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A captain who led from the front, an inspirational coach, infrastructural development – the stories behind Himachal’s unlikely Vijay Hazare Trophy win

Hemant Brar06-Jan-2022Moments after clinching the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier 50-over title, Himachal Pradesh captain Rishi Dhawan and wicketkeeper-batter Shubham Arora look to collect the stumps as souvenirs. Dhawan is the first to grab one, but as Arora is about to pick one up for himself, Dhawan gestures to him not to take the middle stump.”I thought the middle stump had the camera embedded in it,” Dhawan laughs. “So I told him to take the other one and not the middle stump, as they [the television crew] will take it back. But later I came to know that in domestic cricket there are no stump cams, that’s only in the IPL!”If that counted as a misjudgement, there weren’t many others by Dhawan in Himachal’s historic campaign: he scored 458 runs at an average of 76 and a strike rate of 127, took 17 wickets at an average of 23, finishing second on both the runs and wickets charts.For Himachal it was the first title of any kind in domestic cricket – a huge achievement for a team that made its Ranji Trophy debut in 1985-86 and played in the Plate league as recently as 2011-12. They did it with a home-grown squad drawn from a small player pool. The mountainous state accounts for only 0.5% of India’s population, and unlike the bigger teams with international experience in their ranks, Dhawan is the only cricketer from Himachal Pradesh to have represented India.Related

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Last season Himachal managed a solitary win from five games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. When asked what changed this time, the first thing Dhawan mentions is coach Anuj Dass joining the side.Dass is a former Himachal cricketer who played a first-class match and two List A games in 1999. From 2006 to 2016 he was involved with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) as a coach, mainly looking after the age-group teams. He spent the next two years as Tripura’s head coach before the BCCI assigned him to the Arunachal Pradesh Under-23 side. Last year, Arun Dhumal, the HPCA president and BCCI treasurer, asked Dass to return to Himachal. Dass too wanted to give something back to his state. Thus began his “quest for the title”.”He has been my coach since U-15 days,” Dhawan says. “My tuning with him has always been great, so our communication and planning were good, and with me as captain, we could execute whatever we planned.”Not just Dhawan, Dass has coached most of the players in the current Himachal squad during their age-group days, so he knew first-hand what they were capable of.”During the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he said that he felt we were underachievers,” says Prashant Chopra, who was one of Himachal’s batting mainstays in the tournament. “He would say that when he was coaching us in U-19 cricket, we used to beat Karnataka, Mumbai. And all these guys, be it Shardul [Thakur] for Mumbai, [Jasprit] Bumrah for Gujarat, Sanju [Samson] for Kerala, used to be in the opposition and we were beating them convincingly. He said, ‘You were beating them at that point of time, what’s happening now? You must have faltered in your mental process. You guys must have been playing safe. You shouldn’t be playing safe. Just go out there and express yourself. You have a lot more ability than you think you have.'”The players were desperate to win a breakthrough title, but the team faltered in the pre-quarterfinals of the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“I said, ‘If we are thinking of becoming champions, we need to walk like champions, we need to behave like champions. Right now, I don’t think we are'”Prashant Chopra on what he told the under-pressure team ahead of their match against Gujarat

