All posts by h716a5.icu

Also, what does the series draw mean for Australia, and where do the other teams stand?

Dustin Silgardo12-Jul-2022ESPNcricinfo LtdAre Sri Lanka in with a realistic chance of making the final now?
While Sri Lanka are third, their points percentage of 54.17 needs to improve for them to be contenders. They have four Tests remaining – two at home against Pakistan beginning July 16 and two in New Zealand – the defending champions who are out of the running this time – next year. They need to blank Pakistan 2-0 to be in with a serious chance and would still have to win a Test in New Zealand to take their points percentage to 61.11, which may be enough to qualify if other results go their way. South Africa, currently No. 1, have 71.43, while Australia are on 70.What does the series draw mean for Australia?
The loss in Galle was Australia’s first of this WTC cycle and pushed them to second, behind South Africa. They are still in a strong position. If they win all five of their remaining home Tests – two against West Indies and three against South Africa – they will finish with a points percentage of almost 65 regardless of the result in the four-Test series in India next year. If they lose a Test at home, they will need to win one in India to get to 65 percentage points.ESPNcricinfo LtdWhat’s at stake in the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Test series?
As mentioned, Sri Lanka need a 2-0 win to stay in the hunt. For Pakistan, currently fourth in the table, a 2-0 win would improve their points percentage to 62.96. They would then need to win three and draw two of their five home Tests – three against England, two against New Zealand – to finish above 65 percentage points. If they draw 1-1 against Sri Lanka, they would need to win four home Tests, while losing 0-2 would leave them with no room for error at home.What’s at stake in the England vs South Africa Test series?
The series, starting August 17, is a big one for table-toppers South Africa, who also travel to Australia in December. A 2-1 victory would leave them on a points percentage of 70, meaning even a 1-2 series loss in Australia would still allow them to finish above 65 percentage points as long as they win both home Tests against West Indies. A series loss for South Africa would leave them needing to win 2-1 in Australia to finish above 65 percentage points.Where do India stand?
While India, runners-up in the last WTC final, have slipped to fifth in the table, they will start favourites in the fixtures left in their cycle – a two-Test series in Bangladesh followed by four home Tests against Australia. Winning all six Tests would give India a points percentage of 68.05, which should be enough to make the final. If they lose one out of six, they would finish on 62.50 and would need other results to go their way.

Callow batting no match for captain in a hurry to wrap up England’s summer

Firdose Moonda11-Sep-2022You’ve got to hand it to England: this Bazball thing sort of works. Even if you don’t like it, or what it’s called, and you feel it undermines the pillars of patience and pragmatism on which Test cricket is built, you have to admit that it gets things moving. For example, if you had any concerns about this match being drawn when it was reduced to three days, you needn’t have.But for the late-summer fading light, it would have been done in two days and, even if that isn’t the best advertisement for Test cricket, it is a nod to entertainment, and Ben Stokes’ stated aim to put “bums on seats”. He and his team have delivered on that front.The capacity crowd got almost everything they paid for over the last two days, except the opportunity to see England raise the series trophy – and they noisily objected to the umpires taking the players off for bad light at 6.40pm. But they would not have had any other complaints, especially not with Stokes. He has emerged after this summer as the captain both colleagues and his crowds can get behind, because he actually does, as his opposition captain Dean Elgar says, “walk the talk”.With the bat, Stokes changed the tone of the series at Old Trafford, with his century and partnership with Ben Foakes. And with the ball, Stokes has taken on the enforcer role despite, or perhaps even because of, his knee problem, which seems to have persuaded him to bowl longer spells than may be sensible to avoid not bowling at all, in case the knee seizes up in a shorter spell and takes him out of the attack. That’s the Stokes that showed up on the second day.South Africa had chipped away at the rock of certain defeat and created a small crack of a comeback through Elgar and Sarel Erwee. It was some of the nerviest and ugliest batting that we’ve seen – Elgar survived an Ollie Robinson delivery that seamed past the shoulder of his bat as he tried to get forward, before hacking at a short, wide delivery from James Anderson to send it over the slip cordon for four – but the pair erased the deficit and posted South Africa’s fourth half-century stand of the series.Nothing came easily but they were using up overs and time, and England don’t play like that. So, in the 16th over, Stokes brought himself on and with his third delivery, drew Erwee forward, just as others in the attack had done, but found late swing, just as others had not done. He found the edge too, and Joe Root took a fine catch at first slip to start South Africa’s slide.That’s swag. That’s superstar quality. All South Africa have is stardust.Dean Elgar’s failure to review an lbw against South Broad was a key moment•Getty ImagesAs their captain, and also their most successful batter, Elgar’s actions unfortunately had the opposite effect on proceedings. Elgar was walking for an lbw appeal against Stuart Broad even before Nitin Menon raised his finger, and he didn’t once consider a review. Broad had earlier appealed twice against Elgar in that over, which may have rattled him, but in failing even to get a second opinion from his partner, Elgar gave the impression that he just wanted to get out of the firing line, rather than run towards the danger. And that was a mistake.Replays later showed the ball was missing Elgar’s leg stump significantly, and that he would have survived. For how long, who knows? But South Africa went on to lose their next nine wickets for 86 runs, and set England a total that they will reach in almost T20-like speed.South Africa will have to blame a lack of first-innings runs for their defeats in the second and third Tests, but they will also look at other missed opportunities, such as the chance to build more of a lead in this match. After Elgar’s dismissal, Khaya Zondo and Wiaan Mulder (promoted above Kyle Verreynne, who has not produced enough in this series) formed a steady but very slow partnership. They faced 87 balls for the 25 runs they contributed, allowing pressure to build, especially when that man Stokes brought himself back at one end.Related

