All posts by n8rngtd.top

Guileless display from England quicks does little to change the Anderson-Broad narrative

Andrew Miller10-Mar-2022Chris Woakes belongs to a select band of cricketers to have bowled the first ball in a World Cup final. He knows what it’s like to have the eyes of the world boring into the back of his skull as he approaches his delivery stride and, when it comes to Test cricket, he even knows what it’s like to marshal an unlikely run-chase from five-down for spit. But he’s surely never felt pressure quite like his opening spell on the second day in Antigua.As Woakes trotted in with that familiar arrow-straight approach, buzzing his way through the crease with the neat, incisive lines of a sawblade in a timber-mill, he would have known that he was about to be judged like never before in his international career. And by the time he trooped from the field with the bruised figures of 12-2-54-1, he might have been entitled to wonder if he’d been set up to fail.An awful lot of platitudes have been trotted out by England’s management in the weeks since they chose to dispense with James Anderson and Stuart Broad and their 1,177-wickets-worth of Test-match knowhow. But nothing has jarred with the evidence of a nine-year international career quite like the suggestion – voiced with little conviction by England’s captain Joe Root – that a sustained run with the new ball was all that Woakes needed to transform his status from priceless team player to golden-armed attack leader.The true reasons for Anderson’s and Broad’s binnings may never be publicly aired – are they really too old, or are they simply being challenged to fight for their places in the summer? Are the shadows that they cast too immense for others to flourish (the charge that was levelled at the women’s captain Charlotte Edwards after her ruthless culling in 2016), or was Root’s complaint about the lengths that they bowled in England’s defeat in Adelaide the final proof that the captain and his star bowlers had reached a fork in the road?Whatever the truth, this void in England’s reasoning – and the inevitable speculation that it has caused – has been thoroughly and damagingly distracting. Even a throwback to that very 2021 chestnut, rest and rotation, would have been preferable to the death by innuendo that Woakes, and to a lesser extent Craig Overton, have endured in the series build-up. Woakes, after all, went more than 12 months – between August 2020 and September 2021 – without a single Test appearance despite being England’s reigning Test cricketer of the Year. If this chance to lead the line had been presented as a reward for long service during lockdown, there might have been a few raised eyebrows, but surely a lot more understanding.Instead, the reasoning has been so weird, even the player himself didn’t really seem to believe he warranted it, after his six wickets at 55.33 in the Ashes had exacerbated the gulf between his home and away Test stats – 94 wickets at 22.63 in English conditions, and 31 at 52.38 overseas. Instead, it’s as if the post-Ashes intention of the England management had been to rip the players out of their comfort zones, and expose them to the harshest sink-or-swim realities of top-level professional sport – and if that’s the case, then fair play, they nailed the brief.And so it came to that fateful new-ball spell – a Dukes ball, no less, Woakes’ weapon of choice in his frequent excursions on home soil. In he charged, with conviction and with the occasional pretty-looking zip past the outside edge. But, assuming Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell had kept even half an ear to the ground in the Ashes fall-out, there was never going to be any mystery about his methods.Full and fuller was the requirement, in a guilelessly gung-ho bid for hooping swing – a display, in fact, that served only to reinforce the wisdom of ages that England have chosen to dispense with on this tour. Anderson and Broad would never have put up with this nonsense, whanging an unresponsive ball into the blockhole time and again, to be drilled back down the ground at an initial rate of seven an over. They’d have dragged those lengths back – much as it seems they did, to Root’s chagrin, in Adelaide – and conceded their runs at one an over while priming their orb for that display of reverse-swing that did, briefly, look like transforming England’s fortunes in the afternoon session.”It’s obviously going to be talked about, Anderson and Broad, because they are legends but we just have to admit we didn’t get it right to start with, and we’ll be out to get it right next time,” Mark Wood said at the close of playCraig Overton veered away from a full length to bounce out John Campbell•Gareth Copley/Getty Images”I don’t think it’s about being patient, we set higher standards than just being patient,” he added. “We’re out here to win. We’re trying to get it right now but, as can happen with any bowler, we just didn’t get it right to start. We maybe tried a little bit too hard, with the void of Anderson and Broad we wanted to try hard and prove we could do it, maybe that was it. But the way we came back showed good character as a group.”According to Cricviz’s Expected Wickets model, England’s new-ball effort was their third-least threatening of the past decade, a display outdone only by England’s efforts at Melbourne and Sydney at the fag-end of the 2017-18 Ashes – the former on one of the most disgracefully dead drop-in pitches in history; the latter in an asphyxiatingly hot dead-rubber at the SCG, a match in which Root would later keel over with sun-stroke.England’s lack of penetration was exemplified by the 1.5 degrees of swing that their openers located – compared to the 2.5 degrees that West Indies had found in routing England for 48 for 4 on the first morning. You would not have believed that West Indies have been starved of runs in recent encounters as Brathwaite galloped to the fastest fifty of his career, and in the process added his team’s first half-century opening stand … since they faced the same opponents in the final Test of their 2018-19 series win. In case Root was unaware, these guys tend to raise their game when England are in town.England’s lack of situational awareness was at times staggering. On the one hand, Root has clearly learned to treasure the pace and penetration of his last remaining 90mph bowler, Wood, and not bowl him into the ground as he did with Jofra Archer in 2019-20. On the other hand, limiting Wood to three overs out of the first 23, while West Indies galumphed to 95 for 1 with close to a boundary an over was another baffling misallocation of his resources.Related

