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The unsaid competitiveness between these two Mumbai players was such that if one scored 200, the other wanted to score 300

Nikhil Sharma19-Jun-2022The tales of competitiveness in Mumbai’s school cricket are well known. Stories of players scoring 200, 300 and even 500 have set high standards in the school circuit, and are often heard about in the corridors of Mumbai’s schools. The same players who score big there go on to play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, but at school level they have a unique sense of competitiveness between them.The case of Sarfaraz Khan and Armaan Jaffer is one such example. Once competitive team-mates at school, they are now scoring runs in heaps together for the Mumbai Ranji team.Sarfaraz and Jaffer – one year apart in age – met for the first time in 2008 when they were at Rizvi Springfield High School, and the unsaid competitiveness between them was such that if one scored 200, the other wanted to score 300; and if one crossed 300, the other wanted to smash 400.Related

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The pressure to do so also came down from their fathers who coached their sons. So it was no surprise that in the 2009 Harris Shield tournament, Sarfaraz had smashed 439 off 421 balls to break Sachin Tendulkar’s 45-year-old record, and the very next year in the Under-14 Giles Shield, Jaffer scored a mammoth 498.”I met Armaan for the first time in 2008; he was already at Rizvi School, and I joined a year later,” Sarfaraz tells ESPNcricinfo after Mumbai’s semi-final win over Uttar Pradesh in Bengaluru. “That’s when we started playing together. He used to bat wearing keeping pads because batting pads were too big for him. He used to knock the whole day in the nets. Even when the match was on, he used to continue knocking on the side.”Even though neither will admit the competitiveness that existed between them at the time, they used to spend the whole day on the pitch out of fear of their fathers, because if Sarfaraz had scored less than Jaffer, he had had it.”There was no competitiveness as such, but it was about who was going to score more,” Sarfaraz said. “Armaan’s father did not hit him but Prithvi [Shaw]’s father and mine were hard task masters, so we were always under pressure to score.”Now Sarfaraz and Jaffer are so close that they call each other “slow local” and “fast local”, after the famous local trains that run in Mumbai. Their bond is also such that they try to take adjacent hotel rooms when they go for matches.”Armaan is the same as he was before – he plays slow,” Sarfaraz said. “That’s why we used to call him ‘slow local’ because that’s how he used to bat then and that’s how he bats now. The others used to get out but once Armaan would go out to bat at No. 3, he would bat the whole day. In Under-14, he scored 101 and 105 not outs at the end of the day.”

“It feels like we’re still playing school cricket. We don’t think or talk about pressure, bowlers, Ranji Trophy, and such things.”Sarfaraz on batting with Jaffer

The soft-spoken Jaffer said, “There was no such pressure to score from my family. And no competition either that he will score more or me. Sarfaraz used to score quickly then and that’s how he bats even today. So he’s called the ‘fast local’. We both have bonded a lot since our school days and we know each other very well.”After all these years, Sarfaraz and Jaffer also understand each other’s game very well now.”Against Odisha we lost two wickets in two balls, but Armaan played a crucial knock of 125. When I go out to bat with him, it’s a different level of comfort because it feels like we’re still playing school cricket,” Sarfaraz says.”We don’t think or talk about pressure, bowlers, Ranji Trophy, and such things. We never get negative either. We just discuss with each other how to plan against what kind of bowler and so on. We don’t even think or talk about getting out.”When asked what changes had he seen over the years in Jaffer’s batting, Sarfaraz said, “The only change I’ve seen is that now he hits sixes (laughs), and he has also started scoring quickly now. He has just come back to Ranji Trophy, and it’s only his seventh game in the tournament. He was injured earlier so now he is looking to cement his place by scoring runs. Once he scores 100 [or] 200, then he can also hit big sixes. If he plays his natural game, he can hit sixes.”When Jaffer was asked the same question about Sarfaraz, he said, “Whatever the team’s situation, Sarfaraz always keeps the atmosphere light. He says such things that people end up laughing. And he’s always been like this since school days. The atmosphere is always great when he’s in the dressing room.”

With four centuries in six first-class innings this year, the opening batter looks set to make his latest coming count

Ashish Pant21-Sep-2022Sanju Samson is the first, and perhaps only, big name among current players that comes to mind when talking about Kerala cricket. It might not be long before Rohan Kunnummal jostles for space there, especially if he can keep up his fantastic run in red-ball cricket.Heading into the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy, in February this year, Kunnummal, the Kerala opener, featured in a solitary first-class game. Nine months on, 24-year-old Kunnummal is playing the Duleep Trophy 2022-23 final for South Zone, and his 143 and 77 against North Zone in the semi-final were key to taking South Zone to the title round. The overall numbers are impressive too: four centuries in seven first-class innings, three of them in successive Ranji innings; a total of 645 runs at an average of 107.50.Since 2006 – from the time ESPNcricinfo has match-wise data available – only two other batters, Delhi’s Yash Dhull and Madhya Pradesh’s Aditya Shrivastava, have struck four centuries in their first seven first-class innings. Kunnummal and Shrivastava are the only ones to get six 50-plus scores in their first seven innings.Related

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It’s quite a start, you’d think. Except that Kunnummal made his senior state debut in 2016-17, and it’s taken him all this time to make a mark.”For me, it’s like a fairy tale, nothing less,” Kunnummal told ESPNcricinfo when asked about his run of form. “There has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes. But never did I dream about hitting four centuries in six innings, and I am so grateful for whatever is happening.”Having come up the ranks through age-group cricket in Kerala, Kunnummal made his Vijay Hazare Trophy (List A) debut in the 2016-17 season at the age of 19. He was also part of the India Under-19 set-up around that time, and played a four-day game against England in 2017, without much to show for it.Then came a slowdown – there weren’t many runs, and the doors seemed to close on him. But when opportunity came knocking again earlier this year, he was determined to not miss out.”This year I went in more focused and was trying to be more in the present,” he said. “I was not thinking too much, not thinking about the past, and that is helping me a lot while batting. “Before that, I used to have a lot of confusion while batting – what to do, how to approach. This time I just trusted myself and went with my instincts.

