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The no-ball that reprieved Andre Russell ended up costing Kings XI Punjab 29 runs, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index

ESPNcricinfo stats team27-Mar-2019When Andre Russell got a second chance after being bowled off a no-ball from Mohammed Shami in the 17th over, you could sense that it would be a key event in the innings. On 3 off 5 balls at that stage, Russell went on to bludgeon 45 from the next 12 deliveries to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to 218.ESPNcricinfo LtdAccording to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index, which puts a quantitative value on every lucky event in a game, Russell’s reprieve helped Knight Riders score an extra 29 runs. This is calculated after taking into account the runs that the other batsmen, coming in after Russell, would have been expected to score off those 12 extra balls that Russell was lucky to face.Given that the final margin of result was only 28 runs, it could be argued that the no-ball actually cost Kings XI the match (though it’s true that both teams would have approached the second innings differently had the target been 190 instead of 219).Twenty-three of Russell’s 45 runs came off five balls from Shami, who will now surely pay extra attention to fielders inside the ring, given that the no-ball was called as Kings XI only had three inside the circle for that delivery.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe 29 extra runs that Knight Riders scored makes this the luckiest event of IPL 2019. Keep watching these pages as ESPNcricinfo tracks the luckiest and unluckiest players and teams throughout IPL 2019.

Mikel Arteta opted to play what was effectively a b side for Arsenal’s Champions League second-leg game against PSV Eindhoven and got the sort of result and performance you’d expect from such a decision.

The Gunners were already 7-1 up on aggregate going into the match and all but through the quarter-finals, so it would be hard to describe the display as all that surprising.

The 2-2 scoreline was probably just about a fair enough reflection of the encounter, as both sides had chances to claim victory.

Moreover, while some squad players made a good account of themselves, like Raheem Sterling, others probably played themselves out of the lineup for Sunday.

Sterling's performance vs PSV

It’s no secret that this season has been something of a disaster for Sterling, and so going into last night, it was potentially the last chance he’d had to show Arteta that he still has something about him, and while the circumstances made it a bit of a nothing match, that’s what he did.

For what felt like the first time in months, if not the entire campaign, the Chelsea loanee looked full of life, and even though it didn’t pay off every time, he was trying to make things happen whenever he got the ball.

The Kingston-born star provided the assists for both goals and could have scored two of his own thanks to a well-timed run in the first half that left him one-on-one with the keeper and then a determined drive late in the second half that saw his close-range effort saved by the keeper once again.

The 30-year-old left an impression on GOAL’s Sean Walsh, who awarded him an 8/10 at full-time, writing that he worked ‘extremely hard’ for his two assists.

On top of the praise from the press, the experienced dynamo’s statistics also make for great reading, as in 94 minutes of action he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.80, provided two assists, took two shots on target, played three key passes, created one big chance, took 47 touches and made one interception.

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.57

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.23

Assists

2

Shots on Target

2

Touches

47

Key Passes

3

Big Chances Created

1

Interceptions

1

Overall, while Sterling almost certainly won’t feature in the lineup at the weekend, that won’t be because of his display last night, which might not be the case for one of his teammates.

The Arsenal starter who's played themselves out the team

Unfortunately, while the game wasn’t all that bad, and the result was ultimately meaningless, a few starters likely played themselves out of contention to start on the weekend.

One of those players was Jorginho, who had an uncharacteristically poor night in the middle of the park for the hosts.

The Italian ace was entirely ineffective in attack and utterly hopeless when it came to the more important defensive side of his game, switching off and losing his runner for Ivan Perišić’s goal and then losing the ball entirely for Couhaib Driouech’s impressive lob.

Unsurprisingly, Sean Walsh was equally unimpressed with the former Chelsea man, awarding him just a 3/10 on the night, a rating more than validated by his statistics.

In 94 minutes of football, the 33-year-old amassed an expected assists figure of just 0.04, completed just 86% of his passes, made no key passes, failed to take a single shot, failed 100% of his dribbles, lost 100% of his ground duels, lost the ball 11 times, committed one foul and made one mistake that led directly to a goal.

