Win or lose, the team’s culture of warmth, gratitude and camaraderie has been infectious

Shashank Kishore08-Oct-2023Bas de Leede can’t remember when the Netherlands cricket team was last seen on free-to-air TV back home prior to the 2023 World Cup. Negotiations are on, and the hope is they will be on it at some stage this World Cup.On Friday, those who had the opportunity to watch may have dared to dream. Pakistan were in trouble at various stages, first at 38 for 3, then at 188 for 6 and finally, when Netherlands were cruising at 120 for 2 in their chase of 287. Then it all came crashing down.Haris Rauf, the thunderbolts specialist, spelt doom in a telling spell that brought him two massive wickets the space of three balls. Training camps or intra-squad games alone can’t prepare you for that kind of pace and hostility.Did Netherlands really have a chance? It was their first official ODI since the World Cup Qualifiers in June and just being in the contest for 70 overs seemed like a win. The end result wasn’t entirely unexpected, and their collapse underlined a lack of exposure.Related

Sybrand Engelbrecht, the World Cup debutant who had walked away from cricket

Can Netherlands bring high-flying New Zealand back down to earth?

Ferguson, Southee likely to be fit; Williamson remains on sidelines for Netherlands clash

Vikramjit Singh out to realise his dream – with inspiration from de Kock and help from a Kohli

From Andhra Pradesh to Auckland to Amsterdam – Teja Nidamanuru's journey to the World Cup

On Monday, they’ll play New Zealand, an opponent so familiar that a set of ODIs against them over 14 months ago seems a significant bank of experience. On the familiarity front, they also have a few players on whom they will rely on for significant intel.Like Logan van Beek. The Wellington-born Dutch allrounder lives in New Zealand and plays for the Firebirds, where he’s teammates with Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. Van Beek was house mates with Tom Latham and Matt Henry as youngsters coming through. From training together, they will now be plotting against each other.Max O’Dowd, son of a Dutch mother and New Zealand father, played his early cricket in Auckland, dreaming of doing “epic things” like he witnessed at Eden Park in 2015. He lives in New Zealand for much of the year, playing club cricket on decks that aid pace and bounce, against opponents he’ll be facing up to.Then there’s Teja Nidamanuru, whose journey from Vijayawada to Amsterdam via Auckland has been well documented. Or de Leede, who is coming off a sensational maiden stint with Durham as a professional. While their inputs could be massive, there’s a sense of acknowledgment that they’re all learning on the job. It’s not ideal; if things were, head coach Ryan Cook wouldn’t have to plead teams to come forward to play them.”This is a call-out to anyone who wants to play us,” he had said at a press conference in July, soon after qualifying for the World Cup. “We’d love to have a fixture or two. Our guys have not been to the subcontinent many times before, so it would be good to have some fixtures somewhere in the subcontinent as well.”This can be deflating to the small cricket community of 6500 that yearn for game time. Sure, there’s no bigger incentive than playing in a World Cup, but what about the four years in-between where there’s hardly anything to look forward to? Of course you can argue the 2020-2023 Super League cycle served that purpose of giving them game time, but with that set to be scrapped – or is it? – there’s no surety.All said, the Dutch aren’t using this as an excuse. In fact, they’ve tried to pack a punch; much of it centered around developing good vibes and culture within the group. They begin every training session with a huddle where one member of the group hands over a SOUL hat – Selflessness, Ownership, Unity, Learning – to another member whose work ethic and attitude on the previous day was worthy of the honor.It isn’t necessarily just restricted to the playing XI; it includes coaches, reserve players, other non-playing staff – essentially anyone who imbibed those team values the previous day.Wellington-born Logan van Beek was house mates with Tom Latham and Matt Henry as youngsters coming through•Getty ImagesAt the World Cup Qualifiers, every player had a miniature oar, an instrument used to row boats, that they placed at the centre of their meeting room when they had a declaration to make. Like de Leede did ahead of that game against Scotland, where he declared, “I am going to do something special today.” Eight hours later, he had sealed Netherlands’ World Cup spot with a five-for and a blistering hundred in a mammoth chase.This culture and camaraderie building exercise is massively important because most players don’t play together for much of the year. The absence of professional full-time contracts has forced players to look for opportunities elsewhere, like in the county circuit.Or in some cases, like Nidamanuru or Sybrand Engelbrecht, who retired from the game in 2016 to pursue an MBA, in the corporate sphere. Engelbrecht played in an Under-19 World Cup final 15 years ago, against Virat Kohli. All these years later, the itch to realise a dream he couldn’t fulfil with South Africa has brought him back.

“For now, any game time is good game time. Every game the biggest they’ll ever play. Every ‘W’ next to their name as big a moment as they’d ever experience”

At the end of their camp in Bengaluru late September, the four net bowlers they’d hired through a talent hunt programme that involved scouring through more than 10,000 applicants, were cheered in unison by the entire group as they ran in to bowl their last ball. Videos were shared for posterity, souvenirs signed for memory, the genuine warmth and gratitude palpable. The culture that flows from the top was also flows back from the bottom.In a long tournament, the importance of this can’t be understated. Saturday was an optional session, but for the four players who didn’t make the XI against Pakistan, it was an opportunity as big as any other. To not just develop their game, but contribute in whatever capacity they can. Like even picking up all the balls and putting them back into the ball boxes after training (every ball costs a lot of money, which is at a premium for a board like KNCB that rely heavily on ICC funding).This in a nutshell is the Associate life. But they do it willingly, in the hope of being loved back by the very fraternity that can make them feel like outsiders. For now, any game time is good game time. Every game the biggest they’ll ever play. Every ‘W’ next to their name as big a moment as they’d ever experience.

