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Carlos Brathwaite’s stillness, the smooth flow of his bat, the ball struck sweetly beyond the ropes – again and again and again. Four balls that wiped out all that had gone before

Sidharth Monga at Eden Gardens03-Apr-20160:57

‘Ben Stokes is an absolute legend’ – Brathwaite

Twenty20 matches are more often won or lost in the 19th over. Fielding captains bowl their best bowler in the 19th so that during the chaos of the 20th they have more to defend.Chris Jordan has had a great tournament with his yorkers. He has a wet ball in his hand. England have 27 to defend. Jordan bowls an ordinary first ball, which goes for four, but comes back superbly, conceding just singles off the next four balls. For West Indies’ sake, they need a boundary off the last ball because they don’t want to find themselves needing three sixes off the last over. Marlon Samuels, 85 off 65, is on strike. He has been brutal on everything that has been not a yorker of late. Jordan – 3.5-0-36-0 – has to secure this match for his team right now. He runs in, Samuels backs away as he always does to open up the off side, and Jordan slips in a wide yorker.This is a dot. The next best thing to a wicket. Now England have a last over at Carlos Brathwaite, in his eighth Twenty20 international. It’s simple: they have to deny West Indies three boundaries. Even if they get three boundaries at least one of them has to be a six. Michael Hussey chased 18 in the last over against Saeed Ajmal in the 2010 World T20 semi-final. In the 2014 World T20, James Faulkner made it difficult for West Indies with two dots at the start of the 20th over, but Darren Sammy took the required 12 off the next two balls with sensational, brutal sixes.This is different, though. This is the World T20 final. The final. West Indies are playing this for much more than just the final. They need three boundaries, at least one of them has to be a six, and they have a rookie on strike, against an allrounder who will be one of the best of this era. He has won England Tests and ODIs, but this is the World T20 final. The final. Also, like Faulkner, West Indies just don’t like Ben Stokes.Written word will never be able to do justice to Sammy’s narration of that final over, so it is over to him.Bowling his first over of the night from the High Court End, Stokes has three men on the leg-side boundary. Long leg, deep midwicket, long-on. The idea is to cramp him. Bowl yorkers. Stokes runs in, Samuels is not backing up, there can be no mankading, there are to be no pinched singles. Stokes fails to execute the plan. He bowls length, and on the pads. Brathwaite doesn’t hit the ball hard. He just flicks it. In the air. All night England have been running their boots off after balls hit in the air or along the ground. You look at Moeen Ali at midwicket. He doesn’t move. He knows it. Long leg doesn’t move. He knows it. The ball has bisected them. It has gone for six. Just six. Not a big six. Doesn’t even go into the stands, but does the job. Samuels goes and hugs Brathwaite. Later he says he told Brathwaite Stokes is a “nervous laddie”, that he will err.Over to Sammy again.Stokes now knows the plan is right, but not the execution. He needs to execute it better. Just bowl the yorker. Don’t let Brathwaite get under it. But Brathwaite has also shown earlier that he is capable of playing the cute ramp over short fine so he can’t get too full on the yorker.Those who know MS Dhoni say one of his tricks in final-over heists is to send the first or second ball for a six. Not just a six. A huge six. It doesn’t matter where the ball goes because the bowler doesn’t look behind to see where it has gone. It has to sound big off the bat. That sound has to completely demotivate the bowler. A flick doesn’t make that