, mayhem. Johnson, so often a figure of fun, bowled like a banshee for match figures of 9 for 103; Warner and Michael Clarke piled on second-innings hundreds to confirm the gulf between the sides. Soon after the rout, Jonathan Trott quit the tour citing burnout, the first fatal crack in the disintegration of a world-beating Test team. Objectively it deserves to be lower in this list, but England were genuinely caught cold.5. First Test, Brisbane 2021-22
Lost by nine wickets In terms of wickets, this was England’s least-worst defeat at the Gabba for 35 years, which isn’t saying much. The series build-up was extraordinary – a combination of Covid and rain kyboshing both teams’ preparations, but Australia’s residual faith in their home conditions shone through as England faltered fatefully in the contest’s clutch moments. They were 11 for 3 inside six overs after winning the toss, then lost 8 for 74 on a miserable fourth morning, just when it seemed that Joe Root and Dawid Malan had set the stage for a fightback. A first-innings deficit of 278 was too much to overcome, however, as Warner rode his luck for 94, before Travis Head slaughtered a tiring attack for a 148-ball 152.That lonely feeling: James Anderson wanders off as Australia seal the Ashes at Perth in 2017-18•Getty Images4. Third Test, Perth 2017-18
Lost by an innings and 41 runs England’s record in Perth, with one win in 14 visits and eight consecutive losses since 1990-91, is about as abject as their recent run across the whole of Australia, so it’s potentially a relief not to have to venture out west on this latest tour. That said, on their last trip four years ago, the now-defunct WACA ground was the scene of perhaps England’s most dominant position of the whole tour, as Malan and Jonny Bairstow racked up a fifth-wicket stand of 237 to give the impression that the series was still alive. It didn’t last long. England’s last six wickets tumbled for 35 runs for a total of 403, and the inadequacy of their efforts were confirmed as Smith alone surpassed that partnership with a career-best 239. Mitchell Marsh, a WACA homeboy, also climbed into a toiling attack with a Test-best of 181 as Australia declared on 662 for 9. Josh Hazlewood’s five-for confirmed they wouldn’t need to bat again.Related

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3. Fifth Test, Sydney 2017-18
Lost by an innings and 123 runs The most crushing defeat of the era, and the most evocative one as well, thanks to Root’s exhaustion at the end of his futile attempts to keep pace with Australia’s juggernaut. He missed the post-match presentations after passing out in the dressing-room, his twin fifties in Sydney’s furnace-like heat no match for an Aussie line-up in which both Marsh brothers made centuries and Usman Khawaja top-scored with 171. Mason Crane, the Hampshire legspinner, was clonked for 193 runs in his only appearance to date. Australia’s victory was so clear-cut from so far out, there was time even to erect a provocative victory podium, featuring a four-fingered salute for each of Australia’s wins, and a clenched English fist to confirm, once again, they hadn’t even made it on to the board.Australia celebrate their 4-0 Ashes victory in 2017-18•Getty Images2. Second Test, Adelaide 2013-14
Lost by 218 runs Squelch. Forewarned for England most certainly was not forearmed, as Johnson followed up his Brisbane onslaught with one of the greatest displays of flat-deck fast bowling in Test history. England had been ground into the dirt over the first two days, with centuries apiece from Clarke and Haddin in a massive total of 570 for 9 declared. But Johnson ignited expectations by beating Alastair Cook for sheer pace before the close, then transcended the conditions with irresistible heat on day three. Armed with a 50-over-old ball, he torched England’s middle and lower order with five wickets in the space of 18 balls, including a triple-wicket maiden, en route to innings figures of 7 for 40. England’s second whitewash in three tours had been ordained there and then.1. Fifth Test, Sydney 2013-14
Lost by 281 runs Probably the most dysfunctional performance in England’s history. By the fifth Test in 2013-14, the mighty Test team that had ruled the roost for the previous three years had been ransacked and into the fray came a trio of debutants – two of whom, Scott Borthwick and Boyd Rankin, were so horribly exposed that they would never play another Test for England. The rancorous mood within the squad spilled into every facet of the performance, with the honourable exception of Stokes, whose 6 for 99 in the first innings was followed by a top-score of 47 in England’s first innings. He made 32 from 16 in the second as well, but by then his team-mates were on the plane home. England were rolled aside for 166 in 31.4 overs, nearly a run a ball of slap-happy surrender.Alastair Cook poses with his name up on the wall at the MCG’s Percy Beames Bar•Getty Images