• Chris Woakes keen for another crack but England without Ollie Robinson for first Test

• Bonner, Holder stand firm in West Indies rebuild

• Holder rues missed chances as West Indies target new ball

• Simmons: Batters 'need to give bowlers something to work with'

When finally thrown the ball, Wood duly struck in the second over of his comeback spell, luring Brathwaite with the wide one after tucking him up with another off-the-peg display of sustained pace. That’s the sort of lack of guile that pays dividends on surfaces as slow as this, not the sort of optimistic lollipops that Woakes felt obliged to fling at his opponents, as he strained for that elusive swing. By the close, his over-exertions had sent ten deliveries – or nearly one an over – sliding down the leg side, as well as one rank full-toss outside off that Jermaine Blackwood flicked contemptuously for one of the ten fours in Woakes’ day’s work.At least Overton got the memo before it was too late. His own England credentials may be hanging by an even more slender thread than his new-ball partner’s, but at least having been driven for two fours in his third new-ball over, he swiftly dispensed with the pleasantries when called upon again, and bombed out Campbell with a bouncer just when he was threatening to put the hammer down.Overton later delivered a useful display of reverse swing as back-up to Wood and Ben Stokes – who was restored to being an actual bowler here, rather than that spurious bang-it-in enforcer who succumbed to a side strain in the Ashes. But as if emboldened by the start that they had been given, as well as the knowledge that all things must pass, Nkrumah Bonner and Jason Holder rode out the threat with broad-batted resistance to inch their side ever closer to parity by the close.”Of course it’s weird,” Wood admitted, when asked what it was like to take the field with neither Broad nor Anderson. “They have been there every time. We can’t compare ourselves to them, because we are not them. We have to bring what we can do. Unfortunately the best we can do wasn’t that first bit. The second bit was a lot better. We have to bring our best next time, so we are on it.”

The Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach talks about Umran Malik, how the side ended up building an Indian bowling core, and more