The Australia pace bowler has made peace with the fact that she may never play another Test, but as far as other formats go, she still has plenty left in the tank

Andrew McGlashan26-Sep-2023Megan Schutt is realistic that her Test match days are over, but hopes to be able to extend her international career through to the 2025 ODI World Cup in India.Schutt played the last of her four Tests in 2019 against England and has since missed the day-night encounter with India in 2021 after the birth of her daughter and the most recent two Ashes matches due to being omitted.Australia have two Tests coming up this season – an away fixture against India, which is set to be a day-night game in December, then a home clash against South Africa in Perth starting February 15 – but Schutt does not expect to feature in either.It was the omission from the Canberra Test in early 2022, which was partly attributed to workloads ahead of the ODI World Cup, that stung the most but Schutt is now at ease with where she stands.”I think Test cricket’s gone, which I’m completely at peace with,” she told ESPNcricinfo. “I was probably disappointed to miss out at Manuka…I wasn’t bitter about it but was disappointed. Since then I’ve realised as a person, as a player, how my body’s tracking, it’s probably not my format anymore.Related

• Swing in, speak out: the story of Megan Schutt

• Wyatt withdraws from Perth Scorchers WBBL deal due to fatigue

• The new 'Invincibles' add more glory to their extraordinary era

• 'My brain was hurting after that day of cricket'

• The first WBBL draft: what will the teams want?

“I’m pretty realistic in knowing that when the ball stops swinging I’m not overly dangerous. Only being a new-ball bowler who is pretty easy to play out at 100-110 clicks [kph] if it’s not doing anything is probably not what you need in a Test side.”I’m obviously there to do the job if I ever get called up, I believe I’ll be on standby and those sorts of things…[but] I’m at peace with it if I never play another Test. I’ve got to be part of some pretty cool Test matches.”Schutt added that although Australia play more than most, the lack of Tests in the women’s game made it easier to accept.”It sounds weird, but if it was something we played once every series and I was missing out that would hurt more,” she said. “The way I see it, it’s team first. I completely understand that; I wouldn’t pick me in the XI, either, so I’m pretty realistic about it. I’ve never really had a sad moment. It’s a bit disappointing but I’ve got a baggy green, so I’ve done what I wanted to do.”That does not mean Schutt hasn’t got more she wants to achieve in an international career that began in 2012. Her main ambition is to reach the next ODI World Cup in India and sign off at a global event, with next year’s T20 edition in Bangladesh one of the markers along the way.Schutt has played in three ODI World Cups although the last two years have been relatively lean for her in the format with 15 wickets at 38.46 from 17 outings since the start of 2022 and just two in five matches since the previous World Cup in New Zealand.Megan Schutt played the last of her four Tests back in 2019•Getty Images”Ideally I’d love another couple of years in Australian colours. I would love to get to 2025 and finish on a World Cup,” she said. “That’s the goal, whether it’s achievable body-wise, whether CA will want me, those are the hurdles that you don’t know are coming.”Before that, and even if Test cricket is no longer on the agenda, Schutt embarks on a season that will be the most hectic players will have faced. The WNCL is already underway, and Australia start their international summer against West Indies in Sydney on Sunday.There is then the WBBL – where Schutt will be a key part of defending champions Adelaide Strikers – before the multi-format tour of India. Coming back from that, Australia will head almost straight into another multi-format home series against South Africa. If the WPL remains in the same position on the calendar, that will follow quickly for those involved.It’s not only Australian players part of an increasingly busy schedule, with some England and India stars now opting not to take part in certain tournaments. Smriti Mandhana, who Schutt revealed Strikers did have talks with ahead of the WBBL draft, will again be absent from the competition while Nat Sciver-Brunt did not put her name in.

“I’m pretty realistic in knowing that when the ball stops swinging I’m not overly dangerous. Only being a new-ball bowler who is pretty easy to play out at 100-110 clicks [kph] if it’s not doing anything is probably not what you need in a Test side”Megan Schutt is aware of her limitations

