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There were some positives, but the form of their pacers and their batting against spin have left India with plenty to ponder

Shashank Kishore08-Aug-20245:05

Rohit breaks down his batting method in the powerplay

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Washington, Parag show bowling spark

The sample size is small, but there are signs India are veering towards multi-skilled cricketers. In all three ODIs, India’s top six had at least one bowling option. They also lengthened their batting to play at least eight batters.Among them, Washington Sundar perhaps made the biggest gain, picking up five wickets in 27 overs across three games at an economy rate of 3.88. With the bat, his defiance against Sri Lanka’s spinners to revive their flagging hopes in the second ODI was impressive. In the third ODI, he counter-attacked to make a 25-ball 30 after the middle order was sent on a tailspin. That Washington was able to build on the gains he made from the T20Is in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, where he was Player of the Series, will greatly encourage the team management.Related

• Wellalage five-for sends India crashing to 2-0 defeat

• Stats – SL's spinners end India's 27-year streak

• Is this for real? Sri Lanka's rare glory leaves India shaken

• Rohit: 'We didn't play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps, or paddle sweeps'

Riyan Parag is another middle-order batter who proved he can be more than a handful with the ball. With the ability to bowl both offbreaks and legbreaks, Parag delivered nine overs on ODI debut, returning with 3 for 54. His lone intent-laden knock against the turning ball yielded 15 runs. Parag also impressed with the ball in the T20I series, the slow pace and liberal flight of his deliveries harking back to the good old days.Shivam Dube, however, missed out on a chance to make an impact in Hardik Pandya’s absence. In the first ODI, he had the opportunity to see off the game. In the second and third, he was out cheaply to Jeffrey Vandersay’s ripping legbreaks.5:39

India’s batting (except Rohit’s) against spin a sign of concern

Arshdeep, Siraj go off the boil

If the team management was looking for fast-bowling options to back up the rested Jasprit Bumrah and the recuperating Mohammed Shami, they would’ve left Sri Lanka a bit disappointed.On surfaces where 240 was above par, with the ball gripping and turning, India’s seamers struggled for rhythm and consistency. In the decider, they went in with one specialist fast bowler in Mohammed Siraj, with Dube sharing the new ball. With no swing on offer, Siraj lacked his usual bite and was carted for 78 in nine overs in the third ODI. Arshdeep Singh’s nine wicketless overs in the second ODI cost 58 runs. Harshit Rana and Khaleel Ahmed didn’t get a look-in.

No clear winner in Rahul vs Pant

This was to be one of the key decisions facing the Indian team management in ODI cricket. KL Rahul started the series, but found himself out of the final ODI after scores of 31 and 0. Rishabh Pant, who replaced him to play his first ODI since a career-threatening car accident in December 2022, managed just 6 while also having an off day with the gloves.Virat Kohli was out to spin in all three ODIs•AFP/Getty Images

India’s spin struggle

Virat Kohli was out lbw to spin all three times. On each occasion, he reviewed but DRS would only confirm the obvious. Rahul too struggled, bowled for a two-ball duck, attempting to drive after being done in by the drift by Vandersay in the second ODI. Shreyas Iyer, like Kohli, was out playing down the wrong line. In the third ODI, Axar Patel shaped to cut, only to realise he had erred in judgment, as the ball spun back in to crash into the stumps.Barring the odd occasion, like in the second ODI when Shubman Gill was out driving to a magnificent catch in the slips, or on Wednesday when Rohit top-edged a slog, India’s batters were largely out defending. In Parag’s case, he offered no shot and was bowled by a delivery that skidded through and didn’t turn like he had anticipated. India lost 27 wickets to spin overall, the most a team has lost against this variety in a bilateral series. Rohit felt the team’s application and shot selection could’ve been better.Among those who missed out is Iyer. After beginning with a run-a-ball 23, he was out twice to sharp turn. With India slated to play 10 Tests and three T20Is over the next few months, Iyer is now looking at a six-month hiatus from international cricket, unless he breaks back into the squad in those formats. It’s likely domestic form for Mumbai could dictate his standing in the scheme of things, when India play ODIs next in January.

Offbreaks pitching on the straight, and whizzing past a batter’s ears, on occasion – that’s not just tricky, these are serious warning signs. It’s about to get mad

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Feb-2025It comes out of the southwest, rustles the canopies of the big banyan trees in the fort, and flutters the flags beneath the clocktower.The weather has been scorching for days. There has been barely a cloud above. And now the hottest ocean on the planet is blowing its breath across the cricket ground at Galle, so it’s happening. This is how you know drama is about to go down. Signs are, this Test gets spicy.Daniel Vettori, veteran of 113 Tests, including two in Galle (it would have been more, but this ground lost a few years to the 2004 tsunami), had this to say at the end of the day: “First innings runs are going to play a huge role in whoever wins this game.” We could extrapolate and figure that what he means is that batting conditions are going to get substantially worse over the next couple of days. But he clarifies anyway, in the sanitised language of a post-day press conference: “I just think it’s going to be a tricky wicket the whole way along.”Related

