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While other American players have struggled to get into the MLC’s starting XIs, this left-arm quick has made a stunning impact

Peter Della Penna23-Jul-2023When the team sheets were submitted on Saturday night at Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, there was only one player out of the 22 who had actually played for USA. In a first-year T20 franchise league launching in the USA, American players have been noticeably absent in the playing XIs.Saurabh Netravalkar may have been the American lone ranger for Washington Freedom in the Major League Cricket (MLC), but the left-arm pacer made the league-wide USA contingent hold their heads a little bit higher after a tournament best haul of 6 for 9 in Freedom’s 30-run win over San Francisco Unicorns. Church Street Park has become a de facto USA team home base since the men’s national side’s first visit in September 2018, when Netravalkar made his captaincy debut for the team. His familiarity with the nuances of the venue contributed to his ability to step up with a performance where he rocked Unicorns with three wickets in the powerplay before coming back with three wickets in the final over to wipe out the tail.”The ground, it was a known thing for me,” Netravalkar said in the post-match press conference. “But the kind of players that are there are world class, and you need to upskill your game. I think playing over these years, the three-year ODI cycle, that really helped us. Especially the World Cup Qualifiers was a huge step up as well, to play against teams like West Indies, Sri Lanka and Ireland. We’ve been working really hard as a unit, and I was really happy that I could execute today.”Related

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Netravalkar was USA’s best pacer at the recent 50-over World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, but a neutral observer would hardly know it just looking at the wickets column. The 31-year-old finished with six wickets in five matches, including 3 for 53 against West Indies. However, he was denied at least a few more by the fielders behind him – USA were one of the most woeful catching units in Harare.Netravalkar himself was not exactly blameless on that front. And that much showed during his performances in the first week of MLC in Texas, where he had a crucial drop down the stretch against Seattle Orcas in Freedom’s first match, spilling a chance off Shimron Hetmyer on 9 when Anrich Nortje induced a false drive, before Hetmyer cranked a six later in the over and finished with 23 in a narrow win with two balls to spare. But thankfully for Netravalkar, Glenn Phillips provided the fielding standard – which is sorely lacking in the USA lineups – with some sensational fielding.Defending a total of 133, Phillips made his mark in the third over, running from backward point for a gymnastic twisting catch off Nortje to get Finn Allen. Netravalkar was clocking between 127 and 130 kph for most of his opening spell, which is hardly the type of pace to blow away top-class batters on the franchise scene. But true to his reputation as the most cerebral of USA’s bowlers – his day job is being a senior programmer for Oracle in Silicon Valley – Netravalkar used his favored left-arm around the wicket angle to the right-handers to enhance his natural inward shape, bowling Marcus Stoinis and Shadab Khan in the space of three balls in the fourth over. This was before he came back to team up with Phillips in the sixth as another acrobatic catch was taken running from backward point to remove Matthew Wade.”I think the pitch wasn’t that easy to hit [on] if you hit the good-length areas,” Netravalkar said. “We observed that it was a little two-paced in the wicket, so we knew that if we had a good powerplay, we always had a chance. We wanted to fight till the end. That was our motto, we never give up, and we try to fight until the last ball. T20 is a funny game. One over can change the game from here to there. So, we just wanted to believe in ourselves and keep trying, and I’m glad it worked out today.”

“I’m really clear about my role. That’s my strength. I look to swing the ball up front so I back myself to do that.”Saurabh Netravalkar

Coming back in the final over, Netravalkar continued where he left off in the sixth, getting Chaitanya Bishnoi edging behind while attempting an innovative flick after a shuffle across his stumps. It was fitting though that Phillips took the catch in the deep that completed Netravalkar’s five-wicket haul one ball later off a Haris Rauf slog. Liam Plunkett then edged behind in more orthodox fashion to give Netravalkar his sixth.In a bowling unit featuring Nortje and Marco Jansen, few people would have put money on Netravalkar being Freedom’s leading wicket-taker after four matches. But Netravalkar is not only topping the bowling charts for Freedom but sits in first place in the MLC wickets column alongside legspinner Mohammad Mohsin of Texas Super Kings with eight. Netravalkar is quick to give credit, though, to the more heralded South Africans he’s been able to rub shoulders with in the dressing room, who have helped give him strategic tips to achieve the success he’s had so far in the tournament.”I’m blessed to have a team atmosphere like this,” Netravalkar said. “It’s really positive and the staff and captain, they give us so much clarity in the roles. Even the senior bowlers, we have good productive meetings where we brainstorm ideas and that’s really helping me learn a lot in bowling in different situations. I’m really clear about my role. That’s my strength. I look to swing the ball up front so I back myself to do that, and I’m glad I’m executing it.”

