All posts by h716a5.icu

Shohei Ohtani might not be performing up to his lofty standards at the dish thus far for the Dodgers this postseason, but there was a welcome—and rare—sight at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night.

For the first time since March, Ohtani was out on the field taking batting practice, and the Dodgers star not only got some extra hacks in, but put on a show in the process.

Ohtani's batting practice session got off to a slow start, to the amusement of his Dodgers teammates.

But it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And on one of Ohtani's last BP swings, he crushed a ball out of Dodger Stadium. The home run caromed off the top of the roof in the pavilion section en route to traveling all the way out of the park.

Even though it came in a practice session, the homer had to be a good sight for the Dodgers, given that Ohtani hasn't gone yard since Game 1 of the wild-card round against the Reds, when he belted two homers. The presumptive 2025 National League MVP has struck out 12 times in his last 25 at-bats, collecting just a pair of hits in that span as the likes of the Phillies and Brewers have been determined to either attack Ohtani with a steady diet of breaking balls or not let him beat them by intentionally walking the slugger.

Perhaps a return to Dodger Stadium, as evidenced by one batting practice swing, will be good for Ohtani. Game 3 of the NLDS is set for Thursday at 6:08 p.m. ET.

Holding, Waqar, Nehra, Donald and Mahmood debate pros and cons

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2020
Not allowing sweat or saliva, murdering the bowlers: Ashish Nehra
What is ball-tampering? When you scratch the ball on one side with your nail, bottle cap, with your spikes or any other means. But that does not make the ball reverse. You have to use saliva, sweat, murray mints etc. to not just shine the ball, but also make the other side heavy. That is how you traditionally get reverse swing.The other significant thing to keep in mind is fast bowlers need to practise using the artificial substances that will be permitted during a match under the umpire’s supervision. You can’t just expect fast bowlers to arrive at a Test match and suddenly start swinging the ball even conventionally.Bowlers need to have the experience of using these artificial substances, like wax or shoe polish, you are talking about to shine ball and understand its behaviour. Also different balls – Kookaburra, SG Test, Dukes – will behave differently on different surfaces. So there are plenty of unknowns as far as I am concerned.How many times am I allowed to approach the umpire to use the artificial substance to shine the ball? When we put saliva, at times I would rub that after every second or third delivery. There are different ways to shine the ball. Sometimes you don’t shine the other side completely, especially if your ball has landed on the seam. Sometimes the ball goes to boundary or into the stands and comes back damaged, then you shine the ball in a different way.You shine a Kookaburra in a different way, a Dukes in a different way and you shine SG Test in a different way. You shine a new ball differently. When the ball is old and it is reversing. sometimes you put more sweat. When the ball is not reversing you are only using spit. When there is a new ball you only put very, very little spit wherever there is a scratch. What I’m trying to say is there are several different ways of shining the ball.Let’s say a Test match is on and the ball, SG Test, is semi-new, about 25 overs old. But it is not reversing and the ball has become a bit soft. Umpire is refusing to replace the ball. Now if you put too much spit on SG Test the ball gets more and more softer. Then you don’t get the zip as a fast bowler or even as a spinner.Also you have to make sure that your team-mates are not using too much sweat or spit in such a scenario. I was told by [Javagal] Srinath when I was young when to shine and not to and similarly I passed the tips to other youngsters – that it is better to keep the run-rate tight and once the ball starts to reverse when it is a bit more old then we can apply sweat or spit to facilitate further swing.So legalising use of some artificial substances to shine the ball under supervision is not suddenly going to help swing the ball. Because you are used to working on the ball naturally using spit and sweat at different points on different balls in different conditions on different surfaces.I feel a better choice could be to allow a team to pick one player who will be specifically in charge of using saliva on the ball when there is a need to shine. That is a much better alternative because that way we can continue to naturally work on the ball.By permitting artificial substances to aid swing, the ICC is going back on its own rules. But as far as I am concerned allowing wax, vaseline etc on the ball is not exactly equivalent to ball-tampering. If it actually says go ahead and rough the ball from the other side, then probably the bowlers will welcome the move. Because with a bit of practice, the bowlers will dominate the batsmen, who are bound to say it is unfair. But if you are saying the artificial substance is allowed to be used only on the shiny side and the other side cannot be touched, then you might see more instances of teams piling huge totals.Personally I feel not allowing the use of sweat or saliva is once again murdering the bowlers.
Bipin PatelI don’t understand the logic: Michael Holding
I have read that ICC is contemplating preventing people from using saliva on the ball due to Covid-19 and allowing them to use foreign substances on the ball to keep the shine on but in front of the umpire. I don’t understand the logic behind that.Before they got to that point they said, if they restart cricket, it has to be played in a bio-secure environment. They were saying cricketers, for instance, would have to isolate themselves for two weeks to make sure that everything was fine for when they got to the venue before the match started. And everyone involved (with the match) will have to do the same thing.Now if you are saying everyone is in the bio-secure environment, you are staying in the same hotel, you are not moving for the length of time you are playing the matches, if that is the case, why are you worried about someone’s saliva? That person, according to what you are doing, should be free of Covid-19. If the ICC thinks that the two-week period to prove that you are free of Covid-19 is not foolproof, then that means you are putting everyone in that environment in jeopardy? Why would you want to play cricket under those circumstances? It’s either safe or it’s not. No guessing, please.

Not possible to prevent a bowler using his sweat or saliva – Waqar Younis
As a fast bowler, I reject this because this [using saliva and sweat] is a natural process. A ball exchanges hands all day. You run in, huffing and puffing, so you sweat and that gets on the ball. Also, using saliva is natural rather than on intent. It’s a habit and you just can’t control this aspect.I don’t know how this discussion came up, but I feel people who want the game to be played are frustrated with the lockdown. They are overthinking it. I doubt this new idea of using (artificial) substance instead of saliva is a solution. You can make a bowler use a predefined substance on the ball, but at the same time, practically it’s not possible to prevent a bowler using his sweat or saliva.
AFPInterested to hear what big-name batsmen have to say – Allan Donald
I absolutely agree with legalising ball-tampering. I said so in an article sometime in the 2000s. It happens anyway. We see guys throwing the ball on the ground and umpires say to throw it up and it’s pretty obvious what they are doing.It could work if it is well-monitored. There’s no reason why, if you are really struggling at the SCG and you are looking for reverse swing, you shouldn’t be able to try and get some by working the ball. It evens the game out.I don’t mean you should be able to bring bottle tops onto the field or bite the ball, but I genuinely think there is scope for working on the ball, if it is well controlled. For example, maybe you could throw the ball into the ground for a period of time and that that time elapses. I had never thought of shoe polish. I suppose you’d take a whole box out there and get buffing.When I first started, I had a chat with the great Imran Khan and he told me they used to wet one side of the ball a lot, with moisture, with sweat and get it heavy and keep the other side shiny. It was hard work and it took a long time, so if there’s another way, that might also work. We know in baseball they use something, I think it’s still a mystery, to get the ball to swing in and dip.I’m quite surprised to hear this is being considered. It’s quite enlightening. I’d be interested to hear what the big-name batsmen have to say about this because I am sure there will be a few comments. But I say if there’s anything that can work, we might as well give it a crack.
How will they monitor what substance to be used – Azhar Mahmood
I don’t mind such a move although I am more interested in how they will monitor what the substance to be used is. I think the ball manufacturers could have a big role to play in what is used, as they will know best what kind of substance is best suited to the leather that is being used on the ball. It could be that bowlers are allowed to use a small bottle, like a hand sanitiser bottle, of the substance to use as shine on the ball.”

