Vanuatu T10 League Match 3: IS vs MTB Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report |IS vs MTB Dream11 Prediction Today | Ifira Sharks vs MT Bulls Key Players to Watch | Vanuatu Cricket Ground Pitch Report
After a nightmare first game where they were bowled out for 35, Ifira Sharks have the opportunity to bounce back in the third game of the Vanuatu T10 League.
They play MT Bulls, who, despite losing their first match also to Mighty Efate Panthers (MFE), made a good score of 91, led by Andrew Mansale’s superb innings.
So, with MFE sneaking ahead after the tournament’s first day, which of these two sides can make up some ground?
Ifira Sharks: Alex Stephen, Fernando Laumae, Nalin Nipiko, Wolford Kalworai, Bethan Moli, Niko Unavalu, Obed Yoseph, Stephane Sandy, Vince Vira, William Yamak, Gilmour Kaltongga, Harry Pakoa, Jamal Vira, Michael Avock, Ambong Rakau, Apolinaire Stephen, Brenan Meyer
MT Bulls: Andrew Mansale, Clement Tommy, Damien Chilia, Nono Chilia, Vincent Matautaava, Wamejo Wotu, Williamsing Nalisa, Darren Wotu, Eddie Mansale, Malon Tastuki, Marcel Taea, Patrick Matautaava, Philip Tsione, Rival Samson, Shay Narai, Godfrey Mangau, Julian Tommy
Vanuatu T10 League Match 3: IS vs MTB Dream11 – Andrew Mansale will be key.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Andrew Mansale scored a superb 75* (38) on Thursday, which was 82.42% of MT Bulls score of 91/7.
Patrick Matautaava had a poor outing with the bat for MT Bulls on Thursday (golden duck). However, he has has the highest strike rate for Vanuatu in T20Is (265 runs, SR 169.87). This includes a top score of 103. Also, he scored 46 (19) in a T10 match last month.
Also, Matautaava has nine wickets in his 10 T20Is, plus he took a wicket in the first game of this tournament.
Nalin Nipiko, part of the Ifira Sharks squad, is captain of Vanuatu and one of their best cricketers. He has the second-most runs (312) and the most wickets (24) for Vanuatu in T20Is.
Alex Stephen was out first ball in Ifiria Sharks’ capitulation on Thursday. However, he has a top score of 98 in three U-19 club T20 games. One to watch.
Clement Tommy, Vanuatu’s fourth-highest T20I run-scorer (180), scored three starts (double figures) in his past five T20Is in October 2019. However, he needs to improve on his SR of 94.24.
Eddie Mansale is coming off 2/23 in his first match in the 2020 Vanuatu T10 League.
Stephane Sandy was a solid wicket-taker for Vanuatu U19s vs Fiji and Samoa in 2017. He took eight wickets in five matches with his offspin.
Also, Sandy bowled beautifully on Thursday, taking 1/3 in two overs vs MFE.
Possible Playing 11
Ifira Sharks: 1. Nalin Napiko (c), 2. William Yamak, 3. Jamal Vira, 4. Bethan Moli, 5. Apolinaire Stephen, 6. Michael Avock, 7. Alex Stephen, 8. Fernando Laumae, 9. Stephane Sandy, 10. Vince Vira, 11. Obed Yoseph
MT Bulls: 1. Clement Tommy, 2. Patrick Matautaava, 3. Andrew Mansale (c), 4. Philip Tsione, 5. Eddie Mansale, 6. Godfrey Mangau, 7. Wamjeo Wotu, 8. Marcel Taea, 9. Nono Chila, 10. Rivla Samson, 11. Darren Wotu/Williamsing Nalisa
Vanuatu Cricket Ground Pitch Report and Conditions
There have been some high scores in T10 cricket at Vanuatu Cricket Ground in recent times, including 128/5 vs 91/7 in the MTB vs MFE game on Thursday. If teams bat well, runs will certainly be on offer.
There is a minimal chance of rain during the day in Port Vila, so a full game can be expected.
Dream11 Prediction
Option 1:
Vanuatu T10 League Match 3: IS vs MTB Dream11
Option 2:
Vanuatu T10 League Match 3: IS vs MTB Dream11
Dream11 and Fantasy Cricket content for you to enjoy on CricBlog:
MT Bulls showed more promise than Ifira Sharks did on the opening day of the tournament. Also, the Bulls look to have greater experience, which could count for plenty.
Vanuatu T10 League Match 2: IS vs MFE Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | IS vs MFE Dream11 Prediction Today | Vanuatu Cricket Ground Pitch Report | Ifira Sharks vs Mighty Efate Panthers Key Players
After MT Bulls and Mighty Efate Panthers go head-to-head in the first Vanuatu T10 League match, this match follows right after, at 3:00pm local time in Vanuatu.
Mighty Efate Panthers will be keen to head into this match with a win, as their second match won’t be an easy assignment. Ifira Sharks possess some of Vanuatu’s up-and-coming cricketers, so they will be keen to fire right away and make a good start to the tournament.
Ifira Sharks: Alex Stephen, Fernando Laumae, Nalin Nipiko, Wolford Kalworai, Bethan Moli, Niko Unavalu, Obed Yoseph, Stephane Sandy, Vince Vira, William Yamak, Gilmour Kaltongga, Harry Pakoa, Jamal Vira, Michael Avock, Ambong Rakau, Apolinaire Stephen, Brenan Meyer
Mighty Efate Panthers: Brian Tari, Edwell Kalfau, Jarryd Allan, Richard Barnes, Selwyn Garae, Shem Sala, Simpson Obed, Tony Tamata, Lazaro Carlot, Lency Shem, Wesley Vira, Joshua Rasu, Junior Alfred Carlot, Kendy Kenneth, Kenny Tari, Manu Kenni, McMillan Markia, William Laumae, Lenika Natapei
IS vs MFE Dream11: Joshua Rasu will be out to impress.