Next came the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Dass and Dhawan chalked out specific roles. Chopra was supposed to anchor the innings. Amit Kumar, who plays spin well, was to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the middle overs. Vinay Galetiya was to keep things in control with the new ball. Dhawan was to take care of the death overs.”We broke down 50 overs into ten, 15, 15 and ten,” Dass says. “Looking at abilities of all the individuals, we made something like a flow chart, saying where we needed to be at the end of every stage. So it was not like, an individual goes in, takes his time to get set and then moves on. You needed to ensure the team met certain parameters. If the surface or conditions are not good, you may come up with less number of runs. But once you are in flow, you can make up those runs.”They lost their first game to Vidarbha by seven wickets. That led to a tweak in their approach. They had been planning for a title win but now they narrowed their focus to winning the next game at hand. That meant monitoring what their opponents were doing, paying more attention to the conditions they were to play in, and devising plans match by match. At times that even meant making changes to winning combinations.Himachal comfortably won their next match, against Jammu and Kashmir, but Chopra felt “the fire in the belly” was still missing. Leading up to the game after that, against Gujarat, there was a team meeting.”I never speak too much in team meetings,” Chopra says. “That day, Anuj sir saw my face and asked if I wanted to say something. I said, ‘I feel we are playing under some kind of pressure. Our shoulders are down, and it’s not only about the other 19 guys, it includes me as well. If we are thinking of becoming champions, we need to walk like champions, we need to behave like champions. Right now, I don’t think we are.'”Prashant Chopra: “We’ve been preparing really well for the last many years, we’ve been performing really well. But it takes a title to actually get you recognised”•HPCAChopra’s words lit a spark. Himachal beat Gujarat by 97 runs and Chopra top-scored with 73. It started his streak of five consecutive 50-plus scores, which included 99 against Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-final. He made 456 runs in the competition at an average 57.00.This was in complete contrast to his performance in the last edition of the tournament, when he managed only 55 runs in five games. How did he turn it around?”Not a lot of people would believe but I was actually seeing the ball really, really well last season, even better than this season,” says Chopra. “In the first game, I got out early. In the second, I was batting well at around 39 and I got out on the pull. Suddenly, you are left with only three games, and you had planned before the season that you would be scoring two hundreds and a fifty and have an average of 50-plus. I started rushing for runs. I was not focusing on the process, I was just focused on ‘I want to get runs, I want to get runs.’ I was still batting well, but I had lost confidence in myself and I was actually feeling very, very low. After the season, I was really depressed when I came back home. I was not able to talk to anyone.”Chopra’s sister helped him get over this phase. She and her husband took him to Goa. It was the first time in 12 years he had gone on a vacation. That helped him take his mind off the game.When Dass joined Himachal at the start of the current season, Chopra had a word with him. They figured out he was focusing more on the result than the process. Once that became clear to Chopra, he found his way back among the runs.The win against Gujarat galvanised the squad. Everyone’s belief in themselves got a boost. They began to back each other more. Those on the bench started putting in more effort at practice. Himachal were to reap the rewards of this soon.

“We broke down 50 overs into ten, 15, 15 and ten. We made a flow chart, saying where we needed to be at the end of every stage. You needed to ensure the team met certain parameters”Coach Anuj Dass on bringing focus to each player’s role

Their next game was against Andhra. At one stage it looked like Himachal would restrict them to around 300, but in the 48th over Pankaj Jaswal was taken for five sixes and 32 runs. Jaswal, playing his first game of the tournament, finished with figures of 9-0-87-0 and Andhra on 322; Himachal lost by 30 runs.”Pankaj is very emotional about his cricket,” says Chopra. “So everyone was around him after the game, the coach, the support staff, all the players. Sidharth [Sharma], who is also a fast bowler and a competitor [for a place in the XI], was also around Pankaj, saying, ‘No worries, Pankaj. It happens. You are the best, you are a champion bowler.’ That gave Pankaj the confidence, and the way he bowled in the final, I would say, if not for him, Tamil Nadu might have reached somewhere around 340-345.”In the final, Jaswal bowled 2.4 overs at the death, picking up 3 for 15. Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 314 in 49.4 overs.Similarly, when Arpit Guleria, one of Himachal’s first-choice fast bowlers, got injured before the quarter-final, Sidharth Sharma was handed his List A debut. Having put in the hard yards in training, Sharma was match-ready and picked up 2 for 27 from his ten overs against Uttar Pradesh.In March 2021, Dhawan took the BCCI’s Level 2 coaching course, designed for those who have played 75 or more first-class games. He used those learnings to extract the best out of his players.”I learned how to handle a player mentally and physically,” he says. “How to keep everyone motivated, how to communicate with everyone, to keep everyone together, to create an atmosphere where there is no senior-junior divide and players don’t hesitate to talk to each other.”In the semi-final, Himachal sauntered to a 77-run win against Services. It was Dhawan who took the final wicket, one of four for him in the match, steering Himachal into their maiden domestic final in any format.Prashant Chopra: “We had no idea how to celebrate. There were smiles around in the dressing room; there were a few tears as well”•HPCA”Everyone came and hugged me,” Dhawan says. “We all got emotional, especially the senior players. Amit came to me and said, ‘It took us so many years.’ That was an emotional moment for me, I had tears in my eyes.”