“I don’t believe that much in technique. It’s just a matter of hitting the ball, that’s it. However you play, you just want to middle the ball. Don’t play the bowler; just play the ball. That’s how I function”Rohan Kunnummal

“I believe that everyone has his time. Some things are not in our control. Everyone won’t get success at 18 or 19 years of age.”Born in Palakkad and brought up in Kozhikode, Kunnummal was encouraged to try his hand at cricket by his father, Sushil, an offspinner in his university days. Kunnummal sharpened his skills at Sussex Cricket Academy in Kozhikode and, all these years later, is trying to be a new-age cricketer – red-ball basics plus white-ball strike rates.”For me, it is to go hard from the first ball, put pressure on the bowler initially, and take advantage,” he explained. “I don’t believe that much in technique. It’s just a matter of hitting the ball, that’s it. However you play, you just want to middle the ball. Don’t play the bowler; just play the ball. That’s how I function. Just watch the ball and play. If we look at the names, there will be so much pressure.”At no stage, Kunnummal said, was there thought of looking for another career, even when there were no opportunities. “My family is so supportive; they have always said, ‘you just play, and whatever happens, we’ll take care of it’,” he said. “They were backing me so much, and because of that, I have been able to play freely. Cricket is the only thing in my life.”On the back of a year to remember, Kunnummal now has his sights trained on an IPL deal. He has had a bit of a taste, having trialled with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians last year. If that chance comes, Kunnummal is confident of making it count. For now, there’s a Duleep Trophy to win.

Rookie grows into his first day of Test cricket, with help from a supportive captain and dressing-room

Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Dec-2022There were still 10 minutes left of the lunch break, but Rehan Ahmed was already out of the away dressing room of the Karachi National Stadium and back on the field. With senior spinner Jack Leach for company, he turned his arm over a few times, bouncing on the spot between deliveries into a mitt on the full.The previous few hours had been equal parts historical and emotional. At 9.30am on Saturday, when the toss went up and the teams were confirmed, Ahmed officially became England’s youngest male Test cricketer, having moments earlier been presented his cap by former captain Nasser Hussain, with his father, Naeem, by his side. He had barely started bending the stiff navy-blue peak before dad gave him a hug followed by a kiss. All that was missing from the “Asian dad embarrassing his teenager in front of their new friends” bingo was a squeeze of the cheeks.Then, with 16 overs gone, Pakistan were 59 for 2 after choosing to bat first in this third Test, and Ahmed found himself with the ball in hand at the University Road End. On hand were a slip and a bat pad, though neither was especially in the game in his maiden spell: his five wicketless overs went for 37 runs, through him either being too short or too full. Against Babar Azam and Azhar Ali, two accomplished players of spin, there was never going to be much margin for error or goodwill towards an opponent making only his fourth appearance in all first-class cricket.Was this a kid nervous on Test debut? Absolutely. He admitted he had not been able to eat or sleep on the night before his debut, as he wandered around the team’s Movenpick Hotel twirling a ball in his hand. Just 24 hours prior to that, Ben Stokes had called Ahmed into his room where he and Brendon McCullum informed him of the selection.Ahmed’s emergence with time to spare before the second session, however, was as much due to anxiety as it was of someone keen to continue onto the next step. In the past 11 months alone. a stellar Under-19 World Cup, a first-class debut, a stint in the men’s Hundred and now a Test cap have all come in such quick succession that he has been conditioned to always look ahead. As a self-diagnosed cricket badger, something he revealed earlier this year, he wanted to continue this realisation of all those hours spent behind closed doors, either shadow-batting or working out shadow batters. There is, with Ahmed, a good kind of restless energy.ESPNcricinfo LtdBy the time that second spell came around, those shoulders, joints and wrist were a little looser, and the cap was fitting a little better. The nerves had been shrugged off with the help of supportive team-mates and a captain who couldn’t care less about the runs, and Ahmed truly got in amongst it from the Pavilion End. The googly many had raved about – too short in the morning – was on the money in the 42nd over. Ahmed, from around the wicket, flung himself over his front left leg to rip the ball past Saud Shakeel’s outside edge. As a result, the left-hander played his next delivery a little wider than he would have liked. But this time it was the regulation leggie. With the inside half of his bat more exposed, a inside-edge cannoned off Shakeel’s front pad and dropped into the sprawled, upturned right hand of Ollie Pope at short leg.The comfort of that first wicket, reinforced by the swarm of team-mates offering their own elation at his maiden success all at once, liberated him into his freewheeling ways. And once that seminal five-over burst had come to an end – 1 for 19 – a change of ends back to his original starting point brought about the real spell of note.Across 12 more overs – two before tea – he bedded in like this was all just a manifestation of those childhood moments to himself, when he had little but his own ambition and imagination to riff on. Indeed the wrong’un that brought his second wicket was the stuff dreams are made of. Another leftie hoodwinked – this time Faheem Ashraf – playing down leg, appropriately enough given where the ball landed, but left for dead as the delivery turned past his bat and into his back pad.”I’ve been bowling at left-handers all my life,” Ahmed beamed on Sky Sports at the end of play, once Leach had seen off the remaining Pakistan batters to wrap their innings up on 304. The left-hander in question? Older brother Raheem. “I used the tactic I used against him: googly then legspinner. And it worked.”Rehan Ahmed’s googly played a part in his first wicket, and saw off Faheem Ashraf for his second•Getty ImagesLegspin is hard, and doing it for England seems to make it even harder. Matt Parkinson debuted (as a concussion substitute) six months ago, Mason Crane five years ago and neither are likely to add to their single appearance.Perhaps the hardest thing for both to cope with was the crash: the heights of the hype, followed by the ease with which both were deemed inadequate at this level. It is why Stokes, McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and performance director Mo Bobat decided to keep the noise around Ahmed as quiet as possible. His progression from three County Championship games for Leicestershire into the Lions in the UAE, and then onto this Pakistan tour, was touted as a “soft launch” rather than the real deal. Ahmed was their exciting prospect they didn’t want you getting too excited about. And now here we are, getting too excited about him.Then again, the whole point of legspin – and the whole point of being young in a sport that no-one ever truly masters – is about being carried away by these moments, whether they happen to you or in front of you. To have both? Well, that’s good fortune.The late, great Shane Warne got excited when he first saw Ahmed in the nets at Lord’s as a 13-year-old in 2017, when he dismissed Joe Root (lbw) and his current captain, Stokes (stumped). “I think you’ll be playing first-class cricket by the age of 15,” Warne said. In the end, he was only two years out.Similarly, Pakistan head coach Saqlain Mushtaq was bursting with reflected pride, given that this debut had come in the birth country of Ahmed’s parents. “It’s a point of great pride that so many Pakistanis are playing for other countries,” he said. “Rehan bowled very well today.”The way he bowled certain deliveries to Babar and all of the Pakistan batters makes me think there’s something about him. I see a bright future ahead for him. He plays for England, but his Pakistani roots make me very proud.”The talent is undeniable, the execution of tough skills exemplary under the most acute pressure he can have experienced so far. Of course, it is not on us to promise the world on Ahmed’s behalf. And yet the compulsion to write a scale-tilting “but” here is just too strong. Especially so in this England team, where the current levels of optimism are such that nothing seems out of reach, not even the notion that they have a future Hall of Fame legspinner in their midst.”I mean, I think it’s the best-ever Test team that’s ever played,” said Ahmed, rolling with the theme of getting carried away. “To play at such a young age is just a blessing. I think you can’t … stuff like this doesn’t come around like this, so it’s great to make your debut at 18.”By the end of the day, with Ahmed having returned maiden Test innings figures of 2 for 89 in 22 overs, his father had his head down in his phone. There were congratulatory messages to respond to, and dismissals to watch on replay. Memories already cast in stone on day one of an international career that is just getting started.Yes, English cricket has been burned many times over by promising more than it should, and that is not just limited to meeting legspinners more than halfway. With Ahmed, though, it feels like the right moves are being made for this latest tale to have a happier ending. The dressing-room Ahmed finds himself in will ensure he can tell his story in his own way, at his own pace.

