Plays of the day from the game between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Mohali

Nikhil Kalro09-May-2016The ominous let-offBefore Royal Challengers Bangalore’s game against Kings XI Punjab, Virat Kohli had scored 541 runs in eight games this season at an average of 90.16. In the third over, Mohit Sharma bowled an outswinger on a good length outside off. A leaden-footed Kohli threw his hands at the ball, which skewed off the outside half of his bat, lobbed over point and went for four. Kohli wasn’t in control, but got lucky.Mohit’s next ball was on a similar line and length and Kohli reached for it again. He could not keep the square drive down because his feet weren’t close enough to the pitch of the ball. Marcus Stoinis, at backward point, set himself to take the catch, but the ball burst through his hands. Kohli wasn’t in control, but he got lucky again.De Villiers’ yorker-scoopsMohit and Sandeep Sharma had executed their yorkers perfectly in the final overs of their previous game to lift Kings XI to a nine-run win. However, that strategy wasn’t quite so foolproof against AB de Villiers. In the 16th over, de Villiers stayed low to a Sandeep Sharma yorker, got inside the line and swept the ball over fine leg for six. In his next over, Sandeep, bowling from around the wicket, missed his yorker to de Villiers. Aided by a leg-stump line, the batsman scooped the low full toss over backward square leg for another six.Amla’s well-judged runHashim Amla’s IPL debut was a nightmare: he offered four run-out opportunities and Delhi Daredevils finally converted one of them to dismiss him for 1 off 5. Against Royal Challengers, off the last ball of the fifth over, Amla missed a sweep and the ball pinged off towards short cover. He set off for another questionable run even as the bowler Yuzvendra Chahal swooped on the ball, picked it up, turned around and fired an accurate throw at the non-striker’s end. The Royal Challengers fielders celebrated. However, it seemed like Amla had judged this run to perfection, for he just made the crease.Rahul’s redemptionA week ago, Andre Russell danced down to Chahal, having misread his slider, and was about to be stumped, but KL Rahul, the wicketkeeper, was unable to hold onto the ball. Royal Challengers rued the missed opportunity as Russell went on to play a match-winning knock.This time, Wriddhiman Saha stepped out for a wild heave against the same bowler, and once again Rahul was unable to collect it cleanly. Before the bad memories could bubble up, Rahul recovered the ball, which had hit him on the chin, and whipped the bails off before Saha could stumble back into his crease.One ball later, Rahul was given the opportunity to pull off another stumping, as Chahal beat David Miller with a slider, and this time he didn’t even fumble.

Plus, Williamson reveals a new kind of spin in the Plays of the Day from Mohali

Alagappan Muthu22-Mar-2016The extra spin
The script for New Zealand at the World T20 has been relatively straightforward. Win the toss, exploit the conditions, win the match. The first step of that sequence rested in Kane Williamson’s hands as he was given the coin. He promptly spun around, and with his back to all the cameras, flipped it up. If Shahid Afridi was surprised by the unorthodoxy, he didn’t give much of it away. Except his call ended up incorrect and New Zealand got first use of a batting beauty.The 100s
Martin Guptill finished off the fifth over with full marks all round. Imad Wasim made his bid to close out an over that had cost only three runs by bowling a quick dart but the batsman was quicker. Guptill came down the pitch and unfurled a majestic swing of the arms to deposit the ball into a delirious crowd behind long-on. The host broadcaster indicated that the ball had come in at 104 kph, left the bat at 133 kph and, if the distance of that hit had been measured, it would have probably been beyond 100 metres too.Switch on, switched off
Colin Munro is down as a left-hander but he seems just as adept batting the other way around. So when a simple push into the off side did not work as intended, he shaped up for a switch hit. Afridi was good enough to adjust and cramp the suddenly right-handed Munro for room. A late cut helped him get off strike, but the moment he was back facing up, Munro switched again and Afridi one-upped him again. The batsman did get to free his arms with a slog sweep, but it went straight to the man at sweeper cover (or deep square leg, if you prefer).The surprise four
Sharjeel Khan looked pleased with himself. He had just smacked the leading left-arm spinner in the competition Mitchell Santner over cow corner. The sound off the bat was crisp, the hang time was impressive and everyone thought this was six. Everyone except Guptill, who knows a thing or two about hitting the ball out of the park and knew this one didn’t quite have the legs. He ran after it and found himself within touching distance of pulling off a spectacular catch. Instead, the ball bounced away for four.Bat up, Pakistan
Chasing a big total, Sharjeel’s blitz had given the team just the start they needed. Eventually, it became a record-breaking one. Pakistan raised their fifty off only 24 balls – their fastest in T20Is – and it came about as a result of a nonchalant flick. Mitchell McClenaghan had given away a hat-trick of fours and, simply for a change, went around the wicket. But he offered a length ball on the pads and with a whip of the wrists, Sharjeel provided the appropriate flourish.

If there were questions of commitment and ability hanging around Craig Ervine, he dismissed them skilfully during the course of his maiden Test ton in Bulawayo

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo08-Aug-2016Craig Ervine was 13 years old when he slipped on some stray penlight batteries at home. It would have been nothing more than a minor fall, but he was reaching up for something on a pelmet, and as he stuck his hand out to cushion the blow, went through a glass window. He cut through arteries, ligaments and nerves.Nevermind whether he would be able to hold the bat his father Rory put into his hand as soon he could stand again, his family feared he would not even live.”Luckily, mum was a nurse and she knew straight away what to do. He had about five minutes to live had they not stopped the bleeding,” Sean Ervine, Craig’s older brother, told ESPNcricinfo.Extensive reconstructive surgery gave Ervine his hand back, the same hand that took him to his first Test century at Queens on Monday.