sound. For that you need a straight six. Brathwaite hasn’t done that yet.Now Stokes runs in. Brathwaite stands still. The front leg cleared slightly. He holds the bat high. He doesn’t move. Nothing to tell what he was going to do. Bowlers look for that sign, and perhaps bowl a bouncer or a slower ball. There is nothing here. So Stokes tries the yorker. This is not quite a yorker, but if a batsman is moving forward there is no way he can get under it. This is that full.Brathwaite is expecting this, he is deep inside his crease, and when the ball dips on him, it is like everything has slowed down. You don’t know if Stokes hears the demoralising sound, because this is not a powerful hit. This is just a caress. The long powerful arms of Brathwaite hold the bat right at the top of its handle, giving him leverage to lift these balls high. The long-on is in place. There has never been a fielder more redundant. This lands in the crowd. Samuels comes and hugs Brathwaite again. Ian Bishop says on television commentary: “You think he will be a player in the future, Carlos Brathwaite. You think he has talent. It ain’t over yet, but this is a glimpse into the future.”Kidding us, Bish. He is the present. And this is over bar the shouting.Over to Sammy.Stokes will continue to win matches for England, but you can see it on his face. He even looks at the ball sail away. Brathwaite’s job is done. Bowlers usually just turn up to take their punishment after two such hits from these modern bats. Stokes has some life in him yet. He runs in with the same plan, looking for that yorker again. The length is similar again. He has erred but not by a lot. But Brathwaite stays beautifully still. The high back lift, waving the bat about chest high.And everything slows down again as the ball dips on him. The high grip on the bat, the bat coming down in a smooth motion but with the momentum from such a high back lift. He has timed this perfectly even though it looks like just a slice. The only difference is, unlike the last ball which he took from outside leg, this is on middle and off. This time he clears long-off. None of the sixes has drawn a wild reaction from the press box. It is the largest “ho ho ho” ever in unison. There is marvel at the cleanness of the strikes, the lack of nerves, the brutal but smooth execution.Stokes is down on his haunches. He has tears in his eyes. Samuels, who has been sledged by him earlier, is giving it to Stokes now. He is also running circles around Brathwaite. A match that is lost is almost won back.Over to Sammy.It is not over yet. Even before we evoke Bangladesh, there is a small matter of separating Samuels and Stokes, and retrieving the ball. The ball has to be changed. For a while, as they wait for the ball, the fielders don’t come in to defend the single. For a while it seems that England, just like India against Bangladesh, are going to play on the hero factor. They don’t think West Indies will look to nurdle a quiet single. That can perhaps explain the lack of urgency in the fielders moving in. But as the ball is replaced, the field moves up.There is no reason now to not end it with a six. Why? Because you can. Without stretching yourself. Stokes runs in again, he errs a little again. Bowls the line outside leg. In slow motion again Brathwaite lifts this over long-on. “Carlos Brathwaite,” goes Bish. “Remember the name.” Only now does Brathwaite let out a roar.Stokes is inconsolable. Kumar Dharmasena leaves his cap on his shoulder. The celebrations are wild. Twenty20 is brutal on the vanquished, but these are four of the most non-violent sixes you might ever see in a cluster. The absolute stillness, the smooth flow of the bat, the timing, it is enough to make you forget a messed-up chase. The party has begun. West Indies have risen again. Like a raging fire.