The England fast bowler played only 11 matches across the SA20 and the IPL this year

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-20234:31

Explaining Jofra Archer’s sudden exit from the IPL

February 1, 2022 – Enters IPL mega-auction
Archer’s name is a surprise inclusion on the longlist for the mega-auction, given he was due to miss IPL 2022 with an elbow injury. Hemang Amin, the IPL’s COO, tells franchises: “The ECB has registered Jofra Archer for the auction with a view to potential participation in 2023 and 2024, as due to his current injury it is unlikely that he can participate in IPL 2022.”February 13, 2022 – Signed by Mumbai Indians
Despite his unavailability, Archer’s lot prompts a bidding war between his old franchise Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai at the auction, with Mumbai eventually securing his services at INR 8 crore (£800,000 approx). The franchise’s owner, Akash Ambani, says: “When he is fit and available we believe he will make a formidable partnership with [Jasprit] Bumrah.”May 19, 2022 – Back stress fracture
Archer is diagnosed with a lower-back stress fracture, preventing his planned return in the T20 Blast for Sussex and ruling him out of the English summer. The ECB say in a statement: “No timeframe has been set for his return.”November 23, 2022 – England Lions return
Bowling in England match kit for the first time since March 2021, Archer hits Zak Crawley on the helmet with a sharp bouncer, playing for England Lions against the full Test squad in a warm-up match in Abu Dhabi. “A small day but still a big day,” he says.January 10, 2023 – MI Cape Town debut
Signed as a ‘wildcard’ for MI Cape Town – Mumbai Indians’ franchise in the inaugural SA20 – Archer bowls the third over of the new tournament, and strikes with his third ball. He plays six times for them in total, taking 10 wickets.January 27, 2023 – Full international comeback
Archer plays his first game for England since March 2021, taking 1 for 81 in the first ODI in South Africa. Five days later, he takes 6 for 40 to seal a consolation win as England lose the series 2-1.March 14, 2023 – Back in Bangladesh
Archer finishes England’s white-ball tour to Bangladesh with another five international appearances under his belt, taking five wickets in his two ODIs and four in his three T20Is.April 2, 2023 – Mumbai debut
Mumbai start IPL 2023 with a heavy defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Archer takes 0 for 33 in his four overs, dropping a difficult caught-and-bowled chance offered by Virat Kohli off his first ball.April 8, 2023 – Misses El Clasico
After experiencing discomfort in his right elbow on debut, Archer misses Mumbai’s first home game against Chennai Super Kings with what Mark Boucher, their head coach, describes as “a little niggle”. Boucher adds: “We’ve got a fantastic medical team that are looking after him. He’s obviously a massive player for us, so hopefully they can pass him fit sometime soon.”April 22, 2023 – Returns vs Punjab Kings
Having missed four matches in a row, Archer takes his first wicket for Mumbai – Sam Curran, caught and bowled – in a defeat to Punjab Kings at the Wankhede.April 25, 2023 – Belgium trip emerges
The reports that Archer travelled to Belgium during his lay-off to visit Roger van Riet, his elbow specialist, for a “minor procedure”. The ECB confirms that Archer travelled to Belgium, but do not comment on whether he underwent surgery. Archer responds furiously via Twitter, saying: “Putting out an article without knowing the facts and without my consent is crazy.”April 27, 2023 – All-format ambitions
Archer confirms in an interview with ESPNcricinfo that he retains hope of making a return to Test cricket. “I still want to play as much red-ball [cricket] as possible,” he says. “I’ve never really had a thought of trying to give up on any of the formats as yet.”April 29, 2023 – Boucher confirms surgery
Asked about Archer’s situation at a pre-match press conference, Boucher confirms that he travelled to Belgium. “Yes, he did,” he said. “I believe it was a minor surgery.” Meanwhile, Archer’s close friend and Sussex and England team-mate Chris Jordan is spotted training with the franchise.May 9, 2023 – Leaves IPL 2023
Mumbai announce that Archer has been replaced by Jordan for the remainder of the tournament, after consecutive wicketless appearances against Kings and Super Kings. “Jofra will return home to focus on his rehabilitation,” the franchise said.The ECB confirmed that he has been “recovering from right elbow surgery”, adding: “Pushing through the discomfort whilst recently playing, hoping it will settle, has proven challenging. Therefore, it has been agreed for him to return to the UK for a period of rest and rehabilitation to give him the best opportunity for a full recovery.”May 16, 2023 – Ruled out of English summer
England’s squad announcement for the Ireland Test contains the news that Archer has been ruled out of action for the home season by the recurrence of his elbow stress fracture. “He was making good progress until a recurrence of the elbow injury, which kept him out for an extended period previously,” says Rob Key, England men’s managing director. “We wish him the best of luck with his recovery.”

