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Watto announces himself as an MVP allrounder

Sruthi Ravindranath23-Apr-20214:41

Gautam Gambhir, Farveez Maharoof and Dinesh Karthik on Watson’s performance

We polled our staff for their picks of the top ten best batting, bowling and all-round performances in the IPL through its history. Here’s No. 5Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils, 2008“He lost a bit of the edge in the last few games but today he was absolutely fantastic and showed his class. He’s a fantastic all-round cricketer and good enough to be in the Australian team.” – Shane Warne, Rajasthan Royals captainTwenty-six-year-old Shane Watson had endured a tough year. Though he was touted as one of the most promising allrounders in Australia, frequent injuries had left a perpetual question mark over his international future. Then came the 2008 IPL and in those 44 days Watson found his range. One performance showed he had it in him to become T20 allrounder.The Rajasthan Royals, seen as underdogs for their low-budget approach, had become the side to beat as the inaugural IPL season progressed. While lesser-known players put their hands up at crucial moments, most of the Royals’ campaign had been built around Watson. Coming into the semi-final, against the Delhi Daredevils, he was in tremendous form: 392 runs and 13 wickets in 13 games.In the semi-final, he cranked it up a notch. Such was Watson’s performance that the Wankhede crowd rose to its feet to chant his – yes, an Australian’s – name.Shane Watson all but finished the game in his first three overs with the ball•BCCIThe Royals were put in to bat and the openers took them to 65 in seven overs before Watson arrived at the crease with the intention to maintain momentum through the middle overs. He stuck to the brief for the first ten balls, hitting just one boundary. “It took me a few balls to understand the wicket and the bounce, but after that I got into the rhythm,” he said later.Watson then unveiled beast mode. In the 11th over, which brought 21 runs, he hit the inexperienced Yo Mahesh for a four and two humungous sixes on the leg side. With adept timing and footwork, he went after specific bowlers, swinging through square leg and midwicket. He took on legspinner Amit Mishra, who lured him with teasing flight, by getting under a delivery and dispatching it for six over midwicket.His 29-ball 52, combined with Yusuf Pathan’s final flourish, took the Royals to 192. By no means was this an easy target, though with Gautam Gambhir – the tournament’s second highest run scorer – and Virender Sehwag in the opposition, you couldn’t rule out an even contest.No, the chase was not on, considering the kind of day Watson was having.

The numbers

67 Percentage (12 out of 18) of Watson’s deliveries that were on the shorter side, which shows he executed the bowling plans to perfection on the day

5 Number of Player-of-the-Match awards Watson got in the 2008 IPL season. He also finished as Player of the Tournament for his 472 runs and 17 wickets

138.64 Watson’s Total Impact – the sum of his batting and bowling impacts – in the match. Daredevils’ Farveez Maharoof, who picked up three wickets in the match, had the second highest of 78.24 points

His opening spell pretty much decided the game. Gauging the amount of bounce the surface offered, Watson kept his length short and beat the batters with pace. In his first two overs, he got Sehwag to top-edge a catch to deep square leg and beat Gambhir repeatedly before having him caught at cover. In Watson’s third over, Shikhar Dhawan pulled a back-of-a-length delivery straight to the fielder at square leg. With 3-0-10-3, the Daredevils’ chase was all but over and they were eventually skittled out for 87.Such was Watson’s impact in the match that his 52 runs were worth 64.03 Smart Runs, and his strike rate of 179 translated to a Smart Strike Rate of 220. His economy of 3.33 in the match was 2.6 in terms of Smart Economy.This performance helped Watson revive his international career, and right as T20 cricket took root, he established himself as a complete, two-in-one player in the format.The Greatest IPL performances 2008-2020

Nottingham Forest have the ‘strongest’ interest in a midfielder who’s been compared to Aston Villa star John McGinn, with Evangelos Marinakis expecting offers for Elliot Anderson.

Elliot Anderson shining for Forest with £100m price mooted

Anderson has emerged as one of the Premier League’s most impressive midfielders this season, with Forest reportedly setting a £100 million asking price to deter potential suitors during January.

The 23-year-old has transformed into one of England’s most complete central midfielders since his £35 million arrival from Newcastle in July 2024.

His exceptional form also convinced Thomas Tuchel to hand him a senior international debut in August, with the Three Lions manager subsequently praising him as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.”

Anderson featured heavily during Forest’s fairytale seventh-placed finish last campaign, making 37 Premier League appearances whilst scoring two goals and registering six assists.