Australia’s top six batsmen scored more than 50 for the first time in Test cricket, but none of the batsmen was anywhere near as masterful as the captain Steven Smith

Daniel Brettig at the SCG07-Jan-20153:30

Steven Smith, the century machine

On 98, Steven Smith surveyed the field Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav had offered him. It was a 6-3, with a yawning gap between fine leg and mid on. Kohli wanted Umesh to be bowling wide outside off stump. Umesh bowled a full-toss on middle and leg. As a captain, Smith might have been appalled. As a batsman, he did not need to think, only react, flicking it crisply to the midwicket fence for his fourth hundred in as many Tests this series. Only Sir Donald Bradman and Jacques Kallis have done that before.It was a moment that summed up Smith’s mastery over these four Tests. India have tried lots of plans, often executing them dreadfully. Smith has been a step ahead most of the time anyway, and has spared nary a moment’s sympathy for Kohli or his predecessor MS Dhoni in taking advantage of their bowlers’ shortcomings. By the time of Sydney, a Smith hundred was more or less expected – he was even asked how he might celebrate one at his pre-match press conference. The certainty he has shown contrasts not only with India but also Australia.”That’s what you’re after when you’re on 98, it’s nice to get one there,” Smith said of the full toss. “It was another special moment to get a hundred on the home ground and my favourite place to play. I think yesterday afternoon when I went in to bat they tried to get me out caught at leg slip again the way they got me in Melbourne, and I think that played into my hands. The ball was a little bit softer at that time and the wicket was a little bit slow. So I never felt like I was ever going to hit one there. That enabled me to get in and from there I felt pretty comfortable, so it worked well for me in the end.”Belying the rarity of his achievement, Smith’s century looked the most inevitable thing in the world. Belying the ease of batting on the second day against India, on a pristine pitch against tired bowlers, Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh and Joe Burns all conspired to fall short of their own. This was not to say they failed – Watson shared a stand of 196 with Smith, while Marsh and Burns put on 114 runs of increasing freedom and fluency. But the gap between Smith and the rest was pronounced, even on this most agreeable of all days to be batting.Watson’s innings was a struggle throughout. He fought admirably against forces mental, technical and physical, resisting urges of impatience and imprudence to be the junior partner in his union with Smith, scoring at a far inferior rate to the captain. Even the chance he gave R Ashwin on the penultimate ball of the first day was from a legitimate defensive edge against the second new ball, rather than the sort of intemperate stroke that had foiled him in similarly easygoing conditions in Adelaide.Had Watson been thinking that things might get a little easier on the second morning, he was to be mistaken. While Smith glided smoothly and inevitably into the 90s and beyond, Watson strained and squeaked his way forward, like a personal trainer’s pupil getting re-acquainted with the wages of sand dunes. Hundreds have always been a difficult thing for Watson to achieve, and on 81 he could stand the waiting game no longer, swivelling a pull shot straight to deep midwicket.Steven Smith hit his fourth hundred of the series, one in each Test•Getty ImagesHe was completely crestfallen at this moment, offering up a pained expression beneath the helmet then declining to offer much of a response to the applause of the SCG Members Pavilion as he trudged off. Watson’s consuming desire to do well for the team has eaten up his ability to think clearly and score freely in the past, and in recent times he appears also to have lost the intimidation factor that his muscular batting was once able to inspire.Bowlers who worried about Watson punching numerous early boundaries through their fields and softening the new ball presently have less reason to worry about this possibility, for he has tried to get established and settled at the crease before playing at a more middling tempo – a little like Ricky Ponting in his last 18 months post-captaincy. The responsibility inherent in the No. 3 position may be part of this, and it is plausible to wonder whether he might find more freedom and less pressure at No. 6.Neither of Marsh or Burns looked convincing in their early minutes at the crease, as Kohli was able to cajole his bowlers into a more abstemious line and length. Ashwin’s offbreaks teased them both, drawing an edge from the blade of Marsh that was missed in the slips. Burns spent 17 balls and a lunch break on a duck, after Marsh declined a seemingly obvious single late in the morning session. When Burns did get off the mark with a sweet cover drive, it was only because cover showed about as much interest in stopping it as Marsh had in the earlier single.The longer he batted, the better Marsh looked, unfurling the odd straight drive that causes Test match selectors to purr. Burns was conservative to begin with, then increasingly confident, plucking regular boundaries off pace and spin while looking tighter in defence than he had been at the MCG. Both batsmen were admittedly helped by a sagging attack, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s pace dropping into the realm usually occupied by Shahid Afridi’s quicker ball.In the end, neither Marsh nor Burns would go on from a handy score to a major one, the former done in by the maddening half cut, half forcing stroke that seems better devised to find an outside edge than the boundary. Having witnessed Brad Haddin drive his very first ball for six down the ground, Burns’ innings was ended by an attempt to lift the scoring rate further, as Mohammed Shami completed an apologetic-looking five-for.Smith was happy with his men, not least because they had become the first Australia top six to all notch scores of 50 or better in a Test innings. “For us it was just about batting and batting time and reassessing at the lunch break. I thought Shane played a terrific first innings, I thought our whole top six played very well,” Smith said. “Before this Test match I said to the boys I wanted the batters to do the work this game. I think we’ve relied a lot on the tail the last couple of Test matches and I said the batters had to step up. The whole top six got above 50 which I don’t think has ever happened before, if I’m right. That’s outstanding for us.”Many more storied Australian top orders have failed to do the trick that Smith’s collective managed this day. But a considerable gap is evident between Smith and the rest – there will be days more challenging than this one where better bowling attacks will probe it thoroughly.