And the one that got away…

Fourth Test, Melbourne 2017-18
Match drawn Cook batted, and batted, and batted, his 244 from 409 balls setting a new highest score by a visiting Test batter at the MCG. Unfortunately no one else in England’s line-up managed more than 61, meaning that the weight of England’s eventual 174-run first-innings lead was insufficient to force any pressure on a soporific drop-in wicket. Smith, inevitably, responded with a hundred, as the match died a death on a tedious fifth day.

Debutant has left team management with difficult decisions to make

Sidharth Monga28-Nov-20211:30

Jaffer: Iyer backs his game, whatever the situation

You don’t usually look at the strike-rate of a batter making his Test debut, but when he is the only man since strike-rate records have been maintained to have scored 4000 first-class runs at a strike-rate of over 80 while maintaining an average of over 50, strike-rate is the first thing you talk about.Such a high strike-rate tells you a few things. The obvious one is that Shreyas Iyer is a good batter, a dominating batter, but you also wonder if he has bullied some ordinary bowling or filled up his boots on flat decks. You also wonder if he can play the restrained game when a situation or opposition demands it.That last bit has been answered amply as Iyer has become the first India batter to have scored a century and a half-century on his Test debut. Both the innings came in strife in a line-up that two experienced batters are lacking runs and others lacking experience. Despite all the restraint, he ended up with strike-rates of 61.4 and 52 in a Test that runs have been scored at 43.17. That speaks to the free-flowing nature of his batting.Watch live cricket on ESPN+ in the US

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Iyer’s limited-overs internationals and IPL career offer more clues. He can bully spin bowling all right, and good spin bowling at that. So those first-class runs are not to be scoffed at. In fact his main role when he was a lock in the T20I side was to be a spin power-hitter. It showed in how he pounced on the spinners the moment Tim Southee went off with injury, forcing Kyle Jamieson to come back for a spell.Iyer has had issues against seam bowling even in ODIs, but he is not the only one. It is not the absence of issues but how you overcome them that makes a batter. That’s a question that will be properly asked of him at a later date in Test cricket, but on his debut, Iyer has done well against a side whose seamers have taken 14 of the 17 Indian wickets.The most impressive part of both of Iyer’s innings has been his awareness of when to attack. Apart from the first aerial shot that he tried, you can’t really say the bowlers forced him to play an attacking shot when he would rather not. That shows the value of first-class experience even though it has been three years since he last played the longer format. It also perhaps shows the lack of accuracy of New Zealand’s spin bowlers, who couldn’t create enough pressure after the seam bowlers had to be taken off.Shreyas Iyer followed up his century with a vital second-innings fifty•BCCI”I have been in these situations before as well,” Iyer told at the end of the day’s play. “Not in the Indian team but during my Ranji days, I remember I used to walk in in similar situations. So my mindset was to just play the session and play as many balls as possible. I wasn’t thinking way ahead, I was just trying to be in the present and play one ball at a time.”Iyer does average better and strikes slower in the third innings in Ranji Trophy, but more often than not the third innings in Ranji Trophy carry much less pressure. In five-day cricket, third innings can make or break Tests. When asked about batting with restraint here, Iyer said: “It was really tough because Rahul sir [Dravid, the India coach] had told me we need to play as much as possible. To stay till the end, only then we can get to a good total. I decided I will play as many balls as possible and see to it that we get to a good total. I felt that 250-odd runs including the lead would be really good. Fortunately, we got more than that.”Related

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When it comes to listening to Dravid, the story is now famous how the first time Dravid saw Iyer was when he hit a six in the last over of a day’s play in a four-day match. Some eyebrows would have been similarly raised when you see Iyer in a Test match giving up all his stumps and late-cutting with and against the turn and well before having seen the team out of danger.Then again, you don’t strike at 82 over 4000 runs without taking a risk or two. Risks are subjective, though, and batting is all about managing risk. Apart from that first miscue, you wouldn’t really say Iyer’s intent involved significant risk. Dravid and Iyer will be talking all about that when they review the Test, but for now Dravid and Virat Kohli have some talking to do: how do you not retain Iyer after this debut, and if you do, who makes way for Kohli?

