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The cricket world reacts to the news of Rod Marsh’s death

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2022

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With a crucial series against Sri Lanka starting this week, Mominul Haque’s men have some big questions to answer

Mohammad Isam09-May-2022Was Mount Maunganui definitive proof of how good Bangladesh can be, or was it a fluke?That wonderful win five months ago is hard to forget. It is evidence of their progress, of believing in the fact that they can win abroad, that too against the world Test champions. The dismal showing against spin in South Africa last month, on the back of their maiden ODI series victory there, has brought down the house on them. There is confusion and concern.Bangladesh are caught between wanting to back their pace attack, which has done very well for them recently, and trusting spin, which has given them mixed results even at home. Injuries to Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam mean that Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed have to step up again, but that isn’t a problem. Both fast bowlers have shown a lot of improvement.What is really alarming is the indecisiveness in their batting. Defend or attack? Which is right? Which is better? How Bangladesh answer that question may well determine how this series against Sri Lanka goes. Fortunately, the first Test is in Chattogram, considered the country’s best batting pitch.

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Bangladesh’s yo-yoing from the high of New Zealand and the low of South Africa isn’t just a case of one step forward, two steps back. The tentativeness in their game is actually understandable when you consider the sheer level of scrutiny they are under. With a passionate fan following, attentive media and an intrusive cricket board to deal with, they don’t have the luxury of getting away with .This team is now preparing for its most important Test series this year. They are playing Sri Lanka, whom they consider equals in Test cricket, in a home series. Recent results however suggest Bangladesh still have some ground to make up.In the two previous Test series in 2018 and 2021, they capitulated to spin after Sri Lanka’s patient batting softened them. South Africa used a similar formula in the two Tests last month, which came as a surprise to Bangladesh who were expecting a trial by pace instead of spin.Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer broke all kinds of records when they took 29 wickets between themselves. Bangladesh were bowled out for 53 and 80 in two embarrassing fourth innings performances, especially when you consider the amount of left-arm spin they face almost every day at home.

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Taskin Ahmed has come on in leaps and bounds thanks to the work he put in during the pandemic•AFP/Getty ImagesThis is the same side (considerably weaker on paper) that won in New Zealand, arguably the toughest place to tour in recent times. Bangladesh showed surprising amounts of patience with bat and ball, exploited the conditions better and applied an extra skill, reverse swing, to tilt the game at a crucial juncture.People might still say it was a fluke. After all, one of the lowest-ranked Test teams beat the top-ranked one in their backyard. Plus, there’s Bangladesh’s record in New Zealand. And their subsequent results.

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But was it really a fluke? Over the course of five full days, Bangladesh displayed concentration, patience and the very best of their skills. Methodically they managed to out-bowl, out-bat and out-catch New Zealand, despite being without Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Mominul Haque, Litton Das and Yasir Ali batted out of their skins in a rare display of experience and youth coming together. Mehidy Hasan Miraz chipped in with tight spells and late runs. Taskin , Ebadot and Shoriful were the bowling architects, and arguably the main match-winners.Bangladesh’s fast bowling has come a long way in a short time. As recently as September 2019, they went into a Test with Soumya Sarkar as their lone seamer. But now, Taskin has come on in leaps and bounds. Shoriful is a breath of fresh air. And Ebadot, well he became the first Bangladesh pacer in nine years to take a Test five-for.Despite injury concerns, Taskin and Shoriful continued to bowl well in South Africa, while Ebadot kept getting better at keeping the runs down. Mehidy too has grown as a cricketer in these five months, but there ends Bangladesh’s individual improvement.

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The batting is unsettled. Concern begins at the top as captain Mominul’s struggle for runs continues into a third Test series. There doesn’t seem to be any specific technical errors but he has had huge trouble getting starts, having got out for single-digits nine times in the last 12 innings.Bangladesh have tried six openers in these six Tests, with only Joy scoring more than 200 runs. Shadman Islam has been woeful in his five appearances, eventually losing his place when Tamim returned to the Test side in South Africa.Only Litton has really stood out among all the batters, scoring 501 runs at an average of 45.54, with two hundreds and two fifties. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim and Yasir have averaged in the twenties, while Mominul lurks at 15.The return of Tamim and Shakib against Sri Lanka will boost the batting line-up but Bangladesh are looking for more than that. They want to build a Test team that can stand up on its own, with the likes of Litton, Joy, Yasir, Mehidy and Taskin at the forefront. Tamim, Shakib and Mushfiqur won’t be around forever. It’s time for the next generation to take the lead.

They are back down under for the first time in seven years and playing a bilateral series after nearly 20

Andrew McGlashan24-Aug-20221992: World CupZimbabwe first came to Australian shores in 1992 for the World Cup hosted on both sides of the Tasman. Their meeting with Australia was a comprehensive 128-run win for the hosts in which the Waugh brothers and Dean Jones scored half-centuries but they were not without their moments elsewhere, most famously beating England in their final game when Eddo Brandes skittled the top order.1994-95: B&H World SeriesTwo years later Zimbabwe returned as part of the quadrangular World Series played among that season’s Ashes series and which controversially included Australia A. They gave Australia a bit of a scare in the opening match when an injured Mark Waugh had to come out with a runner to get them over the line in a small chase after a flurry of late wickets for Grant Flower. Their second match against Australia was a much more comfortable win for the home side in which Stuart Law made his one international century. They were twice turned over by Australia A as well (matches that weren’t classed as ODIs) but again they beat England. In Sydney, Grant Flower carried his bat for an unbeaten 84 then legspinner Paul Strang removed Graham Gooch and Graham Thorpe in his first over as Zimbabwe defended 205.Heath Streak had a day to remember at the SCG in early 2001•Getty Images2000-01: Carlton SeriesZimbabwe’s appearance in this tri-series was not as forlorn as the scoreline would suggest. They nearly sneaked their opening match against West Indies but were denied by Ricardo Powell. However, they managed to win the next meeting between the teams in a remarkable match at the SCG where they defended just 138. Captain Heath Streak, who had already top-scored with 45, took 4 for 8 and Bryan Strang 3 for 15 as West Indies sank to 31 for 8 before being bowled out for 91. Australia won their first three matches against them with relative ease, despite Alistair Campbell’s 124 in Hobart, but the final match at the WACA was different. Damien Martyn’s superb unbeaten 144 had piled up 302 for 5 then Stuart Carlisle responded with 119. It came down to needing 13 off the final over. Twice in the first three deliveries Doug Marillier scooped Glenn McGrath to leave 5 needed off three balls but they couldn’t quite get over the line.2003-04: Test seriesZimbabwe have met Australia in just three Test matches and two of them came in this series. It became famous for Matthew Hayden setting a new world-record score of 380 at the WACA (which would only stand for six months before Brian Lara took it again), in what were two victories by predictably hefty margins even though Australia were without McGrath (injury) and Shane Warne (suspension), with further injuries to Jason Gillespie and Stuart MacGill. Zimbabwe were more competitive in the second Test at the SCG where Carlisle made a first-innings century and Ray Price took six wickets. However, Ricky Ponting’s 169 helped ensure a lead before Simon Katich became a somewhat unlikely matchwinner with 6 for 65 after Brett Lee had joined the injury list.The one Test series Zimbabwe have played in Australia was dominated by Matthew Hayden•Hamish Blair/Getty Images2003-04 VB SeriesReturning a couple of months later for another tri-series, Zimbabwe left without a win on the board. They came close against India in Adelaide, where centuries from Carlisle (his third in Australia) and Sean Ervine were not quite enough. There might have been hope in their first match against Australia when they kept the hosts to 225 for 8 at the SCG, but the top order sank to 17 for 5 against Brad Williams.2015: World CupThey were taken for a massive 372 for 2 by West Indies in Canberra where Chris Gayle made 215 off 147 balls. Pakistan were struggling before Wahab Riaz turned things around and there was a controversial note to their defeat against Ireland when replays suggested John Mooney’s foot may have touched the rope when he caught Sean Williams for 96.

Rishabh Pant’s accident is a cause for concern, as is the lack of a credible back-up for Hardik Pandya

Sidharth Monga09-Jan-2023The top order – has Dhawan dropped out of contention?It is a little too late to drop someone you have invested in for the last three years, even making him the captain in the absence of the regular captain, but Shikhar Dhawan has made himself droppable. In the last couple of years, his returns have dipped, and it’s not like his replacement is going to debut at the World Cup: Shubman Gill has played 15 ODIs, Ishan Kishan ten.It will take extraordinary circumstances for Dhawan to return so close to the World Cup, but he remains an outside shot given his experience should both Gill and Kishan hit wretched form. At the moment, though, they have only strengthened their case with runs in New Zealand and Bangladesh. Kishan has even scored a double-century.ESPNcricinfo LtdOther top-order batters since the last ODI World Cup
Rohit Sharma
Innings: 18, Runs 745, Average 44, Strike Rate 96Made a comeback after injury during the ODI series in Bangladesh. It is important he gets a string of matches and some rhythm under his belt in the lead-up to the World Cup. Time for resting might be over.Ishan Kishan
Innings 6, Runs 401, Average 67, Strike Rate 127Brings the dynamism and left-handedness needed at the top of the order to capitalise on the powerplay. Was only an outside contender two series ago, but the injury to Rohit left a gap in the door for him, which he has burst open with the double-century.Shubman Gill
Innings 13, Runs 671, Average 67, Strike Rate 102Wasn’t a part of the squad in Bangladesh, but scored a 50 and 45 not out in New Zealand. Will definitely be part of the plans.Virat Kohli
Innings 27, Runs 1169, Average 45, Strike Rate 93Master of the format, scored a century in the shadow of Kishan’s double-century. ODIs also happen to be his best format.Middle order – the Pant situation is a worryRishabh Pant’s road accident means he may or may not be able to present a case for the World Cup in time. On the other hand, it will be heartening that Hardik Pandya is back.ESPNcricinfo LtdMiddle-order batters since the last ODI World Cup
KL Rahul
Innings 14, Runs 698, Average 58, Strike Rate 106Back to the middle order, where he has scored runs, after having been tried in other positions. Might also keep wicket if Kishan doesn’t play in the series against Sri Lanka.Shreyas Iyer
Innings 24, Runs 955, Average 45, Strike Rate 97Keeps going from strength to strength in the middle order in both ODIs and Tests. Important spin hitter in the middle overs.Hardik Pandya
Innings 10, Runs 429, Average 48, Strike Rate 116Time to take this vital cog out of cotton wool. The only doubt over his place in the XI can be fitness-based, if it prevents him from bowling.Suryakumar Yadav
Innings 14, Runs 350, Average 29, Strike Rate 98Hasn’t yet had a proper run in ODIs, but there are those who believe he can challenge Rahul in the middle order based on his exploits in T20s.Rishabh Pant
Innings 17, Runs 638, Average 40, Strike Rate 111A definite force in the middle order, or even the top order, if he is fit and ready in time.It might be time to move on from other outside contenders except maybe Deepak Hooda, that too because he bowls.Allrounders – still no back-ups for HardikThere is no seam-bowling allrounder to be back-up for Hardik should he get injured again. All the other allrounders are spinners. India will still play at least one of them or possibly two depending on the pitches.ESPNcricinfo LtdRavindra Jadeja
Matches 18, Runs 335, Strike Rate 95, Wickets 13, Economy Rate 5.4On the weight of his improved batting, the first choice, but his injury layoff mysteriously keeps getting longer. Might he have to prioritise formats when he is back?Axar Patel
Matches 8, Runs 168, Strike Rate 120, Wickets 10, Economy Rate 4.39A better bowler than Jadeja in limited-overs formats, and his batting has only been improving, as seen in his crucial innings when promoted in a tense chase in the Mirpur Test, followed by a blinder of a T20I half-century against Sri Lanka in a chase that India lost.Washington Sundar
Matches 11, Runs 212, Strike Rate 87, Wickets 13, Economy Rate 4.4Providing variety as opposed to the two left-arm spinners is his biggest draw. Has been injury-prone himself.Spinners – will Chahal or Kuldeep pip a fingerspinner?If pitches assist spin, India might not play either of them in the XI because then they can bank on their fingerspinners. However, on flatter pitches, a wristspinner is extremely valuable.ESPNcricinfo LtdYuzvendra Chahal
Matches 21, Wickets 34, Strike Rate 30, Economy Rate 5.7India’s second-highest wicket-taker since the 2019 World Cup, taking one every 30 balls. Unlucky not to have played a single game in the last two T20 World Cups.Kuldeep Yadav
Matches 22, Wickets 26, Strike Rate 46, Economy Rate 5.76Not being fielded in ODIs, but slowly being rehabilitated into international cricket after massive drop in confidence. Left-arm wristspin could be a point of difference.Fast bowlers – Shami and Malik in the frameThere has been no clear direction here either, which is only getting compounded by the extended injury layoff for Prasidh Krishna. They need to get a middle-overs enforcer back-up. It just brings Mohammed Shami and Umran Malik into the picture.ESPNcricinfo LtdJasprit Bumrah
Matches 14, Wickets 18, Strike Rate 38, Economy Rate 5.16Coming back from a stress reaction of the back, which kept him out of the T20 World Cup. His performance on return will be followed with bated breath.Prasidh Krishna
Matches 14, Wickets 25, Strike Rate 27, Economy Rate 5.32Has an excellent strike rate of 27 balls per wicket, but needs to get back on the park soon.Mohammed Siraj
Matches 15, Wickets 24, Strike Rate 31, Economy Rate 4.62Continued bowling well in Bangladesh. Can bowl with the new ball and also bang it in in the middle overs. Minus the height of Krishna.Arshdeep Singh
Only just coming back from an illness. Left-arm angle, swing each way, experience of bowling death overs in T20s could go in his favour, but needs some more ODIs under his belt.Mohammed Shami
Matches 15, Wickets 25, Strike Rate 30, Economy Rate 6.16Has kind of become the man India go to for all World Cups even if he plays little cricket in that format in the intervening years. Great seam position, lot of experience, bustling pace.Umran Malik
Matches 5, Wickets 7, Strike Rate 28, Economy Rate 6Raw pace, but is showing signs of higher accuracy having stayed in the India bubble. Is an outside chance especially if Krishna’s fitness remains under a cloud. His selection for the Sri Lanka ODIs says as much.Deepak Chahar
Matches 12, Wickets 15, Strike Rate 32, Economy Rate 5.58Again, fitness dodgy, but when available, he is a genuine swing bowler with decent batting ability in the lower order.Shardul Thakur
Matches 26, Wickets 38, Strike Rate 32, Economy Rate 6.23If batting down the order is something India hold dearly, Thakur is that man. Takes wickets quickly but concedes runs just as quickly. Not part of the current squad.

The RCB batter acknowledged the challenge of switching between formats after scoring a match-winning hundred against Sunrisers

Karthik Krishnaswamy18-May-20231:48

Moody: ‘The way Kohli batted, he reminded me of the 2016 season’

The range of shots on display in T20 cricket has never been wider, but Virat Kohli continues to bat like Virat Kohli. He isn’t a 360-degree player, and he doesn’t try to be one, and this, he says, is because he has to juggle the wildly differing demands of cricket’s three formats as an all-year-round player.Kohli said this after scoring a match-winning 100 off 63 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday night. Soon after Kohli completes his IPL season with RCB, he will travel to the UK to play for India against Australia in the World Test Championship final.”I’ve never been a guy who tries so many fancy shots, because we have to play 12 months of the year,” he said. “For me, it’s not [about] playing fancy shots and throwing my wicket away. We’ve got Test cricket after the IPL, so I’ve got to stay true to my technique and find ways to win games for my team, something that I take a lot of pride in, and when I can make an impact in an important game, obviously that gives me confidence, gives the team confidence, and it just helps the team overall, which is something that I look to do.”Related

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It’s a significant statement, because it isn’t often that someone as high-profile as Kohli acknowledges – even indirectly – that trying to play in a T20-specific way during a T20 competition could affect a batter’s ability to handle the demands of Test cricket.In a way, Kohli may have been responding to the criticism he often faces for how he bats in T20. Whether he is playing for India or RCB, he is never been too far from having his approach questioned – click here, here and here for three of many examples from just this website.You could argue that there is merit to these critiques of Kohli and other batters who broadly fall under the anchor category in T20s. From the evidence of IPL 2023 alone, where teams have scored quicker than ever and passed 200 more often than in any other previous season, the anchor appears to be an endangered commodity in T20 teams. They have had to find ways to score quicker to stay relevant, and Kohli has tried to do this too, particularly by adopting a higher-risk approach against pace to try and make up for his slower scoring against spin.But these critiques of Kohli and other players of his kind often address the issue in isolation, without examining how trying to bat more explosively in T20 could hamper a batter’s ability to play long innings in Test or even ODI cricket.’I’ve never been a guy who tries so many fancy shots, because we have to play 12 months of the year’•BCCIBy drawing such a close relationship between “playing fancy shots” and “throwing my wicket away”, Kohli got to the heart of the issue. Batters need to put a price on their wicket in the longer formats; the best T20 hitters are those who unlearn that maxim. They “destigmatise risk”, as the former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori put it while encouraging KL Rahul – another batter who has faced heavy criticism for his T20 approach – to take more chances early on.It can’t be easy to destigmatise risk in a T20 tournament and play a high-profile Test series immediately afterwards, though, and Kohli seemed to acknowledge this when he spoke about staying true to his technique.Plenty of batters have developed T20-specific techniques to meet the format’s demand for frequent fours and sixes. The former Australia allrounder Shane Watson, for instance, developed one that incorporated baseball principles.To switch between a T20-specific technique and a Test-match technique that prioritises survival cannot be easy, particularly when there is no real gap between tournaments and series. For this reason, as T20 continues its rapid evolution, the all-format batter could one day become a rarity.Kohli, for now, continues to score hundreds in the IPL without – as he put it – compromising on his technique. Thursday night’s innings against Sunrisers was his seventh T20 hundred and his sixth in the IPL, and after the game was done he allowed himself a brief moment of soaking in how it felt.”It’s my sixth IPL hundred, and I don’t give myself enough credit for that sometimes, because I put myself under so much stress already,” he said. “I don’t really care about what anyone says on the outside, to be honest, because that’s their opinion. When you’re in that situation yourself, you know how to win games of cricket, and I’ve done that for a long period of time, so it’s not like when I play I don’t win games for my team. It’s playing the situation that I take pride in.”

They have been in form in the lead up to the World Cup but have different roles to play in the two XIs

Mohammad Isam27-Sep-2023You are likely to hear a lot more about Najmul Hossain Shanto and Will Young during the World Cup. They head into the tournament among their respective team’s top scorers this year, having also top-scored in the Bangladesh-New Zealand third ODI in Dhaka on Monday, their last game before the World Cup. But they have reached this stage through different routes in the last couple of years.Young is New Zealand’s fourth-highest run-getter in ODIs since his debut in 2021. He has opened in half of those matches, and has now nailed that position even as Kane Williamson returns for the World Cup. His 70 off 80 in the third game while chasing 172 against Bangladesh ensured New Zealand didn’t stumble despite losing two early wickets.Young said that although Bangladeshi conditions aren’t exactly like India’s, they helped New Zealand know their balance ahead of the World Cup.Related

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“The boys were saying in the change room that we haven’t won a one-day series here since 2008,” Young said. “Just the extra fuel for the fire to come here. Heading into this game with a 1-0 lead, get[ting] the job done. Winning a series for the first time in 15 years is pretty special. Playing three games in Bangladesh before a World Cup in India is pretty good preparation. It is not the same conditions but they might be similar, especially with the balance of sides.”Potentially, three seamers and couple of spinners. It was a good hit out. Five of us are heading to India for the World Cup. For those guys it was especially good. For the rest of the team, it is good to get the experience here as they [conditions] are very different to what they are like back home.”Young said that he was looking forward to linking up with the rest of the New Zealand squad so that they know more about Indian conditions. “We have a lot of experience in our batting in the World Cup squad,” Young said. “Rachin [Ravindra] and I are younger in our international careers. It is nice to have a bank of experience of playing in these conditions. We will take it to the World Cup.”For the rest of the squad, batters in particular, they have played in the IPL and bilateral series against India for years. We will hear what they have got to say, soak it all up. So, when we play the first game against England in Ahmedabad, we can hit the ground running.”Shanto was the only Bangladesh batter to go past 50 in the third ODI•AFP/Getty ImagesShanto has turned his career around in the last 12 months, from being a benched T20 batter to being the Bangladesh vice-captain in the World Cup. He returned to lead Bangladesh in the third game after missing a few matches in the Asia Cup with a hamstring injury and led from the front with his 76 off 84 balls.”It was disappointing to get out like that. If I hung around till the end, we could have made 200-220 runs, “Shanto said. “I should have batted with the tail. I couldn’t do it, so it was disappointing.”It is a matter of pride. My family is very happy. I will enjoy these moments. It wasn’t a happy occasion result-wise. I was excited since I was declared captain. When I was batting or when the bowlers were starting well, I was enjoying it.”Shanto’s innings stood out but the rest of the batting order crumbled around him. While the hosts maintained a good run rate, they couldn’t get partnerships going at any stage.”I think it was a good wicket for batting. We continued on a good run rate of around 5.5 to 5.7 even when we were losing wickets. We had a few batters getting out after being settled in the wicket. We needed a couple of big partnerships. I think we have to look inwards [to figure out] why it is not happening. It is up to the individual,” he said.Shanto’s turnaround in form started with the T20 World Cup last year where he was the team’s highest run-scorer. He expressed his desire to get better individually and collectively. “As a batter, it is my duty to score runs in every game. It shouldn’t be a dream. It is what I am supposed to do. I should do better. I am trying to improve myself.”It doesn’t matter if I am the highest run-getter if the team doesn’t do well. We didn’t make it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year so individual performance doesn’t count much for us. Important thing is, we need to win matches. I will try to convert those fifties into hundreds. I want to bat with the same intent and plan whenever there’s an opportunity,” he said.

Three personnel changes and a key positional switch, as England set about saving the Ashes

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Jul-20231:43

Can England channel energy from Lord’s to bring a win at Headingley?

England have made four significant alterations to their line-up ahead of a must-win third Test to keep the Ashes alive as they trail 2-0 to a buoyant Australia. In come Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, with Harry Brook moving up to No.3. Moeen’s return as the spinner following recovery from a damaged right index finger is noteworthy after England relied solely on Joe Root’s offspin for Lord’s. But the first sightings of Woakes and Wood this summer, along with Brook’s move from the sanctuary of No.5 to the frontline are three significant shifts at a crucial juncture of this summer. The trio’s individual responsibilities and narratives carry significant weight as the Ashes reach boiling point at Headingley…“Can I have a new ball please?”Harry Brook was working in the temporary nets with assistant coach Jeetan Patel on the dog-slinger when Stokes informed him he would bat at No.3 for this Test, replacing Ollie Pope after the vice-captain was ruled out of the summer with a dislocated right shoulder. In typical Brook fashion, he greeted the news with positivity. Brook immediately turned to Patel and asked to reload the thrower with fresher Dukes: “Can I have a new ball please?” Now that he was moving up the order, training had to be tailored immediately.”You guys have obviously seen his unbelievable start to his international career,” Stokes said, referencing Brook’s 818 runs, four centuries and average of 81.80 from his seven Tests prior to this summer’s Ashes. That haul now reads 950 at 67.85 after a relatively fallow two matches, but Stokes’ point is hardly diluted.”I know that’s been at No.5, but last summer when he was the next batter in, we had complete confidence that he could slot into our batting line-up in any position. The opportunity presented itself to him with Jonny’s injury. Look, he’s technically very gifted and, players like that, you feel you can back anywhere, you’re lucky to have them.”Harry Brook fell for a first-innings duck on a snakepit at Chelmsford in 2018 … then cut loose in thrilling style second-time out•Philip Brown/Getty ImagesFor all Brook’s talent and confidence, the main motivation behind his promotion is to keep Joe Root, the team’s best batter at No.4. In turn, it allows Jonny Bairstow to reprise last summer’s role of five at a time when the keeper-batter could not be more up for the battle after his contentious stumping at the hands of Alex Carey.Brook’s series so far has been neither here nor there, as the average of 33 suggests. An exciting first innings at Edgbaston ended in comical fashion when he was bowled off his backside for 32. A bum shot closed what could have been an emphatic second innings on 46. His half-century at Lord’s was arguably the least convincing knock of his four so far; chaotic on the evening of day two and then clumsy the morning after when moving out to leg and scuffing to cover. He could do little about a worldie from Pat Cummins that took his off stump for four in the second innings, but that merely compounded the wastefulness of the three previous knocks. He’s been in and given it away – something which he cannot do further up the chain.It’s worth taking a cursory look at Brook’s experience at first drop. It’s meaningless of course, given the last of his 13 innings in that position came in 2018 – although that’s still 13 more than Ollie Pope had played before he took on the role at the start of last summer. Back then, Brook was 19 and a very different person, let alone player.There is, however, a standout innings of 124 from May of that year, which is quite fun to extrapolate.On a Chelmsford snakepit, Brook opened and got a duck as Yorkshire were snuffed out for 50 inside 19 overs before Essex responded with 142. Gary Ballance, as captain, decided Yorkshire’s best bet in the third innings would be to go for broke. Bairstow opened the batting this time, struck a 44-ball 50, before Brook came in and played pretty much how he does now: ambitious shots devoid of fear, such as running down the pitch and hitting Simon Harmer out of the rough.Yorkshire would go onto win the match by 91 runs after setting Essex 238 to win, and everyone who took part in the match acknowledges this as a coming-of-age knock for Brook. Not only was this a maiden first-class hundred but it was probably the first time he realised just how good he was.The Wizard Returns Before the start of this summer, Chris Woakes reached out to Stokes. Feeling fit, refreshed and – most importantly – keen to add to his 45 Test caps, he wanted to see if there was anything he could do differently. While he had read a few things about how England have approached their cricket since Stokes took over as captain and Brendon McCullum came into the fold, he thought it best to double-check. An international cricketer of 12 years, he knew there were some messages that don’t make it beyond the dressing-room walls and into the media. He wanted to check what they were.Aged 34, he was open to trying new things at the start of the season for Warwickshire. Anything to help him fit into an England environment that looked a lot more fun than his last two Test squads – 2021-22’s 4-0 Ashes defeat followed by the 1-0 loss in the Caribbean. At the time, Stokes told Woakes not to do anything differently.That message was reiterated this week. Ahead of what will be his 13th Ashes Test and first of the Bazball era, Woakes checked in with his captain once more. “Anything for me?” he asked on Wednesday morning.”Nah, you just do you,” Stokes replied. “If I change the field, don’t worry about it because I just like doing rogue things.”James Anderson’s endurance has limited Chris Woakes’ England opportunities, but now he needs to fill his huge shoes•Getty ImagesLike Stokes, Woakes’ Test debut came against Australia in 2013, albeit in the last Test of the home series rather on the 2013-14 return leg immediately after. His Ashes memories aren’t particularly fond – a modest 38.81 average with the ball on these shores, and an unflattering 51.63 over there – but this week is an opportunity for better days.His merits as an allrounder, along with Moeen Ali, reinforce England’s batting after a long tail was, ultimately, exposed at Lord’s. And yet he will also serve a dual purpose of replacing James Anderson, who has had an ineffectual couple of weeks, and acting as Stokes’ crutch.”A big part of the team we’ve ended up picking is, worst-case scenario, if I wasn’t to bowl this game,” Stokes admitted, alluding to the chronic issue with his left knee. “It doesn’t mean I’m not going to. But yeah last week I bowled that 12-over spell and it was a tiring last two days of the game. [It is a] Very quick turnaround so I obviously had to factor that in, in terms of if I was to bowl again then couldn’t, then we’re a little bit stuck. Whereas now I don’t feel as if I’m under too much pressure to bowl with the team we’ve picked.”There is a bit of Paul Scholes about Woakes. While some doubt his standing in the English game (mostly because of a poor away record), team-mates past and present regard him as the most talented cricketer going, hence the nickname “Wiz” (The Wizard). An intermittent Test career is down to Anderson’s longevity as an opening quick and Stokes’ talismanic ways as an allrounder. Now, facing the biggest Test of his career a decade after this journey began, he must channel the former to reinforce the latter.Rockets finally unleashed?There weren’t many words exchanged as McCullum and Stokes told Mark Wood he would play in this third Test on Wednesday morning. The Durham quick more or less knew on Tuesday, but a necessary bowl in the middle of Headingley at full-pelt and off the full run-up on the eve of Test was an understandable last-minute check.The 33-year-old Wood has been something of an over-coiled spring this summer. He sat out the Ireland Test in anticipation of Edgbaston, then was left out for an all-medium-pace attack before a minor elbow issue – and the presence of Josh Tongue – gave England reason to hold fire. Two-nil down, this is the big one, and with a week’s gap between this and the fourth Test, the best-case scenario of an England win here potentially gives Wood a clear run to the end of this series.His last competitive match came in the Indian Premier League, on April 15, taking two for 35 for Lucknow Super Giants against Punjab Kings. Months and worlds away from where we are right now. But England have no fears about his match-fitness or durability, certainly as far as the next month is concerned.The extra pace will add a new dimension to the bouncer wars both teams have engaged in – Wood will be the quickest bowler on show this series – but it will also help England overcome a couple of issues of their own making. The request for “fast” and “flat” pitches has not come to fruition, and 2023’s offering from Dukes is only marginally better than last year’s ball. If Headingley is uncharacteristically sleepy, a player responsible for the fastest spells ever bowled by an Englishman could wake it up.Mark Wood is back to add extra firepower to England’s line-up•Getty Images”To replace someone who performed so well with someone like Mark Wood is a big positive for us,” Stokes said, after Tongue’s spirited five-wicket display at Lord’s. “And yeah, we’ve all seen the tactics that both teams actually went to. So having Woody in our bowling attack this week, if we feel like we have to go to that tactic again is obviously a big bonus for us.”Tonguey was bowling high 80s last week, so to have someone who can bowl high 90s is pretty exciting. I think as well with that, you know what, Woody’s not just an out-and-out bloke who runs in and tries to hit people. He is a very skilful bowler as well. So I’m excited that we’ve got Woody in a place where he’s able to walk onto the field and play part of the summer.”The last time Wood played an Ashes Test at home, he helped secure the urn, claiming the final wicket of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge in 2015 en route to a 3-2 series win. England need nothing less than that scoreline right now.

Our first batch of team report cards for 2023

28-Dec-2023New Zealandby Deivarayan Muthu
New Zealand continued to do New Zealand things – with or without Kane Williamson, who featured in only 14 of their 61 internationals in 2023. Like making another ODI World Cup semi-final, where they gave tournament favourites India a mini-scare. Like toppling Bangladesh on a raging turner in the Mirpur Test in December.In an ODI World Cup year, New Zealand won their first bilateral ODI series of at least two matches against Pakistan in Pakistan.Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra all then played starring roles for New Zealand in the World Cup. Trent Boult, who had given up his New Zealand’s central contract in order to become a free agent, returned to the national team and also played his part in New Zealand’s run to the knockouts.A 267-run defeat to England in Mount Maunganui in February was a hard knock on New Zealand’s proud home record, but they won the next Test in Wellington by the barest of margins – one run – after being asked to follow-on. As far as T20Is were concerned, New Zealand largely fielded experimental sides, handing debuts to Adi Ashok and Ben Lister among others as they plan for life after Ish Sodhi and Boult.New Zealand Women, meanwhile, failed to qualify for the knockouts of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, where they carded their second-lowest total overall in T20Is. And they ended the year with a heart-breaking T20I series loss to Pakistan at home.High point
Of course, the Black Caps qualifying for the World Cup knockouts for the fifth time in a row since the 2003 edition of the tournament. It all started with a rematch of the 2019 final in Ahmedabad, where New Zealand walloped England, despite injuries to Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee. This game also marked the arrival of Ravindra on the world stage.Low point
Folding for 98 against Bangladesh men in what was arguably the most un-New Zealand performance of the year. This was New Zealand’s first defeat to Bangladesh at home in 19 ODIs. They also suffered their first-ever defeat against non-Test playing nations across formats when they lost a T20I to UAE in Dubai.Men
Tests: P7 W4 L2 D1
ODIs: P33 W15 L17 NR1
T20Is: P18 W9 L7 T1 NR1Women
ODIs: P9 W4 L4 T1
T20Is: P13 W6 L6 NR1A World Cup defence where nothing went according to plan•Alex Davidson/ICC/Getty ImagesEnglandby Andrew Miller
At least the Moral Ashes are safely locked away for another year. As for more tangible, traditional silverware … best look away now.Despite the thrills of Bazball, and a hot run of Test form that contributed to one of the greatest Ashes series of all time, England’s men won just four out of a possible 11 bilateral series across formats in the course of 2023 – two of which were effectively one-off wins, in a Test and ODI respectively, against a distracted Ireland.England’s women, similarly, hit the heights with their own Ashes fightback against Australia, but still left the drawn points series empty-handed thanks to defeat in the one-off Test at Trent Bridge – a recipe that they more or less replicated in their end-of-year trip to India, in which an impressive 2-1 win in the T20Is gave way to an almighty 347-run loss in their Test in Navi Mumbai.And where do we start with their respective World Cup campaigns? In retrospect, England women’s shock T20 semi-final exit against hosts South Africa in February now looks like over-achievement when you consider the men’s moribund effort in India last month: arguably the most miserable title defence in the history of international sport.Throughout the year, the gulf between the highs and lows of England’s teams was stark and startling, and – much as the Bazball phenomenon had been triggered by a change of attitude from broadly the same pool of players that had won one Test in 17 prior to Brendon McCullum’s arrival – the extent to which mind dominated matter was palpable. Sprinkle any given line-up with good vibes and give them licence to forget the context of their endeavours, and remarkable things could still be achieved.This was even the case in the team’s final engagement of the year in the Caribbean. For two glorious games, while Phil Salt was smoking back-to-back centuries to overturn a 4-1 losing streak across white-ball fixtures, it seemed that Jos Buttler’s men had finally shed the diffidence that had paralysed their efforts all year long. But then, two days later, they stumbled to another meek defeat in the T20I decider in Trinidad, to rob their under-pressure head coach Matthew Mott of some much-needed festive cheer.At least England’s Test team never stopped believing in the power of a positive mental attitude. Some might argue it would have been prudent to do so at times, particularly for that fateful declaration with Australia on the ropes in the first Ashes Test. In the year’s final analysis, England won only half of their eight Tests, including a one-run loss to New Zealand in Wellington that would surely have been a comfortable win had they not got funky with the follow-on.Nevertheless, were we entertained?High point
Stuart Broad’s glorious march into the sunset on the final day at The Oval was pure theatre – even down to the panto-voodoo nonsense of his bail-switching. And yet, when the euphoria of the moment died down and Australia were left to lift the Ashes urn once more, it was clear that the journey, rather than the destination, had been the true thrill of England’s year. For that reason, nothing could top Zak Crawley’s preposterous 189 at Old Trafford. No Australian Test attack has ever been hit harder or faster, and for three extraordinary days, it felt like a prophecy was unfolding before us. But then, of course, it rained…Low point
Nothing can match the misery of that World Cup campaign… but which micro-humiliation would you wish to zoom in on? The opening-day demolition in Ahmedabad, when New Zealand – freshly seen off 3-1 on home soil – cantered to a sweat-free nine-wicket win in front of a non-existent crowd? That guileless maiden defeat to Afghanistan in Delhi, where England’s solitary six came in the 31st over of their flatlining run-chase? Or the trio of losses to Sri Lanka, Australia and India that left England scrambling even for a top-eight finish and a place at the 2025 Champions Trophy? Nope, the nadir came in Mumbai, where England witlessly elected to bake themselves alive on the most sweltering day of the tournament, leaving Heinrich Klaasen’s magnificent century to set South Africa up for a whopping 229-run win.ResultsMen
Tests: P8 W4 L3 D1
ODIs: P24 W11 L12 NR 1
T20Is: P12 W4 L8Women
Tests: P2 L2
ODIs: P6 W4 L1 NR1
T20Is: P14 W9 L5Defeating England in England, New Zealand at home and taking silver at the Asian Games – Sri Lanka women went where they’ve never gone before•AFP/Getty ImagesSri Lankaby Andrew Fidel Fernando
We will lament the state of the men’s team soon enough, but Sri Lanka women have had their best year ever, and this is worth celebrating. In February they delivered one of the surprises of the tournament when they defeated South Africa early in the T20 World Cup. In July they defeated New Zealand in an ODI series at home – the first time they had ever defeated the side in any format. In September they came from 1-0 down to England to secure a 2-1 series victory, in England. And in September they made the final of the Asian Games, losing the gold-medal match to India.Much of this success is down to Chamari Athapaththu, who had the finest year of her glittering career, despite the lack of interest from the Women’s Premier League. Athapaththu, by the way, capped her year by becoming Player of the Tournament at the WBBL – a tournament she only went to as a replacement player. Where Sri Lanka tended to lose even when she scored heavily in previous years, this time around, Athapaththu found just enough support from the likes of Harshitha Madavi, Nilakshi de Silva, and occasionally the teenaged Vishmi Gunaratne, to push Sri Lanka to victory.The men have less to crow about. They made the final of the Asia Cup but were largely abysmal at the World Cup, and have now failed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy as a result. Their T20 record was modest too, having lost away series to both India and New Zealand. And in Tests, their only wins came at home against Ireland, who were touring for the first time.As poor as the team was, however, the running of the game at the back end of the year was the most shameful aspect of cricket in Sri Lanka in 2023. The board had itself suspended by the ICC in order to head off further interference from an antagonistic sports minister.High point
Beating England in England was impressive, but that had been a depleted England side attempting to blood new players. Defeating a largely full-strength New Zealand team in the ODIs at home felt like a significant moment for the development of women’s cricket, particularly when that win was aided by good performances from the likes of Gunaratne.Low point
Sri Lanka losing their hosting rights for the 2024 Men’s Under-19 World Cup as a result of the suspension SLC officials have themselves had helped orchestrate. SLC president Shammi Silva then attempted to paint the loss of those hosting rights as not a particularly big deal, at a press conference.ResultsMen
Tests: P6 W2 L4
ODIs: P31 W16 L15
T20Is: P7 W2 L5Women
ODIs: P8 W3 L3 NR2
T20Is: P16 W9 L7It was that kind of year for Pakistan•Getty ImagesPakistanby Danyal Rasool
It was a year of mayhem, and though chaos is often a seasoning ingredient for Pakistan cricket, there was little positivity to be gleaned amidst the madness. The year was always going to be defined by the World Cup, and, Pakistan fizzled out with something of a whimper. A loss to Afghanistan and a walloping against India doomed both their points and net run rate, and there was no recovering from either.The Asia Cup that preceded it was even more dispiriting, with Pakistan finishing bottom of the Super Fours and their bowlers picking up injuries that continue to hamper them. That Pakistan finished the year with a positive win-loss record in the format was more down to the kinds of opposition they faced than any improvements they made, with five of their 14 wins coming against a second-string New Zealand side, and another seven against Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Netherlands.A series win against Sri Lanka away was the highlight of the red-ball year. a loss in Perth to start off a series against Australia in December provided a reality check.All 11 T20Is during the year came against limited or weakened sides, but even so, four wins and six losses, including a first-ever series defeat to Afghanistan, sums up Pakistan’s year.There was unprecedented chaos off-field, too, with Najam Sethi, who arrived just before the start of the year, resigning due to political reasons midway through the year, and Zaka Ashraf appointed on a caretaker basis. The start of his tenure was tumultuous, including the reluctant resignation of Babar Azam as captain, with Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi appointed in his stead.High point:
The women’s team might not have had a great ODI year or T20 World Cup, but the away series win in New Zealand – they became the first Asian side to achieve one – went some way towards lifting the pall of gloom that had descended over Pakistan cricket late in the year. Spearheaded by breakout star Fatima Sana, Pakistan clinched the T20I series 2-1, before being shaded 1-2 in the ODIs. It was something of a breakthrough year for women’s T20 cricket in Pakistan: there was a 3-0 home clean sweep against South Africa, and three exhibition matches before the PSL raised hopes of a future women’s T20 league in the country.Low point
There are plenty to choose from, but the Asia Cup probably edges everything else out. Just as Pakistan’s fearsome pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf looked like they were approaching their white-hot ODI best, injury struck. In a game against India, all three bowlers went off with injuries at various stages, with Naseem later picking up a knock that ruled him out for several months. Afridi’s pace has never quite recovered, and Pakistan lost that match to India by 228 runs – the heaviest in the history of the rivalry. They would go on to lose to Sri Lanka and end with their worst Asia Cup showing ever.ResultsMen
Tests: P4 W2 L1 D1
ODIs: P25 W14 L10 NR1
T20Is: P11 W4 L6 NR1Women
ODIs: P12 W2 L8 T2
T20Is: P17 W7 L10Logan van Beek’s performance for the ages against West Indies in the World Cup Qualifier fetched Netherlands an unlikely win•Johan Rynners/ICC/Getty ImagesNetherlandsby Nagraj Gollapudi
Having raised the bar last year by qualifying for the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup owing to their top-eight finish in the 2022 tournament in Australia, Netherlands’ objective for the 2023 ODI World Cup was ambitious: to make the semi-finals. Scott Edwards’ team was not indulging in wishful thinking. Their confidence came from two years spent in the ODI Super League, where they played some of the top teams, and while they won just one series in the league, they put up a decent fight against the likes of Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, and even New Zealand.As they had done in the T20 World Cup in Australia, Netherlands shocked South Africa again, and two games later, produced another upset, defending 230 against Bangladesh. With those wins they doubled their tally of matches won in their five ODI World Cup campaigns, going back to 1996. At one point in the 2023 tournament, the Dutch were eyeing a top-eight finish, which would have fetched them a ticket to the ten-team Champions Trophy in 2025. But the dream fizzled out and they eventually finished last with just the two wins from their nine matches. Some more resolve from the specialist batters might have earned them at least a couple more wins.Though disappointed, they will also have been proud to have made the World Cup via the Qualifiers, where they were without some of their best players. With the ICC retiring the Super League, the Dutch now return to the World Cricket League – their pathway to qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup.As for the women’s team, there was an uptick in performance, including making the global Qualifiers (to be played in April next year) for the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.High Point
The wins against South Africa and Bangladesh top the list, but before that came the fairy-tale twin victories against West Indies and Scotland in the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Logan van Beek wrote his name in lights, pulling Netherlands back from the brink in their chase of 375 against West Indies and forcing a tie, and then blasting three sixes and three fours in the Super Over, delivered by Jason Holder. In the must-win match against Scotland, needing 278 to win inside 44 overs, Bas de Leede became only the fourth player to take a five-for and score a century in the same ODI, to get Netherlands to their first 50-over World Cup in over a decade.Low Point
Losing the second match of the three-game ODI series in Zimbabwe. Set 271 to win the series – which would have been their first away series win against a Full Member team, Netherlands fell short by one run in an agonising last-ball finish in Harare.ResultsMen
ODIs: P22 W7 L14 T1Women
ODIs: P2 W1 L1
T20Is: P16 W9 L6 NR1Bangladesh capped their World Cup with a loss to Australia – their seventh defeat in nine matches at the tournament•Associated PressBangladeshby Mohammad Isam
In a year when Bangladesh’s men’s side floundered spectacularly in the 50-over World Cup, the women’s team took big strides. They drew the ODI series against India at home in July, when they tied the third game of a thrilling series. They also made history by beating South Africa in their backyard for the first time in a T20I and an ODI.The major talking point, of course, was the dismal World Cup showing by the men. The side started the year by beating England 3-0 in a T20I series, a significant result against the reigning T20I world champions. They then dominated Ireland over ten internationals.But during the home ODI series against Afghanistan, the wheels started to come off. Tamim Iqbal retired and un-retired in the span of 24 hours, before resigning from the ODI captaincy. Shakib Al Hasan publicly spoke out against Tamim, but it ended up affecting the team at the World Cup. They started well by beating Afghanistan but then beat only Sri Lanka over the next eight games.A Test win over New Zealand at home helped somewhat with the World Cup disappointment, but it was a one-off. So was their ODI win in New Zealand, after conceding the series. It was that kind of year for the men’s side.High point
The women’s side drawing the ODI series against India and the T20I series in South Africa. They also beat Pakistan at home.Low point
The men’s team winning two out of nine matches in this year’s World Cup.ResultsMen
Tests: P4 W3 L1
ODIs: P32 W11 L18
T20Is: P11 W9 L2Women
ODIs: P11 W3 L5 T2 NR1
T20Is: P18 W6 L11 NR1Zimbabwe’s brightest spot in a dismal year were the fans who showed up in numbers for home games•ICC/Getty ImagesZimbabweby Firdose Moonda
A devastating 12 months saw Zimbabwe’s men’s team fail to qualify for a 50-over and a T20 World Cup, which has thrown their short-term future into uncertainty. They are not part of the World Test Championship and will not play in a men’s ICC event until at least 2026, leaving them with even fewer fixtures than usual.Zimbabwe played just one two-Test series in 2023, which they lost to West Indies, who they later beat at the World Cup Qualifiers in one of the upsets of an entertaining tournament. That victory buoyed belief that Zimbabwe would qualify for the ODI World Cup in India but they lost to Sri Lanka and Scotland in the Super Six round and just missed out. Five months later, they had the opportunity to try for a different tournament – the 2024 T20 World Cup – for which they were favourites in the African qualifier. But a shock defeat to Uganda denied them again. The year ended in ignominious fashion, with ODI and T20I series losses to Ireland, and with the head coach David Houghton resigning.The women’s team fared better, won six out of eight T20Is this year, and will head to the World Cup Qualifiers in the UAE early in 2024.High Point
With very little to choose from, this will feature people and a place, rather than players or an event. Zimbabwe’s fans and the famed Castle Corner, filled out venues at international matches, and sang from start to finish for their team and the opposition (mostly Max O’Dowd) alike. The Takashinga Cricket Club, the home of black African cricket in Harare, hosted its first ODIs at the World Cup Qualifiers and showed why it should have many more. The pitches offered a good balance of runs, bounce and turn. The outfield was a picture and the numbers of school children who came to games was enough to know the next generation were inspired.Low Point
Houghton called it “awful”, “embarrassingly bad”, and “one of the worst games I have ever been associated with in a Zimbabwean jersey”, and that wasn’t even the lowest point. His comments came after Zimbabwe lost to Namibia in the T20 World Cup Qualifier. Three days later, they lost to 23rd-ranked Uganda and their T20 World Cup hopes were all but over. On both occasions, Zimbabwe could only set totals in the 130s and none of their batters got a half-century. Zimbabwe are only the only Full Member country who will not be present at the 20-team event.ResultsMen
Tests: P2 W0 D1 L1
ODIs: P18 W8 L6 NR2
T20Is: P17 W9 L8Women:
ODIs: P3 L3
T20Is: P8 W6 L2Report cards for the other top teams
More in our look back at 2023