Plays of the day from the IPL game between Rajasthan Royals and Pune Warriors in Jaipur

Siddhartha Talya05-May-2013The misdirection
Rajasthan Royals were sloppy in the field, and also with the ball. Three bowlers began their spells with wides down the leg side – Shane Watson, Stuart Binny and Kevon Cooper, who bettered everyone with five wides.The catch
Mitchell Marsh smashed Cooper flat over his head, only to be caught, by his own captain Aaron Finch behind the long-off boundary. The ball seemed to be heading into the crowd before Finch intercepted it, taking it in front of his face with his coach Allan Donald pulling himself back as the ball approached before applauding the effort.The dismissal
Sanju Samson has already made an impression with the bat this IPL; today he showed some skill with the gloves. Robin Uthappa, having scored his second straight half-century, was looking dangerous as the death overs approached but his stay was cut short by a laser throw from Samson. When Uthappa tried to sneak a leg-bye from the non-striker’s end, Samson quickly took off the big glove, and took out middle stump with a perfect throw which caught Uthappa well short.The drive

It’s been a while since Rahul Dravid retired from international cricket but he offered a glimpse of what everyone’s been missing, with a classy half-century. The shot that stood out was a cover-drive, inside-out off Angelo Mathews in the 10th over, that he played through extra cover. It also brought up 2000 runs for him in the IPL.

Publishers may be keen to get their Ashes books out as fast as possible. Is that a bad thing? Not if the writer is Gideon Haigh

Steve James09-Apr-2011Not even a month had passed since the final day of England’s triumphant Ashes campaign when the first book about it pounded through my letter box. My reaction? Utter indifference. It was just too early. It was like seeing Easter eggs for sale days after Christmas. For goodness’ sake, this was published when England were still in Australia slogging their way through a seven-match one-day series.So it is fair to say that I approached with a healthy dose of cynicism. Haigh is a brilliant writer, probably the best in the business, but I had read his daily columns in the (he and a chap called Atherton do make the financial leap over their paper’s paywall worthwhile) during the series, and exceptional though they were, I expected not much more than a collection of these pieces. Microwaved journalism to us, money for old rope to the author.What I had not bargained on were daily match reports, filed for Business Spectator, an Australian website. Combined with the column on every day’s play, they provide the most comprehensive and thoughtful review of the Ashes possible. Suddenly I was recalling the sheer excitement that, in cricket anyway, only an Ashes series can provide. It was my first trip to Australia and this book will serve nicely as both reminder and reference.Haigh did, of course, have to commit fingers to keyboard for this. His introduction is laced with warning about the immediacy of his observations, all filed within an hour of each day’s conclusion and left unaltered since. “Caveat lector,” he writes.There really is no need. Not once does hindsight render Haigh foolish. The closest he comes is when writing at the end of day three in the first, eventually drawn, Brisbane Test. “England now need to bat perhaps 150 overs,” he says, “about twice as long as in their first innings, to salvage a draw; it is not beyond them by any means, but nor theoretically is a political comeback by Margaret Thatcher.”Haigh’s unique power of description stands him apart. Take Alastair Cook’s batting: “He wears his method like a shabby but comfortable jacket, too-long sleeves worn through at the elbows, yet imbued with pleasant associations.” Or a poor shot from Shane Watson, “as arrogant and foolhardy as lighting a cigar with a $100 note”. Or the opening partnership of Watson and Simon Katich: “Of Ponting at number three they have been contrasting protectors, Katich stepping across his stumps like a secret serviceman guarding a president, Watson more like a bouncer in a swanky nightclub.”The technical analysis is sharp. On Ricky Ponting’s batting travails: “Anxious to cover off stump, Ponting has been jumping into, and outside of, the line of the ball; moving so far across, in fact, as to expose his leg stump, down which side he has twice nicked fatally.”After the second day’s play in Perth, Haigh used a tale about Keith Miller to begin a piece about the frustrations with Mitchell Johnson following his heroics that day. Having taken 7 for 12 to bowl out South Australia for 26, Miller was asked by a journalist about the spell’s secrets: “There are three reasons,” he answered, “First, I bowled bloody well. Second… Second… Awww, ya can forget about the other two.”I saw Haigh the next day in Perth. “Nice tale,” I said. “There are plenty more where that came from,” responded Haigh with a glint in his eye. Indeed there are.Ashes 2011
by Gideon Haigh
Aurum, hb
285pp, £12.99