Yes, it was a case of merely aiming “to hit every ball” and having it come off, but also the various skillsets in play did set Cummins up to steal the show

Sidharth Monga06-Apr-20222:55

Lynn: ‘Offence is the best form of defence for Pat Cummins’

How do you even describe a 14-ball fifty?It is, of course, an extraordinary knock. Any 14-ball fifty is. More so on a night when almost every other batter has struggled to tame the steep bounce. In all, 48 not-in-control runs will be scored behind the wicket in this match, the most for a single game in the last six IPL seasons.Related

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Venkatesh Iyer, coming off his honeymoon season and coming to terms with the cost of living, is fighting his own form and the conditions valiantly to turn 19 off 21 into 50 off 41. He has hung on for dear life, knowing his side’s fate depends on his staying there till the end. The plan has been for him to be at his most efficient in adverse circumstances but make sure he bats through and delays taking his chances as much as he can. It is making for a great story.And then comes the joint-best fast bowler in Test cricket – not half-bad in limited-overs cricket, mind you – and he hits the other joint-best fast bowler in Test cricket – who is also the best fast bowler in limited-overs cricket – for a six and a four before causing absolute mayhem in a Daniel Sams over that he takes 35 runs off. It is mockery of others who have been trying to play a hard-fought match in difficult conditions.It is apt that a person with unfair amounts of cricketing talent and fitness comes up with the best description of the innings. “I just tried to hit every ball for a four or a six,” Pat Cummins explains, cutting straight to the chase, just as he did with the bat.Of course there will be explanations for why it came off but, at the heart of it, it was just that: trying to hit every ball for a boundary, targeting the short boundaries, and making sure Venkatesh didn’t have to risk his wicket.Pat Cummins mauled Daniel Sams in a 35-run over to finish off the chase•BCCIFor further explanations, we can look at Cummins’ record against pace vis-à-vis spin: after today, his strike rate against pace is 156 at 21 runs per dismissal. Two years ago he hit four sixes off a single Jasprit Bumrah over. He now has the second-most IPL fifties batting at No. 7 or lower. So you shouldn’t probably be shocked that he played a match-winning hand here. But he is not considered a genuine allrounder, despite those numbers, because it is easy to shut him down with spin. Against spin, he doesn’t score at even a run a ball.One of the few teams funky enough to bowl heavy doses of spin even late in the innings is the team Cummins himself plays for, so, more often than not, the best time for him to bat is at the death. Especially if he is batting with a specialist batter who prefers spin to pace – Venkatesh has a strike rate of 142 and an average of 60 against the slow stuff as against 122 and 28 against pace. And here too Venkatesh has had a better night against spin than pace, so the opposition can be forgiven for planning for the more apparent threat – the established batter and his obvious strength.Cummins himself had gone for 23 in the last over of the first innings. Two of the sixes were edges as he tried to bluff Kieron Pollard with short balls despite having third man and fine leg up. Cummins was perhaps unlucky in his final analysis of 4-0-49-2. “Welcome to Twenty20 cricket,” he thought to himself then, having just come off a gruelling Test series in Pakistan where he toiled for 110.1 overs for 12 wickets, the joint-highest in the series, and a 1-0 series win.Then he played the purest form of Twenty20 cricket himself: try to hit a boundary every ball. And the hitting was all clean too. Except maybe for one cue-end to a wide Bumrah yorker, but even there he intended to hit the ball in that general area. “I am at my best when I am not thinking much,” he says later.That is not to dismiss the work that goes on behind the scenes to achieve a skillset where you can hit fours and sixes without thinking too much. Being primarily a bowler perhaps liberates you to attempt that. He has tried just this on many a night but this was the night when it all came off.Any 14-ball fifty is a freak innings, but in hindsight, if you look at the circumstances and skillsets, of all the unexpected sources of such a knock, Cummins is probably the most expected. If that makes any sense. Not much about a 14-ball fifty does, admittedly.