Entire tournament to be played in Trinidad with hosts Trinbago Knight Riders looking for fourth title

Gaurav Sundararaman17-Aug-20201:24

Will be strange to play without crowds – Ross Taylor

Can TKR bounce back from last season and win their fourth CPL crown?•Getty Images Lopsided Scheduling
The fact that Trinbago Knight Riders and St Lucia Zouks have Indian ownership has forced not just the CPL to conduct matches to suit the Indian viewership, but the schedule also favours those two franchises.The Knight Riders and Zouks play eight and seven day matches, respectively. The lopsided nature of the schedule is evident when you compare that with Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs, who play just one and three day matches, respectively.This could affect teams in multiple ways especially with rain likely to have an impact on the tournament. For teams like Amazon Warriors, who play nine matches under lights, dew is likely to play a major factor. If it remains dry during day matches, then Knight Riders and Zouks can dominate with their spin-laden bowling attacks.Playoffs format tweaked again
The playoffs format this year will comprise just the two semi-finals and the final without any advantage for the team winning the league stage. There will be one less match compared the four games during the play-offs last year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Spin to win
Queens Park Oval in Port-of-Spain will host ten matches while the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba will stage 23 games. With pitches set to deteriorate rapidly, there is a good chance that spin could play a dominant role. Also, spin has worked well at both the venues: slower bowlers have conceded 6.90 runs per over compared to 8.38 by pace bowlers.Hence there is a good chance that teams such as Barbados Tridents and Knight Riders could field even four spinners in the XI. Get ready to watch some masterclasses by legspinners like Rashid Khan (Tridents), Imran Tahir (Amazon Warriors), Sandeep Lamichhane (Tallawahs) and Zahir Khan (Zouks). No Gayle in CPL 2020
T20′ s leading run-getter and six-hitter will not be part of 2020 season. Having decided to move to the Zouks after a bitter fallout with Tallwahs, Chris Gayle pulled out of the tournament recently, citing family reasons, taking everyone by surprise. As it happens, Gayle is the top scorer in CPL as well, with 2354 runs at an average of 39.23 and a strike rate of 133.44, including four centuries.Needless to say, in a tournament already affected by the pandemic and no crowds expected at least during the league phase, Gayle’s propensity to do the unthinkable could have provided the necessary balm.ALSO READ: Gayle pulls out of CPL 2020Who are the emerging players to watch out for?
The CPL has made it mandatory for each team to give an emerging player a minimum of five games during this season. The rule states that at least one emerging player should make five appearances or multiple players should make five combined appearances. The rule is designed to provide exposure to young, uncapped talent.So, watch out for Jayden Seales (Knight Riders) and Nayeem Young (Tridents) who shot to fame in the Under 19 World Cup earlier this year. Joshua Da Silva from St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, who recently kept wickets as a substitute during the final Test of the England series, is another young player who might have a breakthrough season along with speedster Keon Harding (Tridents).ESPNcricinfo Ltd Tell me about the favourites…
With 2410 T20 caps between them, one can’t really look past Knight Riders, who have won the CPL twice (Trinidad’s one other CPL title was as the Red Steel) and this time will be playing the entire league at home. In terms of experience, if you put together the entire squad of Tridents and Amazon Warriors even then they have fewer matches than Knight Riders whose line-up includes greats like captain Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo. They will be coached by Brendon McCullum, who is the third-highest scorer in T20 cricket.This will be McCullum’s second stint as Knight Riders’ coach in the CPL and he will want to make use of this experience before he heads to the UAE to take charge of the other Knight Riders franchise (KKR) in the IPL.Five-time finalists Warriors will miss their regular captain Shoaib Malik, but they remain firm favourites as well. Chris Green has taken over as captain and will have a point to prove after he had been pulled up for suspect action. He has got his action cleared since, but is yet to test it out in top-flight cricket. Green, who plays for Sydney Thunder in the BBL,was the most economical T20 bowler in 2019 and was even picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the most recent IPL action.As for Tallawahs, they have a power-packed middle order that could spring a surprise. Their gun allrounder Andre Russell will also have a point to prove after having said recently that this could be his last season with the team.

More teams will be faced with first-choice players pulling out, and it could result in further lopsided contests

