RCB’s team director talks about the side’s performance in the first half of the 2023 IPL, Faf du Plessis’ captaincy, and how Maxwell and Siraj have dealt with additional responsibility

Interview by Matt Roller30-Apr-2023Royal Challengers Bangalore have had an up-and-down IPL 2023, winning four and losing four of their first eight games – six of which have been at their home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium. They will play their next five away due to the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.Mike Hesson, RCB’s director of cricket, sat down with ESPNcricinfo in Bengaluru the day before their defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders to discuss his first three and a half seasons in charge of the side.This is your fourth season with RCB, but your first based in Bengaluru. How have you found it, being here at home base?
It’s been great. Everyone involved in RCB has talked about how great Chinnaswamy is, and it certainly hasn’t under-delivered in terms of the intensity and the whole environment around it: the drive to the ground, seeing the whole city behind the team. It’s a pretty cool place to be. We are pretty keen to put on a show, and we’ve played pretty well at home this year as well.We’re about to get on the road for three weeks. The IPL is always pretty intense, and obviously with ten teams now, there’s no break or respite. It’s been good fun.What has the challenge of playing so many of your early games at the Chinnaswamy been like?
You get used to the conditions. Each pitch here is slightly different, so it’s not like you can just plug and play; you have to adapt to it. It’s a great place to bat, especially for top-order batters, and as the tournament unfolds, different players will be exposed to different challenges. But when you play six of your first eight at Chinnaswamy, it’s a tough ask for some.Related