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In his playing days, Dass used to dream of practising on turf pitches. Now, with around eight cricket grounds available across Himachal, players no longer have to travel far in search of good facilities.For that, Dass credits the “will and zeal” of administrators, especially Dhumal and his brother Anurag Thakur, who was the HPCA president till 2017. “The major turnaround happened around 2000, when Anurag took over the reins of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association,” he says. “Earlier, we had just two turf wickets, one in Una and one in Mandi. The grounds were also very few. Anurag took initiatives for building grounds and infrastructure. He gave us the vision to build the beautiful stadium we have in Dharamsala. Dreams can be unlimited, you can dream to any extent, but such a stadium was not even in our dreams.”Himachal Pradesh still doesn’t have its own league, nor does it have a club-cricket culture, given the limited number of players in the state. There is an inter-district tournament but, in Chopra’s words, it doesn’t offer enough “variety” and “exposure”.To overcome this hurdle, the HPCA took the initiative in 2011-12 to participate in exchange matches.

“I learned how to handle a player mentally and physically, how to keep everyone motivated, to create an atmosphere where there is no senior-junior divide”Rishi Dhawan on putting his Level 2 coaching course to use

“Now we regularly play practice games with Karnataka, we participate in the tournaments like the KSCA Trophy and JP Atray Trophy,” Chopra says. “Before the T20s [Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy], we went to Bengal and played four-five practice games against them.”Those exchange games mean we constantly get into crunch situations. Earlier, when those situations used to come during a [BCCI] tournament, we had never faced them, so how would you expect us to do well in those situations? Now there might be a situation we get in a game that we have also faced in a practice match. Immediately it clicks in our mind that this was the same scenario in that game and what we did there to win. Or, if we lost, what wrong we did that we should not do.”

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Tamil Nadu are the most decorated side in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with five titles in 20 editions. And just a month before, they had won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. On the surface, Himachal Pradesh’s match-up against them felt like David against Goliath.But Himachal had beaten Tamil Nadu outright the last two times the sides met in the Ranji Trophy. And they were eager to avenge the defeat Tamil Nadu had handed them last season in the quarter-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Dhawan opted to bowl on a gloomy winter morning in Jaipur, expecting his seamers to make use of the moisture in the surface. Himachal struck early, twice, but Tamil Nadu had tricks up their sleeve, promoting lower-order batters R Sai Kishore and M Ashwin to Nos. 3 and 4.”We were not surprised at Sai Kishore’s promotion because if we were batting first, we would have also done something similar,” Dhawan says. “But when Murugan Ashwin came in, I felt they really shielded their main batsmen.”A news piece in Amar Ujala on Himachal Pradesh’s title hopes ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy•Courtesy of Prashant ChopraKishore and Ashwin batted out the difficult phase, allowing Dinesh Karthik and Baba Indrajith to make hay when the sun came out. Karthik scored 116, Indrajith 80, and Tamil Nadu got to 314. “DK [Karthik] played an extraordinary knock, otherwise they wouldn’t have scored this many,” Dhawan says. “But even then they could score only 300 [314]. If we hadn’t restricted them in the first 15-20 overs, this total could have been 350.”And the pitch eased out. “In Jaipur, on an afternoon wicket where the ball is not going to turn, it was a belter of a track,” Chopra says. “We knew their bowling line-up wasn’t that strong. They were mostly dependent on Sandeep Warrier initially, and Washington Sundar or maybe Sai Kishore a bit. So the target was not that big when you have two bowlers you can target.”Arora, who made his List A debut earlier in the season, struck an unbeaten 136. His 148-run fourth-wicket stand with Amit took Himachal closer, before Dhawan’s cameo – 42 not out from 23 balls – ensured that, when bad light forced the umpires to call off the game, Himachal were 299 for 4 in 47.3 overs, 11 ahead of the VJD target.”When Amit and Shubham were batting, we were at par and as they took the innings deep, we were eight to ten runs ahead,” says Dhawan. “Our only aim was we didn’t want to be behind the VJD target because we knew as soon as that would happen, Tamil Nadu would bowl fast bowlers and umpires would call bad light because light wouldn’t have permitted fast bowlers.”After the win, the players and the support staff didn’t know how to treat this imposter. They had never met it before.”We had no idea how to celebrate,” Chopra says. “It was mixed feelings – we were emotional and happy. There were smiles in the dressing room; there were a few tears as well. Even the support staff guys were in tears. They have been with us for ten to 12 years now, be it the trainers or the physio.”At Himachal’s pre-tournament camp in Bilaspur, Chopra was asked by Hindi daily what his dream was. He mentioned two. “One dream is, I want to see Himachal win a domestic title, be it in white-ball cricket or red-ball, and the second dream is to play for the country,” Chopra recalls answering. Through the tournament Chopra carried that newspaper cutting with him.”I don’t think anyone else in the country thought that we could pull this off but all the 26 people involved – 20 players and six support staff – felt we are a team who could win this trophy. We didn’t think about what people thought of us. We’ve been preparing really well for the last many years, we’ve been performing really well. But it takes a title to actually get you recognised.”