• Kusal Mendis fights for Sri Lanka as Starc and Lyon stand out

• Cooper Connolly exceeds high expectations in rapid rise to Test cricket

“Tricky”, for most of us, is a key that doesn’t quite fit into the keyhole at first attempt but if you yank the door towards you, and lift it up off the ground a little bit, you can shove the thing open. Offbreaks pitching on the straight, and whizzing past a batter’s ears, on occasion – that’s not just tricky, these are serious warning signs. It’s about to get mad, and Sri Lanka have 229 for 9 on the board.Sri Lanka’s own batting coach Thilina Kandamby thinks his batters should have aimed for a total of around 350, and put his team in a position to dominate the Test. These are very batting coach requests, always wanting a pile of first-innings runs from which the team can dictate. But Sri Lanka’s batters were still the same people they were last week. Having been modest in six innings on the trot, it’s not as if, realistically, an earth-shattering batting display is on the cards here.There are, instead, some scrappy fifties, and some useful 30-odds. Dinesh Chandimal flays bowlers through the offside when they have strayed out there. Though generally an outstanding sweeper, this is a shot he almost never plays on this surface. In fact, for a bottom-hand dominant player, only 18 of his 74 runs have even come on the legside.Dimuth Karunaratne was defeated by Nathan Lyon’s variations•Getty ImagesWhen the top scorer on day one of a Test puts some of his most productive shots against spin away, on a ground on which he has played several match-winning innings, we are straying into the realms of seriously menacing Test-match conditions. Kusal Mendis, who is even more reliant on the sweep, did score runs with the shot, but even he hit almost exclusively with the spin. Australia have two left-arm finger spinners in Matthew Kuhnemannan and Cooper Connolly. Almost every run Mendis scored into the legside was off a ball that they played the spin.While the first Test at this same ground Australia made 654 for 7 etc we are now about to see a very different Test match unfold. Where in the morning session, the hardness of a rolled pitch did not allow for huge amounts of spin, by the evening, it had begun to take the kind of turn that scrambles the minds of batters.Is a sweep now too big of a risk, given the bounce spinners can get from a surface such as this, with a little overspin? Is this why Sri Lanka have played three finger spinners in this Test, to exploit the natural variation a track like this offers? Wristspinners are weapons on most surfaces, but Sri Lanka have left out Jeffrey Vandersay here. Does control and persistence take over when surfaces are this dry? And if cross-bat shots like the sweep and the reverse are too risky, then how else do you score runs on tracks such as this?As batters navigate what is obviously the kind of surface that Australia would label “extreme”, there will be doubts, as to whether what worked for the men who scored runs in the first Test, will work again here. The track they are playing on now is only about ten metres from the one Australia’s top order had prospered on only several days ago, and yet it feels like it could be from another galaxy.And when the wind blows, and the footmarks from the quicks are heavy and dark, and every delivery raises an explosion of dust, there may be drama around the corner. Signs are, this Test gets spicy.

Quetta Gladiators have a strong top order as well as bowling, but new captain Saud Shakeel is untested

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2025

Multan Sultans

If consistency was the prize, Multan Sultans would be the PSL’s most successful and lauded franchise. They’ve made the final for four seasons in a row now, built on low-risk, unsexy and repeatable methods and planning. It’s much in the mould of their captain Mohammad Rizwan, though his approach at national level is being questioned. Still, since April 2021, Sultans have the highest win-loss ratio for any T20 side in league across the world.Related

• Salman Agha: Pakistan players 'need to become superstars' for PSL to grow

• Corbin Bosch banned from PSL for one year for withdrawing from 2025 season

• Can Karachi end playoffs jinx, and will spin issues cost Lahore?

• Islamabad vs Qalandars kicks off PSL on April 11; final on May 18

• Boost for Peshawar Zalmi as Saim Ayub returns to full fitness

Michael Bracewell seems to be the right pick at the right time; Akif Javed, meanwhile, is breaking through internationally. Expect Sultans to be in the playoffs mix. As always.Best result: Champions (2021)2024 finish: Runners-upStrengths

• A diverse bowling attack that covers every angle and genre: slow left-arm (Gudakesh Motie), left-arm wristspin (Faisal Akram), left-arm fast-medium (Akif, Josh Little and David Willey), right-arm fast (Mohammad Hasnain), right-arm wristspin (Usama Mir), and offbreak (Bracewell)
• Potentially deep batting line with all-round options in Willey, Iftikhar Ahmed and Bracewell

ESPNcricinfo LtdWeaknesses

• The top-order anchor approach, favoured by Rizwan, which feels increasingly at odds with the world’s batting trends.
• Perhaps it matters less these days, but there are eight players in the squad who are over 30 years old, and two more on the verge.

Islamabad United

The actual most successful team of the PSL, with three titles, sits on the other side of the great philosophical divide in Pakistan’s T20 cricket. Not for Islamabad United is the low-risk, tactical rigidity that has defined Sultans. No, Islamabad have always been much more in line with modern T20 trends, bringing together high batting intent, all-round depth, and data sensibilities. Providing both Salman Agha and Shadab Khan, the captain and vice-captain to the national side currently, perhaps that approach is in the ascendant in this moment.Best result: Champions (2016, 2018, 2024)2024 finish: WinnersESPNcricinfo LtdStrengths

• A batting order that, potentially, hits a very high ceiling. From Matthew Short through (the partially-available) Rassie van der Dussen to the evolving Agha to the very in-form late addition Sahibzada Farhan to the Khans – Shadab, their captain, and Azam – Islambad have the potential to go very big.
• Jason Holder adds quality all-round depth to a side that isn’t lacking in all-round options.

Weaknesses

• A good spinner would be useful, because Mohammad Nawaz, Agha, Imad Wasim and Shadab himself don’t shout wickets or impact.
• Shadab’s value to, and leadership of, Islamabad remains unquestioned. But his return to Pakistan colours has been mixed, and it’s not clear whether he has rediscovered his best self.

Quetta Gladiators

Once consistently one of the best teams in the PSL, Quetta Gladiators’ sole triumph in 2019 heralded only the unravelling of that legacy. They failed to make it out of the group stages for four seasons in a row after that win, breaking that run with a playoff place last season. But 2025 promises to bring a change in approach and personnel. Gladiators have appointed Saud Shakeel as their new captain and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as the team director. They’re hoping that brings a change in fortune as well.Best result: Champions (2019)2024 finish: FourthESPNcricinfo LtdStrengths

• With Finn Allen and Hasan Nawaz at the top of the order, Gladiators are shedding the conservatism that has dogged their top-order approach. Allen could be a game-changing addition.
• The arrivals of Kyle Jamieson, Sean Abbott and a proven PSL allrounder in Faheem Ashraf add much-needed nous to the bowling.