Also, why did Chahar, Hasaranga and Hetmyer attract such big money?

Dustin Silgardo14-Feb-20225:30

Best and worst buys? Biggest surprise? Missed opportunity?

Why did Wanindu Hasaranga go for so much? Hasaranga fills two crucial roles teams look for. He can function as a wristspinner with variations, and also be used as an allrounder who can strike at 130-plus from No. 6 or No. 7. Hasaranga has established himself as one of the best googly bowlers in the world – his T20I strike rate is 12.9 and his economy rate is 6.32. And spinners with variations have traditionally done well in the IPL.Related

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But why did Hasaranga get a higher price than experienced spinners such as Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin? This is where his second skill comes in. Hasaranga can bat in the middle order and score fast – his T20 strike rate is 136.63. That kind of player was in short supply in the auction. Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja had all been retained, but that still left four teams – Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings – desperate to find explosive allrounders. No surprise that three of those teams were battling for Hasaranga. Another point to remember is that his name came up before many of the big-hitting allrounders who were sold on day two. Also, he was the only one of those allrounders who bowls wristspin.There have been questions as to why the Royal Challengers pursued Hasaranga despite having him in their squad last season and only giving him two games. But remember, last season the Royal Challengers had Chahal filling the wristspinner’s spot. This season, by having a wicket-taking wristspinner who can bat in the top seven, they have more options in terms of team combination – they could play four seamers after Hasaranga, with Glenn Maxwell as the second spinner, or make the batting deep with Shahbaz Ahmed as another spin-bowling allrounder at No.8.Why did David Warner and Quinton de Kock go for less than INR 7 crore (USD 926,000 approx)? Three reasons:

• Overseas batters have been among the cheaper buys because the supply is more.
• Every team had at least one opener pre-auction.
• A lot of teams were waiting for Ishan Kishan’s name to come up.