“Our schedule as a whole is pretty intimidating to be honest,” Schutt said. “It’s a bit of a different case for me, having a wife and child at home. That definitely affects my decisions and what I’ll choose to play in the future. But just having the choice is probably the ultimate opportunity in itself.”There’s so many leagues now that if someone does want to do the T20 circuit, that’s bloody awesome. If they have the body and desire to keep doing that then that’s cool. But it’s definitely daunting and something we’ve discussed with our coaches about how we are going to manage ourselves.”One particularly challenging period for Schutt this season will be the trip to India which is over Christmas and New Year, a rare occasion of Australian cricketers touring in that window. Schutt confirmed she would make herself available, but admitted it came with difficulties.”I’ll be available. It’s against a major nation in tough conditions, I’m not going to opt out, but it will be extremely sad,” she said. “I’m not going lie, I hate the fact it’s over Christmas. If there was some way around it where we could come earlier or later I’d try move around it, but we can’t do that. We’ve just got to suck it up and get over there.Schutt celebrates the 2022 World Cup win with her wife and daughter•Getty Images”It’s a little bit different when you have a two-year-old at home and Christmas is all about kids rather than yourself and that will be the hard part, being away from them. I truly don’t really care for Christmas other than my family. But it’s just a part of it, we understand that’s how the schedule has to go.”First up for Schutt, however, will be a landmark outing. Her next T20I will be the 100th of her career, making her the sixth Australian (behind Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen and Aaron Finch) and first specialist pace bowler to reach that milestone. Schutt, who was unaware of her impending century, already sits top of the charts in T20I wicket-taking with 128 at 16.46 and an economy of 6.35.”It’s a really cool reflection in that when I first debuted for Australia I probably didn’t deserve it,” she said. “I didn’t have the work ethic, didn’t have the skill level, I just happened to be able to swing a ball and that’s what they needed at the time.”Had you told me then, or even a few years into it, that I would be a mainstay and play that many games, I’d have told you no chance. I didn’t know that was coming up so makes me feel extra old, but also really cool that T20 is the most fickle format and I’ve been able to play 99 games.”

Match-defining hundred at Lord’s finally shifts narrative away from World Cup head-to-head with Brook

Vithushan Ehantharajah15-Sep-2023Harry Brook was back in the pavilion, a restless 10 off 15 taking his series tally to an unconvincing 37 from three innings. Jason Roy was leaning on the pitch-side bench below the England balcony, a dicky back keeping him out of this final ODI against New Zealand.Meanwhile, Dawid Malan, very much the third party when this selectorial first presented itself a few weeks ago, raised his bat and helmet in their general direction after coming through for his fifth ODI hundred. And just like that, the narrative finally shifted in Malan’s favour.It had been coming. Laments of a Brook-less provisional World Cup squad had gone quiet, partly because the point had been made, partly because of the run of low scores. But the focus on who he might replace fixed strongest on Malan. Roy, a hero of 2019, coming into this series as the team’s leading 50-over run-scorer since that triumph, looked set. Though a loss of T20 form had seen him miss out on 2022’s T20 World Cup, a second successive snub felt unjustified on form, and unnecessarily cruel on feel.Related

• Malan-Brook shoot-out intrigues, but form of England veterans remains the major focus

• Roy loses his England ODI record; will it be his World Cup place next?

• Dawid Malan century cements his status as England seal 100-run win

• Southee fractures bone in right thumb during Lord's ODI

But with Roy unable to take the field once again against New Zealand, an uncomfortable sense of waiting for Malan to fail has dissipated. Malan himself was all too aware of that sentiment. Asked if it had fuelled this absurd run, capped off with 127 off 114 deliveries to give him 277 runs at an average of 92.33 in the last seven days, he offered a telling, “Maybe.”Malan continued: “It’s satisfying from my point of view to be able to silence some people who have always got some negative things to say. But that’s the game – my job is to score runs and as long as I can keep doing that, hopefully I can keep the support from inside the changing room, because I always felt backed from the guys that matter inside there.”I need to be careful – I’m probably going to give another good headline here. It is what it is. I guess when you try and break into a team as good as this white-ball team has been with the Roots, the Stokes, the Bairstows, Roys, Buttlers – it’s incredibly tough and you have to score runs. I guess whenever there is a spot under scrutiny it’s always going to be the guys pushing for those spots, and that’s just the territory because those guys have been so good for so many years. All I can do is score runs and hope that that matters.”Scores of 54 and 96 restated his worth, missing the second ODI in between for the birth of his son. Such was the appetite to not let a moment slip, he made himself available for The Oval after Dawid Johannes Malan V arrived earlier than the September 12 due date. Both Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott offered Malan time at home, but both he and his partner decided against it.”Speaking to my wife as well, we thought it was the right thing to come back and try and push for this, score some runs and secure your spot for that World Cup,” Malan said, having just been handed both the player of the match and the series award, and a Hamley’s bag with a cuddly panda for his son – a gift from a cousin who was in attendance at Lord’s. “Thankfully, it’s come off and I think I’m on babysitting duties when I turn up.”Malan leads the team off after his Player of the Match display•Getty ImagesFriday’s knock ticked plenty of boxes: carrying England to an insurmountable total, taking him past a thousand runs in the format, and getting his name on the honour’s board at Lord’s, which he feels he did not do enough in 13 years here as a Middlesex player. Only three other ODI batters have reached four figures in fewer than his 21 innings, and just Quinton De Kock and Imam-ul-Haq registered five centuries across that same span.”You either have to be an absolute freak or you have to be so consistent you keep your name in the hat,” Malan said of his England status. “I’ve had to be that consistent one, and thankfully I’ve been able to do that at times in my career.”It’s worth noting Malan outshone the freaks this time. Much like the innings at The Oval, he pushed the envelope, this time without Ben Stokes hogging the limelight at the other end – the allrounder safely packed away after emphatically marking his unretirement on Wednesday.The scorecard tells a pretty comprehensive story: the next highest scorers were Glenn Phillips (41) and Rachin Ravindra, while Jos Buttler was the only other English batter to make it past 30. Brook’s laboured final audition did not look as bad set against Joe Root’s peculiar 29 off 40 deliveries. Never has England’s generational great looked so out of touch, dropped twice, on 7 and 8. But it at least served to highlight just how in command Malan was.He was better than a run-a-ball for most of his knock, providing 36 of England’s 56 in the Power Play. The half-century came off 50, the full one off 96, albeit with a fortuitous edge just beyond a diving Tom Latham behind the stumps which took him from 95 to 99. That was one of the few missteps in a dominant knock, until he reached for a wide delivery from Ravindra and edged behind. Even then, it was a minor victory for the left-arm spinner, who had been carted for one of Malan’s three sixes, all swatted into the stands at midwicket.From Buttler and Mott’s point of view, what awkwardness there has been in the build-up to this World Cup has at least given them one dead cert 20 days out from their opener in Ahmedabad against New Zealand. For all the legacy of Roy and limitless potential of Brook, Malan has funnelled the pressure productively to highlight the value of being a man of the present among ones of the past and future.It now seems likely Roy will be added to the Ireland squad to get a hit in the first of three matches, with the first ODI taking place in Leeds on Wednesday. Brook is already part of the squad, setting us up for one last bunfight before the World Cup 15 is ratified next week.”When I got the call I was told ‘you’re going to the World Cup’, you know,” Malan said. “Then obviously there’s a little bit of noise leading up to it, but that’s part and parcel of World Cups and how we’re going to the World Cup. That’s being a professional cricketer. Until you’re on the plane, you never really know if you’re on it or not.”Well, Malan has silenced that noise as far as he is concerned, and can go ahead and print his boarding pass for that flight to India on September 27.