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.00

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.04

Assists

0

Shots

0

Passing Accuracy

48/56 (86%)

Key Passes

0

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (0)

Ground Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Lost Possession

11

Fouls

1

Errors Leading to a Goal

1

Ultimately, while Sterling put in arguably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt last night, Jorginho put in one of his worst in some time, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t start a game again for a while.

Berta's new Griezmann: Arsenal favourites to sign £62m Premier League star

Andrea Berta has found his dream first target as Arsenal’s new sporting director.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 12, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

da dobrowin： O Ipatinga lutou muito no Campeonato Mineiro desta temporada e, comandado pelo técnico Waguinho Dias, conseguiu cumprir o principal objetivo traçado pela diretoria do clube: garantir a permanência na elite do estadual.

Waguinho Dias chegou ao clube com a missão bem definida e para isso contou com uma série de fatores que ajudaram na conclusão da tarefa, o treinador comentou sobre o objetivo alcançado.

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da cassino online： – Cheguei ao Ipatinga com a missão de garantir a permanência e consegui. Contei com o auxilio de uma estrutura funcional, salários em dias e trabalho e empenho de pessoas e atletas imbuídas em um mesmo propósito, aí não tem como dar errado – afirmou.

Waguinho é multi-campeão e dono de acessos por onde passa, caso do Guarani, Brusque – onde conquistou o título do Campeonato Brasileiro da Série D e o último título Catarinense da equipe -, Tubarão, Marcílio Dias, e o objetivo conquistado pelo Ipatinga também entrará no hall de sucesso da carreira do treinador.

– Sabemos que não é uma conquista a nível de título ou acesso, mas para quem vive o Ipatinga é, com certeza, um grande fato a se comemorar, só nós sabemos o quanto essa permanência ajuda o clube em seu projeto esportivo – explicou o treinador.

Waguinho Dias deve deixar o comando do Ipatinga e retorna a Sumaré, sua cidade natal. Sondado por alguns clubes de Série B, C e D, o treinador deve, em breve, anunciar seunovodestino.

He has started to build up the bowling loads, which raises hopes of a swift return after he dislocated his thumb during the series against England

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Oct-2023Tim Southee’s dislocated thumb is still tender and scarred but he has begun bowling and has started to build up his bowling loads, which raises hopes of a swift return at the World Cup. Southee had dislocated his thumb during an ODI against England on September 15, and now has a plate and some screws in his hand to show for it.”It’s still a bit tender where obviously there’s a bit of scarring and a bit of numbness around where the plate is,” Southee said upon arrival in Ahmedabad, two days before New Zealand’s tournament opener against England. “So I guess it’s just [about] getting used to that. And getting back into some bowling. Haven’t done a lot of bowling over the last couple of weeks, so it’s about getting your loads back up as well as managing the thumb.”Related

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The outlook wasn’t always this optimistic. “It’s been a crazy couple of weeks,” Southee said. “A bit of a race against time to get here, but managed to get here and it’s a great place to come. It’s an awesome place to come and play cricket, let alone being a World Cup.”[The injury was] something new. Haven’t done an injury like this before. I guess when something like that happens so close to a world event, your mind starts to drift towards that. With the limited time we had, I guess sitting down and working out the fastest recovery time, and the route back was to chuck some screws in it and a plate and hope for the best. Everyone I’ve dealt with and the process has been brilliant to get me to this stage. So fingers crossed we can carry on the recovery process and be right in time.”The three World Cups that Southee has played have all been impressive for New Zealand. In 2011, they were the only non-Asian team in the semi-finals, in 2015 they made it to the final but lost, in 2019 they made it to the final, didn’t lose the match but lost the title on a boundary count back.As they hope they can go one step further, the core of the team – injured and bruising right at this moment – might even get a bit emotional looking back at the joys and heartbreak of these campaigns undertaken together. Kane Williamson and Trent Boult have lived the heartbreak of 2015 and 2019 with Southee alongside some sweet memories, including the inaugural World Test Championship final.”Obviously two very good mates and guys I’ve played a lot of cricket with. Not only for New Zealand, but going back through age-group cricket, domestically for Northern Districts as well,” Southee said. “So I think also two of our greatest, greatest players to have played the game. So it’s been a special, I guess 10-12…how many [ever] years it’s been, to play alongside those guys and see [them] grow from kids into two of New Zealand’s greats.”