Warner and de Kock would probably both have been better off not being in the marquee set. Clearly, many teams had their eyes on Kishan as a keeper-batter. Once Kishan was sold, the very next keeper, Nicholas Pooran, went for INR 10.75 crore (USD 1.4 million) to the Sunrisers. de Kock could have fetched a similar price had he come up after Kishan.Another factor was that of the 31 players picked pre-auction, 11 were potential openers. Every team had at least one player who could open, so those slots were not as much of a priority early in the auction.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn recent auctions, overseas top-order batters have been among the less expensive buys. Think of it this way, if you consider six of the top-eight-ranked international teams (minus India and Pakistan) as your supply pool, each team has around four top-order batters, so the total supply is about 24 international-quality batters. But each team has a maximum of two allrounders, finishers or express pacers, so there your supply is half. It could make sense to spend on those other categories and try to pick up an inexpensive top-order player.For example, Chennai Super Kings, who were in for Warner but pulled out early, ended up getting Devon Conway for just INR 1 crore (USD 132,000), and he is still an international-level player. The auction also had a lot of Indian top-order options, so teams wanted to save their overseas slots for other areas.Of course, Warner is a special top-order player and a three-time winner of the orange cap, so if he hits top form, he could end up being the steal of the auction.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhy did Shimron Hetmyer spark such a bidding war? Again, this is a function of supply and demand. Teams wanted to fill the No. 5 slot in their team with a finisher – someone who can come in and strike quickly from the off, a totally different skill from building an innings from the top. Every team wants to find their own Pollard, Russell or Pandya, but there aren’t too many of those kinds of players around. While the ideal pick is an allrounder who can also be a finisher, teams were willing to pay big bucks even for batters or batting allrounders who can play this specific role.Hetmyer has a strike rate of 150.00 from No. 5 or lower. In 23 IPL innings from No. 5 or lower, he has struck at 160.26. Shahrukh Khan, another finisher, also went for big money, as did Tim David and Liam Livingstone, though he is seen as an allrounder.Hetmyer also benefited from being in the first pool of capped batters, as a lot of the options for this role were only going to come much later on in the auction, so some teams wanted a finisher early so they didn’t have to scramble for one with a diminished purse. Delhi Capitals, the other team bidding for Hetmyer, never ended up finding a proven No. 5 and will have to use Mandeep Singh or Rovman Powell in the role, or push Rishabh Pant down the order. Why didn’t Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin get bigger bids?Ashwin and Chahal are both among the 10 highest wicket-takers in the IPL, and it isn’t like their form has dipped. No spinner took more wickets than Chahal’s 18 last season, while Ashwin’s economy-rate of 7.41 was excellent. So why did Chahal get just INR 6.50 crore (USD 860,000) and Ashwin INR 5 crore (USD 661,000)?It seems that teams came into the auction with the idea that any spinners they picked needed to be allrounders who could bat at No.7 or higher. The reason for this was that there were a lot of spin-bowling allrounders to pick from but few seam-bowling allrounders who could bat in the top seven. So a lot of teams had set up to have multiple spin-bowling options in their top seven and a maximum of one spinner occupying the bowlers’ positions.If you include pre-auction buys, 15 spin-bowling allrounders went for INR 2 crore or more, with nine earning upwards of INR 8 crore. In contrast, just seven specialist spinners earned INR 2 crore (USD 264,000) or more, and that’s including Rashid Khan, who could, at a push, bat in the top seven.ESPNcricinfo LtdHow did Deepak Chahar become the second-most-expensive buy in the auction?Seamers are always in demand in auctions – you need five or six quality seamers in your squad to allow for injuries, loss of form and confidence. But one specific kind of seamer in great demand at this auction was someone that could bat at No. 8 and provide depth, which is becoming more and more valued in T20 cricket. Having someone who can finish games from No. 8 not only adds insurance but can change the way your top and middle order bat, allowing them to be more aggressive. There are not a lot of frontline seamers going around who can also strike at 130 with the bat, and so those players went at a premium.The reason Chahar went for even more than the rest of the seamers who can hit a ball long, is that he is one of the best powerplay bowlers in the IPL and tends to win a handful of games every season just with his early wickets.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhy did Mumbai Indians go hard for an injured Jofra Archer?Archer is unlikely to feature at all in the 2022 season, so why would teams want him in this auction? Why not simply wait for the next auction? By taking a gamble this season, Mumbai have actually ended up paying a lot less for Archer than they otherwise might have. A fully fit Archer in an auction could have earned massive bids. But by picking him up late in this auction, when other teams had used up most of their purses, Mumbai have actually got Archer at a bargain – remember, if he doesn’t play this season, Mumbai don’t need to pay him – and now have a formidable pace attack for 2023. They may also have been thinking of the 26-year-old Archer as someone they can retain at the end of this three-year cycle. The trade-off, of course, is that their first XI for this season is not as strong.The big question, which only Archer can answer, is why he decided to enter this auction. If he had entered the mini-auction next year, he probably would have fetched a lot more money. We will have to wait for him to answer that.Why did Kolkata Knight Riders pick Ajinkya Rahane?In four of his past five seasons, Rahane has struck at less than 120, and he was given just two games by the Capitals in 2021. But the Knight Riders wanted a steady opener to complement the aggressive Venkatesh Iyer. Their outgoing opener, Shubman Gill, also struck at less than 120 in his past two seasons but was consistent. Also, the experience and leadership of Rahane can be an asset in the dressing-room and training ground.

