Reactions to Kohli’s first Test hundred since November 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2023In the ongoing fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Virat Kohli scored his first Test hundred since November 2019. Here’s how social media reacted to it.

Welcome back Virat Kohli. This is a test century well received in many quarters. No 28.

— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) March 12, 2023

Even when he took 7 for 70, in the second Test against Sri Lanka, he had to share the limelight

Danyal Rasool27-Jul-2023Like that least favourite child parents simply don’t talk about unless they are in the running for a Nobel Prize, followers of Pakistan cricket don’t really bring up Noman Ali much. He’s a spinner, for one – a left armer at that. Quiet, under the radar. He’s not even like those flashy lower-order batters who entertain at the crease, and so devoid of the rub of the green that blesses so many Pakistan cricketers he even found a way to run himself out as a nightwatcher the previous Test. Oh, and he doesn’t really spin the ball that much. If you were conjuring up an unsexy cricketer in a lab, you would base it on Noman and then dial it down a bit.There’s always a reason not to talk about Noman, and on Thursday, Naseem Shah offered it up on a platter. Naseem is the anti-Noman. He’s a fast bowler with boyish good looks, pace to compete with the best, conventional and reverse swing with frightening control, and a hairline that takes pride of place among the pantheon of Pakistan fast bowlers. He’s got his whole career ahead of him, and no signs yet that he’s anywhere near the best version of himself. He will grow into his body, put on a bit more muscle, and gain both experience and confidence. His fandom, boyband-like in its devotion, will grow into a legion.But Noman is blessed with something that often eludes flashier, more talented cricketers: he understands perfectly both his role and his limitations. He only came into the side two years ago because Pakistan needed an extra spinner against South Africa, and hung around as Yasir Shah faded away, and Abrar Ahmed wasn’t yet ready. It’s a barren time for red-ball spin-bowling talent in Pakistan, and Noman knows when you’re that hard up, anything will do. Even the drip, drip, drip from a leaky faucet.Related

• Noman seven-for wraps up Pakistan's 2-0 victory

• Abdullah Shafique speeds down Pakistan Way

• Thrill, thrill Pakistan

Noman has had to do the jobs no one else will, and he’d done them without complaint, receiving little praise in return. Just three Tests ago, while New Zealand batted Pakistan out of the game across 195 dreary overs, Noman sent down 63. In 2022, on a placid pitch in Karachi against Australia, he bowled 48 for little reward. When he has got wickets, he’s been easily overshadowed – by Hasan Ali on debut, by Shaheen Afridi in Zimbabwe, and by an ICC pitch rating against Australia.This was a perfect Test match for Pakistan, but they weren’t getting wickets, and who could predict the weather in Colombo on day five? Pakistan had already lost a lot of time to rain and arguably dawdled on the declaration, and Sri Lanka had laid a respectable foundation with their openers. Naseem, Shaheen and Abrar had, of course, all been tried first, but when each returned empty-handed, Babar Azam threw the ball to Noman.Few could begrudge Nishan Madushka for falling to that first ball, in equal parts because of the quality of the delivery and the unlikeliness of the source of it. Noman found his radar immediately, drifting it in, landing it on middle, and getting it to grip just enough to beat the outside edge while still clipping the outer half of off stump. It wasn’t just effective, but it was – whisper it quietly – actually sexy.Perhaps Noman’s been doing this all along, and we just haven’t noticed, and maybe that says something about us just as much as it does about him. Because few will remember that ball, or the six others that helped blow the game open and ensure Pakistan didn’t need to play dice with the rain gods. For, at the other end, Naseem, while going wicketless, was sending down a spell for the ages. Just after lunch, he produced four maiden overs on the trot, somehow being attacker and container all in one, even as Noman picked up wickets from the other end. The spinner has held things up for the quicker bowlers for much of his career, but in a strange inversion, the lead actor was returning the favour to his supporting cast.Naseem Shah needed only six balls to pick up the last three Sri Lankan wickets•AFP/Getty ImagesEven so, as Noman picked up his fifth, sixth and seventh wickets, and whispers of ten began to echo around, the limelight still found reasons to stray away from him. Because Naseem was bowling a spell whose worth couldn’t be measured in numbers. The drama rose to a crescendo in the 62nd over. By this time, Naseem was getting the ball to reverse with a mastery that takes most a career to perfect. Three times he beat bat, three times Hawkeye showed the ball was reversing too much. As Naseem sunk his face into the Colombo dirt in despair, the technology had in effect told him he was simply too good to get that wicket.But Noman’s role, remarkable as it was, had come to a conclusion. Naseem hasn’t often been kept waiting for what he wants, and normal service resumed as the prince of Pakistan’s fast bowling took centre stage. Noman had cleared the path for a shot at the tail, removing the charmed Ramesh Mendis who had somehow survived that over from Naseem. It took the 20-year-old all off six deliveries to wrap up the final three.Even as Noman led the team off, the cameras showed what people really wanted to see. An extended shot of Naseem, surrounded by his team-mates as they laughed, joked, and played with his hair. The boy who got three wickets may have deserved more, but none would begrudge the man who picked up seven even a single one. Slow left-arm spin might not be glamorous, but there’s no taking the sheen off figures of 7 for 70. Only one visiting cricketer has ever managed to do better in an innings in Sri Lanka.And that, as Noman might be too modest to point out, is even rarer than a Nobel Prize.

