The Australia pace bowler has made peace with the fact that she may never play another Test, but as far as other formats go, she still has plenty left in the tank

Andrew McGlashan26-Sep-2023Megan Schutt is realistic that her Test match days are over, but hopes to be able to extend her international career through to the 2025 ODI World Cup in India.Schutt played the last of her four Tests in 2019 against England and has since missed the day-night encounter with India in 2021 after the birth of her daughter and the most recent two Ashes matches due to being omitted.Australia have two Tests coming up this season – an away fixture against India, which is set to be a day-night game in December, then a home clash against South Africa in Perth starting February 15 – but Schutt does not expect to feature in either.It was the omission from the Canberra Test in early 2022, which was partly attributed to workloads ahead of the ODI World Cup, that stung the most but Schutt is now at ease with where she stands.”I think Test cricket’s gone, which I’m completely at peace with,” she told ESPNcricinfo. “I was probably disappointed to miss out at Manuka…I wasn’t bitter about it but was disappointed. Since then I’ve realised as a person, as a player, how my body’s tracking, it’s probably not my format anymore.Related

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“I’m pretty realistic in knowing that when the ball stops swinging I’m not overly dangerous. Only being a new-ball bowler who is pretty easy to play out at 100-110 clicks [kph] if it’s not doing anything is probably not what you need in a Test side.”I’m obviously there to do the job if I ever get called up, I believe I’ll be on standby and those sorts of things…[but] I’m at peace with it if I never play another Test. I’ve got to be part of some pretty cool Test matches.”Schutt added that although Australia play more than most, the lack of Tests in the women’s game made it easier to accept.”It sounds weird, but if it was something we played once every series and I was missing out that would hurt more,” she said. “The way I see it, it’s team first. I completely understand that; I wouldn’t pick me in the XI, either, so I’m pretty realistic about it. I’ve never really had a sad moment. It’s a bit disappointing but I’ve got a baggy green, so I’ve done what I wanted to do.”That does not mean Schutt hasn’t got more she wants to achieve in an international career that began in 2012. Her main ambition is to reach the next ODI World Cup in India and sign off at a global event, with next year’s T20 edition in Bangladesh one of the markers along the way.Schutt has played in three ODI World Cups although the last two years have been relatively lean for her in the format with 15 wickets at 38.46 from 17 outings since the start of 2022 and just two in five matches since the previous World Cup in New Zealand.Megan Schutt played the last of her four Tests back in 2019•Getty Images”Ideally I’d love another couple of years in Australian colours. I would love to get to 2025 and finish on a World Cup,” she said. “That’s the goal, whether it’s achievable body-wise, whether CA will want me, those are the hurdles that you don’t know are coming.”Before that, and even if Test cricket is no longer on the agenda, Schutt embarks on a season that will be the most hectic players will have faced. The WNCL is already underway, and Australia start their international summer against West Indies in Sydney on Sunday.There is then the WBBL – where Schutt will be a key part of defending champions Adelaide Strikers – before the multi-format tour of India. Coming back from that, Australia will head almost straight into another multi-format home series against South Africa. If the WPL remains in the same position on the calendar, that will follow quickly for those involved.It’s not only Australian players part of an increasingly busy schedule, with some England and India stars now opting not to take part in certain tournaments. Smriti Mandhana, who Schutt revealed Strikers did have talks with ahead of the WBBL draft, will again be absent from the competition while Nat Sciver-Brunt did not put her name in.

“I’m pretty realistic in knowing that when the ball stops swinging I’m not overly dangerous. Only being a new-ball bowler who is pretty easy to play out at 100-110 clicks [kph] if it’s not doing anything is probably not what you need in a Test side”Megan Schutt is aware of her limitations

“Our schedule as a whole is pretty intimidating to be honest,” Schutt said. “It’s a bit of a different case for me, having a wife and child at home. That definitely affects my decisions and what I’ll choose to play in the future. But just having the choice is probably the ultimate opportunity in itself.”There’s so many leagues now that if someone does want to do the T20 circuit, that’s bloody awesome. If they have the body and desire to keep doing that then that’s cool. But it’s definitely daunting and something we’ve discussed with our coaches about how we are going to manage ourselves.”One particularly challenging period for Schutt this season will be the trip to India which is over Christmas and New Year, a rare occasion of Australian cricketers touring in that window. Schutt confirmed she would make herself available, but admitted it came with difficulties.”I’ll be available. It’s against a major nation in tough conditions, I’m not going to opt out, but it will be extremely sad,” she said. “I’m not going lie, I hate the fact it’s over Christmas. If there was some way around it where we could come earlier or later I’d try move around it, but we can’t do that. We’ve just got to suck it up and get over there.Schutt celebrates the 2022 World Cup win with her wife and daughter•Getty Images”It’s a little bit different when you have a two-year-old at home and Christmas is all about kids rather than yourself and that will be the hard part, being away from them. I truly don’t really care for Christmas other than my family. But it’s just a part of it, we understand that’s how the schedule has to go.”First up for Schutt, however, will be a landmark outing. Her next T20I will be the 100th of her career, making her the sixth Australian (behind Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen and Aaron Finch) and first specialist pace bowler to reach that milestone. Schutt, who was unaware of her impending century, already sits top of the charts in T20I wicket-taking with 128 at 16.46 and an economy of 6.35.”It’s a really cool reflection in that when I first debuted for Australia I probably didn’t deserve it,” she said. “I didn’t have the work ethic, didn’t have the skill level, I just happened to be able to swing a ball and that’s what they needed at the time.”Had you told me then, or even a few years into it, that I would be a mainstay and play that many games, I’d have told you no chance. I didn’t know that was coming up so makes me feel extra old, but also really cool that T20 is the most fickle format and I’ve been able to play 99 games.”

In conditions that called for experienced heads, the 21-year-old looked right at home

Karthik Krishnaswamy14-Jul-20231:29

Yashasvi Jaiswal continues his dream red-ball debuts

Fairytales aren’t supposed to feel inevitable, but those contradictory words may have collided in your brain while watching the West Indies-India Test on Thursday, when Yashasvi Jaiswal went from 99 to 100 with a shot off Alick Athanaze that was one-third sweep, one-third flick, and one-third pull.The fairytale aspect kicked in when Jaiswal pulled his helmet off, raised his arms, and grinned the stubble-free grin of a 21-year-old who still looks 18. It was at this point that it really sunk in, the fact that this fresh-faced youth was playing Test cricket for the first time.Until then you had watched the innings of an old pro. It had felt inevitable that he would get to three figures.Related

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This was remarkable, because conditions in Dominica were of the kind where centuries were possible but debut centuries unlikely. The pitch was slow, offering both turn and spongy bounce, and the outfield even slower. These were conditions where Virat Kohli went 80 balls before hitting his first boundary.These were conditions for old, experienced heads.And yet it had felt inevitable, once he had found his bearings, that Jaiswal would score a century.There have always been cricketers who arrive at the highest level with the promise of instant and overwhelming success. They may or may not live up to the promise, but there’s always something that sets them apart from the rest. With Pat Cummins it was the sense that he was the complete fast-bowling package, physically and mentally, at just 18. With Rohit Sharma, the man who crossed Jaiswal when he ran his century-completing single, it was the sense that he had an extra split-second to play his shots.With Jaiswal it isn’t primarily a visual thing – though there’s a pleasing naturalness to his game – but the feeling that he has an innate understanding not just of the mechanics of batting but the business of run-scoring as well. I mean, look at that first-class record. Before he got his India cap, he had averaged 80.21. He had reached the half-century mark 11 times in 26 innings, and gone on to score hundreds on nine of those 11 occasions. He could have made it 10 out of 11 had there been a little more time left in the game when he made an unbeaten 60-ball 66 in the fourth innings of Mumbai’s drawn Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu in January.Jaiswal had faced 200-plus balls in six first-class innings before this one. He clearly came to Test cricket with the physical and mental resources to play long innings.If most of your previous Jaiswal-watching experience had been in the IPL, his innings against West Indies was full of new revelations. The most remarkable thing about Jaiswal in the IPL is how little time he takes, in innings after innings, to start finding the gaps. In IPL 2023 he scored an astonishing 110 runs in first overs – more than a sixth of his season’s total of 625 – while striking at 174.60; the next-best strike rate among batters who scored at least 20 runs in first overs was 140.Yashasvi Jaiswal takes a bow after scoring a century on Test debut•Associated PressIn Dominica he batted with a lot less fluency, thanks to the slowness of the surface. He hit drives straight to fielders, he hit balls back to the bowler when he was looking to punch through the covers, and he was beaten while trying to sweep and getting through his shot too early – on one occasion the ball bounced more than expected and hit his helmet.But he shrugged these moments off, and faced up again with seemingly no thought in his head other than watching the ball. His technique allows him to watch the ball as well as anyone; his eyes always seem perfectly aligned, as if there’s a spirit level within his head. Balance flows downwards from the head, and while it’s a key ingredient for all batters, it’s particularly vital for a left-hand batter who faces a lot of bowling angled across him.Watching the ball closely with the steadiest of heads, Jaiswal was prepared to take as much time as he needed to score his runs. He took 16 balls to get off the mark. He began day two by shouldering arms five times in a row against Jason Holder. In all, he left alone or defended 82 of the 155 balls he faced from the fast bowlers.He was prepared to bide his time against spin as well. Having hit seven fours while scoring his first 51 runs off 104 balls, he hit no boundaries and scored just 19 runs off his next 80 balls, a period during which Rahkeem Cornwall and Jomel Warrican tested him and Rohit constantly with turn and bounce.Cornwall troubled Jaiswal more than any other West Indies bowler. In an innings where he achieved an overall control percentage of just under 87, he went at 75 against the big offspinner. The fact that Cornwall spent the second and third sessions off the field with a chest infection was one of the many things that made a Jaiswal century seem inevitable.Given the slowness of the pitch and the fact that West Indies, who had been bowled out for 150 on day one, were in damage-control mode for most of India’s innings, the biggest challenge Jaiswal faced may not have always come from the bowlers. Apart from Cornwall’s pre-lunch spell, Jaiswal’s technique was perhaps most tested during short bursts of short-pitched bowling from Alzarri Joseph, but the ball seldom rose above waist height, and usually lost most of its steam if it did.Often, Jaiswal’s main challenge seemed to be one of self-control. West Indies used nine bowlers, and their part-timers eventually sent down 24 of the 113 overs that India faced in the first two days. Against the four part-timers, Jaiswal scored 30 off 87 balls, hitting just one four. While they were less likely to get him out than the five frontline bowlers, he recognised that they were going to be no less difficult to score off, and made no special effort to force the pace against them.He was happy as long as he was still out there, batting. The runs he scored were the byproduct of his continued presence in the middle, as were the milestones and records he accumulated. By stumps, he had faced more balls than any of India’s previous debut centurions (though balls-faced data isn’t available for all their innings).And he is by no means done yet. Whether it’s this Test match or his career, Jaiswal has all the time in the world to keep filling his boots.

The former Australia wicketkeeper was admired as a gloveman, and feared on golf courses

Ian Chappell23-Jul-2023Hedley Brian Taber – Herbert or plain Herbie to his mates – finally lost his battle with ill health on Friday.He had suffered breathing problems from serious asthma ever since I got to know him on our first tour, in 1966-67. Despite his health struggles, he seemed to have nine lives like a cat; this turned out to be his final one.A couple of years ago his wife, Fran, sent me a text saying, “Herbie’s going into hospital and he won’t be coming out.” Lo and behold, he was soon back at the retirement village and we were having our regular Saturday-morning snooker game, followed by a couple of glasses of red wine. At a younger age, when people asked how he was, I’d say, “If Tabsy gets past 45 he’ll make 90.”Sadly he fell just short, but he displayed staunch fighting qualities to reach 83. He was resilient; he never complained – just got on with life and did his job. The cat was not well at times but he was alive until Friday.In his prime he was a fine Australian wicketkeeper and probably the most popular cricketer I ever met. Wherever you went, people would ask, “How’s Tabsy?” You’d tell them nothing had changed, Brian was still battling. The reply was always the same: “Isn’t he a good bloke?”His first Test was in South Africa in 1966-67 and he claimed a very creditable eight dismissals – it would have been nine but one local umpire was extremely patriotic.In December 1968 as New South Wales captain Herbie equalled a then world record of 12 dismissals in a game against South Australia. We used to joke: “How did you get a stumping off [legspinner] Dick Guy? He never spun a ball.”Despite Tabsy’s prowess as a smooth keeper with good footwork, I worried about him after he was struck in the eye by a bail in a charity game. But then in 1982 we took an old-timers’ team to play in Fiji. Tabsy was our keeper and we had three wrist-spinners in the side. When David Sincock, the biggest spinner of them all, hit the edge of the matting with his first delivery, it flew past the right-hand batter’s left shoulder. Tabsy collected the ball easily and casually tossed it to me at slip. The next ball hit the same spot on the matting and shot straight along the ground, just missing off stump. Herbie again easily collected the ball and casually tossed it to me at slip.I stopped worrying about his damaged eyesight then.Taber at work behind the stumps in a tour match in the 1968 Ashes•Getty ImagesWe admired Taber as a keeper but were wary of him on the golf course. He was a regular miracle worker and would often produce unbelievable shots. During a game in India in 1969, he produced his piece de resistance. The first two holes were halved, so the match rested on a par three of 155 yards. Tabsy caught a bit of the sandy tee and then flubbed his iron. He exclaimed: “Might be time for the Texas Wedge.”He proceeded to give the ball a good tap with the putter and it gained much needed impetus from a strategically placed rock about six inches from the pin. Its last roll was into the hole. Quite unperturbed, he marched to the hole and collected his ball, noting as he replaced the pin: “We’ve got our par.”Tabsy retained his incredibly quick sense of humour to the end. He also helped other keepers, including Rod Marsh, the man who took his place in the Australia side.He was an extremely good manager and one of his great contributions to Australian cricket came when, in 1991, he managed an underage side to the Caribbean. At departure he was told by a naïve official: “If [Shane] Warne puts a foot out of place, send him home.” Tabsy quite rightly ignored the advice, made Warne the social secretary, and after his playing success on the tour, told me: “By the way the young bloke is a really good legspinner.”Tabsy was a good cricketer, he understood the game and knew how to handle people. Importantly he was a good bloke. We all miss the gentleman wicketkeeper.

The rapid starts characteristic of England since their white-ball revolution has not been a feature yet in this World Cup

Matt Roller18-Oct-2023At their best, England are unstoppable. But they have hardly got started across their first three games of this World Cup: in their defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan, they started their batting innings in a different gear to their opponents, and never really recovered.On the tournament’s opening day in Ahmedabad, Jonny Bairstow hit the second ball he faced for six, flicking Trent Boult over square leg for six as he took 12 runs off the game’s opening over. But England managed only 51 for 1 after 10 overs, then leaked runs with the new ball as New Zealand raced to 81 for 1 at the equivalent stage.And on Sunday evening in Delhi, the contrast was almost as stark. Rahmanullah Gurbaz got Afghanistan off to a fast start, taking down Chris Woakes and Sam Curran as they reached 79 without losing a wicket off the first 10 overs. With the new ball swinging under lights, England made only 52 for 2 in the initial powerplay, losing Bairstow and Joe Root early.England started well in their other game, a comfortable victory over Bangladesh in Dharamshala, and effectively had the points wrapped by the end of their bowling powerplay. Reece Topley took three wickets in the first 10 overs to leave Bangladesh 57 for 4; Bairstow and Dawid Malan had batted through unscathed, adding 61.Matthew Mott, their head coach, has diagnosed their starts as a major issue. “We win these games in the first 15 overs with bat and ball, and we haven’t done that well,” he said. “We’ve always been on the back foot, trying to pull things back. What we need to do is dominate those 15 overs, whether we bat first or bowl first in the next game.”England’s biggest issue is that with the ball, they have been by far the most expensive team in the initial powerplay, leaking 7.23 runs per over. While Mott backed Woakes during his media briefing on Tuesday, they will surely consider bringing David Willey into the side against South Africa on Saturday.But with the bat, England have tried to strike a balance between positivity and permanence in the first 10 overs. As of Wednesday morning, they ranked fourth out of 10 teams at the World Cup for both scoring rate (5.46 per over) and batting average (54.66) in the initial powerplay.In Bairstow’s view, conditions in India lend themselves to surges at the death. “The teams that have been able to go [harder] for longer at 35 overs through to 50 have built, built, built,” he said, “to get them into a position where your Nos. 5-8 can go ‘boff’ with two men in. That’s how, generally, teams have gone over a period of time in India.”For many years, India’s top order did prioritise stability: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli used to bat deep into a 50-over innings before a late launch. But recently, their method has changed. Rohit has come out firing in the last two years; at this World Cup, India have scored at 6.66 runs per over in the first powerplay – and that despite slipping to 5 for 3 against Australia in Chennai.Across ODI cricket over the last three years, the new balls have swung more than they used to – but England still believe the best way to stop that is by hitting early boundaries, ideally into the LED advertising boards or the stands. “If you get a couple of scuffs on it early doors, that can change it,” Bairstow said.Bairstow himself was unfortunate to be given out lbw in England’s defeat to Afghanistan, with the DRS showing ‘umpire’s call’ for impact and predicting the ball would have barely clipped leg stump. He would not be drawn on it: “The decision the other day was the decision the other day.”But Saturday night’s game against South Africa – at a venue with pace, bounce and a small playing area – should be an opportunity for him to get off to a flier. If he does, Bairstow can set the tone for an England batting line-up that needs to rediscover its aggression.

There’s the “real job”, which he doesn’t mind, but it’s the other bit of his work that gives him “more joy”; crucially, he is doing both very well at the World Cup

Firdose Moonda03-Nov-2023For someone who has taken 16 wickets – joint at second-highest – at the World Cup so far, Marco Jansen spends a lot of time talking instead about the runs he has scored.”I just love batting. I enjoy batting a lot more than bowling,” Jansen said to select media. “Whenever I bat, it gives me more joy. Bowling also gives me joy, but it’s a bit more hard work. You can’t always get away with everything and it’s also not nice seeing the ball fly 80 or 90 metres if you don’t put it where you want.”That’s not the first time Jansen has expressed a preference for what he does at No. 7 in the line-up – where he has a license to play with freedom – over his role with the new ball, which he described as a “real job”. Batting allows him to show what he can do, with almost no strings attached, but with ball in hand, “I am expected to take wickets”. And so far, he has delivered.Related

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In seven matches at the tournament to date, Jansen has taken more wickets than any other bowler in the powerplay – 12 at 13.08 – and has conceded at less than five runs to the over. The next most successful new-ball bowler is Dilshan Madushanka, with seven wickets at 19.43 in the powerplay. And Jansen and Madushanka are a distance away from anyone else: Josh Hazlewood, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj have five each at the end of Thursday’s India vs Sri Lanka game.Jansen’s success has come through a combination of skill and strategy, with South Africa using him to open the bowling alongside Lungi Ngidi, asking him to hit hard lengths and making use of clever field placings to take advantage of any early nip. A leg slip is often in place, for the delivery that straightens on the right-hand batters, for example (and it worked to dismiss Joe Root in Mumbai). And Jansen’s ability to bowl consistently and move the ball has impressed even the most experienced of his team-mates.”He is hitting great lengths, he is swinging the ball both ways, and he has got a great bumper,” Kagiso Rabada said after South Africa’s last win, over New Zealand. “Normally, if you have that in your artillery and you execute it more often than you don’t, you will be successful. He is just a natural bowler. He has got a natural action, he can swing it, he can nip it, he is gifted with a talent of just bowling and making it look natural.”Even though Jansen himself has had to do a lot of work to try and make it look that way, especially in the absence of significant swing, as has been the case in many parts of India.”Previously, I was focusing a lot on something that was not always going to be there [swing],” he said. “Now, I constantly try and hit the wicket hard and through that get some purchase in the wicket so I’ve been focusing on hitting the wicket with a bit more energy. What happens after that is out of my control – if it nips or if it swings. The focus is just to get the most out of the wicket that we are playing on.”According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, 57% of the 359 balls (including wides and no-balls) Jansen has bowled at the World Cup so far have been either on a length or short of a good length, on or outside off stump. He has used the short ball only 36 times of the time and taken four wickets which translates to 10% of his deliveries accounting for a quarter of his wickets, which also illustrates his selective and successful use of the bouncer, which Rabada explained makes him the complete package at a young age. “When he is on top of his game, this is what you can expect to see, whether he is a rookie or not.”

“I don’t own anything but I try to earn it. I wouldn’t say I deserve it but I try to go out and always show I am doing my best”Marco Jansen on being South Africa’s primary allrounder

Jansen had only played 14 ODIs over 20 months before being named in the World Cup squad, but also had 11 Tests to his name, which Rabada thinks has aided his transition to the format.And there’s one other thing: “And he is bowling it from 18 metres above the ground so that also helps,” as Rabada said.Not quite 18 metres, but close enough.At 2.06 metres, Jansen is among the tallest players at the tournament and the knowledge that he can use that to aim for the ribcage, the throat, or even the helmet is likely always on batters’ minds. That he doesn’t overly rely on the short ball (something South African bowlers in the past may have been guilty of) is the result of close attention to detail in training under the guidance of bowling coach Eric Simons, who is on a short-term deal for this World Cup.”Eric is very specific in terms of where we want to hit – in terms of the length, the stumps, the lines – which is a very good thing because before I was just warming up for the sake of warming up to get my body loose. Now, it’s about actually focusing on a target and subconsciously working on something. In my case, it’s hitting off stump or middle stump,” Jansen said. “For example, in some warm-ups, I will try and hit off stump every single ball and through that you are building your action in a way to get the ball where you want it to go. Then, When the pressure is on, subconsciously you do it.”Is there anything similar about the way he trains clearing the ropes with the bat? It doesn’t seem so. “In the nets, when I am working on my batting, I enjoy it,” he said, and perhaps the more relaxed approach is paying off.1:56

McClenaghan: Jansen is a strong prospect for SA

While there are still times when South Africa’s line-up can look a little short – and those are the times when the top order wobbles – and the balance of their side can seem off, Jansen has shown signs that he is growing into his role at the top of the lower order. His unbeaten 75 off 42 balls and 151-run seventh-wicket stand with Heinrich Klaasen against England strengthened his claim on the genuine-allrounder front, but he is careful to not say the spot is permanently his.”I don’t own anything but I try to earn it,” he said. “I have to give credit to the coaches helping us and the players working hard behind the scenes. I wouldn’t say I deserve it but I try to go out and always show I am doing my best.”That is a sentiment that is running strongly through the South Africa outfit at this World Cup: nothing is about the individual, everything for the collective, which sounds overly sentimental but is relevant for a squad that fell apart at the last tournament. “In the 2019 World Cup, we weren’t quite gelling as a team. We weren’t stringing together performances as a team,” Rabada, who played at that tournament, said. “Now everyone is on the same page and so you also want to be on it as an individual.”For South Africa’s bowlers that means backing up what their top six, or seven including Jansen, have been able to do. “When the batters put up big totals, it means we have runs to defend but we almost make it irrelevant what they have scored,” Rabada said. “We are focusing on our own targets and setting our own standards, whether we bowl first or whether we are defending a total.”With all that said, bring on India. “It’s going to be a great match,” Rabada said. “India are a phenomenal team but we are up for it.”

She isn’t a natural six-hitter, but against Mumbai Indians, she manipulated the field to finish with eight fours and three sixes in a knock of 69*

Vishal Dikshit06-Mar-20245:43

Rodrigues: I’ve learnt from Kohli how to hit sixes while hitting in the gaps

Jemimah Rodrigues is not a big six hitter. She is not burly, and she doesn’t demolish the ball into the stands. You lob her a full toss, and chances are she will deftly place it into the gap for four. If power-hitting doesn’t come naturally to her, how did she smoke three sixes and several one-bounce fours during a match-winning 69 off 33 balls against a Mumbai Indians line-up packed with international bowlers?The pitch which Delhi Capitals and Mumbai were playing on at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was fresh and largely helping the batters when they went for their shots. The big difference compared to the Bengaluru tracks, where the first half of this WPL was played, was the lack of bounce which turned out to be a blessing for Rodrigues, who is not tall like some of her team-mates, as she could get under the ball more easily.The ground also had skewed square boundaries – 46 metres on one and 63 on the other. Her technique, though comprehensive and compact, was going to need some form of innovation to find the ropes regularly.Related

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Soon after Meg Lanning’s 53 from 38 deliveries chaperoned the team to 114 for 3 in 13 overs, the onus was on Rodrigues to probably hold one end and leave the job of hitting those big sixes to Marizanne Kapp and Jess Jonassen. After all, Rodrigues’ T20 strike rate was only 118; and at one stage, she was on a boundary-less 13 off 14 balls, and Capitals on 123 for 3 with five overs to go.When Shabnim Ismail bowled a slow cutter at just 88.9kph, Rodrigues went down on a knee and slog-swept to the wide long-on boundary – the longer boundary in that over – for a one-bounce four. Trying to stay one step ahead of the experienced Ismail, Rodrigues made room two balls later for the quicker ball on middle, and carved it over the two point fielders for another one-bounce four.”I knew coming into the WPL you need all sorts of shots, and I can’t stick to [certain shots] and say, ‘I’m this kind of a player’,” Rodrigues said after the game.With the shorter boundary on her leg side next over, Rodrigues went out of her crease on the off side to make Pooja Vastrakar’s short ball race away to the square-leg boundary. The keeper soon came up, and when Vastrakar went wide outside off, Rodrigues scythed it to the deep-third boundary for another one-bounce four.The manipulation of the field continued in the 18th over when Rodrigues first swept a four behind square off Saika Ishaque, and then manufactured room to slash another one-bounce four to the backward-point boundary.

“That’s something I’ve learnt from Virat Kohli; he does that really well… The way he goes about [his game], he runs well between the wickets, [and] he has intent while batting. Even if he hits sixes, he hits it in the gaps”Jemimah Rodrigues on trying to hit the ball in the gaps

She saved the best for the last two overs. After starting the 19th with a four and a six, she shuffled a long way to the off side, and when Nat Sciver-Brunt pitched it short, Rodrigues smashed it for six to the short leg-side boundary and left the opposition captain in a double tea-pot stance. Rodrigues was not only maneuvering the ball in the gaps, but she was also hitting them for sixes en route to a 27-ball fifty.”For me I need to put a little more effort than the others to hit those sixes,” she said. “But I rely a lot on my timing and my bat swing. I think today it came off really well, and for me, even if you see my sixes, I don’t try to hit sixes, I try to hit the ball in the gap. If it’s hit too well, it goes for a six.”That’s something I’ve learnt from Virat Kohli; he does that really well. I really look up to him because we have similar [batting] positions in the Indian team. The way he goes about [his game], he runs well between the wickets, [and] he has intent while batting. Even if he hits sixes, he hits it in the gaps. So if he hits it well, it’s either two runs, four or a six. That’s what I try and imply in my game too.”And Rodrigues was doing that so well against Mumbai on Tuesday that they were caught off guard. When Hayley Matthews came around the wicket for the last over with protection on the leg-side boundary, Rodrigues made the ball sail high over the longest part of the ground – wide long-on – for her third six before finding another boundary to finish unbeaten on 69.Jemimah Rodrigues hit her maiden WPL half-century•BCCI”I never imagined that it would be a 33-ball 69*,” she said. “One thing really good about my game today was [that] from the first ball I had the intent. Even though I didn’t go bang, bang, bang from the first ball, but in my stride the way I was timing the ball, I think that intent was very important for me. It gets me going and gets my feet in good positions.”The last time she had hit three sixes in a T20 was in two domestic games in the 2021-22 season, but on the big stage and televised matches, it last happened in a T20I against Sri Lanka in 2018. On Tuesday, it was just the fourth occasion in her T20 career of 201 innings that she had struck three sixes in an innings.”I need to keep improving with the game,” she said. “Working on power-hitting was not just now or just before the WPL; it’s been a long process from so many years, and going out there and hitting those sixes time and time again [was great].”Rodrigues knew she was never a big six-hitter, and trying to become someone she wasn’t was not going to take her anywhere. When her close friend Smriti Mandhana sent her a message after the previous game to say, “you just be a Jemimah Rodrigues, and you’ll be fine”, is when it hit home for Rodrigues, and she made it count in her first home game.

As the IPL nears the halfway point, here’s a recap of the main storylines involving the Australians in the last week

Alex Malcolm15-Apr-20240:54

Starc: ‘Taken me longer than I would’ve liked to get back into rhythm’

Starc finally sizzles after early strugglesFive games into the IPL, Mitchell Starc is starting to roll after claiming 3 for 28 in Kolkata’s Knight Riders’ big win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday night. Starc’s form had been a major talking point after his expensive start to the tournament given his huge price tag at the auction. But it is worth remembering he had not played any T20 cricket since the 2022 T20 World Cup when Australia’s selectors dropped him for the final game. He bowled the tough overs against LSG including three in the powerplay and the final over of the innings and had a huge impact. He delivered 12 dots in 18 deliveries in the powerplay and took the wicket of Deepak Hooda to stall LSG on a decent batting strip. His last over was outstanding. He bagged the dangerous Nicholas Pooran and then blew out Arshad Khan’s stumps off the last ball. He conceded one boundary, a streaky top edge, and one single in the final over with the other run coming via a leg bye as LSG only managed to post 161 for 7 before KKR ran that down in 15.4 overs with eight wickets in hand. Starc said after the match he is starting to get back into the tactical groove of T20 bowling.”It’s T20 cricket; for the guys who have played a lot of Test cricket, this is definitely a lot easier physically,” he said. “It’s more [about] getting used to the tactical side of it. I haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last couple of years, so it has probably taken me a little bit longer than I would have liked to get back into the rhythm of things and make a better impact. So today was nice in that regard.”Related

'Everything's happening so quickly' – Fraser-McGurk on his rapid rise to stardom

Starc gets back into T20 groove ahead of World Cup

Marsh returns to Australia after tearing right hamstring

Another Australia multi-format quick who has found the T20 groove is Pat Cummins. He continued his phenomenal form last week with 1 for 22 from four overs in Sunrisers Hyderabad’s tight win over Punjab Kings. Cummins has been the second-best fast bowler in the IPL this season behind Jasprit Bumrah. The form of both Cummins and Starc bodes very well for Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup.Marsh heads home and injuries worries mountMitchell Marsh has suffered a hamstring injury•BCCIMitchell Marsh has headed home to Perth after suffering a partial hamstring tear at the IPL and it is unknown as to whether he will return to India before the T20 World Cup. Marsh missed Delhi Capitals’ last two matches after scans revealed the injury over a week ago. He will head home to rehabilitate the injury with Australia’s team physio Nick Jones, who is also based in Perth. Meanwhile, Marsh’s Delhi teammate David Warner was hit on the finger on Friday while attempting to play a lap over short fine-leg. It is understood that Warner experienced some swelling and underwent scans upon landing in Ahmedabad on Saturday.There were also some concerns over Glenn Maxwell’s right hand after he left the field and did not return during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s loss to Mumbai Indians last Thursday. Maxwell copped a blow on the right hand as he dropped a hot chance off Suryakumar Yadav at backward point. He immediately winced in pain and left the field holding his index and middle fingers. It is understood Maxwell had a scan that night in Mumbai and has been monitored ahead of RCB’s clash with Sunrisers on Monday night. RCB director of cricket Mo Bobat said on Sunday Maxwell is “okay at the minute” and “there’s no injury concerns”.Maxwell’s batting misery continues, Green droppedIf the blow to the hand wasn’t enough, Maxwell’s batting woes have only added to the pain. He bagged his third duck of the tournament against Mumbai. After the extra pace of Mayank Yadav and Nandre Burger had brought him unstuck in his previous two games, he surprisingly fell to the legspin of Shreyas Gopal against Mumbai when he was trapped lbw failing to pick a wrong’ un. Maxwell has scores of 0, 3, 28, 0, 1 and 0 in the tournament so far. There is still a long way to go in the IPL and plenty of time to find some touch ahead of the T20 World Cup, which is also a long tournament that could feature plenty of fluctuations in form for individual players. But he will be hoping to find some form soon to build some confidence heading to the Caribbean.Meanwhile, Cameron Green’s hopes of making Australia’s T20 World Cup squad have taken another blow after he was dropped from RCB’s line-up for the match against Mumbai. Green had also failed to make his mark with both bat and ball in his first five games. He had been shuffled around in the order moving from No. 3 to No. 5. RCB opted to replace Green with Englishman Will Jacks at No. 3 against Mumbai Indians without success. Unless Green can regain his place in RCB’s XI and put some performances on the board, it will be tough for him to make Australia’s 15-man squad for the World Cup. His only other chance would be if Marsh was not able to recover from his hamstring injury.Fraser-McGurk fires on IPL debutJake Fraser-McGurk started his IPL career with a bang•BCCIOne beneficiary of Marsh’s injury was Australian youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk who made a big statement on IPL debut for Delhi Capitals as he smashed 55 off 35 balls in their much-needed win over LSG. The 22-year-old had been a controversial replacement for Lungi Ngidi given Delhi’s bowling woes but he repaid Ricky Ponting’s faith and belief in his ability with a stunning innings that featured five sixes. He hit his second ball in the IPL for six and smacked another just three balls later to burst out of the blocks. He slowed down thereafter and was 25 off 23 at one stage but didn’t panic. He then proved he can hit spin as well as pace, clubbing Krunal Pandya for three successive sixes. Two of them were inside-out with the spin over cover and long-off. His 77-run stand with Rishabh Pant broke the back of the chase. Fraser-McGurk is still a fair way down the pecking order of Australia’s top-order options for the World Cup. But if he gets on a roll at the IPL and Australia have any injury concerns closer to the tournament, then he will be seriously considered as a power-hitting option in the top-order.

The yin and yang styles dovetailed perfectly after Namibia had looked to be taking charge

Melinda Farrell07-Jun-20244:19

Finch: Berrington showed his experience and class

Scotland were in a wee spot of bother, to say the least.George Munsey and Michael Jones, the openers who had fearlessly faced down England’s fastest bowlers and wiliest spinners before the rains came, were back in the dressing room. Brandon McMullen soon followed.Gerhard Erasmus and Bernard Scholtz were threatening to squeeze the life out of the chase with their right and left-arm spinning combination and, with ten overs left and 87 runs needed, the momentum was shifting Namibia’s way.Related

• Scotland captain admits 'frustration' as rain wrecks finely poised contest

• Berrington and Leask launch Scotland to landmark victory

Matthew Cross attempted to up the ante after a string of dot balls and singles increased the pressure further, but a wild sweep intended to cut the rope was misdirected and he trudged off the field to join the top order as spectators after the ball clattered into his pads.In the three times the two sides had met in T20Is, Namibia had walked away with victory. A fourth would leave Scotland’s hopes of progressing to the holy land of the Super Eights hanging by a fraying thread.Richie Berrington, his right eye blackening from an errant dive in the field, had scratched his way to 5 off nine balls and Scotland were four down, still needing 83 from 54 deliveries, when Michael Leask strode to the crease.Anyone who has seen Leask hold a bat knows he likes to swing it; he swung it magnificently in Bulawayo last July, smashing 48 off 34 to set up Scotland’s victory over Zimbabwe in the ODI World Cup qualifiers. He did the same in losing causes against Namibia and New Zealand at the T20 World Cup in the UAE; his reputation as an aggressive finisher is well earned.

Berrington’s sweet spots are square of the wicket, leaning on the back foot and lacing the ball through point with a kind of ferocious finesse, or timing his sweeps and slog-sweeps with the precision of an atomic clock

But coming into this tournament his form was somewhat patchy. Across six innings in Scotland’s series against UAE and the tri-series with Ireland and the Netherlands he had scored 81 runs, passing 20 just once. At Kensington Oval, his captain and his country needed him to unlock the best he had.Leask has a kinetic, frenetic energy, both on and off the field; a “hyper dafty who puts his heart on his sleeve” is how he describes himself. He’s a friendly chatterbox and a cricket badger who is, at the very least, as fiercely proud of his Scottish heritage as anyone in the squad.You see it in the field as he attacks every ball and screams encouragement, when he’s appealing for an lbw or celebrating a wicket, a jack-in-the-box bursting with fireworks.But the ignition spark is hard to find as he begins his partnership with Berrington and the required run rate is climbing steadily.Berrington is Leask’s polar opposite in character and style. Scotland’s captain is measured and reserved; he speaks softly and is a shrewd observer of people and match situations alike. When he does speak, his team-mates listen and he inspires fierce loyalty among them. He’s borne the responsibility of being the most public face of cricket in Scotland through the game’s most tumultuous off-the-field turmoil and has done so with a quiet dignity.Richie Berrington and Chris Greaves celebrate victory•AFP/Getty ImagesTheir contrasting personalities are epitomised by the way they bat. Leask is a v-man, his slender frame generating colossal power through a straight bat as he plunders the ball in front of the wicket. There is nothing of fancy or fuss, just the sheer bloody-minded determination to send the ball packing to another time zone.Berrington’s sweet spots are square of the wicket, leaning on the back foot and lacing the ball through point with a kind of ferocious finesse, or timing his sweeps and slog-sweeps with the precision of an atomic clock.In the 13th over it was Berrington who dropped the hammer and dropped to one knee, the favoured slog-sweep launching Tangeni Lunganeni’s over the deep-midwicket fence. The next ball was lofted over the covers for four and the momentum marching Namibia’s way paused and looked back over its shoulder.What it saw was Leask, locked and loaded and always trigger-happy. The merest hint of width was all he needed to smash the shackles and the ball from Erasmus into the Bridgetown sky and over midwicket to land on the groundsman’s shed. At least it was still in the Caribbean time zone.Light and dark, night and day, Berrington and Leask yin-and-yanged Scotland towards victory. They found gaps in their own peculiar ways and ran hard to eliminate the deadly dots.Scotland had been under significant pressure•Getty ImagesIn their individual fashions, they took to David Wiese, Namibia’s Super Over bowling hero against Oman four days earlier; laser calibrated, Berrington’s swipe across the line that crossed the rope between two boundary riders was bookended by a brace of Leask bludgeons over his beloved deep-midwicket for six.The longest blow of the afternoon was Leask’s, of course, a 101-metre monster off Ruben Trumpelmann over wide long on. It was into the wind, it was in the stands and the crowd was in a delirious rapture.When he holed out four balls later the damage was done, his 17-ball 35 ensuring momentum was encamped in Scotland’s corner, wrapped in the Saltire and taunting Namibia .The shiner didn’t impede the skipper’s vision as he sealed the chase with a final, emphatic, six that catapulted Scotland to the top of Group B. From there they can glimpse the knockouts on the far horizon; it will take more heroics to bring them more sharply into view.But if ever there was inspiration to be found, a reminder that the sum is greater than its parts, Scotland can find in the deeds of their own odd couple. The classy Berrington and the mighty Leask.

The teams and their stars, their strengths and their weaknesses, and, really, how far are they likely to go?

Alex Malcolm, Andrew McGlashan, Srinidhi Ramanujam, S Sudarshanan28-Sep-2024.AustraliaOverview
The defending champions, who have won a hat-trick of titles dating back to 2018, look the most vulnerable they have since failing to win it in 2016. They have not lost a global tournament since the 2017 ODI World Cup, but since winning their third consecutive title in the T20 format in February 2023, they have lost a T20I series 1-2 in England and rare home matches to West Indies and South Africa. They have also been bowled out twice against India and New Zealand, something that had not happened since the first game of the 2020 World Cup. They still have an extraordinary side, full of depth with both bat and ball, and will be the team to beat. But they must be better and braver with the bat than they have been recently as opponents are catching up.Squad
Alyssa Healy (capt/wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Tayla VlaeminckKey player
Ellyse Perry’s greatness is undisputed, and her legacy secure. But there might be a personal point to prove here given how her T20I career has morphed with her batting in the second half of her career. She was a bit-part batter in 2018 and 2023, predominantly down the order. She famously missed 2020 through injury and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games she ran the drinks. She has had a renaissance in T20 leagues and has been elevated to Nos. 3-4 this year following the retirement of Meg Lanning. Her experience will be invaluable if, as expected, the surfaces are slow and the scoring is low. But there will be times when Australia need to hit the accelerator in the powerplay and she will be eager to prove she can do that too.Predicted finish: ChampionsIndiaOverview
With a plethora of spinners, India enter the T20 World Cup as one of the favourites. They have lost only seven T20Is since the last edition, but one of those was the surprise defeat to Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup in July. India have shown consistency in ICC competitions, constantly challenging the likes of Australia and England, but have often stumbled at the knockout stages. In a bid to course correct and overcome the mental barrier, they hired the services of a sports psychologist as part of their pre-tournament preparation. India will look to openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, both of whom have been among the runs over the past year, to set the tone. Mandhana has worked on her game against spin – as evidenced from her showing in the home series against South Africa – which will be crucial in the UAE.Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan SajanaKey player
She may divide opinion when it comes to her batting position in the T20I set-up, but there is no doubt Deepti Sharma is one of the first names in an India XI. Her ability to bowl across phases makes captain Harmanpreet Kaur turn to her in the face of mounting pressure and she could be more than a handful in the UAE. In T20Is since January 2022, no bowler has picked up more wickets that Deepti’s 73 among Full Members and teams at this T20 World Cup. Her batting numbers may not be other-worldly, but no one among Full Members in women’s T20Is since the start of 2022 has taken more than 45 wickets scored more than 420 runs; Deepti has 525. She provided a reminder of her all-round abilities in the Women’s Hundred for champions London Spirit, scoring 212 at a strike rate of 132.50 and returning eight wickets at an economy of 6.85.Predicted finish: Finalists (with a fair shot at winning it)Sophie Devine has had to move down the batting order to provide it with solidity•Getty ImagesNew ZealandOverview
New Zealand will enter the World Cup on a ten-match losing streak in T20s after their 3-0 defeat against Australia. They are in a tough group and will have to perform above their recent level to have a realistic chance of progressing. In Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine – both playing their ninth consecutive T20 World Cup – alongside Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu, they have an experienced core. But they will need some support from the emerging cast led by the likes of Georgia Plimmer and Fran Jonas. Devine has recently batted at No. 4 to try and control the middle stages of an innings, and hopefully finish chases, but that raises the question of whether the team is making best use of one of their best batters.Squad
Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea TahuhuKey player
Currently batting in the pivotal No. 3 position, and a banker for four overs with her threatening legspin, Amelia Kerr will be central to New Zealand’s hopes. She provided an example of her skills with a T20I career-best of 4 for 20 in Mackay with numerous batters unable to read her googly. With the bat, there are perhaps a few question marks over her strike rate, which hovers around the 110-115 region, although in two WPL seasons it has reached 130, which shows she has the capability to up the tempo. New Zealand are getting closer to a significant changing of the guard: Kerr will be central to what happens next.Predicted finish: Group stageFatima Sana, just 22, is Pakistan’s new T20I captain•PCBPakistanOverview
Pakistan go into this World Cup with a new captain, Fatima Sana, who replaced the experienced Nida Dar in August. This will be the 22-year-old’s first ICC tournament as captain, but she has featured in the last three T20 World Cups. That apart, Pakistan are a settled side with ten players from the 2023 tournament. They have lost all three bilateral series played this year, though – against West Indies, England and South Africa – and have won just four of 15 T20Is. Consistency has eluded them but in the series against South Africa they twice passed 150, the only times they have done so this year. Muneeba Ali, Sidra Amin and Gull Feroza have scored 952 runs between them in 2024 and although Dar, Aliya Riaz and Sana are handy in the middle order, the top order will be crucial. Sadia Iqbal and Dar will shoulder the bulk of the bowling responsibility in spin-friendly conditions. But all considered, it’s a tough group, and Pakistan have no room for mistakes.Squad
Fatima Sana (capt), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba HassanKey player
Muneeba Ali is the batter in form. In the last seven matches, she has crossed 30 six times and remained unbeaten twice. Not a powerful hitter, the left-hand opener can be aggressive in the powerplay with her ability to pierce gaps with ease and elegance. She has worked on her strike rate, 113.04 this year, which is also the highest among Pakistan’s top four. With 364 runs in 15 matches in 2024, she also tops the team’s batting charts. The only centurion at the last T20 World Cup, Muneeba will be expected to carry her form into this edition.Predicted finish: Group stageThere have been few better performers around the world than Chamari Athapaththu over the past many months•ACCSri LankaOverview
Sri Lanka have been the busiest team over the past year, and they are greatly improved at the end of it. Since last year’s event, they have played 31 matches, the most by a Full Member team. They have lost only nine games in this period and notched up wins for the first time against New Zealand, England and South Africa. Their win-loss ratio since April 2023 is better than Australia and India, a maiden Asia Cup title being the highlight. Their only concern could be the lower-middle order, though that could be offset by the strong form Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari have shown in recent times, with captain Chamari Athapaththu being a constant, all-round superhero.Squad
Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilshari, Nilakshika Silva, Hasini Perera, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Sachini Nisansala, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoka Ranaweera, Shashini Gimhani, Ama Kanchana, Sugandika KumariKey player
Harshitha Samarawickrama is in fine form. She helped Sri Lanka beat South Africa in a T20I series in South Africa for the first time, scoring an unbeaten 54 in the deciding game. She also starred in Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup final win, making an unbeaten 69 in just 51 balls to beat India. Her ability to change gears at will has benefited Sri Lanka this year, as evidenced by her strike rate of 120.81 in T20Is as opposed to her career strike rate of 99.72 in the format. Sri Lanka always wanted to reduce their over-reliance on Athapaththu and Samarawickrama’s emergence and consistency at No. 3 has allowed them to do so.Predicted finish: Group stage (but don’t rule them out of progressing)

Having recovered from a freak injury that cut short his IPL stint, he is hoping to do well enough to be on the radar for Test selection

Deivarayan Muthu20-Aug-2024R Sai Kishore is happy to be back on the cricket field.A freak neck injury sustained while playing golf at the end of April cut his IPL 2024 stint with Gujarat Titans short. The pain was so excruciating that it even impacted Sai Kishore’s routine activities, including sitting up straight or sleeping. He then checked into the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and spent the next two months there, undergoing rehab.In July, he made a low-key return in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), where he largely played as a batter and captain. Sai Kishore bowled his full allotment of overs in just one of the seven games he played for Idream Tiruppur Tamizhans, but now, having built up strength, he is ready for the red-ball grind. He will captain TNCA XI in two four-dayers against Haryana and Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the Buchi Babu tournament in Coimbatore before linking up with Team B at the Duleep Trophy, which begins on September 5 in Bengaluru and Anantapur.Related

• Ranji Trophy in two phases: a welcome experiment or harsh momentum breaker?

• Pant to make red-ball comeback with Duleep Trophy

“I’m just wanting to get back [into the action] and [am] just feeling grateful to be back,” Sai Kishore told ESPNcricinfo. “The injury I had was a nerve-related injury, and not a muscle-related one, but after rehab at the NCA and training in Chennai, my body is responding well. I had some form-based questions, but after playing the first-division league in the Chennai heat and getting some overs under the belt, I’m more confident now.”Playing cricket wasn’t even on Sai Kishore’s mind when he was at the NCA. He didn’t let the negative thoughts get to him, though, and found joy in simple things like stepping out for a meal or taking a walk in the streets of Bengaluru.”Playing cricket was far-fetched at the time and I was in a space where I just wanted to return to my normal-life routines,” Sai Kishore said. “My wife was with me and that helped. The negative thoughts didn’t trouble me and I was just waiting to make small progress, looking forward to the next session of running, rehab and bowling. That next session kept me going.

“I know I’m competing for a spot where there are allrounders playing, so I should be equipped for that and I’ve been in the process in the last few years”Sai Kishore on upskilling

“I also made some really good friends in Bangalore and that period passed quickly. Prasidh [Krishna] was there and Abhimanyu Easwaran was also there. I used to step out for lunch and go for a walk in the evening. I saw that as a good downtime away from the game too.”Sai Kishore returned to action in TNPL 2024, but with the injury still hampering him, he took the back seat as a bowler and batted up the order as a pinch-hitter or pinch-anchor. He has done a similar job with the bat across formats for Tamil Nadu, too, and has been working behind the scenes to become a competent batter in his quest for an India call-up.”Batting is something that is very critical,” he said. “If you want to play international cricket, you should be an able batsman. If you’re a fingerspinner these days, you can’t just be a bowler alone. I’m very well aware of that fact. I know I’m competing for a spot where there are allrounders playing, so I should be equipped for that and I’ve been in the process in the last few years. In TNPL 2023, I was feeling stronger with power-hitting and made a technical change and felt the white-ball batting was flowing. Every day, I bat for two-and-a-half or three hours. Hopefully, it also translates into runs.”R Sai Kishore led IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans to the playoffs in TNPL 2024•TNPLSai Kishore’s primary skill was on show during the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, where he was the highest wicket-taker with 53 strikes in nine matches, 12 wickets more than the next best. If he can keep up his good form in the Duleep Trophy, he could potentially come into the national-selection frame. But he doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself.”I didn’t really plan to become the top wicket-taker last year. I just wanted to be honest to myself and the team and do whatever is needed for the team,” Sai Kishore said. “Very grateful to the almighty and universe for making me the top wicket-taker. TN played four games at home, which helped, and there were contributions from the close-in catchers. Wickets came away from home as well, but it’s down to a combination of factors.”After having finished the TNPL, I’ve worked my butt off. I’ve not worked like this before and I hope my 4ams [waking up at 4 in the morning] and three sessions a day will work I think. After Duleep [Trophy], we’ll see how it goes. If I’m there for the Bangladesh Tests, great!”!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();