Interview by Shashank Kishore05-May-2022After successive losses at the start of their IPL 2022 campaign, Sunrisers Hyderabad went on a five-match winning run. Unlike teams who have built their unit around batting, Sunrisers have a pedigreed bowling attack, largely Indian. Tom Moody, their head coach, who has been with the side for much of their journey in the IPL, explains what has gone into the making of their attack.Over the years, Sunrisers’ fast bowling core has largely been Indian. Has that been one of the big focus areas?
A lot of people have recognised over the years in T20 cricket that the 120 balls you defend are absolutely vital. I’ve always had the philosophy of making sure you should have the ability to take wickets in all three phases of your innings. With that in mind, ideally it’s nice to be able to secure Indian talent to fulfil those roles.Like for any specific role in the squad, you need to look at the supply and demand of what is available and make your judgement under pressure on auction day. So for us, having the familiarity of a couple of players we have brought back into the squad in 2022 was a no-brainer. Someone like Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar], who has done so much over a long period of time in IPL and India, we believe he still has plenty of years to come with his specific skills, that is to be able to bowl what I’d call the bookends of the game. And then you’ve got Nattu [T Natarajan] who has grown and grown as a mature fast bowler, gotten better and better. Yes, he had a slight hiccup with injury, but he’s not the first fast bowler to go through that.Natarajan has developed as this on-demand yorker specialist. Was he always one?
We knew of him as the yorker specialist from Tamil Nadu, and he’d had his success in the T20 League [TNPL] down there. But in his initial couple of years with us at Sunrisers there was a significant gulf between [his performances] in domestic cricket and IPL, but to his credit he has worked extremely hard on his skills and the physical side of fast bowling. He has continued to refine and perfect those skills he clearly had at the beginning. He just had to sharpen them a little further to provide that consistency at the IPL level and internationally.Related

• Ravi Shastri: 'Promise you, Umran Malik will be a handful in red-ball cricket'

• In case you forgot: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is still one of the sharpest, most skilful bowlers in T20

• Shami: Speed not everything, Umran needs to 'be accurate at high pace'

• At 156.9 kph, Umran Malik records fastest ball of IPL 2022

• Bhuvneshwar and Malik, the yin and yang of Sunrisers' attack

Some players can make the adjustment upwards and deliver their natural strength at the highest level; others find it difficult. Nattu has got better and better at refining his skill and remaining committed and authentic to who he is as a fast bowler. He hasn’t tried to do anything, but has got perfect at what he is really good at. In the T20 format, bowlers of his calibre are very rare.You’ve backed a number of Indian fast bowlers – Khaleel Ahmed, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Bhuvneshwar, Natarajan, Umran Malik… the list is long. Tell us about your scouting process.
Scouting is important but what we do recognise, particularly now with Indian cricket is, nearly everyone knows what talent is out there, even though there is an overwhelming amount of talent. But it’s very rare that you can uncover a hidden gem. We were very fortunate to be able to do that with Umran Malik, but those examples are rare. We also managed to do that with Abdul Samad, who comes from the same state [Jammu and Kashmir]. We first gave Umran an opportunity through net bowling and the rest is history. The actual finding of players of that calibre are rare. Often young fast bowlers who have had any sort of recognition are pretty much on some sort of pathway, whether it’s through their state or through the Indian high-performance centre. Everyone has got the same advantage. It’s a question of identifying which one you feel can fit your strategy and set-up.Moody says T Natarajan is among those players who are able to make adjustments upwards to deliver their natural skills at the highest level•BCCIIt’s one thing to see players, another to back them, isn’t it?
A lot of people have commented over the years on how we have tended to bank [on] a lot of Indian fast bowlers. I don’t think we have gone out there with a conscious approach to have a squad full of Indian fast bowlers. What we have done is, we’ve gone out there with a conscious effort to make sure we have those specific roles nailed down within our squad. We have not only guys like Bhuvi as a leader of the pack with the new ball, we’ve got someone who can come in if Bhuvi is injured for a game or two or whatever it might be. And our focus has leaned toward Indian pace.It’s also because when Sunrisers Hyderabad took over from the Deccan Chargers in 2013, we didn’t inherit a lot of Indian international batsmen. They [Chargers] had Rohit [Sharma], but he got transferred to Mumbai Indians [in 2011], so we lost a world-class batter there. We managed to retain Shikhar Dhawan, but basically we had an inexperienced batting unit. So we had to build our batting around international players because there were very few Indians in the market to fill that role.Talking specifically about Umran Malik, it must delight you to see the wicketkeeper and slip fielders standing at the 30-yard ring when he bowls?
Look, it’s not just me. He’s thrilling the cricketing world with his appetite for pace and natural flair. There’s nothing better than seeing someone turn up and bowl 150 clicks, unless you’re at the other end.Umran has been terrific. We know his journey has just begun and he will have his challenges, like any other cricketer. Whether that be continuing to evolve and develop as a fast bowler or other challenges, he’s got a strong unit around him at Sunrisers. He’s got a great mentor in Dale Steyn. He’s a very focused and hard-working kid, so there’s a lot of upsides for him with Sunrisers and for Indian cricket.A lot of Indian fast bowlers in the past have gone from express to line and length because of injuries.