Plus, Alex Carey is a secret agent, and Bazball is a doomsday cult

Alan Gardner14-Jul-2023It was the bucket hats that should have warned us. England’s players rocked up for the start of the summer looking like they had just returned from a music festival, complete with the wide-eyed intensity that comes from having spent all night sitting in a muddy field discussing the healing power of, say, crystals or Test match scoring rates of 4.50 RPO and above.Bazball is many things – including golf and living your best life – but there’s always been a hint of rock’n’roll around its iconoclastic approach. While John Lennon famously declared the Beatles bigger than Jesus, Ben Stokes’ England are coming in more like the Stone Roses shortly after the release of their eponymous debut album. “I am the resurrection,” sang Ian Brown, to which England have simply tagged on “of Test cricket” and continued shuffling around and bopping their heads to the tunes on Brendon McCullum’s boom box.Brown, of course, was most recently in the news for spouting conspiracy theories around the Covid vaccine, which tells you a bit about the dangers for those of a messianic persuasion. And after a psychedelic couple of weeks for the Ashes, some might be beginning to worry about how much of a headache the inevitable post-Baz comedown is going to be for English cricket.Related

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The near-diplomatic incident at Lord’s over Jonny Bairstow’s stumping was another moment for those charting the journey from inspirational sportsters sportsing their hearts out to doomsday cult ready to barricade themselves in for the final firefight. As Stokes and McCullum spoke to their post-match interlocutors with glassy-eyed zeal about the spirit of cricket, the logical thought was: what level of proof is this spirit and did somebody mix it into the dressing-room Kool Aid?Meanwhile, down in the Long Room, some MCC members had started behaving like they’d just got back from whatever the shoes-and-slacks equivalent of a rave is, attempting to twist the melon of any passing Australian – thereby adding to the increasing number of legitimate reasons people have for wanting to knock the old ground down and replace it with a community outreach project.Alex Carey’s role in all this should not be underestimated. Carey is like one of those CIA agents sent undercover in the 1970s to infiltrate the counterculture movement, sowing confusion and discord at every turn (including, allegedly, on trips to the barbers). Perhaps Australia’s wicketkeeper succeeded in flipping his opposite number, with Bairstow wandering blindly out of his crease as a message to the authorities that he is ready to come in. Some might argue that pretty much his entire output during the series has been a cry for help.Either way, what goes up must come down – as anyone who has accidently set fire to their tent at Glastonbury and spent the rest of the night with their head between their ankles knows. And if the Bazball Ashes reduces the English game to rubble in the process, at least it would mean not having to watch the Hundred. Now that’s a suicide pact the Light Roller could sign up to!

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Meanwhile, more signs that woke nonsense has infiltrated Australia’s cricket culture. After defeat to England in the second T20I, at The Oval last week, Australia captain Alyssa Healy shockingly revealed: “We’re allowed to lose games of cricket.” As if that wasn’t enough baggy-green blasphemy for one evening, she added: “It’s the game of cricket. You win some, you lose some.” Rumours that none of the England players were invited to prepare for “broken f***ing arms”, and that some of Healy’s team-mates don’t even drink beer, are yet to be confirmed – but a CA-commissioned review can’t be far away.

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July 5: Bangladesh lose first ODI against Afghanistan by 17 runs (DLS method).July 6: Tamim Iqbal makes tearful retirement announcement. “This is the end for me. I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment.”July 7: Tamim reverses decision after meeting with Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. “The honourable prime minister invited me to her residence this afternoon. We had a long discussion after which she instructed me to return to cricket. I am withdrawing my retirement.”July 8: Bangladesh, led by Litton Das, lose second ODI by 142 runs.
Which is certainly an elaborate way to ensure that Afghanistan’s first bilateral ODI series win over Bangladesh doesn’t go against your captaincy record, but fair play to Tamim. That, people, is what they call 4D chess.