Weaknesses

• The captain Shakeel remains a relatively untested T20 option, having played only ten PSL games in his entire career.
• Since the departure of Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain, Gladiators have struggled to bring in a fast bowler with proven PSL pedigree. Mohammad Wasim Jr had a tough time last year, and Gladiators haven’t brought in anyone else to fulfill that role.

He was coming back from injury, but Hazlewood simply blew Punjab Kings away by taking out two of their key players in the space of seven balls

Karthik Krishnaswamy29-May-20250:43

Moody: Hazlewood would have ‘welcomed the New Chandigarh surface’

They call him Hazlegod. Fans of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) call him that, but so do Indian cricket fans of other stripes, for few can elude the grip of awe and terror that this 6’5″ metronome can induce when he does his thing. Seldom does a social-media nickname feel as apt as this one does when a ball delivered by Josh Hazlewood rears at an unsuspecting batter like an instrument of god’s wrath.This is a man who can turn any pitch into a trampoline. Give him one with a bit of bounce in it, and he turns into, well, Hazlegod. Think back to April 24, when he conceded just one run in a double-wicket 19th over that began with RCB’s opponents needing 18 off 12 balls. The Hazlegodliest ball of that over wasn’t even a wicket ball; it was too good to edge, leaping at Wanindu Hasaranga like a ball bowled by the Under-19s’ spearhead to the Under-12s’ wicketkeeper.When Thursday dawned, however, a bit of uncertainty surrounded Hazlewood’s powers. He hadn’t played in more than a month, had come back to India later than most overseas players when IPL 2025 resumed after its mid-tournament suspension, and had only just recovered from a shoulder injury. And there would be no easing in; he was about to be thrust straight into Qualifier 1.Related

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But Hazlewood is used to coming back from injury layoffs, and the world is used to seeing him come back, approach the bowling crease with that deceptively effortless run-up, and land his first ball on that exacting length like he has never been away.And so it was on Thursday against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The first ball Hazlewood bowled to Shreyas Iyer was his second ball, so he was sufficiently warmed up, and this ball was a reminder of every other ball he had bowled to the PBKS captain up to that point. Before this game, Hazlewood had bowled 19 balls to Iyer in all T20s, and dismissed him three times while conceding nine runs. It could have been four times in 20 balls; this one straightened from that trademark Hazlewood length and beat the outside edge as Iyer felt for it with an open-faced bat.Soon enough, it was four dismissals in 22 balls, with a stereotypically Hazlewood kind of strike. This is putting it a little crudely, because Hazlewood probably makes dozens of micro-adjustments in every spell, but on the whole, no matter what the format, conditions and opposition may be, all he probably tells himself at the top of his mark is: “I’ll hit a hard length, and we’ll see how it goes.”This was hard length, in the corridor, with a scrambled seam, and it nipped away ever so slightly from the batter. Iyer may have pushed at it with a vertical bat in a longer-format game; here he attempted a cross-bat swipe. Neither response was guaranteed to avoid an edge, and Jitesh Sharma’s gloves, as keepers’ gloves usually do when Hazlewood is bowling, pointed up when he caught this top edge above his left shoulder.2:10

Moody: Iyer totally misread the game situation

It was an ugly-looking dismissal, but you can’t divorce the batter’s shot from the context of the match as it stood. This was the fourth over, and PBKS were two down, but it wasn’t yet clear what a par total on this New Chandigarh pitch would look like. PBKS had come into this game with a line-up of extreme depth, but it had left them light on bowling – it seemed imperative, then, that they continued to back the aggressive style that had brought them this far in the tournament.And instinct, especially when it’s fine-tuned over two months of rigorous, T20-specific training, is hard to fight.The first ball of Hazlewood’s second over needed no putting in context. It was simply a brute. It was short and angled into Josh Inglis’ body, and it sprang off the surface with minimal loss of pace. It grabbed at Inglis’ throat, constricting him severely for room, and the miscued pull ballooned to long leg with the fielder barely needing to move. PBKS were 38 for 4.It was becoming increasingly clear that PBKS weren’t just facing the normal Hazlewood – a hard enough task – but Hazlewood bowling on a pitch with seam movement and inconsistent bounce. They were facing, in short, Hazlegod. There were balls climbing to the throat, and the odd one was going the other way too. Two balls after the Inglis dismissal, Marcus Stoinis bottom-edged an attempted pull off one that kept low, and was lucky not to play on.According to ball-tracking data, there were 0.6 degrees of seam movement during the two powerplays on Thursday, compared to 0.5 degrees on average in IPL 2025. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but couple that with the bounce, and the degree of difficulty becomes apparent: the average bounce during the PBKS innings was 3cm higher than the average bounce on previous New Chandigarh pitches this season. There was even more bounce (5cm more than the venue average) in the second innings, but RCB knew their target, and PBKS had been bowled out well short of setting them a challenging one.And PBKS didn’t know how the surface would play before they went out to bat. They were still finding out by the time Hazlewood came on. Where other bowlers may have given the batters a little more space and time to come to grips with the threat they were dealing with, Hazlewood simply blew them away, taking out two of their key players in the space of seven balls.3:05