However, his development has accelerated dramatically throughout 25/26, establishing himself as Sean Dyche’s most influential player whilst earning recognition among Europe’s elite midfield talents.

Nottingham Forest make approach for Matic-like starlet who could replace Anderson

Forest have slapped a £100 million price tag on the latter’s head amid growing interest.

ByEmilio Galantini 5 days ago

Man City have emerged as Anderson’s preferred destination should he depart the City Ground, though Man United and Liverpool are apparently monitoring developments closely as well.

Pep Guardiola views him as an ideal long-term successor to Rodri, who is currently suffering from another injury setback which threatens to derail his mission to return to Ballon d’Or winning form.

Reports suggest that Forest are already making enquiries for potential Anderson replacements as interest grows in his signature grows, and this is backed up by The Mail’s Simon Jones.

Nottingham Forest make approach for Hibernian star Josh Mulligan

According to their information, Forest have emerged as frontrunners in the race for Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, with Dyche’s side making initial enquiries ahead of a potential January move.

The Scotland international has impressed since arriving at Easter Road during the summer on a free transfer from Dundee, featuring in all 24 of their competitive matches whilst chipping in with three goals and three assists.

Mulligan, who The Mail report has been compared to McGinn for his tenacious style of play, was lavished with praise by Hibs boss David Gray following the Edinburgh side’s 3-0 win over Falkirk last weekend.

Steve Clarke recently called Mulligan into Scotland’s World Cup qualifying squad, challenging him to become a leader at club level.

With the 2026 tournament approaching and the Tartan Army qualified, regular Premier League football would significantly enhance his international prospects.

Hibernian secured Mulligan on a four-year contract and will demand substantial compensation before considering any mid-season departure.

Forest’s Europa League participation provides additional motivation for strengthening squad depth during the January window, with the Tricky Trees also expecting offers for Anderson next year.

Warwickshire wicketkeeper Michael Burgess has made a sudden retirement from professional cricket.Burgess had been at Warwickshire since 2019 having initially joined from Sussex on a two-year deal. With his current contract due to run until the end of the 2025 season, the 30-year-old has decided to step away from the game altogether and will pursue other career options in London.Having come through the age-group set-up at Surrey, Burgess took up a three-year Sports and Excercise Science degree at Loughborough, making his first-class debut for the UCCE side in a pre-season fixture against Sussex in April 2014. A year later, he joined Leicestershire and struck an impressive 98 on first-class debut during a tour match against Sri Lanka in 2016 before being released at the end of that season.After considering other options at the time, including a city job in London and at Royal Hospital School in Ipswich, he was able to secure a trial at Sussex which soon evolved into a permanent deal. Two years later, having found his first-team opportunities limited, he swapped Hove for Edgbaston as one of Paul Farbrace’s first signings as Warwickshire’s director of sport.Burgess went on to score exactly 3,000 runs in 65 first-class matches for Warwickshire, including a career-high 178 against Surrey at the start of the 2022 County Championship. In 2021, he helped the club secure the double of a County Championship title and the Bob Willis Trophy. Last summer, he struck 745 runs at 43.82, scoring his sixth and seventh red-ball hundreds.Speaking on his retirement, Burgess said: “It’s been a very difficult decision. I know it will come as a surprise to many people around the club. But I’ve decided the time is right to step away from the game and pursue other opportunities.”I’d like to thank all the members, fans and the wider club for their support over the last six years. Warwickshire is a brilliantly supported club and the members make it a great place to play cricket.”Winning the Championship in 2021 will always be an incredibly special part of my career and something I’ll forever be proud of. It’s been great sharing a dressing room with this group of players, who I know will bring lots of future success to the club.”In a statement released by Warwickshire on Wednesday, performance director Gavin Larsen said: “On one hand it’s extremely disappointing to lose a player of Michael’s experience, but also we recognise all player’s careers come to close at some point and Michael has decided now is the time for ‘life after cricket’.”What I loved about Michael was his combativeness and toughness with the bat when presented with challenging situations. I’ve lost count of the number of times he has rescued a Championship innings, batting superbly with the tail.”He’s a gifted wicketkeeper who always showed the ability to deliver classy performance behind the stumps. There’s no doubt we’ll miss his all-round skills. He’s made the call right at the start of the new season, as the players return to training, so it gives us time to consider options.”We wish Michael all the very the best, and like we say to all our departing players ‘Once a Bear Always a Bear’. Michael will be welcomed back at Edgbaston at any time, and we wish him all the very best for his new career start in London.”The onus is now on Warwickshire to reinforce their squad, with Burgess’ retirement another loss ahead of the 2025 season following the departures of Will Rhodes and Chris Benjamin, to Durham and Kent respectively. Fast bowler Liam Norwell, who was forced to retire through injury this week, was released in August. Their only incoming so far has been seamer Ethan Bamber from Middlesex.