New Zealand 254 (Blundell 68, Nicholls 49, Sodhi 35, Mahedi 3-45, Khaled 3-60) beat Bangladesh 168 (Mahmudullah 49, Tamim 44, Sodhi 6-39) by 86 runsIsh Sodhi had a field day in Mirpur with bat and ball to hand New Zealand a 86-run win. Somewhere in between all that he was run-out backing up too far at the non-striker’s end and recalled to resume his innings. It was his 35 off 39 balls that lifted the visitors from 187 for 7 to 254 just as it was his 6 for 39 that ripped through Bangladesh’s batting order.Sodhi was brought on in the ninth over of the chase, with Tamim Iqbal and Tanzid Hasan picking up 23 runs in the two previous overs and preparing a platform from which Bangladesh could launch. He struck twice in his second over, first enticing Tanzid into a big shot with a full, loopy legbreak that was miscued to mid-off and then having Soumya Sarkar caught and bowled off a leading edge.Towhid Hridoy’s attempt to rebuild the innings was undone by a Sodhi googly that took the inside edge onto the stumps. Tamim, who was the only set top-order batter, paddled a ball that spun big to the wicketkeeper. Sodhi started his first spell with the hosts on 42 for 1 in eight overs. And when it ended, Bangladesh were reeling at 93 for 5 in 19 overs while he was flying with 4 for 29 off six.Mahmudullah, who was playing his first ODI innings in six months, and Mahedi Hasan knuckled down to deny Jamieson, Rachin Ravindra, and Lockie Ferguson for just over ten overs. They even started to pick up a boundary every over after a 35-ball drought. And then, Sodhi came back, ripped out Mahedi’s middle stump with the first ball of his new spell to claim his first ODI five-for.A few quiet overs later, Mahmudullah pulled a rank long-hop, from Cole McConchie, straight to Finn Allen at short fine leg. Nasum Ahmed extended the innings with a 30-ball 21, bashing two sixes along the way, but Bangladesh could add just 19 runs for the last three wickets, which was where Sodhi made a difference with the bat earlier in the day.Sodhi was on 5 off 13, and New Zealand were 187 for 7, when Jamieson joined him in the 39th over. They saw off the better part of three overs before Sodhi heaved a length ball from Nasum over long-on. Jamieson picked up a couple of boundaries himself before being caught and bowled by Mahedi.Then came the most talked about moment of this innings. Three balls into the 46th over, with New Zealand on 224 for 8, Hasan Mahmud ran Sodhi out for backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. Sodhi was walking off, wearing nothing but a smile on his face, which suggests that some players are starting to get used to this form of dismissal. But, a few seconds later, the Bangladesh stand-in captain Litton Das chose to withdraw the appeal and invited Sodhi back to resume his innings. Sodhi returned, wearing an even bigger smile on his face, hugged the bowler Mahmud and ushered New Zealand to a total of 254. He was on 17 off 26 when he was run out and recalled and went on to make 35 off 39 with three sixes. New Zealand added 67 runs for the last three wickets.At the start of the day, New Zealand chose to bat after winning the toss and were in trouble at 36 for 3. Mustafizur Rahman turned on his fizz mode with the new ball, extracting sharp bounce to nick off Will Young for an eight-ball duck. Mahmud found swing to trouble batters regularly. Allen had picked up fours off the first balls of the first two overs but he couldn’t keep the trend going. He fell at the start of the seventh over, when he flashed at a full ball from Mustafizur to Sarkar at first slip.For the second time in two ODIs, Henry Nicholls found himself having to repair the New Zealand innings, a job made easier by the new ball losing some spite and Tom Blundell’s thirst for a fight. The duo passed the challenges put forth by Mahmud and the debutant Khaled Ahmed by seeing off the good balls and punishing the ones that were short, wide or overpitched. It was just what New Zealand needed after they couldn’t score off 45 of the first 60 deliveries they faced.Blundell brought up fifty at the end of the 26th over but two balls later, Khaled got some extra bounce and subtle seam movement away to nick off Nicholls for 49. Their 95-run partnership had staged a recovery but Mahedi and Nasum led New Zealand into their second slump in the innings. With close to 12 overs to go and seven wickets down, it looked like the visitors would struggle to get to the finish line, but Sodhi and Co took what they were given and ran away with the game.