Moody: The occasion muddled PBKS’ thinking

“The bowling unit was obviously back to the unit that bowled for most of the tournament, and again, we knew our roles really well,” Hazlewood said in his post-match press conference. “But a little bit in the wicket to be honest, there was a little bit of seam movement, the bounce was probably a little bit inconsistent, so we sort of utilised that as best as we could.”It became clear when the chase began that PBKS could have made a match of it had they successfully revisited their total they were aiming for – Hazlewood felt 150-160 may have challenged RCB.”Yeah, I think the conditions were… it was great to bowl first, I think, although we saw swing and seam throughout the whole game. Whenever a new ball was bowled there was a bit happening, so you’ve just got to utilise that.”Probably from a Kings point [of view], they probably just had to pull back a little bit and try and get a score on the board, you know, 150-160 would have been a difficult chase potentially. But I think we only let them bat as well as they could have, through our bowling.”Hazlewood exemplified that with his lengths, and it was instructive – of the conditions as well as the self-effacing nature of the man – that he went back to talking about the pitch when he was asked how he handled his return from injury.”On the injury layoff, worked really hard the last few weeks on the shoulder to get back, and got some good overs into it in the last sort of 10 days, and yeah, it’s feeling not too bad. I was happy with tonight, the wicket helped obviously, didn’t have to bowl any fast yorkers or anything like that, so yeah, it’s feeling not too bad.”If this is how Hazlewood bowls when he is feeling not too bad, RCB’s opponents in Tuesday’s final will hope he isn’t feeling any better by then.

And what’s the worst economy rate for a bowler with ten or more wickets in a Test series?

Steven Lynch12-Aug-2025Is it right that only Don Bradman scored more runs in a Test series in which he was captain than Shubman Gill? asked Narender Singh from India

That is correct: India’s captain Shubman Gill amassed 754 runs in the exciting 2025 Test series against England. Among captains, he’s behind only Don Bradman, who made 810 in the 1936-37 Ashes. The Don started that series – his first as captain – with innings of 38, 0 and 0, but made 270 in the third Test, 212 in the fourth and 169 in the fifth as Australia uniquely came from 2-0 down to win the series 3-2.Bradman also leads the way overall for any series, whether captain or not, having scored 974 in the 1930 Ashes in England. Gill’s haul puts him 19th on that list. The Don only played in 11 Test series in his career, but scored 680 or more runs in six of them.New Zealand’s innings in the second Test against Zimbabwe included three scores of 150-plus. Was this unique? asked Nirmal Mendis from Sri Lanka

New Zealand’s total of 601 for 3 declared in their thumping win over Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last week included 153 from Devon Conway, and undefeated innings of 150 and 165 from Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra.This was only the third Test innings to contain three individual contributions of 150 or more. The first was England’s 903 for 7 declared against Australia at The Oval in August 1938: Len Hutton made 364, Maurice Leyland 187 and Joe Hardstaff 169 not out. Another distinguished trio achieved the feat as India ran up 676 for 7 against Sri Lanka in Kanpur in December 1986: Sunil Gavaskar 176, Mohammad Azharuddin 199 and Kapil Dev 163.New Zealand’s recent effort uniquely involved three left-hand batters (of the others, only Leyland was a left-hander).Brendan Taylor has been recalled by Zimbabwe aged 39. Will he be their oldest Test player? asked Richard Martin from Zimbabwe

Having served his 3.5-year ban, Brendan Taylor made his comeback for Zimbabwe in the second Test in Bulawayo last week. It wasn’t exactly a memorable return, as Zimbabwe suffered their heaviest Test defeat.Taylor is 39 years six months old – but that’s almost six months younger than his captain, Craig Ervine, who was born on August 19, 1985.
Two veterans of Zimbabwe’s inaugural Test in October 1992 played their final matches when older than Taylor and Ervine. Dave Houghton, their first Test captain, was 40 years three months old during his final Test, against New Zealand in Bulawayo in September 1997, while offspinner John Traicos made his debut for Zimbabwe aged 45, and played his final Test a few months later, against India in Delhi in March 1993. Sikandar Raza, who also played in the current series, is also 39, while Sean Williams turns 39 in September. The current quartet are the four oldest active Test cricketers.John Traicos was 45 when he debuted for Zimbabwe in 1992•Getty ImagesWhat’s the worst economy rate for a bowler with ten or more wickets in a Test series? I’m guessing it might be Prasidh Krishna, as his was nearly five in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series asked Mohammad Arquam Siddique from India

That’s quite a good spot, as Prasidh Krishna’s 14 wickets in the just-concluded series cost 37.07 apiece, with the runs coming at a rate of 4.94 an over. Only four men have taken ten or more wickets in a series at a higher economy rate. West Indies’ Shamar Joseph picked up 13 in Australia in 2023-24, while going for 5.05 an over; Neil Wagner’s 11 in New Zealand’s home series against England in 2022-23 came at 5.68 an over; another West Indian, Alzarri Joesph, took ten in England in 2024 at 6.12 an over: and top of the pile is the Pakistan legspinner Zahid Mahmood, with 12 wickets at home to England in 2022-23 while going for 6.94 an over (his series figures were 62.3-3-434-12). I just read that Essex scored 560 against Sussex in 1933 without anyone making a hundred. Was that the highest total without one? asked Graham Ferris from the Philippines

Essex made 560 for 9 declared against Sussex in Leyton in September 1933, and the highest individual contribution was Jack O’Connor’s 93 (there were eight other scores between 28 and 88). That’s quite a high score without a century, but it wasn’t even a record at the time: in Derby in August 1899, William Gunn’s 90 was the highest contribution to Nottinghamshire’s total of 581 against Derbyshire.The 560 has since been pushed down to tenth on the overall list. Essex are also currently ninth, with 569 against Kent in Chelmsford in July 2016, when Ravi Bopara made 94 and Ryan ten Doeschate 91.The highest first-class total without a century is now Surrey’s 671 for 9 declared against Kent in Beckenham in May 2022: Ollie Pope scored 96, Jamie Overton 93 and Ben Foakes 91. Everyone made double figures in that innings; Hashim Amla (12) was the only one not to reach 20.The highest Test total not to include an individual century is Sri Lanka’s 531 against Bangladesh in Chattogram in March 2024, which featured 93 from Kusal Mendis and 92 not out by the unrelated Kamindu Mendis.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