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When you arrived at RCB, they hadn’t qualified for the playoffs for three years, and had a reputation as an up-and-down team. How do you reflect on the progress you’ve made?
We’d obviously struggled for a couple of years. It was just about coming in and working with the people we had here to try and give some real consistency and structure around how we want to play the game, and how that would work with the types of players we want for the conditions we are likely to play in.That was challenged, because we didn’t really know where the tournaments were going to be each year. You could pick a team for Chinnaswamy and not know whether you’re going to be here or not. But I think across the last three years, we’ve provided a really stable platform for the playing group. It’s very hard to think that you’re going to be consistent on the park if off the park we are inconsistent, so that’s one of the things we’ve definitely worked really hard to bring.There is some satisfaction of being the only team that has made the playoffs three years in a row, but it’s also provided some frustration as well: the fact that we’ve got ourselves some opportunities and we haven’t quite played our best cricket at the right time. Winning tournaments is about firing at the right time – and making sure that obviously you make the playoffs first. There is a little sense of satisfaction but also a sense of a job unfulfilled just yet.One of the biggest decisions of your tenure was identifying a replacement for Virat Kohli, when he stepped down as captain after the 2021 season. How did you settle on Faf du Plessis?
Virat’s a very hard man to replace – and to be captain when your ex-captain is still there is incredibly difficult. You’ve got to be quite a strong character and really have the changing room [on your side]. You can’t be a developing captain. We thought we had to have an established captain with a lot of those core experiences.We’d spent a lot of time looking at all the gaps that we had in our squad. We looked at Indian players as well, and we went pretty hard for one or two. We settled relatively late on Faf, but we thought he ticked a lot of our boxes: he was highly experienced and still a high-quality player. We never knew at that time whether we’d be able to get a full three-year cycle out of somebody at that age [37, at the time of the mega auction], but the fact that he’s incredibly fit gave us a lot more confidence.He was almost a “plug and play”. He knew Virat and [Glenn] Maxwell very well; they had a great relationship. He had a reputation for working equally well with overseas and domestic players, which is critical – to have an overseas player that comes in [as captain] and doesn’t have that empathy towards how a team works could have been a disaster. The more we talked to people about Faf, the more he was our target.”Mohammed Siraj’s seam presentation is as good as I’ve seen it, and he’s bowling a good bouncer. Add that to the fact he’s bowling quick, and no wonder he is challenging the top order”•Aijaz Rahi/Associated PressIn 2021, you brought in Glenn Maxwell, who had just come off a poor season with Punjab Kings. What has helped him become a more consistent IPL batter over the last three years?
Often people think of Maxwell as a finisher. We saw him in a different light, as actually someone who can bat throughout the innings. Just because he can play shots all around the wicket, it doesn’t necessarily mean he can hit from ball one when the field’s out; that’s a tough ask for anyone, especially when some of the wickets are slow.We gave him responsibility. We said, “We actually think you’re a high-quality batter, rather than just a finisher”, and he’s thrived on that responsibility. We know he is a wonderful player of spin but we also know that his game’s developed hugely against pace. We’ve also tried to give a bit of clarity around the idea that if you have to go in early, we trust that you can do that, rather than potentially trying to hide him or slide him down to have a certain entry point.Maxi is a great team man. Hugely passionate, which I like. I like that competitive spirit. That’s why him and Virat get on really well. Any good team has a lot of different types of characters, and he’s a nice free spirit combined nicely with the other two [du Plessis and Kohli].The three players you mention – du Plessis, Kohli and Maxwell – have scored over two-thirds of your runs this season, and the rest of the batting line-up has struggled to make an impact. It’ll be hard to win an IPL without them contributing at some stage, so how do you intend to get more out of them?
We saw that last year: our top order wasn’t as successful, and the likes of Shahbaz [Ahmed] and DK [Dinesh Karthik] held our team together. [Mahipal] Lomror was very good towards the end of last year too, and different players stood up to get us through the playoffs. This year we’ve played six of our first eight at Chinnaswamy, which is very much a top-order type of surface – if you get in, you cash in – so therefore, the opportunities for the middle order are limited.Three of those games have been played on slower surfaces, so when the ball gets soft, it’s harder to score. Other than the Chennai game – which was at night and on a very good wicket throughout, where you could accelerate – the opportunities were slightly different. We have a lot of confidence in the rest of the batting group, that when the opportunity arises, they’ll grab it.Last year our top order was getting hammered in the powerplay and we were saved by the middle order, so I think it’s more conditions-based. We’ve got a lot of confidence in that Indian middle-order domestic group. It’s a long tournament, and they don’t actually have put their mind back that far for when they were some of our best performers.Hesson on the Impact Player rule: “If you got three wickets in the powerplay previously, you could squeeze the middle. Now they keep going hard at you”•Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty ImagesMohammed Siraj has had a breakthrough season after a tough 2022. What is he doing differently? His lengths have been much more consistent with the new ball.
I think those lengths in the powerplay are probably a flow-on from confidence. He’s played a lot of one-day cricket, where you’ve got to do your core skills over and over again, and he’s become very good at those core skills. When you get confident doing that, you can repeat them; if you’re not, you can go searching a little bit.He’s been exceptionally good at what he does. His seam presentation is as good as I’ve seen it, with both his outswing and his three-quarter ball, and he’s bowling a good bouncer. You add that to the fact he’s bowling quick, and no wonder he is challenging the top order. With that, you grow confidence with your back-end bowling as well. You’re coming back with confidence and you’re used more as a weapon rather than the captain thinking, “Where can we fit you in?”I’m delighted for Siraj. Everyone knows he had a tough year last year but the fact he’s been really good for India – he’s one of their first picks in white-ball cricket – has flowed into his work here.And he’s been leading the attack in the absence of Josh Hazlewood.
He’s thrived on it from the very first game. We gave Siraj the first over and said, “Look, you are the leader of our attack.” He thrives under that sort of confidence. Every time I’ve asked him to deliver in the powerplay, he has set the tone for us. If you add [David] Willey or Hazelwood to that, it’s a challenging opening attack.How much of a difference will Hazlewood make?
Look, he will [make a difference]. But also to be fair to [Reece] Topley, [Wayne] Parnell and Willey, they’ve been really good for us. When you miss a guy of Hazlewood’s quality… obviously we invested a lot of money in him, because we knew he’d do that job, so the fact that our back-up bowlers have done such a good job is exciting for us.Wanindu Hasaranga arrived late this year, and has had a fairly quiet start to the season. Do you see him coming into the game more during this stretch of away games?
I thought he was exceptional against RR [Rajasthan Royals]. Chinnaswamy, for spinners, is an incredibly tough place to bowl. It took Yuzi [Chahal] a little while, and now he’s a genius at it, but it’s a tough place to bowl for any spinner. Any bowler has to learn to adapt to distinctly different conditions: altitude, small boundaries, mishits going for six, you’ve got to find a way of having some more defensive skills, and I thought he was very good.”Everyone involved in RCB has talked about how great Chinnaswamy is, and it certainly hasn’t under-delivered in terms of the intensity: the drive to the ground, seeing the whole city behind the team”•AFP/Getty ImagesWill we see Hasaranga batting up the order at some stage? That seemed to be a major reason that you brought him in, having released Chahal.
Absolutely. The beauty of Wani is that he’s versatile in how he plays. I think the Impact rule has probably meant that all sides are playing an extra batter, so that’s probably limited his opportunities so far. But that doesn’t mean that, in different parts of the tournament, we won’t be very confident to throw him in and get him to take on not only spin but pace as well once he’s set.What have you made of the Impact Player rule?
Personally, I’m not a big fan of it. I think that it takes the Indian allrounders out of the game, which a lot of our squad have spent time working on. I wouldn’t say I’m a traditionalist, but I think there needs to be a good reason for change. If you’re trying to develop allrounders, some of them don’t start as batting at No. 5 and bowling four overs – you have to transition them into that role. I think this has made that a little bit harder.Looking at the positive side of it, I think it’s made a heck of a lot of close finishes because the game’s never over. If you got three wickets in the powerplay previously, you could squeeze the middle. Now, they keep going hard at you. The game has definitely changed; it’s probably one reason why we haven’t seen too many one-sided games.Do you think there’s been a change in how top-order batters have played, with the extra batting depth?
Yeah, I mean, we’ve faced Shahrukh Khan at No. 8. They just keep coming at you. It’s more in the middle overs than the top. At the top, sides come hard anyway, but in the middle overs, between 7 and 11 used to be sort of “soft” overs. Now, sides are still coming hard at you. That’s where I think the game has changed the most.RCB have often taken early wickets – but opponents have still been able to attack, as we saw in the defeats to CSK and LSG.
You’ve got to shift your targets. Five [wickets] in 15 [overs] used to give you an open end; now, you’ve got to probably get at least one more. That means you have to continue to attack, not just defend.Those middle overs – the little soft overs – are now a heck a lot more challenging and your middle-order players now can’t just get themselves into the innings cause they’ve actually got to continue to take the game on. It’s definitely changed the game.

“I’ve got to try and be myself and I can’t be him. Every time I go out and bat, I just try to be me and get some runs”

Firdose Moonda06-Mar-2023Tagenarine Chanderpaul does not have the most conventional batting stance going around, except perhaps in his family.The son of Shivnarine, who was coached by his grandfather Khemraj, is less square on than his dad but there are still many similarities. His front foot starts off well outside leg stump, his heel points towards square leg and he shuffles across just in time to be in line to meet the ball. At that point, Tagenarine looks as regular as any other batter, which is sort of how he sees himself.”My stance is pretty conventional,” he tells ESPNcricinfo, almost chuckling. “But I guess when my trigger starts, I can get a bit square on. My dad, when he came back to Guyana, I was about 13 and we would practice together in the afternoon, so yeah, some of the stuff started to rub off.”Tagenarine was not born when Shivnarine made his Test debut, in 1994, and grew up mostly with his mother, Annalee, in Unity Village in Guyana. His first coach was his paternal grandfather, who taught him to play cricket on the same cement pitch that Shivnarine learnt on. “He was my first coach,” Tagenarine says. “Where we lived, he would throw balls at me. We also have a cricket ground not too far from us – Unity Cricket Ground – so we would go there in the afternoon and hit balls. And then he took me to join a club in town. After school, we would go and practice there. It took off from there.”That is pretty much the same journey Shivnarine took, and his presence, albeit not always physical, was keenly felt by his son. “Growing up, if we go about somewhere people would know him or speak about him or talk about a game from the previous day,” Tagenarine says. “It was a proud feeling.”