Temba Bavuma is in doubt for South Africa’s Test series against Bangladesh, which starts on October 21, after being ruled out of the third ODI against Ireland with an elbow injury. Bavuma retired hurt during the second match on Friday, on 35, and was unable to field thereafter. He will consult a specialist on his return to South Africa.Rassie van der Dussen will captain South Africa in Bavuma’s absence, with T20I captain Aiden Markam rested for this series.The injury is on the same elbow Bavuma hurt in 2022 on a T20 tour of India. It ruled him out of South Africa’s tour of England later that year. He made a comeback ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he captained South Africa to a group-stage exit. Bavuma was removed from the T20 captaincy thereafter, but remained in the ODI role and was moved to Test job as well.Since then, he has been beset by injuries including a right hamstring niggle – which threatened to keep him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final – and a left hamstring injury sustained during the Boxing Day Test against India last year – which ruled him out of the rest of that series. Bavuma did not travel to New Zealand for the Tests in February as he was recovering and then contracted to the SA20, which means the only series in this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle he has played fully was the two-Test tour of the West Indies in August this year.South Africa have six Tests left in the cycle; two against Bangladesh away and two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home. They would need to win at least five of those matches to be in with a chance of making the WTC final next June.For now, for the white-ball series against Ireland, they are also without allrounder Wiaan Mulder, who has left the tour for personal reasons. They play the third and last ODI of this series on Monday, already having a 2-0 lead. The preceding T20I series finished level at 1-1.

All the statistical highlights from Pakistan’s highest successful chase against hosts South Africa

Sampath Bandarupalli02-Apr-2021274 Target chased by Pakistan in the first ODI in Centurion, their highest successful chase against South Africa in South Africa in this format. Pakistan’s previous highest chase against the home team in South Africa was 267 in Port Elizabeth during their 2018-19 tour. The 274 chase is also Pakistan’s second-highest in the country and their third-biggest against the hosts.Related

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6 Instances of Pakistan winning an ODI on the last ball while chasing. Only South Africa – in seven instances overall – have won more ODI chases on the final ball than Pakistan. The latest win was the first of its kind for Pakistan since April 2005 in Ahmedabad, where they defeated India while chasing 316.The Centurion ODI was only the third instance of South Africa losing an ODI on the final ball. Their other such defeats came in 2000 and 2001 respectively, against Zimbabwe and West Indies.76 Innings required by Babar Azam to score his 13th century in ODIs, the fastest to this feat in men’s cricket. Australia women’s captain Meg Lanning, too, took 76 innings to reach her 13th ODI hundred. Hashim Amla was the previous quickest to 13 tons in men’s ODIs, needing 83 innings.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Centuries as captain in ODI cricket for Babar. The 26-year-old scored 125 against Zimbabwe in his previous innings, making him the first Pakistan captain with successive ODI tons. Babar’s 103 is also the highest individual score by a Pakistan captain in a successful ODI chase.177 Partnership runs for the second wicket between Imam-ul-Haq and Babar, the second-highest for Pakistan against South Africa in ODI cricket. The highest is 257 between Saleem Elahi and Abdul Razzaq in 2002, also for the second wicket.1 Player with more centuries while chasing in ODIs for Pakistan than Babar. The hundred against South Africa on Friday was his fourth across 40 ODI chases. Saeed Anwar leads the list with ten centuries from 105 chases in ODIs.0 Players older than Rassie van der Dussen (32 years and 54 days) at the time of their maiden ODI century for South Africa. Mike Rindel was the previous oldest player to a maiden ODI ton for South Africa as he was 31 years and 337 days old when he scored 106 in 1995, also against Pakistan. Former allrounder Shaun Pollock was 33 years and 325 days of age during his maiden ODI ton in 2007, but he was representing Africa XI in that game.

Also, when is the best time to score runs in Adelaide? Do spinners have an advantage with the pink ball?

