MI will need their overseas fast bowlers to step up, and soon

Hemant Brar29-Apr-2024

Match detailsLucknow Super Giants (fifth) vs Mumbai Indians (ninth)
Lucknow, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)Big picture – MI let down by overseas seamersAfter two defeats in their last two games, MI’s playoff chances have nosedived, and if they lose on Tuesday, they will be in the same boat as Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Before the season started, MI looked one of the stronger sides despite being thin in the spin department. Somehow, that has not translated into performances, and a big reason behind that is their overseas fast bowlers’ struggles.Jason Behrendorff and Dilshan Madushanka were ruled out with injuries even before the tournament started. Their replacements – Luke Wood and Kwena Maphaka – failed to meet the expectations. Nuwan Thushara has gone for 12 an over in the two games he has played, without any wicket to show for it. Gerald Coetzee, who has 12 wickets in eight games, has also run hot and cold, and has an economy of 10.10. All that has left Jasprit Bumrah with too much to do.Related

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While LSG are also coming off a defeat, they are in a much better position on the points table. A win against MI could even propel them to second position. Apart from the advantage of playing at home, they will be boosted by the return of Mayank Yadav, who has passed all his fitness tests.Form guideLucknow Super Giants LWWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Mumbai Indians LLWLWTeam news and impact player strategyLucknow Super Giants
Matt Henry may have to make way for Mayank. That will also allow LSG to bring in Ashton Turner for an out-of-form Devdutt Padikkal.Depending on whether LSG are batting first or bowling, one of Ayush Badoni and Yash Thakur could be the Impact Player.Mayank Yadav’s availability will offer LSG flexibility in their overseas combination•BCCI

Probable XII 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ashton Turner, 7 , 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Mayank Yadav, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mohsin Khan, 12 Mumbai Indians
MI can consider bringing in Kumar Kartikeya for Luke Wood, especially if the pitch is on the slower side. Suryakumar Yadav (if bowling first) and Nuwan Thushara (if batting first) could be their Impact Player options.Probable XII 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 , 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Tim David, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Kumar Kartikeya/Luke Wood, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12 In the spotlight – Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar YadavQuinton de Kock started IPL 2024 with a bang, scoring two fifties in the first three games. But since then he has struggled for consistency and has crossed 20 only once in six innings. Given LSG have not been able to score freely in the powerplay – their run rate of 8.38 is the second-worst in that phase this season – they need de Kock to be at his best soon.Suryakumar Yadav was expected to revive MI’s fortunes after his return from the injury. While his 166 in six innings so far, at a strike rate of 171.13, are not bad returns, both the runs per innings and strike rate are down by around 10 compared to last season. He has had two 50-plus scores but has made only 36 runs in the other four innings, including two ducks. As MI fight for survival, Suryakumar will have a key role to play.Stats that matter Rohit Sharma has fallen to Amit Mishra eight times in T20s while scoring only 87 runs in 92 balls. Only Sunil Narine has dismissed Rohit more number of times (nine). Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed Marcus Stoinis four times in 44 balls while giving away just 42 runs. Mohammad Nabi has managed to keep Nicholas Pooran quiet: 45 runs in 43 balls, one dismissal. Nabi has been equally frugal against de Kock – 32 runs in 28 balls – even though he has never dismissed him.Ravi Bishhnoi has troubled Ishan Kishan (21 runs off as many balls, three dismissals) and Tim David (17 off 23, two dismissals). But Hardik Pandya has taken him for 55 runs in 25 balls and Tilak Varma 38 in 20. Neither has got out to him even once.Hardik has managed only 14 runs in 23 balls (one dismissal) against his brother Krunal.Pitch and conditionsIn five games so far in Lucknow, no team has been able to breach 200. Given LSG have a better spin attack than Mumbai, it will not be a surprise if the pitch for Tuesday’s game is on the slower side. Quotes “If you look at Quinny’s [de Kock’s] season, he has played nine innings and has scored three fifties, which is not a bad thing. But also, he got out sort of in the first or second overs at times. We will know his X factor. He is a guy who on his day can take their game away from you. Do you want to make too many changes? I think with the experience he brings at the top, you don’t want to change that. Just with his history, you need to back him in that position.”
“This is a slightly bigger ground as compared to others, so that will be a relief for the spinners. We want to keep things as simple as possible – restrict runs and try to take wickets.”