He has been one of the star performers in the domestic circuit in the recent past, and has done his bit to put Central Zone in pole position to win the Duleep Trophy title

Ashish Pant15-Sep-2025In the last 12 months, no offspinner has more wickets in first-class cricket in India than Saransh Jain’s 44. Add to that his 311 runs, and he is one of just four players with the double of 300-plus runs and 40-plus wickets in the last one year. In a country with an abundance of left-arm orthodox spinners, Jain falls in the rare category of an offspin-bowling allrounder. And often, he’s been the difference in bowling attacks for whichever team he has played for.Think back to the Irani Trophy last year when, playing for Rest of India, he picked up 6 for 121 in Mumbai’s second innings, which included the wickets of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan.Or in the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy semi-final, where he beat Ruturaj Gaikwad in flight and had him stumped on 184, finishing with eight wickets for the match.Related

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In the final as well, Jain’s flight and dip, coupled with his high-arm action, troubled the South Zone batters in the first innings as he returned 5 for 49. And then, in the second innings, he added three more to his tally to make it 16 wickets for the tournament, taking Central Zone to the doorstep of a first Duleep Trophy title in 11 years.”I am pleased that I have given a good performance in both these matches because it is very important,” Jain, now 32, told ESPNcricinfo after the fourth day’s play in the final. “The season starts with the Duleep Trophy, so the momentum that you get here carries through the season.”If you remember, I also had a good performance in the Irani tournament last year. See, the thing is, if you want to get highlighted, you need to give back-to-back performances. Only then will the national selectors look at you and select you.”A key feature of Jain’s bowling is adapting to different situations. In the semi-final on the black-soil surface of Ground B of the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, he varied his pace and got the ball to skid, apart from deceiving the batters in the air.On the opening day of the final, on realising he was extracting extra bounce, he gave the ball a lot more air, getting it to grip and jump. Then, on the fourth day, when Ankit Sharma and C Andre Siddarth were involved in a 192-run seventh-wicket stand, he was prepared to take a step back and play the containing role, waiting for the batters to make a mistake.

“When I bat, I compare myself with Rajat [Patidar] and other good batsmen. In bowling, I know what I have to do. But in batting, I try and see how these top-order batters go about their innings and I play accordingly”Saransh Jain

“I have been playing cricket for a long time, so I have faced such situations,” Jain said of his fourth-day tactics. “We were not panicking. This happens in cricket. We can’t always have all five days going our way. One session, one-odd day, can belong to the opposition as well.”We were fine with them having a few sessions going their way. It is not that tough a wicket where the runs wouldn’t get scored. Our main aim was to not leak too many runs. We just wanted to take the game as deep as possible as we were already on top.”A major reason behind Central Zone’s dominance in the final has been the partnership between Jain and Kumar Kartikeya, the duo – who have played for Madhya Pradesh together for a long time – picking up 16 of the 20 South Zone wickets to fall.”We have a clear mindset,” Jain said. “If he bowls well, I support him. And vice-versa. And if he is having an off day, or I am having an off day, we tell each other where we are going wrong. We give each other a lot of input.”Like Rajat [Patidar] and Shubham [Sharma] are my batting partners, Kartikeya is my bowling partner, and has been for a long time.”Saransh Jain punches the ball away during his half-century in the Duleep Trophy final•PTI While bowling is Jain’s stronger suit, he takes a lot of pride in his batting. He said he talked a lot with his Madhya Pradesh team-mates Patidar and Shubham on how to improve his skills and trained a lot. In the last 12 months, Jain has scored three first-class fifties, including back-to-back half-centuries in the Duleep Trophy semi-final and final.”I have liked batting since childhood. If you want to play cricket as a spinner, you can’t just be a bowler. You have to be a proper batter,” Jain said. “I have opened the batting, played at No. 3 in the Ranji Trophy, in a semi-final [against Bengal in 2022-23], and have scored runs.”When I bat, I compare myself with Rajat and other good batsmen. In bowling, I know what I have to do. But in batting, I try and see how these top-order batters go about their innings and I play accordingly.”Jain had won the Lala Amarnath Award for the best allrounder in the Ranji Trophy after the 2022-23 season. With the next Ranji season a month away, it’s a feat he said he wanted to repeat in his quest for the bigger goal, which is “to see the India logo on my jersey”.

Coming into the 2025/26 campaign, expectations were all over the place for Tottenham Hotspur supporters after the hot and cold season prior under Ange Postecoglou.

The Lilywhites finished 17th in the Premier League but won the Europa League, but it wasn’t enough for the Aussie to keep his job – with such responsibility falling into the hands of Thomas Frank.

He’s been tasked with the responsibility of leading the club back up England’s top-flight, whilst also being competitive in the Champions League after their recent European triumph.

The Dane has already made an immediate impact in North London, losing only three of his first 14 games at the helm and subsequently achieving a 50% win rate to date.

Numerous players have already managed to impress during the current campaign, with one first-team member in particular catching the eye after his summer transfer.

How Kudus compares to other PL wingers in 25/26

In an attempt to hit the ground running as Spurs manager, Frank spent big to land the signature of winger Mohammed Kudus – forking out £55m for his signature from West Ham United.

The Ghanaian international arrived with huge excitement, understandably so given the nature of the fee, but it’s safe to say he’s already delivered the goods in North London.

The 25-year-old has already netted his first goal for the Lilywhites, whilst laying on four assists for his teammates – the joint most of any player in the division.

However, Kudus’ underlying stats are just as impressive, with his figures further highlighting how big of an impact he’s already had during the early days of his time at the club.

He’s completed the most take-ons of any player in Europe’s top-five leagues across 2025/26, with his tally of 30 successful take-ons over three times higher than Arsenal star Bukayo Saka.