From being unable to score 200 in three Ashes ODIs, they went toe-to-toe in a chase of 311 against Australia in the World Cup

Valkerie Baynes05-Mar-2022England took a big step towards addressing their Ashes shortcomings with a batting display that threatened to steal the show from Australia in their opening World Cup clash in Hamilton on Saturday.Nat Sciver’s frustration was palpable in her post-match press conference after she had scored an unbeaten century at better than a run-a-ball and kept England in the contest right to the last over, when they needed 16 runs to overhaul a target of 311 and upset the tournament favourites.Jess Jonassen was entrusted with bowling the final over after she had been used sparingly, conceding 16 runs off her only two overs for the match to that point, including a six over long-off to Heather Knight and four thundered to long-on by Tammy Beaumont, the England pair putting on a 92-run stand for the second wicket.Jonassen’s 13th ball was a leg bye, while her return catch to dismiss Katherine Brunt on the next delivery was one of the best you’ll see and had the bowler herself looking completely bemused after her left hand shot out above her head, seemingly of its own accord, and grasped the ball just as instinctively. Jonassen conceded just two singles off her next three deliveries before she had Sophie Ecclestone caught off the last ball to seal victory by 12 runs.Related

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Given that Australia had bowled England out for well below 200 as they swept the ODI leg of their recent Ashes series 3-0, and that England’s middle order had struggled to gel for some time, the fact that they strung together two more fifty-plus partnerships – Sciver with Sophia Dunkley and again with Brunt – showed their commitment to move on from the loss. Beaumont scored 74 and Knight 40, while the fact that Dunkley and Brunt also contributed valuable runs added further proof that their demoralising 12-4 series defeat in Australia was behind them.Sciver had scored 108 as England defeated Bangladesh by 109 runs in a warm-up match before the tournament, but for England to take the match to the Australians was another thing entirely.”From the Ashes we’ve wanted to make a shift as batters, a shift in our mindset really, and bringing that intent a bit more which, we had done during the warm-up game,” Sciver said. “So to bring it out against Australia was really important and everyone did their job today in terms of that.”I felt like we were [winning], we were going to get it. The first ball [of the last over], I wasn’t really sure as to what lengths she [Jonassen] was going to bowl, obviously keep it tight to me, but I felt like if I got that one away, it would have happened a bit easier. Katherine had also come in and played spin really well so, I mean, that catch to get Katherine out was pretty special. That goes through her hand and goes for four, it might be different.”England had opted to play seven batters and rely on an experienced attack of four seamers and one spinner but, despite winning the toss and sending Australia in on a pitch that proved difficult to score on for the first quarter of the match, they struggled to make inroads as centurion Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning (86) and Beth Mooney (27* off 19) showed their class.It then fell to England’s batters to put into action the plans they had discussed during an intense post-Ashes review which included, among other things, scoring 250 or more.”Us all agreeing amongst ourselves and committing to that was really important,” Sciver said. “It feels frustrating, but also really encouraging. From where we were at the end of the Ashes, I think we were in a pretty low spot, but to be able to turn that around in a couple of weeks is really important.”To be able to take that into the rest of the tournament – I think we’ve already seen a lot of high-scoring games – so it’s important for us to do.”While England failed to get across the line against Australia, their next opponents, West Indies, upset host New Zealand in another thriller at Mount Maunganui on Friday. Hayley Matthews and Sophie Devine both scored centuries on opposite sides of the result, which was secured in the final over by Deandra Dottin’s two wickets and hand in a run out as West Indies won by three runs. England will play West Indies in Dunedin on Tuesday.

Who makes the cut after a season which has seen significant disruption?