West Indies have an improving attack and more fighting spirit than they have shown for some time, but the same old cracks still appeared when it counted, writes Vaneisa Baksh

Vaneisa Baksh26-May-2008

By the morning of the fifth day spirits had flown, sensing once again a forlorn return to the familiar. The captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and the opener Devon Smith were gone, it was 60 for 3, and the target of 287 shimmered up ahead in the distance. Could it really be that Shivnarine Chanderpaul was to be called in again to save the match?In the first innings, he had been the hero. Not only because he had scored a vital century – his 18th – but he had done it under frightful circumstances. The sickening blow to his head from the Brett Lee ball stunned onlookers far more than it seemed to stun him. His inert body on the ground invoked every horror story of sports injuries. I was appalled that he was allowed to play even if he said he could, so my heart was in my mouth right through the innings as he transformed to legendary status by simply batting on, as we say, regardless.It was typical of the Tiger, though, that same stoicism he brings to his cricket was evident. He’d come there to do a job and he was going to do it, no question about it. What might have seemed another day’s work to him was evidently a source of inspiration to his team, as indeed are all acts of heroism.For with an hour’s play left on the third day after the West Indies innings closed on 312, they came out with an energy and purpose that was reminiscent of olden days – that “long-time something” whose return one spectator cherished on his banner. Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell seemed supercharged and looked – not for the first time in the match – truly formidable, spewing focus and speed consistently enough to take four wickets before poor light gave a reprieve to the bemused Australians.They could not have anticipated this crumbly end to the day’s play. It is not yet within the Australian psyche to envisage themselves as a weaker team than their 15-year record of dominance allows. The team has lost some of its finest players, and was also without Michael Clarke this match, and it is clear that this is a greener team than we have seen from the baggy boys from down under for years. That is not to say it is a weak team, it has just lost its veneer of invincibility, and this is what must have been drilled in to the West Indies players as they came into the series. It showed that they were not as intimidated by the sheer idea of playing against the world champions.It was particularly evident in the manner of the bowlers. Speed again was the West Indian force, but again it became evident that the arsenal is not full enough to sustain the hostility. Unfortunately for the debutant offspinner, Amit Jaggernauth, his captain carelessly put him on simply to get slaughtered by a fully charged Andrew Symonds. It reminded me of the comment by former slow bowler, Rangy Nanan, that most West Indies captains don’t know how to use spinners. It will probably lead to another long stay on the shelf for spin bowlers, especially given the success of Edwards, Powell and Dwayne Bravo, and the shine coming through on the injured Jerome Taylor.Still, it was important for the team to know they have actually taken 20 wickets in the last couple of Test matches they’ve played. It had become a disturbing inadequacy of the team, one that more than anything else communicated the inefficacy of the attack. For not only did it expose a weakness, it exposed a weakness at the very pillar on which West Indies cricket built its proudest house.So, here was the team with not just better bowlers, but showing more of a fighting spirit than had been seen in some time. Bravo commented that he felt the team was now more united than it had been before, and praised the assistant coach David Williams for instilling that unity. Many believe that enough time has lapsed since the coach John Dyson took over to warrant him some credit for the cohesiveness and the capacity to sustain the will to fight.In any case, on the last day too much indicated that while there may be new cracks appearing in the Australia line-up, the old cracks in the West Indies team are far deeper and wider. At 82 for 6, with Chanderpaul too falling in a battle that was at least far more competitive than we could have imagined, it seemed clear what the end would be, and that there is much more work to do.At 185 for 8, with Powell and Edwards slogging away fours and all, I wondered how far we were taking the idea that bowlers win matches. The day before, heady at the prospects for the fifth day, it was easy to hope with the target under 300, now even getting to 200 needed imagination; not even the team could provide that as it all ended at 191. Such is cricket.Fortunately, the nature of the encounter was a welcome reminder of the beauty and intrigue of Test cricket, and that a game well contested is worth every minute of it.