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The Ervine brothers, Sean, Craig and Ryan, were brought up on a farm outside Harare and boarded at a school three hours away, close to their grandparents. Their grandfather fed their love of cricket, paying 50 cents to anyone who took a wicket. He was not too concerned with run-scoring, but that was the discipline Craig excelled in. He rose through the ranks at school and played for Zimbabwe in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup, when the country’s senior team was in turmoil. Sean was part of the white-player walkout that year. It was another six years before Craig would come into contention for national selection.He made his ODI debut in May, 2010, against India, and scored an unbeaten 67 to put himself on the map immediately. Ervine was also drafted into the Test XI for Zimbabwe’s comeback match in August 2011. But his early performances did not suggest he was stepping up for longer-term success.In 2013, after Zimbabwe returned from their tour of the West Indies, Ervine refused a national contract and moved to Ireland on a passport obtained via his great-great-grandfather in a bid to qualify to play for their national team.”With the situation that Zimbabwe is in at the minute, it makes it quite tough to go back there and play cricket with all the financial problems,” he told the at the time. “There were a few issues, so I felt coming over here was the best option.”Ervine played for Northern Knights in the European summer and went to Perth to play club cricket in Australia in the second half of the year. He sought to expose himself to different conditions while considering his cricketing future. Eighteen months later, in October 2014, Ervine returned to Zimbabwe.”I am glad to be back. I have been away for a long time. I played in Ireland and Australia, and it was tough with lots of travelling,” Ervine told on his return. “I want to play for my nation again. It gives me an opportunity to play all three formats of the game and international cricket is more competitive. I had left because at that time, I couldn’t make a living playing locally, and I think things are better off now.”Zimbabwe’s financial situation has not improved markedly since then, but Ervine’s form has. In 23 ODIs since, he has scored 719 runs at an average of 37.84, including his maiden international century, which came against New Zealand in Harare a year and six days ago.Last week, in the first Test against New Zealand, he scored his maiden Test fifty in the second innings. He was unlucky not to be able to add to it when he was adjudged caught behind, although he had not made contact with the ball. This week, he doubled up, notching up his maiden Test century.Ervine had the advantage of a solid batting partner in PJ Moor, who, despite being on debut, took over as aggressor and let Ervine anchor•AFPErvine is not an overly emotional person in public, but given his relationship with his home country, there have been questions asked about his commitment to the cause. Ervine would never have been able to answer those with words; instead, he did it when he took off his helmet and kissed the Zimbabwe bird.”Playing for our country is a huge passion, it’s the ultimate goal and Test cricket is the ultimate game,” he said afterwards. “To be able to get a Test hundred against an attack like New Zealand, I can’t ask for anything more.”

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For a man who suffered such a horrific hand injury, it is poignant that Ervine’s strength is against spin. Almost half – 57 – of his 115 runs were scored off Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi. His ability to score off his pads, to sweep and smother turn and read deliveries was the less appreciated but most important part of an innings that thrilled for the boundaries he took off New Zealand’s quicks and fascinated by his willingness to grind.Ervine also had the advantage of a solid partner. PJ Moor, despite being on debut, took over as aggressor and let Ervine anchor. Between them, they batted in a zone that seemed to shut out the mountain New Zealand had laid in front of them. Like protestors in myriad movements, the duo got on with the job of occupying and then thinking of action.”The easiest thing is to try and break it down into small blocks – bat five-over blocks, bat for an hour, bat a session. Mentally, if you think about such a big total, it’s daunting to get there when you haven’t yet scored a run,” Ervine said. “And then, it’s knowing where your scoring options are and trying to be patient and wait for the ball to be in your area. If it is not, you have to wait it out.”Ervine, who faced 27 dot balls in the nineties, was patient enough not to get frustrated when the runs dried up and shrewd enough to turn the strike over when the opportunity presented itself. He wanted the hundred so badly, he was willing to wait for it, no matter how long it took. “This is up there with the most exhausting things I’ve done on a cricket field, but it has always been a dream of mine. I am ecstatic about the hundred.”But not so ecstatic that he has forgotten that there is a Test to save. Zimbabwe still need to avoid the follow-on and then take more time out of the game to rob New Zealand of the chance to bowl them out twice. Ervine seems ready to dig in, and his hand does, too.

Also: the highest by a No. 8 in ODIs, and the highest totals in ten-wicket wins

Steven Lynch28-Jun-2016Has any side ever made more than England did to win an ODI by ten wickets? asked Mahesh Bhasin from India

There have now been exactly 50 ten-wicket victories in one-day internationals – and none of them involved a higher total than England’s 256 for 0 against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston last week. The previous highest was New Zealand’s 236 for 0 to defeat Zimbabwe (235) in Harare last August. In all there have now been six instances of a team reaching a target of 200 or more without losing a wicket, the first coming when West Indies (221 for 0) beat Pakistan (220 for 2) in Melbourne during the 1992 World Cup. For the full list, click here. Dasun Shanaka scored over 40 runs and got five wickets on his ODI debut. Has anybody done this before? asked Chamitha Gunasekara from Sri Lanka

The short answer is no: before Dasun Shanaka allied 42 runs to 5 for 43 for Sri Lanka against Ireland in Dublin recently, the highest score by a one-day international debutant who also took a five-for was 28 – by another Sri Lankan, Shaul Karnain, who claimed 5 for 26 against New Zealand in Moratuwa in 1983-84. Three men have scored a fifty and taken four wickets on ODI debut: Duncan Fletcher, with 69 not out and 4 for 42 as Zimbabwe defeated Australia at Trent Bridge in the 1983 World Cup (Zimbabwe’s first official ODI); Gary Crocker, with 50 and 4 for 26 for Zimbabwe v India in Harare in 1992-93; and Shaun Pollock, with 66 not out and 4 for 34 for South Africa against England in Cape Town in 1995-96.Was Chris Woakes’ 95 the highest score by a No. 8 in ODIs? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada

Chris Woakes’ 95 not out for England in that exciting tie against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge last week eclipsed the record for the highest score by a No. 8 in a one-day international, previously Thomas Odoyo’s 84 for Kenya against Bangladesh in Nairobi in August 2006. There have been also been three 83s – by the New Zealanders Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori, and South Africa’s Lance Klusener. For the full list, click here.What is the longest fourth innings to force a draw in a Test? asked Mangesh Limaye from India

The longest fourth innings in a drawn match came in the famous Timeless Test in Durban in 1938-39, when England – set 696 to win – had reached 654 for 5 from 218.2 eight-ball overs when they had to leave to catch the boat home. Next – and the record for a time-limited Test comes another famous England rearguard in South Africa: in Johannesburg in 1995-96, led by Mike Atherton’s dogged 185 not out in nearly 11 hours; they faced 165 overs to force a draw. Then comes another timeless Test, when West Indies survived 164.3 overs against England in Kingston in 1929-30, after being set the little matter of 836 to win (they finished with 408 for 5, with George Headley making 223; again England had to leave to catch the boat home). For the full list of the longest fourth innings in draws, click here.Arguably an even more famous match-saving performance came in the third innings of the match in Bridgetown in 1957-58: after Pakistan were forced to follow on 473 behind West Indies, Hanif Mohammad dug in for more than 16 hours to score 337, and his side batted for 319 overs in all.Chris Woakes beat Thomas Odoyo for the record for the highest score by a No. 8 in ODIs•Getty ImagesWhich player made the highest score in his last Test innings? asked Haresh Sukhraj from Canada

The highest score by someone in their final Test innings is 258, by Seymour Nurse for West Indies against New Zealand in Christchurch in 1968-69. Next comes Aravinda de Silva’s 206 for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2002, and Jason Gillespie’s 201 not out for Australia v Bangladesh in Chittagong in 2005-06. There are two higher scores by batsmen playing their last Test, who then batted again in the second innings: Andy Sandham made 325 (and 50) for England against West Indies in Kingston in 1929-30, and Bill Ponsford 266 (and 22) for Australia against England at The Oval in 1934.Is it true that Pakistan have not lost a Test series at home (including those played in UAE) in the last ten years ? asked Q Hammad from Pakistan

It’s not quite true, no: South Africa won a two-Test series in Pakistan 1-0 in 2007-08, winning in Karachi before a draw at Lahore. Pakistan’s last home defeat before that came early in 2004, when India won a three-match series 2-1. Since Pakistan have been forced to play their home matches in the UAE, they have won four and drawn four of the eight series played. They also drew the two-match series against Australia in England in 2010, which was technically a home rubber too.Send in your questions using our feedback form.

Pakistan could still win the third Test, which remains beautifully poised, but they were let down on the third day by key areas and it left Mickey Arthur frustrated

George Dobell at Edgbaston05-Aug-2016Might Pakistan have seen their best chance of achieving the No. 1 Test ranking slip through their grasp?They have never been rated the best Test team. Not officially, anyway. There was a couple of months in 1988 when they would have been had the ratings been in existence, but since they were introduced in 2003, Pakistan have never reached the pinnacle.They have been within sight of it here. For a while, as Australia capitulated in Galle, and Pakistan inched towards a first innings lead, the top of the mountain was clear above them. But, by the close of play the clouds had obscured the view once more. There is no guarantee they will part.Pakistan had been, remember, 257 for 2 with moments to go before stumps on the second day. They were just 40 runs behind England and they had eight wickets in hand. With James Anderson having twice been warned for running on the pitch, Steven Finn battling for rhythm, Stuart Broad unable to coax much pace or movement from this surface and Moeen Ali conceding more than four-and-a-half an over, Pakistan’s batsmen had an outstanding opportunity to bat England out of the game. There are no horrors for them in this low, slow wicket. England have taken no home advantage.But it was not to be. Azhar Ali, understandably weary after more than six hours’ of batting, was drawn into poking at one away from his body and edged to slip at the end of day two and Pakistan’s middle-order was unable to fully capitalise on the foundations that he had built.A first innings lead of 103 wasn’t bad. Not by any means. But it wasn’t the vice-like grip Pakistan could have taken on this match. It was an advantage, certainly, but it wasn’t definitive. It was, in truth, something of a missed opportunity.It would be unfair to state that Pakistan squandered their chance with the bat. Unfair on Pakistan and England, who battled hard, bowled with impressive control and then batted particularly well when they started their second innings on Friday.Asad Shafiq, perhaps undone by Broad going wide on the crease, missed a straight one, Younis Khan was caught down the leg side as he fell over towards the off and once Misbah played on, there was nobody to stay with Sarfraz Ahmed and extend the lead.There were some familiar faults. The Pakistan tail, with Yasir Shah (a man with a Test batting average of 11.75) at No. 8, has more than a hint of the Diplodocus about it and here mustered just 18 between four men from No. 8 to No. 11. Since January 2014, they are worst performing lower-order in the world.Pakistan aided in their own problems as Yasir Shah was run out•Getty ImagesAs Mickey Arthur, the coach, put it afterwards: “we lack an allrounder; we lack a Chris Woakes. We’ve got to pick our best six batsmen and our best bowing attack. To win Tests, you have to take 20 wickets.”And then Pakistan’s four-man attack was shown-up once more. It’s not that there is anything wrong with any of the bowlers – far from it – but that it leaves no margin for error. Sohail Khan, so impressive in the first innings, looked stiff and tired – not injured as much as not fit enough to bowl the amount of spells required at this level in a four-man unit – while Rahat Ali delivered too many loose deliveries.That left too great a burden on Mohammad Amir, who is bowling considerably better than his figures suggest in this series, and Yasir, who is clearly a fine bowler operating on a surface offering him little. Pakistan were unable to build pressure and England’s openers were able to record their first century partnership with one another. A day that started with Pakistan well in front ended with England ahead by a nose.Arthur described the second innings bowling as “poor.” “I was just really disappointed,” the Pakistan coach said. “Everything we’ve spoken about, everything we’ve done… We talk about lengths all the time, we talk about bowling one side of the wicket, we talk about bowling plans and controlling the rate. We didn’t do one of those in the last session, so that was particularly disappointing.”Sohail is a real concern. He’s got to back up. I thought he bowled exceptionally well in the first innings but you’ve got to do it both innings, you’ve got to do it spell after spell. That’s something we’ll continue to work with Sohail Khan on.””I love Rahat. I think he has something special. If we can get Rahat’s action repeatable, he’s going to be very, very good.”But they’ll bowl five fantastic balls with the new ball and then there’s the one dragged down or there’s the one on leg stump which is the four-ball and that’s been giving the England openers a bit of a start. We’ve got a lot of work to do technically with our bowlers.”None of this means that Pakistan have lost their opportunity to reach No. 1. It might still happen. This game remains in the balance – wonderfully so in the grand scheme of things – and Pakistan will be the favourites when West Indies arrive in the UAE for a Test tour in a few months.But this game, the next seven days of the series, do present a great opportunity. Some of the key players in the Pakistan side are surely coming to the end – Younis, with a highest score of 33 in the series, seems to be in decline and even Misbah, now aged 42, might eventually have to accept he can’t win his fight with Time – and, within a few weeks, other teams (notably India) will have opportunities to pick-up ranking points. Not long after the West Indies series, Pakistan face testing trips to New Zealand and Australia. It may be a long time before Pakistan go this close to the summit.Were Pakistan to reach the No. 1 ranking, it would surely have to be recognised as one of the great achievements in the sport. From the position this side were in when Misbah took over – with four squad members eventually banned for corruption and, before long, his leading spinner squeezed out of the game due to concerns over his bowling action – and to have come this close despite not playing a single Test at home is beyond admirable. It is almost miraculous.Whatever happens next, this Pakistan team’s achievements demand respect. But they may never have a better chance to go all the way and they may come to reflect on day three at Edgbaston as the day it slipped away.

James Vince has had eight innings in which to convert his elegance into output. But he is still making the same unnerving mistakes.

George Dobell at Edgbaston03-Aug-2016It’s not hard to see how James Vince’s batting could seduce you.If you were to walk past a net session in which he was batting, you could not help but be impressed. The sweetness of the timing and the range of his shots would set him apart from most. At times, he makes batting look beautiful.You would never say that about Alastair Cook or Gary Ballance. If you were to walk past them in the nets, you could be forgiven for concluding that they are far more limited players. With their reluctance to drive, their determination not to be drawn into high-risk strokes and their emphasis on crease occupation and accumulation, you might conclude they were not in Vince’s class.But not everything we like the look of is good for us. While Vince puts away the poor ball with pleasing style, he is now eight innings into his Test career and has yet to register a half-century. And while Cook and Ballance may not be the prettiest batsmen, they have developed a method that works for them and understand that batting is just as much about patience as it is about hand-eye coordination. There are no extra runs for artistic impression in Test cricket. Vince’s continued selection is a victory for style over substance.His dismissal here exposed a familiar fault. Unsure whether to play or leave a delivery just outside off stump, he ended up doing a bit of both and a lot of neither. It was a decent ball, for sure, but it was the sort of ball that Test players will receive often. If he is to sustain a career at this level, it is the sort of delivery he needs to be able to handle.Vince could have been out several times before that. Early in his innings he flicked one from Rahat Ali through midwicket. The crowd applauded and the ball whistled to the boundary, but it was an unnecessarily high-risk stroke. Instead of playing the ball on the ground, Vince had flicked it up and over the midwicket fielder. Next delivery, Rahat angled one across him and Vince flashed at it. He made no contact, but it was a familiar error.And that’s the problem. For, six Tests into his career, he does not appear to be learning quickly enough to justify extending his stay in the side. He has not learned that batting, at Test level at least, is as much about denial as flair, as much about the balls you don’t play as those you do, as much about discipline as it is about dashing.James Vince played fluently for his 39, but fell to another loose shot•AFPSix Tests into his career, he has done nothing to refute the suggestion that he is an unusually elegant destroyer of mediocre bowling, but that he lacks the defensive technique to cope with more demanding attacks. That difference between his batting average in each division of the County Championship – about 50 in the second division and about 30 in the first – remains telling.There is another telling statistic that speaks volumes for Vince’s approach. While he has scored 69 percent of his Test runs in boundaries (admittedly in a small sample size), England’s two best batsmen, Alastair Cook and Joe Root, have both scored 47 percent of their Test runs from fours and sixes.This suggests that, while Root and Cook are prepared to wait for the poor ball to punish, Vince goes looking for it. It suggests, too, that while Root has the all-round game required to score freely without taking undue risk, Vince is over-reliant upon the ‘big shot’ to keep the scoreboard moving. It suggests he is lacking in temperament or technique. That those flashing drives are as much a weakness as they are a strength.Ballance provided an example for Vince to follow on the first day at Edgbaston. While there is sometimes little that is pretty about his batting – to be fair, he played some lovely strokes here – he knows his game, he understands his limitations and he has the patience to wait for the poor ball before launching into an aggressive stroke. It is, in short, substance over style.He has not changed his technique much. Despite a mountain of criticism towards the end of his first run in the side, he stuck with his method – he admits he attempted to change but felt less comfortable at the crease and scored fewer runs – and resolved to execute it better. It would be premature to suggest that this, his highest Test score since April 2015, cements his place in the side, but it was a significant step in that direction.Whether his contribution helped England to a competitive total is debatable. While Ballance suggested England thought 300 was “around par”, pitches at Edgbaston tend to be at their best for batsmen on day two and three. When England reflect on their dismissals, they may conclude that several of their batsmen were the architects of their own downfall – none more so than Root, who pushed at one that left him, and Jonny Bairstow, who wafted away from his body – and that Pakistan have been given an opportunity to take advantage.

Psychology student Anya Shrubsole knows plenty about the relationship between perfectionism and competitive anxiety, and has used those lessons to aid her bowling

Adam Collins20-Aug-2016With 130 international wickets under her belt, and an imposing T20 record, England’s recently appointed vice-captain Anya Shrubsole would have been one of the first internationals selected for the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia last winter. If, that is, she had chosen to make the trip.She decided against joining the best of the best in the WBBL partly to preserve her body from the rigours of a chaotic schedule, but mostly because her final university dissertation was due (imagine that in the men’s game).In her thesis, the psychology student explored the relationship between perfectionism and competitive anxiety; a topic appropriate for an opening bowler, specifically one who self-describes as a little bit of a perfectionist.Shrubsole spoke to ESPNcricinfo during the Kia Super League, where she is representing Western Storm, who feature in Sunday’s Finals Day at Chelmsford.”Part of this drives you to train and it definitely got me where I am today because I want to do everything well as I possibly can,” she explains of perfectionism as it relates to her own career. “But there’s a fine line: if you go too far over the line almost nothing ends up being good enough because no-one is perfect.”There is a relaxed self-awareness in this from a bowler once known for her grumpiness. At 24, but with eight years since her England debut, she is at once a veteran and an improving product despite her seniority. But she believes a mellowing has occurred in the process of applying her psychology learnings into her professional output.”A couple of bad balls used to get into my head and it would interfere with the next couple and spiral out of control and I think as you play more that’s completely detrimental to what you are trying to do,” she says.By putting in place processes to control such a spiral, Shrubsole knows she has limited a weakness in her game that batsmen exploited. The influence of new national coach Mark Robinson has been a key part in this development; he has schooled Shrubsole in the art of expectation management.”You want to perform the best that you can, but at the same time if your expectations become unrealistic you almost never meet up to them and are always frustrated.” Shrubsole’s method: an unfaltering routine to separate emotion from application.”I just use the stumps as a physical line,” she says. “I have from the time where I stop my follow through to when I reach the stumps to think about the last ball, but once I cross that stump line and back to my mark it is to the next ball. It’s no more complicated than that: making sure I’m always thinking about what is coming next not what’s just gone.”Perhaps the best illustration of Shrubsole’s mental strength happened with bat rather than ball. In last year’s Ashes Test at Canterbury she batted for 68 minutes and 47 balls without scoring. It was excruciating to watch, but symbolic of doing anything to turn around a dire situation.”I’ll never stop fighting until the game is over, I pride myself on it,” she says when recalling the hand. “So that innings became enjoyable and almost quite funny. I quite enjoyed it in the end.”

“This summer was a brilliant illustration of how things have changed within the team since Robbo has been in charge”

For all this, it’s somewhat ironic that a moment when Shrubsole was least in control provoked a career-defining change to her principle craft. At the 2013 World Cup, she was bowling to West Indies in early-morning conditions that swing bowlers dream of: dew still on the grass and moisture in the air. It was swing, not pace, that had got her to this level, yet she just couldn’t get the ball to move. She takes up the story:”Standing at fine leg I knew I had to get something more out of the perfect conditions, and I didn’t look like getting them out” she recalls. “So I turned the ball around to see what would happen – and it hooped. Then the next ball absolutely hooped. I thought ‘this was going well.'”It did go well, Shrubsole ending the day with the Player of the Match award, claiming 4 for 21. So she did exactly the same next time up against Australia, this time picking up 3 for 21. “I’ve forever bowled inswing since that day.”A year later, she led all-comers in the World T20, nabbing 13 wickets at 7.53 apiece, earning the player of the tournament gong in the process.It’s a pattern that’s continued; her bowling average across 47 T20 internationals an altogether ridiculous 12.79. Sure enough, her reasoning for success in the shortest form evokes that familiar theme again: control.”I’m trying to bowl as many balls that I can to hit the stumps, so you’re always in the game,” Shrubsole says. This was exemplified by the final KSL group game, where she claimed a – wait for it – quadruple-wicket maiden to end the innings, bowling three opposition batsmen in her five-wicket haul.”I know it sounds so simple, but it is that simple: hitting the stumps as much as I can,” she says, adding a reminder that she only really bowls three balls: a stock inswinger, a slower ball and a yorker. Better to have three perfected than seven not is her theory.Shrubsole will be in Australia this winter for the WBBL for her debut in the competition, and couldn’t be happier with England’s equivalent surpassing expectations in season one. But she doesn’t subscribe to the idea of the T20 circuit replacing the primacy of international cricket, stating that competitions need to always fit around that.It’s on that international stage where England’s women have flourished this summer, Shrubsole’s first as deputy to new captain Heather Knight. The times suit her quiet authority – smart but reserved, gifted but not flashy, she fits in tidily to the Robinson regime.”This summer was a brilliant illustration of how things have changed within the team since Robbo has been in charge,” she says. “It was the indication of a good starting point for how we want to play our cricket: full of professionalism, with a new work ethic to training.”Shrubsole sees it as a product of Robinson’s background as a coach from the men’s game that he fundamentally expected more, challenging why they couldn’t prepare as physically as the men. “I think that’s what we really needed,” she says. “He’s a brilliant coach and knows how to get the most out of people.”Was the change in personnel liberating? “Absolutely,” Shrubsole says. “It allowed everyone to have a clean slate and motivation to put best foot forward.” The obvious example of this has been opener Tammy Beaumont, who broke the record the runs scored in a three-game ODI series in England’s 3-0 thrashing of Pakistan.”She was on the outside; struggling to get into the squad… so for her, he came in with a fresh pair of eyes and everything before had gone; it was a new start.”Anya Shrubsole feels England have made strides under Mark Robinson•Getty ImagesShrubsole is also ready to step up if Knight is ever absent through injury. Sure enough, she’s thought about it plenty, as you’d expect from someone exhibiting all the traits of a quintessential cricket badger. When asked to name her favourite bowler she cites Michael Holding, who retired half a decade before she was born. She later speaks about clips she’s watched of Brian Close being peppered by the Jamaican in his pomp.”As with batting and bowling and fielding, you wouldn’t go into a game not having practiced it and have a routine with it, so I’m always keen to captain as much as I possibly can.”Additional to her obsessive watching of the game, she has routinely captained teams through her career, including representative sides at youth level and her county for the last four seasons. “So should that day come, I’m happy and know what I am doing.”Casting forward a little under a year, a home ODI World Cup rolls around. Shrubsole assesses England will be “there and thereabouts” in light of recent progress. She believes the “collective confidence” is steadily building after their faultless summer. “We are going to make mistakes, but it’s a case of having that belief in what we are doing.”It’s a considerable journey from watching her dad charging in to open the bowling, trying to get the blokes to let her have a bat or a bowl or a kick of the football.Naturally enough, as a swing bowler Shrubsole wishes for more Test cricket; understandable after her performance in that Ashes Test where she decimated the Australian top order on the opening day, claiming the first four wickets.”In T20 cricket you get a lot of wickets as a result of the match situation, but in Test match cricket you have to get people out,” she says. “I take joy in working batters out and setting them up.”A quick with a thesis in competitive psychology who also revels in mind games? If opposition players weren’t daunted by Anya Shrubsole’s capacity, they should be.

After a lean start to his career, Travis Head’s batting numbers have exploded. Coupled with his handy offspin, he is gunning to be Australia’s next spin-bowling allrounder

Brydon Coverdale23-Aug-2016It has been a big 12 months for Travis Head. High expectations have been placed on Head since his Sheffield Shield debut at the age of 18 and his potential was always on display, but the one large gap in his record was hundreds. In fact, at the start of last season he had made only one: 108 for the National Performance Squad in a one-day game against South Africa in Darwin in 2014. But over the past year, Head’s numbers have exploded.It all started with 202 against Western Australia in the Matador Cup, the second-highest score in Australia’s domestic one-day competition history. Then came a maiden first-class century, 114 also against Western Australia. Then there was an unbeaten 101 in the BBL, 134 and 192 to finish off the Shield season, and last month he made his name in England with 175 for Yorkshire in England’s domestic one-day cup.No surprises, then, that Head is part of Australia’s ODI squad in Sri Lanka, where on Sunday he added a second cap having made his debut against West Indies in June. Although he managed only 10 having come in at 202 for 5 in a chase of 228, he got a taste of the Sri Lankan conditions and will be better placed for the second match.”I feel like I’m in really good nick,” Head told reporters in Colombo ahead of the second ODI. “I feel like I’m batting really well. I’ve scored runs. It’s all worked towards here and now. It was nice to get some games in England. I think I’ve had a nice round experience in the last 12 months, I’ve experienced different things, different conditions, different players, observed a lot and just watched guys go about their business, which has helped me.”Notably, Head was also used for four overs of his part-time offspin and in the absence of the axed Glenn Maxwell, the No.7 spin-bowling allrounder position is one that Head is testing out during this series. Head joined the Test squad ahead of the third Test in Colombo and did plenty of bowling in the nets, but he knows there is work ahead of him if he wants to be selected as a legitimate allrounder.”I’m pretty raw, still, with my bowling,” Head said. “That’s helped me coming over here that I’ve learnt the style the Sri Lankans have been bowling their spin. I haven’t come in here with a certain way of going about things. I’m pretty open-minded on my bowling.”I just want to try and find the conditions as best as possible. If that can get me selected, the second string to my batting – I’m there to make runs – but if I can come in and do a job with the ball that’s a positive. That’s what I’m heading towards, working on as much as possible, so that I can be a genuine option.”I played last year at home as No.1 but probably wasn’t ready for that role, but took it on and did an okay job. Leading into the season if I can do as much bowling as possible and make myself a genuine spinner – that’s my goal.”That will be one of the summer’s aims for Head, the South Australia captain, especially knowing that a Test tour of India is coming up in February-March. Australia’s selectors will be on the lookout for batsmen who can handle the spinning conditions for that series after the Test debacle in Sri Lanka, and although Head has played only one first-class game in Asia – he made 31 and 50 against India A in Chennai last year – he believes his game could suit those conditions.”I played one four-day game in India when I was there last and I got two starts,” Head said. “I got a 50 and a 30 and I had a pretty good game-plan, pretty similar to how I played the other night. I’m always going to be positive and aggressive. It’s a long way away, that Test series. It’s a big summer. I’ve got to get runs on the board, that’s the main issue with everyone in the summer.”

How the world on Twitter reacted to Australia’s 85 all out

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2016First, the best reaction to 85 all out.

Let's all calm down! Judge this wicket after SA has batted please! CALM DOWN! EVERYONE!

— KP (@KP24) November 12, 2016

The performance justified eight exclamation marks.

Australia Bowled out for 85 … !!!!!!!!

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 12, 2016

Was it the batting or was it the conditions?

All out for 85 in challenging but not by any means impossible conditions! #AUSvSA

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) November 12, 2016

Australia’s innings lasted 197 balls.

Australia's only shorter home Test innings than this in the post-war era was v Marshall/Holding/Garner at the WACA. #AUSvSA

— Brydon Coverdale (@brydoncoverdale) November 12, 2016

There were references to Trent Bridge 2015.

This Trent Bridge sequel is pretty good, but not quite up to the original. A Back to the Future 2 rather than a Terminator 2. #AUSvSA

— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) November 12, 2016

Kyle Abbott almost did a Stuart Broad too.

This is all starting to feel very familiar … https://t.co/IbDxrxKtfV #ausvsa pic.twitter.com/yZySbDIOTN

— FOX SPORTS Cricket (@FOXCricketLive) November 12, 2016

Australia’s captain Steven Smith made 48 not out.

Steve Smith will be really annoyed he was stranded so close to a half century.

— Jarrod Kimber (@ajarrodkimber) November 12, 2016

Make that…

Steve Smith 0/48
Rest of Aus 10/37#ausvsa

— Ronny Lerner (@RonnyLerner) November 12, 2016

Some began thinking of ways how Australia could bounce back in Hobart.

Australia really need to redefine this Test as a World Cup semi-final ASAP if they want to get back into it. #AUSvSA

— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) November 12, 2016

While others contemplated the general state of Australian cricket.

And Now 85 all out.
Australia in probably one of their worst phase in their Test history.
Struggling away and even at home.#AusvsSA

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) November 12, 2016

South Africa were superb in the field.

Sub, who is reserve keeper, pulls off direct hit run out, Duminy's screamer, then de Kock's – South Africa fielding brilliant #AUSvSA

— Andrew Wu (@wutube) November 12, 2016

A classic catch to finish the Aussie innings #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/SyfJzVtsEQ

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) November 12, 2016

Is it time to press the panic button when it comes to Australian batting?

When the ball doesn't turn, swing or seam AUS batsmen look good #AUSvSA

— Glenn Mitchell (@MitchellGlenn) November 12, 2016

The only batsmen left to pick for the test side is a bunch of guys struggling to average 40 on pancake roads in state cricket.Future is dire

— Rob Moody (@robelinda2) November 12, 2016

With a month at the nets Greg Chappell will bat better than these Australian batsmen Aus 6 down 43 at Hobart !

— Makarand Waingankar (@wmakarand) November 12, 2016

Remember this batting line up
Hayden
Langer
Ponting
M Waugh
S Waugh
Martyn
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
McGrath@wwos #ausvsa

— The Magic Man (@Greg_Camilleri) November 12, 2016

Perhaps the weather forecast spurred South Africa.

Weather : I'm going to prevent a result in this test match

Proteas: challenge accepted #AUSvSA #ProteaFire

— Proteafire (@Bilal_Hanware92) November 12, 2016

Don’t think this would have been discussed in the South African dressing-room.

Would it have been too arrogant for SA to declare 0/0 in the first inning? I say NO! #ausvsa

— K Hutch (@72nivek) November 12, 2016

Some woke up surprised, some thrilled.

Woke up wondering why SA are batting when they elected to field first…. then I realized it was a #demolition #AUSvSA

— Ahmed Moola (@AhmedMoola1) November 12, 2016

#AUSvSA When you wake up, check @ESPNcricinfo and see Aus were 85 all out!!!
SA now 43/0 in reply. Holy wow!!! pic.twitter.com/h6Rvu3mY6K

— Cindy Poluta (@CindyPoluta) November 12, 2016

85 all out.

Sub-100 scores by Australia

1985 – 2009 – 1

2010 – 2016 – 5

Remember when we could play the moving ball? #ausvsa

— David Lindsay (@davelindsay77) November 12, 2016

If you're new to cricket, 85 is a decent score. Not for an entire team of course but an individual. #AUSvSA

— Titus O'Reily (@TitusOReily) November 12, 2016

The 2016-17 Women’s Big Bash League will be a consolidation chapter after the success of the inaugural tournament last year

Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins08-Dec-20166:11

‘Bigger, better Women’s Big Bash League season on the cards’

The principal drawback of success is that people then expect you to have more of it. Right now, the summer of 2016-17 is the ‘difficult second album’ stage for the Women’s Big Bash League. The inaugural edition a year ago was deemed to have exceeded expectations, but that’s not so difficult when no one knew what their expectations were. It drew good crowds, surprisingly strong television numbers, and provided a stage for some excellent young talent. Second time around, we might insist it’s a minimum requirement to have a legspinner ripping the ball a yard and a half in front of ten thousand at the ground and half a million on TV.In truth though this season is a consolidation chapter, all part of Cricket Australia’s long-term strategy to increase cricket’s inclusiveness for women and girls, raise the standard of the women’s game for spectators, and help that game support itself with revenue.Nonetheless, WBBL|02 is positioned to do well. Channel Ten has expanded its commitment to screen 12 games, including a prime-time evening match amongst four to be broadcast on the standalone opening weekend. That first carnival round will feature all eight teams across three days in Sydney, taking the spotlight a week before the men’s counterpart competition gets underway.The opening round aside, the WBBL schedule won’t be as crowded this year. Gone are the absurd rosters that saw some teams play twice in a day, though some games have moved to further-flung grounds to make the competition more accessible. Rooty Hill, Glenelg, Cranbourne or Albury might not be mentioned in the same breath as the WACA, Etihad Stadium or the SCG, but this season’s locales will range from the most illustrious to the most modest. And with free entry for all but the BBL double-headers, it couldn’t be much easier.Harmanpreet Kaur is new to the Thunder line-up•Getty Images

Sydney Thunder

The champs of WBBL|01 will defend their title in rude health, losing none of the firepower that won them the competition while adding Indian middle-order dynamo Harmanpreet Kaur. No player does more all-round damage in the women’s T20 game than West Indian Stafanie Taylor, returning to the Thunder after topping the runs and most wickets in England’s domestic competition mid-year, after holding aloft the World T20 trophy in April.Led by the always-calm Southern Stars mainstay Alex Blackwell, international experience is present via Rene Farrell’s seam and Erin Osborne’s spin. On top of that, the Thunder boast two youngsters who made it to the highest level after big tournaments last year, left-arm quick Lauren Cheatle and picket-clearing Naomi Stalenberg. With emerging talent like spinner Maisy Gibson also on their books, they have the matchwinners and depth to make winning a habit.Dane van Niekerk has joined the Sixers•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Sydney Sixers

The pink side of Sydney flipped from competition duds to darlings last season. Facing the earliest possible elimination after losing six games, they went all Mighty Ducks to make the final after winning eight in a row to qualify for the semis. Luckily for the superstitious they’ve re-signed New Zealand international Sara McGlashan, the star of several of those wins, whose nerveless 79 not out took them into the finals from the last ball of the regular season.The bowling version of Ebenezer Scrooge also returns in South African opener Marizanne Kapp, and her national skipper Dane van Niekerk has been poached from the Renegades to bolster the middle order. A reasonably handy type you may have heard of named Ellyse Perry is floating about, along with spinner Lisa Sthalekar who continues her Warne-like practice of staving off retirement with occasional T20 appearances.Anya Shrubsole has signed with the Scorchers•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers

Another side that has promised much more than delivered, the Scorchers immediately look weaker for losing England champion Charlotte Edwards and West Indies bludgeoner Deandra Dottin. But in adding Anya Shrubsole to her England opening partner Katherine Brunt, the best new-ball pair in international cricket now also lines up for Perth.Shrubsole’s arrival will be delayed due to injury, with England left-arm tweaker Rebecca ‘Reg’ Grundy taking her place for the opening four games. Batting responsibility falls on the shoulders of experienced trio Suzie Bates, Nicole Bolton and Elyse Villani. Bates is at the peak of her powers as New Zealand skipper – player of the match in the Super League final in England – while the latter pair are vastly experienced Australian openers. Like the Stars, and like last year, the Scorchers look great – on paper.Charlotte Edwards has moved to the Strikers this season•ICC/Getty

Adelaide Strikers

The strain of elite women’s cricket can be seen in Adelaide’s ranks, with last year’s star England international Sarah Taylor on a break to deal with anxiety, and opening bowler Sarah Coyte recently opening up about her struggles with an eating disorder. Difficult as their experiences are, by speaking about them these women are providing help and reassurance for girls with similar issues.Another former England player, Charlotte Edwards, has switched from Perth in a swap for Lauren Ebsary, and will combine for batting stability with fellow recruit Sarah Elliott, the Test centurion arriving from the Renegades. Two young Strikers – leg-spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington and all-rounder Tahlia McGrath – just made their ODI debuts for Australia, while swing bowler Megan Schutt is a national fixture. English import Tammy Beaumont is one of the biggest hitters in the game, and New Zealand’s Sophie Devine can match her for power. On balance, this might be the most exciting squad in the comp.Meg Lanning remains key for the Stars•Getty Images

Melbourne Stars

There wasn’t a side in WBBL|01 that promised more but delivered less. A side led by the best player in the world in Meg Lanning, it made sense the Stars would waltz through the regular season and beyond. They didn’t. Foreign recruits underperformed, domestic players didn’t make the leap – especially with the bat. But they still have Lanning, and returning international Natalie Sciver is a cricketer reborn since last on these shores, evolving into a batsman capable of taking down attacks in a matter of overs in the revitalised England set up.Her national team-mate Danielle Hazell joins the squad as a temporary replacement while Australian first-choice leggie Kristen Beams recovers from a finger injury. Kiwi bowler Morna Nielsen was dominant last year, and powerful Australian bat Jess Cameron is making a comeback after a year away from the game. In short: the Stars have no excuses.The Renegades have lured Grace Harris from the Heat•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Melbourne Renegades

The team in red had a poor first season, scraping four wins in some scrappy affairs, though they did roll the Stars in their New Year’s game on live TV. Light on for batting, they’ve lured Australia’s biggest hitter in Grace Harris from Brisbane. But one batsman can’t carry a team, with diminutive placement player Danielle Wyatt and Kiwi wicketkeeper Rachel Priest the only noted willow-handlers alongside. Hiring the CEO’s daughter can’t hurt a club in the longer term, but we can’t expect 15-year-old Annabel Sutherland to generate more headlines than CA boss James.Molly Strano and Sophie Molineux, also known as Molly & Molly, could act as a mood enhancer if they land the pill right, but it’s been a major comedown losing South African tearaway Shabnim Ismail to a disciplinary suspension from her home board. If they keep their young team together, the Renegades can become something in seasons ahead, but this time around will likely be another struggle.Smriti Mandhana is on the Heat roster this year•Getty Images

Brisbane Heat

In Brisbane last year they got hot fast, but cooled quicker, falling away badly when it mattered most. While the Heat have lost matchwinner Grace Harris in the off-season, stylish Indian bat Smriti Mandhana can replace her at the top of the list, while West Indian Deandra Dottin can clatter bowlers just as far.Beth Mooney’s consistency with the bat earned her a national call-up last summer, and she carried that on with a big century for Queensland in the WNCL. She’s a player they can and must build a batting line up around. With the ball, Holly Ferling’s burgeoning seniority in Australian ranks suggests she is ready to take a step up here, while Southern Stars all-rounder Jess Jonassen has the best straight drive in women’s cricket. On their day they’re formidable, they just have to ensure that day comes around more often.Corinne Hall provided some brilliance in the field for the Hurricanes last season•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Hobart Hurricanes

The Moneyball side of the WBBL, the Hurricanes have no frills, no mystique and no Southern Stars. It’s indicative of domestic cricket’s power disparity that not a single national representative has chosen to represent Tasmania. But none of that stopped Hobart putting together an even outfit that most often got the job done, topping the table for much of last year and making the semi-finals.This was built on consistent contributions from low-wattage players like Erin Burns, Brooke Hepburn, and Corinne Hall, though the latter provided some brilliance in the field. That squad is almost unchanged, with wicketkeeper Georgia Redmayne the lone inclusion. The team’s few international stars are England’s Heather Knight, who was top ten in the runs and wickets last year; Hayley Matthews, the West Indies teenager who destroyed Australia’s bowling to win the World T20; and Amy Satterthwaite, who starred for New Zealand with two ODI centuries less than a month ago.