Tristan Lavalette24-Jan-2022Statistics until the end of the regular seasonBen McDermott (Hobart Hurricanes)After a delayed start to the season due to a groin injury, McDermott initially struggled at No. 4 before a move to the top of the order unleashed his belligerent batting. The 27-year-old lit a fuse under the BBL mid-season when he became the first player in the competition’s history to smash consecutive centuries. A few matches later he agonisingly fell short of his fourth career BBL ton with 93 against Heat. McDermott tailed off slightly but his spectacular season, where he compiled the most runs, ensures the pressure is on Australia’s ageing openers Aaron Finch and David Warner ahead of a home T20 World Cup.Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers)Philippe has been a standout batter in the BBL over recent years and it appeared the 24-year-old had taken his game to another level after striking three half-centuries early in the season, including 99 not out against Melbourne Stars at the MCG. Just as he was making an irresistible case to national selectors, Philippe went uncharacteristically cold and scored just one half-century in his next 10 innings. He has been overtaken by McDermott in the pecking order for Australia’s T20 team heightening the pressure on Philippe amid Sixers’ stuttering quest for a historic hat-trick of BBL titles.Related

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Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars)Maxwell’s season was a mishmash of highs and lows but it was never dull. Over half of his runs came from two breathtaking innings, where he smashed hundreds, but around them were a lot of failures including four straight single digit failures amid Stars’ Covid-19 drama. Some of his dismissals were particularly rash and perhaps can be rued after Stars agonisingly missed finals by just one point. But Stars’ skipper just has to be included on this list after his record-breaking 154 not out against Hurricanes in a reminder of why the ‘Big Show’ remains the best show going around.Mitchell Marsh (Perth Scorchers)Fresh from his heroics at the T20 World Cup, Marsh has become perhaps the most intimidating batter in the BBL. Even though he’s played only half the tournament, Marsh’s imprint has been sizeable and he now exudes a type of aura reserved for the absolute elite. While the 30-year-old’s power hitting has been unparalleled, his growing maturity is eye-catching. His seam bowling hasn’t been greatly needed amid Scorchers’ well-oiled machine but he’s been handy when needed. However, a hamstring injury suffered in the qualifying final against Sixers has the potential to derail his golden run.Has this been a breakout season for Jason Sangha?•Getty ImagesMoises Henriques (Sydney Sixers)Somewhat reminiscent of team-mate Philippe, Henriques started the BBL season superbly with a pair of 70s but has cooled off since. Although he has still looked the goods and showed composure during Sixers’ horror collapses against Brisbane Heat at the SCG and Scorchers in the qualifying final. It’s been a tough period for Sixers mired in the BBL’s Covid-19 chaos and the two-time defending champions have been uncharacteristically off the boil. But the strong leadership of Henriques, who soon turns 35, has held Sixers together as they chase history.Jason Sangha (Sydney Thunder)The much-hyped 22-year-old is starting to live up to top billing after an ultra-consistent season batting at No. 3. Sangha had a purple patch during Thunder’s six-match winning streak where they stormed up the ladder and he also impressed as stand-in skipper for a few games. Given his inexperience, Sangha’s composure at the crease has stood out but he can switch gears when required like when he clubbed 91 not out from 55 balls against Adelaide Strikers. An international debut might not be far away.Ashton Agar (Perth Scorchers)Once again, the spinning allrounder has been ultra-consistent and a key cog in Scorchers’ dominant season. Generally bowling after the four-over powerplay, often in tandem with legspinner Peter Hatzoglou, left-armer Agar has been miserly and strangles batters mid-innings. He has a knack of picking up wickets at pivotal moments and Agar has also contributed several cameos with the bat at the death.Hayden Kerr (Sydney Sixers)The 25-year-old has been the breakout bowler of the BBL with Kerr finishing the regular season as the second highest wicket taker. With Sixers enduring a run of injuries to their quicks, Kerr has grabbed his opportunity with both hands and stolen the show. His versatility has stood out with the left-armer able to bowl rapidly but he has clever variations. The best of Kerr, who had been injury prone previously, may still be ahead with his explosive batting barely being utilised at No. 8.Rashid Khan signed off in style for Adelaide Strikers•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesRashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers)It’s little surprise to see the maestro spinner on this list after Rashid once again stamped himself as the BBL’s best bowler. He kept afloat Strikers, who struggled for most of the season but importantly racked up bonus points to help them secure a finals berth. Rashid continued to weave his magic on flummoxed batters none more so than against Heat, where he finished his BBL season with the remarkable figures of 6 for 17.Peter Siddle (Adelaide Strikers)Siddle turned back the clock during a vintage regular season where he claimed the most wickets in the BBL. No one bowled better at the death marked by Siddle’s mastery of delivering unplayable yorkers. With Travis Head starring in the Ashes, Siddle took the captaincy reins and stamped his leadership on the group. He’s galvernised them and instilled belief even when Strikers’ finals prospects appeared grim. It appears there is plenty left in the tank for the evergreen 37-year-old.Andrew Tye (Perth Scorchers)Much like Siddle, Tye shows no signs of age after being one of only two Scorchers players to have played every match this season. The 35-year-old’s renowned trickery and slow bowling expertise have been on full display but he’s also bowled quicker than in recent years to perhaps rekindle an international career that appeared over. During his stellar season, Tye became the first Scorchers player to reach 100 career BBL wickets.X-factorsJoe Clarke (Melbourne Stars)
Tom Rogers (Hobart Hurricanes)

