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Babar’s dropping was collectively recommended by the newly formed selection committee, which met in Lahore within hours of the loss in the first Test

Danyal Rasool13-Oct-2024Babar Azam will be the biggest name casualty as Pakistan make significant changes to their squad for the second Test, two days after a chastening innings loss to England in Multan. ESPNcricinfo has learned Babar’s dropping was recommended by the newly formed selection committee, which met in Lahore within hours of the loss in the first Test on Friday. They met for a second time on Saturday in Multan, in a session which included chairman Mohsin Naqvi, as well as the five mentors appointed by the PCB on three-year deals.In the immediate aftermath of the defeat, Pakistan captain Shan Masood publicly backed Babar, calling him “Pakistan’s best batter” and repeating his call to give players more time. That sentiment, for continuity, has been backed by Test coach Jason Gillespie too. Privately, though, it is understood the selection panel collectively felt Babar would benefit from time away from the national side as runs remain elusive; he has not scored a Test half-century since December 2022.The newly configured selection panel comprises Aaqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, former ICC umpire Aleem Dar, analyst Hassan Cheema and the captain and head coach of the format for which the squad is being selected. However, it is understood neither Masood nor Gillespie were part of the selection committee meeting on Friday. Selectors traveled to Multan on Saturday to meet with the captain and coach, as well as the PCB curator Tony Hemming. At the meeting on Saturday, it is believed some of the mentors were in favour of keeping Babar in the squad, but majority opinion was in favour of the dropping.Related

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It is not yet clear whether Babar – who has struggled for form for the best part of two years – will make himself available to play the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which is scheduled to begin on October 20. Babar has not played a game in that first-class cricket competition since 2019.The scrutiny around Babar’s form has been magnified with each subsequent failure with the bat. He appeared especially out of sorts against England, on a flat wicket, scoring 35 runs across two innings. beaten on the inside edge in the first innings and the outside in the second. It extended his run without a half-century in Test cricket to 18 innings; just four specialist batters in Pakistan’s history have gone more successive innings without a score in excess of 50. Since the start of 2023, Babar averages under 21 in nine Tests.The loss of form has dovetailed with a turbulent time in terms of his leadership status. Following Pakistan’s elimination at the ODI World Cup in 2023, he reluctantly resigned as captain from all formats. Just four months later, the T20I and ODI captaincy were returned to him, with Shaheen Afridi sacked after just one series.The second stint was ill-fated. Pakistan won one of three T20I series – against Ireland 2-1 – and were eliminated from the T20 World Cup in 2024 in the first round after defeats to the USA and India. Just six months after he was reappointed, he quit captaincy once more, citing a desire to focus on his batting.Babar’s omission will not be the only change. Abrar Ahmed, for one, remains in hospital and is extremely unlikely to recover. Selectors are understood to be considering a couple of other spinning options, with Noman Ali and Sajid Khan in contention. There is also a chance that Afridi does not play the second Test as his struggle to return to his pre-knee injury form continues. Afridi has played in two of Pakistan’s last four Tests, and missed one in each of the previous two series.But it is Babar’s omission that will send shockwaves through Pakistan cricket and its followers. He remains, despite his recent struggles, the biggest name in Pakistan cricket by some distance, having built up an enormous, doting individual fanbase quite separate from the Pakistan team as a whole. Though his ability as captain split opinion and was hotly debated throughout his tenure, there has never – up until very recently – been a debate about his value to the team; even without the armband, he remained an automatic selection and the first name on the team sheet.While consistency came to Babar more easily in the white-ball formats, he was comfortably among the world’s best Test batters during his prime. Between November 2019 and the end of 2022, he averaged just shy of 62 in 25 Test matches, including eight hundreds and 15 half-centuries. His consistency led to speculation it was only a matter of time before the ‘Fab Four’ quartet became a quintet, with Babar pushing his all-format case.The second Test against England begins on October 15 in Multan. England won the first Test by an innings and 47 runs to consign Pakistan to a sixth Test defeat on the trot, one that puts them at the bottom of the World Test Championship table.

Over the years, Dhoni has passed on his wisdom to Hardik. Can he use the same to trump the old master on Friday?

Shashank Kishore30-Mar-2023The nets arena at Motera’s practice ground is quite a walk from the main practice square of the Narendra Modi Stadium. On Thursday evening, shortly before 5pm, security personnel had been stationed around the perimeter of the nets area as venue managers readied a yellow carpet at the entrance of the Chennai Super Kings dressing room.Within minutes of the Super Kings team bus arriving, there was chaos as the news spread. In the middle of the main stadium, lensmen who were trying to capture the lighting of the grand stage set up for a glitzy opening ceremony, with sunlight filtering through one of the gaps in the stands, could have given track-and-field aspirants a run for their money at that very moment.The reason behind their dash? They all wanted to get a perfect shot of MS Dhoni getting out of the team bus and walking into the nets area. What followed next was the whirr of a few hundred shutter clicks to capture Dhoni’s entry. Except Dhoni wasn’t on the team bus. He had arrived an hour earlier for the captains’ meeting and photoshoot, and was already done with some light warm-ups indoors.Related

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After the crowd had dispersed, he casually sauntered into the nets area and put his arm around Gary Kirsten, the Gujarat Giants’ mentor. Ashish Nehra soon joined them for some laughs. A few handshakes and high-fives later, Dhoni quietly went towards the main ground, where Hardik Pandya was seated beside Shivam Mavi, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Shubman Gill and Alzarri Joseph, and was having a long chat.Then as they dispersed to their respective nets on either side of the centre wicket, Hardik and Dhoni briefly crossed paths again.On one side was the fierce intensity of a captain who had led his side to the title in their very first season. On the other was the calmness of the grand old veteran, who will turn 42 in three months. His side had finished ninth last season but he was resonating vibes of someone who has seen it all but is fully comfortable in the space he is in, ahead of possibly one last dance.As Dhoni stood in the middle, crouching low and doing some lower-body drills, Hardik ran in and bowled, took outfield catches, and offered words of advice to his younger team-mates. Later, he played the role of an umpire to have a ringside view of his bowlers.Youngsters have often turned to Dhoni for advice and he too has always been there for them•PTI Then as the rain started to come down, Dhoni yelped from afar towards Hardik as they started to walk off. Watching all this from the outside, you couldn’t help but think of how Hardik has gradually stepped into Dhoni’s footsteps.When a raw Hardik made his debut in 2016, Dhoni was at the front and centre of Indian cricket. He had stood with Hardik at the top of his bowling mark to give instructions and advice ahead of that final over against Bangladesh during the 2016 T20 World Cup game in Bangalore. Just like Hardik does for his young Indian bowlers now.Dhoni was always there for his younger players, who would invariably turn to him for guidance. Ask Kuldeep Yadav or Ravindra Jadeja. Or an unheralded Mohit Sharma, who burst through to have the IPL of his life in 2013. Or Mukesh Choudhary last year.Somewhere along the way, with Hardik, this mentor-mentee relationship evolved into one between an elder and younger brothers. To the extent that Hardik would often be seeking life lessons from Dhoni. It’s said when Hardik found himself in a soup over comments made on a TV chat show, it was Dhoni who told Hardik to not become a recluse and switch off from all forms of social media.The Hardik we see today is a calmer version of the person that burst onto the scene. And it isn’t just the off-field attributes of Dhoni that he seems to be embodied. On the field, Hardik has been instinctive. But at the same time, he has also been calculative and has thrown himself into tough situations to shield younger players and give them a little bit of cushion.Like when he opened the bowling against New Zealand to allow a slightly off-rhythm Arshdeep Singh to settle in. Or promoting himself to No. 4 and doing the bulk of the heavy lifting, even if it meant having to go against his natural game of hitting sixes.0:46

Pandya: I took all the tips from Dhoni when we played together

Last year, for example, Hardik’s strike rate of 152.54 in the last four overs was the third-lowest for him in any IPL season. But that was because he was playing the role of an anchor, allowing the likes of Tewatia and David Miller to do the finishing.”I don’t mind playing the role that, somewhere down the line, Mahi used to play,” Hardik had said in February, during the white-ball series against New Zealand. “When he was around, I was young and hitting all around the park. But since he is gone, all of a sudden, that responsibility is on me. I don’t mind that. We are getting the results. It’s okay if I have to play a little slow.”I’ve always enjoyed hitting sixes. But that’s life; I’ve to evolve. I’ve believed in partnerships and want to give my batting partner and team some assurance and calmness that I’m there. I’ve played more games than any of these guys; I’ve learned how to accept and swallow pressure and make sure everything is calm.”It’s this calmness from their captain that Titans are feeding off. “Hardik isn’t closed-off, available to all the players at all times during the season,” Vikram Solanki, Titans’ team director, said. “He was a very mature captain last year, he took to captaincy very naturally. It was apparent he is a deep thinker of the game. You think of him as a character and personality, it plays through in the way he plays. He led with a lot of positivity and energy, and had a lot of time for people.”When Hardik steps onto the field to lead Titans in the opening game, he will know Dhoni will have a trick or two up his sleeve. The Hardik of a few years ago may have been consumed by that very thought. This version of Hardik is likely to soak it in with a smile and simply make plans on the fly to give Dhoni the slip, just like Dhoni did to the big crowd and lensmen who had made a beeline for him earlier in the evening.

Liverpool exceeded expectations when they won the Premier League last season, but Darwin Nunez struggled to perform at the expected level throughout.

The 26-year-old striker is a maverick, for sure, but he’s also erratic and chaotic and often incapable of harnessing and channelling his skills into something coherent.

With Luis Diaz’s future looking more certain to exist outside of Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich both vying for his signature and receiving plenty of encouragement, Liverpool might not want to cash in on Nunez.

However, the Uruguay international is in talks to join Napoli, and selling him may well be for the best.

Why Liverpool should sell Darwin Nunez

When Liverpool signed Nunez, they purchased a young and exciting striker who had just come off the back of a 34-goal campaign with Portuguese giants Benfica, scoring twice against Liverpool on Europe’s elite stage.

Klopp, perhaps, had a glint in his eyes when watching the Uruguayan run rampant over many of Europe’s finest; maybe the savvy tactician saw the reincarnation of Luis Suarez in Benfica’s man.

Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Nunez has flattered to deceive for much of his time on Merseyside, even if he’s shown flashes of the quality that convinced the German manager to fork out an initial £64m fee from FSG’s coffers.

He is expected to depart this summer, and while a popular figure, Nunez hasn’t succeeded in emulating his iconic countryman.

What Liverpool need is a striker who embodies some of Suarez’s qualities but also has experience competing consistently at the very highest level.

Liverpool eyeing Darwin Nunez upgrade

As per TEAMtalk, Slot’s dream signing for the rest of the summer is Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, even if a deal would be extremely difficult to complete.

After the Magpies sealed their place in next season’s Champions League, The Athletic’s David Ornstein claimed there was “no chance” he would leave St. James’ Park. This has since been corroborated by the news that he has been valued at an eye-watering £200m.

Recent events will rightly halt any immediate developments, but Liverpool may well make a concerted effort to challenge the Magpies for their star man later in the transfer window.

Why Alexander Isak can be the new Luis Suarez

Isak has played for Newcastle across three seasons, and he’s improved incrementally.

A shoddy fitness record has been left in the past, with the Sweden star’s athleticism and strength having come on leaps and bounds. His application even led Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher to hail him as “the best striker in the Premier League” last season.

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In the Premier League, Isak played a monumental part in guiding Eddie Howe’s side back into the Champions League, sealing their place on the final day of the 2024/25 campaign.

His goals counted for plenty, with the 23 strikes put away in the Premier League bettered only by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

However, Isak also ranked among the top 16% of positional peers competing across Europe’s top five leagues last term for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

His all-encompassing attacking game even suggests that he could become Slot’s own version of former Redmen superstar Suarez, who, incredibly, posted 82 goals and 32 assists across only 133 appearances.

Suarez might have reached his career zenith at Barcelona, but who can argue against him being in a different stratosphere to the rest of the Premier League when he plied his trade on Merseyside?

Suarez was a devastating finisher, to be sure, but he was so much more than a simple goalscorer. Steven Gerrard once said the marksman “had everything”, and named him the best forward he had ever played with.

The iconic Anfield skipper went into further detail about exactly what set Suarez apart from his positional peers: “He could embarrass you, even with stuff that I don’t think that he knew he was doing. He was a ricochet merchant, he would run over you, he’d dominate you and bully you.”

Given the stage-by-stage progress that Isak, still only 25, has enjoyed in England, there’s certainly a good chance that he could reach the level of Liverpool’s one-time South American talisman, bringing a “world-class” striking ability, as has been praised by pundit and Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer, to Slot’s squad.

But then, as the aforementioned FBref data suggests, Isak might also thrive in link-up situations, bouncing off the creativity of stars such as Salah and Florian Wirtz, who joined Liverpool in a deal rising to a British-record £116m.

After all, the £120k-per-week number nine created 11 big chances in the Premier League last season, as per Sofascore, emphasising just how creative and intelligent he is in his attacking play.

Suarez perhaps reached the highest level of any forward to have ever played in the Premier League when he was at his apex. Many would contest such conjecture but it’s an argument that would hold at any table.

In Isak, Liverpool might just find the perfect, belated successor, and Slot might secure his perfect new centre-forward.

The next Van Dijk: Liverpool plot talks for "immense" £40m Guehi upgrade

Liverpool are stepping up their search for a new centre-back…

ByRobbie Walls Jul 2, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da supremo： Vanderlei Luxemburgo foi demitido do Corinthians na tarde desta quarta-feira (27) e logo passou a ser ligado ao Santos, que está sem treinador efetivo desde a saída de Diego Aguirre. O técnico tem um admirador importante no clube: Alexandre Gallo, coordenador técnico alvinegro, mas o nome do profissional não é unanimidade na diretoria.

da bet7： + Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro-2023 clicando aqui

O Lance! apurou que Gallo gosta de Luxemburgo e considera a possibilidade. Porém, o treinador encontra resistência interna e, em caso de negociação, a contratação pode ser reprovada pelo Comitê de Gestão santista. No ano passado, o Peixe negociou a chegada do treinador, mas o CG barrou a possibilidade.

+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

Mesmo com este cenário, além de sondagens, não há tratativas oficiais em andamento entre Santos e Luxa. Neste momento, o Peixe está focado na decisão contra o Vasco, no domingo (1), na Vila Belmiro. A partida significa um confronto direto para o time tentar deixar a zona do rebaixamento.

Quem comandará o Santos será o interino Marcelo Fernandes, até então favorito para seguir no cargo no restante do Brasileirão. Porém, a continuidade está relacionada ao desempenho da equipe contra o Cruzmaltino. Posteriormente, a depender do resultado do duelo, Luxemburgo pode ganhar força internamente.

Antes, o preferido da diretoria era Fábio Carille, mas as negociações esfriaram. Luxa trabalhou no Santos em 1997, 2004, 2006-07 e 2009 e conquistou um Brasileirão, dois estaduais e uma Taça Rio-São Paulo.

Bayern Munich have reportedly withdrawn their interest from Stuttgart sensation Nick Woltemade after seeing their first two bids rejected.

• Bayern step away from Woltemade transfer
• Bavarians fail to land another top target
• Stuttgart remain firm on their asking price

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayern are experiencing a difficult summer when it comes to their transfer market activity, with yet another top transfer target seeming to have slipped out of their grasp. After failing to sign the likes of Nico Williams, Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola, reports that Bavarians have now withdrawn their interest from Stuttgart's Woltemade.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The report reveals that Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and sporting director Max Eberl have "suspended negotiations for the time being", which indicates that while they might have indefinitely stopped the pursuit of Woltemade, they could return for his signature later in the window. Stuttgart have come out as pretty tough negotiators during talks between the two clubs, having sent a fiery email demanding Bayern to stop all communication with the 23-year-old striker. Die Schwaben have already rejected two bids, with the second bid worth €55 million (£47m/$64m) including bonuses.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  further claims that Stuttgart are prepared to turn down a potential third bid worth €60m (£52m/$70m), remaining firm on their stance to entertain offers of at least €65m (£56m/$76m). Chairman Alexander Wehrle recently saidthat he is confident of Woltemade staying at the MHP Arena next season.

  "Nick Woltemade will play football for us next year," he said. "And if something extraordinary should happen, we're professional enough to discuss things at the table. But as I said: I assume he'll play football for us next year."

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR WOLTEMADE & BAYERN?

  Woltemade is expected to attend Stuttgart's pre-season training camp between July 28 to August 2, while Bayern will hope that they can catch a break by successfully capturing Luis Diaz from Liverpool, with an eye on Lyon sensation Malick Fofana.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are reportedly keeping tabs on Newcastle United star Alexander Isak after Liverpool's transfer interest was rebuffed.

• Newcastle rule out Isak to Liverpool deal
• Al-Hilal keep tabs on prolific striker
• Magpies digging their heels in

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Al-Hilal are eyeing Isak to strengthen their attack this summer. The Saudi team are said to be considering a 'massive offer' to convince the Sweden international and Newcastle to part ways with the prolific striker.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This comes shortly after Newcastle told Liverpool that Isak was not for sale, despite the Reds preparing to offer a British-record £130 million ($175m). As a result, it seems Al-Hilal will not find it easy to secure the 25-year-old's signature, despite the financial resources at their disposal.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Isak scored 27 goals for Newcastle last season as they won the Carabao Cup, to end their 70-year wait for a major trophy, and qualified for the Champions League. And the Swede, who still has three years left on his contract, was a vital component of that success.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  It remains to be seen if other teams will try and lodge a bid for former Real Sociedad attacker Isak, with Eddie Howe's Newcastle seemingly intent on holding onto their prized asset ahead of next season.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betobet： O Palmeiras ainda tem até quarta-feira (2) para se reforçar nesta janela de transferências, algo muito improvável de acontecer. No entanto, já é possível dizer que se trata do clube de Série A que menos se movimentou no mercado nesta temporada. Se nada extraordinário acontecer nestes próximos dias, o Verdão fechará 2023 como o time da elite que menos contratou jogadores.

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da brdice： + Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Até o momento, as únicas contratações do Alviverde neste ano são Artur, comprado junto ao Bragantino, e Richard Ríos, que veio do Guarani. Ambos chegaram após o Paulistão, uma vez que o clube também não se movimentou antes do início da temporada, como é comum em qualquer agremiação do mundo. Pelo atacante, a transação foi de 8 milhões de euros (R$ 45 milhões na cotação da época), já pelo volante a quantia paga foi de R$ 6 milhões.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

Na comparação com os outros clubes de Série A, quem mais se aproxima dos números palmeirenses são Corinthians e Flamengo, cada um com cinco contratações. O Fla trouxe Gerson, Varela, Rossi, Luiz Araújo e Allan, enquanto o Corinthians trouxe Romero, Barletta, Matheus Bidu, Matías Rojas e Lucas Veríssimo. Com exceção desses e do Atlético-MG (9), todos os outros times da elite se reforçaram com dez ou mais atletas.

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Cruzeiro, Coritiba, Goiás, Vasco, Bahia e Cuiabá já passaram das 20 contratações na temporada. Vale destacar que três desses clubes subiram neste ano para a Série A do Brasileirão e o processo de reformulação dos elencos sempre exige um volume maior de reforços.

+ ANÁLISE: Palmeiras faz o ‘básico’, volta a ser eficiente e mostra que pode seguir forte

Para a janela deste meio de ano, o Verdão também não conseguiu se reforçar. Assim como no início da temporada, o alvo era um “camisa 5” para suprir a saída de Danilo, vendido ao Nottingham Forest-ING. Acontece que o clube acumulou fracassos na busca por essa peça. Nomes como Matheus Henrique, do Sassuolo-ITA, Jean Lucas, do Monaco-FRA (hoje no Santos), Walace, da Udinese-ITA, foram alvos, mas não houve acordo.

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Mais recentemente foi a vez de Aníbal Moreno, do Racing-ARG, que se tornou o principal desejo da comissão técnica para esta janela. O clube chegou “ao limite” pelo jogador, mas os argentino não abriram mão do que queriam e mais uma vez o Palmeiras ficou a ver navios.

Sem sucesso nessa tratativa, o Alviverde não deve mais fazer movimentos no mercado até o dia 2 de agosto (quarta-feira). A tendência é que o foco seja na janela do início de 2024, quando também o clube precisará se preparar para possível saídas do elenco, algumas das quais foram evitadas neste meio de ano.

The ground-staff used electric fans and even tried a grass transplant but the outfield remained unfit for play

Ekanth10-Sep-2024The second day of the only Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand in Greater Noida suffered the same miserable fate as the first due to rain, albeit not during hours of play, and the quality of the outfield.The toss was scheduled half an hour earlier at 9am, to make up for day one being abandoned, but at 8.55 am came the announcement that conditions were unfit for play and that there would be an inspection at 12pm.The message on the broadcast at 9.10am was that “a thunderous overnight downpour last evening from 6pm, for 90 minutes, at one stage left the outfield completely and utterly flooded.” The moisture underfoot remained a major concern and there was little hope the ground would be fit for play by noon.Related

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The ground staff used electric fans to try and dry a few wet patches on the outfield. They cut out blocks of dry grass the practice nets and transplanted them on a damp region in the 30-yard circle. Despite the sun baking down, the ground wasn’t ready at noon and another inspection was planned for 3pm.New Zealand’s players arrived at the ground around 12:25pm, and a practice net was installed next to the main pitch so that they could practice. The spinners Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santer began to bowl first and were soon joined by the fast bowlers, while Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell had a hit. The Afghanistan players, on the other hand, did not arrive at the venue.Play was called off on the second day at 2.55 pm, with the toss yet to take place.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s girls came up short in the big final at the MCG, but there’s plenty to look forward to from them in the future

Srinivas S18-Mar-2020Dear Indian women’s cricket team,The 2020 women’s T20 World Cup has been a dream, and like many dreams do, yours ended in a nightmarish final against the best team in the format. There is no shame in that.Your captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, she of the sweet timing and monstrous sixes, which were missing during the tournament, has said that the everyone in the team need to continue to believe in themselves and that she believes in the team. This is a cliché that is regularly spouted by losing captains, but those words from Kaur sounded like the ones that come from a true leader. And we believe in the team too — among the ‘we’, many thousands of fans who, I suspect, started following women’s cricket only in the last few years. I am one of those fans, but I now see in the Indian women’s cricket team the Indian team. Whether it was the capitulation of Virat Kohli’s men in the recent Tests in New Zealand, or the comprehensive defeat suffered by Kaur’s women against Australia in front of more than 86000 spectators — they hurt equally. Victory in each case would have been equally sweet.An admission: the first women’s cricket match that I watched fully was the 2017 World Cup final at Lord’s between India and England, a riveting contest of punches and counterpunches in which you, India, should have prevailed. The heartbreak I felt after the match, I realised, was as intense as the prayers that had preceded it. I even wrote a long piece a few days after the final, recounting the important moments in the contest and my own responses to them, to get the emotion out of my system. While writing the piece, I realised two things: there were two Indian cricket teams, not one; and there was precious little I knew about one of those teams. I also wondered how much hurt you must be experiencing, having gone so far, despite few opportunities (at least compared to men), only to fall short.Two-and-a-half years on, there is still so much that I do not know about you (or women cricketers in general), but I read a lot more. The profile that did in November 2018 on your captain, Kaur, was, for example, the first long biographical piece that I read about a female cricketer: it offered rich insights into the socio-cultural fabric and the support system that have made her the cricketer she is today. Shortly afterwards, there was an interview with your vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, which also appeared on . Apart from these focused articles on high-profile individuals, there is a lot more coverage of women’s cricket in general. Even the Indian film industry has caught on to the trend, with the 2018 Tamil film highlighting the meteoric rise of a female cricketer (played by actor Aishwarya Rajesh) from an obscure sun-beaten village in Tamil Nadu.Sportswomen cannot thrive in a vacuum anymore than sportsmen can, which is why I am glad that your performances are receiving a lot more attention than they used to. We now know, thanks to the media, that Poonam Yadav, your talismanic legspinner, had a great T20 World Cup. If the tournament had not been televised, however, not many would have been able to witness Yadav’s slow magic that deceived the best in the air. Moreover, if writers had not thought it worth their while to write about Yadav’s craft, it would not have got the critical attention and acclaim that it has now received.There are many important systematic issues that remain to be addressed of course, among them a proper cricket calendar for you and (following the example of Australia) equal pay. The cricket climate is also crying out for a Women’s IPL. The fact that someone like Sunil Gavaskar has thrown his weight behind the idea is proof of that (in case one was required). You also need and deserve long-term coaches and support staff as well as a more streamlined domestic system, which would act as a natural feeder to the national team.It is difficult, perhaps even absurd, to imagine that the aforementioned changes will happen overnight. The hope though is that the changes will happen soon, revealing a clearer trajectory towards excellence for Indian girls who wish to take up cricket. In the meantime, fans like me will continue to believe in your team. We believe that your first global trophy is not too far away.Yours sincerely,
Srinivas S
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Two contrasting T20 innings were played on the two sides of the border on Thursday evening. One where the ball seemed to hit the sweet spot of the bat virtually each time. The other where the ball didn’t seem to find the middle of the bat at all.In Delhi, in an IPL game between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, T20 batting records were smashed. In Rawalpindi, New Zealand folded for 90, which was 42 fewer than what Sunrisers hit in just sixes. The ball stopped or gripped or turned off the pitch in Rawalpindi, as Pakistan’s quick bowlers and spinners feasted on a bowler-friendly pitch. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had started the party for Pakistan, finished with 3 for 13. Two wickets each went to comeback man Mohammad Amir, first-timer Abrar Ahmed, and Shadab Khan.Mohammad Rizwan then led Pakistan’s chase with 45 not out in 34 balls, and brushed New Zealand aside with 47 balls and seven wickets to spare.

Shaheen and Amir have a party

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. They had the perfect mix of bowlers – having Afridi and Amir bowling in tandem can do that. As if that was not enough, there was a fantastic piece of fielding to get them going. Shadab, placed at backward point, dived low to his right to pouch Tim Seifert in the third over for Pakistan’s first wicket. Afridi had slowed his pace down, and Seifert, in an attempt to flick, lost his bottom hand and got a leading edge. Shadab did the rest.That was just the start.Next over, Amir, who was bowling for Pakistan for the first time since August 2020, repeated the trick. He took pace off to fox Tim Robinson, who ended up spooning the ball to short cover off the toe-end of the bat. A duck on debut two days back. Just 4 in his second game.Dean Foxcroft and Mark Chapman briefly calmed things down with a pulled six and a clipped four, respectively. But Amir prevented New Zealand from gaining any momentum when he had Foxcroft lofting to mid-off for 13. New Zealand ended the powerplay at 35 for 3, and never recovered from the early blows.Abrar Ahmed picked up two wickets in one over•Associated Press

Pace off, and spin’s in for Pakistan

Sensing the slowness of the surface, Babar Azam introduced spin immediately after the powerplay. He bowled Shadab, Abrar and part-time offspinner Iftikhar Ahmed for seven overs in a row. That period gave Pakistan three wickets, and New Zealand managed only 34 runs.While Abrar had started with a flat trajectory, he noticed Iftikhar slow it down and toss it up, and followed the lead. Chapman found fine leg with his attempted sweep to start the ninth over.Two balls later, James Neesham kept waiting for a 73kph delivery to arrive, it almost didn’t, and when it did, Neesham swung but found midwicket.Not to be left behind, Shadab varied his pace to go a lot quicker to Michael Bracewell to start the 12th over. Bracewell reverse swept, but the length wasn’t full enough. He found short third, as 49 for 3 became 59 for 6.Amid all that, what brought about giggles on the Pakistani faces was Ish Sodhi’s wicket.Shadab bowled really short on leg while slowing it down, and Sodhi was already through with his bat swing before the ball got to him. It turned a bit and hit him on his thigh pad. Pakistan appealed and umpire Aleem Dar turned it down. But Babar reviewed and got it overturned, leaving even the umpire with a wry smile.Mohammad Rizwan finished with an unbeaten 45•AFP/Getty Images

Rizwan takes Pakistan home

The leading edge made its way into Pakistan’s innings as early as the second ball when Saim Ayub, looking to turn Ben Lister off his hips, ended up sending a return catch.But Babar and Rizwan ensured Pakistan didn’t lose their way. Rizwan drove Lister first ball for four, while Babar punched Jacob Duffy to the off-side boundary soon after.Only 14 came off the first three overs, before both batters attacked Ben Sears. Rizwan pulled and drove him for six and four respectively, and Babar flicked him for four too.But Babar was stumped off Bracewell when he tried to be too ambitious and came down the track to his counterpart.The target wasn’t really enough to test Pakistan, though, and Rizwan ticked away steadily at one end, even as he lost Usman Khan for 7. Irfan Khan joined Rizwan, who pushed the ball around before ending the game with a slog sweep for four to deep midwicket.The result gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with the next game again in Rawalpindi on Sunday evening.