Key players to Watch/Key Stats
Joshua Rasu, skipper of Mighty Efate Panthers, has the most T20I runs for Vanuatu (374 in 13 matches, avg. 28.76, SR 110.65).
Also, Rasu can bowl if needed. He has five T20I wickets.
Nalin Nipiko, part of the Ifira Sharks squad, is captain of Vanuatu and one of their best cricketers. He has the second-most runs (312) and the most wickets (24) for Vanuatu in T20Is.
Brian Tari, who will likely bat in the top three for MFE, is considered a real talent and one to watch.
Alex Stephen has a top score of 98 in three U-19 club T20 games. One to watch.
Simpson Obed is Vanuatu’s third-highest T20I wicket-taker with 11. He will be key with his legspin.
Stephane Sandy was a solid wicket-taker for Vanuatu U19s vs Fiji and Samoa in 2017. He took eight wickets in five matches with his offspin.
It has been a slow start to Apolinaire Stephen’s T20I career with the bat (one run in two games). However, he can play a role with the ball, as he has two wickets in as many games.
Possible Playing 11
Ifira Sharks: 1. Apolinaire Stephen, 2. Nalin Nipiko (c), 3. Jamal Vira, 4. William Yamak, 5. Wolford Kalworai, 6. Alex Stephen, 7. Obed Yoseph, 8. Harry Pakoa, 9. Stephane Sandy, 10. Vince Vira, 11. Niko Unavalu/Michael Avock
Vanuatu Cricket Ground Pitch Report and Conditions
There have been some high scores in recent T10 matches at the Vanuatu Cricket Ground. About a month ago, Vanuatu High Performance Green and Black both scored over 100 in a high-scoring match.
However, there are some showers expected for this match, which is scheduled to begin at 3:00pm local time.
Dream11 Prediction
Option 1:
Vanuatu T10 League Match 2: IS vs MFE Dream11 Prediction
Option 2:
Vanuatu T10 League Match 2: IS vs MFE Dream11 Prediction
Dream11 and Fantasy Cricket content for you to enjoy on CricBlog:
Vanuatu T10 League Match 1: MTB vs MFE Dream11 Prediction Today | Vanuatu Cricket Ground Pitch Report | MT Bulls vs Mighty Efate PanthersPossible Playing 11 | MTB vs MFE Key Players to Watch
Vanuatu, a beautiful South Pacific Ocean nation, located approximately 3,000km north-east from Australia, will host its first ever T10 League as fans seek a cricket fix. The nation has reported no COVID-19 cases to date, which makes this a safe place to play.
Cricket fans will get their fix as three teams, beginning with MT Bulls vs Mighty Efate Panthers, fight it out for the trophy, with the Final to be held on June 13, 2020.
MT Bulls: Andrew Mansale, Clement Tommy, Damien Chilia, Nono Chilia, Vincent Matautaava, Wamejo Wotu, Williamsing Nalisa, Darren Wotu, Eddie Mansale, Malon Tastuki, Marcel Taea, Patrick Matautaava, Philip Tsione, Rival Samson, Shay Narai, Godfrey Mangau, Julian Tommy
Mighty Efate Panthers: Brian Tari, Edwell Kalfau, Jarryd Allan, Richard Barnes, Selwyn Garae, Shem Sala, Simpson Obed, Tony Tamata, Lazaro Carlot, Lency Shem, Wesley Vira, Joshua Rasu, Junior Alfred Carlot, Kendy Kenneth, Kenny Tari, Manu Kenni, McMillan Markia, William Laumae, Lenika Natapei
MTB vs MFE Dream11 Prediction Today: Joshua Rasu will be out to impress.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Joshua Rasu, part of the Mighty Efate Panthers squad, has the most T20I runs for Vanuatu (374 in 13 matches, avg. 28.76, SR 110.65). He also has five wickets.
Patrick Matautaava, who will play for MT Bulls, has the highest strike rate for Vanuatu in T20Is (265 runs, SR 169.87). This includes a top score of 103. Also, he scored 46 (19) in a T10 match last month.
Also, Matautaava has nine wickets in his 10 matches.
Andrew Mansale will be key for MT Bulls with both bat and ball. He has the fifth-most T20I runs for Vanuatu (159) and second-most wickets (13) in 14 matches.
Clement Tommy, Vanuatu’s fourth-highest T20I run-scorer (180), scored three starts (double figures) in his past five T20Is in October 2019. However, he needs to improve on his SR of 94.24.
However, Tommy smashed 557 runs in seven outings in last year’s Club Championship T20 round at the strike-rate of 220.
Brian Tari, who will likely bat in the top three for MFE, is considered a real talent and one to watch.
Williamsing Nalisa could prove to be a wicket-taking threat in the T10 League with his legbreaks. Can he build on his five wickets in nine T20I matches?
Simpson Obed will be key against his opposite number, Williamsing Nalisa. He is Vanuatu’s third-highest T20I wicket-taker with 11.