The Ghanaian also ranks in the 98th percentile for take-ons completed per 90 in the Premier League (3.7) – further showcasing his incredible ability at beating the opposition.

Getting past a defender is one thing, but the former West Ham star has also highlighted his ability to produce the end product at the end of his mazy runs.

Kudus has achieved an average of 7.6 crosses per 90, a tally that ranks him in the top 2% of all attackers in the Premier League, with 1.9 of his efforts finding a teammate in the 18-yard box.

Such a feat has allowed him to register 0.5 assists per 90, which also ranks him in the top 3% of all players in England’s top-flight – with his £55m fee now looking like a real bargain.

The Spurs player who’s now becoming world-class

Despite Kudus’ success in the Premier League, numerous other Spurs players have managed to impress under Frank – helping the side currently sit in 3rd place.

Micky Van de Ven has been a huge presence at the back for the Lilywhites, helping the first-team keep a total of four clean sheets in the first nine league outings of 2025/26.

However, he’s also demonstrated his talents at the other end of the pitch, scoring three times in England’s top-flight and sitting as the club’s joint-top scorer.

Such a feat has also been replicated by midfielder Joao Palhinha, with the Portuguese international making an immediate impact in North London after his summer transfer.

The Lilywhites board secured the 30-year-old’s services on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich, but it was a deal that didn’t satisfy a portion of the fanbase.

However, a couple of months on, the deal is now looking like a phenomenal piece of business, with the former Fulham star undoubtedly one of the best additions in the Premier League this campaign.

Palhinha, who earns £135k-per-week, has featured in every league game to date, subsequently producing numerous incredible figures – the most impressive of which is his tally of 39 tackles won.

Such a figure is the highest of any player in the division at present, with only one other player managing to register 30 or more successful regains of possession in the Premier League.

As a result, he’s currently averaging 5.1 tackles made per 90, whilst also coming out on top in 8.6 duels per 90 – with both tallies ranking him within the top 3% of all players in England’s top-flight.

Joao Palhinha – PL stats (2025/26)
Statistics (per 90)	Tally
Games played	9
Goals & assists	3
Pass accuracy	83%
Touches per 90	60.5
Tackles made	5.1
Duels won	8.6
Aerials won	58%
Dribbled past	0.6
Stats via FotMob

However, like Van de Ven, he’s also managed to thrive within forward areas, already scoring twice and registering an assist – with his latest strike securing a late point against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

As previously mentioned, it’s his ball-winning ability that has caught the eye most in North London, leading to one analyst labelling him as the “best in the world” for regaining possession for his side.

His current deal has a £30m option to buy next summer, with Frank and the hierarchy desperately needing to trigger such a clause amid his recent form with Spurs.

A dominant number six has been firmly on the club’s agenda over the last few years, with Palhinha finally providing such a quality – but it’s crucial the club don’t let the loanee slip through their grasp.

Bigger talent than VDV: Spurs have "one of the most exciting teenage CBs"

Tottenham Hotspur already have a top-level player on their hands despite Micky Van de Ven’s recent form.

By
Ethan Lamb

Oct 29, 2025

“Personally it feels really good because the fans, they know I’m Deepti Sharma. It’s difficult to go out in the mall or walking down some streets”

Valkerie Baynes26-Sep-2024India aren’t under pressure to win their first senior women’s World Cup title; instead, they are taking inspiration from the success of the Indian men’s team earlier this year as they head into the Women’s T20 World Cup, according to allrounder Deepti Sharma.India Women have never lifted World Cup silverware at the senior level, their Under-19 counterparts making history when they won the inaugural age-group women’s T20 title in South Africa in 2023. That was the curtain-raiser to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, also held in South Africa, where India lost their semi-final to eventual sixth-time champions Australia.”I wouldn’t say pressure because the World Cup is a big event for each and every player, but personally I’m motivated with the men’s World Cup they took home,” Deepti told ESPNcricinfo. “We are doing a really good job throughout each and every series and every tournament and I won’t say it’s a pressure, but we will do our best.”Related

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India were runners-up at the 2020 edition in Australia and have twice reached the final of the ODI World Cup, in 2005 and 2017. It was the latter that Deepti highlighted as a watershed moment for women’s cricket in India. There, England clinched a nine-run victory before an ecstatic home crowd at Lord’s.”How we played the finals in 2017, suddenly everything was changed,” said Deepti, who was still only 19 at the time but already had 30 ODIs and three T20Is to her name. “Personally it feels really good because the fans, they know I’m Deepti Sharma. It’s difficult to go out in the mall or walking down some streets.”It’s a great feeling from the 2017 World Cup final and obviously if we win the World Cup things will really change from every perspective and each woman will want to play cricket after that, so I’m hoping for the best.”From reflecting on how her sport has changed since then, Deepti was also struck by how much progress had been made in just the past couple of years as the women’s global franchise circuit has flourished. She was speaking at The Oval last month while preparing for the Women’s Hundred eliminator with London Spirit, who went on to win the final.Deepti Sharma won the Women’s Hundred 2024 with the Heather Knight-led London Spirit•Getty ImagesHaving called international rivals Charlie Dean, Heather Knight and Sarah Glenn team-mates through the campaign, and played with Alyssa Healy, Chamari Athapaththu and Sophie Ecclestone in her second season with UP Warriorz at the WPL where she was the MVP in 2024, any mystique surrounding World Cup opponents is all but gone.Having come into the Spirit squad as a replacement for the injured Grace Harris, Deepti played eight matches, scoring 212 runs at a strike rate of 132.50 and going unbeaten five times in her six innings. She also took eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.85. Deepti was the fifth-highest run-scorer at this year’s WPL with 295 runs at a strike rate of 136.57 and she took 10 wickets at an average of 21.70 and economy rate of 7.23.And while India’s players have become even bigger stars at home, whether it be from reaching the closing stages of World Cups or their franchise appearances, it may well have made them easier for fans to identify with. Deepti felt as much when India hosted South Africa in June and July this year. Then, India suffered an early scare with a 12-run defeat in the opening T20I in Chennai having swept their ODI series in Bengaluru 3-0.Those matches were India’s last before the Women’s Asia Cup, where they were upset in the final by T20 World Cup qualifiers Sri Lanka.