Varun Shetty15-Dec-20202:00

Rahane: ‘Batting in twilight period will be challenging’

Day-night Tests – veterans vs newbies
Australia are both pioneers as well as the most dominant team in this format. No team has played as much day-night Test cricket as Australia, who were the first hosts in the format too. They have played seven of the 14 day-night Test matches that have been held since November 2015, and have never lost. The only rider is that all those matches have been at home. But so is this one.India trialled day-night first-class cricket in 2016 and it was in their domestic schedule until 2018. But the only pink-ball cricket India as a team had played – before last week’s practice match – was during the Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata last year, which they won by an innings.ESPNcricinfo LtdHow do visiting teams do under lights in Australia?
Not very well. Australia won the last day-night Test, against New Zealand last year, by 296 runs, and both matches before that were innings wins. In fact, since they hung on for a three-wicket win in the inaugural match in 2015, Australia have only ever been troubled by Pakistan, when Asad Shafiq nearly chased down 490 with the lower order in 2016.Related

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No visiting batting line-up has averaged more than 30 per wicket in these matches in Australia, and South Africa’s declaration when they were nine down in 2016 is the only innings in which an opposition hasn’t been bowled out.Who are Australia’s best in the format?
The batting threats facing India are fairly obvious names, but David Warner, the best of them, is unavailable for the first Test. Warner is the highest run-scorer in day-night matches for Australia with 596 runs in 11 innings, although 335 of those came in one innings. Steven Smith has made 500 in 11 innings, and Marnus Labuschagne has a fifty-plus score in each of his four day-night innings; he has made 436 runs in four innings.All four of Australia’s frontline bowlers have stellar numbers in day-night Test cricket too. Mitchell Starc has 42 wickets in seven games, a fair distance ahead of the next-best, Nathan Lyon, who has 28 wickets. Josh Hazlewood has 26 wickets in six matches. Add Pat Cummins’ 19 wickets in four games and you get a relentless attack that has taken quickly to pink-ball cricket.ESPNcricinfo LtdPace, spin… what works best under lights in Adelaide?
The stats of Australian bowlers mentioned above might suggest parity between pace and spin in day-night matches, but that is not remotely the case. Fast bowlers have taken 101 wickets at 26.76 in Adelaide, while spinners have gone at 49.83 for their 24 wickets. Pink-ball cricket in general, regardless of venue, has been skewed in favour of fast bowlers, but these particular numbers offer an insight into how good Lyon has been.He is an outlier in these conditions, whether in red-ball cricket or pink-ball. Kuldeep Yadav is the only other spinner since the start of 2015 to have taken at least one five-wicket haul in Australia; Lyon has five in that period. The only other elite-tier spinner to bowl under lights in Australia is Yasir Shah, who averages 123.66 and goes at 4.35 for this three wickets in three innings. At Adelaide Oval, Mark Craig, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali and Tabraiz Shamsi have all played two Tests each without taking more than two wickets.So, apart from dealing with fast bowlers who thrive under lights, India will have the challenge of dealing with Lyon, who has been just as destructive. The luxury of being watchful against fast bowling and attacking against spinners is one that only Australia’s batsmen have enjoyed so far in day-night games.But why does Lyon do so well in Adelaide, especially when compared to other spinners? It must help that the batsmen are often under pressure against pace at the other end; and on a less abstract level, Starc’s footmarks might have a lot to do with it.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat is the best time to make runs in Adelaide?
The trend in day-night Tests is that scoring is easiest in the second session, and this holds true at Adelaide Oval as well. Another matching trend is that wickets fall at roughly the same average in the first and last sessions. In Adelaide, teams lose a wicket every 29.4 runs on average in the third session, and every 28.72 runs in the first session of a day. In the middle session, that numbers goes up to 33.41.The ratios are a big difference, however, from day games in Adelaide where the average is 53.52 in the middle session and between 35 and 37 and in the other two sessions. A floodlit version of an Adelaide Test offers significantly more to the bowlers.How much of a difference does the twilight period make?
An inevitable discussion in day-night games is the period at the end of the second session and the start of the third, which coincides with the sunset. With various factors in play – a change from natural to artificial light, a sudden cooling of the temperature, change in wind patterns – bowlers and captains have often remarked on the potential for wickets during that phase. Faf du Plessis notoriously declared when South Africa were nine down while he was still batting on a century, just so his bowlers could have a crack with the new ball under lights.But the numbers don’t show any major differences. At Adelaide Oval, as is the case with day-night cricket overall, the bowling strike rates are identical in the first, second and third sessions: 50.2, 52.48, and 52.56 respectively

Liverpool have already made a series of intelligent moves this window, and Arne Slot is now looking to see off some of his closest competitors for the Premier League title to strengthen his engine room, per a report.

