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There were rumours about Rising Pune being a bickering and uninterested unit because of off-field decisions, but amid the noise, the think-tank addressed the underlying issue of how to win games

Arun Venugopal in Hyderabad20-May-20174:06

Tait: Dhoni is spiritual leader of Pune

On the morning of Rising Pune Supergiant’s game against Delhi Daredevils on April 11, Manoj Tiwary received a phone call that informed him that his father had died. Tiwary planned to spend time with his father after the IPL, but cancer had ruined them. His family urged him to play that night but Tiwary did not want to stay in Pune when his mind was in Kolkata.He did not watch much of the game, but was touched by a gesture from his Rising Pune team-mates. “I want to thank the team and all the players because they showed respect by wearing black armbands in the match,” Tiwary told ESPNcricinfo. “Everybody came up to me and made sure I was okay. The team members make sure they engage you in different ways so that you don’t keep thinking about it.”When Tiwary returned to the team, for the game against Gujarat Lions, there was gloom on the field as well. Rising Pune lost their third successive game by a significant margin, and their victory over Mumbai Indians in their first game seemed an aberration. They had finished seventh last season and jokes about their no-hoper status resurfaced.There were rumours about Rising Pune being a bickering and uninterested unit, as a result of decisions the franchise had taken before the start of the season. MS Dhoni had been removed from captaincy and replaced by Steven Smith, and provocative tweets from the team owner’s brother on the leadership issue did not improve public perception.Amid the noise, Rising Pune’s think-tank was trying to address the underlying issue – how to win games. Before their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, their coach Stephen Fleming drew something like a flowchart that listed traits of successful and unsuccessful teams. Tiwary was so impressed by the illustration that he took a photograph of it, so that he could revisit the lesson when needed.”Fleming mentioned that three things come into the mindset of the players when we go through bad performances: lack of confidence, lack of belief, and lack of fun,” Tiwary said. “There are selection issues as well, with a lot of chopping and changing happening in the first XI. There are more meetings and inconsistency in behaviour. All this results in us spending too much energy on things we don’t need at that point of time.”When we sat together ahead of this IPL, there were a lot of expectations and hope. Fleming wanted us to have a similar thought process even after we lost three games. That gave us a clear message about how to go about things, rather than sulking and panicking over the losses. After that game, we didn’t look back.”Tiwary was referring to the fixture at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where Rising Pune defended 161. It set the formula for the team’s combination.Rahul Tripathi has played a key role at the top of the order•BCCIRising Pune went on a hot streak, as old and new heroes played a part in winning nine out of their next 11 games. In Rahul Tripathi, the team’s second highest run-scorer, they found a robust opener to make up for Ajinkya Rahane’s off-colour season. In Jaydev Unadkat, who had played only two IPL games, for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils, in the last two years, they found a contender for the Purple cap. He has 22 wickets at present. In 17-year old Washington Sundar, signed as replacement for R Ashwin, they found a bowler for the tough overs; he was Man of the Match in the first qualifier. Dan Christian and Lockie Ferguson stepped up as well.Rising Pune’s story is not only about surprise packages, though. Their big guns boomed too, and they don’t come much bigger than Ben Stokes and Imran Tahir, who was signed as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh and finished with 18 wickets.When Stokes was bought for INR 14.5 crore at the auction in February, a Rising Pune official said the franchise wouldn’t have minded paying a crore more for him. His rationale was that Stokes would have earned his wages if he won seven league games on his own. He was ultimately not far off that fanciful mark.Stokes finished with 316 runs from 11 innings, including a hundred and a fifty, at a strike-rate of nearly 143 and claimed 12 wickets. He was Man of the Match thrice and had an important role in at least two other wins. That Rising Pune did not suffer for his and Tahir’s absence in the first Qualifier wasn’t a surprise either. The result was indicative of the team’s depth and the strong leadership of Fleming, Smith and Dhoni.While Fleming runs team meetings, Smith, along with Dhoni, has made sure there were few communication gaps on the field. The equation between captain and predecessor – frosty? indifferent? – had been a major talking point in the lead up to the season. In reality, Smith and