“My dad is a totally different person from me, personality wise. He’s achieved so many things. I can only do what I can do.”Tagenarine on his father Shivnarine

It was also a source of rising expectation. The talk around Tagenarine was that he would take the same path as his famous father, and when Shivnarine returned to Guyana in 2009, there was hope the pair would walk the road together. Four years later, Tagenarine made his first-class debut, with limited success. He scored 105 runs in his first three matches. In his fourth, he played in an XI alongside his father, who scored a second-innings century, to his own 42 and 29.”Unfortunately, we didn’t bat together as much as we would have liked and it’s because I got out quite a few times before he came in,” Tagenarine says. “But when we were together, he gave me some advice and ways to score and what shots I can play so it was good to have him around.”All told, the pair played 11 first-class matches together over a span of five years and in the last of them, Tagenarine scored his first red-ball century. Later that year, Shivnarine played his final first-class match and the baton appeared to have been passed. But it would take almost five more years before Tagenarine earned his first Test cap, after a century against the Australia Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. And that’s when Tagenarine had to remind himself that as much as there was a reputation to live up to, he is his own player.”My dad is a totally different person from me, personality wise. He’s achieved so many things. I can only do what I can do,” he says. “I’ve got to try and be myself and I can’t be him. Every time I go out and bat, I just try to be me and get some runs.”Tagenarine scored 51 and 45 in this first Test and 47 and 17 in unfamiliar conditions and against a strong Australian attack, under the guidance of none other than Brian Lara. “He wasn’t a team mentor then but he was doing commentary and he would come to practice sessions and offer some advice,” Tagenarine says.Tagenarine Chanderpaul got his Test cap from Brian Lara in Australia•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesThen, with Lara assigned to the team full time, his baptism of fire has continued with his season ending in South Africa. “Australia and South Africa have very good bowling attacks and the conditions are very different from back home. It was nice to get some runs in Australia on debut. Here, the South African attack is very good. They are very consistent and they don’t give you many loose balls. You’ve got to try and concentrate for long periods.”He has already demonstrated he can do that because in between those two series, West Indies were in Zimbabwe, where Tagenarine scored his first Test century, and made it a double. He spent four minutes short of 10 hours at the crease crafting that innings. “It was a very special feeling – my first century,” he says. “I didn’t really celebrate too much. I’m not really too much of a party person.”Instead, he is committed to the growth of cricket in Guyana, where significant investments are being made to develop the game. “The government is putting a lot of emphasis on sports right now. They’re building a few stadiums and getting some more indoor facilities,” he says.In January, the Guyana government announced a budget of US$4.3 billion for the development of sports which includes the development of a cricket academy.That, together with a renewed resolve from players like Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers – both of whom left the SA20 to play the Tests in Zimbabwe – to the longest format, gives Tagenarine hope that West Indies can become more competitive in Tests. In particular, he singled out his captain and opening partner Kraigg Braithwaite as someone who has put a particular importance on the red-ball game.”Kraigg has been a consistent performer over the years. He is pretty tough mentally and accustomed to pressure situations,” Tagenarine says. “And we have players who are committed. Jason and Kyle left leagues to come back and play Test matches. Everyone gets along very well and the guys gel together. Guys are very easy to approach and welcoming. Hopefully all goes well for us.”As for Tagenarine himself, the T20 game has not yet lured him and has yet to play a single one, although he’d like that to change. “It’s something I could venture into. If given the opportunity, I’ll try and get involved,” he says. “I’ve got to work on a few more scoring shots and areas I can improve to try and be well equipped for that type of cricket.”And that you may say, is what underlines his case as the most conventional cricketer, even in his own family.

Proof will be in the final result but long game earns slender lead despite England fightback

Andrew McGlashan28-Jul-20231:43

‘One-innings shootout’ to decide tight fifth Test

Not for the first time in this series, Marnus Labuschagne could barely drag himself away from the crease. Having been virtually scoreless since the start of play, he nibbled at a length ball from Mark Wood and the edge was spectacularly held by Joe Root at first slip.It was gloomy at the time and Labuschagne appeared less than impressed. He departed for 9 off 82 balls. His innings was part of a morning session in which Australia made 54 runs off 26 overs, and that was boosted by a brief flurry when Steven Smith arrived at the crease. After 47 overs, they were 96 for 2 – and with 21 of those being byes and leg byes, just 75 runs had come off the bat.Smith later said he was not aware of any specific gameplan for Australia to bat at such a tempo, but it has been the visitors’ method to try and grind down the England attack, particularly in the first two Tests where they secured the victories which have ultimately enabled them to retain the Ashes. They were also batting in conditions that have undone many previous Australia sides in England.”The clouds were in, there was a bit of swing around,” Smith said. “They might have bowled a little bit short, not given us too many scoring options, they didn’t give us many drives, so the guys were able to leave a lot of balls. Obviously, you want the scoreboard to be ticking over quicker than that. But guys are allowed to bowl well, it’s Test cricket, and you are allowed to block and leave a few, absorb some pressure.”Even if not an overall team tactic, there was logic in trying to do so here against an England attack without their spinner, as Moeen Ali remained off the field with a groin injury, and consisting of four quicks aged 33 or above. It may yet prove its worth in the second innings when Australia are chasing a target.Todd Murphy and Pat Cummins added vital lower-order runs•Getty ImagesHowever, during the afternoon it appeared that Australia could have dug themselves a hole. The danger with only absorbing pressure for long periods and barely scoring – something that stands out even more when contrasted with England’s approach – is that if wickets fall, the scoreboard hasn’t moved very far and the bowling side can get back in the game.That’s what started to transpire when Stuart Broad removed Usman Khawaja (who took his tally of balls faced in the series over 1000, comfortably the most of any batter) and Travis Head in quick succession. James Anderson then claimed his first wicket for more than 35 overs when Mitchell Marsh – after a monstrous six down the ground off Broad that went against the trend at the time – inside-edged onto leg stump.With Smith watching from the non-striker’s end, he was let down by the shot selection of Alex Carey, whose form with the bat in this series has steadily diminished, and Mitchell Starc. When the seventh wicket fell, Australia were still 98 behind and there were plenty of similarities to how the corresponding Oval Test in 2019 panned out for a weary visiting team when, on that occasion, they could not match England’s 294.That, though, was where the storylines diverged a little, although it remains difficult to call the conclusion with any certainty, as Australia secured a small lead. In a series of fine margins, it could be that the borderline run-out call which went in Smith’s favour, when third umpire Nitin Menon ruled the bail was not fully out of the groove before the bat crossed the line, has a huge bearing.Related