The stakes are higher than ever, and the stage is set for Jonny to be Jonny

Vithushan Ehantharajah04-Jul-2023The international schedule rightly gets a hammering for matches backing up on to one another. But all praise to it for ensuring we only have one more day of “spirit of cricket” discourse.Alex Carey’s Sunday stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s will have ideally run out of fumes by the time the third Test gets underway on Thursday. The actual cricket could not come back soon enough.That will certainly be how both protagonists feel. And though Carey might be the man in the sightlines of the frothier pearl-clutchers, he has the best insulation. The laws help keep the conscience clear, the 2-0 scoreline gives comfort of a job well done. One win away from enacting Australia’s first overseas Ashes win since 2001 keeping him focused.For Bairstow, things are not quite as clear cut. His mood is said to be pretty much as you would expect. And as such, his England team-mates are getting around him. On Tuesday evening, they head over to his house for a barbecue, which has become a loose tradition when the squad is up in these parts. Having numbers over will provide relief from the noise. But it would not be a surprise if some of them use the opportunity to wind him up a little further. Such is the situation England find themselves in, with three must-win games in a row, they need the angry Bairstow more than ever.Related

Cummins: England should focus on themselves, and not spirit of cricket

Broad to Cummins: 'All these boos are for you'

Travis Head claims Bairstow tried to dismiss him in a similar manner

Pope ruled out for rest of Ashes following shoulder dislocation

McCullum: Bairstow dismissal will 'galvanise' England in Ashes comeback bid

“Jonny does thrive off things like this,” Joe Root said on Tuesday at Headingley, a homecoming for both of them as well as Harry Brook. “Playing at his ground, I’m sure he will want to entertain the local crowd. I think it is set up nicely for him but you have still got to go and do it. You can bet your bottom dollar he will have the bit between his teeth.”When asked of Bairstow’s current mood, Root, who has played alongside Bairstow since Under-12 level at Yorkshire, opted for sarcasm: “No, he has been really placid,” before adding, “you can spot him from a mile off.” No one wears anger as obviously.The general awareness of Bairstow’s frame of mind is a good thing at a time like this. “Jonny is Jonny” is a phrase you often hear when asking after him. Essentially, an answer acknowledging the motivation of the question, with a knowing nod to how things are. Not too dissimilar from “it is what it is”.A rekindling of his talents in 2022 – 681 runs for the summer, four centuries, at an average of 75.66 – was down to Ben Stokes’s empathy, recognising exactly what Bairstow needs to thrive. After an eight-month spell out with a broken leg, Bairstow’s belief and ball-striking remain undimmed. But a reaction is needed from the most pugnacious cricketers going. No one wants it more than him, partcularly against these opponents.Bairstow has one of the more peculiar relationship with Australia. On statistics alone, they are a bit of an oddity, averaging more there (32.29) than he does over here (27.45). Both of his Ashes hundreds have been scored in Australia, a place where few modern English batters have excelled.His first taste of this rivalry came in 2013, playing the first four Tests in a forgettable 3-0 England win. A second, more bitter taste was around the corner during the 2013-14 whitewash. Bairstow, who replaced Matt Prior behind the stumps for the final two matches, was so on the periphery as England’s most successful collection of players of the modern era tore themselves apart that he often got mistaken for a Barmy Army supporter when walking the streets in team stash.Jonny Bairstow is back on home turf at Headingley•Getty ImagesThen there was the “headbutt” that wasn’t to Cameron Bancroft at the very start of the 2017-18 tour. A quieter 2019, saw him pitch in with an underrated 36 during the great Headingley heist, outscoring Stokes in a partnership of 86 for the fifth wicket.And then there was last Ashes, in 2021-22, when Bairstow was heckled and told to lose weight by an Australian fan as he returned to the pavilion at Sydney. He went on to score the only England century of the tour.The on- and off-field incidents of this series could end up trumping the lot. A fine opening knock of 78 was overshadowed by some lacklustre glovework, allowing Australia to triumph by two wickets in the first Test and restarting the Ben Foakes bandwagon.An over into the second, he was carrying a Just Stop Oil protester back to the Grandstand with one hand. Between that and idly strolling out of his crease was another tough spell as keeper, taking his byes this series to 31. He failed to make those runs up in front of the stumps, with an avoidable dismissal in the first inning as he punched Josh Hazlewood to mid-on for 16.Have we ever been more certain that Bairstow is going to do something this week in what will be his 93rd Test cap? His team-mates believe something special is in the offing.”You want to be watching every ball this week,” Root said. “There is always something in these big series and this is it I guess. And it would have to involve Jonny. What a week he had.”It was last year at Edgbaston that Bairstow previously dialled himself up to 11. He walked out against with England 44 for 3 after India had posted 416 in their first innings. Virat Kohli decided to engage Bairstow in some typically frosty back and forth. Bairstow responded with a 72-ball century and followed it up with an unbeaten 114 in the second innings to chase down 378.This time around, the stakes are even higher. An Ashes on the line, Australia and Australians gunning for him, Bairstow will step into his home ground with every corner mimicking the fervour of the Western Terrace knowing his country needs him more than ever before.The stage is set for Jonny to be Jonny.

Who’s likely to attract the biggest bids? Which players have missed out? And who’s the auctioneer?

Ashish Pant18-Dec-2023An auction…again? Is it similar to the one held last year?
It is, yes. A mini auction, the last one before the IPL goes into another mega auction ahead of IPL 2025. The 10 IPL teams have retained and traded a set of players and will be looking to fill their remaining slots. This auction is different to the mega auction that was held the year before last. At a mini auction, the core of a team remains largely unchanged as they try to find the right balance and plug holes.Related

Saudi Arabia dipping its toes into cricket might be the start of something big

Bayliss to skip Sydney Thunder's BBL match against Adelaide Strikers for IPL auction

IPL 2024 auction: From Mitchell Starc to Shahrukh Khan, the potential top buys

IPL 2024 auction: Five uncapped Indians to watch out for

IPL 2024 auction: Titans' Hardik-sized hole, and other key positions the teams need to fill

Sounds interesting. So how many slots are available?
According to the BCCI, a total of 1166 players registered for this year’s auction, of which the teams have shortlisted 333 names: 214 Indians and 119 overseas players. Of these 116 players are capped, 215 are uncapped, and two players are from Associate nations. A total of 77 slots across the 10 teams remain to be filled. Of these, 30 are reserved for overseas players.Awesome. When and where will this auction be held?
December 19 in Dubai, the first time that the auction is being held overseas.There has been a lot of money talk so far. How much does each team have left to spend?
Gujarat Titans have the maximum money, of any team, left in their purse: INR 38.15 crore (USD 4.6 million approx.) and have to fill eight slots (two overseas). Lucknow Super Giants have the smallest available purse: INR 13.15 crore (USD 1.58 million approx.) with which to fill six slots (two overseas). The franchises have a combined remaining purse of INR 262.95 crore (USD 31.58 million approx.) Here are some of the positions each team needs to fill.ESPNcricinfo LtdWowza. Big numbers. How does the auction process work?
The players have been divided into 19 different sets based on their specialisation: batter, allrounder, fast bowler, spinner, wicketkeeper. Capped and uncapped players will alternate after a few sets.A total of 23 players have registered themselves in the highest base price bracket – INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approx). Some of them include Mitchell Starc, Travis Head, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur. Thirteen players have listed their base price at INR 1.5 crore (USD 180,000 approx).Any big names missing this time?
The English trio of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jofra Archer have all withdrawn from the IPL this year to manage their workloads. There is no Kedar Jadhav in the pruned list, while Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan’s names are also missing.Which players could teams break the bank for?
Starc’s name will probably be top-most on this list. The fast bowler returns to the IPL after an eight-year break and could well fetch big money at the auction. Rachin Ravindra has set his base price at INR 50 lakh (USD 60,000 approx), and could end up earning many multiples of that amount, given the kind of ODI World Cup he’s just had. Here are some of the players for whom there could be fierce bidding wars.Any uncapped players to keep an eye on?
There could be a few that are highly sought-after, among them Arshin Kulkarni, Kumar Kushagra and Musheer Khan. Who? Read more about them here.Mitchell Starc could be celebrating in much the same way if he sparks a bidding war on December 19•AFP/Getty ImagesRighto. But what is this retained/traded list that has been mentioned?
Here is the full list of players retained, released and traded before the trading window closed on November 26.Unlike in previous years, the trading window witnessed a couple of last-minute bombshells. Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal. He was subsequently appointed Mumbai captain as well. Mumbai also traded Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore. Here’s an explainer on how these trades work.Amazing. Can teams still release or trade players ahead of the auction?
No, the retention/release deadline is over. However, according to the IPL’s rules, the player trading window starts a month after a season ends, and stays open up to a week before the auction date, and then continues up until a month before the start of the next season. Trading will be possible again from December 20, the day after the auction, for up to a month before the 2024 season begins.Lastly, who is the auctioneer?
It will be Mallika Sagar, who recently hosted the WPL auction on December 9. She takes over from Hugh Edmeades and is the first woman auctioneer in 16 years of the IPL.When will the IPL auction begin and where can we watch it?
The player auction will take place at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai, starting 11.30am local time (1:00pm IST). It will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network* on TV, and also live-streamed on the JioCinema app.

His highest ODI score or his longest ODI innings

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2023With Virat Kohli becoming the first to score 50 ODI hundreds, we are asking you to pick his best century in the format. From eight shortlisted hundreds, we are now down to the final four. The innings with more votes in this match-up moves to the final round in our bracket.Voting for this match-up has ended. The 183 vs Pakistan in Mirpur moves to the final round.

183 (148) vs Pakistan, Asia Cup, Mirpur, 2012

Less than a month after his Hobart heroics, Kohli helped chase down a 300-plus total again with room to spare. Pakistan had set India 330, and Gautam Gambhir was out for a duck second-ball. Kohli flicked, he glanced, he drove and cut his way to what remains his highest ODI score. You could already see the ability to switch gears and combine busy accumulation with authoritative strokeplay. People christened him the master of the chase: it was just his seventh hundred in a successful chase. There would be many more to come.

160*(159) vs South Africa, 3rd ODI, Cape Town, 2018

A tough pitch was no hindrance to Kohli during a run in which he scored a record tally of 558 in a bilateral ODI series. He made three hundreds in six innings, with the 160* in Cape Town being the pick of them. Kohli put in a masterclass even as the batters around him struggled against the pace and bounce of South Africa’s bowling attack. After consolidating in the middle overs, he accelerated in the final ten, taking India from 223 for 4 to 303 for 6. He made more than half of India’s total and ran for 100 of his runs in the dry heat. South Africa were bundled out for 179, just 19 more runs than what Kohli made himself.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The 2018 Kerala floods damaged the house her family was building, but the league has now changed her life for the better

S Sudarshanan16-Mar-2024Minnu Mani was a batter when she started playing cricket and made her debut for Kerala’s senior team at 15. But as she rose through the ranks, she realised having a second skill will help. So, in the Under-19 camps, she started working on her bowling as well. Little did she know that she would break into the WPL and India team as a bowling allrounder.In the inaugural WPL auction, both Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore bid for Mani, who listed herself as an allrounder. Her base price was INR 10 lakh, and RCB raised it before Capitals eventually selected her for INR 30 lakh (approx. US $36,192). The presence of Biju George, Capitals’ fielding coach who has also coached Kerala, at the auction table, only helped. In WPL 2023, Mani, who is a left-hander while batting and bowls offspin, bowled all of three overs in the season. She batted in two games and made only three appearances overall.Mani received a maiden T20I call-up for the tour of Bangladesh in what was India’s first international assignment after the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup. She made her debut in the first T20I, and finished the three-match series with five wickets but did not get too many chances with the bat.Related

'Proud' Mandhana lauds RCB's fighting spirit: 'I just want to say, ee sala cup namdu'

Mature Mandhana rides the WPL storm in two contrasting seasons

Perry: 'We're lucky to play in front of such big and fanatical crowds'

RCB spinners and Perry stun Mumbai to seal berth in WPL 2024 final

WPL final: Of hope, inspiration and the prospect of a new champion

Mani was the first woman from Kerala to play for India. The municipality of Mananthavady in Wayanad district, where she hails from, celebrated it by naming the main junction after her.She came into WPL 2024 after leading Kerala to a semi-final finish in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, where she picked up seven wickets in eight games. But after two wicketless outings in the first three matches, she was left out of the XI. Which is when the Capitals captain Meg Lanning came to help her.”Meg Lanning came to me and helped me with my bowling,” Mani told ESPNcricinfo after Capitals sealed a direct entry to the WPL final for the second year in a row. “When I was going through my spot-bowling routines, she guided me. She kept her cap on the spot and asked me to land the ball around that area. She explained to me what could be expected of me in a match scenario, and asked me to execute plans during those sessions. That boosted my confidence, self-belief – everything.”Mani was brought back for Capitals’ last league match against Gujarat Giants, and she picked up her first wickets in the WPL. She tossed one up and gone it to rip through Ashleigh Gardner’s defence to knock her over. In her next over, a ball after being hit for a six, she bowled a quicker one and had Phoebe Litchfield caught at mid-on. Two overs, nine runs, two wickets – the back of Giants’ batting broken; job done for Capitals.”After taking my first WPL wicket, I was so happy because I did not do well when I got chances early on, and was then sitting out for a few games,” Mani says. “Lanning and coach Lisa Keightley were constantly working on my bowling, and so in the game against Giants, I tried to do what we worked on, and was delighted to get the result.”Minnu Mani has played four T20Is for India so far•BCBMani belongs to the Kurichiya tribe, where girls aren’t always allowed to leave the house or mingle and play with the boys. It was Elasamma Baby, her physical education teacher in school, who first spotted her talent and enrolled her into the Wayanad District Cricket Association. Until then, Mani had only played with her cousins in the paddy fields. She practiced hard before and after school – even on Sundays – in the guise of “extra classes”. Her parents came to know of it only after she was selected for Wayanad district.Mani’s hometown of Mananthavady did not have training facilities; she had to go to Krishnagiri for coaching, which was one-and-a-half hours away. She had to change four buses to reach the stadium. The coaches there, as well as the Kerala Cricket Association secretary, also spotted her talent and asked her to enroll herself into the Kerala Cricket Academy, which also had hostel facilities. That enabled her to manage cricket as well as studies.Mani took care of the cricket but continued facing challenges off the field. Like the Kerala floods of 2018. While it had little impact on her cricket – the Wayanad District Cricket Association had arranged for her stay in the stadium to avoid travelling – the house her family was building was washed away due to a landslide. WPL then changed her life for the better.

“There has been a difference in performance after meeting Meg Lanning. She always makes her players comfortable, and keeps things simple – in the match as well at practice”Minnu Mani on her Delhi Capitals captain

“For us, it’s a huge amount because we can’t dream of it,” Mani says of her INR 30 lakh deal. “My parents had taken a loan from the bank to build the house. But after the basement was built, the landslide washed it away. After the WPL, I also got my match fees for state games, and I also played for India. So I earned a little more money than every year, which was a big shock for my parents because they had only dreamt of these amounts. We used the money to clear the debts, and thanks to the WPL, our financial worries have reduced.”The WPL not only helped Mani improve her cricket but also her communication skills. She had grown up watching Lanning lead and do well for Australia. When she came to Capitals’ set-up, Mani was quiet.”There was a bit of language problem for me, so I was not talking properly or sharing anything to anyone. This year I feel much better and comfortable, and have improved my [English] language also. So I am able to speak with all the foreign players,” she says with a smile.”At the same time, I am getting to learn more about myself and my game, and am coming out of my [comfort] zone. There has also been a difference in performance after meeting Lanning. She always makes her players comfortable, and keeps things simple – in the match as well at practice. She used to tell us that don’t think too much or don’t complicate yourself; just keep it simple and focus on the process.”Capitals fell short in the inaugural season, and they now have another shot at a WPL title. Whether Mani lines up in the XI or not, her parents will have an eye on the TV to watch her team in action. And that is a far cry from the days where she had to hide her cricketing interests from them.

And who was the fastest player to a hundred Test caps?

Steven Lynch20-Feb-2024Was Ben Duckett’s century in Rajkot the fastest for England in a Test against India? asked Glenn Daniels from England

Ben Duckett reached three figures in Rajkot in just 88 balls. There are only seven hundreds for England known to have been faster than that, and none of them came against India.Of England’s faster hundreds overall, two of them – both in 86 balls – were by Ian Botham against Australia in 1981. England’s quickest of all remains 76 balls, by Gilbert Jessop in a famous innings at The Oval in 1902.Duckett reached his century in Rajkot from the fifth ball of the 26th over, the earliest in any England innings, beating Crawley in Rawalpindi, where he reached three figures from the last ball of the 29th over. The earliest any batter has reached 100 in a Test innings is 19.4 overs, by David Warner for Australia against India in Perth in 2011-12. (There are several Tests for which we lack ball-by-ball details, but it seems unlikely this one will have been bettered.)The others are all by Duckett’s fellow exponents of Bazball: Jonny Bairstow (77 balls against New Zealand at Trent Bridge in 2022), Harry Brook (80 vs Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2022-23), Ben Stokes (85 vs New Zealand at Lord’s in 2015) and Zak Crawley (86 in the same innings as Brook, against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2022-23).England’s previous-fastest hundred against India was by Graham Gooch, in 95 balls at Lord’s in 1990 (this was in the second innings, after his monumental 333 in the first). Mohammad Azharuddin also made an 88-ball century in that Lord’s game, but the fastest-known for either side in England-India Tests to date came in 86, by Kapil Dev in Kanpur in 1981-82 . For a list of the fastest Test centuries by balls, click here. There are many Test matches for which we do not have full balls-faced details.With Ben Stokes playing his 100th Test match, I wondered who was the fastest (and slowest) to reach a century of caps? asked Mark Illingworth from England

Ben Stokes became the 16th England player to appear in 100 Tests when he took the field for last week’s match against India in Rajkot. It took him just over ten years, from his debut against Australia in Adelaide in December 2013.The fastest to 100 Test caps in terms of time is Alastair Cook, in around seven years and nine months from his debut in Nagpur in March 2006 . It’s a measure of how often England play these days that they provide the five fastest to 100 caps: Cook, Joe Root (December 2012 to February 2021), Andrew Strauss (May 2004 to August 2012), Kevin Pietersen (July 2005 to November 2013) and Stuart Broad (December 2007 to November 2016). The fastest non-Englishman is Australia’s Mark Waugh, in just under nine years (January 25, 1991, to January 2, 2000).Cook’s Essex guru Graham Gooch took the longest to get to 100 – about 17.5 years from July 1975 to January 1993. Clive Lloyd and Geoff Boycott also took more than 17 years. Boycott was the oldest to reach 100 caps – he was around three months short of his 41st birthday in the Ashes Test at Lord’s in 1981. And Cook was the youngest – he was a fortnight shy of his 29th birthday when he played his 100th Test in December 2013, breaking a record previously held by Sachin Tendulkar (29 in 2002).In the second Test at Seddon Park, the very first ball of the match was bowled by one captain to the other. How often has this happened? asked Keith Martin from New Zealand

You’re right that the opening delivery of the second Test in Hamilton last week was bowled by New Zealand’s Tim Southee to his rival captain, South Africa’s Neil Brand. This was the first such instance since 2002-03, when Shaun Pollock, of South Africa sent down the first ball in Centurion to Sri Lanka’s skipper Marvan Atapattu.There had been only nine cases before that, five of them involving Imran Khan for Pakistan against India: on three occasions (all in 1982-83) he bowled the first ball to Sunil Gavaskar, and twice in 1989-90 to one of Gavaskar’s successors, Kris Srikkanth.It seems to be something of a Pakistan specialty, as Wasim Akram did it twice (to Mark Taylor of Australia in Brisbane in 1995-96, and Mike Atherton of England at The Oval in 1996), while back in 1958-59 Fazal Mahmood bowled the first ball of a Test in Lahore to West Indies’ Gerry Alexander.The first such instance was almost 100 years ago, at Lord’s in June 1924, when Arthur Gilligan of England bowled the first ball of the match to South Africa’s Herbie Taylor.Will O’Rourke’s haul of 9 for 93 in the second Test again South Africa is the best match return for any New Zealand debutant•Hannah Peters / GettyAlex Carey took eight catches in a Marsh Cup tie the other day. Was this a record for a one-day game? asked Kelvin Nickson from Australia

Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey took eight catches in South Australia’s match against Queensland in Adelaide last week. This equalled the List A record, set by Somerset’s Derek Taylor against Combined Universities in Taunton in 1982, and matched by Jamie Pipe for Worcestershire vs Hertfordshire in Hertford in 2001.There are two other instances of a wicketkeeper making eight dismissals in a List A match, with some stumpings involved. The former South African keeper Steve Palframan collected five catches and three stumpings for Boland against Easterns in Paarl in 1997-98, and Peter Nevill had six and two for New South Wales against a Cricket Australia XI at Hurstville Oval in Sydney in 2017-18.The men’s ODI record is six dismissals in an innings, which has happened on 16 occasions – six of them by Adam Gilchrist. There are also four cases of six in women’s ODIs.Has anyone taken more wickets on debut for New Zealand than Will O’Rourke? asked Nick Templeton from Scotland

The Surrey-born seamer Will O’Rourke finished with 9 for 93 in his first Test, against South Africa in Hamilton last week. This turns out to be the best match return for a New Zealand debutant, beating the 8 for 188 of offspinner Mark Craig, against West Indies in Kingston in 2014.Paul Wiseman (1997-98), Colin de Grandhomme (2016-17), Ajaz Patel (2018-19) and Will Somerville (in the next Test in 2018-19) all took seven wickets in their first Test.With 5 for 34 in Hamilton, O’Rourke is one of only ten men to take five wickets in an innings on Test debut for New Zealand. Only four of them achieved the feat before 2007: those that have done it since include O’Rourke’s current captain Tim Southee, with 5 for 55 against England in Napier in 2007-08, and de Grandhomme, whose 6 for 41 against Pakistan in Christchurch in 2016-17 remain New Zealand’s best innings figures on debut.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

All the stats as Bangladesh successfully defend 106 against Nepal in Kingstown

Sampath Bandarupalli17-Jun-2024106 The total Bangladesh defended against Nepal, the lowest any team has successfully defended at the men’s T20 World Cup in a full 20-over game. The previous such total was 113 for 6, defended by South Africa against Bangladesh in New York last week.2 Number of totals lower than Bangladesh’s 106 successfully defended in a full 20-over men’s T20I by a Full Member. West Indies defended their 96 for 9 against Ireland in 2014, and Zimbabwe 105 all out against West Indies in 2010.21 Dot balls bowled by Tanzim Hasan Sakib, the most by any bowler in a men’s T20 World Cup game. The previous highest was 20 by nine bowlers, including seven in the ongoing edition.Related

• Bangladesh bowlers step up again as batters go AWOL

3 Number of men’s T20 World Cup matches where both the teams got bowled out, including Bangladesh and Nepal at the Kingstown. The previous instances were Australia and Pakistan at Gros Islet in 2010, and Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Chattogram in 2014.7 Runs conceded by Tanzim as well as Mustafizur Rahman against Nepal, the joint-fewest for Bangladesh in a men’s T20I while bowling four overs. They levelled with Rishad Hossain, who did that against USA in Houston earlier this year.85 Nepal’s total against Bangladesh, the third-lowest all-out total in men’s T20Is to feature a fifty partnership. The lowest is 76 by Norway against Germany in 2021 despite a 59-run stand for the eighth wicket, while Cameroon also got bowled out for 76 against Ghana in 2022 despite a 52-run opening partnership.ESPNcricinfo LtdAt the men’s T20 World Cup, the previous lowest all-out total that had a fifty partnership was 101 by Ireland against Sri Lanka in 2021.106 Bangladesh’s total against Nepal, the second-lowest by a Full Member against an Associate at the men’s T20 World Cup. The lowest is 88 all out by England against Netherlands in 2014.Bangladesh’s 106 all out is also the fifth-lowest in men’s T20Is by a Full Member against an Associate. Bangladesh’s previous lowest was 108 all out against Hong Kong in T20 World Cup 2014.

Alan Gardner is joined by Andrew Miller and Matt Roller to review England’s World Cup exit and look at who’s in the Test squad to face West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2024England’s T20 World Cup defence came to an emphatic end at the semi-final stage with a 68-run defeat to India in Guyana. Following the completion of the tournament, Alan Gardner and Andrew Miller were joined by Matt Roller to look at where things went wrong and what the future holds for Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott. There was also time to discuss some new faces in the Test squad as attention turns to the series against West Indies starting next week.