She displayed all the qualities that India thought they would miss with the new ball in the post-Jhulan-Goswami era

Shashank Kishore29-Jul-2022In India’s first outing at a global event in the post-Jhulan-Goswami era, Renuka Singh, 26, displayed all the qualities that India thought they would miss with the new ball: swing, seam, accuracy, large heart.The four Australia batters she nipped out weren’t ordinary wickets. They were of world-beaters who have made a mockery of bowling attacks the world over. Alyssa Healy: one of the hardest hitters of a cricket ball in the women’s game. Beth Mooney: one of the most versatile batters. Meg Lanning: scorer of more white-ball hundreds than any other woman batter, and owner of the most ferocious cut in the game. Tahlia McGrath: among the best young talents in the game currently.Related

• Gardner 52* trumps Renuka's 4 for 18 as Australia come back from the brink

It was meant to be a trial by spin, but Australia’s top order was undone by seam, quite spectacularly, by a rookie, all of seven games old in T20Is, who simply stuck to the very basics coaches impress upon. Of bowling to your strengths, being accurate, and allowing the surface to do the rest.Healy was out nibbling at a delivery she could have either left alone or cut. Mooney played down the wrong line. Lanning was in two minds of whether to bring out her trademark cut or simply steer the ball behind square, only to be caught at point. McGrath didn’t perhaps know that inswing is Renuka’s most potent delivery, and was in no position to drive one that bent in wickedly to beat the inside edge and flatten leg stump.Last year, Renuka had burst through against the same team in Australia. Back then, she was slightly slower, giving batters a little more time to make adjustments against her. Between last October and now, Renuka has worked on becoming fitter and stronger, and has added a couple more yards of pace.Prior to the Commonwealth Games, India had two 10-day camps either side of a tour of Sri Lanka, where she picked up seven wickets in three ODIs, including a career-best 4 for 28.The camps were intense, with a set daily agenda. The fast bowlers were divided into different groups. Each group was put under a dedicated trainer, who logged in their workloads, their bowling speeds, their spells. A dietician worked through their food charts; every gram consumed was meticulously charted. Every evening’s recovery session was planned to the T.Then there were simulations and video analysis of every practice session. This extra emphasis on developing a young fast-bowling group had been in the works for two years, from when WV Raman took over as head coach in 2019.Renuka Singh Thakur (L) celebrates after dismissing Tahlia McGrath•Associated Press”I’ve been working on my fitness for the past month,” Renuka said after picking up her T20I career-best 4 for 18. “We had a dedicated fitness camp, and I’ve worked on speed, agility and endurance; I’m a fast bowler so those are really important skills. That has helped me a lot. I try and hit hard lengths, so that you can get help from the pitch. That has worked for me. I’m predominantly a swing bowler. The more I swing the ball, that much more help I’ll get.”Renuka hails from Himachal Pradesh, a state known for its hilly terrain and adventure sport. Until 2008, there was not a single academy in the state dedicated for girls. That changed after Anurag Thakur, the former BCCI president, developed a state-of-the-art facility in Dharamsala the following year.At 15, Renuka, who was at an age where she had to decide between pursuing academics or trying her hand at sport, was among the first batch of trainees at the academy. At 17, she broke through into the HP senior team.Now, HP is far from a champion team in the women’s circuit. Most players say landing a Railways gig is their ultimate aim. It offers them a competitive environment apart from guaranteeing several perks such as paid leave, government accommodation, a pension scheme, a monthly salary, and training equipment.Renuka too had a similar dream, and it came true in 2021 when she got a job in the Railways. Within eight months of her playing in the set-up, she made her T20I debut in Australia last year, and has since become a regular member of the Indian team.The debut came on the back of an impressive Senior One-Day Trophy, where Renuka picked up nine wickets in five games. But it wasn’t until she picked up four wickets in her first spell against Karnataka in the final, like she did against Australia, that word spread of this seamer with excellent control and the skillset India had been on the lookout for.If the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand gave Renuka an opportunity to apprentice under Goswami, the safety jacket has come off at the CWG. The start has been promising, and India will hope Renuka continues to thrive.