Pat Cummins has indicated he may not captain Australia in every one-day international leading into the World Cup in India later this year.For the multi-format players involved in the Ashes there will be a three-week break after the final Test, but it won’t be long before attention shifts to white-ball cricket.A T20I and ODI tour of South Africa begins in late August, for which the squad is expected to be announced shortly after the final Test in England, with three one-dayers in India following off the back of that then straight into the World Cup.Related

• Hayden banks on 'wingman' Smith to aid Cummins at the World Cup

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Cummins was appointed ODI captain last October following the retirement of Aaron Finch. Since then Australia have only had six matches in the format, but Cummins has played just two of them. Josh Hazlewood stood in as captain for one game against England then Steven Smith did so for the series in India when Cummins was absent following the death of his mother.With Cummins having a poor game at Old Trafford, as a bowler and a captain, questions have been raised about whether the workload is manageable, but he is comfortable about how the role will pan out over the next few months as the focus shifts formats.”I know the selectors have been really clear that I’m a bowler first in that team,” he said. “So if we need to manage some of those games leading into the World Cup that takes precedence over the continuity of being captain every single game.”We’ll manage that, but there’s a great team around us of players and staff so while I’m the captain and it’s a bigger workload it’s manageable.”It was an outlook flagged by national selector George Bailey when Cummins was named captain. “In our one-day team, we do feel like we’ve got some strong leaders, some really experienced members of the team, and some developing leaders,” Bailey said. “So regardless of Pat being there, I think we are moving away from this concept of a captain taking over and their leadership being all-encompassing.”It is expected that Cummins’ ODI captaincy stint will only continue until the end of the World Cup with a potential that the selectors will look to unify the white-ball leadership under one person.There has yet to be a successor named for Finch as T20 captain and it is possible that whoever leads the side for the three matches against South Africa is only an interim appointment before a permanent structure is put in place later in the year to lead into the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA.Meanwhile, in Test cricket Cummins is approaching the two-year point of his captaincy and when he was announced in late 2021 he indicated he may not keep the role for as long as some. However, if he continues for another couple of years at least, it will likely coincide with the start of the regeneration of the side as senior players begin to retire with the chance a significant number could depart in swift succession.David Warner has given his departure date early next year, but Cummins is in no rush to hasten others to the finishing line although is confident that replacements will be readily available when needed.”I certainly don’t want to rush anyone out the door,” he said. “I think this is about the fourth Ashes series where Jimmy Anderson says it’s going to be his last one. You never know. It’s just an age. Some of these guys might be around here in four years, and still at the top level. We’ll see.”It’s always a conversation. In cricket, we’re lucky you’ve got white-ball cricket where you can kind of have a soft entry for a lot of the guys, give them exposure to international cricket. It’s something the selectors talk about, but really you try and pick your best XI each week.”A replacement for Warner will be the first significant order of business for the series against West Indies in mid-January unless the selectors decide to draw a line ahead of the three Tests against Pakistan starting in December.Marcus Harris could be first in line having been the spare batter throughout the last Australia home summer and this Ashes tour, although Warner gave a strong endorsement to Matt Renshaw.”I’ve always said Matt Renshaw is a very good player,” Warner said. “He can play both formats quite easily. He’s tall. He’s exactly like Haydos [Matt Hayden]. We spoke about him in the early part of his career.”I’ve always felt and held him in high regard as a very good player. He’s worked on his technique. He’s been in and out of the squads, and I think he’ll be a great replacement.”

All the stats and records from West Indies’ forgettable night in Dubai.