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Smith forged a stand of 54 with Pat Cummins, who was then able to add another 49 with Todd Murphy as he belied his position at No.10 by three times hooking Mark Wood into the stands. It was as these partnerships developed that there was a glimpse into what Australia could have achieved with their long-game approach as England’s quicks were forced into further spells with the second new ball. However, they did not have the batting left to truly make the most of it.”They stuck to the style of play that has been very successful for many years,” Broad said. “Ultimately Australia are World Test Champions, won every game in their summer, [they are] not going to change their style of play just because we are playing a different style.”That is the way the Aussies play, they try to see off the new ball, grind you down, and see off a huge number of overs. At 40 overs, it looked like that could happen, but we had to keep our patience and we felt there was enough in the pitch that you could get a quick bang-bang like happened yesterday. That is how the day did turn out.”So it’s 283 all out off 54.4 overs versus 295 off 103.1 overs. Two contrasting methods to get to a very similar position, as it was in the opening game of the series at Edgbaston. Australia are desperate to leave with their first series win in England since 2001. It’s now down to a one-innings shootout to see if they can achieve it.

One way to play both allrounders is by fielding an all-pace attack, but Australia last did that in 2010

Andrew McGlashan11-Jul-20231:54

Will Australia replace David Warner in the fourth Ashes Test?

In the gap between the Headingley and Old Trafford Tests, the minds of the Australia selectors will be occupied with the tough decision of what to do with the make-up of the side after Mitchell Marsh’s stunning return to Test cricket, and the availability of Cameron Green following his minor hamstring injury.As a result of that injury to Green, Marsh took his place for the third Test at Headingley, and plundered a run-a-ball 118 while also removing Zak Crawley twice in the match.”We’ve got a lot to consider and a lot to weigh up, and Mitch Marsh has put a question to us no doubt,” Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald said.Related

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When the Ashes squad was originally announced, national selector George Bailey had indicated it was possible that both allrounders could play together. “That’s a potential, absolutely,” he said. “If that’s on the cards, it would be exciting times if you could start to squeeze in two or three allrounders into your top six if they were batting well enough.”However, despite the all-round performance in the third Test, Marsh himself was not so sure of that happening. “I don’t think there is [a chance of both him and Green playing in the same XI],” he told cricket.com.au in the aftermath of the loss at Headingley. “Unfortunately, there’s not, [and] that’s all right.”But Pat Cummins acknowledged that Marsh was tough to leave out. “Yeah, it’s possible,” Cummins said of playing both allrounders. “But, I mean, it was a pretty impressive week, wasn’t it?”So is there a way Marsh and Green can play in the same team? Here are a few options.The big one: drop David WarnerLet’s start with what would be a huge moment were it to occur. David Warner’s twin failures at Headingley, in familiar style against Stuart Broad, could have come at a very bad time. If one of the top five was to be left out to accommodate Green – much in the way Usman Khawaja had lost his spot to make room for Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith in 2019 – then the spotlight will be on Warner.However, it’s only one game ago that he played a crucial role in Australia’s victory at Lord’s, making 66 in the first innings and combining for opening stands of 73 and 63 alongside Khawaja in some of the toughest batting conditions of the game under cloudy skies.Speaking following the second day at Headingley, McDonald lauded those performances by Warner, but while talking again after the loss, he stopped short of guaranteeing Warner his place for Old Trafford.”I think we’ve got everything to consider in terms of Mitch Marsh coming in – what the balance looks like, [and] our allrounders – and there will be an assessment of the players at the back end of this Test,” he said. “We’ve got an extra batter who’s put his hand up, and we’ll have to consider the options ahead.”There would be a cascading effect if Warner was left out, which could potentially mean destabilising the XI, as someone would need to open. Travis Head could be an option after filling the role in India, although those were vastly different conditions, and he remains key at No. 5. Labuschagne could go up one spot, but he’s not looking in the best of form at the moment. It was even put to McDonald whether Marsh could open, as he has recently done in ODIs.”He did pretty well down the middle order,” he said. “To put him up to open in English conditions would probably be something we haven’t discussed yet. But we do have some time between now and the next Test.”Is Labuschagne vulnerable?It seems an absurd question to ask, but for the first time since he returned to Test cricket during the 2019 Ashes, Labuschagne is going through, by his high standards, a lean run which has brought just two half-centuries in his last 21 innings.He has looked out of sorts on this tour, where he got a working over from India’s quicks in the World Test Championship final before nicking off to Stuart Broad’s outswinger at Edgbaston. At Headingley, his slog sweep to deep midwicket was the moment where England got themselves back into the match. Labuschagne has, however, reached double figures in seven of his eight innings on the tour.”I think the starts are the important part,” McDonald said. “If you can get a start, you can show your method can stand up to the challenges. Maybe he’s trying to expand at certain times when he doesn’t need to, and that’s a conversation he’ll be having with himself and the coaches. But I think if you’re not getting starts, it’s more of a concern.”Todd Murphy had a limited role in the third Test•AFPLeave out the spinnerHeadingley was the first time in 101 matches that Australia did not have Nathan Lyon in their side. They had managed to overcome his absence for much of Lord’s, but his replacement, Todd Murphy had a very limited role in the third Test.Murphy claimed Ben Stokes in the first innings but not before being dispatched for five sixes and, significantly, only bowled two overs during England’s chase – one before lunch and then another when only another 30 runs were needed.In theory, Green could slot in as another pace-bowling option as part of a five-man attack, which would also provide an incredibly long batting order. But it’s unlikely that Australia would go into a Test without a specialist spinner. It’s something they have not done since 2011-12 against India in Perth when they fielded a frontline attack of Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and Ben Hilfenhaus.Historically, Old Trafford has a history of assisting the spinners – Shane Warne famously loved the ground – by offering bounce as well as turn, although Lyon has only claimed three wickets in two outings there. In fact, since 2013, the ground has the second-worst average for spinners of all England’s men’s Test venues.”We like to have a balanced attack, and it gives you options,” McDonald said. “You can take pace out of the game and you become one dimensional – whether it be with the right-arm bowlers or just pace bowlers in general – without the ability to turn to a spinner. We’ll have to assess that, but as it sits at the moment, we do like to have the spinner in the team.”Does Cameron Green come straight back in?•Getty ImagesMaybe, at the end of the day, they can’tSo it could back come back to what Marsh believes. He and Green can’t play in the same team. The one other factor to consider is that before his injury, Green had not found his top form on this tour either. His batting average after three Tests – including the WTC final – is 19.16, while his bowling average is also a very high 45.60. His biggest impact arguably has been while fielding in the gully region.And Green does not have to come straight back. For all that he is tipped to be a generational star, it is rare that a young player goes through the early stages of a career with being omitted somewhere.”There’s not a straightforward answer really,” McDonald said. “Cameron Green is important to the structure of the team as well, with his all-round capabilities. He’s going to be fully fit and available for Manchester, so there’s nothing to hide there. We’ve got a decision to make. It’s going to be tough.”