“I wouldn’t say pressure because the World Cup is a big event for each and every player, but personally I’m motivated with the men’s [T20] World Cup they took home”Deepti Sharma

“The World Cup gives lot of confidence that we can do our best and small girls when they come to watch our series in India – in Bangalore, we played the South Africa series – and they were like, ‘I want autographs’ and ‘I want pictures’, so it’s great to watch them,” Deepti said. “And they said, ‘I also started playing cricket.'”We just told them, ‘don’t give up, just play your best and don’t think about the result, results will come, just express yourself’.”Despite those hiccups against South Africa and Sri Lanka, Deepti was confident heading into the World Cup, where India will start their campaign against New Zealand on October 4.”We’re quite positive as a team,” she said. “We are doing really well and we are thinking that each and every game is important, so whether we are playing any team, we are quite focused.”Should India finally triumph in Dubai on October 20, just imagine the focus on them.

Rookie batter Tommy Boorman compiles match-winning 38 as hosts hold their nerve

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Aug-2025Rookie batter Tommy Boorman compiled a superb match-winning innings of 38 not out under intense pressure to carry Gloucestershire to an impressive three-wicket victory over Leicestershire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol.Making only his third List-A appearance, Boorman struck two fours and two sixes and staged an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 35 in 18 balls with Craig Miles, who helped himself to a brace of sixes in making 18 not out as Gloucestershire reached their victory target of 286 with nine balls to spare.Gloucestershire appeared to be cruising when James Bracey compiled an eye-catching 96 from 106 balls and staged an opening stand of 105 with Cameron Bancroft, who contributed 40. But seamer Alex Green turned the tide back in Leicestershire’s favour, taking 5-52, dismissing both openers and dangermen Ben Charlesworth and Jack Taylor to set up a tense finale.

Peter Handscomb could count himself unlucky to finish on the losing side, Leicestershire’s skipper raising a brilliant 107 from 125 balls with nine fours and a six and sharing in a substantial partnership of 115 for the fifth wicket with Ben Cox, who contributed a run-a-ball 61, as the Foxes recovered from 76 for 4 to post 285 for 7.Liam Trevaskis produced a hard-hitting 30 not out as the visitors added 61 runs in the final five overs, but Gloucestershire seamer Josh Shaw excelled with the new ball, returning figures of 3 for 40 to keep last season’s beaten semi-finalists in check.Gloucestershire’s decision to bowl first was justified when Shaw claimed 3 for 20 with the new ball to reduce the Foxes to 22 for 3. The Yorkshireman bowled Rishi Patel between bat and pad without scoring, had Sol Budinger held at deep third via a top-edged cut and then had Lewis Hill caught at the wicket in the act of cutting, at which point he had dismantled Leicestershire’s top order in the space of 15 deliveries from the Ashley Down Road end.Having mustered just three boundaries in the powerplay, the visitors were under duress in the face of variable bounce on a slow pitch. But Shan Masood and Handscomb effected a partial recovery, staging an important alliance of 54 in 13.3 overs. The fourth-wicket partnership was beginning to flourish when Ben Charlesworth made a breakthrough with his first ball, persuading Pakistan Test captain Masood to top-edge a pull shot to deep fine leg and depart for 35 with the score 76 for 4 in the 19th.That was as good as it got for Gloucestershire. New batter Cox looked to disrupt the home side’s smooth progress from the outset, clearing the rope behind square for the first six of the innings when Matt Taylor dropped short as the Foxes reached halfway on 113 for 4.The batters managed to get on top for the first time against spinners Ollie Price and Jack Taylor, Handscomb and Cox combining excellent running between the wickets and clever placement in raising a 50 partnership from 57 balls. Averaging a half-century every four innings in List-A cricket, Handscomb went to his 42nd fifty from 76 balls, while Cox attained the same landmark via 45 deliveries with five fours and a six.Gloucestershire needed a wicket and Akhter obliged, bowling Cox to terminate a partnership that had revitalised Leicestershire. Cox had scored a run-a-ball 61 and helped establish a platform from which the visitors could launch a late assault.Matt Taylor removed Ian Holland cheaply, but there was no shifting Handscomb, the Australian going to his ninth List-A hundred by launching Akhter over long-off for six. He received staunch support from Liam Trevaskis with a quickfire unbeaten 30 from 22 deliveries in a valuable seventh-wicket alliance of 51 in 35 balls as the Foxes smashed 61 runs in the final five overs.Gloucestershire openers Bracey and Bancroft were initially circumspect in the face of the new-ball threat. But Bracey soon warmed to his task, greeting Tom Scriven with a pick-up for six over midwicket and a pull for four next ball as the home side advanced to 47 without loss at the end of 10 overs. So dominant was Bracey, that Bancroft contributed just seven runs to the 50 partnership.Bracey went to an authoritative half-century from 58 deliveries, reaching that landmark with his ninth four, causing Handscomb to turn to spin. The opening partnership had realised three figures before the Foxes made the breakthrough they so desperately needed, Bancroft edging a catch behind off Chris Wright in the 20th over.Ollie Price proved adept at rotating the strike thereafter and Gloucestershire were well-placed on 134 for 1 at the halfway stage, requiring a further 152 at 6.1 an over. These two posted a 50 partnership from 65 balls, but Price fell for 29, hitting Green straight to Handscomb at midwicket.Green then struck a telling blow, having Bracey held at deep square leg, at which point Gloucestershire still needed 108 to win with two new batters at the crease. Charlesworth hit a quickfire 19, only to succumb to a leg-side strangle as Green made another important intervention.Sensing an opportunity, Leicestershire kept up the pressure and Trevaskis dismissed Joe Phillips for 14 to further reduce the home side, still 61 short of their target with nine overs remaining.Boorman helped himself to a six and a four off Holland, but Gloucestershire’s task was made harder when Green accounted for Jack Taylor and Akhter with successive deliveries in the 46th over.Miles hit a straight six off Green and Boorman repeated the feat off Trevaskis as the eighth wicket pair held their nerve. Miles hit the winning six in the penultimate over.