England's young punks riff off classic set from old rockers Anderson and Broad

Familiar story for South Africa's batters, but extraordinary circumstances deserve some understanding

Zak Crawley's unbeaten fifty puts England in touching distance of victory

England frustrated but phlegmatic as bad light defers their moment of victory

Ben Stokes scripts his moment before ceding centre stage to Ben Foakes

In a marathon 11-over spell, Stokes constantly reminded South Africa of the threat he can pose. He made the ball dance this way and that as Mulder tried to navigate around his two left feet, while he stalked Zondo’s outside edge relentlessly. Robinson removed both men, but it was Stokes who took out South Africa’s best middle-order batter of the series, Marco Jansen, which ended any real opportunity for South Africa to set a challenging target. Stokes should have had Jansen in his eighth over when he edged an outswinger to fourth slip, only to be called for a no-ball. But he got him in his ninth instead, bowled by the inswinger.Superstar quality, when all South Africa have is stardust. And they know it.”I was a bit star-struck in the beginning,” Keegan Petersen said, a few days before the Test match, when he spoke about the time he spent with Stokes at Durham earlier this season. “He is a great guy. He is a good guy to have in the change-room, on the field and off, and he is a good human being. I am only new to international cricket so to walk into a change-room with one of the best allrounders in the world, it was nice.”It was also a first-hand illustration of the gulf between South Africa and Stokes. In their first match together, Petersen scored the first fifty of his county career. It took him almost two-and-a-half hours and he faced 118 balls. By the time Stokes came in to bat, Durham were 360 for 4 and the foundation was laid for him to Ben-ball the match beyond Worcestershire. Stokes smashed 161 off 88 balls at a strike of almost 200, and he did it in just over two hours. Petersen was right to feel dazed.Alex Lees goes down the ground as England made a fast start to their chase•AFP/Getty ImagesThe next time they played together, Petersen scored 78 off 123 balls in 193 minutes. Stokes scored 82 off 110 balls in 150 minutes. Even in their final match together, when Petersen outscored Stokes with 48 and 5 against Middlesex, Stokes 19-ball 15 only took him a quarter of an hour to score. England were two weeks away from their first Test of the summer, so perhaps Stokes was prepping for that.In the dissection of this series, we will eventually talk about the disappointing lack of application shown by batters on both sides and wonder if we should blame T20, fast-food, the Hundred or climate change. But we will have to remember that the contest was fought between two fine bowling attacks. England have the two most successful seam-bowling wicket-takers in the history of Test cricket in their XI, while South Africa possess a pace attack which, if they played more Test cricket, might be able to climb the ladder and challenge for those positions. Both sides have some fragility in their batting but England’s does not have a lot of fear.Though South Africa believe they are getting closer to being properly competitive as a Test team, they can still look clueless on the days when it all goes wrong. For all their pre-series jokes about tequila, and their semi-serious remarks about not labelling their approach, this series has shown that they don’t really have one. Their Test-cricket blueprint is to scrape together runs and hope it’s enough for the bowlers to work with. That’s not a style of play; it’s a survival guide. And against Bazball, that’s not an option.”At no stage is there any talk about draws or surviving,” Broad confirmed at the close. Bazball is about being emphatic, and England are about to win the match and the series in exactly that fashion.

India’s top run-scorer, England’s outstanding captain, and a power-hitter from Bangladesh are among the rising stars from the tournament in South Africa

Raunak Kapoor31-Jan-2023Shweta Sehrawat (India)

Sehrawat topped the run charts with 297 runs in seven innings, including four not outs. She had been in red-hot form heading into the tournament – she was the top-scorer in India’s Under-19 Women’s Challenger Trophy as well as the Under-19 Women’s Quadrangular series that featured Sri Lanka, West Indies and two India sides. At the World Cup, her adaptability and range of shots was impressive. Sehrawat largely opened the batting in the tournament and out-performed her partner Shafali Verma; but against Scotland, she was sent in at No. 6 and scored an unbeaten 31 off just 10 balls. There’s intense competition among batters in India’s senior squad, but Sehrawat is certainly one to watch in the future.Related

Accuracy and pin-point yorkers on world champion Titas Sadhu's mind

Dominant India win inaugural U-19 Women's T20 World Cup

Reactions to India's win: 'This is just the beginning'

Shafali 'not going to be satisfied', sets sights on senior World Cup

Shorna Akter (Bangladesh)

Shorna’s impact for Bangladesh goes well beyond numbers, which by themselves were excellent. She scored 153 runs in five innings, averaging 51 at a strike rate of 157.73. She was one of the few proper power-hitters in the tournament and went on to contribute in every game. Hitting six sixes (joint second), including one that went all the way into the stands in Benoni, she set the standard of power-hitting in the opening game when Bangladesh stunned Australia. Shorna followed that up with an unbeaten 28-ball 50 in the next game against Sri Lanka, an innings that proved to be the difference in a close contest which ensured Bangladesh topped their group. She can bat anywhere in the top six, bowl some handy legspin, and is excellent in the field. Bangladesh have already included her in their senior squad for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise if they start with Shorna in their opening game against Sri Lanka on February 12.Dewmi Vihanga (Sri Lanka)

Sri Lanka’s leading wicket-taker, Vihanga seems like someone made for the big stage. Deceptive with variations and deadly accurate, she works batters out quickly, picking up Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh in the space of two balls in the Super Six game against India. She bowls in the powerplay and at the death, and in addition to her nine wickets at an average of 12.88, she also chipped in with 113 runs which included a half-century against a strong Bangladesh bowling attack.Milly Illingworth was impressive in the game against India•ICC/Getty ImagesMilly Illingworth (Australia)

Maggie Clark was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 12 wickets. Three other Australia bowlers ended up with more wickets than Illingworth, who bagged just four. But no one asked the kind of questions of batters that Illingworth did, because no one had the pace. Inspired by Shaun Tait and Lasith Malinga, Illingworth was, by some distance, the fastest bowler in the tournament. Two out of those four wickets came against India, in the only game the eventual champions lost in the tournament, and Illingworth was named Player of the Match. She hurried Shafali into mis-timing one to cover, and in the semi-final against England, she had Liberty Heap caught off an outside edge that flew to deep third, the only time a wicket fell in that fashion in the tournament. Her team wasn’t quite sure when to bowl her, and the powers that come with raw pace will need to be properly harnessed, but as India’s Umran Malik has shown, you can always learn on the job.Grace Scrivens (England)

The easiest pick in this category is England captain Scrivens. Their lead batter, their go-to bowler in a crisis, and a gun-fielder, she is an allrounder in the truest sense. The attacking left-hand batter at the top of the order ended just four short of Shweta Sehrawat in the top run-scorers list. Scrivens registered the highest individual score of the tournament when she hammered 93 off 56 against Ireland. She was the inspiration behind England’s remarkable defense of 99 in the semi-final against Australia, with two crucial wickets, including the final one when Australia needed just four to win.Grace Scrivens was the star of England’s close win against Australia•Getty/ICCAbigail Hotton (New Zealand)

Hotton’s first delivery against West Indies was arguably the ball of the tournament. It was an offspinner’s dream – an offbreak tossed up just outside off stump on a good length, dipping, inviting the batter to drive through cover and turning sharply between bat and pad to take the off stump. Asabi Callendar fell over with one hand on the turf, but better batters than her would have fallen to that ball. Hotton, who likens herself to R Ashwin and Amy Satterthwaite, showed all the skills to succeed at the highest level. In a tournament of several offspinners in name, Hotton is one of the few who looks the real deal.Titas Sadhu (India)

Going purely by numbers, fast bowler Sadhu finished with only six wickets in six games. But she was the sole seamer for India during most parts of their campaign – Shabnam MD and Soppadhandi Yashasri were used at the start but they had economy rates in excess of 10 – and gave them the control they desired. Sadhu not only picks up wickets consistently but is also a decent batter. She already has experience of playing with Jhulan Goswami and Rumeli Dhar in the Bengal circuit amd it won’t be a surprise if she bowls herself into contention for a fast bowler’s slot in the senior India side in the near future. She’s certainly going to be a sought-after player in the inaugural Women’s Premier League.

They did things differently from the beginning, but it all came together beautifully in the end, with the big-ticket stars taking centre stage

Zenia D'cunha27-Mar-20236:55

Mumbai outclass slightly unlucky Capitals

Shafali Verma or Issy Wong – who is the average cricket fan in Mumbai more familiar with? It’s fair to assume the answer is Shafali.So, when Shafali smashed Wong for a six and four in the second over of the WPL final at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, the cheer was loud. As expected.But next ball, when Wong dismissed Shafali, the noise turned deafening. Not quite as expected.Later in the evening, the same crowd was chanting Shafali’s name when she fielded at the boundary. But cheering is different from choosing a side, and for the Mumbai Indians faithful, it was club over country throughout the WPL. And the loyal supporters were rewarded with Harmanpreet Kaur lifting the trophy, beating Meg Lanning’s Delhi Capitals in a well-contested final.Since the WPL was played in only one city, Mumbai, the already formidable team got an edge: a readymade, vocal, engaged fanbase that has spilt over from the IPL. And the Mumbai Indians team basked in it right from the start.A lesser team could well have drowned in that ocean of blue, especially after seemingly losing steam at the business end of the league. They had to play an extra match – the Eliminator – against UP Warriorz, the team that had snapped their winning streak. But when it came down to it, Mumbai proved to be the clutch team that lifted themselves at the right time with the big guns firing.Most wickets in WPL 2023•ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the final, it was the four overseas players who led the way: Wong (3 for 42), Hayley Matthews (3 for 5) and Amelia Kerr (2 for 18) with the ball, and Nat Sciver-Brunt (60 not out in 55 balls) with the bat, with Harmanpreet (37 in 39) and Kerr (14 not out in eight) for support.Overall, three Mumbai players – Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet and Matthews – finished among the WPL’s top five run-getters, with one more, Yastika Bhatia, among the 13 to cross the 200-run mark. With the ball, four of the top five wicket-takers were Mumbai bowlers: Matthews, Wong, Kerr and Saika Ishaque. Sciver-Brunt was just outside the top five.Big guns, big results. Mumbai’s men have known how it works for long. Now the women know too.

****

That final, in a way, was a summary of Mumbai’s season: a dominant start, then a dip in intensity, and then a big comeback.Wong got three wickets with three full-tosses to reduce Delhi to 38 for 3 in the powerplay. Matthews, the winner of the purple cap, and Kerr dusted off the rest on a track aiding spin. Amanjot Kaur, who has barely got a chance to bat or bowl but has shone on the field, chipped in with the crucial run-out of orange-cap-holder Lanning. That was the domination at the beginning.Related

'Keep calm and no need to do anything special' – How Saika Ishaque bossed the WPL last year

Yastika Bhatia: 'Playing World Cups showed me what I am and what I need to do better'

Ishaque, Chopra, Patil – New faces make a mark in WPL team of the tournament

What has the WPL changed for women's cricket in India?

WPL opens a whole new world for women's cricket in India

At 79 for 9 with four overs to go, it looked like Capitals were down for the count. Till Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav clobbered 52 runs off just 24 balls to put up a decent total. There was Mumbai’s dip.The dip continued as Mumbai had a slow start to their chase, with just 27 runs coming for the loss of both openers in the powerplay.But then came the comeback, and a big one it was too.Sciver-Brunt, the joint-most-expensive overseas player at the auction, had already justified her price tag before the final. Here, she finished the job. “I knew if I was there at the end, we’d be able to get over the line,” she said afterwards – the confidence of a champion.She ended the knockouts unbeaten, with 132 runs in two innings. She failed twice with the bat in the entir tournament. Mumbai lost both games.In the final, Sciver-Brunt alternated between aggressive and restrained. She later credited Harmanpreet – they added 72 for the third wicket – for taking the pressure off her in the initial stages of their stand. It was true the other way too.Harmanpreet, who lit up the opening night with a 30-ball 65, played slow and steady till she was run-out. In another setting, it might have been the one wicket the team wouldn’t have wanted to lose. But this was Mumbai Indians. Sciver-Brunt was still there. Kerr was to follow. Harmanpreet now has her first major win over Lanning.As Harmanpreet and Sciver-Brunt added 72 – they took their time, it was tough going – the noise from the stands dipped and rose. It was relatively quiet as the two batters took their time to get going. But the crowd found its voice nevertheless, with five rounds of an unprompted Mexican wave and cheers for Capitals’ Shafali and Jemimah Rodrigues, who acknowledged the ovation.Most runs in WPL 2023•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhen Harmanpreet fell in the 17th over, there was an actual cheer from some fans. Her 37 had consumed 39 balls, and it was getting tight. Plus, there was Kerr to come in. Kerr’s cameo was crucial in the end, the back-to-back boundaries in the 19th over off Jess Jonassen crucial to the end result. It was just a matter of eight runs, but it added up in the end.

****

It all came together nicely for Mumbai in the end.From splurging on Sciver-Brunt to getting Matthews at her base price after she initially went unsold. From going for domestic players who have been around for a while, like Ishaque, to being the only team to not have an Australian in their playing XI, Mumbai did things differently from the start. Perhaps the only thing that didn’t work for them was the toss. Harmanpreet won only one out of ten – but that, too, points to Mumbai’s class; they took the toss out of the equation.”We were waiting for this moment for so many years… it feels like a dream, I think not only for me but for everyone here, even for the crowd,” Harmanpreet said afterwards.The dream has finally come true. And in good style, with the captain of the India team lifting a trophy in front of a packed stadium, full of enthusiastic and engaged people, in a match worthy of being a big-tournament final.

Anil Kumble, Mushtaq Ahmed, Alana King and Piyush Chawla talk about what it was like to watch that magic ball

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-2023June 4 marks the 30th anniversary of a delivery that changed the game. At Old Trafford, Shane Warne sent down his first ball in Ashes cricket. From over the wicket, it curved out of his hand, drifted outside leg stump, pitched and turned sharply past the bat of a startled Mike Gatting to take off stump. A new chapter in Ashes – and cricket – history was written that day. We spoke to a selection of legspinners from across generations about the impact of that delivery.Can you recall when you first saw the delivery from Warne to Gatting?Anil Kumble, former India bowler and captain I saw it later. I was possibly playing somewhere – I don’t remember. That was the first time he was playing in England, and bowling at Mike Gatting, who was, by far one of the better players of spin in that English side. And ripping that from outside leg stump, drifting and taking the off stump was a perfect delivery for any legspinner – or any spinner for that matter. I think it not only had an impact on that particular game but also on the minds of English batters from there on when it came to facing Shane Warne.Alana King, Australia bowler I first watched it at a very young age when I was getting involved in cricket, and legspin especially. Looking up to Warnie when I was a kid, I just got told by many people at my junior cricket club and everyone involved in cricket in my life, “You’ve got to watch this ball.” Ever since, it just keeps popping up.Related

Alana King back doing what she loves: 'Ripping a few leggies'

Shane Warne: the showman who could do hard graft

Facing Warne: the magic, the theatre, and the whole shebang

What Shane Warne's greatest deliveries tell us

The ball of the century

Mushtaq Ahmed, former Pakistan bowler: A month before this Test, Australia were playing Somerset and Ian Healy brought Warne to me after the game. We had a chat for about an hour and a half, discussing how to read the English pitches, how to work around rain, gripping the ball…He was a great bowler, no doubt. When I saw that delivery, it felt amazing, because it’s a dream ball. I was busy with Somerset and watched the ball in the highlights later in the day.2:25

Kumble, Mushtaq and Chawla on the magic ball

Piyush Chawla, India bowler I was 14-15 years old and I’d heard so much about that particular delivery, so I went on YouTube to see it. As a legspinner it was a dream ball, the way it drifted in the air, pitched on leg stump and then hit off stump, and Mike Gatting, one of the better players of spin bowling, he also had no clue about it. So that was something really amazing to watch. It is very difficult to get those kind of revs on the ball, like he got. His ball used to pitch somewhere around sixth, seventh stump on the leg side; mine is around fifth stump. Both our bowling actions were different, so it was very difficult to copy him.What made the delivery so special?Mushtaq As a legspinner, I’ve never seen anyone else do it. The beauty of the ball is that it fully drifted in the air, like a fast bowler bowling an inswinger. Mike’s head was following the line and the moment he committed himself to play it, the ball pitched sharply. I don’t think anyone other than Warne could do it.Chawla When the legspinner pitches on or outside leg stump, the ball generally drifts in onto the legs of the batter and then it spins away. But that ball drifted a long way, pitched almost on sixth or seventh stump outside the leg stump and from there, spinning such a long way before hitting the top of off – you can say it was something like a miracle. The most important thing for any spinner is to get dip, drift and revs. We all knew Warnie had strong wrists and broad shoulders, and because of that he got such a good revs. The other important aspect of spin bowling is the hip drive: his hip drive was so high, it was almost over the stumps, which is very rare to find. The combination of all those things and the effort he put into the ball allowed him to get that kind drift, dip and spin.King When you watch that delivery, and obviously being a legspinner, you see how many revolutions Warnie put on the ball, the drift he got – it just makes it so much more special. That’s the dream of a leggie. You’ve put that many revs on the ball, got that nice drift, pitched outside leg stump and hit the top of off stump. That was incredible. Every legspinner dreams of that and it was just as perfect, perfect a legbreak as has ever been bowled.Anil Kumble on Warne: “The amazing thing about Warne was how he bowled batters around the legs. Yes, people have misjudged sweep shots, but here was someone who could literally go behind your back and get you out”•Aijaz Rahi/Associated PressKumble I think because it was his first [Ashes] ball, it was by an Aussie against an Englishman, and it was the Ashes, it was really special. He spun the ball a big mile and he gave it a massive rip.Does it stand the test of time 30 years later?Chawla Hundred per cent. It is a beautiful sight to see the ball pitching on leg stump and squaring up the batter – it is a drama ball for a legspinner.King Absolutely, hands down. Don’t think anyone comes close to bowling something like that. He was a once-in-a-generation player for that reason, the amount of spin that he got. That was early on in his Test career too, so what he went on to do – over 700 Test wickets – it all started with that ball. Think that delivery will always be the pinnacle of legspin.Kumble That ball is one which certainly stood out. There have been many similar bowled dismissals since then, but, yeah, an important Ashes series, first ball by an Aussie spinner playing in his first game in England.Mushtaq Ahmed: “Warne was a bowler who never relied on pitches. He used his skills to take wickets and that is why we used to call him Sher Khan”•Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesMushtaq It will always be an unplayable one. There was a delivery Adil Rashid bowled in an ODI to Virat Kohli in England, and Yasir Shah bowled one to Kusal Mendis – these are balls us legspinners dream of. I used to bowl my googly way outside off, making the batsman leave it, and it suddenly comes in between the legs to dismantle the stumps. That can’t be matched. Shane’s ball will be enjoyable to watch even 60 years later.How important an influence was that delivery on the rise of legspin?Kumble We all sort of looked up to someone like Warnie. I had various conversations with him and Muthiah Muralidaran in that era, and we had conversations with Mushtaq Ahmed as well. India has always had a focus on spin right from the golden era, before I played. But I don’t think teams like Australia or England have had that kind of spin dominance, and Warne brought that about. He had a major influence, and for me as a fellow legspinner, it was a learning as well. I watched Warnie bowl whenever I had the opportunity.Mushtaq That ball changed the way people thought about legspinners in Tests and one-day cricket. Teams started looking for legspinners. When I was coaching in England, we used to talk about getting a legspinner from grassroots or county, that even a half-good legspinner had a chance.King Don’t think it was just legspin, it was spin bowling in general. Everyone wanted to become Warnie, or pick up some form of spin because of how much fun it was. When you can do stuff like that, be so crafty with the ball – he made it fun again. Legspin was kind of losing its value in the game and all of a sudden Warnie comes into the game and you were like, “Yeah, I want to be like him, that looks fun” and it’s exactly the reason I picked up the art of legspin. And I think lots of leggies around the world have drawn inspiration from him.A mic-ed-up Warne bowled Brendon McCullum in a 2011-12 BBL game after setting up the dismissal on commentary•Chris Hyde/Getty ImagesChawla Legspin is one of the most difficult arts in cricket. Getting that rhythm right daily, bowling at the same spot. The way Shane Warne used to bowl, it was magical. Every legspinner wanted to be like him. But Warnie was really special: the kind of art he had in his hands, I don’t think many bowlers are gifted with that.Is there another Warne moment or delivery that stands out for you?King There was a Big Bash game, he was playing for [Melbourne] Stars and bowling to Brendon McCullum, and he was mic-ed up. McCullum was sweeping him quite a bit and [Warne] literally said it live on TV, “I’m going to bowl it a bit quicker, a bit flatter, and I want him to play the same shot and hopefully get a wicket.” And believe it or not, he talked through how he got the wicket, and that’s just an incredible mindset. He just knew the game so well. That sticks in my mind because he knew exactly what the batter was doing and wanting to do.Chawla Andrew Strauss at Edgbaston in 2005. The ball pitched in the rough and Strauss tried to get his pad in the way but it went through and hit the wicket. People say if you bowl in the rough, it will spin, but getting that kind of spin even from the rough is very difficult. I must have watched that ball around 100 times. The most important thing for a legspinner is the pace, because if you don’t have that pace behind that ball, it’s very difficult to beat the batter – then he can adjust. Here, Strauss was trying to put his pad in the way to defend, but he had no clue how it spun. It was no fault of Strauss. That ball was so special that I think anyone would have got out on that particular delivery.Mushtaq I know of big-name batsmen who used to say that they knew his delivery was drifting and knew that they wanted to block it, but he still got their wicket. The ball to Andrew Strauss at Edgbaston in 2005 spun from miles to get his leg stump, but that one used the rough to gain spin. The ball he bowled to Gatting was special because the pitch was flat. When you don’t get support from the pitch, and need to use your natural variation and power to make it drift – that makes it special.Andrew Strauss had no answer for Warne’s ripper at Edgbaston•Hamish Blair/Getty ImagesKumble I am sure there have been many memorable deliveries, and he bamboozled many batsmen in taking 700-plus wickets. The amazing thing about Shane Warne was how he bowled batters around the legs. I don’t think we had seen that happen often. Yes, people have misjudged sweep shots, but here was someone who could literally go behind your back and get you out. That, to me, was the true sort of image of someone like Shane Warne.As a legspinner, is there a better feeling than sending down the perfect legbreak?Mushtaq There is no bigger joy for a legspinner than when the ball is turning hugely and you beat the batsman over and over. Pitching the ball on the fifth or sixth stump and the batsman thinks it’s going away, but it comes in and cuts through your pads to dismantle the stumps – that gives you immense satisfaction. Warne was a bowler who never relied on pitches. He used his skills to take wickets and that is why we used to call him Sher Khan.King It’s all about rhythm. You want to be as smooth as possible in every delivery. When you release the ball, you know it’s got so many revs on it and everything is smooth. When I release a good legbreak, I’m like, I’m in with a chance here. Natural variation can happen, but I know when I’m bowling at my best, everything is smooth, it’s not forced.Chawla No. Because it doesn’t come that easy. Legspin is an attacking option. The joy of getting a wicket by defeating the batter with drift, dip, guile is something else.

After learning some tough lessons in India he enters Perth Scorchers’ title defence as potentially their most important player

Tristan Lavalette09-Dec-2023Having quickly turned his attention to Perth Scorchers’ quest for history, after returning from a whirlwind tour of India, allrounder Aaron Hardie realised a notable difference ahead of his sixth BBL season.”I was telling the coaching staff that this is the first BBL season that I have started fully fit,” Hardie told ESPNcricinfo. “The body’s really good. I’m excited.”A fit and firing Hardie should spook opponents hoping to spoil Scorchers’ bid to become the first team to win a hat-trick of titles. He made last season’s team of the tournament as effectively a specialist batter after a groin niggle restricted his bowling output. He was the BBL’s leading run-scorer with 460 runs at 41.81 and strike-rate of 141.Related

BBL previews: Maxwell could light up Stars as Scorchers aim for hat-trick

Maxwell injury adds to Melbourne Stars' woes

Smith and Dwarshuis shine in Sixers' narrow win over Renegades

Hardie, 24, is arguably Scorchers’ most important player. He will again bat at No. 3, but this time around provides a flexible bowling option for skipper Ashton Turner.He is a sharp seam bowler, capable of pushing close to 140kph with swing, and uses his towering 6 foot 4 frame to devastating effect. A physically stronger Hardie has been able to exert himself more this domestic season.Hardie has often opened the bowling for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, where he has taken 11 wickets at 21.45 from four matches.”Because I wasn’t bowling in the middle in the past, I didn’t have time to work on things. The more you bowl, the more you learn things,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being able to bowl my four overs [in the BBL]. We have some amazing new ball bowlers in Dorff [Jason Behrendorff] and Richo [Jhye Richardson], but I can help them out if needed and can do a job in the middle-latter overs. A lot of things will be match-up dependent, but I think my flexibility is a strength.”With a first-class batting average of 43.10 – having cemented No. 5 after starting off at eight – and a bowling average of 27.74, Hardie might just be about the most genuine allrounder imaginable. It’s perhaps unsurprising that he doesn’t favour one skillset over the other.”It’s 50-50,” Hardie said. “I try to keep them as equal as possible. I pride myself in being able to contribute with the bat and ball.”Before this domestic season, Hardie had made more of a name for himself with the bat. He had propelled into the spotlight with a 174 not out in the Shield final against Victoria in 2022 demonstrating a calm temperament to go along with his aggressive instincts.Then came last season’s BBL when he made the No. 3 position his own after replacing an injured Mitchell Marsh having been on the fringes of Scorchers’ team previously. Much like Marsh, his muscular batting can be particularly destructive in the powerplay but he’s not merely crash and bash.

Playing the reverse sweep…never thought I would when I was younger. It’s taken three-four years to get the concept of sweeping, but it feels good to have a few options against high quality spinnersAaron Hardie on his T20 batting development

Hardie can shift gears when needed and developed a knack for chasing having started off in the team well down the order at No. 7. He found himself back then sometimes batting with the nerveless Turner, whose prowess seemingly lies with repeatedly getting his side out of trouble and powering them over the line.”I learned a lot batting with him. He’s the master of chasing because he keeps it simple with his tactics,” Hardie said of Turner. “Having that time in the lower order, I learned the ropes and found myself in those situations where we needed like 20 off 10 [balls].”So even though I now bat high in the order and have time, I know what to do if we’re in a tight chase.”Hardie’s temperament was tested during Australia’s probably already forgotten five-match T20I series with India. The series was widely derided hot on the heels of the World Cup, but it did provide younger players with invaluable experience in different conditions.Aaron Hardie is part of a strong and settled Perth Scorchers squad•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesHardie was thrown around the batting order. He was used as an opener and twice at No. 4, while he was listed at No. 6 in the series-opener but didn’t bat. Hardie made just 30 runs in three innings and struggled against spinners Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel.He was unable to effectively unfurl his sweep shot, a stroke Hardie did not play in his junior career but has worked hard on developing since.”It’s such an important shot. Every team basically has a mystery spinner. Being able to use the shot and change the field to your liking is huge,” Hardie said. “Playing the reverse sweep…never thought I would when I was younger. It’s taken three-four years to get the concept of sweeping, but it feels good to have a few options against high quality spinners.”Hardie was further tested with the ball against an exuberant India batting line-up on small grounds. After being overlooked to bowl in the opening game then dropped from the team, Hardie returned in Guwahati and into a cauldron against India skipper Suryakumar Yadav who unleashed his 360 degree batting.But mustering extra effort, conjuring more bounce from a lifeless pitch, Hardie befuddled Suryakumar and had him caught behind to get a prized first T20I wicket. However, the joy was short-lived when centurion Ruturaj Gaikwad tore into him at the death as Hardie finished with 1 for 64 from four overs in the equal most expensive figures for an Australia bowler in T20Is.Aaron Hardie (centre) bounced back strongly with the ball in the final two T20Is against India•BCCIIt was the type of pummeling that could have left an inexperienced player scarred, but Hardie bounced back and opened the bowling in the final two games. He found swing early before effectively reverting to a hard length to finish with 2 for 41 from seven overs across the games.”It was a huge challenge over there against batters at a certain level in those conditions, but it was pleasing to bounce back and have an impact with the ball,” Hardie said. “I was learning in those conditions, but the key is to put plans in place and to adjust when needed. Sometimes that just meant something simple as a little change in the field.”His unruffled demeanour and resolve in India would have further enhanced his growing standing among the national hierarchy.The selection focus ahead of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan has revolved around Marsh and Cameron Green battling for the allrounder position, but it might not be long before Hardie is putting pressure on his close mates.”It’s been a gradual build for me…I’ve watched the blokes go about their business and we bounce ideas off each other. I grew up playing cricket with Greeny,” said Hardie who is five months older than Green. “There was probably a healthy rivalry between us and pushed us to where we are now.”It is a dream for every cricketer to play for Australia and it’s really exciting that opportunities may come up in the future. But there is plenty of work to be done before that.”Having flown under the radar entering last season, expectations are high for Hardie as Scorchers aim to continue their stranglehold of the BBL.”I think it is really nice we have a lot of the same players, coaches and staff,” he said. “We’re excited for the season and we want to win another title.”