Dhoni’s working relationship has appeared professional and dignified. Smith backed Dhoni to overcome his patchy batting form, and hasn’t been averse to hearing a suggestion or two from the former captain.Baba Aparajith, a young batsman in his second season with Rising Pune, said there was no change in the way Dhoni conducted himself. “Some may think I am saying this for the sake of political correctness, but that’s not the case,” Aparajith, who was with the Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in the past, said. “To tell you the truth, he’s a wonderful human being and he provides the same inputs and makes the same contributions.”Tiwary said the way Dhoni and Smith had handled a potentially awkward situation was a lesson for youngsters. “I know whatever he [Dhoni] has been asked to do, he has done that,” Tiwary said. “It’s something we have to learn from him, because as youngsters we all get so emotional. When things don’t go our way – there is so much written on social media – you just get your frustrations out immediately.”After captaining for so many years, it’s not an easy thing to just hang back. It’s a natural instinct of a born leader and also he is a wicketkeeper who has very good ideas from behind the stumps. So whenever he sees something, he goes up to Smith or makes a personal adjustment on the field. It’s something Smith has handled really well too. He is open to all the suggestions.”In the Kings XI Punjab game, after Shardul [Thakur] bowled three overs, Smith was giving the ball to Sundar. I went up to Smith and said Shardul was in good rhythm and asked him to ensure he bowls four overs [on the trot] because he had anyway not bowled in the slog in the previous game. Steve gave the ball to Shardul and it nearly paid off because the first ball went past MS and Dan Christian”.Jaydev Unadkat believes team spirit has been key to their resurgence this season•BCCIUnadkat said he had been a beneficiary of Smith’s leadership as well. In the away game against Mumbai Indians, Unadkat was trusted with the final over to defend 17, and was undecided between bowling cutters – his strength – or deliveries like wide yorkers. Smith told him to back his cutters. Unadkat dismissed Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma and Rising Pune won by three runs.”At times it has happened that Smithy has wanted me to do something, and I told him ‘No, I will do what I am good at’ and he has backed me for that. It has been a two-way communication,” Unadkat said. “At times he felt something but I felt differently and vice-versa, but we have always been on the same page.”It was also important to have the backing from Mahi as well. He has been critical at times, even when I got those wickets in the Sunrisers match. When I got hit for a six in between he came and said you cannot get hit by this batsman, you are [too] good for that. Those points keep you tight in the situation and the team has been lucky to have such leaders in the team.”The key traits that players attribute the turnaround to are professionalism and care. Aparajith said Rising Pune had started looking ahead at 2017 during the final stages of their failed campaign last year. New players were tried and at the end of the 2016 season the players were given a fitness programme to follow. “That showed their professionalism and clarity of purpose,” Aparajith said. “They knew the direction they were heading towards and they had the hunger to win.”Unadkat said Rising Pune was one of the better franchises he’s played for in terms of camaraderie. Stokes nicknamed him the “mango-shake man” for supplying drinks for the team while in Rajkot. Small gestures like these, according to Unadkat, went a long way towards bringing the players closer.”We have some good banter in the team and he [Stokes] is one guy who keeps the atmosphere light,” Unadkat said. “We became close during this period of five-six weeks when he was here. He has been very supportive and he liked what I did on the field. He still keeps wishing us well on our team chat groups and eggs us on to do better. It feels nice to know someone like him at a closer level. Same with someone like Dan [Christian], who I have known for some time.”Such a bond develops only if you have a connection with the guy, or if you feel that you are a part of the team. If you do some gestures like this [making milkshakes] – not for the sake of doing it, but from the heart – it is always heart-warming for them as well to see someone is caring for them. You give love, you get love.”Despite their qualification for the final, Rising Pune won’t exist next year. Their contract with the IPL was for two years only, but that isn’t on the players’ mind. Neither is the weight of playing in the final.”The talk has been to remain calm and composed rather than be too aggressive and get carried away,” Unadkat said. “Doing more than what we need to at times is also not good. That has been the talk in the team – to keep things simple not to worry too much about it being a Qualifier or an Eliminator. I think it has worked for us”.