Mohammad Isam22-Jan-2021If any part of Jason Mohammed really hoped that his West Indies side would follow what India did to Australia on their own tour of Bangladesh, it’s all gone now. They are 0-2 in a three-match ODI series, never once posing a threat to the opposition.Their batting in both games was almost identically poor, with the middle-order were forced to rebuild after the top-order fell cheaply. They couldn’t quite balance between caution and aggression. And while their bowlers impressed in patches, they were never equipped to defend totals of 122 and 148.Meanwhile, Bangladesh hardly put a foot wrong, in either game. The spinners dominated proceedings after the pace attack gave them early breakthroughs. The batsmen were understandably watchful even though they were chasing small targets. There was professionalism and consistency on display, the least you could expect from a team that has targeted direct entry to the 2023 World Cup.West Indies have now lost their last seven ODIs to Bangladesh. Things may have been different had their first-choice picks made themselves available for this series. But that doesn’t change the fact that they have just given up 30 points in the race to World Cup qualification.Still, coach Phil Simmons had urged the newcomers to put up performances that make it hard for the regular players to replace them in the next series. Covid-19 basically gave them opportunities that were becoming hard to come by. But now it is more than likely that many of those missing seniors will ever so smoothly regain their place in the ODI team.Akeal Hosein has been one of West Indies’ few bright spots on this tour•AFP via Getty ImagesWhether teams and boards like it or not, this is going to be a feature of international cricket until the pandemic ends. West Indies are just the first among the international teams to suffer the consequences of traveling regularly during these times. It is natural to for players to feel so mentally drained that they choose to skip tours. Other teams will be faced with this dilemma soon enough.West Indies had a couple of pull-outs for their visits to England and New Zealand last year, but for this Bangladesh trip, several of their top players decided to stay away. Add to that, Romario Shepherd testing Covid-19 positive before departure, and Hayden Walsh Jr testing positive after landing in Bangladesh. They haven’t replaced him in the ODI squad officially, which leaves them with only 14 men to choose from, and no lead spinner.To go back to January 19 for a minute, the touring West Indies side couldn’t be faulted for feeling inspired by India, who broke Australia’s incredible stronghold in Brisbane, and won the Test series 2-1. They are an inexperienced bunch too, trying to beat an opponent with a formidable home record. But that’s where the comparisons end.India’s domestic circuit includes a tournament like the IPL and they have an A-team system that gives its cricketers an almost international level-like platform. Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan may have only dreamt of forming a bowling attack together in a crucial Test in Australia, but when the chance came, they played like they belonged.India’s selectors and team management now know that even if Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav are injured, they have four more to take their place. There will be the initial nerves and perhaps bit of struggle, but they wouldn’t have many teething problems, even at the highest level.West Indies’ second string has given very little evidence of such promise. Their lack of overall experience and first-hand knowledge of Bangladeshi pitches, and a short lead-up into the ODI series, have worked against them. But performing out of their comfort zone, especially in overseas conditions, is how top-class cricketers are made.So far however, Mohammed’s West Indies are a stop-gap team, one that is fulfilling their board’s commitment to the BCB to tour Bangladesh. There hasn’t been much to write home about their performance. However, there is a very important message for every international team: keep up your standards. A small group of top cricketers won’t do in this pandemic. Widen your talent pool. Otherwise, you’ll have to face the consequences.

During his 49-ball 92 against Punjab Kings, Dhawan repeatedly walked towards the off side to work the ball behind square leg

Hemant Brar19-Apr-20213:05

Ian Bishop: ‘Shikhar Dhawan just looks like a man on top of his game’

Fifteenth over of the chase. Jhye Richardson is bowling around the wicket to Shikhar Dhawan. It’s a slow, dipping full toss but way outside off. Dhawan could have easily hit it through the off side. Instead, he moves across, goes down on one knee and taps it towards square leg. Riley Meredith throws himself to his left to keep it to one.It was a shot that won’t make it to the highlights package but it highlighted Dhawan’s new approach to batting. An approach where he is not scared of trying out new things to add another dimension to his game.Once a mainstay for India in limited-overs cricket, Dhawan is no longer guaranteed a place in the T20I XI. One of the reasons behind that is in the last few years, the format has moved at a pace Dhawan couldn’t keep up with. Since the start of 2019, 25 openers from Full Member nations have played ten or more T20I innings. Only Fakhar Zaman (110.00) has a worse strike rate than Dhawan’s 114.24.With the T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in India later this year, Dhawan is leaving no stone unturned to claim his spot back. In the last two years at the IPL, he has improved his strike rate significantly, however, his 49-ball 92 against the Punjab Kings on Sunday exhibited a different aspect of his game.Until not so long ago, a typical Dhawan innings would be brimming with cover drives. If he played a cover drive early in his innings, the probability of him scoring big went up. While that may still be true, Dhawan showed he is not afraid of exploring other scoring zones.Shikhar Dhawan repeatedly walked towards the off side in order to work the ball behind square leg•BCCI/IPLDuring his Player-of-the-Match performance, which helped the Delhi Capitals chase down 196, Dhawan repeatedly walked towards the off side in order to work the ball behind square leg. He also deployed a much-improved slog shot, targeting the midwicket area in particular. As a result, 53 out of his 92 runs came in the arc from midwicket to fine leg. In comparison, the whole off side yielded only 32 runs.In all, Dhawan scored 13 fours and two sixes. Out of those, eight fours and a six came in the aforementioned region.After the match, Dhawan said he has been focusing on improving his leg-side game. “I worked on those shots in the nets, like going towards the off stump and using the pace of the bowler,” Dhawan told Star Sports at the post-match presentation.He further expanded on his approach in a chat with R Ashwin on . “Once I know the bowlers are bowling yorkers or wide yorkers and they have set up a field [for that], it’s hard to find a boundary on the off side. So I try to use the pace and I enjoy doing that, playing those cheeky shots.”My slog shot has improved a lot. It was there earlier as well but now I play it more freely. I am not afraid of changes, I keep on trying things. But I make sure I give them a good shot in the nets first and then bring it out in a game.”While such cheeky shots look great when they come off, they also carry an inherent risk element. In fact, Dhawan lost his wicket while trying a similar shot. In an attempt to hit Richardson towards fine leg, he ended up shuffling so much outside off that once he failed to connect, the ball hit the off and middle stumps.Related

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Dhawan, though, is aware of the risk-reward equation. “I am not scared of getting out. Today, I got out but these are the shots where I can score runs as well, so I back myself.”I have been playing for so many years now that I feel more relaxed. Relaxed but at the same time I am attentive so that I don’t take things for granted.”At the moment, with 186 runs from three innings, at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 163, Dhawan is the leading run-scorer in IPL 2021. But he also knows that all his runs have come in the batting-friendly conditions at the Wankhede Stadium. In fact, both his half-centuries have come while chasing, when the dew makes batting a lot easier.The Capitals will play their next two games in Chennai, where the batters haven’t been able to score that freely so far. Dhawan, however, is up for the challenge.”It [the Wankhede pitch] has got a true bounce and the ball comes at a nice pace,” he said. “Because of the dew also it gets much easier for the team batting second. For my batting style, I enjoy using the pace of the ball, and against a spinner, if it’s not turning, I can play my slog sweeps, but I have to be a bit mindful of when I am going to play in Chennai.”I have been seeing on TV that the wicket is turning and is a bit slow. I am already preparing for it and looking forward to playing against them and grabbing the opportunity.”Dhawan knows he won’t get a better opportunity than the IPL to win back his place in India’s T20I XI.