She displayed all the qualities that India thought they would miss with the new ball in the post-Jhulan-Goswami era

Shashank Kishore29-Jul-2022In India’s first outing at a global event in the post-Jhulan-Goswami era, Renuka Singh, 26, displayed all the qualities that India thought they would miss with the new ball: swing, seam, accuracy, large heart.The four Australia batters she nipped out weren’t ordinary wickets. They were of world-beaters who have made a mockery of bowling attacks the world over. Alyssa Healy: one of the hardest hitters of a cricket ball in the women’s game. Beth Mooney: one of the most versatile batters. Meg Lanning: scorer of more white-ball hundreds than any other woman batter, and owner of the most ferocious cut in the game. Tahlia McGrath: among the best young talents in the game currently.Related

Gardner 52* trumps Renuka's 4 for 18 as Australia come back from the brink

It was meant to be a trial by spin, but Australia’s top order was undone by seam, quite spectacularly, by a rookie, all of seven games old in T20Is, who simply stuck to the very basics coaches impress upon. Of bowling to your strengths, being accurate, and allowing the surface to do the rest.Healy was out nibbling at a delivery she could have either left alone or cut. Mooney played down the wrong line. Lanning was in two minds of whether to bring out her trademark cut or simply steer the ball behind square, only to be caught at point. McGrath didn’t perhaps know that inswing is Renuka’s most potent delivery, and was in no position to drive one that bent in wickedly to beat the inside edge and flatten leg stump.Last year, Renuka had burst through against the same team in Australia. Back then, she was slightly slower, giving batters a little more time to make adjustments against her. Between last October and now, Renuka has worked on becoming fitter and stronger, and has added a couple more yards of pace.Prior to the Commonwealth Games, India had two 10-day camps either side of a tour of Sri Lanka, where she picked up seven wickets in three ODIs, including a career-best 4 for 28.The camps were intense, with a set daily agenda. The fast bowlers were divided into different groups. Each group was put under a dedicated trainer, who logged in their workloads, their bowling speeds, their spells. A dietician worked through their food charts; every gram consumed was meticulously charted. Every evening’s recovery session was planned to the T.Then there were simulations and video analysis of every practice session. This extra emphasis on developing a young fast-bowling group had been in the works for two years, from when WV Raman took over as head coach in 2019.Renuka Singh Thakur (L) celebrates after dismissing Tahlia McGrath•Associated Press”I’ve been working on my fitness for the past month,” Renuka said after picking up her T20I career-best 4 for 18. “We had a dedicated fitness camp, and I’ve worked on speed, agility and endurance; I’m a fast bowler so those are really important skills. That has helped me a lot. I try and hit hard lengths, so that you can get help from the pitch. That has worked for me. I’m predominantly a swing bowler. The more I swing the ball, that much more help I’ll get.”Renuka hails from Himachal Pradesh, a state known for its hilly terrain and adventure sport. Until 2008, there was not a single academy in the state dedicated for girls. That changed after Anurag Thakur, the former BCCI president, developed a state-of-the-art facility in Dharamsala the following year.At 15, Renuka, who was at an age where she had to decide between pursuing academics or trying her hand at sport, was among the first batch of trainees at the academy. At 17, she broke through into the HP senior team.Now, HP is far from a champion team in the women’s circuit. Most players say landing a Railways gig is their ultimate aim. It offers them a competitive environment apart from guaranteeing several perks such as paid leave, government accommodation, a pension scheme, a monthly salary, and training equipment.Renuka too had a similar dream, and it came true in 2021 when she got a job in the Railways. Within eight months of her playing in the set-up, she made her T20I debut in Australia last year, and has since become a regular member of the Indian team.The debut came on the back of an impressive Senior One-Day Trophy, where Renuka picked up nine wickets in five games. But it wasn’t until she picked up four wickets in her first spell against Karnataka in the final, like she did against Australia, that word spread of this seamer with excellent control and the skillset India had been on the lookout for.If the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand gave Renuka an opportunity to apprentice under Goswami, the safety jacket has come off at the CWG. The start has been promising, and India will hope Renuka continues to thrive.

And which bowler has taken the last wicket most often to win a Test or an ODI?