Possible Playing XIs
MT Bulls: 1. Andrew Mansale (c), 2. Julian Tommy, 3. Patrick Matauttava, 4. Malon Tastuki, 5. Clement Tommy (wk), 6. Nono Chilia, 7. Darren Wotu, 8. Damien Chilia, 9. Williamsing Nalisa, 10. Eddie Mansale, 11. Shay Narai/Godfrey Mangau
There have been some high scores in recent T10 matches at the Vanuatu Cricket Ground. About a month ago, Vanuatu High Performance Green and Black both scored over 100 in a high-scoring match.
Dream11 Prediction
Option 1:
Vanuatu T10 League Match 1: MTB vs MFE Dream11 Prediction
Option 2:
Vanuatu T10 League Match 1: MTB vs MFE Dream11 Prediction
Dream11 and Fantasy Cricket content for you to enjoy on CricBlog:
How to Prepare and Repair your Cricket Bat and Get It Match-Ready | How to Repair Cricket Bat | How to Fix Cricket Bat | How to get Cricket Bat ready for a match
Buying/owning a beautiful cricket bat is a feeling cricketers love. We tend to stare at our new purchase or favourite bat like it is the love of our life.
However, cricket bats need plenty of care, right from the beginning to when it is a few years old. In this article, with the help of Sturdy Sports, you will come across some key tips to help you prepare your bat for match situations, as well as increase the life of your bat with some maintenance and repair tips.
Bat Preparation
1. Knocking in your bat
This is the most important aspect of getting your new bat ready for match situations. If you don’t knock in your bat adquately, you run the risk of causing cracks and dents, particularly against faster bowling.
What does knocking in your bat do?
Softens the fibre on the bat face and helps get the best ping, performance, and longevity out of your bat.
Helps reduce vibration, which aids your game.
Prepares the grains and fibres in your bat for action. Specifically, you strengthen and compress these fibres to prepare your bat.
How long should I knock my bat in for?
The more knocks, the better. If you use a standard mallet, the recommended time of knocking in is about six hours. So, if you choose this option, spend at least 30 minutes-1 hour each day for a week knocking in all parts of the blade, including the toe and edges.
If you want to outsource the knocking process, you can. Sturdy Sports provides a bat-knocking service, which includes 15,000 knocks by a machine.
Knocking in your cricket bat is vital.
2. Oiling your bat
Oiling helps prevent your bat from becoming too dry. A very dry bat is prone to cracking or splitting.
If you want to oil your bat, you can. Lightly oil the edges, toe, face and back of the blade. Leave your bat to dry, and then coat again at least one or two more times. Here are some key tips:
Use a small amount of Lindseed Oil. About a 10 cents coin’s worth.
To see if your bat needs more oil, run your thumbnail up the bat’s blade. If there is a tiny speck of oil on your thumbnail, then it is oiled nicely. If there is none, it needs another light coating.
Don’t oil the stickers or splice.
But, like bat knocking, you can have a service provider oil your bat. Sturdy Sports also provide this service.
3. Other considerations
There are a few other key things to keep in mind to further prepare your bat:
A toe guard is important as the toe is a fragile part of the bat.
Add a bat sleeve to further protect the face and edges.
Face slow bowling (with an old ball) in the nets.
If you see some seam marks during practice, spend more time knocking the bat in.
Cricket Bat Repair: A good toe guard is important for a cricket bat.
Bat Protection
So, you’ve prepared your bat for action. Then, a few months and years pass. What next?
Bat care and protection never stops. There are some key considerations to keep in mind to protect your bat overtime.
1. Bat Servicing
From re-oiling to new sheet to new grip, it is important to always keep your bat in tip-top shape.
Check out this checklist which covers the important aspects of bat servicing, which also includes face protection, sanding and toe protection.
2. See any cracks?
Even if you prepare your bat well, there is always a possibility that a crack or split may occur, particularly against faster bowling.
What can I do if I see cracks?
If it’s a small crack, gently sandpaper that area of the bat for about 20 seconds. It should then disappear, which shows that there is no damage to the bat.
For a ‘hairline’ crack (less than two inches in length), use a very small amount of superglue.
Apply some glass fibre tape around the bat if its a slightly bigger crack.
However, if your bat has suffered significant damage, you will need the help of a service provider. For example, Sturdy Sports offers services such as shoulder crack repair, handle replacement and toe repair.
These options, along with some other repairs, could suit you if you love your current bat so much that you prefer it over buying a new bat.
Repair Cricket Bat: Cracks such as these should be repaired by a service provider.
Hope you enjoyed these special tips. You and your bat will be better for it.
Why has RCB Struggled for Success in the IPL? | RCB Analysis | Why have Royal Challengers Bangalore Struggled? | When will RCB win the IPL?
Royal Challengers Bangalore, a star-studded team from the first season of the IPL, have always looked the goods. One of the strongest teams on paper after every auction, most experts, before the start of a season, predict them to lift the cup.
But, all the predictions fail more often than not. An incredible team on paper, consisting of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle (for most of his IPL career), and many more international and domestic stars, has struggled for success in the IPL. By success, we don’t only mean winning the title; they have not performed as well as they’ve liked to and according to their potential.
This chart will help you understand this better:
RCB has played the second-most number of matches in the history of the IPL, after Mumbai Indians. However, they are the sixth-most successful team in terms of winning matches among active teams in the league. They have qualified for the playoffs only five times in 12 attempts, which includes the three Finals (2009, 2011 & 2016).
The Bangalore-based franchise has not been as successful as many believe they should. Wondering why? So are we. Let’s try and find the answers to this question.
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The biggest reason why RCB has struggled for success is their management. The management has performed very poorly in all the 12 seasons and is the reason that a team full of T20 superstars of the cricketing world is one of the most underperforming sides in the tournament.