And when we’re not all agog for Trent Boult vs James Anderson, we’re waiting to see whether Jay-Z will bring Brooklyn’s finest PR skills to our game

Alan Gardner15-Jun-2022The conclusion of the IPL means we can finally turn our attention back to cricket for a little while – the apotheosis of which is, of course, the pursuit of glory in the Test match arena. Nothing beats the timeless verities of the five-day game, the crucible of white-hot competition between the greatest, most-skilled practitioners of our beloved sport.By which the Light Roller means the extremely important race to determine who is the best worst batter of all time.For those with a kink for tailender nonsense, England versus New Zealand has decent history – from Caddick, Mullally, Tufnell, Giddins and ignominy at The Oval to Monty Panesar swimming for his ground in Auckland. But the Trent Bridge Test, which, to be fair, had one or two things going for it, featured a slice of history to truly be cherished.Tallying up the most runs ever scored by a No. 11 is very much in keeping with the you-don’t-have-to-be-crazy-to-work-here-but-it-helps mood that sets cricket apart from most other sports. There don’t seem to be too many people keeping track of the most goals scored by a right-back in football, or most aces served in first-round defeats in tennis grand slams.But Trent Boult has, by his own admission, spent his ten and a half years as a Test cricketer slowly reeling in Muthiah Muralidaran’s record, finally getting there amid the familiar flurry of jabs, squawks and feints that makes his batting a piece of performance art. The whole spectacle could only have been bettered by the sight of James Anderson, who has spent almost twice as long on the trail of Murali, vengefully reverse-sweeping his way past Boult’s mark later in the match (and that could still happen in the final Test of the series).Frankly, it was a more innocent age when players could be so good at one aspect of their job that they were allowed to be laughably bad at another (while still allowing for the development of an appropriate hierarchy). The Light Roller was just about starting to feel better about the world when we heard that Nicholas Pooran had taken a four-for.

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Cricketers, as we all know, love to take the positives. Your team might have spent five sessions in the field, and dropped as many catches, but hey, lads, the bum pats were on point. Now Ben Stokes, in his role as England’s Test captain, has moved on to talking the positives, too. “The message from me to everyone is to look to be even more positive than we were last week. Let’s just always try to be better,” he said ahead of the aforementioned Trent Bridge Test. “I don’t know how you make positive more positive but I think you know what I mean.” Hmm, yeah. Not exactly Churchillian, eh? Although it seems Jonny Bairstow got the message.

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Well done to anyone who foresaw that Cricket South Africa’s next move on the “journey of rebuilding trust” with the fans would be to bring in Jay-Z as a consultant. South African cricket may have 99 problems but a PR link-up with a millionaire rapper’s entertainment agency ain’t one. “We are not bringing them in as cricket development partners. We understand that we are experts in developing talent and in cricket,” said CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki, placing the definition of the word “expert” under all sorts of strain. But anyway, good luck to them. It’s a hard-knock life if you’re not a member of the Big Three. And while the self-proclaimed Eighth Wonder of the World might think lbw stands for Lil Bow Wow, cricket has always gone well with an empire state of mind. If they are not rolling out branded Hova covers next time it rains at the Bullring, then it’ll be an opportunity missed.

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In the latest failing-to-read-the-room ICC pronouncement, chair Greg Barclay has had his say on how to grow Test cricket in the women’s game. The answer? You don’t. Never mind the climate of optimism around women’s sport generally, from increased professionalism, prize money and prestige; or campaigns such as “This Girl Can”, “Close the Gap” and “We Know Our Place”. No, no, ladies. The ICC knows your place, actually. “I can’t really see women’s Test or long-form cricket evolving at any speed at all,” Barclay said. “Men’s Test cricket represents the history and legacy of the game – it is what makes the game unique.” Keep sidelining 50% of the population and pretty soon that’ll be another reason why cricket is unique.