Australia emulate West Indies in lifting trophy despite not winning a single game batting first

Matt Roller14-Nov-20212:47

Moody: Can’t underestimate Australia as they don’t often play T20Is at full-strength

After Australia became the second team in a row to lift the men’s T20 World Cup without winning a game batting first, Aaron Finch admitted that his success at the coin toss throughout the tournament was “a big factor” in their success.Finch had suggested in the build-up to the final against New Zealand that he would not have minded losing the toss in Thursday’s semi-final win over Pakistan in order to “put a big score on the board and really squeeze” the opposition, despite the fact that every night game played at Dubai across the World Cup was won by the chasing team.But after his sixth toss win out of seven in the World Cup – and his 18th out of his last 22 in all T20Is – Finch said that the opportunity to chase had been vital, as Australia repeated West Indies’ record in the 2016 edition by winning the tournament without successfully defending a score.Cricket on ESPN+

Match highlights of the Men’s T20 World Cup final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

“It did play a big factor, to be honest,” Finch said. “I tried to play it down as much as I could because I thought, ‘at some point in the tournament, I’m going to lose a toss and we’ll have to bat first’. But it did play a big part. You saw out there at the end there the dew factor: the slower balls weren’t holding in the wicket as much. I don’t know how I did it – maybe it was just fate.”I thought the way that we bowled with the new ball in that powerplay was obviously really important. That first ten overs, to restrict New Zealand to 57. We knew they were one down but it was always going to be tough because the dew started to come down quite heavy, which we hadn’t seen at all in the tournament so far.”In T20 cricket, you need a bit of luck, don’t get me wrong. Of course you need a bit of luck. We won six out of seven tosses, which goes a long way. But we’ve played some really good cricket. We played cricket where we put teams on the back foot because we were aggressive.”

“Without a word of a lie, I promise you, I called Justin Langer a few months ago and I said ‘don’t worry about Davey, he’ll be man of the tournament’. I thought Adam Zampa should have been man of the tournament personally, but [Warner]’s a great player, he’s one of the all-time great batters and he’s a fighter”Aaron Finch

Finch also hailed David Warner’s impact after his third important contribution in a row, with his innings of 53 off 38 balls in the final following scores of 49 off 30 in the semi-final against Pakistan and 89 not out off 56 against West Indies to seal Australia’s qualification from the Super 12s.While he suggested that Warner’s Player-of-the-Tournament award should have gone to Adam Zampa, the leading wicket-taker since the start of the Super 12s, Finch said that Warner’s batting had epitomised Australia’s attacking philosophy.”You didn’t expect that?” he asked a reporter rhetorically. “I certainly did. Without a word of a lie, I promise you, I called Justin Langer a few months ago and I said ‘don’t worry about Davey, he’ll be man of the tournament’. I thought Adam Zampa should have been man of the tournament personally, but [Warner]’s a great player, he’s one of the all-time great batters and he’s a fighter. He’s someone who when his back’s against the wall, that’s when you get the very, very best of David Warner. It was a special finish to the tournament for him, the last couple of knocks.”We are really, really committed to staying positive and aggressive against spin, and that showed tonight. I thought the way Mitch [Marsh] and Davey played against New Zealand – Shadab [Khan] got four-for in the semi-final but we kept attacking.”We were so committed to that throughout the tournament. We were comfortable to be able to fail being aggressive because we know that that’s when we play our best. I think if you go home and you don’t make the semis or you don’t make the final, you’re kicking yourself if you’re an Australian team and you play in your shell. So that was a real positive for us.”

Bangladesh have played very little cricket in the recent past, but will back themselves to punch above their weight

Firdose Moonda and Mohammad Isam04-Mar-2022South AfricaOverview
This has to be the one.South Africans say it every time a major tournament rolls around and, usually, they believe it. This time more so than in the recent past. While the men’s team’s form spiralled downwards over much of the last two years, the women’s team has been consistently good and much of the talk in local traps is that they will bring home the World Cup, back-to-back reversals in the warm-ups notwithstanding.After reaching the semi-finals in 2017, they identified the 2021 (now 2022) World Cup as theirs to win, knowing their core group of players would have matured and backing the plans of long-serving coach Hilton Moreeng. Everything was going as expected, including automatic qualification for the World Cup by beating New Zealand in New Zealand, until Dane van Niekerk slipped on the pool deck in her new home and was ruled out of the tournament with a broken ankle.South Africa have been without her for long periods over the last two years, as she’s battled back injuries, and have found a capable leader in Sune Luus, and have retained most of the group that played together five years ago. Lizelle Lee, ranked top batter in ODIs not long ago, and Laura Wolvaardt form a formidable opening pair, and at the other end, Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp are fierce with the new ball. There may be gaps in the middle but South Africa have routinely found personnel to come good on the day and as a collective, they could achieve big things.Squad
Sune Luus (capt), Chloe Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka, Lara Goodall, Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Mignon du Preez, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Tumi Sekhukhune | Traveling reserves: Andrie Steyn, Nadine de Klerk, Raisibe NtozakheRecent form
South Africa have won their last five ODI series, dating back to before Covid-19 times in January 2020. They have beaten New Zealand, Pakistan, India and West Indies (home and away).Player to watch
Kapp and Ismail headline South Africa’s attack but Ayabonga Khaka is a more-than-capable third prong and has been at the forefront of some of South Africa’s best performances. With her pinpoint accuracy and reliable variations, Khaka was the bowler who kept South Africa in the 2017 World Cup semi-final with a strangling economy rate and she has developed into a genuine wicket-taking option since. She is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket in 2022, and was crucial to South Africa’s victory over West Indies, where she also claimed her first five-wicket haul. All told, she lies seventh on the ODI bowling rankings, and is South Africa’s second-best in that category, above Kapp. This World Cup should also bring up an important milestone for her: Khaka is four away from 100 ODI wickets.What the captain said
“There has been a lot of pressure in the past and we didn’t always handle it well. I feel like we have been through three big semi-finals now and I don’t think our hearts can take another close semi-final. If we get to the semi-finals stage again we are going to make sure we push through even if it’s the last thing we do, so we are going to give our best to make it through to that final.”Sune LuusFargana Hoque looked in great touch during her 71 in the warm-up game against Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesBangladeshOverview
Bangladesh will be appearing in ICC Women’s World Cup for the first ever time, and will be banking on their recent form to take them far in the tournament. Between November and January, Bangladesh took part in two qualifying tournaments, which amounted to all the cricket they have played since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bangladesh missed out on a Commonwealth Games spot after Sri Lanka beat them in the deciding match in Kuala Lumpur in January. Still, for a team that has played very little cricket in the last two years, it will be counted as crucial match practice ahead of the World Cup.Bangladesh are among three teams who qualified to the World Cup on the back of their ODI rankings following the cancellation of the qualifiers in Zimbabwe, last November. Under new captain Nigar Sultana, they had already played three of their four matches, losing only to Thailand in a game affected by bad light.Bangladesh have a bit of form to work with, in New Zealand. Left-handed batter Murshida Khatun made 126 runs and left-arm spinner Nahida Akter took ten wickets in the Commonwealth Games qualifiers. Nigar is also in form, while Fargana Hoque and Sharmin Akhter both made runs in the World Cup qualifiers, with the latter hitting a century. A slight worry is Jahanara Alam’s form, but the seamer comes with vast international experience and can be expected to perform when it counts the most.Squad
Nigar Sultana (capt), Salma Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Fargana Hoque, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana, Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Murshida Khatun, Nahida Akter, Sharmin Akhter, Lata Mondal, Sobhana Mostary, Fariha Trisna, Suraiya Azmin, Sanjida Akter MeghlaRecent form
Bangladesh won three out of their four matches in the Commonwealth Games qualifier, as well as two out of the three matches they played in the World Cup qualifiers. All things considered, they are still a work in progress.Player to watch
Bangladesh have a blend of young and experienced players, but even after 14 years of playing at the highest level, the buck stops with Salma Khatun. The offspinner who bats usefully lower down the order, Salma is Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is, and among the top three in ODIs.What the captain said
“We have never played ODIs against England, Australia and New Zealand, so it will be a new experience for us. We follow them on TV and Internet, because we knew that one day we would have to face them. Our analyst is also helping us to understand their game.”
Nigar Sultana