“I only think about improving my game and enjoying it. If I don’t do that, there is no purpose left,” he says

Syed Hussain06-Feb-2024Andhra have won three of their five Ranji Trophy games outright so far, and are second in the Elite Group B at this stage, behind Mumbai. Hanuma Vihari has contributed well in that run, scoring 365 runs in seven innings, behind only new captain Ricky Bhui’s 550 for the team. That’s helped his first-class average stay above 50 (52.68), but the chances of adding to his 16 Test appearances don’t look too bright.”I do feel sad and disappointed that I am not in the Test team, but everyone goes through ups and downs, and my job now is to score runs in the Ranji Trophy,” Vihari told ESPNcricinfo after Andhra beat Bihar in Patna for their third win on the trot. “The season has gone all right, both for the team and for me. So the ambition is to score a lot of runs and try to return to the Test team.”Vihari might not be on the selectors’ radar, though. He says that since his last Test appearance, back at Edgbaston in July 2022 where he batted at No. 3 and scored 20 and 11 in a seven-wicket defeat, he hasn’t had many conversations with the people who matter in the Indian team – the management or the selectors. Except one conversation with head coach Rahul Dravid.”No-one has spoken to me recently, but Rahul Dravid did speak to me after my last Test, and he told me what I can improve on, but no, I haven’t been in touch with anyone since then,” Vihari said. “But I only think about improving my game and enjoying it. If I don’t do that, there is no purpose left. When I go into the middle, I just want to do my best for the team and score runs.”I am at a stage [in my career] where I have no expectations. I give my best each time I bat and then whatever happens will happen.”A year-and-a-half before that Edgbaston Test, in January 2021, Vihari had scored perhaps the most celebrated 23 not-outs in Indian Test history, and played his part in securing one of the most famous draws in the game. With India set 407 for a win by Australia in Sydney, India were 272 for 5 in 88.2 overs before Vihari and R Ashwin collaborated for 62 runs in 42.4 overs. Vihari had scored his 23 in 161 balls in just under four hours, while Ashwin scored 39 not out in 128 balls, in just over two hours. The draw meant the teams went to the final Test, in Brisbane, on level terms, before India pulled off a magical win to take the series. Neither Vihari nor Ashwin played that last Test, because at the SCG, both of them were carrying injuries, making their fight against Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon all the more remarkable.”I have very wonderful memories of the Sydney Test. It was one-all. If we had lost that Test in Sydney, we would have lost our chance of winning the series,” Vihari recalled. “So Ashwin and I – we were both carrying injuries, so we couldn’t run much – decided to take it ball-by-ball, over-by-over, and see where we end up. We ended up playing one-and-a-half sessions and it was a memorable result. Then we went to Gabba and won the series, but the Sydney Test will always be a special one for me.”He is far away from international cricket now, and at 30, the road back can’t be easy. But one of his old mates, who has never played international cricket, has had a drastically different career graph from Vihari and suddenly has a shot at international cricket now.Unmukt Chand, India’s captain when they won the Under-19 World Cup in 2012, never made the cut at the highest level. Vihari, Chand’s team-mate, did. But Chand, after a struggle at home, moved to the USA and could well play the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will be held in the USA and the Caribbean. He might play against India, too.”We don’t talk much, because after the Under-19 World Cup, we moved quickly to the senior level, and his career graph was different from mine, and he is now in the USA,” Vihari said. “He chose a different route and is doing well, and I am happy for him. I am sure he will be doubly motivated when he plays against India, because after a brilliant Under-19 World Cup, he couldn’t make it at the senior level in India. So definitely he will be motivated. Yeah, we don’t talk, but I wish him all the best.”

To remove the subjective element involved in adjudicating above-waist no-balls, the IPL, in coordination with Hawk-Eye, has introduced technology to measure the height of the ball as it passes the batter at the popping crease. That is then matched against the toe-to-waist height of the batter when in an upright position – recorded in advance. If the height of the ball is higher than where the batter’s waist is recorded to be, then it is declared a no-ball. Otherwise it’s a fair delivery.On Wednesday, Mumbai Indians fast bowler Gerald Coetzee became the first to fall foul of this new system when his first delivery of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad – the sixth of the innings – to Abhishek Sharma was deemed a no-ball.While the on-field umpire immediately signalled it, the Mumbai Indians players, including captain Hardik Pandya and his predecessor Rohit Sharma, asked why it was not called a wide when the ball was nearly outside the mark.Related

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Coetzee had delivered a high full-toss that was also way outside off stump. It was measured at 1.44 metres, 0.42 centimetres above Abhishek’s waist height of 1.02 metres. Both readings were showed on the left panel of the TV screen after Hardik reviewed the no-ball call. The no-ball call was upheld.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Hawk-Eye has measured the waist height for every player this IPL, a piece of information that is available in their database. The third umpire has no role to play during the review, with measurements being worked out by an automated system installed by Hawk-Eye. It has also been learned that Hawk-Eye had been conducting trials for the past two years, and gave a presentation to the IPL with their improved graphics after the 2023 season.The new system is expected to put an end to controversial decisions involved in adjudicating waist-high no-balls, like in previous IPL editions.One such decision was taken by the third umpire in the 2023 IPL, which took place in Hyderabad, incidentally, in SRH’s match against Lucknow Super Giants.In the penultimate over of the SRH innings, Avesh Khan, who was then with LSG, delivered what looked to the naked eye like an above-waist full toss to Abdul Samad.The on-field decision was a no-ball. However, the third umpire deliberated for long as he studied the ball-tracking technology, and overturned the on-field call. The third umpire took into consideration the fact that Samad was crouching a bit when the ball passed him at the popping crease, and that at full height, the ball would have been below his waist.