Here’s the real truth about every team’s chances of winning

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Oct-2021So you’ve probably read or watched a few men’s T20 World Cup previews. Many will have been sober and informative summaries of where the teams stand. Others will have highlighted key players and tournament history. Yet more will have revealed strengths and weaknesses through elaborate data analysis.Sadly, you’ve wasted your time. They are all trash compared to this preview.

West Indies

Motto: Eyeing title No. 3.Sample dressing-room pep-talk: “Men, everyone knows what we are. We’re T20 superstars who go off and have our own epic adventures before coming together in World Cup years. Yes, we have untold batting firepower, and bowling smarts, but maybe we’re missing something. Some X-factor. When we won in 2012, it was the ‘Gangnam Style dance. In 2016, it was Dwayne Bravo’s ‘Champion’. Who’s got a single coming out this year? No one? Okay, it’s panic stations. Everyone make a call to your choreographer.” How far they will go: Probably win it.

Pakistan

Motto: We live by grievanceSample dressing-room pep talk: “Brothers, we know what’s happened. We played a tour in New Zealand, and were made fun of around the world for opening our doors for biryani without our masks on, which, they say, broke their precious quarantine rules. How did they repay us? They ran from Pakistan without even giving a reason. And we went to England when their country was basically a petri dish of disease? How did they respond? Cancelled their tour. This time, these other teams can’t run away from us. We know we have to win this tournament. We can show the world the spirit and unity of Pakistan cricket. It will be glorious. But first, obviously, play like trash for a few games. I don’t want to see any of you jokers hold a catch, and if you can fight publicly among yourselves, that would also help.” How far they will go: Predict how Pakistan will do? Yeah, I’m not falling for this again.”Everyone take this time to work on your Ashes banter. Remember, if it doesn’t prick your conscience, it’s not good enough”•Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

Australia

Motto: Can you believe we have to play this s**t?Sample dressing-room pep talk: “Oi. Mayte. What are we even doing here? Who bloody plays cricket in the UAE? Apart from the IPL, I mean (the highest form of the game, just to be clear). And what is this utter crap about us potentially having to play a match against Bangladesh, or West Indies, or maybe even bloody Scotland? Three weeks and there’s only one match against England scheduled. And not a single scheduled game against India (the highest form of cricket team/human beings, not that it needed to be said)? Who organised this trash heap of a tour? Absolute shambles.” How far they will go: They’ll hold it together until late in the group stage, but will eventually be overcome by their disgust at having to step on to a field with a team that should not be breathing the same air.

South Africa

Motto: This is our ti… wait, why are you laughing?Sample dressing-room pep-talk: “People can say what they like, but only we know how hard we’ve worked for this. We’ve won seven matches in a row. Who’s coming in with a better lead-up than that? We’ve got one of the best quicks in the world in KP… I mean KG. And not to mention the top-ranked T20I bowler in the world in… what’s your name, brother? Shamsi – that’s the one. We even have AB. Wait, no, we don’t, do we? You know what? It’s not easy giving these pep talks fellas, everyone’s attention is on me all of a sudden. Can someone get me a glass of water? God, is it me, or is it really stuffy in here?” How far they will go: They’ll be in line for a semi-final spot. Keep the popcorn handy.”Gently guys, we don’t want to startle the batter with a loud clap, do we?”•Gareth Copley/ICC/Getty Images

New Zealand

Motto: Are you ready for a cuddle? Sample dressing-room pep talk: “Hi everyone. I’m Kane Williamson. I know I’ve been the captain of the team for five years, but I didn’t want any of you to feel as if you should automatically know who I am. I’m not that entitled. I want to thank you for pushing pause on each of your charity causes to join us here in the UAE for this tournament. Let’s just go out there, enjoy ourselves, compete hard, but when it comes to the post-match fist bumps, let’s really put the effort in to make all our opponents and their support staff feel truly seen for who they are as people.”How far they’ll get: You wouldn’t bet against them to get to the semis. You shouldn’t bet against them anyway, you monster.

Bangladesh

Motto: We’ve been trying to tell you we’re serious.Sample dressing-room pep talk: “Come on everyone. I thought we were past this. We’re big boys now. We’ve got one of the greatest short-format allrounders. We have an incredible left-arm seamer, another bowler who regularly clocks speeds of over 140kph, plus experienced batters through the middle. We should be looking down our noses at the lesser teams. We can’t be embarrassing ourselves in front of the Associates again. Big boys.” How far they will go: A group-stage exit followed by a board-ordered inquiry at home.”Virat is stepping down from captaincy to mourn my departure, that sweet boy”•Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images

India

Motto: Shastri + Kohli: Don’t cry because it’s ending. Smile because it happened.Sample dressing-room pep talk: “Boys! We’ve come to our last campaign with me in charge. It’s been quite the journey. Kohli hit his first hundred in England under my watch. It was with me at the helm that he became the fastest batter to 12,000 ODI runs. These are all things we’ve achieved together. Of course there are jealous people out there who have constantly tried to run me down as a coach, accusing me of things like being Kohli’s yes man. Don’t these idiots realise that right from the start, Virat told me I could say no to him if I wanted? But he doesn’t have an ICC trophy as captain. Let’s go out and win this for him. That’s what you want, right, skipper?” How far they will go: Losing finalists.

Sri Lanka

Motto: Would you believe it if we said we won this seven years ago?Sample dressing-room pep-talk: “Hello. Answer, will you? HELLO! This bloody phone. Always on mute. Ah, you can hear? Look, us administrators have given you players everything you could possibly need. We’ve barely badmouthed you in the press this year. We were kind enough to let you have some contracts. We even organised a domestic T20 tournament that lasted a whole two weeks. If you fellows can’t even bring back a World Cup after that kind of backing from your cricket board, you shouldn’t be calling yourselves cricketers. We’ve already booked our hotel rooms to come there for the knockouts, so don’t screw it up, ah? Goodbye! …. Oof, that call really worked up an appetite. Where’s that cake? What? Is this call still going? Useless phone never does what I want…” How far they will go: Not very.”We’ll be flying high in this World Cup, chaps. High in the sky on our way home”•Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press

England

Motto: We probably won’t quit this tour. No promises, though.Sample dressing-room pep-talk: “How’s everyone feeling? No, really, did anyone see any red flags on the way here? Geez, baggage claim at the airport was a nightmare, wasn’t it? Unacceptable. We’re doing the ICC a favour by staying on, really. And from the team bus I saw a guy in the distance just sneezing away. That’s not sanitary in this day and age. We left South Africa for less, almost. Oh dear, what was that racket? Did a bat just fall to the floor? That’s it. I’ve seen enough. Pack up, everyone. We’re out of here.”How far they will go: Depends on how real karma is.

Afghanistan

Motto: Deep existential dread Sample dressing-room pep talk: “Look, it’s time to focus on the cricket. Yes, it’s been an atrocious few months for our country. Yes, our barely functional women’s team has probably been banned from playing. Our cricket board has had its chairman replaced by the Taliban. Australia refused to play a Test against us and our series against Pakistan was postponed. And although we may be cricket’s biggest success story in the 21st century, who knows how long we’ll be allowed to continue in international cricket, and there were questions even over our involvement in this tournament, and argh, oh wow, this is a lot.” How far they will go: With any luck, upsets will be sprung.”Let’s give the big boys a fright now”•Francois Nel/ICC/Getty Images

Scotland

Motto: Eat the richSample dressing room pep talk: “Right. You all know what’s waiting for us out there. Ten Full-Member fat-cat nations, gorging themselves on their plump ICC cheques, becoming snobbier and snobbier every year. Lads, let’s get out there and show them what playing for Scotland is all about. We may not have their resources, but the fight in us is bigger… wait, hold that thought, I have to take this call. () Oh, hello there. So listen, I’m really sorry but I’m going to need another two weeks off….”How far they will go: They might juuust have one more upset in them.

Namibia

Motto: Zimbabwe who?Sample dressing room pep talk: “Who would have thought we’d make it to the Super 12? No one. But we’re here, boys. We’ve shown the world what we can do, and now it’s time to seize this moment. We’ve got a shot that we barely dared to dream about. A golden opportunity to advance Namibian cricket by light years. By which I mean the chance to get as close as possible to the South Africa players, so we can lure a bunch of them over to play for Namibia in World Cups down the line.”How far they will go: You’d hate to think they’ve won their last game.

Shohei Ohtani recored his 1,000th career MLB hit on Wednesday. No. 1,000 came on a 1-1 count in the bottom of the 3rd inning when he hit a massive two-run home run to give his team a 2-1 lead. Ohtani did his usual celebrations as he rounded the bases for the 39th time this season, but when he got to the dugout something changed.

As you can see in the image featured above, Ohtani clearly snapped. Or sneezed. Or stepped on a LEGO. Or maybe he could see into the future and knew that he'd be pulled after four innings with the lead and the defense would give up the game-tying run on a very bad defensive play with two outs in the 8th.

In addition to that home run, Ohtani also struck out a season-high eight St. Louis Cardinals on the mound. He's now struck out 33 batters and given up just six earned runs in 23 innings this season. Not bad for the guy who has the third most home runs in baseball.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are parting ways with longtime third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, having reportedly agreed to trade him to the Cincinnati Reds, per a report from ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan.

Hayes, 28, is in his sixth MLB season, having played his entire career with the Pirates. He's emerged as one of the best defensive players in all of baseball and won a Gold Glove at third base in 2023. His hitting leaves plenty to be desired, however. In 2025, Hayes is logging a career-low .569 OPS with two home runs, 36 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

Per Passan, heading to the Pirates as part of the trade will be shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, as well as veteran left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers. Stafura, 20, is ranked as the No. 9 prospect in Cincinnati's farm system by MLB Pipeline and is currently playing at Single A.

Rogers, who could potentially be dealt again by tomorrow afternoon, owns a 2.45 ERA with 34 strikeouts across 33 innings in relief this season.

This is the birthplace of “45 minutes of bad cricket” that cost India the 2019 World Cup semi-final and once again they are down in a series they have done well

Sidharth Monga22-Jul-20253:49

Who replaces Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s XI?

There is likely a lot of confirmation bias involved in the following statements. Cricket fans tend to not forget dates and places. Among cricket fans, Indian cricket fans particularly tend to cling on much more. You can’t bring up November 19 without sending them spiralling into darkness. A drizzly Old Trafford can trigger – not to make light of real world mental health issues – PTSD in many India fans.A drizzly Old Trafford is, after all, the birthplace of the phrase “45 minutes of bad cricket”. To be clear it was not bad cricket in those 45 minutes in the ODI World Cup semi-final in 2019. India were caught in the perfect storm of seam-friendly conditions and some awesome bowling from New Zealand.The larger sentiment – be it the image of Richard Kettleborough’s look of astonishment at Martin Guptill’s direct hit from deep square leg in Manchester or the stunning catch from Travis Head in Ahmedabad – is that India dominated those tournaments, which is why those losses hurt more.A day before India’s second Test at Old Trafford in 35 years, a venue where they have never won, it drizzled the same way it did on the second half of day one of their 2019 World Cup semi-final. Not hard enough to take players off but just enough to prevent resumption of an already stopped contest.Related

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It is hard not to see some similarities between those “45 minutes of bad cricket” ruining the memories of entire tournaments and this ongoing Test series. India are averaging 42.96 with the bat as against England’s 38.09, but they find themselves trailing in the series 2-1. India have batted at 85% control as against England’s 78%. India have got a wicket every 12 false shots when England have needed to induce fewer than ten, and this is with India batting more carefully than England.These are not dominating numbers, although at one point at Lord’s they were. But in most series of decent lengths that can even out extreme results, they should ensure you are not in deficit. India’s batters have made fewer mistakes, their bowlers have held lengths for longer, and if they can keep on doing it, they should still back themselves to come out ahead by the end of five Tests.What about the frequent “45 minutes of bad cricket”, though? India have frequently made errors – either unforced or through lack of experience – that have cost them dearly to put them in this place: be it the collapses through casual shots at Headingley, the nightmare mix of milestone anxiety and quick single resulting in a run out just before lunch at Lord’s, or a ball-change request that could perhaps have been avoided.The Indian think tank – head coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Shubman Gill•Getty ImagesIt is these teams’ privilege that they get a five-Test series to correct those errors. Other teams often get just two-Test series, and have no room for these errors: you do that in one Test, and boom, it is an unassailable deficit. With the privilege, however, also comes scrutiny and schadenfreude. People can see the mention of lack of experience or luck as an excuse.It is to India’s credit that they were able to repeat their skills at both Edgbaston and Lord’s after they lost the unloseable Test at Headingley. That is the difficult bit. That is what you train for. In Tests, more than other formats, that is actually enough to win matches: you bowl more good balls, you keep out more good balls, and you win Tests. Sometimes, as at Headingley, you have catastrophic half hours, you tell yourself you won’t repeat casual shots, and then find a new way of letting the opposition back in, like at Lord’s.In an ideal world, the ideal response is to not think about these moments and focus more on training yourself on your basic skills and fitness. A human mind, though, doesn’t work in a vacuum. There is now a series on the line, and now it is the same scenario as it is for other teams who don’t have the privilege of playing long series.In 2018, when the general sentiment was that India didn’t deserve to lose 4-1 – some actually thought they could have won with a toss or two going their way – India averaged 25.23 and England 30.74. This series is actually closer to that sentiment. India are yet to win a toss, they have created more chances and pressure with the ball, and yet they are down 2-1.Of course, there is still time for India to be able to go ahead and put on numbers that actually deserve a deficit. There is also time to come back and repeat what has gone right with them. About now will be a good time to win a toss and/or be more ruthless and avoid actually living up to the 2018 assessments.

Ravindra’s knowledge of the conditions makes him as local as anyone can be, while Williamson, who’s working towards his comeback, is no stranger to these shores either

Shashank Kishore08-Oct-2023YH Chandrasekhar, the curator at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, has one final look at the square at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, seemingly happy with the work behind the scenes to get ready for the New Zealand vs Netherlands match on Monday. He suddenly gazes left, where Rachin Ravindra is training. He signals to him, but Ravindra is focused on the ball. The curator walks towards the centre nonetheless to exchange pleasantries. It dawns then that there’s a sense of familiarity between the two.In July, Ravindra was part of the Hutt Hawks, the Wellington-based club that his father runs, on an exchange programme to Hyderabad where they trained and played a series of 50-overs matches against the academy team run by MSK Prasad, the former India wicketkeeper and chief selector. Four of those matches were in Uppal, where Ravindra batted on three different centre strips, “training like mad” – according to Prasad – to fine-tune his game against pace and spin.He’d have a bowling session in the early morning, followed by breakfast. And then a 50-overs game until 4.30pm, followed by an hour’s rest and another indoor net session with the ball before calling it a day. It’s a routine he followed for the entire duration of his stay in Hyderabad, before he travelled to Anantapur, adjoining the Karnataka border, for more game time before returning home to Wellington.Related

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All this cricket was packed into a two-week calendar that was originally meant for him to be off to rest and recuperate ahead of the long season. While New Zealand’s squad hadn’t entirely been firmed up yet, Ravindra had been sounded out to be ready as he was among the probables picked for the high-performance camp.It’s this sense of familiarity that Ravindra will bank on as he returns to Hyderabad to play Netherlands in their second World Cup fixture. He may not be a local, but his knowledge of conditions and pitches makes him as local as anyone can be. His return to the venue couldn’t have been more grand, given he’s coming off a memorable World Cup hundred on debut against England in a sensational takedown with his good mate Devon Conway.A little over a week ago in Hyderabad, Ravindra batted with composure and poise to make 97 against a high-quality Pakistan attack in a warm-up game. Yet, he may have not played the World Cup opener had Kane Williamson been fit and available. But with Williamson still recuperating from an ACL injury, Ravindra had his chance and he’s made the most of it, giving Williamson and the team management healthy selection headaches.Rachin Ravindra hit a fine century on World Cup debut•Associated PressWilliamson himself is no stranger to these shores, having played eight IPL seasons for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He’s Kane to the local staff and fans. , a salutation in the local language Telugu, is reserved for someone much admired as Williamson is. But merely playing for the local franchise doesn’t guarantee cult status. With David Warner and Williamson, to a lesser extent, the popularity stems from their embracing the local culture, making them as much a fan favourite as a Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.If Warner did an imitation of the dance to send the small crowd into a tizzy during the warm-up game last week, Williamson has given them moments to cheer with his imitation of a dance gig from , an Oscar-winning chartbuster, during an ICC promotion. Beyond the familiarity and colour, the real reel fans, especially those back home, are interested in is from the nets, where they want to see if Williamson has managed to get back the whole range of his movements, if Tim Southee is bowling full tilt and if Lockie Ferguson brings his bristling energy to training.Williamson surveyed the ground, and pointed to the bright orange seating that hits your eye as the peak afternoon sun glows bright. It’s a humid day, he’s already guzzled quite a few bottles of water already, and is out to train. Williamson has been confirmed to sit out, but he’s the central focus of the team’s physio and trainers.He goes through a series of carefully orchestrated movements to test his full range of mobility. Like doing forward stretches to defend, playing the sweep to test his hamstring, rising onto his toes to tuck the ball, sprinting between the wickets, the trigger movement when he turns at full stretch – they were all carefully monitored and ticked off. The hope is he’ll be fit in time to play Bangladesh on Friday. And for him to get there, Williamson seems to have done most things in his capacity.Southee too bowled a fair bit, even if not full tilt, feeling his way back into full rhythm in an afternoon session where temperatures hovered over the mid-30s. Southee was carefully monitored by Trent Boult, whose late swing back in was quite a sight. Every now and then, there was laughter, banter and wholesome encouragement for each other as they pushed hard on match eve. Daryll Mitchell batted and batted, as did Will Young and Ravindra before they retired to the dressing room. Or so you thought as they all began to walk off.Williamson then nudged assistant coach Luke Ronchi as they walked right back into the nets again. Williamson wasn’t satisfied with the full range of his straight hitting. So, he tried to perfect hitting on length deliveries, asking Ronchi to chuck him balls in an area he circled out, focusing on holding his shape and then carefully feeling his side. Then to top off the session, Ronchi fed him full tosses which Williamson kept pulling until it got to a point where he couldn’t stay out any longer, with the sun going down.Watching Williamson train was watching a perfectionist practice his craft, oblivious to the world around him. The police sirens that marked the arrival of Netherlands, the chaos of the shutterbugs that followed to snap the team getting off the bus, the sound of the generator that was running full throttle behind him and smoke from the fumigation around the nets area – none of this seemed to cross his mind. He was simply, to quote the old cliche, seeing ball, hitting ball until the last lux of light allowed him to.

His ability to pin down any specialist batter for long periods could well make the difference in this series

Sidharth Monga23-Aug-20216:44

What makes this Indian pace attack so lethal?

The game feels different watching from the outside. Several recently retired players walk out of teams and into the commentary box to start wondering why captains stop trying to get an established batter out when in company of a tailender. It is as though they never were parts of teams that did the same when cheap runs were on the line. When there is skin in the game, hardly any captain risks those chancy 20-30 runs these days even if it means the established batter keeps taking singles on the fifth or sixth ball to manipulate the strike for a while.In England’s first innings at Lord’s, though, something interesting happened. England were eight down, Root was batting on 160, the ball was around 40 overs old, and he wanted to shield Mark Wood and James Anderson. This was an extremely delicate juncture for India in the Test. It was towards the end of a long day, the best batting day of the series. England were around India’s score. Root is an adept limited-overs batter too. His successful manipulation of strike could possibly bat India out of the Test.Related

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For three straight Mohammed Siraj overs, Root was pinned to one end. One boundary, no single, no bouncer, no yorker. Siraj managed to shackle Root with just line and length. The line and length was just so good it presented undue risk if Root wanted to manipulate strike. The bowler at the other end kept getting a clear shot at the tailenders. Mark Wood was run out, and Jasprit Bumrah got a full over at Anderson.It takes either a treacherous pitch, which this wasn’t, or special skills and control with the ball to pin down any specialist batter for this long in such a match situation. Root didn’t even get a shot at a boundary with the field up for the single apart from the one that he managed to hit.This was a seven-over spell of high intensity from Siraj. He has had higher high points in his short career – the two-in-two earlier and later in the match, for example – but this was a feat of endurance and maturity that sets fast bowlers apart in an era tailormade for them. This is the intensity that England didn’t have when they had the chance to run through the Indian lower order on the fifth morning.Part of it comes from the superior depth in India’s attack, but part of it is credit to the bowler himself. Siraj managed to keep bowling his nipbackers that ended up in front of off. They weren’t full enough to drive. They weren’t short enough to pull or punch. Just the perfect line and length. This is what Test bowling is mostly about: deny risk-free runs for long durations and let your skills with the ball do the rest.Mohammed Siraj grabs a souvenir stump after sealing India’s win•Getty ImagesThe rest, it would appear, comes easy to Siraj. His first wicket – Marnus Labuschagne caught at leg gully – might have been part of a larger team plan, but the second was a delightful set-up. He bowled an over full of away-going deliveries to Cameron Green and Tim Paine followed by three more away swingers to Green before trapping him lbw with the sharp incoming delivery. That is something he did with Root in India too.With Jos Buttler at Lord’s, Siraj did the reverse. He bowled a spell full of incoming deliveries to right-hand batters and outgoing ones to left-hand ones before coming back for a fresh spell and bowling the one that went way. Buttler had been in, he had been leaving balls well, but such was the fear of the nipbacker that he let his hands play at this one outside off.That nipbacker is way more dangerous for left-hand batters, which is why Siraj is averaging just 16.7 against them. It is early days yet as he has taken just 10 left-hand batters out, but the dangerous angle he creates from them has been spoken about even before he debuted. It is the blind spot that around middle and leg that he keeps hitting again and again. Any straighter and you get picked off on the leg side, any wider and you get left alone. Siraj bowls that perfect channel where left-hand batters have to keep playing at him as Moeen Ali discovered in that over-and-a-half of torture before finally nicking off without doing much wrong.

“Siraj managed to keep bowling his nipbackers that ended up in front of off. They weren’t full enough to drive. They weren’t short enough to pull or punch. Just the perfect line and length.”

Siraj is no Bumrah, but still the movement he gets is not classic. It doesn’t come from a classic swing-bowling action. It’s all angles and quick arm speed. He bowls a scrambled seam. So it is not easy to line up the movement because it is late and unpredictable. He is beginning to play around with an offcutter, too.Of course Siraj gets to feed off the pressure created by a world-class unit, a luxury many Indian fast bowlers before him didn’t have, but he does his share of the heavy lifting. Since he debuted, he has bowled more overs, taken more wickets at better average with the ball aged 30 to 80 overs than any India fast bowler. Only Hasan Ali has taken more “old-ball” wickets than him during this period.The big difference between the India that toured England in 2018 and now is that Siraj is the fourth quick in a fully fit squad. He adds the depth to India’s bowling resources to an extent that the team management feels compelled to give up some batting depth and leave out an all-time great in R Ashwin.Sometimes you do wonder which are the “haters” that Siraj is shushing because all you see around is love for him. From Bharat Arun at Hyderabad to Paras Mhambrey at India A to Arun and Virat Kohli at international level, his bowling coaches and captains have backed him and not without reason.

Trea Turner accomplished an impressive feat on Monday night, recording the 1,500th hit of his MLB career. It’s a tribute to his longevity, his talent at the plate, and his consistency year after year.

But there’s another reason that Turner was likely even more excited about the hit that cleared the milestone—it was his first home run of the year at Citizens Bank Park.

In the second inning, with two men on and the Phillies already holding a 2–0 lead over Seattle, Turner took Logan Gilbert out of the park.

It was the 13th home run of the season for Turner, but somehow, the first 12 of his year had all come on the road. While Turner has been having a stellar year at the plate—he leads the NL in hits—Phillies fans had grown somewhat concerned that his power had apparently stalled at home.

Turner had himself a full day at the plate, going 4-for-6 with five RBIs and two runs scored. He wasn’t the only Phillie to tee off, as teammate Bryce Harper hit two dingers of his own against the Mariners, and the team finished with 21 hits—the most they’ve had at Citizens Bank Park in more than 15 years.

While the team awaits news on pitcher Zach Wheeler’s health, the Phillies' bats are going to have to be extra active to keep them in the hunt for a title.

He has been one of cricket’s most laidback vibes for years but in leadership is revealing some of his more intense, driven, and occasionally unforgiving forms

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Jun-2025″Most teams sort of become an image of their captain, right?” These were the thoughts of Brendon McCullum, who over a 21-year career in international cricket has perhaps shaped the tenor of Test-match cricket more than any other single figure this century.Right now, this Sri Lanka Test team is being crafted by Dhananjaya de Silva. And his cricketing DNA and his vision for where the team could go are all over the enterprise. The team, increasingly, is becoming a reflection.For starters, there is an emphasis on utility. How many skills can you bring to the table is a primary question. De Silva frequently fields at slip himself, is the kind of captain who finds reasons to bowl his offspin, has just launched himself up the order to No. 4, and cannot stand letting a game drift. If wickets are not forthcoming, there is a new field in place, a new angle of attack he encourages, a fresh problem he puts in front of the batter to solve. There is, you sense, no play that he doesn’t want to be part of.Related

• Sri Lanka focusing on better scoring rate, bowling more maidens this WTC cycle

• Dhananjaya de Silva: SL missed 'big chance' to make WTC final

• Hit the deck, break a neck, still no cheque: the quiet sacrifice of SL's red-ball quicks

• Kusal Mendis counterattack balloons Sri Lanka's lead before Bangladesh collapse

It follows that this Sri Lanka XI for the Colombo Test has two spin-bowling allrounders, an opener and a No. 3 who can potentially keep wicket (Lahiru Udara stood in for 38.4 overs as Kusal Mendis was unavailable through injury). Then there is one frontline bowler who can bowl with either arm and can bat a bit, one top-order batter who bowls a bit with either arm, a left-arm seamer, a right-arm seamer, and a spin bowler who is frequently happy to strap the pads on and produce a brave showing as nightwatcher.This is, essentially, a team of generalists. If you’re going to specialise, buddy, you better be damn good at that one thing. The three single-discipline players – Pathum Nissanka, Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando – have all acquitted themselves nicely in this match. It’s worth mentioning on Asitha and Vishwa’s behalf that de Silva has insisted that more seam bowlers play home Tests for Sri Lanka, despite having been blooded in a team that found seam bowling at home essentially redundant in the late 2010s.De Silva himself has not been in especially good batting form, but he has found ways to be central to Sri Lanka’s progress in this series. He has also been visibly more of a general than he has previously been. On day three, he took two vital wickets, pinning form batter Najmul Hossain Shanto in front of the stumps soon after having Mominul Haque caught at slip. He also dismissed Mominul in the first innings.De Silva began this WTC cycle by laying out to his team how intently he wanted them to get to the final•AFP/Getty ImagesDe Silva’s bowling is not especially menacing – he doesn’t get the kind of drift or the ragging turn, or possess the subtleties that might make him a wicket-taking option on flatter tracks. But on pitches that give him a little to work with – left-armers’ footmarks, a little dryness underneath the surface, a tackiness off the deck – he can find ways to strike. He already has more Test wickets than Angelo Mathews or Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka players he can be most readily compared to.This is the first World Test Championship [WTC] cycle he is in charge of from the beginning, so he seems especially intent on putting his mark on what he sees as a trophy campaign. Although for captains such as Ben Stokes, “there was nothing wrong with Test cricket before” the WTC, for the likes of de Silva, it has become a cycle to build an entire team identity around. In the first two Tests of this cycle, there have been three debutants. Milan Rathnayake, another allrounder, may not have been elevated to international cricket as he has had de Silva not been a key decision-maker.De Silva himself had revealed that he told his team how close they had been to the last WTC final, and how intently he wanted them to get to that final in this cycle. Kamindu Mendis, Sri Lanka’s best Test batter of the last 18 months, affirmed that that was a major driver.”We were close in the last two cycles,” Kamindu said. “In the one just past, we actually had a big opportunity. Honestly, our team plan is built around the WTC. We’re trying to correct the mistakes of the last two cycles. This time, we’ve got a good start. If we keep going like this, I think we can achieve what we are aiming for.”Aesthetically, de Silva has been one of cricket’s most laidback vibes for years. He plays in a long-sleeved jersey with a popped half-collar. His drives are pure. His pulls are languid. Even the sweeps have grace. The sleeve tattoo on his arm has a floral design. In nine years of international cricket, there have never been angry de Silva moments. There have been plenty of chill ones.This is a cricketer comfortable with the softer parts of his personality, but who, in leadership, is now revealing some of his more intense, driven, and occasionally unforgiving forms. If he is fashioning this Test team like a knife-maker hones an edge, he may soon quite clearly see his own image looking back at him.

While Jason Holder’s inclusion could add balance, their Indian fast-bowling stocks have been depleted by Prasidh Krishna’s injury

Ekanth26-Mar-2023Where Rajasthan Royals finished last seasonRajasthan Royals were runners-up in IPL 2022, finishing second in the league stage and losing the final to Gujarat Titans.Rajasthan Royals squad for IPL 2023Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (capt, wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Joe Root, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Singh Rathore, Jason Holder, Akash Vasisht, Abdul Basith, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Adam Zampa, KC Cariappa, M Ashwin, Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, KM Asif, Sandeep Sharma.Player availability – Prasidh Krishna outPrasidh Krishna was ruled out of the season with a stress fracture of the back, which requires surgery. Sandeep Sharma, who went unsold at the player auction, has been named as his replacement.Obed McCoy is recovering from a knee injury and might sit out the early stages of the tournament.England will start their summer with a Test against Ireland on June 1, which is four days after the IPL final. While Chennai Super Kings’ Ben Stokes has said he will leave early to prepare, Joe Root’s availability for Royals for the closing stages of the IPL is unknown. England have eased up their approach with regards to allowing players complete their franchise-league commitments, as was seen during their limited-overs tour to Bangladesh.What’s new with Rajasthan Royals this yearJason Holder could be the solution to Royals’ problem of a long tail. In IPL 2022, 99.47% of Royals’ 2807 total runs came from the top seven.They could also start with Root instead of Shimron Hetmyer if they think they have enough firepower at the top and are instead looking for someone to bring stability in a crisis.There’s also the option of Root in place of Holder to further bolster the batting, and, in such a case, choose either Devdutt Padikkal or a bowler like KM Asif or Kuldeep Sen in the XI based on the toss result and use the Impact Player rule to substitute them later.They sent R Ashwin up the order as a pinch-hitter last season, which they could do once again if conditions suit the move. This year they can make the move with the comfort of knowing they have extra batting cushion if it does not come off.The good – Strong core for Sanju Samson’s boysRoyals have an experienced set of core players who are likely to feature in all of their games. Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson are gamechangers at the top; in Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ashwin they have wicket-taking as well as run-controlling options; Holder glues both disciplines together.Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga continue as head coach and director of cricket, and fast bowling coach respectively.The not-so-good – Inexperience in local pace ranksThey have Navdeep Saini and now Sharma, but in Prasidh’s absence, the inexperience of back-up bowlers Kuldip Yadav and Kuldeep Sen could show.They also lack like-for-like cover for Holder.Schedule insightsRoyals’ first two home games will be in Guwahati in Assam and not in Jaipur in Rajasthan, meaning a lack of familiarity to start off. And they don’t play in Jaipur until April 19th, their sixth game of the season.They largely have gaps of 2-3 days between their games (just twice, once at the end of April and then before their last league game of the season, do they have a four-day gap) so fatigue could be a factor.The big question