Let’s get deep into this and talk about the areas where they’ve lacked compared to the successful teams.
RCB have underachieved right from the beginning of IPL cricket.
Poor on the Auction Table
Royal Challengers Bangalore has a very explosive batting line-up – arguably the best top order in the league.
But it’s not the same case with their bowling department. They are over-dependent on their batting to win them games; automatically not a good sign for any team when your bowling can’t win you games.
This chart represents the economy rates of all the teams in the league. It shows that RCB is ranked seventh among the active eight teams, only better than Kings XI Punjab.
This chart indicates the economy rates in the last four overs of an innings. It reflects that RCB concedes the most runs in the last four overs among active teams, showing that bowling is their weak link, particularly at the death.
But, instead of picking good death bowlers, they are always found bidding for batters on the auction table. As a result, they often don’t have enough purse remaining to bid on quality bowlers, which means they don’t have any other option than going with their inexperienced domestic bowling attack.
Crucially, RCB has a tendency to go for the big names in auction rather than going for players they need. This has proved to be very costly throughout the 12 seasons of the league, reflective in their underwhelming record. They need to fix this.
Chinnaswamy is great for batting, but RCB have given themselves little chance of winning Titles.
Releasing Important Players
Royal Challengers Bangalore over the years have regretted releasing some of the superstars of T20 cricket. Players like Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Robin Uthappa, Quinton de Kock, and many more were once part of their squad, but were released either after a bad phase or some even without getting enough games.
Chris Gayle was released after a couple of bad seasons. He came back to form. Sarafarz Khan was retained over KL Rahul. It proved to be a very very costly mistake. In the next season, Sarafarz was also released.
Releasing such big players is not a wise decision and it causes few problems for the team and we’ll talk about one of them next.
Absence of a Strong Core of Players
RCB lacks a strong core of players in their side. If you look at most successful teams like CSK and MI, they have a strong core of Indian players mixed with 2-3 overseas stars. In contrast, RCB has only Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal as their core players.
This again is the management’s fault. In 2015, they had Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Dinesh Karthik, Mitchell Starc, and Yuzvendra Chahal, which represents one of the strongest cores in the league. If they maintained this set of players, they would surely be the team to beat in future seasons.
However, they released most of the players who could’ve been their potential core. Worse, it seems as they are still not interested in building the core of their team. This is one major reason why they’ve struggled as a franchise.
Mismanagement of Players
This is the biggest problem of RCB. They don’t manage the players well and by managing, we mean that they don’t use the players well.
The biggest example is Shane Watson, who has become an integral part of the CSK squad; one of their most important players. Before getting picked by CSK, he was at RCB.
RCB have been poor in player management compared to teams such as CSK.
Watson, who has opened nearly his whole career, was batting at number six for RCB. Also, he was bowling in the death overs. Surprise, surprise, he didn’t perform as expected, and instead of RCB changing his role in the team to suit his strengths, he was released.
Another example is Shimron Hetmyer. The young gun from Windies was picked by RCB in 2019 for 4.2 Crore Rupees. After struggling in the first four games, he was benched until RCB’s last game of the season, where scored 75 runs off 47 balls. It wasn’t good enough for RCB, though, with Hetmyer released by the franchise.
One of the biggest flaws of RCB management is that they try to shape players into roles according what they desire, rather than maximising the strength of the player. One example is the decision to bowl Shane Watson and Corey Anderson in the death overs, rather than picking good death bowlers. RCB did this so they can accomodate expensive, big name top order batsmen.
These are areas where RCB management has been poor and should improve.
Over-Dependency on Virat, AB, and Chahal
Most of the time, RCB depends on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to score the runs and then Yuzvendra Chahal to defend them. If they fail, they lose. They are over-dependent on these players for getting them over the line.
RCB rely on AB and Virat too much with the bat.
They have some other players in the batting department but the bowling is mostly dependent on Chahal. Even if he picks 2-3 wickets and stops the flow of runs, their death bowling balances things out. They need to find good players to accompany these players in the squad.
This shows the importance of a strong core which, again, they lack.
Need to Back their Players
Virat Kohli in someway hasn’t been upto the mark on the tactical front. He is known for chopping the playing XI after every defeat and doesn’t back his players after few bad performances.
Successful teams like MI and CSK back their players until they perform. Shane Watson is the best example. He was struggling to score runs but MS Dhoni and CSK backed him and he scored a hundred in the 2018 Final and almost took them over the line in the 2019 Final.
This is not the case with RCB. As mentioned above, a player like Hetmyer was dropped after a few bad games and got a chance finally after eight games. Eventually, he was released before the next auction, much like Watson was released before him after misusing the all-rounder.
RCB’s players are always under pressure and have a fear of getting dropped after a bad game. It is very difficult to play your natural game under that kind of environment. Virat Kohli should back his players to do well even if they are having a bad phase. Also, Virat Kohli makes some tactical errors, especially under crunch situations, so he also needs to analyse things better.
———
So, the biggest reason for RCB’s struggle in the league is poor decision making; a real flop show by their management. They need to start from the auction table, plan better, and pick the players according to their strengths. Then, it is vital they manage them well and back them in their bad phases.
Overall, RCB has what it takes to be a champion side. RCB fans hope that the Virat Kohli-led side will perform to their potential and provide some cracking on-field action that translates into tangible results.
Thanks for reading!
Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.