Both teams are now at eight points, level with KKR and SRH and only behind Rajasthan Royals

Vishal Dikshit19-Apr-20241:23

Moody: KL Rahul is turning good balls into scoring opportunities

The Ekana Stadium crowd in Lucknow was served the perfect buffet on Friday night: spectacular MS Dhoni fireworks that powered Chennai Super Kings to a competitive 176 for 6 and then the home team Lucknow Super Giants chasing it down with a classy 82 off 53 from captain KL Rahul.LSG’s chase was set up by a dominant century opening stand – the first for them this season – between Rahul and Quinton de Kock, which didn’t allow any CSK bowler to settle in. They collected boundaries regularly to score 54 in the powerplay, they didn’t let CSK fight back in the middle overs (which they have done often this IPL), they didn’t let the asking rate touch ten, and by the time de Kock fell for 54 in the 15th over, they needed a comfortable 43 from 30 balls.Rahul and Gaikwad fined for slow over rate

LSG captain KL Rahul and CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad were fined INR 12 lac each for maintaining a slow over rate during the match. It was the first offence of IPL 2024 for each team.

Rahul also fell before the close, to a stunning catch by Ravindra Jadeja at backward point, but that didn’t stop LSG from romping home with eight wickets in hand and an over to spare.Rahul and de Kock set things upThe LSG batters have copped criticism this season for either not scoring quickly at the start, or for throwing their wickets away, or for leaving too much to do for Nicholas Pooran. On Friday, Rahul and de Kock didn’t do any of those things, putting up a century stand in just 10.5 overs to set up the chase.Quinton de Kock scored 54 off 43 balls in a 134-run stand with KL Rahul•AFP/Getty ImagesRahul led the partnership with strokes dripping with class. He middled his pulls against the short balls, drove confidently down the ground, played the pick-up shots like he usually does, and even used the pace of Matheesha Pathirana to upper cut him for six.Rahul often plays such strokes in T20s but it was the frequency with which he was hitting them on the night that was different. After collecting 12 off Deepak Chahar’s second over – the third of the innings – that included a six over midwicket, he drilled Mustafizur Rahman back in the next over. And when de Kock and Rahul combined for 6, 4 and 6 across the fifth and sixth overs to take them to 54 in the powerplay, it was fairly evident that LSG were in pole position to get home comfortably.LSG were helped further when de Kock miscued Jadeja in the ninth over but Pathirana shelled the chance at short third. De Kock made CSK pay in Jadeja’s next over with a boundary on the leg side before Rahul inflicted more pain with back-to-back fours, which took him past fifty.With 74 to get from 54, the two slowed down briefly before de Kock also got to his fifty. He fell for 54, caught by Dhoni trying to ramp a Mustafizur Rahman slower ball.But Pooran came out with the aim of hitting boundaries and finished the game off with his third four that sealed the chase with six balls to spare.Jadeja walks out at No. 4CSK are known to pull rabbits out of the hat from time to time, and the latest was to send out Jadeja at No. 4.Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja put on a vital 51 off 33 for CSK•BCCISoon after they were put in, they had lost Rachin Ravindra for a golden duck and, three overs later, Ruturaj Gaikwad edged a Yash Thakur outswinger behind.Losing two wickets in the powerplay, perhaps, made CSK save Shivam Dube for later and send out Jadeja, and he played a key hand in CSK getting to a competitive score.Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, made CSK tick along nicely with a regular flow of boundaries, his crisp timing in full display. The pick of those was a six over midwicket off Matt Henry and an exquisite drive off Thakur for four.CSK slip in the middle oversRahul brought on spin from both ends as soon as the field spread out and it worked when Krunal Pandya hit Rahane’s leg stump to send him back for 36 off 24.Dube walked out at No. 5, but it was Jadeja who collected boundaries in consecutive overs by hitting with the spin of Krunal and Ravi Bishnoi.Jadeja, however, did not get the company of CSK’s big hitters for long. Dube first miscued a Marcus Stoinis short ball, bowled at 125.4kph, to be taken by Rahul, and Sameer Rizvi, soon after, danced down the pitch to Krunal but couldn’t get close to the ball and was stumped. CSK were suddenly 93 for 5 after 13 overs.The LSG bowlers stifled Moeen Ali and Jadeja – they went 34 balls without a boundary. Jadeja broke the drought in the 16th over, and reached his fifty in the 17th with a six off Mohsin Khan that Deepak Hooda should have taken but only managed to tip over.MS Dhoni slammed 28 off nine at the death•BCCIThe Moeen and Dhoni showMoeen set things up for Dhoni with three sixes in a row off Bishnoi in the 18th over, and Dhoni came out to a rapturous reception when Moeen holed out attempting a fourth six off the same bowler.After a single off his first ball, Dhoni was facing two inexperienced bowlers in Mohsin and Thakur. He first bashed Mohsin to the extra-cover boundary for a one-bounce four, and followed it with the most un-Dhoniesque six you’ll see: walking across because Mohsin had been bowling them wide outside off and lapping him over the keeper’s head. It was a 14-run over that included three wides.The fans – almost entirely yellow – were having the time of their lives. And when Dhoni got the strike in the last over, he clobbered a six over cow corner. Thakur attempted wide yorkers that resulted in two more fours off the last three balls and Dhoni finished on 28 off just nine balls that helped CSK smash 63 in last four overs. It was fun but not nearly enough.