After the WPL, 30 cricketers were picked for an intense camp in Bengaluru to improve fitness levels

Shashank Kishore21-Jun-2023Remember Ellyse Perry’s acrobatic save on the boundary to deny India in the T20 World Cup semi-final in February?Here’s a recap: she sprinted along the rope from deep square leg, covered at least 20 metres, threw herself towards the ball at full stretch and pushed it back while airborne. It saved Australia two crucial runs in the penultimate over in a game they won by five runs.Four months have passed since that heartbreaking day for India in Cape Town. The women’s team is preparing for a new bumper season that begins with a limited-overs tour to Bangladesh in July, followed by home white-ball series against South Africa and New Zealand in September and October. Then England and Australia also visit for a full tour that includes Tests on either side of the new year.Given the volume of cricket coming India’s way, it’s fair to say that moment of athletic brilliance from Perry has had significant impact on their approach towards fitness and fielding.In May, the senior women’s selection panel picked 30 “targeted players” for an intense camp in Bengaluru. The notable highlights were the implementation of the Athlete Monitoring System (AMS) and Injury Prevention (IP).These systems aren’t new. Teams across sporting landscapes have used them in high-performance environments. That it’s being embraced in women’s cricket in India, starting with the Women’s Premier League (WPL), is noteworthy. With two world events – the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh and the 2025 ODI World Cup in India – in the next 24 months, the BCCI hopes the steps they have taken will help the team finally win that trophy.So, what is AMS?It’s a software that monitors fatigue, sleep, mood, menstrual cycle and non-sport stressors to mitigate injury risks and maximise performance. It helps monitor data, workloads, past injuries, rehab cycles, performance post-injuries.Why is it significant for women’s cricket now?It has helped the National Cricket Academy tailor roadmaps for each player to ensure their fitness levels continue to remain optimum. For starters, the yo-yo test has been replaced by the one-mile test, a DEXA scan to measure body-fat percentage, vertical jumps, broad jumps, 10- to 20-metre dash, and several endurance routines.”Because it was the off season, we went heavy,” explains Vidarbha’s Disha Kasat, one of the top domestic T20 run-getters in the past two seasons who was part of the camp. “With the lifts in gym, with our runs. Even fielding, we were taking 50 catches in every session. Everyone’s parameters improved from day one to the end of the camp.”Australia have been undisputed leaders when it comes to fitness standards•AFP/Getty ImagesJhulan Goswami, the former India captain, believes this new outlook can be pathbreaking. She had a ringside view of these processes as a bowling coach with Mumbai Indians in the WPL. This, she thinks, can help narrow the gap with Australia, the undisputed leaders in the women’s game.”There’s no comparison [with Australia] on the fitness front,” Goswami says. “They’ve set the benchmark in women’s cricket and it’s a start for us in India to try and aspire to match those standards. Today, players realise skills alone aren’t enough.”It can only take you to a certain level. But to have long-lasting careers and take your game beyond, fitness is very important. You need that ruthlessness, the aggressive mindset. And for that your fitness plays a key role. Hopefully the preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup has started with this.”

‘Hiring full-time S&C coaches a turning point’

A significant step in this fitness revolution is the formation of a core group of strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches for the women’s set-up. Anand Date coming on board full-time has been a game-changer. Date has over a decade’s experience in S&C, having worked under Rahul Dravid at the NCA and with various men’s India A and age-group squads.Date’s responsibilities now include working with several franchise S&Cs and other coaches that women’s players work with to help maintain continuity in monitoring fitness.”Earlier, we didn’t have a full-time S&C coach. They were all appointed on a series-by-series basis. Now, having Anand Date on board full-time has helped push fitness pedals,” says former India batter VR Vanitha. “He used to build on the fitness parameters of players once they came back to the NCA or national camps after a break.”AMS has ensured players aren’t under-training or over-training. Each player’s workload is mapped and it ensures there’s accountability from their part, even when they aren’t at the NCA. Now even the state teams are embracing this system. The data helps bring everything under one roof.”

“There’s no comparison [with Australia] on the fitness front. They’ve set the benchmark in women’s cricket and it’s a start for us in India to try and aspire to match those standards. Today, players realise skills alone aren’t enough. To have long-lasting careers and take your game beyond, fitness is very important.”Jhulan Goswami, former India captain and Mumbai Indians bowling coach

Workload management is just one aspect. There’s injury prevention too, a system that determines through a series of tests – on shoulders, hip flexors, and hamstring for example – certain markers that are then assessed to tune workloads.”This system determines the extent of injuries, what the fitness levels of a player is at any given time,” Vanitha explains. “It monitors a player’s physical state even before they break down. Essentially, it’s an alarm to those monitoring. It helps tapering workloads if there are markers that suggest potential injury.”While fitness was the focus of the camp, the players did skill-work too. They were divided into groups, handed specific tasks and put through a series of match simulations. They were assisted by experienced net bowlers and side-arm specialists.”Hrishikesh Kanitkar sir [interim head coach of India Women] made me work on my batting, find my own way to do it,” Kasat explains. “He was very flexible. He told me ‘these are your options, see what works for you and find your way out with this as your end goal,’ rather than saying ‘this is the only way you should go about it’. Practice sessions were intense.”

‘WPL will close gap between domestic and international cricket’

Goswami believes the WPL will have a wide impact on the women’s game in India. “This year, we didn’t have time to prepare for WPL. Teams just went with the flow, picked players on raw numbers,” she says. “Next year, teams will have an opportunity to prepare, conduct camps, scout players, shortlist performers. That will automatically lift the domestic tournaments because players know there’s an added incentive to get noticed.”Previously, the gap between domestic and international cricket was massive. Players found it too steep and took time to bridge this gap. This won’t be the case going forward, because there’s a massive platform now.”Disha Kasat (far left): ‘If I have to go to my training venue, which is at least an hour from my gym, I have to ensure I’m spending my time productively when I’m at the nets’•BCCIThis is where preparatory tournaments play a massive role. Currently, a high-performance squad, comprising several age-group players that featured in India’s victorious Under-19 Women’s World Cup campaign and WPL performers, is in Hong Kong to play in the Emerging Nations’ Asia Cup. Most of the games have been washed out, but the tournament held significant potential because the previous women’s A tour was before the pandemic.”Tournaments like the Emerging Nations Cup is good, but India’s level is way above, say, the A team of Sri Lanka, Pakistan or any of the other teams,” Vanitha says. “What we need is exposure to the A sides of England, Australia. Also, we need to expand our base. While the focus should be on the Under-19s, we shouldn’t lose sight of those who are in the 20 to 23 age group.”Goswami has noticed players having that motivation to be a part of the franchise system, now that they’ve seen what the WPL offers, both in terms of opportunities and money. Vanitha has also seen players go out of their comfort zone.”I’ve seen some people joining better training centres, more people taking their nutrition seriously, which is vital for athlete progress,” Vanitha says. “Cricketers are going and accessing top coaches in India. This itself speaks there’s internal motivation from the girls to invest in themselves.”Kasat is an example of someone who has gone the extra mile. The Vidarbha captain, who hails from Nagpur, lives in Bengaluru during the off-season to train under a private coach. Kasat, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL, also has access to training facilities set up by Rajasthan Royals in Talegaon.”In Nagpur, everything comes too easy,” she says. “In Bangalore, there’s a price you put on everything. Time spent in traffic to go from A to B can be exhausting. There’s a sense of purpose. If I have to go to my training venue, which is at least an hour from my gym, I have to ensure I’m spending my time productively when I’m at the nets. You want to get something out of every session. I’ve lived and trained in Bangalore for two years now. It’s not easy, but it’s made me a better cricketer.”Kasat had the opportunity to train with Perry at RCB and observe her work ethic. Her takeaway from that experience is simple: “If she can, I can too.”

Chamari Athapaththu is a favourite in this race, but faces stiff competition from the likes of Annabel Sutherland and Danni Wyatt

S Sudarshanan07-Dec-2023

Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)

Set 2 – capped allrounders. Base price: INR 30 lakh
Despite having a base price of INR 30 lakh – that is, the lowest bracket for overseas players – Athapaththu found no takers in the inaugural WPL auction. Subsequently, she did not find a place in the Women’s Hundred, the Women’s Big Bash League or the Women’s Caribbean Premier League either. But the Sri Lanka captain showed what teams were missing out on with a stellar show in 2023.Athapaththu starred with two unbeaten centuries in Sri Lanka’s first-ever ODI series win against New Zealand, scored an unbeaten 47-ball 80 for their first win in a T20I against New Zealand and then led the charge in their first T20I series win over England in September. Her outstanding batting form meant a late call-up from Sydney Thunder for the 2023 WBBL as an injury replacement.She took the WBBL by storm and finished with 552 runs – the second-most in the season – at a strike rate of 127.18 and with the Player of the Series award no less. She also returned nine wickets with the ball at an economy rate of just under seven. Expect her to be the most expensive pick at the WPL auction.Annabel Sutherland was on fire at the 2023 WBBL•Getty Images

Annabel Sutherland (Australia)

Set 2 – capped allrounders. Base price: INR 40 lakh
Sutherland played four matches in WPL 2023, scored only 28 runs and picked up three wickets with an economy rate of 10.99, before being released by Gujarat Giants. She turned her form around in the women’s Ashes, scoring her maiden Test century in Australia’s win in Nottingham before picking up 3 for 28 in a narrow T20I loss against England at The Oval.Sutherland’s 47-ball 50 batting at No. 7 proved crucial in Australia’s only ODI win of the multi-format Ashes. She then flourished in the 2023 WBBL, scoring 288 runs – the most for Melbourne Stars – and picking up 23 wickets, joint third-most for the season. She also led Stars for the last three games of the season in Meg Lanning’s absence.Danni Wyatt celebrates the Women’s Hundred title with her Southern Brave team-mates•Julian Finney/Getty Images

Danni Wyatt (England)

Set 1 – capped batters. Base price: INR 30 lakh
One of only three women to have played 150 or more T20Is, Wyatt surprisingly found no takers last time with a base price of INR 50 lakh, something she was disappointed with. Her ability to hit the ball hard at the top of the order as well as take spinners down with ease is something only a few batters possess in world cricket. She topped the batting charts for Women’s Hundred champions Southern Brave and Charlotte Edwards (CE) Cup winners Southern Vipers.Wyatt struck at 141.14 and scored 295 at the Women’s Hundred. Her Player-of-the-Match performance in the final – 59 off just 38 balls with nine fours and a six – only enhanced her reputation of changing gears at will and attacking spin. She also made 273 runs in the CE Cup at a strike rate of 150. Her T20I record in India is also enviable – 459 runs in 16 outings at a strike rate of 143.43 with a best of 124Amanda-Jade Wellington was named player of the WBBL final after taking 3 for 16•Getty Images

Amanda-Jade Wellington (Australia)

Set 5 – capped spinners. Base price: INR 30 lakh
Wellington is a serial winner in 2023. She has been part of title-winning teams at the FairBreak Global Invitational Tournament, the WCPL and the WBBL. She was omitted from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad earlier this year and then did not opt in for the inaugural WPL auction. But she starred in the WCPL final with a four-for for Barbados Royals.Wellington then returned 23 wickets in the WBBL – tied third in the season – including bowling the last over of the final to help Adelaide Strikers defend their crown. She is a handy batter down the order. Strikers’ head coach Luke Williams is with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the same capacity and that could also make Wellington a go-to pick.Shabnim Ismail was a key cog for Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL•Getty Images

Shabnim Ismail (South Africa)

Set 4 – capped fast bowlers. Base price: INR 40 lakh
Intense bidding saw UP Warriorz pick up Ismail for INR 1 crore at the last auction. But after just three games in the season, she finds herself back in the auction pool this year. The fiery South Africa fast bowler, who retired from internationals earlier this year, showed her wares at the Women’s Hundred, the WCPL and the WBBL.She picked up 11 wickets in the Women’s Hundred, including a hat-trick in the last over that helped Welsh Fire eke out a narrow win over Birmingham Phoenix. She prevented Phoenix from scoring four off the last three balls with nine wickets in hand, one game after her three-for had skittled Oval Invincibles for 80.Ismail also picked up 13 wickets for Hobart Hurricanes in the WBBL, after a four-for for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the WCPL final.

Clarkson’s ability to go bang from the get-go makes him a particularly daunting T20 prospect

Deivarayan Muthu18-Feb-2024No James Neesham (Bangladesh Premier League). No Daryl Mitchell (injured). Step forward, Josh Clarkson. Josh, who?The biggest hitter in the Super Smash in recent years, that’s who.Since the start of 2020, Clarkson has had a strike rate of 155.70 in New Zealand’s premier domestic T20 tournament – the highest among all batters who have played more than 30 innings during this period. The next best on this list is Chad Bowes with a strike rate of 153.50. And only Finn Allen (66) and Bowes (51) – both top-order batters – have hit more sixes than Clarkson (50) in the Super Smash from January 2020.Clarkson’s ability to go bang from the get-go, like Allen does, makes him a particularly dangerous T20 prospect. This is the opinion of Glenn Pocknall, Clarkson’s domestic coach at Central Districts, who has also had a stint as New Zealand coach.”Look the Blackcaps have plenty of brilliant ball-strikers and Josh can do it (hit sixes) from ball one which is what makes him dangerous,” Pocknall tells ESPNcricinfo. “Finn Allen is another who can hit from ball one and when these types of players get going, they make batting look easy.”Related

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Pocknall has also been at the receiving end of Clarkson’s middle-order onslaughts when he was Wellington’s coach from 2018 to 2022. A strong Wellington attack, which included Hamish Bennett, Logan van Beek and Ben Sears, had reduced Central Districts to 81 for 4 at the start of the 11th over, but Clarkson came out and crashed an unbeaten 71 off 32 balls to lead his team to a match-winning total of 190 for 4 at the Basin Reserve in a Super Smash game in December 2021.Clarkson, 27, is a modern T20 player. His towering frame – 6 feet 3 inches – and long reach gives him a broad range and there are no half-measures about his ball-striking.”Of late he’s worked really hard on his ability to hit the ball behind the wicket which has enabled him to use not only his power but also have some finesse when it’s required,” Pocknall says. “Given his height he can turn good balls into fuller balls and then they go sailing over the bowler’s head. Also, a big development I’ve seen over the last few years is his ability off the back foot meaning he can now access all areas of the ground, which makes him hard to bowl to.”Ross Taylor, who has played alongside Clarkson at Central Districts, also rates Clarkson’s middle-order batting highly and backs him to do a job with the ball as well.”When I played the last season, he [Clarkson] was head and shoulders the best middle-order player, I think, going around,” Taylor told in December after Clarkson was called into the New Zealand ODI side. “Obviously had a few injury issues with elbows, backs, and things like that, but don’t underestimate his bowling.Since the start of 2020, Clarkson has had a strike rate of 155.70 in the Super Smash•Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images”We’ve talked a lot about his batting – probably the biggest hitter going around in the circuit – but his bowling is there, especially on wickets that are low and slow. He’s a tall bowler, probably that Colin de Grandhomme 125-130 [kph] and bowl wicket-to-wicket to give the skipper an option, I think. Hopefully, he can turn that potential into reality in the next sort of a while.”While de Grandhomme more or less kisses the pitch with the ball, Clarkson can actually hit the deck with hard lengths, like he showed on his ODI debut against Bangladesh in Dunedin, where he bounced out opener Anamul Haque. And in his most recent game, in the Ford Trophy, he returned career-best List A figures of 4 for 60 against Canterbury in Christchurch.”His bowling is going from strength to strength and naturally bowls a heavy ball given his height,” Pocknall says. “His accuracy and change-ups have developed over the last few seasons and is becoming more and more a genuine threat with the ball.”Clarkson won’t tinker with his game and will continue to play with the same approach that has brought him domestic success over the years.”Nothing really changes. Obviously picked on your performances in the domestic game, so nothing really changes for me,” Clarkson said recently. “It’s just go out there with freedom and just play the way I do.”The biggest hitter in the Super Smash is finally ready for the big stage. Against Australia, the ODI World Cup champions and T20 World Cup title contenders, in Wellington on February 21, in front of his family.

Wanindu Hasaranga was hopeful conditions wouldn’t be too far removed from home

Sidharth Monga03-Jun-20241:20

Will Hasaranga be the gamechanger?

Puff of dust. Not on the pitch but on the outfield. That’s the first thing you notice about cricket at the Nassau County International Cricket Ground just outside New York City. The next thing you see is that the ball plugs in it. It doesn’t zip off like we are used to seeing in pretty standard conditions in cricket on TV these days. It is a sandy outfield where fielders won’t be queuing up to dive.Then there is the drop-in pitch. In the warm-up game between India and Bangladesh held two days before the ground hosts its first World Cup match, the ball seamed around and also sat in the surface. Yet again, these are anything but standard conditions. And because of reasons not explained to the South Africa and Sri Lanka teams, they go into the match without any training session at the actual venue.Related

