Tension was mounting for the co-hosts before an Andre Russell six ignited their push to the winning line

Shashank Kishore02-Jun-20241:11

‘We’ve talked about it for years’ – Bishop on WI and dot-ball percentage

The euphoria of an IPL triumph achieved exactly a week to the day, on a heady Chennai night, may have suddenly felt foggy as Andre Russell walked into bat with West Indies needing 40 off 24. Papua New Guinea had pushed the hosts into a corner and were daring to dream of an upset on a tricky Providence surface. Even someone of Russell’s vintage was unlikely to have it easy to be able to strike from get go.Until then, PNG had refused to be intimidated by the plethora of ball-strikers, each capable of hitting bigger than the other. They may have even had West Indies possibly question their own choices at a point, like the decision to sacrifice power-hitting depth for all-round squad balance as they fielded Roston Chase and Rutherford over Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer.Related

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The match, although not sold to capacity, still had a considerable number of home fans clenching their fists as Russell took strike against John Kariko, who had bowled his three overs until then with immaculate control and guile. Phil Simmons, West Indies’ former T20 World Cup winning coach now with PNG as consultant, was furiously chewing gum. There was tension.What chance did a 20-year-old rookie who’d played all his career up until then against the likes of Philippines, Vanuatu, Malaysia and Nepal have against The Dre Russ? Maybe not even an inkling, but Kariko was showing no nerves. He kept landing them on a length. Some straightened, others just went through with the arm. Five balls into his penultimate over, he’d conceded just three runs and West Indies now needed 37 off 19.Just as you wondered if Russell was going the MS Dhoni way of taking it till the end, he got a gift. For the first time in his spell, Kariko erred by bowling a half-tracker. Russell needed no second invitation as he rocked back and muscled the pull to clear deep midwicket. Nervous smiles gave way to an energetic pump of the fists in the West Indies dug out.That release shot had opened the floodgates. At the other end, Chase had killed them softly it with some of the most aesthetically pleasing strokes, not one of them played in anger or in desperation. By the time the 18th over finished, Chase had all but sealed the match by hitting Assad Vala, the PNG captain, for two fours and a six to bring the equation down to a comfortable 13 off 12. West Indies needed only six more balls to get there.Roston Chase assessed conditions perfectly•ICC via Getty ImagesChase may have ended the game in a blaze, but hardly got out of second gear until push came to shove. This wasn’t because he wasn’t capable of hitting the big shots, but it was the need of the hour. Nicholas Pooran fell trying to hit out as did Brandon King. Rutherford struggled for fluency too. All along, Chase milked the runs, batting with a sense of calm that suggested he’d sussed out conditions superbly.”I had to take it home for the team, and I did it,” Chase said after being named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 27-ball 42. “I just thought that the wicket was one that was a bit difficult to start on in terms of playing your strokes and being aggressive. So, I thought it was one that you just had to get in and give yourself a bit of time to get adjusted to the pace of the wicket and once you get in you would get away the ball after a while.”A part of Chase’s batting blueprint may have been formed when he was out bowling. Chase bowled his four overs for 26, during which he used the crease nicely to vary his lines and hit lengths to extract bounce from his tall frame. On two-paced surfaces, this mantra, married to a wicket-to-wicket line, has the potential to be a superb cocktail. While there were no inherent rewards for these efforts in the form of wickets, Chase kept PNG in check for most parts. It was only a late flourish from Kiplin Doriga that helped them finish on 136.”That was very good,” Rovman Powell, the West Indies captain said of Chase’s spell. “Started from a bowling effort, I think he bowled pretty well. And coming at the end, when we were under pressure coming there with composure, and to come out with a winning innings was great for us.”Andre Russell got away a vital boundary as the asking rate was climbing•Associated PressChase’s performances will also be that much more gratifying for himself and West Indies because for a long time he’s battled the perception of being a long-format player. But in 2020, when he was signed as a replacement player by St Lucia Kings in the CPL, something changed. In the following season, he was named MVP and made it to the T20 World Cup squad in 2021 in UAE.Even as most of his team-mates were over at the IPL, Chase went on a West Indies A tour to Nepal, where they played on spin-friendly surfaces in the middle of a heatwave. He topped those performances with two reassuring performances at home against South Africa prior to the T20 World Cup.”I’m full of confidence, even before this knock,” Chase said. “I mean, I had a good series against South Africa. Then I was on the A-team tour in Nepal and had a good series there and then I’ve been putting in a lot of work back home, obviously in the camp before the South Africa series. For me, it’s just to go there express myself when I get the chance and put everything that I put into practice into the game and entertain.”A lot of hard work, sweat, tears [has gone into it], just putting in the hard work. And obviously, believing. I think that’s the main reason. I mean, you can do all the hard work and have everyone rooting for you, but if you don’t have that self-belief, you’re not going to achieve. So, I just think that it’s for me to back any hard work that I did and also believing in my ability that when I get out there that I was showing my [skill].”