The column where we answer your questions

15-Aug-2005The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket:

Was England’s two-run victory last week the closest in Test history? asked Sam Moore from Barking
The thriller at Edgbaston last week wasn’t quite the closest Test of them all, although it was the closest by a runs margin in Ashes Tests, edging out the three-run nailbiters at
Old Trafford in 1902 and at Melbourne in 1982-83. But at
Adelaide in 1992-93 West Indies beat Australia by one solitary run.
Shane Warne played in that match too, as did Justin Langer who was
making his debut. For a full list of the close-run finishes, click
here. There were even closer results in cricket’s two tied Tests –
when the team batting last was all out with the scores level – Australia
v West Indies a
t Brisbane in 1960-61, and India v Australia at Chennai in 1986-87. There have also been ten instances of Tests
being won by one wicket – click here
for a list of those.In the first three Ashes Tests all four openers were left-handed batsmen. How often has this happened, and who were the players?asked Chris Moore from Australia
You’re right in thinking this is a rare occurrence – it had happened only 11 times in all Tests before this series, all of them since 2002. The first time was at Sharjah in 2002-03, when Matthew Hayden and
Justin Langer opened the batting for Australia, and Taufeeq Umar and
Imran Farhat did the honours for Pakistan. After that it happened in all
four Tests of the West Indies-Australia series of 2002-03 (Langer and
Hayden again, and Devon Smith with Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle for the
Windies), in two of the matches of the 2004 England-New Zealand series
(Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss, and Mark Richardson and Stephen
Fleming) and two of the West Indian Tests that followed (Trescothick and
Strauss, and Gayle and Devon Smith), and two of the Australia-Pakistan
Tests Down Under (Hayden and Langer, and Salman Butt and Imran Farhat)
last winter. There have been five other Tests – the first one being
between India and England at
Bombay in 1961-62 – when there have been four left-handed openers
used during a match but where a fifth (right-handed) opener was used in
at least one of the four innings.When was the last time nobody scored a century in the first two Tests
of an Ashes series? asked Hillel Jacobsen of Johannesburg
You have to go back to the famous series of 1981 – the one later
enlivened by Ian Botham – for this. The highest individual score in the
first Test at
Trent Bridge, which Australia won by four wickets, was Allan
Border’s 63, while David Gower’s 89 was the highest score of the drawn
second Test at
Lord’s. John Dyson – and, famously, Botham himself – put things to
rights with hundreds in the third Test at
Headingley.One of my friends popped an interesting question to me the other day,
and I wasn’t able to give him a definite answer. What’s the highest
individual score in the fourth innings of a Test match? asked
Dave Deonarine from Guyana
There have been five double-centuries scored in the fourth innings of a
Test, and the highest of them was 223, by George Headley for West Indies
against England a
t Kingston in 1929-30. Next comes Nathan Astle’s rapid 222 for New
Zealand against England at Christchurch in 2001-02, Sunil Gavaskar’s 221
for India v England at The Oval in 1979, Bill Edrich’s 219 for England against South
Africa in the “Timeless Test ” at Durban in 1938-39, and Gordon Greenidge’s unbeaten matchwinning
214 for West Indies against England a
t Lord’s in 1984.Zimbabwe were bowled out twice in a day last week – had that happened
before in Test cricket? asked Richard Peterson of Edgware
Zimbabwe were shot out for 54 and 99 by New Zealand at Harare last week. It had very nearly happened to Zimbabwe
before – at Lord’s in 2003 they lost 19 wickets on the third
day, and again lost by an innings. But the only previous instance of a
side being bowled out twice in a day in a Test came in 1952, when India
were bowled out for 58 and 82 on the third day at
Old Trafford. The most wickets to fall on any day in a Test is 27,
which happened at
Lord’s in 1888. England, 18 for 3 overnight, were shot out for 53,
and later made only 62 after Australia (who had made 118 on the first
day) were bowled out for 60 on a pitch that was almost like mud after a
lot of rain.Who has played the most first-class matches without ever playing a
Test? asked Krish Chandra from the USA
This list is dominated by English county players, some of who racked up
enormous amounts of matches without ever playing a Test. Top of the
list, with 668 matches, is the Glamorgan bowler Don Shepherd. Shepherd took
2218 wickets, more than anyone else who didn’t win a Test cap. Six other
men have played more than 600 first-class matches, but no Tests: Alan Jones, also of Glamorgan
(645), Sussex’s George Cox (634), Emrys Davies of Glamorgan
(621), Hampshire’s Peter
Sainsbury (618), Ken
Suttle of Sussex (612), and Leicestershire’s Les Berry (609). Actually Jones
did play once for England – but it was an unofficial Test, against the
Rest of the World a
t Lord’s in 1970.