Barcelona will pursue re-negotiations with shirt sponsor Spotify, as they look to maximise the value of recent successes and stars like Lamine Yamal.

Spotify can extend deal in 2026Current deal worth €60m-per-seasonBarca believe shirt sponsorship worth double that figureFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

reports the Catalonian giants are considering a re-negotiation with the global leader in audio streaming. The two parties entered an agreement in 2022, with Spotify paying at least €60m (£52m)-per-year to sponsor the famous blaugrana jerseys, with another €5m (£4.3m) spent on naming rights of the Camp Nou. The terms of their current agreement allow Spotify to extend the deal until 2030 unilaterally, should they wish to increase their annual spend to €70m (£61m). A similar clause would then kick in, with Daniel Ek's company able to pay €80m (£69m) from 2030 to 2034.

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However, Barcelona now consider their jersey to be worth considerably more. reports that the consensus within the club values their shirt sponsorship at €120m (£105m)-per-season, thanks to their recent success in both the men and women's game. The club also boasts highly marketable stars like Lamine Yamal, Aitana Bonmati and Alexis Putellas.

DID YOU KNOW?

La Blaugrana are therefore willing to push for a re-negotiation to their deal ahead of the 2026 renewal date. As the club is now in a more secure position than in 2022, when their financial woes made a deal with Spotify an imperative, suggests the club could court other sponsors, even though the agreement with Spotify has been a positive for both parties. Barcelona recently renewed with shirt manufacturer Nike, in a deal worth a reported €127m-per-year. That deal came to fruition after a round of negotiations with Puma.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

While there have been delays to the club's planned return to the Camp Nou, they hope to return to their home ground in the next few weeks. Their deal with Nike is worth an estimated €1.7bn over the next 15 years. The focus on a new sponsorship deal is the next logical step for Barcelona as a business.

Arsenal have completed the signing of defender Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen.

• Arsenal sign Hincapie
• Gunners announce deal as straight loan
• Leverkusen say deal includes obligation to buy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Gunners have announced Hincapie has moved to the Emirates Stadium on a season-long loan, though Leverkusen say the deal also contains an obligation to buy the Ecuador international next summer. The buy clause is believed to be worth £45 million (€52m/$61m), according to The Athletic.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Hincapie has become Arsenal's eighth signing in what has been a busy summer transfer window for the club. Mikel Arteta's side have also brought in Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga for 2025-26 season.

• WHAT DID ARTETA SAY

  Speaking to Arsenal's official club website, Arteta said of Hincapie's arrival: "We are so pleased to welcome Piero Hincapie to the club.

  “Piero has a real physical presence, with his versatility and tactical flexibility giving us strong added defensive options. He is a big character, with a very good combination of both youth and maturity. He will make our squad stronger and more competitive as we continue into this season. We welcome Piero and his family to Arsenal.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Hincapie's move to Arsenal sees him become the latest star to leave Leverkusen this summer. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah, Granit Xhaka and Amine Adli have also departed the Bundesliga club, while Xabi Alonso left to become Real Madrid manager. Leverkusen replaced the Spaniard with Erik ten Hag but they announced earlier on transfer deadline day that they had sacked the former Manchester United boss after just three games in charge.

They have secured five wins on the trot against Chennai Super Kings and will be very keen to better that as the IPL moves to Dharamsala for the first time this season

Hemant Brar04-May-20242:38

CSK should go pace-heavy, not spin-heavy, in Dharamsala – Dasgupta

Match detailsPunjab Kings (seventh) vs Chennai Super Kings (fifth)
Dharamsala, 1530 IST (1000 GMT)Big picture – Can PBKS make it six in a row?In IPL history, only two teams have beaten CSK in five consecutive meetings. One is, predictably, Mumbai Indians. The other is PBKS, who started their streak in 2021 and equalled MI’s on Wednesday with a seven-wicket win at Chepauk.On Sunday, they will be looking to make it six in a row as they take on CSK in Dharamsala, their second home ground. Playing at home, though, has not been fruitful for PBKS this season; they won just one out of five games in Mullanpur, their main home ground. They will be hoping that a change in the venue brings a change in fortunes and they can stay properly in the playoffs race.CSK are much more comfortably placed, but as the tournament has progressed, their form has tapered off. They started the season with wins over Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans. But in their last four games, including three at home, they have just one win.Ruturaj Gaikwad’s wretched luck with the toss has not helped them either. He has lost nine out of ten tosses so far, and five on the trot. But CSK fans will have happy memories of Dharamsala. In 2010, CSK needed 16 in the final over against Kings XI Punjab, as they were known then, and MS Dhoni hit Irfan Pathan for back-to-back sixes to win the match with two balls to spare. In a rare show of emotions, he punched his helmet in celebration, thus giving the tournament one of its iconic moments.Form guidePunjab Kings WWLLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings LWLLWPrevious meetingAfter opting to bowl, PBKS restricted CSK to 162 for 7, with Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar going at less than run a ball. Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw led the chase and took PBKS home with 2.1 overs to spare.Team news and impact player strategy Punjab Kings
Shikhar Dhawan is not fully fit yet. PBKS spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi hoped he would be ready for the last two games. Joshi also said that they wanted to retain the winning combination. Prabhsimran Singh and Arshdeep Singh are expected to be their Impact Player options once again.Probable XII 1 , 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Shashank Singh, 5 Sam Curran (capt), 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 , 12 Rahul ChaharShivam Dube is one of only two CSK batters with more than 200 runs this season•AFP/Getty Images

Chennai Super Kings
Tushar Deshpande, who missed the previous game with flu, is expected to be available, but with Deepak Chahar injured and Mustafizur Rahaman having gone back to Bangladesh for national duty, CSK will have to rejig their bowling combination. One of Maheesh Theekshana and Mitchell Santner is likely to come in, while Mukesh Choudhary could get his second game of the season. Ajinkya Rahane and Choudhary could be their options for Impact Player.Probable XII 1 , 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 3 Daryl Mitchell, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Tushar Deshpande, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Matheesha Pathirana, 12 In the spotlight – Harpreet Brar and Shivam DubeHarpreet Brar has only six wickets in ten games, but his economy rate has been an excellent 7.21. Among those who have bowled at least 100 balls this season, only Jasprit Bumrah (6.25), Sunil Narine (6.72) and Krunal Pandya (7.20) have better economy rates. When PBKS faced CSK earlier in the week, Brar was the Player of the Match for his figures of 2 for 17, which included dismissing Shivam Dube for a first-ball duck.That Shivam Dube wicket was crucial because he has been CSK’s engine room in the middle overs. In all, he has 350 runs at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of 171.56 this season; Gaikwad is the only other CSK batter to cross 200. Given both PBKS spinners – Brar and Rahul Chahar – turn the ball into Dube, if gets set, it may not be easy to stop him.Stats that matter Dhoni has a strike rate of 45.45 against Rabada (10 runs off 22 balls, one dismissal), 55.88 against Rahul Chahar (19 off 34, two dismissals) and 78.12 against Harshal Patel (25 off 32, two dismissals). He has fared much better against Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh, taking 38 off 17 balls against Curran and 20 off 14 balls against Arshdeep. Neither bowler has been able to dismiss him yet. Daryl Mitchell has taken Arshdeep for 43 runs in 19 balls while getting out only once. Rabada has kept Gaikwad quiet: 63 runs off 59 balls, three dismissals. Arshdeep, too, has a good record against Gaikwad: 55 runs off 44 balls, three dismissals. Bairstow has a strike rate of 185.71 against Moeen Ali (39 runs off 21 balls, no dismissal) and 170.00 against Shardul Thakur (51 off 30, one dismissal). But he has found it difficult to score against Ravindra Jadeja: 36 off 31 at a strike rate of 116.12 (one dismissal).Pitch and conditionsDharamsala has hosted only two T20s in the last seven years and both have been high-scoring – well, as per pre-IPL 2024 standards. The last time PBKS played here, in 2023, Rossouw was in the opposition and scored 82 not out off 37 balls as Delhi Capitals posted 213 for 2 and won by 15 runs. It’s an afternoon game, and the temperature is expected to be around 27°C.

D’Arcy Short made 127 while Ashton Agar and debutant Bryce Jackson took three wickets in a 52-run over Tasmania to keep WA’s three-peat hopes alive

AAP14-Feb-2024

A D’Arcy Short century has helped Western Australia reach a fifth consecutive Marsh Cup final after beating an injury-depleted Tasmania with more than 13 overs to spare, to keep the dream of a three-peat alive.Chasing 321 on Wednesday in Hobart, Tasmania lost Mac Wright to a knee injury and Mitch Owen to a side injury with neither able to bat after they were hurt in the field. Tasmania’s faint hopes of reaching the final rapidly disappeared as they were bowled out for 268, having lost only eight wickets in 36.2 overs.New South Wales will now host WA in the February 25 final, with a Sydney venue yet to be determined. WA are the two-time defending champions and have played in six of the last seven finals, finishing third in the other season.Opener Short top-scored with 127 from 121 balls, with 15 fours and a six. It was his fourth List A century and his first since 2019 having averaged just 17 this season. Cameron Bancroft scored 64 in a 147-run stand for the second wicket with Short that set up WA’s formidable innings.Sam Whiteman also contributed 49, while Hilton Cartwright (23no) and Nick Hobson (29no) scored at better than a run a ball at the end of the innings.Billy Stanlake (2-54 from 10 overs) was the only Tasmanian bowler to take multiple wickets. Charlie Wakim gave some respite from the WA batting onslaught when he took an outstanding one-handed catch in the deep to dismiss Whiteman. The shot off Stanlake appeared certain to be a six, but Wakim brilliantly snared it on the boundary rope.Wakim top-scored in the chase with 68 from 53 balls, including six fours and a six, as Tasmania’s top five batters all made starts. Jordan Silk also made 61, but no-one in the top order could score the century Tasmania needed to overhaul WA’s imposing total.WA debutant Bryce Jackson took 3 for 67 from nine overs and Ashton Agar’s 10 overs yielded 3 for 57.

Tait’s time with Pakistan earlier means he has worked with most of the bowlers he will now take charge of

Danyal Rasool17-Dec-2023Days after appointing former Australian allrounder Shane Watson as head coach, Quetta Gladiators have announced Shaun Tait as bowling coach. Tait, who was Pakistan’s fast bowling coach until earlier this year, will take up the role ahead of the ninth season of the PSL.”I’d like to thank Nadeem Omar (Quetta Gladiators owner) who trusted me with the bowling group,” Tait said in an official statement, “including Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, and Mohammad Amir. Some great talent there to work with alongside the great Shane Watson.”Tait’s time with Pakistan means he has worked with most of the bowlers he will now take charge of. During his stint, he was vocal in his criticism of any attempts to get Pakistan’s express pace bowlers to maintain high workloads. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, he had said there was “no way – no way – express pace bowlers can currently play all three formats consistently.”In the same interview, he was effusive in his praise for Hasnain – currently recuperating from an ankle injury – who falls under his wing once more. “Hasnain has got the ability to bowl proper rapid, but there’s no doubt [there’s an air of vulnerability to him],” he said at the time. “My input with Hasnain is purely about just using his athleticism. Getting that grunt as a fast bowler and being angry. Just running in fast and feeling good.”The announcement marks Gladiators’ push towards an overhaul of the coaching staff as they look to break out of a rut that has seen them miss the playoffs for four successive seasons. Gladiators were the most consistent franchise of the PSL during its first four editions, when they reached the final three times, and also won the title in 2019.Tait was appointed Pakistan coach in February 2022 on a one-year contract. While there was uncertainty on whether it was a rolling contract, and he was understood to be keen on an extension, the contract was not renewed.The PSL starts on February 8, and runs till March 24.