I don’t think he’ll ever be a line-and-length bowler. He’s born in a Ferrari and he’s going to drive the Ferrari (). He, like any fast bowler, will have his challenges, with injuries or whatever else, but the knowledge around managing fast bowlers and managing their aggression as they develop in their early years is a lot better now, so it’s a case of making sure he’s getting the right guidance, the right mentoring, and that he’s surrounded by key people who don’t overcomplicate the process. Given he’s a part of the Sunrisers family, that’s something I and the likes of Dale Steyn will make sure we communicate constantly throughout the year with the key people – with him, at the state level, and also at the high-performance level, to make sure that we’re all on the same page, looking after a rare diamond.Might Marco Jansen be a genuine allrounder for SRH in the future?•BCCIHave you seen a marked difference in the bowler who left the IPL last year and the one who arrived for this season?
I’ve seen improvements just in the games he has played this year. He was getting a little bit of negative feedback with regards to how expensive he was. His economy was quite high in the earlier games, but I think people have got to understand that when you have speed in the short format, you’re naturally going to have a high price. You need to accept there’s going to be a high economy, but what you want is a positive wicket return. He is encouraged not so much to focus on the runs he’s going for but his attacking approach and how he’s looking to pick wickets. And we support him with that by giving him some tactical inputs and game sense around his approach, depending on where we’re playing and who we’re playing. He is forever evolving, improving and understanding the game, because he’s still very young and has a lot to learn. What kind of a person is he?
He’s pretty relaxed, hard-working. He’s a character, has a bright personality and is a popular member of the squad, so a lot of people naturally gravitate towards him. Over the last 12 months, his English has got better and better, and our communication has become lot more fluent. His English has got a lot better than my Hindi over the last 12 months. He’s a very likeable character. The one thing that impressed us even before he became a contracted IPL player is that even when he was a net bowler, he was eager to learn, he’d ask a lot of questions. If he had to use Abdul Samad as a translator, he wouldn’t be shy to do that. He was always eager to learn, about his action, run-up, what he needs to be doing in the gym with regards to his strength programme, his rehab, etc. He’s been very proactive in that regard, which is a great sign for a young cricketer – for him to naturally gravitate to that approach as against having to be encouraged to go down that path.Let’s talk about Marco Jansen, another fast bowler in your ranks.
He’s unique. When you’re 6’9″ and bowling left-arm and with the ability to swing the ball, there are a few things going for you. One thing we really liked about Marco was, his style brought a point of difference to the IPL. A lot of players are not used to that extra bounce someone of that height can generate, so it gives our attack a point of difference when you’ve got someone delivering from that height who can get steep bounce and movement. The other thing is, we have a lot of hopes on Marco with regards to his batting ability. We haven’t seen it in the IPL yet, but in the mid- to long-term, we see him as a genuine allrounder, someone who can fill a role for us in the top six or seven and have a great impact with the ball as well.Halfway into the season, how satisfied have you been with the bowling recalibration, especially since you don’t have the bankability of Rashid Khan?
Rashid is a unique bowler. Any team that secures his services is going to have a huge value with the 24 balls that he delivers. But for whatever the circumstances were with regards to the auction and retention, unfortunately we couldn’t continue that story. But we have got a different approach this year. We have had to rethink our strategy.With the retention of Umran we knew he was going to play a role for us in the middle overs. We’re addressing the middle overs slightly differently now, and Umran is the aggressor in that role. Generally there the wristspinners – [Yuzvendra] Chahal or Rashid, or whoever it might be – are the aggressors in a different way. We have a different approach. We’ve had to work around with our balance. Washington Sundar, who has missed a few games because of injury, plays an important role. He is someone who can bat and play a key role as spinner in powerplay overs or outside them, depending on the match-ups. We find the balance working for us but one of the most important parts about our success over the last few games is our impact as a unit in the powerplay, and also the way we’ve controlled and shut down the back end of the innings.

His blockbuster all-round show in Southampton is a reminder of what Indian fans had been missing out on

Shashank Kishore08-Jul-2022Hardik Pandya’s injuries – especially a stress fracture that needed surgery and extensive rehabilitation for the better part of two years, between 2018 and 2020 – led to several question marks over his longevity in the game.Can he be the Hardik of old? Can he remain injury free? Can he bowl? If yes, can he rediscover his pace and subtle skills that brought him success?Then at the start of IPL 2022, you wondered how he would warm up to the pressures of captaincy. Early in the season, you wondered if he was putting himself under too much pressure by trying to be Gujarat Titans’ everything man in the batting department. He batted at three, then four, finished off innings, held an end up – essentially, he was the jack of all trades.Related

• Kohli's form, Iyer vs Suryakumar, and Pandya's ODI return on India's discussion table

• Attacking mantra, Bhuvneshwar's form and Suryakumar's consistency bode well for India

• Problem of plenty: How do India fit Virat Kohli in their T20I XI?

• Hardik Pandya shines with bat and ball as India go 1-0 up

• Kohli must hit the right gears to stay in the gauntlet match

On Friday, Hardik delivered a blockbuster performance in what was perhaps India’s sternest T20I test since that World Cup exit last year. Against an England side that has set the benchmark as far as white-ball cricket goes, Hardik scored his maiden T20I half-century and picked up four wickets, a double no other Indian has achieved, to power India to an emphatic series lead.”I’m enjoying my cricket right now and that is more important,” he said after his match-winning performance in Southampton. “A lot of time goes behind the scenes with my preparation to ensure my body is all right. Because I took a long break [last year], I wanted to make sure my rhythm was all right, and it is.”That was a conscious decision taken by myself, when I decided that I wanted some time off from the game. When I can’t enjoy the game, there’s no point of Hardik Pandya playing. For me, it was about the effort and the intensity. When I got that, it felt very satisfying.”Hardik is in a great space currently. His career has scaled new heights. He has captained Titans to IPL glory, realised a boyhood dream of captaining India, and is – in his own words – “enjoying the present without worrying about how much I will play or contribute to the future”.These are words of a man who is confident in the skills he possesses. Skills India have dearly missed, and skills that have lent India the flexibility to play six bowlers, something they missed during the T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE, which ended in a group-stage exit.

“What I will play and what I won’t play, only time will tell. The focus right now is wherever I can give 100%, I want to. If I can’t give 100%, I will not take someone’s place”Hardik Pandya

At Mumbai Indians, Hardik’s role was to maximise the few balls he got towards the end of the innings. His batting positions at Titans brought with them many questions. And he proved he could temper his game to play situations before teeing off.
As a leader, you saw him soak in pressure for the youngsters to play freely in the IPL, a philosophy straight out of MS Dhoni’s captaincy book. All this stems from a great sense of enjoyment an injury-free Hardik has derived from his game.His performances have suddenly elicited talks – from the outside, of course – of his potential return to red-ball cricket. Hardik, however, firmly brushed aside such a prospect, for now.”It depends on what we’re playing. Right now, it’s the white-ball season, and the World Cup is coming, so we’re more focused there,” he said. “How much white-ball cricket I play for India, that much better. When Tests come, let’s see. But what I will play and what I won’t play, only time will tell. The focus right now is wherever I can give 100%, I want to. If I can’t give 100%, I will not take someone’s place.”On Thursday, he came into bat with India at 89 for 3 in the ninth over. He started briskly; his first scoring shot was a flat-batted rocket past legspinner Matt Parkinson. When he lost Suryakumar Yadav in the 14th, he had to ride a brief slowdown because India hadn’t got to Dinesh Karthik’s ideal entry point yet.”Right now it’s the white-ball season, and the World Cup is coming, so we’re more focused there.”•PA Photos/Getty ImagesHardik recalibrated without affecting momentum. He brought up the half-century off just 30 balls and by the time he was out in the 18th, India were staring at 200. Hardik’s, and India’s, approach was reminiscent of England’s mantra that has brought them much success.”Credit to Rahul Dravid and the management where those people allow us to express ourselves,” he said. “When you have so much clarity from coaches and management, as an individual, you get a big boost. If you play a shot and get out, you don’t feel ‘oh I’ve played a poor shot’. Credit to coach, which is important as a player.”With the ball, Hardik pegged England back in the powerplay with the wickets of David Malan and Liam Livingstone in one over. The first ball of his second over brought the wicket of Jason Roy, who was out slashing to deep third. At 33 for 4, England were on the ropes.All the elements of Hardik the bowler were on display. He was brisk, he was hitting hard lengths – a sign that he was bending his back – and there were subtle changes in pace, and he mixed them up with his usual smarts. In short, he seemed a complete package.In February, when Hardik wasn’t picked for the West Indies series, chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma, in a rare press conference, touched upon how he’d return only if he was “100% match fit”. Through the IPL and his performances over the past month, Hardik has done everything in his capacity to prove his fitness, and in the process deliver telling contributions.

Australia now have a major squeeze for batting spots, but the death bowling was put under pressure by India

Alex Malcolm26-Sep-20222:48

Hodge: Green might go on to become one of the best Australia has produced

Green’s opening salvo a long-term bonus and a short-term shadowThere was optimism and quiet confidence within Australia’s camp that Cameron Green would become a fine T20 player in time but no one quite expected him to show it so soon with so little experience behind him. Having never opened in any professional match and having only played 14 professional T20s and one T20I coming into the series, Green was asked to open on a hunch from Australia’s selectors and he delivered with two stunning half-centuries at a mind-blowing strike-rate of 214.54.It was hunch that had been discussed previously by Australia and Perth Scorchers. “It’s probably opportunistic, the way that he’s coming in with the opening position with obviously Davey Warner not being here and a couple of other players in our World Cup 15,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said after the final T20I in Hyderabad. “Fortuitous, but he’s taken that opportunity. We thought he had the skill when we did our strategy before we come over here. And he’s taken on some of the best bowlers in world cricket. You could argue Jasprit [Bumrah] is one of the best T20 bowlers ever. So to be able to do that, work your way through that situation again tonight, and do it two out of three times is very impressive and bodes well.”But as of now, Green is not part of Australia’s 15-player World Cup squad. He is scheduled to be appearing in the Sheffield Shield for Western Australia when Australia’s T20 squad reconvenes in Queensland next week for matches against West Indies. After what he did against India, Australia’s selectors might be secretly praying for an injury to one of their batters so they can somehow get him in. But even then, there is no place for him at the top of the order with Warner returning and captain Aaron Finch’s place secure. Green will cast a large shadow over the team should he not end up in the squad.Related

• Green retained for West Indies T20Is as Australia take cautious approach ahead of World Cup

• 'I won't just sit out' – Suryakumar overcomes illness to give India series win

• Cameron Green now makes a mark in T20Is after being 'thrown into the deep end'

• Kohli, Suryakumar, Axar star as India seal T20I series 2-1

• Skill, power, wristwork and invention: India thrive on the Kohli-Suryakumar show