Martin Williamson reviews Fred Titmus’s autobiography

Martin Williamson27-Jul-2005

The two World Wars took their toll on cricketers. In both conflicts, a number of famous names fell, including two of the most recognisable players of their respective generations, who both happened to be slow left-armers. In 1943, Hedley Verity, still remembered for his role in bowling out Australia at Lord’s in 1934, died in Sicily. Twenty-five years earlier, Colin Blythe was killed at Passchendaele. Both men were 38. These days, Blythe is largely forgotten outside Kent, but this is a remarkable story of an outstandingly talented bowler.Legend has it that he hardly touched a ball before he was spotted by Kent aged 18 and recruited into their fledgling academy at Tonbridge. Two years later, he took a wicket with his first ball in first-class cricket, and became a key part of a side which dominated county cricket in the Edwardian era, if not in terms of titles, certainly in the public’s imagination.But Blythe, a talented violinist and a popular figure with colleagues and spectators, was a troubled man, unable to cope with the adulation success brought. How he would have dealt with the all-pervasive modern media is not even worth thinking about. He was generally assumed to have epilepsy, but acute stress appears more likely, and as his breakdowns coincided with England appearances, he played far less than his talent deserved.Blythe was no shrinking violet. He was prepared to take on the autocratic Kent committee over financial matters, and at the outbreak of the Great War he was one of the first to enlist, despite his mental problems. He survived more than three years before being killed, aged 38, by a blast which also left Claud Woolley, his county colleague and Frank’s older brother, seriously injured.Christopher Scoble’s biography is something of a mixed bag. He was faced with a daunting challenge, as Blythe left few traces (even his memorabilia was lost in a burglary) and in the circumstances he has done a good job in knitting together the pieces and presenting a colourful image of the man himself. The paucity of information means that some parts of the text are, inevitably, little more than blow-by-blow accounts of matches.But while his descriptiveness is a plus, the author has a tendency to go off on personal tangents, a few of which do add to the story, some of which just serve as an irritating distraction. Most people who buy a biography want to read about the subject, however heartless that might appear about what was clearly a cathartic exercise for the author.Perhaps those were a degree of padding, as even with these diversions, the book barely passes 200 pages. If so, then the lack of any detailed statistics on Blythe’s remarkable career is even more unforgivable.In his time, Blythe was one of the most famous players in the land, as evidenced by his huge benefit. Perhaps his most lasting legacy is in Albert Chevallier Tayler’s famous painting, commissioned to celebrate Kent’s first Championship title in 1906. Lord Harris, the county’s eminence grise, gave only two instructions to the artist. One was that the setting had to be Canterbury; the other, that the bowler had to be Blythe.

With a swivel of the wrists, Gundappa Viswanath reduced giants to clods

Soumya Bhattacharya29-Sep-2006

Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath glided into my life (or half-cut-half-drove his way into it) in the winter of 1974. Down 0-2 in the series, India were playing West Indies at Calcutta. Viswanath made 52 in the first innings. And then his 139 in the second helped set up a memorable – and in those days rare – Test victory. I followed that Test at my grandparents’ house in Calcutta. My grandmother told me all about it.It was one of those cavernous, many-winged old Calcutta mansions, filled with unexpected alleyways, stone-paved courtyards, and cool, marbled corridors. It was also one of those households in which nearly every adult was a member of the Cricket Association of Bengal and had a ticket to the annual Test match. Every winter, come a game at the Eden Gardens, everyone would troop off to the stadium for a five-day-long picnic.Only the very young and the infirm were left behind. I was five then. My grandmother was dying of cancer. So there we were, my Dida and I. My grandmother listened to the radio and read the papers and constructed for me a narrative of the match. I heard from her of this valiant, triumphant little man who was fearlessly taking on gigantic, fierce bowlers, and defeating them. This image – that of a small man rising to the occasion, taking on giants, giving joy – stayed with me.I wasn’t aware of how much it had stayed with me until only recently. This summer, while in London for the publication of my book, I was being interviewed on BBC radio. “Viswanath was your favourite Indian cricketer,” the interviewer said. “Did you identify with him because he was, like you, a very short man?” Well, I hadn’t ever quite thought of it that way. But later, after the interview, I did. And perhaps there was more than a little in it.For a stick-thin, very short boy who was shunted from one school to another in the early part of his childhood, there probably was something magical in a five-foot-two batsman standing up to bowlers who were often more than a foot higher than him; in his leaping in the air to play them square off the wicket; in the polite, charming disdain with which he faced up to them and caressed them to all parts of the ground.But that wasn’t all, of course.Viswanath’s allure took hold as I grew older. It was the manner in which he played his cricket that really enchanted me. Of course there were many match-winning innings: the 97 not out against West Indies at Chennai in 1975; the 112 against West Indies in a historic run-chase at Port-of-Spain in 1976; the 114 against Australia in Melbourne in 1981. On his day Vishy could easily murder any bowling attack in the world. But what I loved most was that he never left a drop of blood on the carpet.Vishy’s wrists seemed to be made of something more elastic than mere flesh and bone. His flicks on the leg side, his cuts and drives – and his trademark half-cut-half-drive – on the off, his late cut (so late, so fine) behind the wicket, were all played with an impish puckishness. There was audacity in them, and there was poise; but most of all, perhaps, there was a sense of enjoyment. You could imagine that he was humming as he worked.Vishy could be a magical marauder. But he could just as well be infuriating, with a suicidal waft outside the off stump. It was the waft that was too often the problem, the reason why, even with his talent, he never ended up with no more than 14 Test hundreds and an average no healthier than 41.93 – more than decent in the 1970s, but not quite as staggering as it could have been.But then Viswanath was never particularly driven or ambitious. He was humble, polite, he eschewed controversy, and he seemed happy to remain in the shadow of his friend and much more famous brother-in-law Sunil Gavaskar. My mates and cousins in those days were nearly all Gavaskar fans. Gavaskar made more hundreds, he broke more records: he was the obvious choice. Viswanath was fallible: just as capable of being divine as of being fickle. He was my mascot of the counterculture.There was one incident that typified Vishy. During the 1980 Test against England in Bombay, he recalled Bob Taylor, whom the umpire had given out caught behind. Taylor and Ian Botham added 171 runs. India lost the game.I can’t imagine him in today’s professional sporting world. Viswanath communicated such a sense of sheer joy in his play, such elegance and good nature, that it is impossible to imagine him fettered by the mundane, commercial world of endorsements and image-building.I loved him most because he conformed to my notion of the game. He epitomised the schoolboy’s idea of what cricket ought to be like. Cricket isn’t all about heroism, sacrifice, artistry and joy. It wasn’t, even during Viswanath’s career. But how could I not adore someone who made it look as though it was?