We take a look at the teams vying for promotion in our Division Two preview

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2023DerbyshireLast season: 5th in Division Two
Head of cricket: Mickey Arthur
Captain: Leus du Plooy
Overseas: Suranga Lakmal, Haider Ali
Ins: Matt Lamb (Warwickshire), Zak Chappell (Nottinghamshire), Mark Watt
Outs: Alex Hughes (retired), Dustin Melton (released)Are there stirrings of a revival in the Peaks? Mickey Arthur is among the more ebullient characters on the county circuit – so full of enthusiasm for the game that this season he will combine coaching Derbyshire with acting as a consultant for the PCB – and his determination to deliver on the “four-year project” that he signed up for shows no sign of abating. Last season was, in Arthur’s words, about changing perceptions – both inside the dressing room and out – and Derbyshire made clear strides, keeping promotion hopes alive into the final month of the season (as well as reaching a T20 Blast quarter-final).While Derbyshire were much harder to beat, their clear shortcoming in Championship cricket was a cutting edge to finish games off. Wayne Madsen was the leading run-scorer in either division, Shan Masood romped past 1000 runs in just eight appearances, and Anuj Dal added 957 at 73.61 – but Derbyshire drew all six of their fixtures at the County Ground, and won only three out of 14 all told. Sam Conners enjoyed a banner campaign, reaching the 50-wicket mark for the first time – but the fact they cost 35.80 told of the hard yakka experienced by Derbyshire’s attack.One to watch: Getting promoted will require taking 20 wickets more often – and the arrival of Zak Chappell could be vital in realising Arthur’s ambition. Chappell fits the template for this Derbyshire side of coming in with a point to prove, having trod water during an unfulfilling three-season stint with Nottinghamshire. Chappell, now 26, was seen as one of the brightest talents on the circuit when he emerged at Leicestershire and has already featured for the Lions. Alongside a fit-again Suranga Lakmal, he could provide the extra firepower Derbyshire need. Alan GardnerRelated