The left hander has worked on being a little less hard on herself when things don’t go to plan

Andrew McGlashan04-Jul-2024Phoebe Litchfield believes the lean run she endured during the latter half of last season will make her a better player in the long run with her winter having focused on both some technical work and learning to be less hard on herself when things don’t go well.Litchfield’s form slipped significantly early in 2024 following an impressive ODI series in India late the previous year where she averaged 86.66. The runs started to dry up after that tour with a thin return across formats against South Africa, a WPL for Gujarat Giants where she averaged 10.33 then capped off by struggles in tough batting conditions in Bangladesh where five innings brought 19 runs in four knocks.Related

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“It was a bit of a dry patch to put it bluntly,” she told ESPNcricinfo. “I was training fine, I was in a good headspace, so I feel I just found ways to get out and probably made the wrong decisions at times. Towards the back end of the Bangladesh tour I got a golden [duck], got run out, so it was like it couldn’t really go to plan, but that’s cricket.”It’s actually been really nice to go through that and learn from it. I could have scored runs and happy days, but to go through that, especially as a young player, it has taught me ways to reflect and ways to learn and also ways to train. Whilst it was pretty shit while I was going through it, I’m better for it hopefully.”The strain of an increasingly busy calendar played a part – such is the maturity that Litchfield portrays, it’s easy to forget 2023 had been her first full year at the top level – but some technical issues had also crept into her game, and by the end of the Bangladesh tour she needed a break.Having managed that during April and May, she is now well back into building towards a return to action which will come in the Hundred next month. The international focus then turns to a series against New Zealand that provides a lead-in to the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh which will be Litchfield’s first global event. After that comes an ODI visit from India, a brief pre-Christmas trip across the Tasman then the multi-format Ashes in January. Throw in the WBBL from late October and it’s another hectic schedule.Litchfield on Bangladesh tour: ‘I’ve never played on anything like it’•Getty Images”Towards the backend [of last season], the WPL and the Bangladesh series, I probably felt it a bit, going ‘wow, we have to play cricket again today’, it does get pretty hectic,” Litchfield said, speaking at the launch of the Sydney Thunder Tape Ball League. “It is a game at the end of the day. But I sat down with the coaching staff, we looked forward and I’m just really excited. I kind of look at all the fixtures and each one’s new, each one’s different. But there are times when we need to switch off and that Christmas break will be important.”Amid the runs becoming a trickle there was a low score in the Test against South Africa in Perth when Litchfield edged to slip in the opening over of Australia’s innings. A little while later, the TV cameras showed her sitting alone outside the dressing looking less-than-pleased with life and it prompted conversation about how harsh Litchfield can be on herself.”I didn’t really know that camera was even out there,” Litchfield recalled. “It wasn’t until my team-mates were listening to the comms and they were like ‘Phoebs, come back inside’. I didn’t score a run during that South Africa series, and was pretty disappointed with myself, so that was probably true emotion shown there.

There were a few things with my backlift and we’ve sorted through that and worked out a few trigger options, trying to make things simpler…with that, learning how to get over things, so training, being okay with mistakes, learning from them rather than spitting the dummy

“Yeah, I am hard on myself, but I think it works both ways: it drives me to be better and there are probably times when I’m too hard on myself and it’s detrimental. I’m trying to work that out and think I’ve learnt from that and I’m definitely less hard on myself now.”Litchfield is eager to put her pre-season work into action, starting with Northern Superchargers in the Hundred then back to T20Is where, last season, she exploded in the middle order against West Indies and India, striking at 184.94 across those two series including a record-equaling 18-ball fifty at North Sydney Oval before batting became harder work.”Definitely some technical stuff that crept in, especially throughout India and Bangladesh,” Litchfield said. “There were a few things with my backlift and we’ve sorted through that and worked out a few trigger options, trying to make things simpler, that’s basically my goal for this pre-season. With that, learning how to get over things, so training, being okay with mistakes, learning from them rather than spitting the dummy. Really excited to work through this technical stuff.”Although the Bangladesh trip was not one that Litchfield will remember too fondly from a batting point of view, the lessons from it could yet be important come the World Cup even though the expectation is that the pitches will be flatter for a global event.”It was very different to anything we’ve played on, even compared to India,” she said. “You try and read the pitch, but it just has some hidden demons so playing six games on there, hopefully it’s given us some experience and learnings.”I’ve never played on anything like it. You tap and go ‘okay, that’s alright, it’s a bit soft’ but for it to turn the way it did, even our pace bowlers got some purchase off it as well. Hopefully we get some truer pitches for the World Cup, but you never know so those six games we did have, and they were all different, will hopefully stand us in good stead.”

Ben Stokes, Ben Duckett and former team-mates react to the news of Graham Thorpe’s death

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2024

pic.twitter.com/NeaX5dDwzg

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) August 5, 2024

Deepti Sharma made an eventful return to the competition after she was signed as a replacement for Spirit

Srinidhi Ramanujam19-Aug-2024Deepti Sharma (London Spirit)The allrounder had the best time at the Hundred among the India internationals. She came in as a replacement for the injured Grace Harris and was instrumental in Spirit clinching their maiden title.Not long ago, she showed a different dimension of her T20 batting with a high-octane 88 off 60 for UP Warriorz against Gujarat Giant in the WPL. At the Hundred, she showcased similar intent, playing as a finisher.Related

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She was involved in a dramatic tie against Oval Invincibles, where she took 3 for 18 after scoring 44 off 34. A few days later, she hit a valuable 37 not out against Northern Superchargers and put on 77 with Heather Knight to lift the team to second in the points table. After going wicketless in the Eliminator against Invincibles, the offspinner struck the winning runs in the final against Welsh Fire – a six over long-on when the team needed four off the last three balls. In the six innings she played, Deepti remained unbeaten five times. Having been an unused squad member at Birmingham Phoenix in 2022 and not picked in 2023, she’s come back to the Hundred in style, with the same team she represented in the inaugural season.

With runs needed and balls left, Deepti Sharma hits a to WIN it!#TheHundred https://t.co/u57MSy7ga0 pic.twitter.com/i46RTvWFG1

— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 18, 2024

Stats highlights from Hyderabad, where Abhishek Sharma and SRH shattered a whole host of records

Sampath Bandarupalli12-Apr-2025246 – Target that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) chased down against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Saturday in Hyderabad. It is the second-highest successful chase in the IPL, behind the 262 by PBKS against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024.8 – Consecutive wins for SRH at their home ground (Hyderabad) against PBKS, a streak that began in 2015. It is the joint-longest winning streak for any team against an opponent at a particular ground in the IPL, levelling Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) eight successive wins against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Chepauk.It was also SRH’s ninth win in ten meetings against PBKS at this venue. Only Mumbai Indians (MI) have more IPL wins against an opponent at a venue – ten against KKR at Wankhede.Related

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141 – Abhishek Sharma’s score against PBKS is the third-highest by any batter in the IPL, behind Chris Gayle’s 175* in 2013 and Brendon McCullum’s 158* in 2008.It is also the highest score by an SRH batter – David Warner’s 126 against KKR in 2017 was the previous highest.1 – Abhishek’s 141 is the highest individual score by an Indian in the IPL, bettering KL Rahul’s 132* against RCB in 2020.Abhishek’s 141 is also the highest score in an IPL chase, surpassing Marcus Stoinis’ unbeaten 124 against CSK in 2024.40 – Balls that Abhishek took to complete his hundred, making it the sixth-fastest in the IPL. It is the second-fastest for SRH, behind Travis Head’s 39-ball century against RCB in 2024.10 – Sixes hit by Abhishek on Saturday, the most by any batter for SRH in an innings. No SRH batter had hit more than eight sixes in a match before Saturday.24 – Number of boundaries that Abhishek hit, the joint-second-highest in an IPL innings, behind Gayle’s 30 against Pune Warriors in 2013. The 116 runs Abhishek scored via boundaries on Saturday are also the third-highest by a batter in an IPL match.3 – Number of times Abhishek has brought up his hundred in 40 or fewer balls in T20s – 28 balls vs Meghalaya in 2024, 37 balls vs England in 2025, and 40 balls vs PBKS on Saturday.These is the highest, one ahead of David Miller, Dasun Shanaka and Urvil Patel, who all have two such centuries (where data is available).5 – All five bowlers used by SRH conceded 40-plus runs on Saturday. Only once before have five bowlers concede 40-plus runs in an IPL innings – Rajasthan Royals (RR) against SRH earlier this year.75 – Runs that Mohammed Shami conceded in his four overs, the second-highest by any bowler in an IPL match, behind Jofra Archer’s 76 against SRH at the start of IPL 2025.

The seventh over from Bishnoi to Abhishek flipped the match, the forecaster, and LSG’s fate in minutes

Deivarayan Muthu20-May-20251:42

Abhinav: Abhishek an unbelievable hitter of pace and spin

Abhishek Sharma is a six-hitting machine. Since the start of IPL 2024, he has cleared the boundary 114 times in 47 innings in T20 cricket. Only Nicholas Pooran (181) has hit more sixes than Abhishek during this period.In a chase of 206 against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday, four of those Abhishek sixes came off Ravi Bishnoi in the seventh over and decisively swung the game towards Sunrisers Hyderabad. After the end of the powerplay, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster pegged SRH’s chances of winning at 48.66. After the 26-run seventh over – the most expensive seventh over in IPL history – it surged to almost 80%. Game over for LSG. Season over for LSG.SRH were without Travis Head, who was in quarantine at the hotel after having tested positive for Covid-19, but Abhishek almost single-handedly reminded the world of their all-out intent and explosive power.For most batters, there’s an inherent risk in hitting sixes. But Abhishek isn’t most batters – he has stripped his game down to hitting sixes – with or without Head.”No (didn’t change anything),” Abhishek said after winning the Player-of-the-Match award. “If we would have been batting first, I would have had some other plans but obviously when you’re chasing 200, then you have to use the powerplay and then go from the first ball. And that was the plan – me and Atharva [Taide] had a chat about that. If it’s going to be the first ball, we will see and just knock it around.”If you ask any of the player who is playing international (cricket), probably playing for the last ten years, they would say if you chase 200 something, your powerplay has to be good and you should win the powerplay. That was in my mind and every time you are chasing 200, just wanted to express myself and obviously if I do well, it’s going to go well for the team.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIt went swimmingly well for SRH, despite the early dismissal of Taide, who had replaced Head at the top. Abhishek claimed 35 of the 72 runs SRH had scored in the powerplay, but then LSG had also maximised their powerplay earlier in the day, charging to 69 for 0.Abhishek pulled the trigger in the seventh, facing four balls from Bishnoi and firing all four over the boundary. The wristspinner seemed to be operating with a sound plan: hide wrong’uns away from the left-handed Abhishek, with his sharp angle from over the wicket taking it further away from the batter. Abhishek, though, dismantled Bishnoi’s best-laid plans with his immense reach and unfettered bat-swing, reminiscent of his idol Yuvraj Singh.Related

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Bishnoi had protection at long-off, but Abhishek cleared him with his first hit. The next was tonked over long-on and the third, which was pumped over Bishnoi’s head brought him an 18-ball half-century.Abhishek forced Bishnoi into veering away from his plan and bowl into the pitch and on the stumps. He was ready on the back foot for the variation in line and length, and also had some luck go his way, with his pull eluding Pooran at the midwicket boundary. Just like that, Abhishek changed the game in four balls. His coach Daniel Vettori wasn’t surprised one bit.”I think we’re probably used to it,” Vettori said after SRH chased their target with ten balls and six wickets to spare. “He has been incredible and the big challenge for any team is when he gets through the early stages of his innings and plays spin. Once again tonight, he was exceptional against the spinners and his strike rate is out of this world. So, we know that whenever the opportunity presents itself, he normally takes it on and normally is very successful.”In IPL 2024, Abhishek had nearly killed off a chase against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a 27-run over off Mukesh Choudhary in the powerplay. Very few batters around the world have the ability to change games in an over against both pace and spin in T20 cricket.They say batters hit their peak in their late 20s or early 30s, but at 24 Abhishek has already pushed T20 batting to the stuff of dreams. It’s scary to think how good he could be in the years to come.