Also: how many players have scored a hundred in their last Test?

Steven Lynch29-Apr-2025Delhi Capitals scored 203 the other day without an individual half-century. Was this the highest T20 total without a fifty? asked Deepak Krishnan from India

The match you’re talking about was in Ahmedabad on April 19: Delhi Capitals made 203 for 6, with a highest individual contribution of just 39, from their captain Axar Patel. Gujarat Titans passed them with four balls to spare.There have been four higher innings totals in the IPL that didn’t include an individual half-century. Highest of all is Mumbai Indians’ 234 for 5 against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in 2024, when the highest individual contribution was Rohit Sharma’s 49. Punjab Kings made 208 for 5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Navi Mumbai in 2022 (Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa both made 43); Delhi had 207 for 8 against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede in 2022 (Rishabh Pant 44); and Kolkata Knight Riders made 206 for 5 against RCB in Bengaluru in 2019 (Andre Russell 48 not out from 13 balls).I was looking at some old scorecards, and noticed that the West Indian captain Gerry Alexander was run out four times running while on tour in India in 1958-59. Was this a record for poor running?! asked Henry Mitchell from England

You’re right that the West Indian captain and wicketkeeper Gerry Alexander was run out four times running during that tour. Two of the dismissals were in Tests; the sequence also included an innings in which he was not out. That turns out to be not quite the worst exhibition of running between the wickets in first-class cricket: the Yorkshire seamer Bob Platt was run out five times running between 1957 and 1959 (his sequence included four not-outs). Six other players have had four successive run-out dismissals.The Test record is three successive run-outs, suffered by England’s John Jameson in 1971, and Guy Whittall of Zimbabwe in 1997-98 (that sequence was punctuated by an innings of 203 not out).Have any Test cricketers been born in Kenya? asked Niranjan Shah from Kenya

It’s one of cricket’s endearing oddities that three Test players have been born in Kenya, and they were all active at around the same time, mainly during the 1980s. The first to make his Test debut was Derek Pringle, in 1982 while still at Cambridge University. Pringle was born in Nairobi in 1958 while his father – who appeared for East Africa in the first men’s World Cup, in 1975 – was working there. Derek went on to play 30 Tests and 44 one-day internationals, including the 1992 World Cup final.Qasim Omar, born in Nairobi in 1957, made his debut for Pakistan in 1982-83 after some high-scoring feats in domestic cricket. In 26 Tests he scored three centuries – two of them doubles – before falling out with Imran Khan.Kenya’s third man was Dipak Patel. Born in Nairobi in 1958, he was a Worcestershire regular at a young age, but eventually became a naturalised New Zealander after spending several northern winters there. He made his Test debut in 1986-87, and eventually played 37 Tests and 75 ODIs, including the World Cups of 1987, 1992 and 1996. His highest Test score was 99 in Christchurch in 1992, an innings ended when he was run out from a return from near the boundary by Pringle.Mahmudullah was the last player to make a hundred in his final Test, in 2021•Getty ImagesHow many men scored a century in their final Test match? asked Anupam Sircar from India

At present there are 47 men who scored a century in their last Test match. That number includes Essex’s Jack Russell, who actually made two, and eight current players who will presumably appear again. First on the list was the Kent wicketkeeper Harry Wood, who made 134 not out in his fourth and final Test for England, against South Africa in Cape Town in 1892.Most of the men concerned were not selected again for various reasons to do with form or sometimes big gaps between matches. A few of them had already announced their intention to retire before bowing out with a hundred, notably Bill Ponsford, Raman Subba Row, Seymour Nurse (who made 258 in his final innings, in Christchurch in 1969), Greg Chappell, Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum and Alastair Cook. Both Nasser Hussain and Mahmudullah seem to have decided to retire in the middle of Test matches in which they went on to score hundreds in what they would have known to be their final matches.I noticed that three of this year’s Wisden Cricketers of the Year play for Surrey. Has there ever been a year in which all five came from the same team? asked Michael Broughton from England

You’re right that three of this year’s Wisden Five – Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith and Dan Worrall – play for Surrey. In case anyone missed last week’s announcement, the other two were Sophie Ecclestone and Liam Dawson (and a reminder that the award, which can be won only once, is based on performances in the previous English season).Three from one county is a rare achievement, but is perhaps not surprising as Surrey completed a hat-trick of County Championship titles last year. It’s not quite the English record: Yorkshire had four of the Five in 1901 – Schofield Haigh, George Hirst, Tom Taylor and John Tunnicliffe. The exception was Reginald “Tip” Foster of Worcestershire, who would soon score a record 287 on Test debut in Sydney in 1903. Surrey also had three in 1907 and 1958.No English side has ever provided all five of the Five, but in 1949 all of them were members of Don Bradman’s “Invincible” touring team the previous summer – Lindsay Hassett, Bill Johnston, Ray Lindwall, Arthur Morris and Don Tallon. The 1962 Almanack also featured five Australians – four from the previous summer’s touring team (Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson, Bill Lawry and Norman O’Neill), plus the 42-year-old Bill Alley, who scored more than 3000 runs that season for Somerset.In addition, in 1997, 2000 and 2002 there were no England-qualified players among the Five. For the full list of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year, click here.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions