Fielding coach R Sridhar on the tactical and psychological tweaks that helped the team turn things around

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2021Ashwin: Did you see that coming?Sridhar: We were sitting in the coaches’ box. The three of us [Arun, Sridhar and Rathour] were sitting with Hari, the analyst. Ravi came in and thundered ‘I have told Jinks to bring Ash on early. He has the edge over Smith. The ball will do something. I’m waiting. I want to see him bowl inside the 40th minute’. And he was clapping furiously. And then when you [Ashwin] got the ball in your hand, the bowling coach was super excited. He was like, ‘Something is going to happen now’. Ashwin’s first ball itself fizzed and bounced; my heart was beating fast. My first thought was ‘Oh dear, how is Rishabh Pant going to keep to Ashwin on this wicket’. He was under pressure, was playing his first game. So that was running on my mind. I called Saha and told him my thoughts immediately.Sridhar: Two years back, Siraj called and joked. ‘Sir, when are you calling me [to the Indian team]?’ Every time he’d pick wickets for India A, he’ll call and ask ‘Sir, when will you call me?’ I jokingly thought to myself. ‘He’s asking me as if this is my father’s house to invite whoever I please.’ But the resilience he showed after his father’s death, hats off.

Yorkshire batsman is T20 Blast’s leading run-scorer since 2017

Matt Roller09-Nov-2020When the squads were announced for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs last week, one name stood out among the overseas players drafted in. While the majority are regulars on the global T20 circuit or have their fair share of caps in limited-overs internationals, Adam Lyth is – perhaps unfairly – best known for his seven-match stint as an England Test opener.But Lyth’s inclusion in the Multan Sultans squad at the age of 33 serves as a reminder of the importance of timing in the franchise world. His signing was championed by Multan’s head coach, Andy Flower, who saw his ability first-hand in the Abu Dhabi T10 last winter, but if Lyth had not seized an opportunity the previous winter, he may never have had the chance to impress him.Lyth’s first taste of an overseas league was in 2017, when he spent most of the Bangladesh Premier League on the sidelines and made only 11 runs in the three innings he did play. A year later, he again found himself running drinks, this time for Maratha Arabians as they pushed towards the T10 playoffs.ALSO READ: Vince set to miss PSL playoffs after positive Covid-19 testConsecutive defeats left them fighting it out in the third-place playoff, and finally Lyth got an opportunity. He top-scored with 52 off 24 balls in his only innings, earning him another chance for the following season, and when Flower was signed up as head coach, he happily gave him a run of games to prove his worth. After he put on four 50-plus partnerships with Chris Lynn and scored his runs at a strike rate of 185.39 to help Maratha to win the trophy, Flower jumped at the chance to sign him in the replacement draft for the PSL playoffs.”They saw what I could do in that last game of the tournament,” Lyth explained. “So I got picked up for the same team, and then it was all about picking people’s brains for me. You’re never too old to learn, and I’ve learned a hell of a lot playing franchise cricket.”Andy knows what I can do. I think there’s five or six overseas players in our squad [at Multan], so it’s not going to be easy to get a game, but hopefully I can take that chance if I can. If I don’t, then it’s about putting my name in the hat for other franchise competitions around the world, too, and getting the experience of chatting to people, seeing how they go about things, and trying to learn for the rest of my career.”Datawrapper/ESPNcricinfo LtdLyth is assertive about his record as a short-form batsman. “My T20 Blast numbers have been really, really good for the last four or five years,” he said. Yorkshire supporters will attest that he is not being fanciful: in fact, since 2017, he is the competition’s leading run-scorer with his average (37.74) and strike rate (158.34) demonstrating a combination of consistency and flamboyance.He has mastered the knack of scoring quickly right from the start of his innings. Across all T20 cricket in the last four years, only the former New Zealand opener Luke Ronchi has a better strike rate in the powerplay than Lyth’s 164.84 (min. 500 balls faced), and unlike many of the batsmen topping that particular chart, Lyth has made it out of the powerplay more often than not.Throw in his fielding – he combined with Aaron Finch to pull off a pair of stunning relay catches in 2014 – and the fact that his offbreaks put him top of Yorkshire’s wicket charts last season, and he is a compelling package as a T20 cricketer.Datawrapper/ESPNcricinfo LtdIn that light, it seems remarkable that it was not until 2016 – by which time Lyth was 28 – that he was guaranteed a spot in the Yorkshire side. He played the bulk of the 2010 and 2011 seasons with mixed results, but then fell out of the first team in T20, and struggled to score consistently when filling in.”I played a little bit when I was a bit younger, and then there wasn’t really a place for me in the team,” he recalled. “In about 2016, I started playing more regularly, and then I’ve hardly missed a game since then. My game has always been there, but I haven’t always been picked for various different reasons.”And does he feel like he is not sufficiently appreciated as a short-form batsman? “Certainly not at Yorkshire. Maybe around the country… I don’t know, possibly. But my numbers over the last four or five years in the Blast will be as good as anybody’s.”I’ll keep sticking to my strength, which is scoring quickly in the powerplay, hopefully getting out of it, and then putting match-winning scores up, whoever I’m playing for. I’m just enjoying playing as much as I can: T20 is a fantastic game. I love playing it, and hopefully the runs can keep coming.”While Lyth was not a guaranteed selection for Multan, circumstances may again have fallen in his favour following the withdrawals of James Vince and Mahmudullah from their squad due to positive Covid-19 tests. If he does get a chance, it would be a brave call to bet against him.

Also, why did RCB hold Washington Sundar’s offspin back on a slow Chennai track?

Sidharth Monga09-Apr-20211:44

Daniel Vettori: No. 5 pretty low for a player of AB de Villiers’ ability

Why did Washington Sundar not bowl early on?
It’s a slow, low surface, and offspinner Washington Sundar is at Chepauk, his home ground, where he has played most of his cricket, but he hasn’t been used in the first 12 overs of the 2021 IPL opener. The most obvious reasons for this might be all the right-hand batsmen at the top of Mumbai Indians’ batting order. However, there is another trend at play here.Sundar came to prominence with his superb restrictive performances with the ball in the powerplay for Rising Pune Supergiant. Then he joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018 where he is not looked at as that new-ball specialist. So 2017 remains the only IPL in which he bowled more overs in the powerplay than in the middle overs.Protecting fingerspinners against right-hand batsmen makes sense, but if there is an offspinner you would back against right-hand batsmen, it is Sundar. Before he bowled the 13th over in this match, in all IPL cricket, he had a better average against right-hand batsmen than left (26.4 as against 39.22) and only a slightly worse economy rate (6.9 as against 6.83). Sure enough he took out the threatening Chris Lynn, a right-hand batsman, on 49.How the 20th over of Mumbai’s innings, bowled by Harshal Patel, went•ESPNcricinfo LtdHow did Harshal Patel outdo the Mumbai Indians hitting machinery?
Harshal Patel’s five-for was the first five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians in all IPLs. More important than that, his bowling at the death kept Mumbai to just 25 off the last four overs, their lowest in this period since 2016. Harshal took the wickets of the designated death-overs hitters, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya, to go with Ishan Kishan, in his last three overs.Two things happened, which both had to do with the pitch in all likelihood. The ball reversed for him, and it gripped the surface too. It was probably down to a dry track. It was expected that the bowlers would go for slower balls into the surface to use both the surface and the dimensions of the ground, but the little bit of tail made Harshal even more dangerous. The Royal Challengers bowled 23 slower balls in the last five overs, which accounted for four wickets and just 29 runs.Why no Jasprit Bumrah against Glenn Maxwell?
Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians are big on match-ups. And here was an obvious match-up if ever there was one: Japsrit Bumrah had taken Glenn Maxwell out six times in 58 balls in T20 cricket for just 67 runs before this. Sharma usually brings Bumrah on as soon as Maxwell comes out to bat, but not on this occasion. By the time Bumrah came on to bowl to him, in the 13th over, Maxwell had scored 34 off 21, including his first six in the IPL in his last 172 balls.It is highly unlikely Sharma was not aware of the match-up. Was he trying to save Bumrah for AB de Villiers? Or did he think a slightly older ball would provide Bumrah’s slower balls more grip?It was a long wait for a Maxwell IPL six, but tonight was the night•ESPNcricinfo LtdTrent Boult or Marco Jansen, who should have bowled the 18th over of the chase?
Or should it have been Kieron Pollard?Related

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Staying with match-ups, Mumbai played themselves into an unfavourable one. Three overs to go, 34 to get, Bumrah to bowl the 19th, and two specialist bowlers to pick from either side of that. One of them a debutant, Marco Jansen, the other a veteran, Trent Boult. However, Boult to de Villiers in the IPL has not even been a contest: 16 balls, 41 runs, three sixes, four fours.You could see why Mumbai might have wanted to protect Jansen a little, though. Hope to bowl two really good overs and give him over 15 to defend in the last over. de Villiers, though, got stuck into Boult and changed his numbers to 55 off 21 balls from Boult in the IPL. The Royal Challengers now needed just 19 off the last two.Given Jansen’s lack of experience, Sharma’s hand was perhaps forced, but he did have another option: Pollard, who has bowled 33 balls to de Villiers for 33 runs and has got him out four times. Now we don’t know if Pollard is bowling-fit or not, but Sharma has tended to use him sparingly as a bowler in the past. With Hardik Pandya underarming throws from the deep on the night, Mumbai might want to look at Pollard as the sixth bowling option. Preferably not in the 18th over, though.

All the statistical highlights from the five-match Women’s ODI series

Sampath Bandarupalli18-Mar-20216 Consecutive ODI series won by India Women before the 1-4 loss against South Africa Women. The streak of six consecutive series wins was the longest for India Women in the format, where they won 13 of the 18 matches played. The series defeat against South Africa was just the sixth instance of India Women losing a bilateral ODI series at home.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 ODI series in women’s cricket with five or more matches before this one between India and South Africa where the chasing team won all the games. The series between New Zealand and England in 2000 witnessed all five ODIs won by the chasing team; another series between the same teams in 2010 ended in the same manner.ESPNcricinfo Ltd53.15 Bowling average of Indian spinners in the series against South Africa, their worst in a Women’s ODI series/tournament where they bowled 100 or more overs. The bowling strike rate of 70.7 by the Indian spinners in the five-match ODI series is also their worst in a series/tournament of this format.1 Mithali Raj became the first player to complete 7000 runs in women’s ODIs. No other player has breached the 6000-run milestone even. During this series, Raj also became just the second player after Charlotte Edwards (10273) to complete 10000 runs in women’s international cricket.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 Centuries by Lizelle Lee in ODI cricket, the most by any player for South Africa Women in this format. Lee’s unbeaten 132 in the third match of the series was the third-highest ODI score for her team, and the fourth-highest individual score in a Women’s ODI chase.10 successive fifty-plus scores for Smriti Mandhana in an ODI chase since the start of 2018. She is the first player to accomplish this feat. In all, she scored 743 runs at an average of 123.83 in those ten ODI chases.ESPNcricinfo Ltd150 Wickets taken by Shabnim Ismail in her ODI career, the first South African and the seventh player with 150-plus wickets in women’s ODIs. Ismail completed the milestone in the fourth ODI, which was her 105th match of the format. Only Cathryn Fitzpatrick (91) reached 150 women’s ODI wickets quicker than Ismail.4 Fifty-plus scores by South Africa’s top four batters in the fourth ODI. It was only the second instance in Women’s ODI cricket where players batting in the top four positions scored 50-plus runs in the same innings. The South African team also created the first instance of four players scoring 50-plus runs in a women’s ODI chase.ESPNcricinfo Ltd62.6 Bowling strike rate of spin bowlers during this five-match ODI series, the worst in any women’s ODI series/tournament wherever they bowled at least 150 overs. The Indian spinners picked up 13 wickets at a strike rate of 70.7, while the visitors claimed six wickets, with each one coming every 45 balls.0 Players older than Raj and Jhulan Goswami (38) to represent India in a women’s ODI game. They take over from Diana Edulji who was 37 years and 184 days old when she played her last game in 1993.68 Runs conceded by Radha Yadav, the second-most by any player on Women’s ODI debut. Cara Murray of Ireland gave away 119 runs on her ODI debut against New Zealand in 2018.

He has been one of the greats of the IPL, but freeing up his slot could lend greater balance to SRH

Nagraj Gollapudi01-May-2021Did David Warner voluntarily step down as the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain? Or was Warner told he had no choice?ESPNcricinfo understands Warner agreed with the team management it was better he stepped down to allow flexibility in team selection, which could potentially lead the Sunrisers to recover from their joint worst ever start in an IPL season. They are right now last on the points table, with a solitary win in six games.Related

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Kane Williamson replaces David Warner as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain

Kane Williamson, who will now take charge of the Sunrisers, is understood to have once again readily stepped in for the sake of the team without placing any conditions. The final call to change the captaincy mid-season was taken by the Sunrisers’ team management comprising Tom Moody (team director), Trevor Bayliss (head coach), and the two mentors in VVS Laxman and Muttiah Muralitharan.The Sunrisers have had equally bad starts in terms of number of wins in their first six games twice before, in IPL 2014 and IPL 2015. Incidentally, those have been the only two seasons in which the Sunrisers have failed to make the IPL playoffs.Since then, Warner has steered the franchise to consistent highs, including leading them to their only IPL crown, in 2016. Williamson, however, matched Warner in both leadership and batting prowess when he took over as the captain in IPL 2018 while Warner was serving a ban, and then during the playoffs in IPL 2019 when Warner left early to join the Australian team before the 2019 World Cup.While both men have complemented each other well with Williamson being Warner’s ear piece as far as on-field leadership is concerned, the Australian’s reduced impact as a batter this season, where he has been circumspect, has been a sticking point. This season the Sunrisers chased totals on five occasions in their six matches and lost four times, including in a Super Over against Delhi Capitals.Warner has been Sunrisers’ second-highest run-getter so far this season with 193 runs, including two fifties, but at a weak strike rate of 110.28. In the Sunrisers’ last match – against the Chennai Super Kings – where they batted first for the first time this IPL, Warner struggled to time or place the ball while scoring a 55-ball 57. Meanwhile Williamson, who has played just three matches, has walked in with the pressure of upping the ante to overturn a slow beginning and yet managed 108 runs at a strike rate of 135, without being dismissed yet. Alongside Jonny Bairstow and Rashid Khan, Williamson has made a strong case to be a direct pick in the first XI.

Kane Williamson replacing David Warner as captain: right call from #SRH? #IPL2021

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 1, 2021

With Warner as captain, that left no room for any further overseas players. However, this season, one of the Sunrisers’ weaknesses has been in their fast bowling department. That is mainly due to losing Bhuvneshwar Kumar to a niggle for the past few matches, and having to do without T Natarajan’s services altogether after the left-arm seamer was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. In the absence of two first-choice pacers, the Sunrisers have had to rely on Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma, none of whom have had any significant success so far.The team’s other weakness has been a lack of batting depth after the top order, with an inexperienced middle order to follow. The Sunrisers have back-ups to fill these gaps on their bench in the form of Jason Holder, Jason Roy and Mohammad Nabi. Roy can link up with Bairstow to replicate their explosive partnership for England, Nabi provides depth and experience with bat and ball especially on slow, spinning surfaces. Holder, who was brought in as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh in IPL 2020 in the UAE, had emerged as an instant match-winner for the Sunrisers.The gap in batting and bowling would point to the Sunrisers needing either of Holder or Nabi in the playing XI, and that is likely to have been put forth to Warner during the meetings he had with the team management. It is likely that Warner was told that his position was not indispensable, despite his great deeds for the franchise in the past.The franchise remains confident Warner still has a big role to play for them, and will be utilised during the season both as a batter and part of the leadership group. “Nobody can write off Warner as he is a great player,” a franchise official said.Despite that, the call the Sunrisers’ team management has taken is a brave one. It is rare that IPL teams displace an overseas captain mid-season, even if the player in question has been struggling individually. Objectively, the Sunrisers’ decision is both bold and logical. Freeing up the slot taken by Warner allows the team better options for team balance.

He got to triple-figures with a six for the third time in his career. Only Sachin Tendulkar has bettered that

Sampath Bandarupalli04-Sep-20211 At the Oval, against England, Rohit Sharma scored his first Test century away from home. And given he has seven hundreds at home, he now holds the Indian record – taking over from Mohammad Azharuddin – for most centuries at home before the first one away.3 Instances of Rohit completing his century with a six in Test cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar – six times – has managed this feat more often. Rohit got to the mark by lofting Moeen Ali over long-on, triggering memories of Mumbai in 2013, when Marlon Samuels was treated in much the same way, and Ranchi in 2019 when Dane Piedt was on the received end.ESPNcricinfo Ltd47 Innings taken by Rohit to score his first away century in Tests. The only one who took longer, among Indians, was Anil Kumble (78 innings). Among specialist batters, only Ian Redpath (64 innings) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (52 innings) took longer than Rohit to raise their first away hundred in Tests.31.29 Rohit’s Test average away from home, which for the very first time in his stop-start career has risen above 30. His away average in 2021 is 43.51 across 14 innings, encompassing four fifties and a hundred.9 International centuries for Rohit in England, the most for any Indian, going past Rahul Dravid’s record. Among all visiting players, only Sir Donald Bradman (11) has scored more hundreds here than Rohit, while Viv Richards also has nine. Eight of those nine Rohit hundreds have come since the start of 20182 Players with a hundred in all three formats in England. Rohit completed the set on Saturday, following in the footsteps of KL Rahul. Rohit, however, is the only player to do this as a specialist opener.

Veteran took on Scotland’s spinners and ended a 12-year run without a fifty at a world tournament

Matt Roller07-Nov-20212:49

Masood: Shoaib and Hafeez will be big-match players in the semi-finals

As Mohammad Hafeez trudged off in Sharjah after a cameo of 31 off 19 balls, Pakistan waited intently. With five overs to go and a solid platform built, surely this was the time to send in Asif Ali, the star of their wins against New Zealand and Afghanistan, for a late blitz ahead of the knockout stages?To the crowd’s disappointment, in walked Shoaib Malik: short sleeves, sweatband, durag and all. Malik was not meant to be in this side: only two months ago, he was in the midst of one of the worst runs of form a specialist batter has ever endured at a T20 league, averaging 7.44 in 10 innings for Guyana Amazon Warriors, and he missed out on selection in the initial squad.

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When he was confirmed as a replacement for the injured Sohaib Maqsood last month, the usual clichés about experience and a big-game mentality were trotted out but they could hardly have been further from the truth. In fact, Malik had not scored a half-century in an ICC event since the 2009 Champions Trophy; in leapfrogging the reserves, Malik seemed to have been picked on reputation rather than reason.But in this tournament, Pakistan can do no wrong. Their win against Scotland ensured their progress to Thursday’s semi-final against Australia as group winners and maintained their status as the only unbeaten team in the competition. Every decision they have made appears to be paying off, and any lingering doubts about their credentials cast aside.So it was no surprise that when Malik sauntered off 25 minutes later, he did so having ended that 12-year run without a fifty at a world tournament and with the crowd chanting his name, rather than Asif’s. Naturally, a low-pressure slog against Scotland’s spinners offered limited practice for closing out a game against Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood next week, but it added to the sense that everything is clicking for Pakistan.By this point in his career, Malik’s preference for spin bowling should be clear. In T20 cricket this year, he has been dismissed every 18.2 balls against seamers compared to 39.6 against spin; his role in Pakistan’s middle order is to target the final overs of spin before Asif takes over at the death against the seamers. “It’s a no-brainer: you just don’t bowl a spinner in front of Shoaib Malik,” Shan Masood said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out.It was a surprise decision, then, for Kyle Coetzer to leave Brad Wheal’s final two overs unbowled, meaning Malik faced only four balls of pace across five overs. He got going by clobbering Mark Watt – Scotland’s best bowler of the competition – over long-off, using his long levers and letting his bottom hand take over to clear George Munsey on the rope.Shoaib Malik added some quick runs•AFP/Getty ImagesAfter blasting Saafyan Sharif over midwicket and then long-on as he missed his yorkers, twice straying into the slot, Malik ruined Chris Greaves’ figures in the final over, hitting the final four balls of the innings for three sixes and a four to take Pakistan to 189, an unassailable total even on a pitch offering Sharjah’s new trademark: low bounce from a good length.Greaves was a bold choice for the final over, despite his figures of 2 for 17 after his first three: he had enjoyed several lucky escapes when drag-downs were pulled to boundary-riders on the bounce, and Malik was always one step ahead, setting himself deep in his crease when he dropped short and skipping down the track when he pitched full. “We decided it was tougher to take down the spinners on that surface and tried to keep pace off the ball,” Coetzer explained. “Greavo had bowled excellently… he got two balls into the over but Shoaib used his skill and his ability to range-hit is pretty spectacular, to be fair.”Malik raised his bat nonchalantly to the crowd on his way off, as though this was nothing new for him; in fact, he had equalled KL Rahul for the fastest fifty of this tournament, and went clear of Umar Akmal for the fastest fifty by a Pakistan batter in men’s T20Is. Of course, it came against an associate nation who had been on the road for six weeks and were already out, but his death-hitting can only bode well.While Malik’s dreadful CPL form suggested he was a poor pick, his record in the UAE this year – averaging 36.14 with a strike rate of 162.17 in the second half of the PSL, and hitting 225 runs off 151 balls across six National T20 Cup innings – reflected his skill on slow, low pitches. “When Pakistan initially chose their side, it was more based on boundary-hitting, six-hitting,” Masood said. “Having watched the IPL in the UAE and the National T20, they figured out that they might need some cool heads out there in the middle.”Almost everything has gone as hoped for Pakistan in the group stages, with Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Ali the only two players who could reasonably be accused of underperforming. In all likelihood, both with keep their places for the semi-final: Fakhar breaks up a run of right-handers in the middle order and will be tasked with taking on Adam Zampa and – if he plays – Ashton Agar, while the only feasible replacement for Hasan is the 20-year-old Mohammad Wasim.Pakistan have defied their reputation as a volatile, inconsistent side in this tournament, extending their winning streak in their home away from home to 16 games. They are fighting history in their bid to win this competition – no side has ever gone unbeaten throughout a men’s T20 World Cup – but their ruthless group stage performance suggests that it is a statistical quirk they could overcome.

Pakistan snap 16-match winless streak across all formats against Australia

Sampath Bandarupalli31-Mar-2022349 – Target chased by Pakistan in Lahore, their highest successful chase in ODI cricket. The previous highest was 327 against Bangladesh in 2014. Pakistan had scored more runs in an ODI chase only once – 361 for 7 against England in 2019 while chasing 374.Getty Images10 – Pakistan’s 349-run chase was the tenth-highest successful chase in ODI cricket – incidentally, five of these have come against Australia. It was the first instance of Pakistan chasing down a 300-plus target against Australia. Pakistan also recorded their highest ODI total against Australia.10 – Consecutive ODI defeats for Pakistan against Australia before their six-wicket win in Lahore. Pakistan’s last win against Australia came in January 2017 in Melbourne. Pakistan’s latest win also put an end to their 16-match winless streak since the start of 2019 across all formats against Australia.15 – Number of centuries for Babar Azam in ODI cricket, the joint-second most for Pakistan in this format. Saeed Anwar leads the list with 20 tons while Mohammad Yousuf also had 15 ODI hundreds. Babar has scored five centuries in ODI chases, the second most for Pakistan behind Anwar’s ten.ESPNcricinfo Ltd83 – Innings Babar has played for his 15 ODI centuries. He is the fastest player to get to 15 hundreds in ODI cricket. Hashim Amla was the previous fastest to 15 ODI tons in terms of innings, scoring his 15th century in his 86th innings.4 – ODI hundreds as captain for Babar, from only 11 innings. These are the most ODI hundreds for a Pakistan captain, surpassing Azhar Ali’s tally of three. Three of the four tons by Babar as captain have come while chasing a target.2 – Number of instances of two century stands for Pakistan for the first two wickets in an ODI, including today’s game. Pakistan last had 100-plus stands for their first two wickets in the 2019 Nottingham ODI against England.2 – Previous instances of two Pakistan batters scoring a hundred in the same successful ODI chase. Before Babar and Imam today, Naved Latif and Inzamam-ul-Haq scored hundreds during a successful 273-run chase against Sri Lanka in 2001. Abid Ali and Mohammad Rizwan also scored tons against Australia in 2019, but in a losing cause.697 – Runs between Pakistan and Australia in Lahore on Thursday. This is the second-highest aggregate in an ODI hosted by Pakistan. The highest is 709 runs between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in 2015 in Lahore.7.50 – Economy rate of spin bowlers in Lahore on Thursday across the 42 overs they bowled. This is the second-worst bowling economy for spinners in an ODI match (min: 250 balls bowled). The worst is 7.65 during the 2005 ODI between India and Pakistan in Visakhapatnam.

A look at the players who could be future stars for Pakistan

Umar Farooq01-Mar-2022Zaman Khan
A right-arm fast bowler, Zaman Khan was the only player from the emerging category to play all the games for his team in the season. He was first spotted in a Multan Sultans camp back in 2018. It led him to play for Pakistan Under-17 before he made a name playing for Rawalakot Hawks in the Kashmir Premier League last year.He was the most sought-after player in the emerging category and Lahore Qalandars picked him at the first opportunity. He didn’t disappoint them and finished third on the wickets tally with 18 scalps, behind only Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan. Out of four maiden overs in the whole tournament, he bowled two.Against Islamabad United, with 12 needed for a win, he conceded just three against Asif Ali and Azam Khan. His 4 for 16 against the Karachi Kings and two crucial middle-order wickets in the final against Multan Sultans made him a potential future star for the country.Mohammad Haris
A dashing opener, Mohammad Haris announced himself with a match-winning 49 off 27 balls for Peshawar Zalmi against Kings on his PSL debut. He was drafted into the playing XI after the Karachi leg, replacing Zalmi’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal after he had tested positive for Covid-19. Such was Haris’ impact that even when Akmal returned, Haris stayed in the XI.He hit another match-winning 32-ball 70 against United to further stamp his authority and ended the season with 166 runs at a strike rate of 186.51, the highest by any top-order batter this PSL.Yasir Khan
Yasir Khan, 19, hails from Bannu, a city in the southern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but played cricket in Rawalpindi for five years. He shot into the spotlight for his stint playing Grade-2 cricket for KP 2nd XI after his run-feasts in city cricket for the Bannu region.Opening the batting on his PSL debut he took many by surprise with his 12-ball 30 against Quetta Gladiators. Two games later he struck 35 off 24 balls from No. 3 against United. However, with Akmal returning to the side after recovering from Covid, Yasir got to play only one more game.Salman Irshad is thrilled after knocking over Alex Hales•AFP/Getty ImagesSalman Irshad
Salman Irshad is a product of the Lahore Qalandars development program, having come through their ranks in 2018. Though he made the Qalandars’ squad for the 2020 season after replacing the injured Haris Rauf, he went unpicked in 2021 due to his poor form for Northern, giving away runs at an average of 33 and an economy rate of 9.90.He appeared to be in a bit of a rut until Zalmi picked him ahead of this season, and Irshad repaid their faith in gold. Irshad signed off PSL 2022 with 15 crucial wickets, a strike rate of 12.80, and an average of 17.60. He was the team’s leading wicket-taker, and the second-highest overall, finishing just five scalps behind Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 20.Irshad’s career has followed a zig-zag trajectory so far, but having accounted for several dangerous batters this year like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Alex Hales and Rilee Rossouw, his star is likely to shine brighter in upcoming seasons.Qasim Akram
One of the most sought-after players from the Under-19 circuit, Qasim Akram, unfortunately, didn’t make many appearances at the PSL this season due to his commitments at the Under-19 World Cup. Qasim, who captains the Pakistan Under-19 side, boasts a T20 strike rate of 152.04, even though he averages only 14.90 from 21 T20s.Qasim was on Islamabad United’s wishlist, and though they tried to get him on board, Kings used the right-to-match option to retain the allrounder. Qasim went on to make an impression in the game against United, scoring an unbeaten fifty to nearly drag Kings to victory. The five games he played this season weren’t nearly enough to showcase his true talent, but the 19-year-old is all set to have more opportunities ahead.

A look at some of the standout numbers from the Galle Test which lasted just over two days

Sampath Bandarupalli01-Jul-20221 The 10-wicket win in Galle was Australia’s first Test win in Sri Lanka while batting second. Their previous seven Test wins in Sri Lanka came when they batted first. Since 2003, Australia have won only four out of the 19 Tests when they batted second in Asia. The previous three wins in this period came in Bangladesh.22.5 Overs batted by Sri Lanka in their second innings, their shortest all-out innings in Test cricket. The 24.2 overs they batted against Australia in the Melbourne Test in 2012 was their previous shortest innings. The 491 balls batted by Sri Lanka in this match is their lowest in a home Test and the third lowest in a Test match (where they were bowled out twice).ESPNcricinfo Ltd920 Number of balls bowled in the Galle Test. These are the fewest balls bowled in a completed Test match hosted by Sri Lanka. The previous shortest completed Test in Sri Lanka was 1056 balls in the 1986 Kandy Test between the hosts and Pakistan.3 Number of Test matches with an average runs per wicket less than 25 and a run rate of four or more before the Galle Test. In fact, the run rate of 4.27 in this Test match is the ninth highest in a Test match and the highest in Sri Lanka.