He wasn’t Australia’s most consistent bowler, but when he was on top of his game he was unstoppable

S Rajesh17-Nov-2015The matchwinnerWhen he was at his best, there were few more compelling sights in cricket than Mitchell Johnson bowling at full pelt: he was among the quickest around, he bowled a fearsome bouncer, and his ability to intimidate was second to none. Consistency wasn’t his strongest suit, but that unpredictability made him even more exciting to watch. He finishes as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs for Australia, which in itself is tremendous given the number of high-quality bowlers who have played for Australia, but Johnson’s biggest attribute wasn’t just the number of wickets he took, but the number of games he won for Australia: in the last eight years (which is the duration of his Test career), no player won more Man-of-the-Match awards in Tests than Johnson – along with Kumar Sangakkara and Dale Steyn, he won nine, which is the highest during this period.

When Johnson bowled well, Australia usually won Test matches. Not only did he take plenty of wickets, he also took them quickly, giving the Australian batsmen plenty of time to overhaul the opposition totals to set up the wins. In the 39 Test wins that Johnson was involved in, he took 198 wickets at 21.72, whereas in defeats his average ballooned to 40.68.Johnson’s strike rate of 42.2 in wins is even more impressive than his average, though. His tendency to always attack and look for wickets ensured that even though he went for a few runs, a dismissal was never far away. Among the 24 bowlers who have taken 100 or more wickets in wins since the beginning of 2000, only two – Steyn and Muttiah Muralitharan – have a better strike rate than Johnson’s 42.2; among the 16 Australian bowlers who have taken at least 100 Test wickets in wins, only one – his idol Dennis Lillee – has a better strike rate. And his career strike rate of 51.1 balls per wicket is the best among the 21 Australian bowlers with at least 150 Test wickets, even though his average is only 14th among that lot.

The inconsistencyJohnson’s highs touched stratospheric levels, but from time to time he also struggled to piece it all together, and his career lows were as infuriating as the highs were intoxicating. His finished with a career average that was closer to 30 than to 20, largely due to periods when form and confidence deserted him. In the period between July 2010 and the end of 2011, he leaked almost 46 runs per wicket over 13 Test matches, taking only 35 wickets. He also conceded 3.7 runs per over during this period, giving the team neither control nor wickets. In the five series he played during this period, be averaged more than 35 in four, and more than 50 in three.When he returned to the team a year later, though, he found his mojo again, and over the next two years was at the top of his game. England were demolished in the home Ashes in 2013-14, and just to prove that wasn’t a fluke performance, he repeated the dose in South Africa early in 2014. In those two series he took 59 wickets from just eight Tests, at an average of 15.23 and a strike rate of 32 balls per wicket. Nearly half the five-fors he took in his entire career came during this eight-Test period.

Johnson’s overall career numbers also reveal an affinity for bouncy pitches, and an aversion for surfaces that were slower and offering less bounce. In 42 Tests in Australia and South Africa, Johnson claimed a rich bounty of 212 wickets – that’s more than five wickets per Test – averaging 25.44 runs per wicket, about three runs better than his career average. In England and in Asia, though, those numbers dropped significantly: from 24 Tests, he took only 71 wickets – that’s three per game – at an average of 38.36. His average in Asia was 40.36 from 12 Tests, which doesn’t compare favourably with Steyn (average 22.66 from 20 Tests in Asia) or Anderson (28.29 in 17 Tests in Asia).

The best during his best yearsClearly, Johnson wasn’t the most consistent fast bowler Australia have ever had, but at his best he was irresistible, and better than anyone else. Between 2012 and mid-2015, when Johnson was at the top of his game, his Test stats were better than any other bowler, pace or spin. In 19 Tests during this period, he averaged more than five wickets per match, and less than 21 runs per wicket. Among all bowlers with at least 50 wickets, the next-best average was Steyn’s 21.88, while the best among spinners were Pragyan Ojha (24.96) and Yasir Shah (25.11).

The head-to-head recordsJohnson didn’t have a preference in terms of bowling to right- or left-hand batsmen – he averaged 27.33 against right-hand batsmen and 28.33 against the lefties – but the list below shows he had a mixed record against some of the top batsmen he bowled to. He dominated Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Smith, Ian Bell and Rahul Dravid, but didn’t do so well against Kumar Sangakkara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Mahela Jayawardene. He has dismissed Alastair Cook and AB de Villiers a fair number of times, but they’ve also scored runs against him. Among the next lot of top batsmen, Virat Kohli and Joe Root both average in the 40s against him, but Kane Williamson has been outstanding against him, scoring 138 runs from 134 balls, without being dismissed. All of those runs have come in the ongoing series – they had never played each other in a Test before.