A review of Lord’s in the 21st Century

Edward Craig04-Sep-2006

MCC is an important and worthy organisation, no doubt, and many people may be unaware of this, picturing it as a stuffy old boys’ club. That the club feels it is misunderstood is as much to do with its history as its future. So why produce a lengthy corporate video that bangs on about the (extraordinary and eccentric) past while trying to claim it is a club for the future? And why, please why, make it 97 minutes long?The first flaw of the DVD is to base all its various chapters around last year’s Ashes Test which, apart from that first morning, does not make for happy watching to an England fan and, for the objective viewer, is not nearly as gripping as what followed.From this base it launches into a preachy explanation of what exactly MCC does and why it is great. And there are many interesting elements. The history of the club is rich and mysterious, Lord’s itself is a constant source of wonder whether architecturally or from a cricket perspective and interviews with the groundsman Mick Hunt and head of cricket John Stephenson are illuminating, if you are into the gritty side of cricket administration.But the DVD does not really know what it is. A highlights package for the Ashes Test (please, no)? An extended MCC advertisement? A history of Lord’s and MCC? A Lord’s love-in? In truth, it is all of these things and none of them. It might have been stronger had it settled on one tone.MCC still does fantastic work, especially developing cricket abroad, but it seems increasingly irrelevant to cricket “in the 21st century” – an image this DVD does little to shake.

The Indian board’s latest warning to Sehwag was totally uncalled for and reeks of double standards, writes Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan10-May-2006

Virender Sehwag: mum’s the word, keep the secret © Getty Images
Here we go again. How irresponsible can Virender Sehwag get? One can understand his liberal swishing of the bat out in the middle, but look what he’s done now. He actually had the audacity to publicly go on record and say that there’s too much cricket and that players “need a break” to guard against burn-out. Worst still, he was cheeky enough to say that Sourav Ganguly was the best captain he has played under and added that (take a deep breath) “we miss him”.Obviously, none of this would sit well with the Indian board, who promptly issued a warning. One wonders how Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, controlled a chuckle when he read out this statement: “As a player you cannot give your opinion on any other player.” Shah, probably realising his folly a day later, attempted a cover-up operation: “It was not a warning, just our advice to him. There is no question of taking action against Sehwag. The matter is closed.”But, more pertinently, why was it an issue in the first place? Sehwag isn’t the first to be pulled up for opening his mouth. The two Singhs – Harbhajan and Yuvraj – have been gagged earlier and Greg Chappell has faced the music as well, except that his comments, unlike the other three, were against Ganguly. So it’s 3-1 at the moment, but the refereeing has been quite hopeless.Around a month back, at the pre-match press conference before the sixth one-dayer against England at Jamshedpur, Sehwag was asked about Ganguly. His response was guarded, more an effort to pass the question rather than create a stir: “… there’s no question of looking back … We have already forgotten that chapter.” No warning then, no yellow card, no nothing.Around two weeks back, Sachin Tendulkar was asked, again in a press conference, about too much cricket. One of his responses: “I have been happy with my schedule. It is important to physically and mentally recharge yourself after every series. One must make sure there is a break after matches and series.” Tendulkar expresses his opinion. No hassles. Sehwag expresses his opinion. Warned. Inference: open your mouth but just don’t say what the board doesn’t want to hear.And what if you are asked about your former captain? He might have been your greatest backer, he might have revitalised your career, and he might be your hero, but it’s almost anathema to take his name, more so if you are praising him. If the Indian board has its way, a few years down the line you may watch this version of a player interview.Interviewer: Who have been the key players in India becoming the best team in the world?
Player: Sorry, I am not in a position to answer that.I: Tell us about the World Cup final. What a superb innings from your captain …
P: I wish I could talk about that innings. But I can’t publicly comment on other players.I: Do you still have fond memories of your debut?
P: Great moment. I need to thank one man for having faith in me during that time. I am sure you know who I am talking about. That’s all I can say.I: A thousand Twenty20 games in the last year. Isn’t it too much?
P: That is for the board to comment.