Liverpool close in on Florian Wirtz deal

Following Jeremie Frimpong’s arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, the Reds have returned to the Bundesliga outfit in an attempt to seal a deal for one of Germany’s most talented assets.

Despite the assumption that Florian Wirtz is close to having his feet under the table at Anfield, Liverpool have made an improved £113 million move for the playmaker as they look to match Erik ten Hag’s £126 million valuation of the Pulheim-born man.

His opener during Germany’s Nations League semi-final defeat to Portugal wasn’t enough to see off Cristiano Ronaldo and Co, but his impressive display will have pleased plenty of supporters ahead of his seemingly inevitable move to Anfield.

Nevertheless, he is far from the only player on the radar in Merseyside. Talks have been held between Liverpool and Real Madrid star Rodrygo amid speculation about the Brazil international leaving the Santiago Bernabeu, which may be a sign of things to come.

Financial expect Kieran Maguire has indicated the Reds have plenty of capital available to invest in targets after taking a minimalist approach to last season’s transfer window.

He's like Gordon: Liverpool lead race for "explosive" £40m Diaz replacement

Liverpool boss Arne Slot will need to welcome a new winger into the fold if Luis Diaz is sold.

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He explained: “I think for Liverpool it’s not a case of how much they’ve got to spend because they can spend as much as they want. If they spent £250m, that would not be a problem.”

In light of this, Liverpool have now identified another candidate to strengthen their thriving squad, though they may need to fend off stiff competition.

Liverpool in three-way battle to sign Morgan Gibbs-White

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are battling Chelsea and Manchester City to sign Morgan Gibbs-White following his excellent campaign at Nottingham Forest.

Valued at around the £70 million mark, the Three Lions international is considered by Slot as a valuable option to bolster his engine room. However, the outlet also notes that he is seen as an alternative should their pursuit of Wirtz hit a snag.

Five similar players to Morgan Gibbs-White (FBRef)

Mattia Zaccagni

Lazio

Lee Jae-sung

Mainz 05

Adrien Rabiot

Marseille

Kamory Doumbia

Brest

Tete Morente

Lecce

Praised for having ‘so much talent’ by Nuno, he has certainly lived up to that billing this season, notching seven goals and ten assists in 38 appearances across all competitions for Nottingham Forest.

Gibbs-White also created 51 chances on Premier League duty and became central to their eventual Europa Conference League qualification at the City Ground.

Liverpool are already well-stocked in midfield, but you can never have too many technicians capable of producing match-winning moments when in the hunt to bring regular silverware to your chosen club.

The MI head coach also says that no decision has been made yet about Rohit Sharma’s future

Abhimanyu Bose18-May-20241:59

A season to forget for Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher said that the fans’ reaction to change in captaincy from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya affected the team’s performance in IPL 2024.On Friday, MI’s season ended with an 18-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants, which resigned them to a tenth-place finish with just four wins from 14 games. Rohit started the game on the bench, coming on as an impact player for the chase. But that didn’t stop the Wankhede crowd from chanting his name when Hardik came on to bowl.Rohit’s dismissal after entertaining the home crowd with a 38-ball 68 was first met with a hush, followed by applause as he walked off. But as Hardik walked out to the field as MI’s next batter, the boos rang out.Related