There’s a reason why Icarus is remembered, not the dreary dad who warned him about flying too close to the sun

Matt Roller29-Jul-2023If one shot encapsulated the state of this Ashes series, it came in the 75th over of England’s second innings on a heady evening in south London. Mitchell Starc, the leading-wicket taker on either side, charged in with three men out on the hook; he dug the ball in short at 88mph.Moeen Ali, a 36-year-old with a groin strain who was retired from Test cricket two months ago, swivelled on a pull shot, fully extending his arms. Steven Smith ran around to his right, sprawling at full stretch as he attempted to flick the ball back into play on the bounce. He couldn’t reach it, and thudded into the LED advertising boards as he landed.Smith briefly lay prone, resting his arm on the hoardings as the crowd revelled in another England boundary, their 48th of the day. It had taken England six balls to wipe out the 12-run lead that Australia had painstakingly accumulated across 103.1 overs; now, they were 357 ahead.England cannot win this series but that might now be incidental. They have scored at 4.74 runs per over, averaged 36.58 runs per wicket, and most importantly, have been utterly compelling to watch. “Can Bazball really work against Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood?” They have unequivocally won the argument.This was England at their best, forcing the field back with early aggression before cruising along with singles to boundary-riders as though they were batting in the middle overs of an ODI. Six of their batters will end the series with at least 300 runs at an average above 35; Ben Stokes’ strike rate of 64.69 was the slowest among them.Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett led the charge, their final partnership tally of 79 in 17 overs reflecting a slow-down once Cummins finally pushed the field back. England have not always found batting in the third innings easy in the last 14 months, without the lucidity of a run-chase; as if to dispel any doubts, Crawley crashed the first ball of the day through cover for four.Joe Root nails a reverse-scoop for six over deep third•Getty ImagesBut it was Joe Root who best personified England’s dominance, settling into fifth gear after a jittery start. His best shot, a crisp whip through midwicket while wandering down the pitch against Hazlewood, was soon followed by his most outlandish: a now-characteristic reverse-scoop for six over the slips off Mitchell Marsh.It is a mark of Root’s transcendence in this series that his run aggregate – 412 at 51.50 – feels lower than it should, given the ease with which he has scored whenever he has been set. Root mastered the art of middle-overs batting during the 2015-19 World Cup cycle, and Cummins has generally posted 50-over fields as soon as Root has reached 20.Twice in his last three innings, he has been denied a century after being bowled by balls that have hardly got off the pitch after bouncing: the first from Hazlewood in Manchester, the second from Todd Murphy at The Oval on Saturday. Yet by the time he walked off with England 320 ahead, he had reasserted his status among the world’s elite batters.There has been plenty of scoffing about England’s perceived superiority complex in recent days – much of it justified. The inescapable facts are that they are 2-1 down, having let multiple chances slip in both of their defeats, and cannot now regain the urn until 2025-26.Related

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Yet it has become increasingly clear as this series has worn on that Australia are rattled by England’s approach. Since arriving in the UK they have thrashed India to become World Test Champions, and gone 2-0 up in the series; barring an improbable run-chase, they will fly home next week ruing a missed opportunity to secure their legacy.And yes, there have been times in this series when England’s batters have flown too close to the sun. If they had the chance again, they would surely have reined themselves in just a fraction during the third innings at Edgbaston, and similarly on the third morning at Lord’s, when they lost 6 for 47 while repeatedly taking on the short ball on a sluggish surface.But there’s a reason you remember the name of Icarus, and not the dreary dad who warned him about the consequences. Two years ago, England were a drab, dull side who were best to follow via wicket notifications and social media low-lights; now, a similar group of players are arrestingly watchable, and their supporters want to watch every ball.Two days of rain in Manchester denied this series the finale it deserved, and the type of showpiece event that cricket in England so desperately cherishes as it battles for mainstream attention amid constant existential crises. Even so, for all the hand-wringing about the schedule, the Ashes has been the main event of the sporting summer.Australia have played some brilliant cricket, and nobody is disputing their right to return home having retained the urn. But England have undeniably been the protagonists of this series, exuding relentless main-character energy; it was only fitting that Stuart Broad, the hero of this drama, would steal the show late on Saturday evening.