The new BBL season comes amid extensive talks about the future of the competition and what potential privatisation could look like

Tristan Lavalette13-Dec-2025The Big Bash League (BBL) is about to celebrate its 15th season. There are current BBL players not old enough to remember the Australian cricket summer without the T20 franchise competition, which grew rapidly after its inception in 2011.The BBL memorably peaked in the middle of last decade, marked by a still record tournament crowd of 80,000 for the Melbourne Derby. But an expanded length of competition in 2018, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, saw its crowds and value decline before a truncated tournament helped engineer a bounce back in recent seasons.”I’m seeing a lot of indicators that are showing it’s back at this sort of BBL 5-6 level,” Cricket Victoria chief Nick Cummins told ESPNcricinfo. “For Stars and Renegades, ticket sales are up year on year since Covid, growing at about 20-30%.”Related

Plans being developed for NZ20 league in January 2027

BBL privatisation and later start among recommendations

The BBL clearly remains an integral part of the cricket summer, well nestled in the school holiday period of December-January, but winds of change are in the air.While fans will be focused on the whirl of on-field action, Australian cricket power brokers will be deeply pondering whether to privatise the eight BBL clubs, a model favoured by most overseas domestic T20 leagues and other sports, and expand the tournament into neighbouring countries.Any of those changes would radically alter Australian cricket and if they happen then the BBL could soon look very different to its first 15 seasons. Amid the speculation there is a widespread belief that something will happen although nobody quite knows for sure.”Nothing is inevitable. Nothing has been ruled in or out. There is a lot of water to go under the bridge,” an administrator aware of discussions said.Privatisation has been mooted from the beginningPrivatisation has long been contemplated, even before the franchise-based BBL started in 2011 as it pivoted from the previous domestic T20 competition contested by the six traditional state teams.”There was a delegation from Australia, including reps from Cricket Australia and the Melbourne and Sydney franchises, that visited India before the start of the BBL,” a senior administrator from an IPL franchise told ESPNcricinfo.”We were made an offer for one of those teams, but I don’t think they had really thought it through in terms of the structure and how they would bring in private investment.”That was the closest we came to considering something there. There has always been interest seeing how it has all unfolded and some of the challenges it has had.”The process involved in the Hundred has been watched closely•Matt Lewis/ECB via Getty ImagesWith then CA chief executive James Sutherland sceptical, privatisation talk fizzled away but resurfaced when the game’s coffers took a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic.The advent of cashed-up leagues in South Africa and the UAE, overlapping with the BBL season, also provided serious competition in attracting big-name players.The BBL’s standing as the second biggest T20 competition in the world after the IPL came under question, accelerating calls for private equity which have gathered steam since chair Mike Baird and chief executive Todd Greenberg have taken CA’s leadership reins in recent times.The sale of Hundred franchises in England earlier this year, with the teams valued at £975 million (AUD$2 billion), was also an eye-opening moment for Australian administrators.Financial distribution model awaitsAn independent report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was commissioned by CA to assess the current model and future structure of the BBL. BCG in July recommended CA sell minority stakes in the eight BBL clubs.There had been some hope that a final decision could be made by the end of this year, but much still needs to be thrashed out with every state having its own set of needs amid varying financial issues.The financial model for privatisation had been based around the concept of selling 49% stakes in the clubs, but it has emerged that one franchise each in Melbourne and Sydney could be entirely sold off. Selling an entire franchise would likely add major value and be particularly alluring for prospective investors.