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Bet365: 12/1DurhamLast season: 6th in Division Two
Director of cricket: Marcus North
Head coach: Ryan Campbell
Captain: Scott Borthwick
Overseas: David Bedingham, Matthew Kuhnemann
Ins: Ollie Robinson (Kent), Nathan Sowter (Middlesex), Brandon Glover (Northamptonshire), Bas de Leede
Outs: Chris Rushworth (Warwickshire), Sean Dickson (Somerset), Matt Salisbury (Leicestershire), Ned Eckersley (released)Durham were fancied to be Nottinghamshire’s closest challengers for promotion last season but their push never materialised and, despite stabilising the club through a “period of transition”, James Franklin was let go after three years as head coach. His replacement, Ryan Campbell, won plaudits for his work with Netherlands and has not chosen the easy life for his next assignment, a year on from suffering a life-threatening heart attack.The transitional feeling has been hard to escape at Chester-le-Street ever since Durham’s abrupt demotion to the second tier in 2016. That will be heightened as they begin a Championship campaign without the services of their leading first-class wicket-taker, Chris Rushworth, for the first time since 2009. Rushworth is 37 this summer but, having asked to be released for “personal reasons”, will move up to Division One with Warwickshire. The emergence of Matthew Potts – 58 wickets 17.87 in 2022 – might help ease the disquiet, though his availability is likely to be impacted by England demands.Durham have also lost the services of their second-leading run-scorer, Sean Dickson, who opted to move back to the south of the country with Somerset, but Alex Lees will have increased availability after being discarded by England and Dutch allrounder Bas de Leede could prove a shrewd signing.One to watch: Talented wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Robinson arrives looking to burnish his reputation in all formats after being pigeonholed as a red-ball player at Kent. Robinson pinned down a spot in the Championship side as a 20-year-old and has four first-class centuries to his name, but found his path blocked in limited-overs cricket by the presence of Sam Billings and Jordan Cox. A loan spell at Durham for the Blast was followed a permanent move over the winter – in between which Robinson smoked 206 not out – Kent’s highest List A score – in the Royal London Cup. AGBet365: 9/1Australia spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has signed for Durham•Getty ImagesGlamorganLast season: 3rd in Division Two
Head coach: Matthew Maynard
Captain: David Lloyd
Overseas: Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser
Ins: Harry Podmore (Kent), Zain-ul-Hassan (unattached)
Outs: Michael Hogan (Kent), Lukas Carey, Joe Cooke, Tom Cullen, Tegid Phillips, Ruaidhri Smith, James Weighell (released)Glamorgan perhaps surprised themselves in 2022. But for a 10-wicket loss to Middlesex in the third-last match of the season, it could have been them rather than the north Londoners preparing for life in Division One. The acquisition of Sam Northeast was inspired as he led the line with 1189 runs, the headline innings being a spectacular 410 not out in the victory over Leicestershire. But healthy contributions from established batters like David Lloyd (899), Chris Cooke (840) and particularly Colin Ingram, who managed 596 from just five appearances, gave the batting a more settled feel which they will look to carry forward.The difference this time around is the overseas help. With Australia in the World Test Championship final before the Ashes, Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser have limited availability and will only be around from Glamorgan’s second match against Durham at Sophia Gardens. With the loss of club legend Michael Hogan to Kent, Harry Podmore – who made the move the other way – needs to hit the ground running, while the experienced James Harris must shoulder more responsibility after a disappointing 2022 by his standards, with 31 wickets at 38.09. The club could also do with repeating last summer’s trick of bringing in a player of Shubman Gill’s quality for the second half of the season if they are to push for promotion this time around. If local lads Kiran Carlson and Andrew Salter step up, too, the club could challenge for promotion once more.One to watch: The last time Dan Douthwaite featured in a first-class match was way back in September 2021. Now, in part because of the loss of Hogan, the allrounder will have to go into this season’s County Championship from a standing start. It might help that he probably won’t start the summer, but it has been an encouraging pre-season for the 26-year-old. He had a quietly impressive tour of Zimbabwe, returning home to take a five-wicket haul against alma mater Cardiff UCCE – his first in Glamorgan whites. Currently the only Glamorgan player in the men’s Hundred after being picked up for £40,000 by Welsh Fire, Douthwaite could stand up for his county in more ways than one. Vithushan EhantharajahBet365: 5/1GloucestershireLast season: 10th in Division One
Head coach: Dale Benkenstein
Captain: Graeme van Buuren
Overseas: Zafar Gohar, Marcus Harris
Ins: Marchant de Lange (Somerset)
Outs: Ryan Higgins (Middlesex), Benny Howell (Hampshire), Ian Cockbain (released)Gloucestershire suffered a bruising return to top-flight cricket, losing eight and drawing four of their first 12 games to be cast adrift at the bottom of Division One long before the relegation battle got interesting (although they played their part in making it so, beating Warwickshire and Yorkshire in the final two rounds as the former leapfrogged the latter on the last day of the season).They suffered some misfortune, with overseas signing Naseem Shah picking up a shoulder injury on his Championship debut. David Payne, the attack leader who won a maiden England cap on the tour of the Netherlands in June, was limited to six first-class matches and 17 wickets, while Ryan Higgins, the talisman from their 2019 promotion campaign, averaged 36.85 with the ball. Higgins, at least, will get the chance to test himself again in Division One straight away, having opted for a move back to Middlesex at the end of the summer.Both Marcus Harris and Zafar Gohar, who initially signed on a pay-as-you-play deal but ended up as Gloucestershire’s leading wicket-taker, will be back in Bristol after successful campaigns, and with veteran quick Marchant de Lange adding some beef to the attack, the plan will be to bounce straight back up.One to watch: Tom Price, a tousle-haired 23-year-old allrounder, had only played seven first-class matches when he came into the Gloucestershire XI midway through last season, but he quickly set about making himself undroppable. He claimed a maiden five-for in his first outing, then produced astonishing figures of 8 for 27 against Warwickshire to help set up the team’s first win in the penultimate round; with 32 wickets at 20.09 from eight appearances all told, he topped the Gloucestershire averages. Has a first-class best of 71 with the bat, too. AGBet365: 8/1Rehan Ahmed will be a key player for Leicestershire his stellar winter•Getty ImagesLeicestershireLast season: 8th in Division Two
Head coach: Paul Nixon
Captain: Lewis Hill
Overseas: Ajinkya Rahane, Wiaan Mulder, Peter Handscomb
Ins: Sol Budinger (Notts), Matt Salisbury (Durham)