The economy rates were eye-watering but Pat Cummins and co did produce key spells to help retain the urn

Andrew McGlashan29-Jul-2023The Ashes remain in Australia’s hands, but over the five Tests their attack has come under a sustained bombardment like nothing they have felt before. They were under pressure from ball one of the series when Zak Crawley drove through the covers at Edgbaston. None of the frontline bowlers will finish with an economy rate of less than four an over, while overall it’s comfortably the least maidens Australia have managed in a series of at least five matches.To their credit, they have had only one innings where things completely blew out – when England piled up 592 at Old Trafford – and they were able to make inroads often enough in the first two Tests to take the 2-0 lead that ultimately has proved the difference in the series. At times they have responded to the pressure well, but England have also held the upper hand for significant stretches, particularly in the latter part of the series, which has left Australia chasing their tails.Related

Crawley, Root and Bairstow blaze away to give England 377-run lead

England's batters exude main-character energy to finish the Ashes on their own terms

With only one more wicket to take, should England decide to bat on at The Oval, here’s a look over how Australia’s bowlers have fared over the five Tests.Mitchell Starc (23 wickets at 26.82, economy 4.85)After the 2019 series where he played just one Test, this has been a significant success story for Starc. He was again omitted for the opening game at Edgbaston but since then has been ever present, fighting a shoulder injury to complete the series at The Oval. Four years ago he tried to buy into the team philosophy of bowling dry, but economy rates were always likely to skewed in this series and that worked to Starc’s strength of being a strike bowler. He was particularly impressive at Lord’s and Headingley, but saved one of his best deliveries for the final Test when he cleaned up Ben Stokes with a late-swinging beauty.Pat Cummins (18 wickets at 37.72, economy 4.27)At times he was the usual irrepressible Cummins, notably the second innings at Edgbaston and Lord’s (where he produced one of the balls of the series to remove Harry Brook) and, largely, the first innings at Headingley. In a sign of his durability, having played all six Tests on the trip, he saved one of his best spells for the opening day at The Oval, which only earned him one wicket. However, at Old Trafford he suffered the worst outing of his career where captaincy and bowling challenges collided and rarely has he had the sustained pressure on the batters he is so accustomed to. In the latter two Tests of the series, he has (with one wicket left) managed just three at 91.33 and gone for more than five an over. Often, because of deep-set fields, England have been able to rotate the strike against his natural good length by dropping and running into the off side. His average is comfortably the highest where he has played at least three matches in a series.Josh Hazlewood (16 wickets at 31.68, economy 4.56)Before the series, after being ruled out of the World Test Championship final against India, Hazlewood said that playing three Ashes Tests would be minimum for him to be satisfied after a stop-start two years due to injury. In the end he managed four, being rotated out for Headingley, and at times has been able to produce threatening spells. He had a big impact on the final day at Lord’s, claiming Ben Duckett and then the vital wicket of Ben Stokes to end his stunning 155. The delivery to remove Brook on the third day at The Oval was trademark Hazlewood, lifting and nipping away on off stump, but sometimes there was a feeling of a bowler who may have passed his peak. Or perhaps that was just the Bazball effect.Scott Boland (2 wickets at 115.50, economy 4.91)Boland entered the series on the back of an outstanding showing in the WTC final – at which point he had 33 wickets at 14.57 from eight Tests – but the Ashes proved a tougher prospect as England embarked what appeared a calculated approach to take him down in the opening Test where he conceded 5.65 an over. The one moment he looked really threatening was under the lights on the third evening at Edgbaston and he bowled better than a wicketless return at Headingley would suggest.Todd Murphy (6 wickets at 30.16, economy 4.82)Murphy has had huge shoes to fill after the injury to Nathan Lyon and only really in his final bowling innings of the series had a chance to get into his work. He was hit by a Stokes onslaught at Headingley (but did get him out) and was only used for two overs in England’s chase. Then, for first time in 11 years, Australia went without a specialist spinner at Old Trafford. Recalled at The Oval, he has shown his mettle and produced a ripping delivery, aided by some low bounce, to remove Joe Root.Mitchell Marsh (3 wickets at 55.66, economy 4.91)He did a handy job at Headingley on his recall where his nipping outswingers twice removed Zak Crawley. It was a surprise he did not bowl to Crawley at Old Trafford until he had 112. At The Oval he has largely managed to hold his economy as well as anyone. In the allrounder debate that looks set to follow for the Test team, the question could be how his body can sustain the workload.Cameron Green (5 wickets at 47.00, economy 5.14)Green was a willing participant in the short-ball plan at Lord’s after the attack lost Lyon and was the first bowler to, marginally at least, slow England’s rampant scoring at Old Trafford. The fact England’s innings have not extended for too long has reduced the need for the fifth bowler.Nathan Lyon (9 wickets at 29.33, economy 4.00) Lyon limping off the ground at Lord’s, in his 100th consecutive Test, felt like a huge moment. Without two days of rain in Manchester, it might have been Ashes defining. He had been superb at Edgbaston, holding his nerve against England’s aggression, and defeating Root in the second innings was a key dismissal. Australia will hope they are several years away from having to replace him permanently, but this was a window into the size of that task.