I’m always a value buyer. So I always believe in taking something and building, that’s my goalSanjay Govil, owner of Washington Freedom

Estimates of the value of a sale have ranged between AUD$400 and AUD$800 million, according to industry sources. A potential sticking point, however, is how exactly will the money from a sale be carved out.States are waiting on the distribution model which could create an impasse. If the proceeds are divided equally, Victoria and New South Wales, who combine for half the teams in the competition, won’t be enthused.Privatisation does provide a huge opportunity for CA to repair its budget and potentially around AUD$400 million could be invested in the game – from the grassroots to ensuring the three formats of international cricket are financially sustainable.Who are the potential investorsPotential owners are likely to mostly come from India and the US, some of whom already own T20 franchises and might want to further spread their footprint. Some IPL franchises, like the Knight Riders, have built global brands and boast satellites in various leagues.It is safe to assume that IPL owners, some of whom have been courted by CA, would be keen to rebrand BBL franchises they bought into. Perhaps foreshadowing what’s ahead, there have been prominent changes in the Hundred such as the Oval Invincibles transforming into MI London after Reliance Industries (Mumbai Indians) secured a 49 per cent stake.”If it doesn’t make business sense, we’re not going to do it but it’ll be interesting to explore if privatisation happens,” an administrator from an IPL franchise said about the BBL.Sunrisers Sydney? Changes to teams names would likely come with a new structure•BCCIAmerican tech entrepreneurs have also started to get seriously involved in cricket, spurred by the development of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US. Having had a taste of ownership, some are keen to build a portfolio of teams.Sanjay Govil, owner of Washington Freedom which has a strategic partnership with Cricket New South Wales, secured a 50% stake in Welsh Fire as part of the Hundred sale.”Absolutely interested if there was an opportunity in the BBL. I think it would be a great opportunity, but we need to wait,” said Montreal-born Govil who grew up in India before making his fortune in the U.S.”I’m always a value buyer. So I always believe in taking something and building, that’s my goal. Like with Welsh Fire, I think retaining the local character is very important. So I’m not coming from a perspective where I would come in and want to change everything.”Overseas expansionExpansion of the BBL was put forward by the BCG report as an avenue worth further consideration. There has not been as much public focus on the concept, suggesting perhaps that expanding the tournament abroad might be a longer-term goal.But under a privatised BBL, an initial expansion of two further teams – one domestic and one international – is a possible route. Canberra, the nation’s capital, appears the frontrunner to build within and has the backing of Cricket ACT.

We are very interested in the BBLSingapore Cricket Association president Mahmood Gaznavi

New Zealand, which boasts teams in many Australian sports leagues, is an obvious first foray abroad. Its proximity to the east coast of Australia makes it easier from a logistical sense while being attractive to broadcasters.With New Zealand being two hours ahead of Sydney and Melbourne, and five in front of Perth, having triple headers on game days could create a television bonanza.New Zealand Cricket currently runs the Super Smash, a six-team competition played by the local cricket associations.”Very supportive of expansion, New Zealand in particular,” Cummins said. “I think it’s bold and could be a game changer. Whether it stacks up and makes sense, I don’t know, but it’s interesting and expands the market.”I think New Zealand is an important part of the cricket ecosystem in this part of the world. Time zone, the market and the strong players they have are reasons why a New Zealand side would really be an asset to the BBL.”But the idea has had a lukewarm reception in New Zealand, where plans are afoot to start NZ20, a tournament comprising six privately owned franchises in January 2027.Singapore has also been mooted but discussions so far have been extremely informal. Greenberg and Baird were able to get a glimpse of Singapore’s potential during the ICC’s AGM in July, with the city-state playing host to the sport’s most powerful administrators.Availability of Australia’s Test stars has always been a challenge•Getty ImagesWith financial might and a strategic location, around four hours from Chennai by plane and in the same time zone as Western Australia, Singapore is an appealing market. Prominently, it boasts a 55,000-seat national stadium, the showpiece of the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang on the south coast of the island.The ground has the capacity to insert drop-in wickets and over the years there have been plans for the IPL, T20I and Test cricket – as a home base for Pakistan – to be played there. But no cricket games have ever been held at the stadium much to the disappointment of the many South Asian expats who live in Singapore.”We are very interested in the BBL. We can use all our links with the sports authorities, such as the national sports association, to push for cricket facilities to be available,” Singapore Cricket Association president Mahmood Gaznavi said.Having hosted many tournaments, becoming a hub for Associate cricket in South-East Asia, ESPNcricinfo has learnt that neighbouring Malaysia have pushed its case through a 30-page document to CA. But Malaysia does not boast the type of showy cricket stadia like in Singapore.Another option that could be considered is playing BBL games in some of these countries as a sort of trial before launching overseas expansion teams. It could work well with Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers having to perennially look elsewhere to play home matches during the MCG and SCG Tests.Australia’s congested peak summer calendarWhat separates the BBL from other major T20 franchise leagues is that it doesn’t have a clear window, but rather complements Test cricket at the height of summer. That means that Australia’s best players are not available for much of the BBL season.Owners of a privatised BBL would surely want the best Australian players in action and for the tournament to take centre stage in the peak Christmas-New Year holiday period.But the marquee Boxing Day and New Year Tests in Melbourne and Sydney mean that’s increasingly unlikely – a public uproar would erupt if those traditions were upended – creating major logistical challenges.What’s next?Chiefs and stakeholders are set to hold meetings through the summer. But final decisions are not expected until at least the middle of next year. There is some belief that even if privatisation does go ahead that actual changes to the competition may not happen until after the current broadcast agreement, which expires in 2030-31.Much more should be known over the next few months.