Check out more of Robin’s articles on CricBlog, including:
5 Reasons Why Changing the LBW Laws would be a Poor Move | Changing the LBW laws | Ian Chappell’s solution to bridging the gap between bat and ball
As I get ready for another Monday with coffee in hand, I stare in disbelief at my computer screen. Sitting there, I am wondering if ESPNCricinfo are so out of ideas during the COVID-19 pandemic that they have turned to satirical articles.
But, I realise that ESPNCricinfo don’t really do satirical articles. Plus, Ian Chappell isn’t the kind of guy to write them.
Chappell, a tough cricketer and possessor of one of the finest minds of the game, has suggested cricket changes its LBW laws once it returns. Specifically, he says that it shouldn’t matter where the ball pitches or hits the batsman; if the umpire thinks it’ll hit the stumps, you’re out.
“Forget where the ball pitches and whether it strikes the pad outside the line or not; if it’s going to hit the stumps, it’s out” are Chappelli’s words. But, while this might seem attractive to the bowlers, it is a bad idea for the game.
The reasons why we have the current legside law is two fold;
A ball pitching outside leg can create a bit of a blind spot for a batsman, given they stand side on.
Leg stump bowling is an unattractive feature of cricket. Also, it is often considered something to avoid from a bowling point of view. “Top of off”, anyone?
If Ian Chappell gets his wish, then a delivery pitching outside leg stump can result in a wicket. So, why not bowl around the wicket? Switch the famous 7-2 field and make it a 2-7 field? Focus on legstump rather than off? Boring.
This move will encourage negative bowling; the kind that if there is too much of, the umpire will call a wide as per current laws. There will be an increase in unwatchable passages of play, which does not do the game any favours, should Chappell get his wish.
If Chappell has his way regarding the LBW laws, this could be out…
2. Swings the balance too far the other way
Cricket has evolved into a batsman’s game. However, better pitches, rather than a change in LBW law, is a key part of creating an equal battle between bat and ball.
The balance will swing too far the other way if we introduce an LBW rule where it doesn’t matter where the ball pitches or hits the batsman. All of a sudden, bowlers, particularly spinners on tracks with some turn, will have too much of an advantage. As a result, we will see an increase in low scores as the margin of error for batsmen becomes way too small.
It’s all about an equal battle between bat and ball. Tactics focused on hitting the pad by all means possible do not encourage positive, attractive cricket.
Bowling around the wicket would become a huge tactic for teams.
3. Offside play becomes an even bigger risk
The back-and-across technique has been a key part of cricket for many-a-decade. Protecting your stumps is something players are tought from a young age, particularly when the ball is moving around.
Picture this. A ball jags back into a batsman, but they cover it well, getting hit outside the line (while playing a shot, of course). Instead of a batsman being rewarded for knowledge of where their offstump is, they will be punished if the ball is deemed to be hitting the stumps.
So, it’s not really leg BEFORE wicket anymore is it? It’s LOWBHW: leg outside wicket, but hitting wicket. And, before you say that leg before wicket should apply even to a ball pitching outside leg (particularly if it still hits the batsman in line), please refer to point one.
4. We will place our trust in Hawkeye even more
Hawkeye isn’t considered to be 100% accurate; the reason why we have umpire’s call. So, could you imagine trusting Hawkeye to make the right call on a delivery the hits a batsman well outside off or leg stump? Think about it. We question Hawkeye even when the ball hits a batsman in line. Ben Stokes’ non-LBW in the dying stages of the classic Headingley Test of 2019 comes to mind. So does Virat Kohli’s close LBW in the 2019 World Cup Semi Final. And, of course, who could forget the Sachin Tendulkar call in the 2011 World Cup Semi Final, still debated to this day?
With this rule change, you’re asking Hawkeye to predict the path of the ball on different angles and longer distances, which can open up a whole other can of worms.
When hawkeye came under serious question in an India-Pakistan WC Semi Final.
5. Tests will finish a lot sooner
Ian Chappell advocates for the four-day Test in his article, claiming that huge first innings totals will be a thing of the past. However, this rule change will see even the fourth day become a spare one for everyone involved in a Test, as totals will move to the other extreme: too low.
Worse, Tests have been ending quickly as is more often in recent years.
Why? Hint: Not because of the LBW laws.
But rather, because teams are not as as Test-hardened anymore. So, why run the risk of putting another nail in Test cricket’s coffin by increasing the possibility of making them even shorter?
Wickets will tumble quicker as the balance has shifted too far
Bowling on legstump will be encouraged;
And the game that we fell in love with will become unrecognisable
It’s not broken. So no need to fix it.
Thanks for reading!
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All-Time T20 XI | Best T20 XI of all-time | Best T20 Player of all-time | Who is the best T20 cricketer?
The best T20 cricketer of all-time has been a strong topic of conversation in a cricket-starved 2020.
Following on from ESPNCricinfo’s poll fiasco, one can extend on the “Greatest T20 Player” vote, and turn it into the greatest T20 XI in history. After all, it mighty difficult to choose between some of the top players (which remains the case when choosing an XI), but at least you can justify a team with arguments about balance, quality and sheer T20 knowhow.
So, without further ado, here is CricBlog’s all-time T20 XI:
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When one thinks about T20 cricket, Chris Gayle comes to mind.
Much has been expected of Chris Gayle right throughout his career, but he has looked at expectation as an opportunity to wow rather than a threat of disappointing people. Over the course of his 404-game career, taking him right around the globe (19 franchises), Gayle has ammassed the most runs (13,296), the most centuries (22. No one else has 10) and has 978 sixes to his name (next best is 652). The Undisputed GOAT.
David Warner’s T20 record is absolutely incredible.
It was a really tough call to not pick the likes of Brendon McCullum, Rohit Sharma and Martin Guptill as opener, but with Warner trumping the others on key stats, it is justified. To paint a picture, Warner’s strike rate of 142.20 is just four less than Chris Gayle’s and higher than McCullum’s of 136.49; two players who found the boundary with ease. Also, Warner makes a 50+ score every 3.73 matches, which is the best of all the T20 greats with at least 7,000 runs to their name.
In addition, Warner is the only player to win the IPL Orange Cap three times, and with Australia’s renewed focus on T20I cricket, Warner will only continue to go from strength-to-strength as he nears 10,000 T20 runs.
All-Time T20 XI: David Warner has been a consistent performer in T20 cricket.
After what is likely to be a blistering start by the openers, Virat Kohli is just about the perfect player to come in at three.
Kohli is one of those players who will reach 30 with such ease and skill, that you often don’t realise just how quickly he scores his runs. And, with his reliability (only player with over 5,000 runs to average over 40 in T20s), you can be sure the team will be on track for a huge total.
But, just looking good doesn’t cut it. Kohli’s achievements in T20 cricket are terrific, including an average of 50+ in 82 T20Is, two Player of the Tournament awards at World T20s and the most runs in an IPL season (973).
All-Time T20 XI: Virat Kohli is one of the all-time greats in white-ball cricket.
It’s not an all-time T20 XI without AB de Villiers. One of the most gifted batsmen in history, de Villiers could smash a 40-ball 100 one day and bat 200 balls to try save a Test the next.
From a T20 perspective, de Villiers has wowed millions around the globe with his greatness, with his name enough to send goosebumps down the spine of cricket fans (and opposition bowlers). His sheer ability to make capable bowlers look third-rate has been a key feature of de Villier’s career, with his freakish, 360-degree strokeplay underpinning his remarkable strike rate of 149.77.
It was excruciatingly difficult to leave Andre Russell out of my top five T20 players list. However, there is no such difficulty including him in this one.
Russell has the third-highest strike rate of any player in T20 history. To paint a picture, the other four players in the top five don’t even have 1,000 runs to their name.
Russell has 5,356, boasting a ridiculous strike rate of 171.29. This man’s brute force sends shivers done the spine of bowlers all around the globe. He is the perfect player to come in after a platform is set, and when you add his 291 wickets, he is a captain’s dream.
All-Time T20 XI: “Dre Russ” is a massive threat whenever involved.
Now, it can be tempting to leave another batting star out of the side to accomodate Dhoni, or push Pollard or Russell further down to push Dhoni up to five. So, the key question is whether you get the maximum impact out of Pollard and Russell’s strike rates if you bat them too low.
So, the best conclusion is that skipper Dhoni can choose who bats where depending on the situation.
Of course, it just doesn’t feel right to have a side without MS Dhoni in it. According to Michael Hussey, Dhoni reads the game like no other, which has been key to Chennai Super Kings’ prolonged success. Dhoni is arguably the greatest T20 captain ever, and when you add his lightning glovework, you still get incredible value, even if lower down the batting order.
All-Time T20 XI: MS Dhoni, arguably the greatest T20 captain ever.
One of the all-time greats, Kieron Pollard is the most capped T20 cricketer, with good reason.
As of May 2020, Pollard is one of two players to have cracked the 10,000-run barrier in T20s. What makes this more remarkable is that Pollard often bats in the middle order; a testament to his consistency when batting in the middle and death overs. Indeed, his superb strike rate of 150.57 is testament to that.
And, when you add his 279 wickets, freakish fielding and excellent T20 cricketing mind, Pollard makes this side with ease.
All-Time T20 XI: Pollard is a dream to have in your side.
The highest-ever wicket-taker in T20s, Dwayne Bravo, is also a captain’s dream.
His versatility in terms of being able to bowl at all stages of an innings, particularly at the death, has made him an asset in T20 sides for a number of years. So, when you think about how many overs he’s bowled at challenging stages, an economy rate of 8.24 is an excellent return (along with nearly 500 wickets).
Also, you add over 6,000 runs of batting in this team. So, if Bravo is needed with the bat, he is capable of delivering some crucial late runs.
All-Time T20 XI: Dwayne Bravo is the highest wicket-taker in T20s.
Sunil Narine is the third-highest wicket-taker in T20 history. However, Narine’s value in T20 teams goes beyond just the number of wickets.
Narine’s economy rate of 6.02 is easily the best among players with at least 200 games under their belt (next best is 6.30). What makes this feat even more special is how many overs Narine bowls in the powerplay, which helps his team get a strong foothold into the game.
All-Time T20 XI: Sunil Narine can bowl in the crunch overs.
Rashid Khan has the next best economy rate after Sunil Narine among players with at least 200 matches.
However, like Narine, it is more than just about the incredible numbers when it comes to Rashid Khan. He has played a massive role in the incredible rise of Afghanistan cricket, and has been a big hit all-around the globe in such a short amount of time.
His quick, accurate and skilful leg-spin makes him an asset at all stages of the innings. The fact that he has taken at least four wickets in an innings on eight occasions shows he can blow opposition sides away when in the mood. And, if he’s not getting the huge wickets, he almost always keeps the batting side in check.
All-Time T20 XI: What an incredible impact Rashid Khan has had.
When you think yorker, one name often comes to mind. Lasith Malinga is without a doubt one of the greats of T20 cricket, given his remarkable ability to execute his plans.