The ODI bowlerJohnson’s attacking style of bowling wasn’t always the best recipe in ODIs, but the ability to take wickets came in handy in that format as well. Among all bowlers who have bowled at least 500 overs since the beginning of 2006 (which is the period when Johnson played 152 of his 153 ODIs), Johnson’s average of 24.99 is sixth among all bowlers, and third among fast bowlers, after Morne Morkel and Nathan Bracken. The strike rate of 31.1 balls per wicket is fourth overall, with only Ajantha Mendis, Morne Morkel and Brett Lee doing better.Surprisingly, Johnson did much better in Asia in this format than he did in Tests. His 84 wickets in Asia is the third-highest among non-Asian fast bowlers, next only to Courtney Walsh (94) and Heath Streak (85), while his bowling average of 21.89 in Asia is third among bowlers who have bowled at least 250 overs in the continent. (There are 122 bowlers who make the cut.) The only ones better than him are Saqlain Mushtaq and Ajantha Mendis.

More numbers2 Number of left-arm fast bowlers who took more Test wickets than Johnson; only Wasim Akram (414) and Chaminda Vaas (355) took more wickets. Also, the number of times Johnson won the ICC Player of the Year award; the only other player to win it more than once is Ricky Ponting (also twice).37 Wickets Johnson took in the 2013-14 Ashes series – the most by a fast bowler in an Ashes series since Terry Alderman (41) in 1989.13.97 Johnson’s bowling average in the 2013-14 Ashes series – the fourth-best for any bowler who bowled at least 120 overs in an Ashes series.2065 Test runs by Johnson in addition to his 313 wickets; he is one of the only two Australia players, and one of the 13 overall, with 2000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests.8/61 Johnson’s bowling figures in the first innings of the Perth Test in 2008 – the best figures ever by a left-arm fast bowler in a Test innings.64 Wickets by Mitchell Johnson against South Africa in Tests – equals the highest by any fast bowler against them since their return to Test cricket.80 Wickets by Mitchell Johnson in the fourth innings of Tests in just 39 innings – the second-highest by any fast bowler after Glenn McGrath’s 103 wickets.

Plays of the day from Lahore Lions’ last league match against Perth Scorchers

Devashish Fuloria30-Sep-2014The jailbreak
Things had gone pear-shaped for Lahore Lions from the start. They had lost one of their key players, Ahmed Shehzad, to sickness, lost the crucial toss, lost Nasir Jamshed to the third ball of the afternoon, lost their other opener in the same over after a 43-minute rain break and showed no sign of recovery thereafter. At 11 for 4, things were looking rather bleak for Lions. That’s when Umar Akmal arrived and broke the shackles with successive boundaries off Yasir Arafat and finally got the innings in motion.The distraction
In the context of how low-scoring this match was, and the net run rate calculations that would determine whether or not they reached the semifinals, Lions would have welcomed the two extra runs. Saad Nasim flicked an Arafat delivery behind square on the leg side and it looked as if the fielder running in from deep square leg was set to cut it off. Just as he might have been looking to put in the dive, though, the fielder noticed the crane-mounted camera – it was a safe distance away – in his peripheral vision and stopped, covering his head, and let the ball slip through to the boundary.The field placement
Lahore Lions needed early wickets. They did not have the cushion of runs. The result: Test-match fields from the outset. As Mohammad Hafeez came in to bowl, he had a slip, a short leg and a silly point in place. And they were immediately into action. Hafeez got one to dart in from round the wicket and as Craig Simmons pushed outside the line, the thick inside edge was gobbled up by Umar Siddiq at short legThe howler
Sam Whiteman had walked to the crease at the fall of Simmons’ wicket and with close-in fields, he knew what to expect. Still, he made exactly the same mistake as Simmons had the previous ball, playing outside the line of an angled delivery from Hafeez. Simmons had been unlucky to be given out bat-pad though – the ball had not touched the bat at all. However, for Whiteman, there was a clear inside edge and Siddiq grabbed another smart catch at short leg. Lions had two wickets in two balls. Except umpire Rod Tucker completely missed it this time.

By Shahzaib Quraishi, USA

Nikita Bastian25-Feb-2013By Shahzaib Quraishi, USAAnother Twenty20 league has come and gone. While the Bangladesh Cricket Board did a decent job of putting on a good show – within a reasonably limited amount of time, and with just enough teams to make the tournament competitive yet not long-drawn – there were more cons than pros.The first news to come out of the Bangladesh Premier League threatened the integrity of the tournament itself, with Dhaka Gladiators’ Mashrafe Mortaza reporting an approach from a fellow cricketer regarding potential spot-fixing. Later on, there was an arrest made of a man suspected to be involved in fixing in the league. ‘Innocent until proven guilty’ and all that aside, this seriously put a cloud of doubt over the matches played.Payments to players had also been raised as an issue, but this is not unique to the BPL. The now defunct Indian Cricket League had similar problems and even the Sri Lanka board had been under considerable pressure until recently to release overdue payments for its contracted players.What surprised me the most, though, was the general lack of any serious contributions from young, unknown Bangladesh players. Here the unearthing of a ‘star in the making’ was woefully missing, unlike the IPL, which, for all its faults, has given India young hopefuls like R Ashwin, Varun Aaron and Rahul Sharma. Australia’s Big Bash League had some noteworthy local performers as well, like Travis Birt and Ben Edmondson. For sure, it brought some international careers that were considered as good as dead back to life, as in the case of Brad Hogg. But where was any of this in the BPL? Here are the stats:1. Only one of the top-ten run-getters was local (Shakib Al Hasan at No. 10), three of the top 15 (Shakib, Mohammad Ashraful and Junaid Siddique), and five of the top 20 (Shakib, Ashraful, Junaid, Mushfiqur Rahim and Nasir Hossain), none of whom are new to the national setup.2. Among the top 20 wicket-takers, there was only one Bangladesh bowler who does not bowl left-arm spin: Mortaza. Again, Mortaza is no stranger to the legions of Bangladesh cricket fans, and is in no way a “find”. This just highlights the dependency of Bangladesh cricket on left-arm spinners, the lack of variation in any prospective attack.3. No Bangladesh player scored more than one half-century in the tournament. At a time when more consistency is needed from the batsmen, this is as bad a piece of news as any.4. Perhaps the lack of big scores from local players could be attributed to this: in only three innings (for Chittagong in the tournament’s second match, and for Rajshahi in the fourth and ninth matches) out of a possible 66, were both openers local. That is a measly 4.54%.5. In the four semi-final innings, and the two innings in the final, only Barisal Burners had three local batsmen in the top six. All other teams had at least four overseas players slotted in from No. 1 to No. 6, with Khulna Royal Bengals playing four out of four foreign players from No. 1 to No. 4 in the second semi-final.The greatest good to come out of the BPL was young local players rubbing shoulders with players of the calibre of Chris Gayle, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Brad Hodge. One can say that overseas signings like Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed and Shahzaib Hassan were successful, but these players were themselves students in the BPL, not nearly experienced enough to impart any considerable knowledge. Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, meanwhile, were not available for long enough to have an impact.Any domestic tournament, like the BPL, looks to produce players for the national setup. Commercial success is usually a secondary aim. The BPL just might turn out to be a commercial success in the long-term but the current format, with five foreign players permitted in the playing XI, hardly allows any local players to make a name for themselves, grab the selectors’ attention, or push for a spot in the national team.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the one-off Twenty20 between West Indies and India at Port of Spain

Sriram Veera at Port of Spain04-Jun-2011The reaction of the day – I
It went off the bat. It really did. Surely, Shikhar Dhawan felt the impact? It was a short ball from Darren Sammy and Dhawan made a lame attempt at an upper cut. The ball lobbed up to the wicketkeeper, the umpire nodded his head to suggest it was out; perhaps he felt it was so clearly out that he didn’t have to raise the finger, but he had to since Dhawan didn’t budge. And as he trudged off ever so slowly, Dhawan even had a wry grin as though he had been wrongly given out. Strange.The reaction of the day – II
Lendl Simmons couldn’t believe it when he was given out. He was cramped for room by an offbreak from R Ashwin and the ball seemed to go off the thigh and bounce off Parthiv Patel’s helmet. Never mind whether there was an edge or not, since a batsman cannot be given out if the ball touches the external protective gear of a fielder. His partner Andre Fletcher even tried to argue the case, but the umpires did not agree. Perhaps they just didn’t see the impact with the helmet. Simmons had to depart. Shame.The effort of the day
It was a free-hit and S Badrinath lifted it to the left of long-off, but Ashley Nurse was in some mood. He dashed across, flung himself full-length to his left and caught the ball with both hands. It was an outstanding effort but he couldn’t help but touch the ropes before he managed to throw the ball inside the boundary. Pity.The flying turf of the day
It happened off the fifth delivery of the day. When Ravi Rampaul landed the ball on a length, a piece of the pitch flew up. It was the sign of things to come. It proved a slow turning track. If such surfaces persist through the series, things are going to be difficult for West Indies.The distraction of the day
It came from Chris Gayle. Dressed in a white costume, he was seen in the stands sitting with Jerome Taylor. As the game progressed, he tweeted that he planned to move to the Trini Posse stands. As the game neared the end, Gayle was seen there, mixing with the crowd and posing for photographs. Christopher Barnwell then launched a massive six and the cheer-girls, standing in front of Gayle, swayed ever so joyously. Gayle smiled and waved a small white towel that he held in his hands. Later he even tweeted: “WI Fans..Don’t worry about a thing,cause every little things gonna be alright…” (sic). Were the white flag and the tweet that followed signs that he has reached some sort of compromise with the board? Hope floats.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that a new world order is upon us but one thing has been re-established at Perth: Australia v India is the Test rivalry of the decade

Sambit Bal at the WACA19-Jan-2008

Australia must wonder why they always run into India when in full flow. The same opponents had halted them in 2001 by conjuring a miracle in Kolkata; now they have done one better by overwhelming them at the bastion of Australian supremacy. Perth didn’t quite live up to the hype, but it was still the paciest, bounciest track the Indians have experienced this summer and it is likely to remain so.More significantly, though, after a blip in Melbourne, a great rivalry has been restored to health. Just over four years ago India had taken a Test off Australia in Adelaide and now they have done it again. It would be ridiculous to suggest that a new world order is upon us but one thing has been re-established: Australia v India is the Test rivalry of the decade. England popped up spectacularly in 2005 but only India have been able to match, fight and beat Australia over a sustained period.Since India’s disastrous tour in 1991-92, the teams have met 21 times in Test cricket; the numbers now stand at 10-8 in Australia’s favour. In the corresponding period Australia’s record stands at 27-9 against England, 12-2 against Pakistan, 15-4 against South Africa and 9-1 against Sri Lanka. And India were the last team to humble Australia in a home Test.Till 2001, contests between India and Australia followed a familiar pattern: India were hopeless in Australia and Australia could never beat India in India. Steve Waugh’s team, though it lost that great series, actually started the change – Australia were two wicket-taking balls away from winning the series – and Sourav Ganguly’s Indians continued it during a magnificently competitive series in 2003-04.There was a real danger of this series ending as a washout. A less resilient side would have been shattered by the heartbreaking last-minute loss at Sydney, and the other distractions it brought. India are fortunate to have a man of Anil Kumble’s resolve and calm, and a bunch of steely senior players in the dressing room. Instead of licking their wounds when they retreated to Canberra after the stand-off, they renewed their spirit to fight on and found the calm to be able to do so. Kumble spoke after the win about the special bond within the team and this is as united a team as India have ever been.Kumble had no hesitation in ranking this win the greatest of his career and he is hardly off the mark. The good thing about this Indian side is that the wins have been getting better and better. Adelaide in 2003 was special because no one had given them a chance of competing against Australia before the series and, more so, because they were 85 for 4 in the first innings chasing 556. Like Kolkata, it had a touch of the miraculous to it. And of course, Australia had contributed to their defeat by some reckless batting.Not so here. This was a Test in which India looked Australia in the eye from the first session and never blinked. Apart from batting and bowling better than their opponents, they even caught more safely. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid showed what difference technique can make by batting through a challenging period when Brett Lee and Stuart Clark were at their best on the first day; when they failed in the second innings VVS Laxman stood up. Virender Sehwag’s two wickets in successive overs hastened India’s win but his contribution with the bat was equally vital. He got India off to quick starts in both innings and in fact had looked to have regained his form in the second innings. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still far from his booming best but this is his first tour of Australia and his restrained 38 in the second innings saved India from a collapse.

But the bowlers won India the match and, staggeringly, they outbowled their rivals. Even more staggeringly the bowling line-up, had injury not intervened, would have read Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel. Rarely has the gap between expectation and delivery been so huge in a positive sense. Even though Perth was expected to deliver pace and bounce, the Indians always knew they had to do it with swing and, irrespective of what the pitch did, they were prepared to throw it up.Teamwork has been a feature of India’s recent wins and, as in Trent Bridge and Delhi, there were no singular performances here. Wasim Jaffer and Sourav Ganguly were the only failures of the match, and even Jaffer played his part in the first innings. It’s a sign of strength and a healthy departure from the not-so-distant past when they were over-reliant on individual brilliance.The result in Perth was also a victory for world cricket and there were few Australian journalists in the press box who were not alive to the fact; they were even prepared to rejoice over it. Australia’s dominance has been boring and unhealthy and, even though this is not a sign of a decline, to see them challenged itself is uplifting.The Australian season began in misery with Sri Lanka belying their promise. Now, Test cricket is alive again. The trophy has been won but there is a series that can be shared. Adelaide is a salivating prospect.

Under his ownership, Sultans went on to become the most consistent franchise in the league

Danyal Rasool06-Jul-2023

Multan Sultans owner Alamgir Tareen has died in Lahore by suicide at the age of 63. Alamgir, who bought the Sultans franchise in 2018, was found dead at his home in Lahore on Thursday morning. Police said a hand-written note had been found on the site, and news of his passing was confirmed by the franchise.”It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved team owner, Alamgir Khan Tareen,” a Multan Sultans statement said on Twitter. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Tareen’s family. We request you all to kindly respect his family’s privacy. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”Lahore Qalandars, who won the title this year against Tareen’s Sultans, also issued a statement of condolence.”Lahore Qalandars management is shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Mr. Alamgir Tareen,” the statement read. “This loss leaves a significant void within the cricket community. We offer our heartfelt support to his family and Multan Sultans to navigate this challenging time. May the departed soul rest in peace, and may their loved ones find strength and solace in the memories shared and the legacy left behind.”Alamgir acquired the Sultans franchise in 2018 along with his nephew Ali Khan Tareen, the son of influential Pakistani businessman and politician Jahangir Tareen. The Tareen family has long had roots in the South Punjab region that Multan is the capital of.He was an influential businessman in South Punjab in his own right, and operated a large water purification plant in Pakistan. The Sultans website described him as a “sports enthusiast who wanted to work towards establishing a solid platform for aspiring sportsmen and women and to provide them with the best possible resources to further develop their skills.”Alamgir, who went to university in the US, was influenced by the data-heavy strategies used by American franchises across several sports, and was pivotal in adapting that to the Sultans in the Pakistan Super League. Under his ownership, Sultans went on to become the most consistent franchise in the league, reaching each of the last three finals and winning the title in 2021. That year, he bought out Ali Tareen’s share, taking full, sole ownership of the franchise.If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide or self-harm, know that there is help available. Please visit Umang Pakistan

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Antes mesmo das perguntas começarem a serem feitas na coletiva após a conquista do Campeonato Gaúcho por parte do Grêmio, o técnico Renato Gaúcho foi homenageado pelo clube. Ele ganhou uma placa e uma camisa em comemoração aos 700 jogos disputados pelo Imortal entre as funções de jogador e técnico.

A honraria foi entregue pelo presidente do clube, Alberto Guerra, em conjunto com uma camisa com o número 700 e o nome do comandante do Tricolor gaúcho.

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>Conquista do Gauchão é o nono título de Renato no Grêmio como treinador

Ao todo, Renato tem 437 partidas (retrospecto de 230 vitórias, 115 empates e 92 derrotas) depois da aposentadoria como atleta, além dos 262 duelos (146 triunfos, 77 resultados de igualdade e 49 reveses) dentro da época que era jogador.

Depois de receber a homenagem a qual Guerra afirmou ser uma surpresa, Renato chegou a brincar com a situação, arrancando risadas de praticamente todos que estavam na sala de imprensa da Arena:

– Achei que era um aumento – disse o treinador.

Além da importância pensando na sequência de trabalho em ano em que o time retorna à primeira divisão do Campeonato Brasileiro, o título estadual foi a nona taça conquistada por Renato como técnico do Imortal. Ficando, assim, apenas atrás de Foguinho no topo da lista de treinadores com mais troféus no Grêmio.

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The analyst believes the American goalkeeper’s successful return to the Revolution could reignite his candidacy for the USMNT's No. 1 spot

Turner kept clean sheet in first match back with RevsLalas suggests Turner understands importance of club performances Notes other USMNT goalkeeper candidates haven't stepped up Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED

Former U.S. star Alexi Lalas praised Matt Turner’s clean sheet in New England’s 2-0 win over D.C. United, noting its significance as the USMNT’s starting goalkeeper spot remains unsettled. Turner, on loan from Olympique Lyon, made several key saves in his return to the Revolution.

“Obviously the big story was Matt Turner back,” Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. “I think he understands better than anybody that this is important and that he still is in the mix right now says a lot about the goalkeepers that haven't stepped up.

“And I know Matt Freeze had a good summer, but I don't necessarily think he's the answer. And I think if Matt Turner plays and plays well, and he did play well the other night, obviously got a shutout, albeit against a D.C. United team that is not very good.”

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The analyst highlighted that while the Revolution aren’t in the best shape, if Turner keeps up his performances and plays consistently, he’ll eventually solidify his position as the USMNT’s No. 1.

“But at this point, beggars can't be choosers, and New England has not been good,” Lalas added. “So, they got the 2-0 win. Matt Turner got the shutout. And I think that will, if he continues, lead to him being still with the incumbent and solidifying his position. And this is exactly what Matt Turner needed and maybe exactly what the New England Revolution needed going forward.”

Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite Matt Freese doing well at the Gold Cup, the USMNT have no clear No. 1 goalkeeper with Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, Patrick Schulte and Chris Brady all in the mix for the position. However, many critics and fans believe that Turner and Steffen are the frontrunners for the position.

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Turner will focus on building consistency with New England as the MLS season progresses and will face LAFC on Aug. 16 before travelling to face Columbus Crew on Aug. 23.

The left-arm bowler wants to bowl the fastest ball in the world

PTI09-Feb-2024India Under-19 seamer Naman Tiwari wants to bowl the fastest ball in the world. The inspiration has come from watching videos of the greats of the game and speaking to Jasprit Bumrah.Left-arm fast bowler Tiwari, who is grabbing headlines in the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, has found the tips he received from Bumrah at the NCA in Bengaluru working magic.Tiwari, who comes from Lucknow, has troubled batters with his yorkers and speed, grabbing ten wickets from five games so far, including two four-wicket hauls.Related

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“Bumrah is a source of inspiration for us,” Tiwari told PTI Bhasha on the sidelines of a practice session at Willowmoore Park Stadium. “I watch his bowling videos a lot. I have met him several times at the NCA and talked to him a lot about the mentality and skills of a bowler.”He explained a lot [of things to me], which have been useful. He told me how to bowl accurate yorkers, and I have worked a lot [on that aspect] following his advice. I have to work hard to bring more aggression in my bowling.”I try to learn something from every bowler I like. I try to understand and learn by watching his [Bumrah’s] videos. I like Shoaib Akhtar’s speed, Dale Steyn’s swing and Mitchell Starc’s aggression very much.”Tiwari originally wanted to become a batter but fewer opportunities turned him to bowling.”I started playing cricket as a batsman but I was not getting many chances,” he said. “That’s why I started bowling at an academy in Lucknow. Since I am left-handed, I became a left-arm fast bowler.”His father is an LIC agent and the pressure to focus on academics was immense given his middle-class background. But his heart was in cricket.”Papa always told me to focus on my studies. I was in seventh standard and wanted to play cricket. I asked my father to give me three years’ time to prove myself in cricket. My family is very happy with my success today.”Papa calls me every evening. Seeing them [family] happy makes me feel very good that I did not disappoint them.”Tiwari’s aim is to become a lethal fast bowler and play Test cricket for India.”One day I want to bowl the fastest ball in the world. I also want to play the World Cup with the senior team. But, for now, I have to focus on performance. I want to continuously improve my game because the challenges will be even bigger in the future and I will have to prepare my base to face them.Happy with the team’s performance so far in the Under-19 World Cup, Tiwari said that it was the result of the team effort.”So far, the performance of all the players has been very good. Especially in the semifinals against South Africa, we showed tremendous spirit. I am very happy with the way we are playing and will try to maintain this momentum in the final also.”Although I like all formats, I find Test cricket the most challenging. That’s where the real test of a bowler lies and I want to become a good Test cricketer in the future.”