With the mega auction in 2025, when squads will be revamped, franchises might look to release some big names this year to make room for a larger purse

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Nov-2023IPL franchises have till November 26 to announce their final list of retentions ahead of the 2024 player auction, which will be held in Dubai on December 19. Two key factors that franchises will consider before finalising the list of retained and released players are: the new names available for bidding, and the mega auction ahead of the 2025 season, where squads will be revamped.Franchises are keen to bid both for successful young talents at the recent World Cup – such as Rachin Ravindra, Gerald Coetzee, Travis Head and Azmatullah Omarzai – as well as experienced hands like Mitchell Starc, Chris Woakes and Pat Cummins. Some of these names are bound to attract massive bids, a common theme at mini auctions. However, the franchises will need a strong purse at the auction, which they can bolster only by releasing players who were bought at big prices in the last two years.With the mega auction scheduled ahead of IPL 2025, franchises wouldn’t mind releasing some big names with the option to buy back cheap either this time itself or a year later when a stronger purse will be available to them.Related

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Here, we look at some significant names that the franchises will deliberate on in the lead up to retention day.Punjab Kings – Sam CurranAt the last auction, Kings outbid five rivals to sign Curran for INR 18.5 crore (US$ 2.256 million approx.), thus making the England allrounder the most expensive player in the IPL. Curran, who was named the Player of the Tournament in England’s victorious 2022 T20 World Cup campaign, was sought after for a number of reasons – his age (25), his ability to bat anywhere, his power-hitting against spin, his leadership skills, and, of course, his left-arm pace.However, his returns in IPL 2023 were weak, as he managed just ten wickets in 14 matches at an average of nearly 49, and an economy of over ten. With the bat, Curran scored 276 runs at a strike rate of 136, and an average of over 27.Along with the fresh purse of INR 5 crore, Kings will have more than INR 21 crore in case they release Curran. Also, they can release him keeping the option of buying him back before 2025 in mind.Royal Challengers Bangalore – Harshal Patel and Wanindu HasarangaHarshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga were both bought for a handsome INR 10.75 crore in the 2022 and the 2023 auctions, respectively. Both were playing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Royal Challengers’ home base, for the first time. But both struggled at the ground with small boundaries.Hasaranga, who missed the ODI World Cup to deal with a hamstring injury, played in just eight of the 14 matches last season, picking nine wickets at an economy of nearly nine. In the home matches, Hasaranga had just four wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 8.76.Harshal, who was a part of the 2022 T20 World Cup squad but did not feature in a single game, just missed one match last season. He picked up 14 wickets at an economy of 9.65. While Harshal had succeeded with his variations at the death in his first two seasons – played in the UAE and in Mumbai – he became predictable in Bengaluru. He played all the seven home matches, but managed just nine wickets at 9.65.As a result, Andy Flower, Royal Challengers’ newly-appointed coach, might consider releasing both players and buying them back at lower prices.Mumbai Indians – Jofra ArcherThe stress fracture in the elbow, which has kept Archer out for the majority of the past two years, resurfaced midway into the ODI World Cup, where he was travelling as a reserve for England. Archer was sent back home, ruled out of the white-ball series in December in the West Indies, and there is no definitive timeline on his return.Mumbai surprised everybody at the 2022 mega auction by picking Archer, who was not ready to bowl. After being entirely absent in the first season, Archer played just four matches in 2023 season before heading home after a recurrence of the elbow injury. Do Mumbai continue to show patience, and hope Archer turns up during the 2024 IPL, or do they find a replacement and retain him ahead of the 2025 mega auction?Delhi Capitals – Anrich NortjeAnother player who has been hindered by injuries for a significant period of time is Nortje, who was retained by Capitals in 2022 for INR 6.5 crore. Able to bowl an entire over at 150kph, Nortje had recovered from a groin injury earlier in the year to play ten matches for Capitals in the 2023 season before heading home for personal reasons.While he played the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the USA, he aborted the ODI series at home against Australia in September following suspected stress fracture in the back, and was eventually also ruled out of the ODI World Cup. While ESPNcricinfo has learned that Nortje is doubtful for the SA20 (starting January 10), there is no update yet from CSA on when the fast bowler will be back.Chennai Super Kings – Ben StokesBy deciding to opt out of the 2024 season, Stokes has presented Super Kings with a simple decision to make. They bought Stokes in the 2023 auction for INR 16.25 crore, making him their most expensive auction buy ever. The risk of not releasing Stokes in an attempt to retain him ahead of the 2025 mega auction is huge. If they do not release Stokes, Super Kings will have a lighter purse at the upcoming auction.Kolkata Knight Riders – Lockie FergusonFerguson returned to Knight Riders last season after they traded him in from Gujarat Titans. Knight Riders paid INR 10.75 crore to Titans, who had shelled out a similar amount to get Ferguson in the 2022 auction. However, Ferguson, who can spear 150-plus deliveries at ease in all three phases of an innings, could only play three matches last season, where he was hampered by a hamstring injury. Recently, Ferguson bravely played the ODI World Cup while dealing with Achilles’ injury throughout, which will also keep him out of the Plunket Shield.Knight Riders could fancy releasing Ferguson to strengthen their purse, which would allow them to look at other options in 2024.

And who has taken the most wickets caught and bowled in Tests, and ODIs?