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This is precisely why South Africa requested for at least a fielding session on the actual outfield after they were done with their nets at the Cantiague Park, another facility outside New York City. Even during the India-Bangladesh match, their coach Rob Walter and bowling coach Eric Simons made it a point to come to the venue and check the conditions out.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will visit the venue for the first time when they come in for the match. They even cancelled their nets session at the Cantiague Park. They have decided what they saw of the warm-up game on the TV is all they need to know. That is not as dramatic as it sounds because conditions are a little similar to Sri Lanka: sticky pitch, heavy outfield. That is what they have seen in their other practice sessions as well.”First of all, we prepared really well,” Sri Lanka’s captain Wanindu Hasaranga said. “We came two weeks early to North Carolina, and we had practice sessions there. And we played two practice matches in Florida. And I think as a team, we prepared really well. And conditions are similar to Sri Lanka. So, I think as a team we have prepared really well.”Wanindu Hasaranga was confident his side were ready•AFP/Getty ImagesYou can detect some sulkiness with Sri Lanka, though. Firstly, their flight into New York was delayed by seven hours. Then, unlike India and South Africa, they are staying in downtown Brooklyn, which makes it quite a trek to the ground. Their hotel’s swimming pool is closed for the rest of the year, a repeat for them from the 2019 World Cup in England. In fact when asked about adjusting to early-morning starts this World Cup – to cater to the TV audience in India – Hasaranga didn’t omit to mention the travel to the ground.”No, if we played under lights, then we have to prepare, with the field and everything under the lights,” Hasaranga said when asked if they needed to make adjustments to early starts. “Then the only concern is we have to come early to the ground. We have to come at 7.30 in the morning because we are so far from the ground. It will take like one-and-a-half hours to the ground. That’s the only concern we have.”Hasaranga is not incorrect. During the warm-up match, almost everyone had trouble getting to the ground with the police closing down the entrances to Eisenhower Park, which houses the stadium. Everyone is hopeful there is better co-ordination between the police and the ICC come match day when the roads will be closed at 7.30am for everyone except the team buses.2:01

South Africa batters vs Sri Lanka spinners

And then there is the frequent travel for them. Along with Netherlands, Sri Lanka are one of the only two teams that will play all their four first-round matches in four different venues. So they will be in a loop of match-travel-train-optional train-match through then first round.We can sometimes not appreciate the small little challenges that can accumulate with these daily things. For example, when you are asked to train at another venue a day before the match, this is what happens: you load the cricket kits in the hotel at the team bus, then you unload them at the training facility, then you load again and go to your hotel, then you unload in the morning at the ground and load again because you have to travel immediately and don’t have the luxury of playing another match at the same venue.South Africa were more philosophical with the logistical challenges that are part of coming to a new country, which on top of that is not used to hosting cricket, but they do get to play three matches in New York. Even they were bemused they had to train elsewhere. They didn’t know a reason why. Asked if they would have rather they trained at the venue of the match, their captain Aiden Markram said: “It’s hard to say because I’m not sure what [training facility] is there [at the venue of the match], because I haven’t been there. This facility is incredible to be honest, so we don’t mind training here either.”

He will be remembered as much for his courage against fearsome fast bowlers as for his role in helping India move into the era of professionalism

Suresh Menon01-Aug-20246:24

Manjrekar: ‘Indian cricket should be grateful to Gaekwad’

Aunshuman Gaekwad – “Charlie” to friends – had that mix of toughness (as a player) and likeability (as a person) that is rare not just in cricket but in life itself. He was one of the youngest captains on the Indian first-class scene in his time, but was never in the running for the national captaincy. This was partly because he appeared in only 40 of the 90 Tests India played during his decade-old career, and partly because a younger man, Kapil Dev, took over the job. His father, Dattajirao Gaekwad, had led India on a tour of England in 1959.Gaekwad’s understanding of the sport and his knowledge of its nuances were not lost to Indian cricket, however. As manager, selector, and member of the BCCI’s apex council, his was a voice – gentle and persuasive – that helped shape Indian cricket in many ways.He was crucial in two periods of transition. When he made his debut, the Indian team was rebuilding itself after a disastrous tour of England and had just deposed Ajit Wadekar as captain. It was necessary to have a batter with courage, who didn’t give up easily and made the bowlers work hard. Gaekwad fit that role. Opening with Sunil Gavaskar, he gave the batters who followed the kind of respite they had not been used to during the phase when the nation debated the question: Who can partner Gavaskar?Related

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Then, after his playing days, as an administrator, Gaekwad saw the transition towards an era of greater professionalism and self-belief as Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and others held the Indian flag aloft.He was only 32 when he played his last Test, coming full circle in Calcutta, where he had made his debut. The more attacking Krishnamachari Srikkanth was preferred in the next match. As often happens in cricket, like in other areas of endeavour, the skills of the pioneer and consolidator were seen as excess to requirements. What was needed was to go beyond consolidation and take charge. Gaekwad never complained, and looked for other avenues where his experience and superior grasp of the game would serve the country.5:23

Holding: ‘Anshuman was a proper gentleman’

Gaekwad earned his reputation as a player of grit and substance early. As a 22-year-old when he walked out to play that first Test, against West Indies, he crossed the incoming batter who was returning after being hit in the face by Andy Roberts. This was his hero and captain, Tiger Pataudi. Gaekwad made an important 36 in a low-scoring match, which India won, and was run out for 80 in the next, which too India won. He had won his spurs with a century against the tourists for Combined Universities where he drove off the front foot with elan. Later, as he began to open the batting and faced fast bowling consistently, he became more proficient off the back foot.In the West Indies next season, in the “bloodbath” in Kingston, Jamaica, which saw five batters absent hurt in the second innings, Gaekwad helped Sunil Gavaskar add 136 for the opening wicket before he was forced to retire following a nasty blow to the ear from Michael Holding. He needed surgery. He had batted on with a broken finger earlier, using one of the remaining to communicate with Holding in a gesture universally understood.Gaekwad’s highest Test score, 201 against Pakistan, took over 11 hours, which didn’t surprise anyone.India have produced more attractive batters than Aunshuman Gaekwad, better catchers at slip, and perhaps – we don’t know this for sure – better captains. But for sheer courage and for taking on the world’s fastest bowlers with little more than a strong heart and indomitable courage, Gaekwad stands alone. To be remembered for guts and tenacity rather than batting or bowling figures is not such a bad thing.