Sampath Bandarupalli23-Oct-202155 West Indies’ total against England is the third-lowest for any side in the men’s T20 World Cup. Netherlands recorded the top-two lowest totals – 39 all out in 2014 and 44 all out on Friday, both against Sri Lanka. West Indies did not have a sub-100 total at the men’s T20 World Cup before this game.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 The 55 all-out score is the second-lowest T20I total ever by West Indies. Their lowest was 45 all out, also coming against England, in 2019. West Indies have made consecutive T20I totals of 55, 71 and 45 against England, the top three lowest T20I totals against England.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 England have beaten West Indies for the first time at the men’s T20 World Cup. West Indies were victorious in their previous five meetings, including twice in the 2016 edition.

Watch the T20 World Cup on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch the Men’s T20 World Cup live in the US. Match highlights of England vs West Indies is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

4 for 2 Adil Rashid’s bowling figures during West Indies’ innings, the best in men’s T20Is for England. The previous best was 4 for 6 by Chris Jordan, also against West Indies, in 2019. Only one player before Adil had a four-wicket haul for England at the men’s T20 World Cup – 4 for 28 by Jordan against Sri Lanka in 2016.ESPNcricinfo Ltd70 Balls to spare when England reached the target of 56 runs, the first time England won a T20I with ten or more overs to spare. It is also the first time West Indies lost by such a margin. England chased a target of 72 against West Indies in 2019 with 57 balls to spare, the previous biggest T20I win in terms of balls to spare for England, also the biggest defeat for West Indies previously.2 Runs conceded by Adil Rashid for his four wickets against West Indies, the cheapest four-wicket haul in men’s T20I cricket. Steve Tikolo also took four wickets for two runs, in 1.2 overs against Scotland in 2013.2 West Indies’ 55 all out is also the second-lowest T20 total ever recorded in the UAE, behind Netherlands’ 44 all out on Friday against Sri Lanka in Sharjah. The previous lowest T20 total in Dubai was 59 all out by Lahore Qalandars against Peshawar Zalmi in 2017.

Wicketkeeper insists team will continue to ‘inspire and entertain’ despite insipid Ashes showing

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2025Amy Jones has insisted there’s still a “lot of love” for Alex Hartley within the England Women’s squad, as she sought to play down the row over Hartley’s claims that she has been “given the cold shoulder” by certain players during her duties as an Ashes broadcaster.England go into Thursday’s second T20I in Canberra needing nothing less than a win to maintain their hopes of salvaging a drawn series after four consecutive losses. But their on-field struggles have been overshadowed by the team’s alleged response to Hartley’s criticism of their fitness levels, which began with their T20 World Cup exit in October.Speaking on a BBC podcast on Monday, after Australia’s 57-run win had confirmed that they will maintain their decade-long hold on the Ashes, Hartley claimed that Sophie Ecclestone had refused to do a TV interview with her, and that other members of the squad were no longer talking to her on the boundary edge.”The reason I said that they were not as fit as Australia is because I want them to compete with Australia,” Hartley had added. “I want them to be better than Australia, and I want them to win Ashes and World Cups. I’m giving my opinion, and I’ve been given the cold shoulder from the England team ever since.”Replying to the row, Jones acknowledged that the squad had fallen well short of its own expectations during the Ashes, but denied that the players had taken Hartley’s comments personally.”I don’t think it is the case,” Jones said. “I think we all respect that commentators have their own opinions and it’s Alex’s job to say how she feels. And I think we all respect that. Hartley’s a great personality, and we have a lot of love for her within the group. So, I definitely don’t think that’s the case.”Jones herself has been a qualified success in a misfiring batting line-up, making three 30-plus scores in four innings to date, including an unbeaten 47 in a low-scoring ODI in Melbourne.Related

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However, England’s missed opportunities in this series were epitomised by Jones’ glaring lack of game awareness at the culmination of that Melbourne innings, when she failed to run on a free hit that could have kept her on strike going into the penultimate over of the innings. No.11 Lauren Bell was bowled one ball later to condemn England to a 21-run loss.”That one in particular was hard to take, for many reasons,” Jones said. “I felt emotionally drained afterwards [because], with the obvious mistake at the end, you definitely feel responsible for the loss. But the support from all the girls and the staff emphasised that long games don’t often come down to one specific moment, so I guess that definitely helped.”I’ve obviously made contributions along the way, but as a player, you definitely judge yourself on matchwinning contributions. I’ve been lucky to be in a position where I could have really helped influence a few of those games, especially in the ODIs, and I’m disappointed not to be able to get the team over the line. There’s a lot of learnings in there.”Alex Hartley claims she has been given the ‘cold shoulder’ by England players•Getty Images

Even with the series all but lost, Jones says that the squad will be sticking to the same mantras and methods that have been in place since the start of Jon Lewis’ tenure as head coach, in particular their desire to “inspire and entertain” – traits that have arguably been in scarce supply in a dispiriting campaign.”We’re still working hard at training and in team meetings to try and put our best foot forward,” Jones said. “We’ll be very excited to come out play tomorrow, and hopefully get some points on the board.”There was a bit of reconnection after the second ODI about how we want to play, making sure we’re still trying to inspire and entertain,” she added. “That’s worked really well for us in the past, and it’s something that all of us connect to really well.”It brings out more of a fearless playing style, which suits us. I think we’ve lifted a bit away from that, and so reconnecting to that is important for us. We play our best when we take the game on, put their bowlers under pressure with the bat, and have a wicket-taking mindset with the ball. In the field, it’s around energy and enjoyment. When all those things come together, we’re obviously a very good side.”

Liverpool did a great job of fending off competition from rivals to win the Premier League title last term and could now look to repeat the trick on the transfer market.

Liverpool chase more arrivals after Florian Wirtz confirmation

Arne Slot has brought success since arriving at Anfield and looks to have made ann early play in the transfer market as his side aim to stay at the top of the English pyramid.

Jeremie Frimpong has already arrived and Florian Wirtz is set to soon officially become a Liverpool player once the formalities from his move are ticked off, so who could be next on the summer conveyor belt?

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez could be next in line at Anfield, claiming his trademark ‘Here We Go’ statement is imminent regarding the Hungary international.

He stated: “I maintain my position, Milos Kerkez will be a Liverpool player. In this case, there are some small details to clarify with Bournemouth, but I maintain my position. I see Milos Kerkez going to Liverpool this summer.

“Then they still have to close these details. This is why, in this case, there is still no here we go, but it’s coming. I have told you several times, here we go soon. Here we go, it’s coming.”

Huijsen 2.0: Liverpool holding final talks to sign "revelation" after Wirtz

Liverpool’s hectic start to the summer transfer window only looks set to continue – and we aren’t even halfway through June

1 ByRobbie Walls Jun 12, 2025

Not resting on their laurels, Liverpool appear to have several priority positions ready to strengthen and money is expected to be spent in the pursuit of further silverware.

Achieving a steady stream of success both domestically and in Europe will be difficult, but the Reds now have a top defender lined up to further their chances of staying at the summit.

Liverpool ready to beat competition to sign Goncalo Inacio

According to A Bola, Liverpool are ready to move for Sporting Clube de Portugal defender Goncalo Inacio, even if Manchester United ad Newcastle United will provide stiff competition for his signature.

Labelled “complete” by scout Jacek Kulig, it is mooted that he will cost in excess of £51 million. However, the reigning Portuguese champions may be willing to sell the Portugal international for less despite his recent part in Portugal’s UEFA Nations League triumph.

Five similar players to Goncalo Inacio (FBRef)

Olivier Boscagli

PSV Eindhoven

Leo Ortiz

Flamengo

Ryan Flamingo

PSV Eindhoven

Nehuen Perez

Porto

David Hancko

Feyenoord

Enjoying a superb campaign, Inacio registered an impressive six goals and three assists in 42 appearances across all competitions last term featuring for the most part in central defence.

Ibrahima Konate has yet to sign a new deal at Liverpool and could be available to sign a pre-contract elsewhere in January, paving the way for the Reds to court potential replacements.

Liverpool have shown already this window that they have an elite talent radar, and Inacio arriving at the club would certainly fit the bill as another striking addition.

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