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Hardik being jeered has been almost a constant theme from MI’s first game after he was traded from Gujarat Titans – where he led the side to a title and a runners-up finish – before the season.”It wasn’t great hearing all the boos,” Boucher said. “Certainly, I felt sorry for Hardik as well. It’s never nice to go through something like that. So yeah, there are certain things we need to address. And we are going to address them.”Now is not probably the right time. Everyone is very disappointed and emotional, so no good decision will get made in the nearest sort of time. We need to go back. We need to evaluate exactly what’s going on.”Boucher admitted that the team’s performance this season was under par, but hoped the team management would make some “good calls” ahead of the next season.”[There are] things that we need improvement on, whether on the field or off the field stuff,” Boucher said. “We’ve got some great heads within the management team as well, and we’ll sit down and we’ll find a way of how to make it better ultimately for the players to produce the sort of cricket that we know these players can produce, which was under par this season.”There were a lot of things happening, a lot of moving parts this season, which wasn’t great to be a part of at certain times. There are certain things that did affect individuals, which ultimately did affect the team. So those are the sort of things we need to sit down and address and hopefully make some good calls going forward as well to address the off-field stuff.”Hardik Pandya had replaced Rohit Sharma as captain before the season•AFP/Getty ImagesHardik finished the IPL 2024 with 216 runs in 13 innings at an average of 18.00 and a strike rate of 143.04. With ball, he took 11 wickets in 12 innings at an economy rate of 10.75. While evaluating Hardik’s season, Boucher admitted that things off-field things might have “clouded” him, but asserted that this season would help him become a better captain.”I think that if [Hardik] was here, he’d also be disappointed in his performances,” he said. “From a captain’s perspective, I thought he had some good games. There’s a lot of stuff going on around him that maybe clouded his thoughts every now and again, which I said is tough for him as a leader as well.”He certainly had a lot of support within our dressing room but it’s a tough thing to go through as a player. There’s a lot of sympathy for what he’s going through. A lot of the stuff he is going through is, I think, uncalled for. It will certainly be a learning curve for Hardik as he grows in leadership.”While times are tough now, a couple of things will pass and make him a tougher leader and it will certainly grow him in the role as well. I still think there are some fantastic things coming from Hardik Pandya as a leader.”Boucher on Rohit’s future: ‘He is the master of his own destiny’There have been speculations that Friday’s game was Rohit’s last for MI, a franchise he led to five IPL titles. Boucher, though, said there was no decision made yet.”To be honest, there hasn’t been many conversations about Rohit’s future,” Boucher said. “I spoke to him last night or the night before, just to do basically a little review of the season. And I said, ‘What’s next for Rohit Sharma?’ and he said to me ‘World Cup’. And that’s perfect. That’s all I need to know about what Rohit Sharma’s future is.”For me, he is the master of his own destiny. It’s a big auction next season, who knows what’s going to happen? We’ll just have to take each day as it comes.”

Delhi Capitals captain admits his team was playing catch-up right from the powerplay

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-20242:34

‘Capitals bowlers gave Head the start he wanted’

When Delhi Capitals opted to bowl in their first match of IPL 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, they expected dew to play a role later in the evening. Which would have meant a target of around 220 also gettable. But the absence of dew in the chase helped Sunrisers Hyderabad, who got the balls to grip on the surface, register a 67-run win to move to second on the points table.”The only thought process behind [opting to bowl at the toss] was we thought there will be a bit of dew, which did not come,” Rishabh Pant, Capitals captain, said at the post-match presentation. “If we could have restricted them to 220-230 we still had a chance. [The ball] stopped more [on the surface] in the second innings than what we anticipated. But when you have 260-270 to defend, it gives bowlers confidence.”Sunrisers once again rode on the brilliant power-hitting display of openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, who helped them score a record 125 for 0 in the powerplay, the highest in all men’s T20s. Abhishek fell for a 12-ball 46 while Head made 89 off 32 after his maiden IPL century in the last outing as Sunrisers posted 266 for 7, their third 250-plus total in IPL 2024.Related

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“I think powerplay was one of the differences,” Pant admitted. “They got 120-130 runs in the powerplay and we were catching up throughout the match.”Pat Cummins, the SRH captain, had mixed feelings watching his openers bludgeon the opposition. “Part of me is very excited and elated, but the other thinks I will have to bowl on this later,” he said. “Amazing, every game they keep delivering and keep playing the way we want to.”Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma put on a blazing show in the powerplay•Associated PressThe game saw 213 runs being scored in the powerplay, both innings combined, again a record in T20 cricket. Capitals romped to 88 for 2 in their chase of 267 and Cummins said that the pitch came into play once the ball became old.”We saw in the powerplay, there was not much in it for the bowlers for both sides,” he said. “Once the game got on, the ball got softer and it started to hold a little bit. But 260-odd plays 200 [means it] is a good batting wicket.”Normally dew makes it hard [to grip the ball]. It slides on. But there was a little bit of grip out there, so maybe that was a factor also.”T Natarajan led Sunrisers’ charge with the ball, picking up 4 for 19, his best figures in T20s. Mayank Markande and Nitish Kumar Reddy also returned two wickets apiece, and Cummins was pleased with the discipline the bowlers showed.”Really happy with how we closed out. It was really disciplined, everyone was strong with their fields and how they wanted to bowl and executed well on the fly. It was not easy when they are trying to hit a six every ball.”Bhuvneshwar Kumar: SRH batters are ‘ruining us’T Natarajan bowled a triple-wicket maiden•BCCIThe leader of the SRH bowling attack, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, heaped praise on Natarajan’s effort in what was their fifth win in seven outings. Natarajan used his change-of-pace as well as was effective with the yorkers, making it tough for Capitals’ batters to line him up.”We know how good he is when it comes to Yorkers,” Bhuvneshwar said after the match. “He is someone who keeps working hard, a silent guy who goes unnoticed most of the times. But he is a star for us for so many years playing for SRH. We know how important he is for us, he is truly a match-winner.”For years, SRH were known to win games because of their bowling in the IPL. But for a change their batters are firing in unison and Bhuvneshwar, who returned 1 for 33 off his four overs, was happy for the bowlers to take a backseat. But he also had a word of caution for them.”For so many years, this is possibly the first time our batting is clicking so much,” he said. “As bowlers, we are happy to take the backseat and let the batters do their work and happy do defend so many runs. Honestly, they are ruining us; if one of the games we score 180-200 mentally, it will be tough for us bowlers to defend those. But great to see the way they are batting.”When you are defending those many runs, either of the things happen – you go for plenty of runs or you get teams out within 150. We accept the fact that when you defend so many runs, you can go for plenty of runs.”

Birmingham romp home in chase after spinners strangle Derbyshire batting effort

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2024Birmingham Bears picked up a second win in three days to keep their place among the North Group contenders with a seven-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Derbyshire Falcons at the Incora County Ground.On a used pitch that yielded runs only reluctantly, the visitors restricted Derbyshire to 133 for 7, left-arm spinner Danny Briggs taking 2 for 23 with David Lloyd scoring 50 and Brooke Guest an unbeaten 38. Richard Gleeson took two wickets in the powerplay but it was the Bears spinners largely responsible for tying down Falcons.Derbyshire’s spinners threatened to do a similar job but Dan Mousley and Sam Hain (43) showed considerable patience and eventually reaped the rewards, their 93-run partnership across 13.3 overs effectively winning the match, Mousley closing it out with his seventh four with seven balls to spare.Having opted to bat first, Derbyshire suffered a setback when the in-form Aneurin Donald fell for just 2 but seemed to be heading for a satisfactory start until Gleeson removed Cam Fletcher and Wayne Madsen in the space of three balls in the last over of the powerplay to give Bears an early advantage.A boundary apiece from Guest and Lloyd off Jake Lintott’s opening over hinted at acceleration but Falcons’ progress was unspectacular at 65 for 3 from 10. Lloyd drove a soaring straight six off Lintott and repeated the blow against Briggs to complete a 36-ball half-century but was then caught aiming to clear the midwicket boundary.Samit Patel perished cheaply, pouched at backward point when he skied one from Briggs as the competition’s all-time leading wicket-taker on 229 dismissed his closest rival. At 103 for 5 from 16, Derbyshire had been properly strangled by Bears’ spinners. Mousley’s offspin was wicketless but conceded only 16 in his allocation.Ross Whiteley lifted Chris Woakes into the car park on the leg side but once the ball had been found Woakes promptly bowled him with a full delivery off an inside edge. The over cost 13 runs but was one of only three across the innings to yield a tally in double figures and, after Zak Chappell was run out in the last over, 133 looked too little.Daryn Dupavillon, the South African quick, angled one in to bowl Rob Yates with his fourth delivery. Mousley picked up three quick boundaries but Alex Davies, having uppercut Dupavillon for four and lifted Pat Brown for an audacious six on the leg side was caught at midwicket as Brown exacted instant revenge. Mousley slog-swept Madsen for six and the Bears were 50 for 2 from six.Patel and fellow spinner Mitch Wagstaff applied the brakes, conceding just 29 in six overs bowling in tandem, but with 55 needed after 12 overs, and eight wickets in hand, the Bears were still favourites, more so after Mousley and Hain plundered 21 from the next two before Mousley swept Patel to go to fifty from 42 balls.The requirement was down to six from 17 balls by the time Brown bowled Hain after a 42-ball innings containing only one boundary. Mousley cut Chappell for his seventh four to complete the win.