What has made Malinga so special over the years is that even when batsmen think they know what’s coming, Malinga bamboozles them with a mix of pacy yorkers, slower ones and a sharp bouncer. His unorthodox yet simple method has reaped significant success over the years, and is a man any T20 captain would love to have in his side.
All-Time T20 XI: Lasith Malinga is arguably the greatest T20 bowler.
Shahid Afridi was one of the early stars of T20 cricket. Winner of the Player of the Tournament award in the first World T20, Afridi then helped Pakistan win the next edition in 2009 (man of the match in the final).
Throughout his career, Afridi has bowled particuarly well, along with the ability to send the ball miles with the bat. If Afridi is in your best XI, then there should be no complaints from anyone.
So, there is CricBlog’s all-time T20 XI, characterised by:
Powerful batting lineup with Dhoni’s position depending on the situation.
Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo bowling in the crunch overs, with Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard offering overs with seam.
Two top class T20 spinners as spin has played a key role in T20 cricket.
Your thoughts? Should another spinnner, such as Imran Tahir, Shahid Afridi or Shakib Al Hasan, be added in the XI? A different player in the batting department? Or another specialist pace bowler such as Umar Gul or Jasprit Bumrah? Have your say.
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Top 5 Best T20 Cricketers of All-Time | Best T20 Players in History | Who is the best T20 player ever? | Best T20 Player of all-time
As cricket has come to a halt due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, opinions have been rife on social media as to who the greatest T20 player of all-time is.
Specifically, ESPNCricinfo had a poll, where fans would vote in different contests between players, with the last-man-standing the one who would be crowned the Greatest T20 Player. However, ESPNCricinfo came in for criticism for reopening polls after Virat Kohli had lost out to Chris Gayle, after votes were apparently accepted after the closing time due to a technical glitch.
What this led to was further debate about who is the best T20 player in its 17-year history. Here, after much deliberation, I will go through my top five T20 cricketers of all-time, with reasoning applied to each pick. As with any such debate, excellent T20 players will just miss out, so they will get a special mention at the end. Here goes.
As of May 2020, Kieron Pollard is one of just two players to have cracked the 10,000-run mark in T20 cricket. What makes this feat all-the-more extraordinary is that Pollard predominantly plays as a middle-order batsman; a true testament to his ability to finish off an innings superbly.
Pollard is the most capped T20 cricketer with good reason. The value he offers with both bat and ball (279 wickets) is reason enough to want him in your side. However, when you add his freakish fielding and excellent leadership and knowledge of the game, Pollard is one of the most complete T20 players to have stepped out on a cricket field.
The man, the legend, Lasith Malinga. Whenever you think of the perfect yorker, Malinga is one of the names who spring to mind.
But, it takes more than being able to bowl a yorker to become a great limited-overs specialist. It takes consistency and the ability to outdo batsmen, even when they think they know what’s coming. Malinga had that ability in spades, proven in the number of five-wicket hauls he has (5); a T20 record.
The Sri Lankan great has had a great ability right throughout his career to turn games for his team, particularly in the death overs. Even in his later years, with an example being the classic IPL 2019 Final, Malinga was able to recover from a poor third over to deliver a match-winning fourth that sealed the title for Mumbai.
Now, before any non-Indian fan has a go at me for including Virat Kohli (after what’s transpired with ESPNCricinfo), hear me out.
Kohli is the only batsman (with minimum 5,000 T20 runs) to average over 40 in T20 cricket. Sure, the average may not be as important in T20, but when you couple this with a strike rate of 134.56, Kohli is certainly one of the finest T20 players in the history of the game.
Morever, it isn’t only Kohli’s overall stats that are impressive. He has won Player of the Tournament on two occasions in World T20s, has an average in excess of 50 in T20Is and holds the record for the most runs in an IPL season (973). Also, while much is made of his record in knockouts of 50-over tournaments, his knockout record at the World T20 is incredible: 72 (44), 77 (58) and 89* (47).
So, while Kohli may have not played right around the world in T20 Leagues like others have, the impact he has had in the games he’s played, including on the international stage, has been a sight to behold.
Virat Kohli is one of the all-time great white-ball/T20 cricketers.
Personally, one of the key criteria for a player making a list such as this is their ability to create buzz and put bums on seats wherever they play in the world.
AB de Villiers is one of those freakishly talented cricketers who could score a 50-ball century one day, followed by batting 200 balls to try save a Test the next. On the T20 circuit, AB has had fans all over the world flocking in to witness his greatness, matched by his record that is highlighted by an incredible strike rate of 149.77 after 310 T20 games.
AB is every bowler’s nightmare. His sheer ability to turn good balls into ordinary ones and hit them anywhere he wants has led to the appropriate nickname of “Mr. 360”. Also, when you consider the number of times he has played a game-turning knock, it’d be an injustice to exclude him from this list. One of the all-time greats.
When you think of T20, Chris Gayle, the undisputed GOAT of T20 cricket, comes to mind.
The self-proclaimed “Universe Boss” has bossed things just about everywhere he has been. And that is a lot places, with the T20 superstar playing for 19 T20 franchises around the globe during his 404-game career.
But, what has made Gayle so great is his ability to produce memorable moments time-and-time again. So much is expected of him, yet he had the ability to hit those expectations for six in ways unimaginable. Over the course of his 404-game career, Gayle has perceived expectation as an opportunity to exceed them, rather than be burdened.
No player comes close to his 22 centuries (no other player has 10). He has 82 fifties (also the most in history) and is just 22 away from 1,000 sixes in the format (next best is 652 by Pollard). The best.
Chris Gayle: The greatest ever T20 cricketer.