Outs: Ben Mike (Yorkshire), Hassan Azad, Sam Bates, Nat Bowley, Alex Evans, Gavin Griffiths, Abi Sakande (all released)It was another rock-bottom season in 2022 for Leicestershire, their eighth wooden spoon in 14 summers and the fourth time in the last ten that they had failed to register a single victory. And though that precipitated a predictable churn of players – with seven squad members moving on, including the influential Ben Mike to Yorkshire, as well a change of captain following Callum Parkinson’s contract rejection – there are just a few reasons for optimism at Grace Road this season.The signing of Ajinkya Rahane is one. He’ll join up with the squad after the IPL, and at the age of 34 with his India Test days seemingly behind him, he could be just the sort of hardened campaigner required to shore up a batting line-up that passed 300 on just six occasions in 27 attempts in 2022. James Taylor, the ex-Leicestershire and England batter who was until recently on the national selection panel, is back as batting coach to further stiffen up that department. But the biggest bonus is surely the flourishing of Rehan Ahmed after his breakthrough winter with England across formats. This time last year, he hadn’t yet made the first of his three Championship appearances. Now, he’s indisputably the county’s biggest drawcard.One to watch: Rehan Ahmed’s most recent appearance for Leicestershire, against Derbyshire in September, produced his maiden five-wicket haul as well as a hard-hitting maiden century from No. 5, 122 from 113 balls all told. And it is this string to his bow that will guarantee Rehan’s presence in Leicestershire’s line-up even if the early-season conditions aren’t entirely conducive to his legspin. “He’s in our team, 100 percent, absolutely,” Paul Nixon, the head coach, confirmed on the county’s media day. “People haven’t seen his real talent with the bat yet. He is going to surprise everyone. I genuinely think in three years’ time he could be a number four or five for England in any format.” Andrew MillerBet365: 20/1SussexLast season: 7th in Division Two
Head coach: Paul Farbrace
Captain: Cheteshwar Pujara
Overseas: Pujara, Nathan McAndrew, Steven Smith
Ins: Tom Alsop (Hampshire)
Outs: Luke Wright (retired)In 2021, Sussex used 26 players and finished bottom of Division Three (in the one-off conference structure). They started the following summer amid some optimism about the potential of a young squad… and arguably had it even worse. By the end of 2022, they had picked 29 different players to feature in the Championship and won just a single first-class match for the third season running – that, coupled with an off-field issue concerning young spinner Jack Carson, led to Ian Salisbury departing after two years in charge of the red-ball side and ushered in the end of twin head coaches at Hove, James Kirtley dropping back to the ranks after the arrival of Paul Farbrace.Having spent four seasons as sport director at Warwickshire, Farbrace has decided to get his hands dirty again – and he has already signalled his expectations by challenging Sussex to push for a return to Division One for the first time since 2015. Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored runs by the ton – 1094 at 109.00, including three double-centuries – takes on the captaincy on his return, allowing Tom Haines to focus on pushing his case as England’s next opener, while the availability of Ollie Robinson for the start of the season should lift an otherwise callow attack. The kids must do more than all right if promotion is to be secured – but the bookies are already on board.One to watch: Haines won selection for England Lions over the winter but he is not the only Sussex opener receiving good notices. Ali Orr, who turns 22 on the opening day of the season, has less than two full campaigns behind him but currently averages 44.30 in first-class cricket. He was the only Sussex batter other than Pujara to pass 1000 runs in 2022, and finished by blasting 198 off 174 balls against Glamorgan – having also made Sussex’s highest List A score (206 off 161) in the Royal London Cup. Look out for more “Shock and” Orr this summer. AGBet365: 9/2Ollie Robinson’s availability at the start of the season should be a lift to Sussex•Getty ImagesWorcestershireLast season: 4th in Division Two
Head coach: Alan Richardson
Captain: Brett D’Oliveira
Overseas: Azhar Ali
Ins: Adam Hose (Warwickshire), Matthew Waite (Yorkshire)
Outs: Moeen Ali, Ed Barnard (both Warwickshire), Tom Fell, Josh Dell, Jacques Banton (all released)
Worcestershire had some big run-scorers last season with two players posting double-centuries in overseas retention Azhar Ali and Jake Libby, plus five more centurions but consistency and their record of just four wins set them adrift of the top three. They have retained all bar Ed Barnard, their leading batter of 2022, but it was with Ed Pollock that they saw some encouraging signs with a match-winning knock against Middlesex as he played 13 of the 14 matches after limited opportunities at Warwickshire.Seamers Dillon Pennington and Joe Leach led Worcestershire’s efforts with the ball and may be required to do so again with the addition of allrounder Matthew Waite, who struggled for a regular place at Yorkshire but impressed on loan at New Road last season with six wickets against Leicestershire.One to watch: Adam Hose’s move form Warwickshire was motivated by the desire to breathe new life into his red-ball career after his T20 credentials went on show in the Vitality Blast and a maiden BBL gig with Adelaide Strikers. He hasn’t played a first-class match in more than three years making this an intriguing phase if he can convince Worcestershire to give him a chance, as they did with Pollock last season. Valkerie BaynesBet365: 9/1YorkshireLast season: 9th in Division One
Director of cricket: Darren Gough
Head coach: Ottis Gibson
Captain: Shan Masood
Overseas: Shan Masood, Neil Wagner, Shai Hope
Ins: Ben Mike (Leicestershire), Matt Milnes (Kent), Jafer Chohan (unattached)
Outs: Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Somerset), Tom Loten (Notts), Matthew Waite (Worcs), David Willey (Northants), Steven Patterson (retired), Gary Ballance, Harry Sullivan, Josh Sullivan (all released)In the end, it was arguably a mercy killing. Yorkshire’s last-gasp relegation in 2022 at least spared the club (and the wider game) the uncertainty that would surely have accompanied their survival, given the probability of sanctions in the wake of the racism crisis that had been such a key contributor to their downward spiral. Those could yet still come to pass after the club accepted four charges of bringing the game into disrepute, but at least they have been able to prepare for the new season from a solid bottom-tier base.A wholesale changing of the guard has taken place over the winter, with long-term captain Steven Patterson retiring after being denied a new contract, and Gary Ballance committing his own future to Zimbabwe after his central role in the racism case. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and David Willey complete a clearing-out of disillusioned senior figures, but in real terms, the club’s talent drain may not end there. Harry Brook is unlikely to play a single Championship fixture given his breakthrough winter across formats for England, while Dawid Malan is also eager to manage his availability with the carrot of the 50-over World Cup later this year. Given their ECB incremental contract status, both men remain firmly on Yorkshire’s books. For a club that faced bankruptcy over the winter, it’s a sub-optimal scenario.With uncertainty around the involvement of New Zealand’s Neil Wagner after he tore a hamstring on Test duty, and fellow newcomer Matt Milnes still working his way back from a stress fracture, there’s likely to be a lot on the plate for Shan Masood, a potentially inspired signing as captain following his stellar showing at Derbyshire last season – that is when he arrives from Pakistan duty, with Shai Hope signed as short-term cover and Jonny Tattersall set to lead the side for the first month of the season.One to watch: Even if all else fails for Yorkshire, there’s still the prospect of Jonny Bairstow defying the doubters all over again and putting together an unanswerable run of pre-Ashes form. Bairstow has hardly held a bat in anger since his freakish golfing injury at the height of last summer’s Bazball antics, and recently pulled out of his IPL deal with Punjab Kings. There’s still no knowing whether he can recover sufficient fitness to challenge for his England spot, let alone find that same sweet spot of form, but he is eyeing up a comeback at the start of May, maybe even with the wicketkeeper’s gloves to heighten his Test claims. And generally speaking, when anyone suggests a challenge is beyond even Bairstow’s capabilities, that’s when he truly steps up. AMBet365: 6/4

“I mainly practice yorkers”, says Indian quick who’s had to shoulder the responsibility of the end overs in Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer’s absence

Abhimanyu Bose21-May-20231:25

Have Mumbai found a specialist death bowler in Madhwal?

It’s the 19th over of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings. Fifth ball. They are 186 for 3. The two previous overs have gone for six runs each, and Sunrisers, from looking good for 225-230, are now probably targeting 210 or thereabouts. On strike is Heinrich Klaasen, their best batter this season.Akash Madhwal runs in and bowls a seam-up delivery that moves in ever so slightly after pitching and cleans up Klaasen, who was looking to heave it across the line.Harry Brook is next in and he is welcomed with a searing yorker. He tries to get his bat down but is too late; the ball goes through his legs and crashes into the stumps.Madhwal, striking with his last two balls, finishes with 4 for 37.Related

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Wickets, yes, but a bit more too. Something a little difficult to classify. The delivery before he knocked Klaasen over, Madhwal had bowled a wide yorker that was squeezed out for a single but called a no-ball. For the free-hit delivery, Madhwal nearly nailed the yorker again but not quite; his 135kph low full-toss, on the fifth-stump line, was still good enough for Markram to only dispatch to the off side for a single.It’s this ability, to bowl yorkers with quite some efficiency, that has made Madhwal Mumbai Indians’ go-to bowler at the death this season, a season when they haven’t had Jasprit Bumrah around at all and Jofra Archer available only for a while – and far from at his best – meaning the bowling has been their weaker suit by a distance.”I was just thinking about the execution. What I was doing in the nets, I just tried to execute that,” Madhwal said during the mid-innings break. “My communication with [Rohit Sharma] was also great, he was giving me a lot of confidence.””I mainly practice yorkers. Even in domestic cricket, I practice a lot for yorkers for the death overs.”But that penultimate over, in which he conceded just six runs, was not all Madhwal did to hurt SRH’s chances on the day.Akash Madhwal nailed his yorkers at the death•BCCIEarlier in the script, he saw off openers Vivrant Sharma and Mayank Agarwal with a couple of short balls. While Vivrant miscued a pull to deep midwicket, Agarwal’s attempted pull was edged to Ishan Kishan behind the stumps.Agarwal and Vivrant had put on a 140-run opening stand in 13.5 overs to set Sunrisers up for a really big total, but Madhwal’s wickets meant he and Chris Jordan could put the squeeze on them in the death overs and restrict them to exactly 200.”We were 173 for 3 in 17 [Sunrisers were 174 for 2]. You will think that in the next 18 balls, on that track, you will get 40-50 runs,” Sunrisers head coach Brian Lara said in the press conference after the match. “I think 220, not sure [even] that would have been enough, but it would have looked a lot better for us.”He [Madhwal] bowled well. Knocked over Klaasen and not many people were able to do it without being damaged first. But he was able to knock over our in-form player.”I think we were thinking in excess of 215 at that stage, but they pulled it back.”Cameron Green, whose first T20 century later on meant Mumbai Indians made short work of the target, said Madhwal had “completely changed the line-up” for Mumbai.”As soon as he has come into the team, he has changed our whole line-up basically,” Green said after the game. “I think with the role he is able to play, especially at the back-end, can help guys like myself and Jase [Jason Behrendorff], take overs off us [at the end] and we can bowl a little more through the powerplay. We can kind of mix and match different people to bowl at different times with how good he has been in the back end.””His addition has been incredible. He’s got a really good head on him. He is so calm out there. Looks like he’s made for it. He’s been awesome.”Madhwal has now played six games in the IPL and his four-wicket haul in Sunday’s must-win game for his team helped him double his wickets tally in the competition.Next year, Mumbai will hope that both Bumrah and Archer will be fit, and what their return would mean for Madhwal remains to be seen. But as an Indian quick bowler who can help shut innings out, he can provide Mumbai with a lot of flexibility in picking their team.

In the World Cup opener, England’s uncharacteristic batting innings was characterised by tentative shots more than full-blooded ones

Matt Roller06-Oct-2023As England’s players picked the bones out of the thrashing by New Zealand in their World Cup opener, Joe Root made a telling prediction. “I don’t think we’ll see guys getting caught mid-off or long-off check-driving anymore,” Root told the BBC. “They’ll be hitting it 20 rows back.”Root’s 77 was England’s top score and represented a welcome return to form for him after a quiet series against New Zealand last month. He was at the non-striker’s end for five of his team-mates’ dismissals and appeared to sense a pattern: with the exception of Harry Brook, England’s batters were not dismissed while trying to hit sixes.Take Jonny Bairstow. He fell looking to loft Mitchell Santner inside-out over extra cover, but with the ball angling straight in from around the wicket, rather than turning away, it hit the inner half of his bat and looped harmlessly towards wide long-off, where Daryl Mitchell took a good running catch to his left.Related

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At the death, with England looking to accelerate, Liam Livingstone had faced four consecutive dot balls from Trent Boult when he shaped to work a knuckleball away into the gap between midwicket and long-on. Instead, his leading edge hung in the air, giving Matt Henry time to run in off the boundary to settle underneath it.Brook’s downfall came about in a fashion that would infuriate many, caught in the deep trying to hit a fourth consecutive boundary off Rachin Ravindra during an over of drag-downs. So did Moeen Ali’s, playing across the line to Glenn Phillips. While Root himself was yorked while attempting to reverse-sweep the same bowler.But England’s uncharacteristic batting innings, scraping to 282 for 9 thanks to a 30-run last-wicket stand, was characterised by tentative shots more than full-blooded ones. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, New Zealand attacked 28% of the balls they faced; England only 17%.Even Jos Buttler fell tamely. He made a clear attempt to target New Zealand’s change bowlers, hitting James Neesham and Ravindra for straight sixes. But when Henry returned, he pushed at a ball that shaped back in – “wobble-seam, trying to use the crease,” Henry explained – and was caught behind. He immediately threw his head back in frustration.England clearly tried to target New Zealand’s allrounders. With Lockie Ferguson (back) and Tim Southee (thumb) unavailable, and Ish Sodhi left out, Tom Latham had to rely on 20 overs split between Neesham, Ravindra and Phillips, who returned combined figures of 3 for 149.

“We’re not robots: sometimes you don’t play as well as you’d like. We’ll be better for the next one”Jos Buttler

But perhaps England were too deferential against New Zealand’s three main bowlers in Boult, Henry and Santner. Their combined figures were 6 for 133 in 30; Devon Conway and Ravindra showed no such caution against England’s frontline bowlers, taking down Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood.Eoin Morgan, Buttler’s predecessor, was scathing in his assessment of England’s intent at the break, suggesting that they had let slip an opportunity to apply pressure after hitting Boult’s first over for 12. “You’d say that England didn’t throw many punches,” he said on Sky Sports. “They didn’t go hard enough.”After the game, he added, “They were so far off the mark. If you listened to Jos Buttler throughout the back-end of our summer, he continued to reiterate the message that you have to be more aggressive, to be brave… You have to be able to compete to say you were outplayed; for a lot of the game this evening, England didn’t compete.”1:45

Did England miss Ben Stokes?

Root expects England to be jolted into gear by their defeat. “It reinforces what we are about as a team,” he said. “We can remember how good we are, remember how intimidating we are as a batting group and double-down on it, really put sides under pressure and get those massive scores that blow teams away.”England do not need to panic. Six wins from their next eight games is almost certain to get them through to the semi-finals, and even five could be enough. “It’s one loss at the start of a very long tournament,” Buttler said. “We’re not robots: sometimes you don’t play as well as you’d like. We’ll be better for the next one.”They flew to Dharamsala on Friday ahead of their next fixture against Bangladesh on Tuesday where conditions will be very different. The weather will be cooler, the ball will travel at altitude, and a 10.30am start should ensure more uniformity across 100 overs than on Thursday, when the ball came on to the bat much better under lights.But Buttler will be frustrated that after seeming to rediscover their groove and tempo in this format last month, his batters did not exert sustained pressure on New Zealand’s bowlers. If anything, New Zealand batted more like England than England did themselves.