Verily did England need a messiah to deliver them from a mess. And behold, one did appear

Alan Gardner15-Sep-2022And lo, did the wise men (relatively speaking) of the ECB seek counsel from the shepherd Bren, of the faraway land of Inzid. And they said unto him, our Test cricket is in a right two and eight, could ye be persuaded to leave the T20 tiddlywinks behind and perform a true miracle?Related

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Bren left the wilderness to guide his new flock, and he preached only of kindness, and goodness, and chasing every ball to the boundary. And privily did he bestow unto them his wisdom, pumping the tyres of his disciples and playing the hymnals – e.g. Robbie Williams’ “Angels” – from his sacred boombox.Thus he spake: “Call me Baz.”And he set down the commandments by which his faithful should live:
1. Do as ye would be done by (play hard and fair, lads)
2. Give it a whack
3. If in doubt, add an extra slip
4. Be thine best self
5. Plan as if ye will live until the resurrection, live as if ye will achieve deliverance tomorrowSoon there was light where heretofore there had been darkness, as the followers of Bren trusted their game and played unto divine word. And they were sent forth into the benighted land to spread the gospel.Stokesy the Apostle: “Test cricket needed salvation. We are now playing for a higher purpose – win, lose or draw. Well, not draw, obviously, not the way we bat.”Broady the Nighthawk: “Everything is about how we can move the game forward, whether that is always looking for the wicket-taking option or going out, shutting your eyes and trying to leather every ball over deep square leg. And I think the crowds are really connecting with our message.”Zachariah the Opener: “It’s great, I don’t have to score runs anymore!”And lo did England win six out of seven, and the people did .And the word went forth. “Let it be known as ‘Bazball’,” sayeth some bright spark, although Bren isn’t too keen on this. But he sitteth and he smileth, and he weareth his shades and cap at a jaunty angle.Behold, said the herald from the ECB – a great prophet hath risen among us, and the World Test Championship will never be the same again. Talk about putting bums on seats!And Bren did give a sermon, though only occasionally, so as not to take the limelight from his disciples.”Blessed are the bat-makers…”(New English Test-ament continues for 96 pages)

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Back to the real world and the exxciting (sic) arrival of another T20 league. To get noticed these days, you really have to make a splash – but whereas the Hundred decided to pointlessly tweak all of the playing conditions, the SA20 has gone with a jazzed-up logo. Over to CSA’s press release, which reckons the new tournament’s identity is founded on “bold and energetic iconography”, incorporating an XX – the number 20 in roman numerals, rather than anything saucy – and a colour scheme of cyan, navy and green, which is “symbolic to the world of cricket – day, night and the 22 yards” (no it’s not just ripped off from some environmental expo). They’ve also saved 20% on the characters used in the name. “Dropping the T in T20 cricket shows our intention to be different,” said Graeme Smith, SA20 league commissioner. Remember that when MI Cape Town line up against Johannesburg Super Kings in a contest that looks strikingly similar to some T20 you might have seen before.

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If you’re anything like the Light Roller, you’ll remember exactly where you were on September 8, 2022. Rumours swept Twitter as the rain drummed down at The Oval. It had been expected for a long, long time, but some had begun to doubt whether it would actually happen. Could the status quo go on forever? There had been dark times, periods of turmoil and national intrigue – but then, all of a sudden, the moment was upon us. The crowds flocked to pay their respects. The line of succession was unbroken. Jubilation filled the realm as No. 71 was unveiled before a rapturous public… and King Kohli sat on his throne once again.

And how often have both captains produced double-centuries in a first-class cricket match?