The men’s eliminator saw 397 runs scored off 196 balls for the loss of only four wickets

Sampath Bandarupalli26-Aug-2023197 Target chased down by the Manchester Originals in the eliminator is now the highest chase in the Hundred. The previous highest target chase was 190 by Trent Rockets against Originals in the last edition.201 for 3 Originals’ total against the Southern Brave is now the joint-second highest in the Hundred. The highest is also by Originals, who made 208 for 5 against the Northern Superchargers last year. Superchargers also made 201 for 3 earlier this season against the Brave in Southampton.ESPNcricinfo Ltd397 Runs scored by Originals and Brave at The Oval on Saturday makes it the highest aggregate for a match in the Hundred. The previous highest was 393 runs between Superchargers and Originals at Headingley in 2022.5 Instances of a team losing a men’s T20 game after batting through the scheduled overs despite losing only one wicket, including Southern Brave on Saturday.1 Southern Brave became the first team in the Hundred to have three batters score fifties in the same innings. The top three of Brave – Finn Allen, Devon Conway and James Vince – are now only the fourth in men’s T20s to be on the losing side despite scoring 50-plus runs in the same innings.41 Balls needed for Originals to reach the 100-run mark. It is the joint-fastest team 100 in the Hundred, as the Originals equal their record, set against Northern Superchargers in last year’s away fixture.122 Partnership runs between Allen and Conway, the highest opening stand in the men’s Hundred. The previous highest was 121 by Quinton de Kock and Paul Stirling, also for Southern Brave against Welsh Fire in 2022.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe 122-run stand between Allen Conway is also the second highest in the men’s competition, behind the unbeaten 124 between Dawid Malan and D’Arcy Short for the second wicket for Rockets against Brave in 2021.0 Number of 170-plus totals by Southern Brave in the Hundred before this game. Their previous highest total in the competition was 168 for 5 against Birmingham Phoenix in the final of the 2021 season.Brave’s total of 196 for 1 in the eliminator was the fifth highest by any side in the Hundred. Batting first has been a rarity for Brave, contributing to their lack of big totals, as they have batted first only seven times in 27 matches.

Former captain pledges to be available for England tour after prioritising home T20 World Cup

Matt Roller20-Dec-2023Jason Holder says that his decision to make himself unavailable for West Indies’ Test series in Australia next month was prompted by his desire to focus on T20 cricket ahead of a World Cup on home soil in June 2024.Holder, who captained in 37 Tests between 2015 and 2020, does not feature in the 15-man squad named by Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Wednesday, which includes seven uncapped players, and for which Alzarri Joseph has been named as Kraigg Brathwaite’s deputy.Instead, Holder will be playing in the ILT20 in the UAE during January’s Test series, but has spoken extensively with the board in recent months and has made clear his desire to play Test cricket again after the World Cup.”By no means is this me turning my back on Test cricket,” Holder told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not curtains for me in Test cricket by any means. It’s my first time going through something like this and I felt that it was necessary to be as honest and as open with CWI as I possibly can. It was a very difficult decision: I just feel as though this is the right cricketing decision for me at this time.”It was a difficult one. But as much as I love Test cricket, I want to give myself the best chance of playing in that World Cup. I felt it was probably best to prioritise and focus on playing as much T20 cricket leading up to that as possible. I will probably sleep a little bit better knowing that I’ve given myself the best opportunity to do that.”CWI told players that, in order to be considered for World Cup selection, they needed to make themselves available for both the ongoing series against England and February’s T20Is in Australia. In doing so, Holder compromised his availability for the Big Bash League and will miss the end of the ILT20; playing the Test series in Australia on top of that would have ruled him out of the entire competition.Holder was an 18-year-old fan the last time that the Caribbean hosted a men’s ICC event, the 2010 World T20: “To see it unfold, particularly in Barbados, was a major spectacle for me,” he said. It is the prospect of featuring in the same tournament 14 years later which he identifies as the reason underpinning his decision to turn down January’s Test series.Holder has been in action for West Indies during the ongoing T20I series•Getty Images”I’ve never played a World Cup at home: I really, really want to be a part of it because I love playing in front of the fans in the Caribbean,” he added. “I think we’ve really got a good chance of lifting the trophy… the cricket that we’ve been playing in the last couple of months gives us real encouragement that we can go there and do something special. Why wouldn’t I want to give myself the best chance to be a part of it?”I’ve been an all-format player for probably the last eight or nine years. If you look at the current scope of the sport in general, it’s now a more common trend based on the dynamics of world cricket: everything is constantly evolving. There are leagues popping up here, there and everywhere and there are quite a number of options for players.”It all depends on what a player wants in terms of his career. It’s a profession, and there’s a massive window in terms of franchise cricket early in the year. The main part of my decision is to prioritise playing as much T20 cricket as I can leading up to the T20 World Cup – and of course, in doing so, there is also the opportunity to maximise your earnings.”The launch of the ILT20 and South Africa’s SA20 – which Holder featured in earlier this year – has contributed to January becoming saturated with T20 leagues, along with the BBL and the Bangladesh Premier League. Johnny Grave, CWI’s chief executive, believes that it represents a fundamental shift in the global game.Related

• Meet West Indies' new names: the seven uncapped players in Australia

• West Indies include seven uncapped players for Australia Tests

• Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph to return home early from ODI World Cup qualifier

• Holder: 'T10 is here to stay, so if you can't adapt, you'll always struggle'

• Andre Russell recalled to West Indies T20I squad after two-year absence

“That month has gone from being a southern hemisphere international window to now a very key month, with leagues fighting to get the best players,” Grave told ESPNcricinfo. “When you look at what’s on offer for five weeks’ work, it’s become a really compelling option for players at a certain stage of their careers.”CWI and Holder have been in open discussions about his availability in recent months, and the board announced last week that, along with Kyle Mayers and Nicholas Pooran, he had turned down a central contract for 2023-24. “I was disappointed that we couldn’t reach a common ground in me signing a central contract, but I understood why that wasn’t an option in the end,” he said.Holder’s decision gives other players the chance to perform in the Test series in Australia. Grave cited the example of West Indies’ tour to Bangladesh in early 2021, when a number of players opted out: Mayers – who, like Holder, will miss the Australia Tests – made his international breakthrough as a result. “Nobody is guaranteed a spot, and we want that competition for places,” Grave said.”We accept that players have to make choices and we hope that players understand that we also have to make choices. We’re not going to change the philosophy that we can’t guarantee any players selection for any international series. We’re certainly not moving on from Jason Holder, but him not being in Australia will create an opportunity for someone else to perform.”But Holder still hopes to be part of their three-Test tour of England in July and the two-match home series against South Africa that follows: “I will do everything possible to make myself eligible for those Test series and have spoken to the coach and selectors to reiterate that,” he said. That will include playing first-class cricket in the West Indies Championship – and, after going unsold in Tuesday’s IPL auction, potentially in England’s County Championship.Both Holder and Grave stressed that their conversations had been transparent, and CWI’s administration are conscious of the sport’s evolution “We’re not going to deny NOCs [No Objection Certificates] or get into public spats with players,” Grave said. “If they choose not to play for West Indies, we’re not going to try and punish them. We’ve moved on from those days.”West Indies squad for Australia Tests: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Alzarri Joseph, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie

David Warner will bow out of Tests as one of the best openers to have played for Australia, and perhaps the best opener of his era

Shiva Jayaraman31-Dec-2023David Warner will end his Test career as the fifth most prolific batter for Australia. With one Test left in his career, he’s scored 8695 runs at an average of 44.58. No opener has scored more runs for Australia in Tests than Warner. Warner went past Matthew Hayden’s 8625 runs for Australia in his penultimate Test at the MCG. Hayden is the only Australia opener to score more Test hundreds than Warner’s 26.For someone who was in danger of being straight-jacketed as a white-ball specialist in the early days of his career, Warner finishes with a handsome record in Tests: he is the fourth most prolific opener ever. Only Alastair Cook, Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Smith have made more runs in Tests as an opener. Australia fast-tracked Warner to T20Is – he made his debut even before he had played first-class cricket – because of his attacking style at the domestic level. Warner brought that style to his Test match batting as well, striking at 70.31 in the format. Among 35 batters to score 8000 or more Test runs, and those for whom strike-rate data is complete, only Virender Sehwag had a higher strike-rate.The best at a tough gigRemarkably, despite scoring at that clip Warner has been more enduring than any other opener in an era that has been largely difficult for openers. Since Warner’s debut, only seven other openers have survived long enough to score at least 3000 Test runs. Cook, who was an established opener for England long before Warner started, is the next most prolific opener with 6555 runs since Warner’s debut. Warner’s average of 45.08 is also easily higher than any of the above seven batters. With a lower cut-off of 2000 runs only Usman Khawaja and Rohit Sharma average higher than Warner.Warner also hit more hundreds than any other opener during his career. Warner’s 26 hundreds are ten more than Dimuth Karunaratne’s, who is the next-most prolific opener in terms of hundreds. Openers from New Zealand (22) and West Indies (18) and Bangladesh (12) have collectively hit fewer Test hundreds than Warner.ESPNcricinfo LtdBetter home than awayWarner was undoubtedly a better batter at home than he was away on tour. He scored 5336 runs as an opener at an average of 58.63. Among 21 openers to have scored 3000 or more runs at home, none average higher than Warner. The next best is Len Hutton, whose 3885 runs as an opener in England came at an average of 57.98. Overall, Warner has scored 5347 runs in Australia at an average of 58.11. He made 3348 runs on away tours at an average of 32.50.Not that Warner didn’t have his highs playing outside Australia: in the 2013-14 series in South Africa, he made 543 runs at an average of 90.50 with three centuries and two fifties in six innings. Among visiting batters, only Neil Harvey has made more runs at a better average than Warner in a Test series in South Africa. Harvey made 660 runs at 132.0 in eight innings in 1949-50. Ken Barrington is the only other visiting batter to score 500 runs in a series in South Africa at a better average. Best phase That South Africa tour came at the beginning of Warner’s best phase in Test cricket, which started with the Ashes hundred at the Gabba in 2013-14. From that Ashes series to end of the home season in 2015-16, Warner wasn’t just the best opener at the Test level but was also among the top batters. He scored 3066 runs at an average of 62.57 and made those runs at a strike rate of 81.49 in 27 Tests in that period. No batter scored more runs in Tests than Warner during this time. Among 76 batters to have played at least 20 innings in that period, Warner’s average of 62.57 was the fourth-best, only behind Kane Williamson, Steven Smith and Angelo Mathews, who was ahead of Warner by the smallest of fractions.The Gabba hundred in the 2013-14 Ashes would be the first of the 13 hundreds he would make in a span of just 50 Test innings. That is as prolific a streak as any of the currently active batters have had. Steven Smith and Virat Kohli are the only other currently active batters to make 13 centuries in any span of successive 50 Test innings. Warner accumulated 3017 runs at an average 62.90. Apart from Warner, only four batters with active Test careers scored 3000 or more runs over 50 successive innings – Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Kane Williamson and Marnus Labuschagne. At his peak Warner rubbed shoulders with the best batters of this era.

Mumbai has been the go-to venue for women’s cricket in the recent years. But it’s a welcome change with Bengaluru hosting this WPL

Ashish Pant22-Feb-2024Grace Harris, the Australia and UP Warriorz batter, is on her fourth trip to India. She has barely seen anything beyond Mumbai’s Marine Drive and the route along the expressway to the DY Patil Stadium. Bengaluru, which is hosting the second edition of WPL, is a welcome change.Harris isn’t the only one. Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning, a global superstar who scorched the international scene for 13 years, hadn’t played any cricket in Bengaluru. On Thursday, the former Australia captain was at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the first time.It’s not like seasoned international players haven’t been keen on playing elsewhere. Mumbai had until now been the go-to venue for women’s cricket in recent years, because of logistical issues, Covid-19 pandemic, or crunched calendars. But with this year’s WPL, the BCCI has finally extended the canvas with the tournament equally split – 11 games each – between Bengaluru and New Delhi.Related

Fast and furious: How Ismail slayed the Giants

The WPL is changing how Indian players think about cricket

SB Keerthana gets her dreams back on track with WPL deal

Wyatt: 'When I'm playing at my best, it's seeing ball, hitting ball. Pretty cool'

Wong: 'Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield'

“I have not been to Bangalore before, so it’s nice to experience a new city,” Lanning said at the inaugural press conference on Thursday. “I have personally thoroughly enjoyed it thus far and I know the other girls have as well.”Like anywhere in India, they’re cricket mad…love their cricket and support it extremely well and that will certainly play out as the games go here. I think it is great that the WPL is able to move around and be in different cities to expose the game to different fans and new fans, hopefully.”I have only just sort of seen the stadium for the first time over the last couple of days, but it looks a pretty cool stadium. Hopefully, there are a lot of people here tomorrow night and throughout the tournament to experience the WPL. It is certainly a great spectacle.”Four of the five teams arrived in the city over ten days ago, camping at different hotels, and setting base at different training centers across the city. There have been no favours for even the supposed hosts, Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have had to at times travel an hour towards the outskirts to train at Just Cricket Academy near the international airport. That’s because teams have been allotted training sessions equally at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

""

King Queen #YehHaiNayiDilli #TATAWPL #ShahrukhKhan #MegLanning |… pic.twitter.com/iynVjwH1jg

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) February 22, 2024

Vanuatu women will become the first cricket team – male or female – from the country to play in a World Cup qualifier, in Abu Dhabi next week

Firdose Moonda19-Apr-2024When the Vanuatu women’s team walk out to play in their distinctive emerald green kit, with characteristic red and yellow hibiscus flowers – mirroring the colours of their country’s flag – they would normally also be sporting playing gear that is donated, borrowed or shared amongst the squad. But no more.The plan ahead of next week’s T20 World Cup Qualifier, which will be played in Abu Dhabi, was that the players would use part of their tour bonus to purchase their own equipment. Now, thanks to a crowd-funding campaign that raised 750,000 Vatu (the equivalent of USD 6,317 or AUD 9,865), not only will each member of the squad team receive their full tour payments, but they will also have a new player-grade kit; a bat, two pairs of gloves, pads and thigh guard.”I have been blown away by the interest, over the last week especially,” Tim Cutler, CEO of Vanuatu Cricket Association, told ESPNcricinfo from Australia, from where the squad will depart to the UAE. “I had thought of crowd-funding previously but might’ve discounted or de-prioritised it. It is definitely worth investigating more broadly. Honestly, I’m overwhelmed by the response.”The idea to start a public fundraiser was led by VCA operations manager Jamal Vira and marketing manager Hermione Vira and in part, likened to Iceland’s efforts in the recent past to raise £3000 to fund their national team. It was also driven by need. Vanuatu is a small country with a population of just over 300,000 and an economy driven by agriculture, tourism and a golden visa scheme. The VCA receives just under USD 500,000 from the ICC annually, which pays for “everything,” according to Cutler.That includes staff across four regions of the country, all the equipment used in schools and junior cricket, the upkeep of five owned or leased grounds and the running of all cricket programs from community participation to High Performance squads and international tours. It also pays for the 14 contracted men’s and four contracted women’s players, who now benefit from a scheme in Australia that allows them to work seasonally while playing and training there. Eight of the women’s squad of 15 that will participate in the T20 Qualifiers have spent the last six months earning money by picking fruit in Australia.The Vanuatu women’s team captain Selina Solman•Vanuatu Cricket AssociationTheir cricket gear is mostly all donated, either by companies or international players. “Bat repair Peter Duffy donates dozens of repaired player bats to Vanuatu every year,” Cutler said. “And for example, Hannah Darlington left one of her bats behind after the Indigenous Tour to Vanuatu in May 2023. Beyond that, usually, the VCA purchases the gear for the players to use.”But the team members have never before each had their own set of equipment. Now, a decade since they made their official international debut at an ICC East Asia Pacific (EAP) trophy in Japan in 2014, everyone in the touring group will have a tangible piece of memorabilia from a landmark tournament and gear they can use for future events.This is the first time a cricket team from Vanuatu – male or female – will play in a World Cup qualifier. Their men’s team finished third (out of four teams) at the EAP qualifier last July which was won by Papua New Guinea, who will play at the men’s T20 World Cup. The Vanuatu women’s team fared much better and secured their spots at the World Cup qualifier after winning all six matches in the East Asia Pacific Region Qualifier last September, including beating Papua New Guinea for the first time. The victory was significant not only because PNG are the dominant team in that area but because they are 11th on the ICC’s T20I rankings and Vanuatu are 30th. That means they will be the lowest-ranked team at the Qualifiers and understand they will compete “very much as underdogs,” Cutler said.But, having seen the power of their fundraising campaign and the interest the sport is generating in their country, their global standing is just a number. “Our women are the country’s highest-ranked sporting team – something I know they take a lot of pride in – and I fully expect them to surprise a lot of people in Abu Dhabi. We have a few players who I think are talented enough to play in any franchise league in the world, and knowing how close the team is, I am very excited to see them out there in front of the world.”Vanuatu have been drawn to play against Ireland, Zimbabwe, Netherlands and the UAE in Group B of the 10-team event. Group A includes Sri Lanka, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda and the USA. Each team will play the others in their group, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals. The two finalists will qualify for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in Bangladesh later this year.

The slowest T20 World Cup but with the most sixes, an unbeaten champion, and much more

Sampath Bandarupalli30-Jun-20247.09 – Overall run rate, which was the lowest at a men’s T20 World Cup. The previous lowest was 7.43 in the 2021 edition, played in the UAE.517 – Sixes hit in the tournament, making it the first T20 World Cup with 500-plus sixes. The previous highest was 405 in 2021.The balls-per-six ratio was 21.35, the best ever. Also, the ratio between fours and sixes hit at this World Cup was 1.86, the lowest across all the editions.Related

• Rohit and five other Indians headline ESPNcricinfo's team of the T20 World Cup

• Sometimes sports can be messy and without any explanation

• South Africa were winning, then came Jasprit Bumrah

• History weighs heavy as South Africa die another death

• Bumrah, Klaasen and SKY go flash, bam, alakazam

1 – India became the first team to win the men’s T20 World Cup without losing a game. India won all eight matches they played, with one – the group-stage game against Canada – abandoned without a toss.2 – Editions of the men’s T20 World Cup without an individual century: 2009 and 2024. The highest score in 2009 was an unbeaten 96 by Tillakaratne Dilshan in the semi-final game against West Indies, while Nicholas Pooran’s 98 versus Afghanistan was the highest in 2024.19 – Four-plus wicket hauls in 2024. That’s the highest at a men’s T20 World Cup, going past 14 in 2021.4.17 – Jasprit Bumrah’s economy rate at this World Cup, the best for anyone who has bowled 100-plus balls in a single edition of the men’s T20 World Cup. The most Bumrah conceded in the eight matches he played was 29 runs against Australia.3 – Difference between wickets taken and boundaries conceded by Bumrah at this World Cup. He took 15 wickets in the 29.4 overs he bowled, but only 12 boundaries, including two sixes, were scored off him.1 – Bumrah became the first to win the Player-of-the-Tournament award at a T20 World Cup – for men or for women – without scoring a run. Bumrah bagged a golden duck against Pakistan, the only time he had to bat in this tournament.Two players have done the same in ODI World Cups: Glenn McGrath in 2007, where he did not bat even once in 11 matches, and Mitchell Starc in 2015, when he faced three balls across three innings and did not score a run.14 – Number of dismissals for Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper. He took 13 catches and effected one stumping. No wicketkeeper (or player, for that matter) other than Pant has had even ten dismissals in a men’s T20 World Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd17 – Wickets for Arshdeep Singh and Fazalhaq Farooqi in this World Cup, the best ever. Both of them topped Wanindu Hasaranga’s mark of 16 in 2021.5 – Instances of teams winning despite scoring 120 or less in a full 20-over first innings at this World Cup.That had happened only once in the men’s T20 World Cup before 2024 – by Sri Lanka, who won after being bowled out for 119 against New Zealand in 2014.1 – Rohit Sharma is the first to win the men’s T20 World Cup both as a player (in 2007) and as a captain (in 2024). Daren Sammy won the title twice as a captain – in 2012 and 2016, while seven other West Indies players were part of those two wins under him: Marlon Samuels, Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree, Andre Russell and Denesh Ramdin.109.52 – Percentage increase in maiden overs at this World Cup and the previous highest. A total of 44 maiden overs were bowled in the 52 completed matches at this World Cup, while the previous highest was 21 across 27 games in 2012.The 44 maiden overs in the 2024 edition account for 28.95% of the total maidens bowled in men’s T20 World Cups.25 – Difference between balls taken for the two individual fifties in the final – Virat Kohli took 48 balls and Heinrich Klaasen took 23 balls. Klaasen’s 23-ball fifty is the fastest in an ICC tournament final, while Kohli’s 48-ball fifty was the slowest of his T20 career.5-3 – Afghanistan’s win-loss record at this World Cup. They bowled out their opponents in all five matches they won, the joint-highest for a team at a men’s T20 World Cup alongside Australia in 2010.Afghanistan were themselves bowled out in all three matches they lost, the joint-highest for a team at a men’s T20 World Cup.Hardik Pandya and Rahul Dravid lead the celebrations after India’s second T20 World Cup win•Getty Images0 – Sixes hit in the match between New Zealand and Uganda. It was only the third men’s T20 World Cup match (discounting shortened T20 games) where no sixes were hit. South Africa vs Zimbabwe in Hambantota in 2012 and Netherlands vs Pakistan in Perth in 2022 were the others.4 – Papua New Guinea and Oman were the only teams in this edition without a point to their names. The four matches they played were the most without a win in an edition of the men’s T20 World Cup. PNG lost all four matches. As did Oman, but they took their first game against Namibia went into a Super Over.171 – Runs scored by Pant in this World Cup are the second-highest in an edition without a half-century. Anamul Haque scored 184 runs for Bangladesh in 2014 with a highest of 44*. Pant’s highest score was 42 against Pakistan.Tristan Stubbs scored 165 runs with a best of 33, the fifth-highest in a T20 World Cup without a fifty.96 – Balls Mohammad Amir bowled in this World Cup, the most without conceding a six. Amir is now the first bowler to not concede a six in two different editions of the men’s T20 World Cup (minimum of ten overs).He bowled 139 balls without being hit for a six in 2010, the second-highest by a bowler in an edition behind Umar Gul’s 147 balls in 2009.2 – Fours hit by Kohli in his first seven matches in this tournament, till the final. He went past that tally in the first over of the final itself, when he hit Marco Jansen for three fours.

Pitch is likely to suit India’s spinners while England might use both Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, as well as Adil Rashid

Matt Roller26-Jun-2024The pitches at Guyana’s Providence Stadium, just south of Georgetown, have historically had a strong bias towards spinners, offering sharp turn and low bounce. “It’s been like that for a long time, as long as I can remember,” Samuel Badree, two-time T20 world champion, told ESPNcricinfo.Providence is a rare venue in T20 cricket: spinners bowl a slightly higher proportion of overs than seamers, bucking the global trend. In the last two years, spinners have conceded fewer than seven runs per over (6.96) in Guyana, while seamers have conceded 8.51. It should suit India’s three spinners – Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja – while Jos Buttler is likely to use both Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, as well as his banker Adil Rashid.”They were recently relaid for this T20 World Cup, but generally it has been low-scoring and favours the spinners,” Badree said. “The last couple of CPLs have been more productive for the batters, so it has improved. But for this World Cup, the handful of games played down there, they favoured the spinners: low bounce, and some turn.”Related

Manjrekar: India had a 'clear advantage' in knowing their semi-final venue in advance

'Most important player' Adil Rashid looms as key threat against India

Tactics Board: The Bumrah, Archer and Kuldeep overs will be pivotal

England to call on Adelaide 2022 memories against 'brilliant' India

Rohit transformation steers India towards date with destiny

Guyana is an unlikely “home away from home” for the Australian spinner Chris Green, but few are better placed to assess conditions at Providence. He has played 22 CPL games there, the joint second-most of any player, and has been on the winning side in 16 of those.Green, like Badree, has noticed a gradual improvement in the pitches. “Over the years, it’s actually improved and been a higher-scoring ground in the CPL,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “However, I think the day games stand out as being a bit abnormal now – probably more similar to the old-school Guyana wickets, very spin-friendly.”Thursday’s semi-final will be played on Pitch 3, the central strip which has equidistant square boundaries measuring 73 metres. It has previously been used once in this tournament, for Uganda’s low-scoring win against Papua New Guinea. The two teams aggregated 155 runs for the loss of 17 wickets, with low bounce a prominent feature.The match is due to start at 10.30am, though weather forecasts suggest it may be delayed by showers in the morning. The only previous day game at Providence in this World Cup saw West Indies make hard work of chasing 137 against Papua New Guinea on a pitch with variable bounce.ESPNcricinfo LtdWith a north-easterly crosswind blowing across the ground and no dew, the ball is unlikely to come onto the bat as it might under lights. “Definitely, I’d think the day games would be more favourable to the spinners,” Badree said. “Kuldeep, Axar and Adil Rashid should all come into the equation.”Green believes that batters should go hard in the powerplay, knowing that it will be the best time to bat. “Sometimes you have to over-attack the powerplay with the bat, with the field up… Naturally, that goes one of two ways, depending on the wicket, the bowling and the luck. But through the middle, it’s pretty hard going.”At the back end, if you have a platform, you can push up to an above-par total and then it’s pretty tough to chase down. If you’re batting second, it’s much the same: try to over-attack, get ahead of the game, force the opposition to chase the game and force errors on a tough wicket. It doesn’t really get easier in the daytime as the dew doesn’t really come in.”Daren Ganga, the former West Indies captain, suggests that 160 could be a par score. “That pitch is going to have an even covering of root structure,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “If anything, it’ll have a lowish bounce: in Trinidad, you might get some steep bounce, but in Guyana, it’ll be lower.”T20 World Cup stats:Matches: 5
Average first-innings score: 146
Average runs per over: 6.20
Defending wins: 3
Chasing wins: 2All T20I stats since July 2021:Matches: 9 (excluding two no-results)
Average first-innings score: 151
Average runs per over: 7.18
Defending wins: 4
Chasing wins: 5