Steven Lynch20-Sep-2022I was wondering about the biggest difference between player numbers in the same Test team. I wondered about Jimmy Anderson, then remembered Brian Close! Is he the record-holder? asked Brian King from England

In the final Test against South Africa at The Oval last week, Jimmy Anderson (who was cap No. 613 in 2003) played alongside debutant Harry Brook, England’s No. 707. That’s a difference of 94 (including the special cap No. 696 given to Glamorgan’s Alan Jones, 50 years on from his appearance against the Rest of the World in 1970).I was surprised to discover that there are actually 73 combinations from all countries that equal or beat 94, including a difference of 122 between Brian Close (England’s No. 344 in 1949) and Mike Selvey (466 in 1976). But top of the list is the Yorkshire and England allrounder Wilfred Rhodes, who was cap No. 121 when he made his Test debut in 1899. During his final series, in the West Indies in 1929-30, the 52-year-old Rhodes played alongside Leslie Townsend (No. 254), a difference of 133. He also played with Bill Voce (253),
Freddie Calthorpe (252) and Les Ames (244), so occupies the first four places on this particular table.The record for a side other than England is a difference of 98, between Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies cap No. 204) and Shai Hope (302), against Englandin Bridgetown in May 2015. It was Hope’s first Test, and Chanderpaul’s 164th and last.How many Test matches have been shorter, in terms of balls bowled, than the one that’s just finished at The Oval? asked Michael Templeton, and many others

The third Test between England and South Africa at The Oval last week was over in just 909 balls, the shortest Test with a positive result anywhere since February 2021, when India needed only 842 deliveries to polish England off in Ahmedabad.It was the shortest completed Test in England since 1912, when the match against South Africa at The Oval lasted only 815 deliveries. The shortest anywhere was the match between Australia and South Africa on a rain-affected pitch in Melbourne in 1931-32, which was done and dusted in 656 balls.For the full list, which also includes drawn Tests (look down the fifth column to see when there was a winner), click here.Which bowler has taken the last wicket most often to win a Test, or an ODI? asked Ahson Atif from India

There’s a tie at the top of this list for Tests, as two bowlers have taken the match-winning (final) wicket on 22 occasions: R Ashwin for India, and Australia’s Shane Warne. Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker Muthiah Muralidaran comes next with 18, ahead of his compatriot Rangana Herath with 14, and Waqar Younis on 13.Things are more clear-cut in one-day internationals: Wasim Akram took the last wicket to win a match no fewer than 27 times, well clear of Murali and Glenn McGrath (21). Waqar, Lasith Malinga and Shahid Afridi all did it on 20 occasions.Arthur Milton (left) had one international cap in football and Mike Smith (right) played one rugby union international for England•S&G/PA Photos/Getty ImagesWhen was England’s batting in a Test opened by a football and a rugby international? asked George Clarke from England

This unusual double happened in the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley in 1958, when Mike Smith faced the new ball with Arthur Milton, who went on to score a century on his debut.Even though he wore spectacles, Smith had played one rugby union international for England, against Wales (who won 8-3) at Twickenham in 1956. “I played as an outside centre during my final year at Oxford,” he said. “But I had a poor game and was not selected again.” Milton – a nippy winger for Arsenal, and later Bristol City – won one England football cap, in a 2-2 draw against Austria at Wembley in 1951. “The attack was spoiled by the relative failure of Milton on the right,” concluded the Times. “The occasion and the tension generally were too much for him.”I noticed that Yuzi Chahal batted only once in his first 13 T20Is. Has anyone batted less often? asked Arun Nissar from India

You’re right that the Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal batted only once in his first 13 T20 internationals – but there is someone who didn’t bat at all in his first 13: the Afghanistan seamer Fareed Ahmad, who didn’t bat until his 14th such match, in which he made 24 not out. Despite that promising start, he’s batted only once more in six further matches.Chahal has now played 66 T20Is, and got to the crease only four times. That’s easily the fewest innings by anyone who played so often – next comes another legspinner, New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi, who batted 12 times in his first 66 T20Is. At the other end of the scale, David Warner has played 91 T20Is so far, and batted in all of them.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions