Mark Taylor’s side is one of only two Australian teams to have won a Test series in the country

Andrew McGlashan and Tristan Lavalette28-Feb-20222:06

McDonald: Touring Pakistan after decades an ‘exciting challenge for Australia’

Heading into the tour of Pakistan in 1998, Australia had not won there since 1959. That tour back then had been decided by a one-wicket defeat in Karachi. Adding to the challenge for Mark Taylor’s team was that they were without the injured Shane Warne whose shoulder had finally given in after the tour of India earlier in the year. There was also the backdrop of the Qayyum match-fixing hearings which stemmed from Australia’s previous visit in 1994.

1st Test, Rawalpindi

There might have been concerns when Aamer Sohail, Pakistan’s captain, won the toss and was able to bat first but Australia’s attack were soon among the wickets. Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming, playing together in a Test for the first time, took out the first three then there was a maiden Test wicket for Colin Miller, making his debut at the age of 34, when he removed Saleem Malik. “He was caught at second slip, low to Mark Waugh’s side. Was nearly a wide, Saleem had to reach to hit it,” Miller recalled to ESPNcricinfo.Stuart MacGill, taking the legspin duties in the absence of the injured Warne and playing just his second Test, went through the middle and lower order to leave Pakistan 147 for 8. However, Australia were then held up by a 120-run stand for the ninth wicket between Saeed Anwar, who made a masterful century, and Mushtaq Ahmed who faced 136 balls at No. 10.When Australia slipped to 28 for 3 in reply – Justin Langer and Mark Waugh collecting ducks – things looked dicey but from there the visitors dominated. Michael Slater and Steve Waugh added 198 for the fourth wicket then Waugh and Darren Lehmann built a lead with a stand of 126. When Waugh fell for 157, Lehmann got to within touch distance of a maiden century only to miss a sweep against Mohammad Hussain but Ian Healy’s 92 swelled the advantage to 244.Colin Miller in action on his Test debut•Getty ImagesPakistan crumbled in their second innings. Fleming, who had taken a hat-trick on debut during the previous tour in 1994, trapped Mohammad Wasim and Inzamam-ul-Haq lbw for ducks while MacGill again did damage to finish with nine in the match. There was a landmark for Healy, too, when he claimed a world record 355th dismissal against Wasim Akram from the bowling of Miller.”I had been bowling around the wicket for lbws, I was no chance to get them,” Miller said. “Peter Willey was the umpire and told me to go over the wicket. I got one to turn and bounce and Healy took a really good catch. I have the photo of his catch in my office, which is signed by Heals.”It was really important to stamp our authority in the first Test. I remember after the match we were going to sing the song but I didn’t know the words. Heals wrote them down on a piece of paper.”Ian Healy claims his record-breaking dismissal•AFP

2nd Test, Peshawar

This was Mark Taylor’s Test. After coming through an initially hostile spell from Shoaib Akhtar he went on to equal Don Bradman’s 334 as the then highest score by an Australian in Test cricket – only denying himself the chance of setting a new benchmark by declaring before the start of the third day’s play to put the team before his personal achievements.”It was hot and humid, he was exhausted,” Miller remembered. “We had to douse him in cold towels during the breaks. You have to be there to experience that type of innings in those conditions. He could have batted for another two days because no one looked like getting him out. He was in the zone. He wanted to declare and do it for the team as it was the best chance of a victory. I was hoping he would break the record for Australia.”Mark Taylor is given a guard of honour as he leaves the field unbeaten on 334•AFPIn a column for newspapers this week, Taylor wrote: “I did consider grinding Pakistan into the dirt by batting another 20 minutes in a seventh session. That’s when the significance of Bradman’s 334 at Headingley in 1930 hit me. I thought people may think if I didn’t declare, it was to deliberately go past Bradman’s score.”I never played the game for individual records. You always play for enjoyment. Word filtered through our team, while Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail was surprised when I told him 30 minutes before play. A lot of others were, too. People thought I’d go for Brian Lara’s world record of 375 but, truthfully, that didn’t cross my mind.”I think it’s one of the best things I did, and I still have people ask me about it. I didn’t stop on Bradman’s score deliberately. That was a quirk of fate, but I’m delighted I did what I did because I think it does hopefully set an example of how sport should be played.”Taylor went on to add 92 in the second innings as the match drifted to a draw on a docile surface after Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed had plundered hundreds of their own. It gave him a match tally of 426 runs which remains the second highest in a Test behind Graham Gooch’s 456 against India in 1990.

3rd Test, Karachi

Mark Waugh’s century ensured Australia could not lose the final Test•AFPThe series concluded at a ground where Pakistan had not lost in 33 previous Tests. Both teams went with three frontline spinners (although Miller’s versatility as a seamer gave Australia balance) and the ball held sway over the first two innings. Slater played with great restraint in making 96 off 257 balls – the second slowest of his Test scores over 50 – but Healy’s 47 was the next best as debutant Shahid Afridi claimed 5 for 52.However, Australia’s 280 proved very competitive and a big lead was in the offing when Pakistan crashed to 69 for 5. Sohail found support from the lower order and complied a brilliant century but McGrath’s 5 for 66 kept Australia ahead in the game.Taylor laid the platform for what became a series-clinching second innings with 68 then Mark Waugh’s century took Australia into an impregnable position alongside Gavin Robertson’s useful 45 at No. 8 as they opted to bat out the fourth day rather than declare.A target of 419 was never within the realms for Pakistan and Miller’s burst early on the final day left them 35 for 3 with Australia sensing the chance to take the series 2-0. But Ijaz held firm, adding 153 for the fifth wicket with Moin Khan although Australia were more than content with the outcome.”That Pakistan team was really strong with so many superstars,” Miller said. “It was one of our finest achievements to beat them over there.”

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

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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.

Coach retains optimism after South Africa administer a thumping at Lord’s

Vithushan Ehantharajah20-Aug-2022″Over the next while you’ll probably get used to my optimism as well,” Brendon McCullum said with a smile. “I don’t tend to overreact about anything.”England men’s Test coach was speaking next to the Lord’s Pavilion after the first defeat of his tenure. One of his provisos on media engagements since taking over in May was a preference to speaking after losses than wins: to let the players take the glory while he can front up for the slack. And after South Africa triumphed by an innings and 12 runs, there was plenty of slack going around.Coming after three wins against New Zealand and one against India earlier this summer, the management team are in no mood to overreact. Their foundations of attacking cricket were not installed to be dug up at the first sign of instability. And after Ben Stokes was unequivocal in his stance that commitment to the brand was the issue rather than the brand itself, McCullum reinforced his captain’s view by similarly doubling down.”I guess one of the messages we will be talking about is ‘did we go hard enough with our approach? Could we maybe go a little harder and try turn some pressure back on the opposition as well?'”There’s not much point in hitting the nets as such. For us, we’ve got very good cricketers and they’ve had a lot of cricket over their careers and they know what they’re doing. We just need to tidy up a couple of areas. And one message will be ‘can we go a little harder?'”The idea of going harder when you’ve lost a game inside six sessions, and your 20 wickets inside 83 overs, will naturally jar. The context, which McCullum went on to offer, pertained to the situation England found themselves in from the moment Dean Elgar won the toss on Wednesday – batting first.Victories this season have come through chasing targets of 277, 299, 296 and 378. But the precursors to those were going out in their first innings of these matches after their opponents had their first go. In those first three success, England only trailed by New Zealand once going into the third innings (by 14 runs at Trent Bridge after the Blackcaps posted 553). The 130 they ceded to India during this period of the Edgbaston Test was made up for by dismissing India for 245 in their second effort.In essence, they “chased” throughout the match, not just in the final innings. Their opponents set the pace, and anyone with an appreciation of pursuit, ranging from track running to Mario Kart, will know hunting down the one in front draws a little more focus than constantly looking over your shoulder.The burden of setting the pace, dishing out the banana peels rather than the turtle shells, is an altogether different challenge for this group. Something that England have struggled with for years, long before this first match of three against South Africa when they were skittled for 165 before the visitors established an insurmountable 161-run lead in their one and only bat.Related

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But McCullum sees no reason why the characteristics exhibited so far can’t be applied from the off: “Sometimes, when I think the scoreboard dictates what you’re chasing, we can be a little braver as well. So maybe that’s something for us batting first, maybe we can be a little braver, maybe we can go a little harder than what we did in this Test match.”We did what we could in those conditions but weren’t quite able to get enough runs in that first innings.”He referenced “a few times” during the innings of 165 and 149 where he felt England could have gone “harder”.”We could maybe have been a little braver to be able to turn some pressure back on the opposition – in both innings. But it’s always the way, right? You have to try to absorb pressure at times and get yourself back to a position of parity to then put some pressure back on the opposition. We weren’t able to do that.”Given how exceptional South Africa’s attack was in both innings, it’s hard to pinpoint those exact moments. Perhaps when Ollie Pope and Stokes were a little cautious up to lunch on Wednesday? Maybe when Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes were relatively flat-footed to their respective dismissals on Friday, even if Bairstow was able to lay a couple on Nortje.Indeed, Nortje felt like a different proposition to anything England have faced so far. He served up the fastest deliveries sent down this summer as part of a sharp foursome alongside Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen. As such, 34.4 percent of the deliveries sent down by South Africa in this match were above 87mph. Given England’s percentage was just 0.2 per cent, and with all the possible options to match that pace consistently out injured, the onus is on the home batters working out how to counter rather than expecting the bowlers to mimic.”He’s [Nortje] a very good bowler who bowls good pace,” McCullum said. “But there have been games when our guys have been able to combat that and have done it previously against some of the best bowling attacks in the world. On this occasion we weren’t able to.”I am not going to give any secrets away because we play them again next week, but there were some conversations and we should have been able to react to it.”Anrich Nortje was the main source of discomfort for England in the second innings•PA Photos/Getty ImagesA surprise weekend off is a silver lining ahead of what now is a slightly longer turnaround ahead of the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday. There won’t be any extra training, with some players using the extra time off to return home while others will remain in London and attend the premiere of Stokes’ documentary, “Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes”, which takes place in the capital. The squad as a whole will report to Manchester on Tuesday morning.One of those will be Zak Crawley, who returned scores of nine and 13 to continue what has been a dispiriting summer for the 24-year-old. His average this summer sits at 16.40, with a highest score of 46 as part of a 107-run stand in the victorious chase against India, the only time he has exuded the panache and game-changing qualities the group speak so often about.McCullum felt Crawley’s innings of 13 showed a degree of composure before he was lbw sweeping against Keshav Maharaj. And he reiterated his view that he does not expect a steady run of form from the Kent opener, which will irk some fans as it will top-order batters chalking up scores in domestic first-class cricket, like Rory Burns and Ben Duckett.”I look at a guy like Zak and his skill set is not to be a consistent cricketer,” McCullum said. “He’s not that type of player but he is put in that situation because he has a game which means, when he gets going, he can win matches for England.”We have got to be really positive around the language we use with him and be really consistent with the selections around that as well, and keep giving guys opportunities.”He’s a talent, and there are not too many of those guys floating around. He’s still learning his game at this level and that’s okay, that’s going to take a bit of patience and a bit of persistence as well. There have been some fine players over the years who have had periods where they haven’t quite nailed it as well, but then have ended up as great commodities for their sides. We have just got to work that out but I believe in him, that’s for sure.”It is beginning to feel like the most sensible thing for Crawley is getting him out of the firing line rather than continuously pumping up his morale. The encouragement will soon just be white noise to the right-hander, and perhaps that point has come already. McCullum disagrees, both at the sentiment and the notion Crawley is in any kind of mental turmoil.”He’s a tough fella, Zak. He loves doing what he’s doing, playing for England and you will see him around the group and with the contributions he makes inside the dressing room, there’s stuff that goes beyond runs too. And also, I think selection loyalty is really important because not only does it build loyalty with the guys that are in the side but also it builds loyalty for the guys on the outside, knowing that when their time and their opportunity does come they are going to be afforded the same sort of loyalty.”As for McCullum, the upbeat disposition comes so naturally that the sincerity of his words behind closed doors can no doubt lift those under his care in a short space of time, especially as they have already bought in to this new era. Quite how those same words resonate outside those four walls remains to be seen.”I know we are judged by our results, but for us it’s bigger than that and the approach we try to take to the game,” he added. “The language we use in the dressing room and the confidence that we try to build amongst the group for the style of cricket we want to play. It gives us, we think – the skipper and myself – our greatest chance of being able to win Test matches and become a very good Test side.”But we’re still going to lose Test matches occasionally. And that hurts. We’ve just got to crack on and get yourselves up for the next one.”

Captain’s inspirational leadership dredges an impossible win from Rawalpindi road

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Dec-2022Usually, there’s nothing more anti-climatic than a DRS review to end a Test match. The ecstasy of the moment is at its purest the first time that finger goes up. Raw. Undistilled. Real. When it’s sent to the umpire upstairs, though the anxiety returns, the wait for confirmation or disavowal is, well, just that – waiting. Even if it comes back as the former, the emotions have already been spent, the octaves of those first cheers never quite reached again. It’s why you only really get one go at a surprise party.But as England stood in the middle of the Rawalpindi Stadium waiting for one of the two screens to tell them their fate, it felt right they spent time huddled close together, waiting. Ollie Pope rested his head on Jack Leach’s shoulder, perhaps thinking back to the catch he left when Pakistan were nine-down that could have avoided this tension. James Anderson momentarily leant on Ollie Robinson after the pair of them had stretched themselves to the limit, combining for eight wickets on an unresponsive surface. Ben Stokes, head weary from endless permutations, knee aching from an 11-over-straight spell, moved away from the nucleus of the group without really leaving to get a better view of the big screen to the west of the ground. It meant that, when it was confirmed Leach’s delivery was predicted to hit leg stump were it not for Naseem Shah’s front pad, all were close enough to leap straight into each other’s arms, to embrace the most remarkable Test win in England’s history.There, in a manufactured nutshell, was one of the key tenets that this team, and thus this 74-run victory, has been built on. A remarkably robust camaraderie, in the image of a captain whose selfless streak goes to the heart of everything that is good about his game, and even mitigates some of the bad – not least his eyecatchingly bad shot to get out for a duck in the fourth-day declaration charge.You could say the theme of this week has been togetherness, given the manner in which a virus ran through the camp in the lead-up to this match. The aftermath, in terms of recovery and what they have been able to put together over the last five days of play, speaks of the more tangible elements to it. Having begun to feel ill on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, the group rallied as best they could, checking in on one another, doing their best to lift the spirits of those confined to their rooms. It was late on Wednesday that Stokes, having recovered enough from his own ailment, paid a visit to fellow bug sufferer Leach in his room. Part of the check-up was to push him to play, even if he was not 100 percent.On Monday evening, Leach thanked Stokes for inspiring him out of his sick bed. Now the historical shot of England’s third win in Pakistan in 25 attempts, in their first match in the country for 17 years, is of the left-arm spinner leading the successful appeal after getting the new ball to grip – somehow – and trap Shah lbw. It was his sole wicket of the innings. “Like… that’s the greatest win I think I’ve ever been involved in,” Leach beamed. “And obviously Headingley was amazing.”James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Ben Stokes bask in England’s win•Matthew Lewis/Getty ImagesThe team were as one when they awoke on Thursday, unsure if the Test would be delayed by 24 hours if they could not scrape together an XI. Messages went around to see how everyone was holding up. As it happened, the only player to miss out from the team named on Tuesday was Ben Foakes. Having failed a last-minute fitness test before the toss, Will Jacks stepped in as his replacement, and was handed his cap by his Surrey team-mate Pope, who in turn assumed the gloves.The Surrey trio shared words with each other: encouragement for Jacks to play the way that got him this far, and positive reinforcement for Pope, who last kept wicket in a red-ball game in the Hamilton Test against New Zealand way back in November 2019. The off-colour Foakes would go on to take the field on day five, running on with drinks, helmets and towels, and even finding time to congratulate Pope on a stunning leg-side take to remove Zahid Mahmood.Speaking on the local TV network, Pope admitted he had felt a little nervous about filling in for one of the best glovemen in the country while also fulfilling the No.3 duties, a job done best with a singular focus. Instead, he contributed 108 to a first-innings total of 657 before getting down to 252 overs’ of grind behind the stumps. His catch off Abdullah Shafique would hand Jacks his maiden Test wicket, and he’d chip in with two more as the off-spinner conjured six for 161 to bowl Pakistan out and establish an invaluable lead of 78.At stumps on day one, the players got around each other once again. By then, England were 506 for four thanks to four centurions – Pope, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Harry Brook – but amid the deserved praise from head Brendon McCullum was an appreciation from all four that the hard work was only just beginning. As well as they played, on their way to England’s highest score in Asia and becoming the first team to strike at better than a run-a-ball in both innings of a Test match, no one was resting on their laurels.Even as relatively junior members of the squad – through age and/or experience – all four relayed their views of the pitch, forming the approach for the opening session of day two in which 151 more runs were scored in 26 overs. After England’s second innings, those who spent the most time out there – Crawley and Brook again, along with Joe Root – fed back to the dressing-room that the pitch was suddenly not as amenable as before. Which was remarkably perceptive given that England scored 218 inside 28.5 overs of the middle session on day four, before Stokes’ declaration at tea. But the idea was formed to concoct situations for Pakistan to play big shots. An enticing chase was a good start.England celebrate the moment of victory as Jack Leach seals the first Test•Matthew Lewis/Getty ImagesIt’s worth sticking on that moment a little bit, because it was at this juncture that opinions diverged. In the lead-up to this Test, heck, way back when this whole Magic Roundabout of a fever dream began in May, front-facing members of the touring party have espoused the mantra of disregarding a loss if it comes through pushing for victory. This however, seemed a little too far-fetched. The lead was 342 and, even allowing for the surface, England had the match in their hands. And seemingly drunk on the Kool Aid, maybe even with a jumped-up sense of self, they decided to break off half and hand it over to Pakistan.While those on the periphery doubted, even ridiculed a declaration made seemingly out of hubris, Stokes powered on, clear-headed about what he wanted to achieve and exactly how he was going to do it. And the best part of the plan was the collaboration that led England to victory.The younger members maintained enthusiasm, unwilling to consider the prospect of investing so much into a match and coming out empty-handed, and also railing against the idea that some of their ilk don’t have the concentration or hunger for this format. “A few times I said ‘just enjoy the flatness’,” said Stokes. “Enjoy the challenge of trying to create something out of nowhere.”Even as Pakistan looked to be making headway in the chase on the final day, notably when Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel ransacked the spin of Leach, Jacks and Root for 72 inside 16 overs, then when Azhar Ali and Agha Salman were well-set after tea, needing 86 with five wickets in hand, energy levels were up.While Stokes racked his brains for new fields, others offers suggestions, at times even taking it upon themselves to stagger themselves differently – such as when four men were stationed spitting distance from one another on the off-side at point, cover-point, cover and extra cover, or during the final throes, when both edges of the bat were being challenged. Catchers had to be arranged accordingly, but each player took responsibility for where they needed to be. This was all their burden to share, not solely the captain’s. “There were a lot of things that went our way today that paid off, because of the suggestions that were coming in from the guys that were out there,” Stokes said, sharing the credit.Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook (clockwise from top left) all made hundreds in a ringing endorsement of England’s fast-paced approach•Getty ImagesIndeed, to look at how England approached the last innings is to realise how devoid it was of pretension, from the man in charge to those he was leading. No one was too good to do something they weren’t comfortable with.Harry Brook, England’s new crown prince, had no qualms about getting on his knees with 240 match runs in his pockets. Keaton Jennings, who might have considered himself unlucky to miss this match, fielded under the helmet for long periods as a sub for Liam Livingstone, who sustained a knee injury on day two and will return home on Tuesday morning. Jennings was one of a number who did stints close to the bat, with and without protection.Most notably, beyond the exuberance of those wet behind the years, was how those hardwired with preconceptions of Test cricket – even weathered by them – responded. Stokes revealed it was Root who came up with the short-ball ploy for the start of the second innings. A once reluctant, unimaginative captain seemingly responding to the challenge of thinking creatively and feeling emboldened to suggest something he would never have instigated in his five years. And yet thanks to him, England arrived into day five needing only eight wickets rather than 10, with the crown jewel Babar Azam, a centurion in the first innings, snuffed out for just fourRelated

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Then there’s James Anderson. In the lead-up to this Test, when reflecting on his 2005 tour of Pakistan, Anderson admitted he would love to still have some of the miles-per-hour he had back then as a 23-year-old, but ceded the skills accrued over all those years more than make up for it. To see him forgo the new ball, coming on first-change to initially bowl a couple of overs of bouncers, then set about controlling the run-rate, then attacking with reverse swing to finish with 4 for 36 from 24 overs – half of them maidens – spoke to those gifts. And to see him operate with leg slips and a catching midwicket, instead of a packed cordon, speaks to a 40-year-old with a renewed sense of purpose. Without his partnership with Robinson, whose 4 for 50 earned him the Player of the Match award, a remarkable win would not have come to pass.”Jimmy Anderson said to me there at the end-of-match presentation that he was getting quite emotional about this win,” Stokes revealed. “The guy has played nearly 180 Test matches, has experienced everything, the highs and lows of Test cricket. To hear him say that about this particular Test match, I think that really makes you realise how special an achievement this week has been, wearing this England shirt.”Having won ODI and T20 World Cups, and achieved 2019’s miracle at Headingley, Stokes rated this success as one of the best. It is unquestionably the best embodiment of him as a captain. Not just for his bravery, nor the tactical calls that paid dividends, such as keeping the reversing old ball in play until midway through the 95th over to quieten the scoring, then replacing it that so Leach could use the prouder seam to turn it off the deck and win the match. But for the way he inspired everyone to rally together from start to finish.”At the moment it feels like everyone is doing what they need to do for the bloke that’s stood next to them,” he beamed at his press conference, almost like a proud father.”As a captain it’s amazing to see the amount of enthusiasm and the heart that everyone shows. I don’t think I’ve seen a team who want to put their bodies on the line [as much] for the other 10 players. It’s a special group of players.”With eight minutes to go in the match, England beat the pitch, the setting sun and Pakistan to go 1-0 up in the series. And they achieved it through skill, pluck and the kind of team performance that will bind them together for a lifetime.

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

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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.