Steven Lynch14-Feb-2023Both captains scored double-centuries in a recent Ranji Trophy match. How often has this happened in first-class cricket? asked K Lokaraj from India
The match you’re talking about was last week’s Ranji semi-final in Bengaluru, when Mayank Agarwal scored 249 for Karnataka, and his opposite number Arpit Vasavada responded with 202 for Saurashtra, who eventually won by four wickets.There have been only five previous instances of both captains scoring double-centuries in the same first-class match. The first was by Clyde Walcott (209 for Barbados) and Jeff Stollmeyer (208 for Trinidad) in Bridgetown in 1950-51. It didn’t happen again for more than half a century, until 2001-02, when Carl Hooper made 222 for Guyana and Stuart Williams 252 not out for Leeward Islands in a West Indian domestic semi-final in Albion (Guyana).The next instance – the only one in Tests – came in Karachi in 2008-09, when Mahela Jayawardene scored 240 for Sri Lanka and Younis Khan 313 for Pakistan. In a Ranji Trophy match in Delhi in 2016-17, Deepak Hooda hit 293 not out for Baroda and Yuvraj Singh 260 for Punjab. And in a County Championship game at The Oval in 2021, Chris Cooke made 205 not out for Glamorgan, and Ollie Pope 274 for Surrey, an innings which raised his first-class average on the ground at the time to a Bradmanesque 99.94.Is it true that Glenn McGrath took a wicket with his last ball in all three international formats? Has anyone else done this? asked Martin Harrison from Australia
Actually the great Australian seamer Glenn McGrath did not quite complete this impressive treble. He did dismiss England’s Paul Collingwood with his last ball in a T20I (in Southampton in 2005) and Jimmy Anderson with his final delivery in Tests, in Sydney in 2006-07. But in his last one-day international – the 2007 World Cup final in Bridgetown – the wicket of Russel Arnold came from his penultimate delivery. McGrath bowed out with a ball that Chaminda Vaas pushed away for a single.The data is not quite complete, but it looks as if only two other bowlers have taken wickets with the last balls they bowled in two of the three international formats: the Bermudian seamer Stefan Kelly, and Scotland’s slow left-armer Mark Watt. Both of them appeared only in ODIs and T20Is; Watt will probably play again soon.With Tagenarine Chanderpaul passing 200 the other day, are there any other father-and-son pairs who have scored double-centuries in Tests? asked Leon Ben-Lambrecht from South Africa
The new West Indian opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul scored 207 not out, in only his third Test, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last week. His father, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, made 203 not out against South Africa in Georgetown in 2005, and repeated that score against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2012-13.The only other father and son to score Test double-centuries are a proud Pakistan pair. Hanif Mohammad made 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58, and also scored 203 not out against New Zealand in Lahore in 1964-65. His son Shoaib Mohammad emulated Chanderpaul senior in twice making 203 not out: against India in Lahore in 1989-90, and New Zealand in Karachi in 1990-91. There are ten further father-and-son combinations who have all scored Test centuries, including the Indian Amarnaths and the Australian Marshes, where two sons followed their father into three figures.Hanif (left-most) and Shoaib Mohammad (right-most) are the only other father-son pair besides Shivnarine and Tagenarine Chanderpaul to both have scored double-centuries in Tests•Shoaib MohammadKuldeep Yadav has a ridiculously low ratio of white-ball internationals where he has gone wicketless. Does anyone have a better record? asked Choyon Sen from India
India’s left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav has so far bowled in 103 innings in ODIs and T20Is, and taken wickets in 82 of them – that’s 79.61%. Counting only bowlers who have also bowled in 100 or more innings in white-ball internationals, he comes in eighth overall: on top is Rashid Khan, who has struck in 132 of the 155 innings in which he has bowled (85.16%). Also ahead of Kuldeep are Brett Lee of Australia (82.64% from 242 innings), the South African pace pair of Dale Steyn (81.29% from 171) and Allan Donald (80.25 from 162), New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond (80% from 100), Sri Lanka’s Muthiah Muralidaran (79.89% from 353) and Kuldeep’s current team-mate Mohammed Shami (79.82% from 109).If you reduce the qualification to those who have bowled in at least 50 innings, there’s a new leader: the Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane has struck in 65 of 73 innings, or 89.04%. Kuldeep Yadav is 15th by that reckoning.My friends and I have been trying to think of allrounders who have the best positive difference between their first-class batting and bowling averages. After the first Test against Australia, Ravi Jadeja reached +22.50, surpassing Jacques Kallis at +22.42. Who are the top performers in such a list? asked David Moore from England
You’re right that Ravindra Jadeja has just inched past Jacques Kallis on this particular list. They are actually 11th and 12th overall, given a minimum of 100 first-class matches and a reasonable number of wickets. On top is another Indian, possibly an unexpected name: the former Test captain Vijay Hazare averaged 58.38 with the bat in first-class cricket, and 24.61 with the ball (595 wickets), a difference of 33.77. Next come Garry Sobers (27.12), Warwick Armstrong (27.11) and Keith Miller (26.60).Sobers leads the way in Tests with 23.75 (57.79 vs 34.04), a little ahead of Kallis (22.71). Jadeja (12.70) is currently fifth, behind Imran Khan (14.88) and Miller (13.99). There are 74 players who have completed the Test double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets: bottom by this measure is Bangladesh’s Mohammad Rafique, with minus 22.19 (18.57 with bat, 40.76 with ball).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