Steven Lynch05-Dec-2023Glenn Phillips took four wickets in his second Test, having not bowled in his first. Is this anywhere near the record? asked Kenneth Powell from New Zealand

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips took 4 for 53 (and 1 for 47) in his second Test, against Bangladesh in Mirpur last week. Phillips hadn’t bowled on his debut, which came nearly four years ago against Australia in Sydney in January 2020.The best innings return by a player in his second Test, having not bowled in his first, is 6 for 65 by Simon Katich, for Australia against Zimbabwe in Sydney in 2003-04. No one else has taken a five-for, but two others apart from Phillips managed four. Nazir Ali took 4 for 83 for India against England in Madras in 1933-34; this was the only time he bowled in a Test. And Amir Elahi collected 4 for 134 for Pakistan against India in Delhi in 1952-53. He hadn’t bowled in his only previous Test, which was for India, in a rain-affected draw against Australia in Sydney in 1947-48. The Australian offspinner Ian Johnson took 6 for 42 in the first innings of his third Test, against England in Sydney in 1946-47, having not bowled in either of his first two.The best figures at any stage of a Test career by someone who didn’t bowl on their debut are 8 for 11, by England’s Johnny Briggs, against South Africa in Cape Town in 1889 (his 16th match). The Australian Frank Laver took 8 for 31 in the 14th of his 15 Tests, against England at Old Trafford in 1909.I read that Virat Kohli once scored 1000 runs in the course of 20 innings in T20Is. Has anyone bettered this sequence? asked Amrit Naik from India

Virat Kohli’s golden run in T20Is came between March 2014 and March 2016, when he scored 1018 runs in 20 innings, with 12 scores of 50 or more, and averaged 92. Suryakumar Yadav is next for India, after scoring 919 runs in 20 innings in T20Is between October 2022 and November 2023. Depending what he does in his next few matches, Suryakumar could improve this number.I rather expected Kohli to be top of this list – but actually there is someone above him. Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan collected 1061 runs – with ten scores of 50 or more, at an average of 88.50 – in a sequence of 20 innings between December 2020 and November 2021. And there’s a surprise in third place: UAE’s Muhammad Waseem collected 920 runs in 20 T20I innings (half of them against non-Test nations) between February 2022 and September 2023.Kane Williamson has scored centuries in each of his last four Tests – how many people have managed this? asked Michael Kirkpatrick from New Zealand

Kane Williamson’s 104 against Bangladesh in Sylhet made him the first New Zealander to score centuries in four successive Tests: he previously shared the national record of three with Mark Burgess (between 1969-70 and 1971-72) and Ross Taylor (2013-14).Williamson has a chance, in the second Test that starts later this week, of joining the three men from all countries who have reached three figures in five successive Tests – Jacques Kallis (2003-04), Gautam Gambhir (2008-09 to 2009-10) and Mohammad Yousuf, who actually crammed in six hundreds in a five-match run during 2006.But there is one man who once scored hundreds in six successive Tests. You won’t be too surprised to hear that it was Don Bradman, who did it over two Ashes series in 1936-37 and 1938. His sequence was ended by a match (at The Oval in 1938) in which he was unable to bat through injury; hundreds in the first two games of his next series, after the war in 1946-47, mean that Bradman scored centuries in eight successive Tests in which he actually batted. For the full list, click here.Muthiah Muralidaran has had 35 caught-and-bowled dismissals each in Tests and ODIs•AFPWho has taken the most wickets caught and bowled in Tests and in ODIs? asked Tim Morgan from England

Two bowlers collected 35 caught-and-bowleds in their Test careers: Anil Kumble and Muthiah Muralidaran. They are a long way clear at the top: Daniel Vettori and Shane Warne held on to 21 return catches, and Derek Underwood 20. Australia’s Nathan Lyon has 18 so far.Aggregate lists like this naturally favour players with long careers. If we look at percentages, then top among those with 50 or more Test wickets is the 19th-century Nottinghamshire and England seamer Billy Barnes, with eight out of 51, or 15.69% caught and bowled. The New Zealand slow left-armer Hedley Howarth’s 86 Test wickets included 12 c&bs, or 13.95%. The highest percentage among those with 100 or more wickets is 10.64, by the Australian Hugh Trumble (15 of 141).Murali leads the way in ODIs too with 35, ahead of the deceptive New Zealander medium-pacer Chris Harris (29) and the Pakistan pair of Shahid Afridi (24) and Saqlain Mushtaq (20). . Percentage-wise, 15 of Allan Border’s 73 ODI victims (20.55%) were caught and bowled, while the West Indian Roger Harper had exactly 100 wickets, 16 of them through return catches.In 1972, who played first-class cricket on the same ground where he played home games in the Football League? asked Hedley Dye from England

There were a few people from that time that could be the answer here: for a start, Chris Balderstone, who the following year played two Tests for England, played a County Championship match (for Leicestershire) and a Football League game (for Doncaster Rovers) on the same day in September 1975. Two other England cricketers of this approximate era also played League football – David Bairstow for Bradford City, and Ian Botham for Scunthorpe United, where a team-mate was the long-serving Worcestershire cricket captain Phil Neale.But it’s another Worcestershire player who’s the answer to this specific question. Ted Hemsley scored nearly 10,000 runs over a 20-year county career, and also played more than 500 Football League games for Shrewsbury Town (1961-68), Sheffield United (1968-77) and Doncaster Rovers (1977-79). And in 1972, Worcestershire’s Championship match against Yorkshire was played at Bramall Lane, Sheffield United’s home ground. Hemsley played four first-class games in all at Bramall Lane, but familiarity with the place didn’t help much: his highest score there was 38 in 1969. The ground had hosted an Ashes Test in 1902, but Yorkshire stopped playing there in 1973, when the ground was redeveloped to concentrate on football, with a new South Stand being built across the old cricket square.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

After England’s defeat in Ranchi sealed a series win for India, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah to assess what it all means for Bazball

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2024A memorable turnaround in Ranchi brought India victory and an unassailable lead in the series, leaving England to rue another one that got away. In this week’s episode of Switch, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller and Vithushan Ehantharajah to reflect on where it went wrong for Ben Stokes’ tourists. Was it a failure of Bazball, or a failure Bazball? Do England need to refine the method that has brought them so much success? And what selection questions will they be pondering in the week leading up to the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala?