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During the course of the series, Da Silva has been part of many crucial partnerships to help West Indies out of the woods

Mohammad Isam12-Feb-2021When he was asked about the key factors behind their stunning win in the first Test in Chattogram, West Indies coach Phil Simmons highlighted the importance of partnerships, among the first things he mentioned. Certainly, the batting partnerships have been West Indies’ biggest weapon in this series, and the common name in many crucial stands has been Joshua Da Silva.Da Silva added 99 for the sixth wicket with Jermaine Blackwood in the first innings in Chattogram, which helped West Indies get past the follow-on score.After Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner stitched together 216 in the second innings, Da Silva and Mayers added 100 for the sixth wicket to take the side to the cusp of victory. One might say that Da Silva’s contribution was only 20, but with Blackwood having got out shortly before, a wicket at that stage would have brought Bangladesh back into the game.On Friday, in the first innings of the second Test in Dhaka, Da Silva top-scored with 92, and as much as he felt miserable to miss out on a maiden Test century, he once again showed the way of combining with other batsmen to put the pressure back on the opposition. He was involved in an 88-run sixth-wicket stand with Bonner, which again got West Indies out of the woods when they had been reduced to 178 for 5 on the first day.But what has perhaps changed the complexion of the game was his 118-run seventh-wicket stand with No. 9 Alzarri Joseph. A developing allrounder, Joseph contributed 71 runs in the partnership and as much as that hurt Bangladesh’s footing in the game, Da Silva’s presence at the other end ensured the bowlers had nowhere to go for a considerably long time on the second day.Joseph offered an interesting insight into how Da Silva guided the partnership, by breaking down their task into the blocks of ten runs. According to Joseph, Da Silva has been a seasoned presence at crease despite playing only his third Test.Joshua Da Silva and Alzarri Joseph mixed caution with aggression in perfect measure during their stand•AFP / Getty Images”[Da Silva’s] encouragement to build partnerships, to look at small totals, every ten runs, start over from zero again to score another ten runs, and again another ten runs, and in a matter of no time, we had an 80-run partnership.”When I came to the crease, it was just to bat some time and support Josh at the crease. Josh has been batting really well. It is only his third Test and he is showing real maturity with the bat and also behind the stumps. His game is coming along really well.”At least during the course of this tour, Da Silva has improved from a rookie who was dropped from the ODI side after two single-digit scores to a reliable batsman in the Test side.Things that have stood out in his batting are his soft hands while defending the ball, as well as the use of the depth of the crease while cutting or pulling the spinners. Da Silva said that he has been working on this aspect with the batting coach Monty Desai.”I have always been a good player of spin, so I adapted my game to lower wickets. It is a little similar to home but in a different situation, so I am playing my part. I try to pick the line and length as early as possible. I worked with Monty, our batting coach, on moving forward and back positively and making that decision early.”Resuming the day on 22, Da Silva hit several punches off the back foot through the off side, as well as collected plenty of runs by gliding the ball behind point. It forced the Bangladesh spinners to bowl more at the stumps, and that gave Da Silva the opportunity to play the pulls and sweeps. He even brought out the reverse sweep a couple of times.Da Silva is among a group of young cricketers that the West Indies team management has been carrying around during the pandemic. He went to England to play the two practice matches, and even kept wickets during the Manchester Test after Shane Dowrich got injured. He made his Test debut in the subsequent New Zealand tour, where he showed his temperament with a second-innings fifty.Da Silva gives West Indies an interesting little conundrum when Dowrich becomes available in the near future. Certainly, a competition for the wicketkeeping spot will strengthen the Test side.Da Silva’s batting improvement also means he has a chance of playing only as a batsman, too. His ability to put together partnerships, particularly in a tour where he had to learn on the fly, is going to work in his favour in the coming months.

Farewell to a fine bowler who beat the bat more often than seemed reasonable, and came close to winning England the 1979 World Cup

Mark Nicholas29-Jul-2021Another one has gone: heroes all, but the class of ’81 are four short now of the 20 who represented England in six Ashes Test matches that summer. Exactly 40 years after the series, which became so widely known as Botham’s Ashes, Mike Hendrick has died of bowel and liver cancer. “Hendo” suffered awhile but never thought much of self-pity. His dry, midland wit remained intact to the end: “I’m in the departure lounge,” he said to Mike Atherton a month or so ago, “but the flight hasn’t left yet.”Atherton was talking to Hendrick for a fine piece in the that remembered and celebrated the men of that golden month in 1981 when England wrestled back consecutive Test matches from improbable positions and slam-dunked a third to secure the urn. Bob Willis, Graham Dilley and Bob Woolmer have already flown. Now the doors are closed and Hendrick is on his way to join them. He said to Atherton how players such as Geoffrey Boycott and David Gower stayed in touch throughout the period of his illness. “I have so many fond memories but rarely do they involve the wickets I took, more the team-mates and dressing rooms I played in. It was a special time.”At Willis’ passing, Paul Allott was by his side. They held hands as Bob Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street” accompanied Willis from this life to the next. For his article Atherton spoke to most of the players, some of whom, like Hendrick, played bit parts; others, like Botham, stole the show. Mike Brearley was recalled after Botham was sacked from the captaincy, and Brearley worked his magic, which, in essence, was to get the mighty allrounder back on course. The affection they have for one another remains to this day. “It’s curious isn’t it,” mused Brearley, “You go through something together. It’s an arduous thing, a Test match or a Test series. It can be an anxious, nervous time and if it goes well, you experience great elation together. It’s the sporting equivalent of falling in love in some ways. I see my old team-mates now and find we start making the same jokes from 40 years ago as if it were yesterday.” Such bonds cannot be broken.Related

• Mike Hendrick, former Derbyshire and England seamer, dies aged 72

• 'We could have won the World Cup' (2011)

• Mike Hendrick, Wisden Cricketer of the Year – 1978

• The hold-up at Headingley (2014)

Hendrick played the first and last Tests of the series, thus missing the heady drama that captivated the nation. In the first Test, at Trent Bridge, he had Allan Border dropped by Paul Downton, and somehow both men then lost their places for it. The invitation for Hendrick to play again, which came from the Test and County Cricket Board and was posted to Derbyshire County Cricket Club – as was the tradition of the day – and intercepted by the Derbyshire secretary at the request of the chairman of selectors, who had changed his mind overnight upon hearing that Willis had recovered from illness. You’d call that unlucky.As you would his bowling, which beat the bat more often that was reasonable. He bowled a perfect line and length at a strong, bouncy fast-medium pace and hit the seam with legendary consistency, often admitting that he didn’t know which way it would go – “Which isn’t a bad thing, because if I don’t know, the batsman sure doesn’t either!” The general view was that the endless jaffas he propelled at mystified opponents were a tad too short to find the edge of the bat. As each was gloved by Bob Taylor, Hendo’s hangdog expression would lengthen with the shadows of the day.On occasions he was unplayable, not least after he had left Derbyshire in 1981 to join Nottinghamshire. Clive Rice, the no-nonsense South African whose captaincy helped to secure the Championship title for Notts in the early 1980s, demanded green pitches at Trent Bridge so that his seam attack of Richard Hadlee, the Kevins Cooper and Saxelby, Rice himself and Hendo could do their worst. Hampshire were bowled out for 70 and 56 there in 1982: Hadlee took 7 for 25 in the first innings and Hendo 5 for 21 in the second. Between them, they took 15 for 81 the match, and really, I don’t know how we made the 81. I do, though, remember the endless playing and missing, or should I say groping in the dark, which eventually became almost funny.

An insight into a legendary career.

In his last recorded interview, Mike Hendrick looked back at his time with #DCCC.

Full interview https://t.co/vbA73i7jia pic.twitter.com/4MqeYqNZsS

— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) July 27, 2021

And who is the most economical bowler in Tests?

Steven Lynch15-Mar-2022After Jack Hobbs became the oldest to score a Test century, in Australia in 1928-29, he wrote that a famous actress kissed him at a party afterwards. Who was this actress? asked Pushkar Pushp from India

This incident followed Jack Hobbs’ 142 in the fifth Test in Melbourne in March 1929. At 46 years 82 days, Hobbs was the oldest man to score a Test century, a record he is likely to retain for ever.In his 1935 book My Life Story, Hobbs tells the tale of what happened next. “My 142 had a very jolly sequel in the evening of the day it was scored. My diary says: ‘When I walked into the hotel dining-room, the orchestra struck up “See the Conquering Hero Comes”, and followed by playing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. The guests at the tables rose up and joined in.’ One of those guests was a famous English actress; she came right across the room and gave me a kiss! It was most embarrassing. I will not give her name away.”Hobbs might have been too gallant to spill the beans, but the press was less reticent. The New South Wales paper the Newcastle Sun ran the headline “Jack Hobbs blushed”, and named the lady as Margaret Bannerman (no relation to the old Australian batters Charles and Alec, as far as I can tell!) She was actually Canadian, although she had a long career in London theatre, and also appeared in several silent films. Margaret was born in Toronto in December 1896, so was 32 when she surprised Hobbs; she died in the United States in 1976. For the newspaper story, click here.Imam-ul-Haq just scored his first two centuries in the same Test. How many people have done this? asked Damith Sampath from Sri Lanka

That double of 157 and 111 not out by Imam-ul-Haq for Pakistan against Australia in Rawalpindi recently made him the 12th man to score his first two centuries in the same Test. That includes the two who did it on debut – Lawrence Rowe for West Indies vs New Zealand in Kingston in 1971-72, and Yasir Hameed for Pakistan vs Bangladesh in Karachi in 2003.The first to do this was Australia’s Warren Bardsley, with 136 and 130 against England at The Oval in 1909; the most recent before Imam was Shai Hope, for West Indies vs England at Headingley in 2017.In between, the feat was also achieved by India’s Vijay Hazare (against Australia in Adelaide in 1947-48), Jack Moroney of Australia (vs South Africa in Johannesburg in 1949-50), New Zealand’s Geoff Howarth (vs England in Auckland in 1977-78), Duleep Mendis of Sri Lanka (vs India in Madras in 1982-83), Pakistan’s Wajahatullah Wasti (vs Sri Lanka in Lahore in 1998-99), Phillip Hughes of Australia (vs South Africa in Durban in 2008-09) and the New Zealander Peter Fulton (vs England in Auckland in 2012-13).Imam will be hoping that, unlike Wasti and Hameed – the others to achieve the feat for Pakistan – he manages to reach three figures again in Tests. Of the rest, Moroney, Fulton and Hope (to date) never scored another Test century either.In the first Test at Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s openers put on 252 without being separated. Was this the highest unbroken first-wicket stand in Tests? asked K Lokaraj from India

Abdullah Shafique, who made his own maiden century, and Imam-ul-Haq put on 252 in the second innings of the first Test against Australia in Rawalpindi. That was indeed the highest unbeaten opening stand in Tests – just: Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes added 250 without being separated for West Indies against Australia in Georgetown in 1983-84.The highest unbroken opening partnership in all first-class cricket is 451, by Sanjay Desai and Roger Binny for Karnataka (who declared, and won by an innings) against Kerala in Chikmagalur in 1977-78.Lance Gibbs has a career bowling economy of 1.98, the lowest for bowlers with at least 200 Test wickets•PA PhotosGiven a minimum of 200 wickets, who’s the most economical bowler in Tests? asked Robert Aldridge from England

Some 80 bowlers have now reached the milestone of 200 Test wickets – and of those, only one went for less then two an over: the great West Indian offspinner Lance Gibbs, who conceded 1.98 per six balls during his 79-Test career. Next come Richie Benaud and Derek Underwood, with 2.10. The top five are all spinners: the leading seamer, in sixth place with 2.21 an over, is England’s Alec Bedser, just ahead of the West Indian pair of Garry Sobers (2.22) and Curtly Ambrose (2.30). The versatile Sobers mixed seam with spin during his career.The leading current bowler is India’s Ravindra Jadeja, whose economy rate of 2.42 an over puts him 12th at the moment.Ravindra Jadeja scored 175 then took nine wickets against Sri Lanka recently. Has anyone bettered this in a Test match? asked Ankur Jamil from India

Three men have scored a century and taken ten or more wickets in the same Test. The first to do it was Ian Botham, with 114 and 13 for 106 for England against India in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1979-80. He was followed by Imran Khan, with 117 and 11 for 180 for Pakistan vs India in Faisalabad in 1982-83, and Shakib Al Hasan, with 137 and 10 for 124 for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe in Khulna in 2014-15.Before Jadeja did it recently against Sri Lanka in Mohali, three others had paired a century with nine wickets in the same Test. Jimmy Sinclair made 106 (South Africa’s first Test century) and took 9 for 89 against England in Cape Town in 1898-99; Richie Benaud paired 100 with 9 for 154 for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1957-58; and Jadeja’s India team-mate R Ashwin scored 103 and took 9 for 190 against West Indies in Mumbai in 2011-12. Of these, Jadeja’s 175 not out is the highest score involved.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of this week’s answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Babar Azam-led Karachi Kings have dynamic batters in their side but Mohammad Amir’s recent form is patchy

Danyal Rasool and Umar Farooq27-Jan-2022

Quetta Gladiators

Captain: Sarfaraz Ahmed
Coach: Moin KhanFull squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Will Smeed, James Faulkner, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Umar Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Ben Duckett, Khurram Shahzad, Luke Wood, Abdul Bangalzai, Asher Qureshi, Ali Imran, Ahsan Ali, Dan Lawrence, Ghulam MudassarLast season: Finished bottom (eliminated after group stage)Gladiators appeared to have the firepower to challenge for the title last season, but a combination of poor fortune – they lost each of their first six tosses – and a star cast that underperformed doomed them well before the business end of the tournament. Dale Steyn, in particular, found himself off the pace, and in a number of tight games, the bowlers found the pressure getting to them as they looked to defend totals.Sarfaraz’s mounting frustration, often publicly directed at them, gave off the image of a disjointed, demoralised side, but a number of below-par showings as a team meant the other five franchises pulled away fairly quickly. While the other fellow Karachi strugglers Multan Sultans upped their game in Abu Dhabi, the Gladiators wilted further, with a 110-run thumping at Sultans’ hands in their penultimate game perhaps a fitting reflection of how the season had gone for them.What’s changed for the season? Plenty, and perhaps not enough at quite the same time. Azam Khan has been traded out for Iftikhar Ahmed, who’s in the form of his life, and might yet become the Gladiators’ X-factor. Umar Akmal returns to the PSL for the first time since he helped the Gladiators to the title in 2019. James Vince and Sohail Tanvir have moved to the franchise from the Sultans, while instead of Steyn, the overseas fast bowler this time is Englishman Luke Wood.But a side that reached three of the first four finals doesn’t quite appear to have made the wholesale changes required to correct their recent slump. Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah are a touch too similar to truly balance out a bowling attack; the cloud hanging over Hasnain concerning his bowling action is concerning enough as it is.James Faulkner was successful in Abu Dhabi but his medium left arm might not carry the same potence in Pakistan. The absence of Jason Roy and Vince from the start could be an issue, with no obvious opening replacements of a similar calibre. Moin Khan and Sarfaraz Ahmed continue as coach and captain respectively, who have overseen both the rise and then the fall of this franchise. If they can orchestrate another successful season, it might be their most salient achievement yet.Player to watch Umar Akmal has at times become the subject of ridicule and outrage within Pakistan cricket, but when it comes to the PSL, few Pakistani batters match his consistency. He remains in the top 15 highest scorers in the competition’s history despite not playing the last two seasons; no players with fewer games has more runs than him. His 604 runs have come at a strike rate of 137.91; of the Pakistan batters with more PSL runs, only Asif Ali (164.29) and Sharjeel Khan (144.74) outpace his scoring rate. Suggesting Umar is the same player he was before this lengthy absence, or that he’s even as sharp, would be foolhardy, but he nevertheless remains an intriguing cricketer to keep an eye on over the next month.Key statSarfaraz is the only player to have captained his side in every PSL season. His record since being appointed Quetta Gladiators skipper at the inception of the league reads 32 wins, 29 losses.Babar Azam will lead Karachi Kings in PSL 2022•Pakistan Super League

Karachi Kings

Captain: Babar AzamCoach: Peter MooresFull squad: Babar Azam (capt), Imad Wasim, Lewis Gregory, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Amir, Aamer Yamin, Sharjeel Khan, Joe Clarke, Umaid Asif, Ian Cockbain, Rohail Nazir, Mohammad Imran Junior, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Talha, Talha Ahsan, Tom Lammonby, Shahibzada Farhan, Jordan Thompson, Chris Jordan, Faisal Akram, Qasim AkramLast season: FourthWon three out of their first five games, but stumbled midway, losing three successive games. They edged Lahore Qalandars on net run-rate to eventually qualify for the playoffs after beating Quetta Gladiators by 14 runs on the last day of the group stage. However, they were thrashed by Peshawar Zalmi in the Eliminator, where Hazratullah Zazai smashed a 38-ball 77. They had a strong squad last season, headlined by Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan, but the bowling attack couldn’t make much of an impact. Mohammad Amir managed only five wickets in 11 matches while conceding 8.37 runs an over.What’s changed for this season?They lost Arshad Iqbal and Waqas Maqsood, but Chris Jordan’s return will boost the bowling attack that will also include Amir and Aamer Yamin. The major change is Babar taking over captaincy from Imad Wasim. Lewis Gregory will add all-round value to the side while fellow Englishman Ian Cockbain brings strong form from the BBL. Tom Lammonby, another uncapped English player, lends further firepower to the batting line-up. The 21-year-old has a strike rate of 152.02 in T20 cricket and can provide an extra bowling option with his left-arm medium pace.Player to watch Amir’s PSL form has plummeted after he lost his place in the national side and subsequently announced his international retirement. In the last two PSL seasons, he has picked up only 15 wickets in 22 matches at an average of 45.06 and economy rate of eight. He has been demoted from Platinum category to Diamond this season and the onus is now on him to remedy those numbers and step up.Key statJoe Clarke has scored 1490 runs in 51 T20s since 2020, at a strike rate of 167.04, the second-best among the 83 players with 1000-plus T20 runs during this period. Clarke is coming off a successful stint with Melbourne Stars in the BBL, where he struck four consecutive fifties. Clarke was also part of the first leg of PSL 2021, where he had scores of 46 and 54, both at a strike rate of 200.

What do the selectors’ decisions suggest about the immediate future in the two formats?

Karthik Krishnaswamy22-May-202211:36

Shastri: On current form, India might just play Malik against SA

A recall, and a farewell?

Cheteshwar Pujara is back in the Test squad, and he pretty much forced that decision on the selectors with his rollicking form in the County Championship. How do you ignore 6, 201*, 109, 12, 203, 16, 170* and 3? The selectors possibly factored another reason into his recall as well: in the first four Tests of the series that will end in Edgbaston, he was arguably India’s best-performing middle-order batter, his series average of 32.42 masking the vital contributions he made. His third-innings knocks of 45 (off 206 balls) and 61 helped India claw their way back to victory after conceding first-innings leads at Lord’s and The Oval respectively, and he top-scored for India with 91 in their defeat at Headingley.Another senior stalwart, however, isn’t part of the squad, and you may wonder whether there is a way back now for Ishant Sharma. For so long an ever-present face in India’s attacks overseas, he has slipped behind both Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav in the fast-bowling queue over the last year-and-a-half, and now it would seem Prasidh Krishna as well, as India look for a successor in the tall, hit-the-deck department.There was no way anyone was leaving Cheteshwar Pujara out of the Test squad after his run for Sussex•Getty ImagesA lack of match practice, however, could be a more immediate reason behind Ishant’s non-selection; he hasn’t played any competitive cricket since a pair of Ranji Trophy games in February-March, and those were his only matches since India’s home Test series against New Zealand in November 2021. But with India’s pace reserves constantly growing, you wonder where Ishant will get his next opportunity to turn heads and demand a recall.Intent machines ignored

Over the last three IPL seasons, Prithvi Shaw has managed a strike rate of 152.84 in the powerplay. In the middle overs, meanwhile, Sanju Samson has achieved strike rates of over 150 against both pace and spin. No other India contender comes close to matching those records.But that sort of intent always has a flip side – both Shaw and Samson average under 30 in IPL 2022, and this, perhaps, is the reason why neither is part of India’s T20I squad even though Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been rested and Suryakumar Yadav is out injured.Instead of powerplay enforcers and intent machines, the selectors seem to have preferred – as they have over a number of years – top-order batters with a penchant for big scores, even if it entails slow starts. The likely opening combination of KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad says as much.Prithvi Shaw has scored at a strike rate of 152.84 in the powerplay in the last three IPL seasons•BCCI/IPLEqually, though, the selectors could point to Ishan Kishan and Deepak Hooda – whose approach could be termed similar to those of Shaw and Samson respectively, even if their phase-wise IPL numbers don’t necessarily match up – as counter-examples to suggest they aren’t entirely wedded to an old-school approach.Long rope for long-term prospects

Kishan (strike rate of 120.11) has been far from at his fluent best during IPL 2022, while Venkatesh Iyer (average of 16.54, strike rate of 107.69) has had a horror season. But both have kept their places in the T20I squad, suggesting that the selectors are backing the players they have identified as long-term prospects, and that IPL form is neither a guarantee of selection nor a deal-breaker.It helps, too, that both are left-handers who can bat in multiple positions, and that one offers a wicketkeeping option and the other a sixth bowling option.New quicks on the block

IPL 2022 has been a goldmine for India’s selectors in terms of the sheer number of uncapped fast bowlers who have made an impact with their pace, skill, and execution under pressure. Out of that group – which also includes the likes of Mohsin Khan and Mukesh Choudhary – two have earned first-time call-ups to the T20I squad.4:40

Ravi Shastri: ‘Central contract straightaway for Umran Malik’

The two bring dissimilar but equally exciting skillsets to the table. Umran Malik’s sheer pace – consistently upwards of 150kph – and nose-or-toes lengths offer India a bruising middle-overs option that can upset any line-up in the world. Arshdeep Singh isn’t as quick, but he’s a left-armer with superb defensive skills, as his death-overs economy rate of 7.31 in IPL 2022 (the best in the league among bowlers who have sent down at least ten overs in that phase) would suggest.With these two in the mix alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel, India’s squad has a fast bowler for nearly every situation.How do you fit Hardik and Karthik into the same XI?

Hardik Pandya was always going to be back in India’s white-ball plans the moment he resumed bowling. And he hasn’t just resumed bowling; his speeds have often veered past 140kph, he’s used hard lengths and changes of pace most cleverly, and he sent down his full quota of overs in his first four matches of IPL 2022. A groin issue has reduced his bowling output since then, but India don’t necessarily need him to bowl four overs every game. If he can bowl two while striking the ball at even 80% of his potential, he would walk into most T20 line-ups in the world.2:40

Manjrekar: ‘Don’t think Pant is under pressure from Karthik’

Speaking of ball-striking, have a look at Dinesh Karthik’s death-overs numbers from IPL 2022: 91 balls, 206 runs, a best-in-the-league strike rate of 226.37. At nearly 37, Karthik probably reckoned his best chance of knocking on the selectors’ doors was to take an axe to them. He’s long been one of the best finishers in Indian cricket, and was distinctly unlucky to have been out of the T20I squad for so long despite boasting world-class numbers during his most recent run in the side; but then again, where do you fit him into the XI?If Karthik’s other skill was part-time spin rather than keeping wicket, India would have no trouble answering that question. They would simply bat Rishabh Pant, Hardik and Karthik at Nos. 5, 6 and 7. As things stand, however, Karthik is a specialist finisher who is significantly less comfortable batting up the order, and he isn’t the first-choice keeper. With Hardik not a guaranteed deliverer of four overs, Karthik is left competing with a second allrounder (Axar Patel in the current squad) for the No. 7 slot, which is a difficult contest to win.If he can grab the chances he gets during the series against South Africa, however, Karthik could still make a major case to be picked as India’s reserve keeper for the T20 World Cup.

Standout all-round figures and a Sheffield Shield-winning innings was followed by an impressive winter for the 23-year-old

Alex Malcolm28-Sep-2022There’s a tall fast-bowling allrounder in Western Australia who is turning heads in Australian cricket, and his name isn’t Cameron Green.Aaron Hardie is 23, just six months older than Green, and after 13 first-class matches is averaging 52.85 with the bat and 26.35 with the ball.Hardie already has two first-class hundreds, one of which came in last season’s Sheffield Shield final, and three four-wicket hauls. But while Green is a friend and an inspiration, Hardie is wary of any comparison.”Greeny and I’ve grown up playing together,” Hardie told ESPNcricinfo. “So we’re certainly similar cricketers in some aspects, but we’re also very different in others. Selfishly, watching him go to that next level and dominate as he already is, it’s been really nice for me to see. Not only as a friend but as a fellow cricketer, because I’ve seen the training that he’s done and we don’t train dissimilarly.”Seeing him be able to dominate, I sort of know that I’m not too far away from being able to do what he’s been able to do.Related

• Hardie makes strides after Scorchers batting promotion

• Cameron Green out of Sydney Test but defies fracture finger with fifty

• WA break 23-year Sheffield Shield drought as final ends in a draw

• Peirson's hundred caps Australia A's tour with outstanding run chase

• Tremain's long wait: 'I contemplated retirement quite frequently'

“But also, I’m not comparing myself to him because we’re very different athletes, we’re different cricketers. And yeah, it’s pretty difficult to try and compare yourself to someone of his level because I think he’s going to be one of the best of all time.”Having unearthed a once-in-a-generation allrounder in Green, there are astute judges around WA and Australian cricket wondering whether they might have a second capable of playing in the same team, following Hardie’s spectacular performance in the Shield final, which led to a surprise call-up to tour Sri Lanka with Australia A during the winter.He opened the bowling in the final and took 3 for 54, bagging three of Victoria’s top four with a combination of swing, seam, and bounce. But the best was yet to come in the second innings with WA precariously placed at 110 for 5 early on day 4, leading by only 190, and a drought-breaking Shield title in jeopardy. Hardie made 174 not out, batting for six hours over two days to help WA secure the draw they needed. It left their coach Adam Voges in no doubt as to the prodigious all-round talent they had on their hands.”If he was batter only he’d bat in our top five or six, I think,” Voges told ESPNcricinfo in May. “There’s no doubt he’s good enough to do that. When you play the allrounder role and we need 30 to 40 overs out of him in the game, No. 7 seems about right at the moment in this stage of his career.”Physically as he matures and gets stronger in his body and he’s able to back up a big workload over four days and I’m sure he’ll be able to get up the order as well. I think he’s scored two hundreds now, one was at No. 8, one was at No. 7. I imagine that he will keep creeping his way up over the next couple of years.”

I always remind myself I’ve only played 10 Shield games…the call that I got picked in the Australia A team was certainly unexpected.

It was Hardie’s discipline and decision-making in that innings, as much as his powerful ball striking, that caught the eye of Australia’s selectors. He was an unexpected inclusion in both the 50-over and four-day Australia A squads to tour Sri Lanka just six months after being on the fringe of WA’s side following elbow surgery.”I look back to this time last year, I wasn’t going to play in the first team [for WA],” Hardie said. “Really pleased that I was able to take my opportunity at the end of last year and I suppose those experiences I had were not solely off the back of the Shield final performance, but I think that probably played a big part in those opportunities.”He franked the selectors’ faith in Sri Lanka. Hardie made 58 off 50 in the second one-day game in Colombo batting at No. 7. He then produced two outstanding performances in the two four-dayers in Hambantota.Entering at 98 for 5 in the first innings of the first game, he made 62 and shared a century stand with Josh Philippe to avert a collapse for the visitors. He backed that up in the fourth innings with the ball, claiming 3 for 35 to help bowl Australia A to victory.In the second four-day game, he produced more fourth-innings heroics, this time with the bat. With Australia A chasing 370 to win, he joined Jimmy Peirson at 220 for 5 and the pair cruised to victory sharing an unbeaten 150-run stand. Hardie finished 78 not out while Peirson made 128 not out.Aaron Hardie is looking to continue his development in both aspects of the game•Getty ImagesMuch like Green’s performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Hardie’s batting exploits in Sri Lanka came as no shock to those in Perth after the pair had put in a power of work in the WACA indoor centre on spin mats while facing Ashton Agar in the lead-up to the tour. Hardie’s development of his sweep shot was noticeable, given it is not a shot he had played during his junior days either with his club side Willetton or his school side at Aquinas College.”I don’t think the sweep was really an option that we used very much growing up,” Hardie said. “A lot of people say that the sweep is quite hard for taller blokes but flip it on its head, we probably still have that reach even when we’re sweeping that we can reach out to those balls and almost get them on the full.”We did as much work as possible. We tried to replicate the conditions and I think it went really well for us.”I think I’ll benefit just being able to come back to Australia and put a few of the things that I practiced against spin in place on potentially wickets which are a bit more batter friendly when they are bowling spin. And just being able to be more proactive against the spin.”Bowling on flatter wickets is also the next phase of Hardie’s development. His ability to swing the new ball, combined with his height, makes him a nightmare proposition at the WACA where he averages 17.85. But he averages 38.50 in eight first-class games away, at venues across the east coast of Australia, Sri Lanka and England.Aaron Hardie had a brief stint in county cricket after his Australia A tour•Getty Images”It’s probably [about] just developing some more skills,” Hardie said. “Being able to adapt when you’re playing at the WACA on a nice bouncy pitch and then being able to go out over east and elsewhere and bring the stumps into the game. And obviously have the body in a good enough position that you can contribute over the innings.”He got a taste of English conditions in the off-season with a brief stint at Surrey, playing three games in the T20 Blast and one game in the County Championship where he delivered again with the bat in a win over Yorkshire. Australia A will tour England next year alongside the Test team, but Hardie’s not getting ahead of himself.”I always remind myself I’ve only played 10 Shield games for WA so I want to get that number up,” Hardie said. “I want to be able to be fit for a full season. I want to be able to contribute with the bat and with the ball. The call that I got picked in the Australia A team was certainly unexpected. So I’m very happy just concentrating on WA.”

Pakistan captain backs team – and selection – after being swept aside in first Test

Danyal Rasool05-Dec-2022Babar Azam added his name to the growing number of people to express disillusionment with the Rawalpindi surface in the moments after England’s famous win in the fading light. As the fallout from the preparation of the pitch intensifies, the Pakistan captain, speaking at the post-match press conference, said he didn’t get the pitch he wanted, and that it inhibited the way Pakistan went about their game.”We have a lot of input in the pitch, but we didn’t get the pitch we wanted,” Babar said. “We couldn’t execute our plans. We wanted a turning pitch, but perhaps because of the weather and preparation, that sort of wicket couldn’t be created.”We are feeling very disappointed as a team. We had an opportunity to win the match. We were in the match the way we started. The way the batters built partnerships after lunch, we were quite confident. But then back-to-back wickets fell and when the new batters came in they struggled. That put pressure on us, but we need to give credit to England the way they fought and put in a real effort.”Related

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Pakistan found themselves in comfortable, if not commanding, positions on a number of occasions across their final innings. When the fourth day drew to a close, Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel had put on 54 for the third wicket partnership and went in unbeaten overnight, looking in complete control against both seam and spin. On the final day, Pakistan went from the relative luxury of 176 for 3 and 259 to 5 to the poverty of losing their final five wickets for nine runs.”We’re not able to finish well when the opportunity presents itself,” Babar said. “When we get close to winning, we make some mistakes and end up failing to finish a game off.”After tea, when Agha [Salman] and Azhar Ali got out, it became evident things were slipping away. Naseem [Shah] and Mohammad Ali dragged it to the very end, but we shouldn’t have left it to the tailenders; our specialist batters should have won it.”Aside from the pitch, Pakistan’s team selection was the most contentious issue, with the home side handing out four debut caps and deciding against playing an allrounder. That backfired when Haris Rauf was unavailable to bowl in the second innings, leaving Pakistan a pace bowler light, without the option of a seam-bowling allrounder like Faheem Ashraf to bridge the gap. In addition, Pakistan opted to go for Zahid Mahmood over fellow legspinner Abrar Ahmed, despite the latter enjoying significantly more domestic success this season, a decision made to reward Zahid’s greater experience travelling with the team.Babar, however, was unwavering in his support for the team Pakistan put out, and unwilling to accept criticism of the implications it had for either balance or experience.”In our view we played the best XI. I’m happy with the XI we selected. We planned for this match and played the best XI we had. I don’t have any regrets with selection. Every side has its own way and ours is different. You can’t change your style suddenly and start playing the way the other side is playing. You have to play according to the situation, when to attack and when to defend. Everyone has their own plans and we try according to our plans. We planned to win. This wasn’t a match to draw, but a match to win. It was in our hands, after all.”Even England’s teatime declaration on day four, which seemed to have taken everyone by surprise, appears not to have caught Babar off-guard. “We expected them to play such cricket,” he said. “They played a similar style during their home series so we knew what to expect. We planned to play a similar brand in some ways but it can get difficult to stop a team scoring at 6.50. We didn’t bowl in the right areas at times, and got punished. They took the game away from us in the first innings. In the second innings we bowled on one side of the wicket and got wickets early. But credit goes to the way Joe Root and Harry Brook played in the second innings, because that was outstanding.”He also had warm words for the crowd at the Rawalpindi stadium, which heaved with fans across the weekend, and even on Monday, right until the final moments. That despite the dreary nature of the surface, with little realistic hope of a result until England forced the issue on the penultimate evening. The atmosphere had the air of an intimate gathering rather than a hostile cauldron, with plenty of support for Pakistan and about as much gratitude for England’s visit.”They’ve given support to both teams,” Babar said. “It was packed all five days. When you have a home crowd behind you and show the world that Pakistan cricket is alive and well, and they want other teams to come here too, that feels quite special.”The Pindi crowd has never disappointed us.”On the merits of Pakistan’s performance, though, it would be incredibly generous if the crowd felt the same way about the cricket side they had come to see.