David delivers as expectedTim David had previously cast a large shadow over Australia’s T20 team before finally getting his opportunity in this series and he duly delivered on what was expected of him. A calm 18 off 14 in game one to help Matthew Wade guide Australia home was followed by a sensational 54 off 27 in game three to lift Australia from a perilous position at 117 for 6 to a near match-winning total.Australia’s selectors were keen to see how David fitted into an established middle-order, albeit in the absence of Marcus Stoinis. His partnerships with Wade, who had an exceptional series, and Daniel Sams showcased his ability to work through the gears alongside both senior and junior partners, playing different roles when the situation required. It would seem ridiculous to consider leaving him out of Australia’s first-choice World Cup XI now. But the question is, who misses out?Tim David quickly looked at ease in Australian colours•BCCISmith still vulnerableWarner, Mitchell Marsh and Stoinis are seemingly locks to return for the upcoming series against West Indies and England which leads into the World Cup – providing the latter two are fit. Green can’t even get into the 15 and Australia must find room for David in the best XI. Steven Smith’s place was vulnerable heading to India and he was given the chance to bat at No. 3 in Marsh’s absence. He played nicely in Mohali to make 35 off 24 but his strike-rate of 145.83 in that innings was short of the 177.54 that was produced collectively by both teams in a high-scoring run-feast.Australia’s view of his power-hitting ability was evident in the eight-over-a-side sprint in Nagpur when he was dropped down the order to No. 6. He then scored at less than a run a ball in Hyderabad despite facing 10 balls in an innings where he was also dropped at backward point. If Smith is to play in the World Cup it could come at the expense of David, while Green will be playing Shield cricket. It would be an extraordinary show of faith from Australia’s selectors to make that call.There were some interesting calls over those who bowled the late overs•BCCIDeath bowling questionsBoth Australia and India struggled with the ball at the death in this series although McDonald acknowledged it was a very tough series for the bowlers in general. “There was really no place to hide for bowlers and particularly at the death coming up against Hardik [Pandya],” he said. “But I think we worked our way through some plans. We saw some good results with some of the plans that we implemented that may be able to transition to the World Cup.”The connection between here and Australia might slightly differ with a little bit more bounce, so some different tactics. Mitchell Starc clearly comes back into the picture, he’s been one of our best death bowlers, so we feel like we’ll get reinforcements there. But I think most death bowling attacks are under the pump with the high skills of the batters these days. Are we keen to get better at death bowling? The answer to that is yes. But we just encourage our guys to make good decisions, execute, and see what happens.”While’s Starc’s return does alleviate some issues, the fact that Green, Sams and Nathan Ellis were asked to bowl in the final two overs of each match more often than Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, when none of them are in the World Cup 15 does raise more questions than answers to McDonald’s death bowling conundrum. Australia’s other potential option in the World Cup squad, Kane Richardson, did not play a single game in the series due to a side injury that he suffered in the warm-up in game one.

Looking at pitching lines and lengths for offspinners against right-hand batters tells a story

Kartikeya Date13-Apr-2023Australia toured India for four Tests each in 2017 and 2023 and lost 1-2 both times. On its website, the BCCI publishes scorecards and ball-tracking records for each ball of these series (and others). Readers can look up any ball in a recent Test, ODI, T20I or IPL match played in India, one at a time.Related

• Why you can't counter good spin bowling by just sweeping

• This is the way: Going around the wicket to take buckets of wickets

• Is the ICC's pitch-rating system fit for purpose?

These records make available the pitching point (line and length of the delivery), interception point (the point at which the ball hit the bat, pad or a part of the batter’s body, if at all), and the beehive point (the point at which the ball would have crossed, or did cross, the plane of the stumps). Additionally, the ball-tracking record provides measures of turn, seam movement and speed, among others. This is a treasure trove of information made available by the BCCI.ESPNcricinfo records a control measurement for each delivery. This is an answer (either yes or no) to the question “Did the ball end up where the batter intended?” This article uses these two types of records – ball-tracking and control – to describe the contest between offspinners and right-hand batters in the 2017 and 2023 series.Kartikeya DatePitch maps showing the pitching points and interception points for balls bowled by offspinners to right-hand batters in the two series are in the graphs above and below.Kartikeya DateFirst impressions suggest that the line of attack was straighter in 2023, mostly because the offspinners bowled around the wicket to right-handers most of the time. These distinctions are also shown in the table below. (This table includes all deliveries by offspinners to right-hand batters in these two series for which complete ball-tracking records (pitching, interception, beehive) are available. Records are not complete for 103 balls in the 2017 series and 36 balls in the 2023 series; 15 false shots and one dismissal in 2017 and six false shots and 0 dismissals in 2023 are consequently missed in this record.)