Special mentions
Of course, it is very difficult to leave out other players who are greats of T20 cricket.
Andre Russell was a very difficult one to leave out. One of the most damaging batsmen in T20 history, Russell strikes fear into all bowlers (and crowds), to go with 291 wickets. Next one on the list.
Dwayne Bravo is the highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket and deservedly makes an all-time T20 team. Another very tough choice.
Brendon McCullum’s impact on the game cannot be understated; particularly his 158 in the first-ever IPL game.
David Warner’s consistency is superb, underpinned by 75 T20 fifties and three IPL Orange Caps.
Shoaib Malik has a positive impact on just about any team he plays in. His consistency and reliability makes him one of the greats.
Shahid Afridi, player of the tournament in the first World T20, has been an incredible bowler in the format.
Sunil Narine, one of the great T20 bowlers, certainly deserves a mention. If he is in your all-time XI, then good choice.
Imran Tahir (365) and Shakib Al Hasan (354) round-out the top five wicket-takers in T20s, with Rashid Khan fast approaching (296).
Luke Wright was an outstanding T20 cricketer, with 40 fifties and seven centuries.
So, there are my top five T20 players in history. Are there any you agree/disagree with? Be sure to have your say.
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England’s Rise in White-Ball Cricket after 2015 WC Exit | England’s ODI rise since 2015 | England white-ball cricket statistics
England is currently the top team in the limited-overs format of the game. Presently, they are a side considered one of the favorites for every multi-nation tournament.
But, this was not always the case. England, perennial underachievers in ODI tournaments, had a disastrous World Cup campaign in 2015. They not only lost matches, but they lost them by big margins – arch-rivals Australia defeated them by 111 runs in their first game, they lost by eight wickets (and 226 balls remaining) to New Zealand and Sri Lanka won by nine wickets chasing 310.
So, how did England rise to where they are now? From a side that was knocked out of the World Cup by Bangladesh in 2015 to winning the next World Cup? Here, we try to break it down for you:
Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss was appointed as Director of England Cricket after the group-stage exit from the 2015 World Cup. It proved to be an excellent decision, as he is one of the biggest reasons why England have transformed into a successful side in the limited-overs format.
Andrew Strauss has helped transform England.
He focused on white-ball cricket and it was his two decisions that played a major role in making the side one of the best in white-ball cricket:
1. Introduction of White-Ball Contract:
In 2016, Strauss introduced new “white-ball” contracts for white-ball specialists. In this contract, the players who were playing only limited overs the formats were to be paid around £170,000 on top of their county salary, based on their ranking determined by their performances and other parameters. This helped players financially who were only playing white-ball cricket.
Players could then focus on their white-ball game and this laid the foundation for white-ball specialists like Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Tom Banton, Tom Curran, and Chris Jordan getting into the English side, who are now regular performers.
2. Appointing Trevor Bayliss
Strauss’ decision to appoint Trevor Bayliss as the head coach proved to be a masterstroke. Bayliss completely revamped the brand of cricket played by England. His mantra of “Change in Attitude” did wonders in limited-overs, translated into the World Cup triumph.
This chart shows how successful he has been:
England’s Win/Loss Ratio is the second highest after India since the 2015 World Cup; a huge improvement after their huge disappointment.
Playing Aggressive Cricket
Bayliss built a team that has great batting depth and just attacked from the word go. If you look at the English team in the 2019 WC, you’ll see that everyone except Mark Wood can bat. No wonder that this English side is known for piling up big totals.
This chart shows how aggressive England have been under Bayliss:
Image credit: Crictracker
England has been the highest scoring team (6.29), that too after playing the most number of games. Also, their average per wicket jumped to 40.70 in 2015-2019 from 32.86 in 2011-2015.
Here is the comparison of 300+ scores by England between 2011-2015 and 2015-2019:
The number of 300+ scores has more than doubled. It’s not surprising when they have a batting lineup of players like Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, who can knock the opposition out of the competition on their own. Then, the likes of Joe Root and Eoin Morgan are in the middle to play the anchor’s role, with Morgan able to attack depending on the situation.
Then they have Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali to go bonkers in the death overs. Adil Rashid and Liam Plunkett are more than handy with the bat, and don’t forget Jofra Archer, who is also capable with willow in hand.
This batting line-up is very flexible. They can either keep on attacking for the whole 50 overs or can play sensibly in case the openers are back early. The 2019 World Cup Final was a decent example of cautious yet intent-based batting
This chart shows the number of centuries scored by the English batters between World Cup 2011-2015 and 2015-2019:
This shows how dominant the English batters have been after the 2015 World Cup; they’ve scored more than twice the number centuries after the 2015 exit.
Not only this, but the number of individual 150+ score by an English player has also increased.
This chart represents the same:
There were no 150+ scores by English batters between 2011 & 2015 World Cups. In contrast, there were four 150+ scores by them between the 2015 & 2019 World Cups.
This clearly shows that England has become a batting powerhouse in World Cricket after Trevor Bayliss’s appointment as the head coach.
Flat Tracks
The pitches in England have been a paradise for batters since the 2015 WC. They suit the brand of cricket this English team plays. After the shine is gone off the ball, these flat tracks become even more of a paradise for the batsmen.
You can get the idea from this chart:
image credit: scroll.in
This shows how much batters have enjoyed playing in England. Since the 2015 WC, the highest number of runs have been scored on English soil and Runs per Match is second highest around the globe. Players just enjoy batting there.
Also, the conditions are so good for batting that three out of the five 400+ totals since the 2015 WC have been scored by England on their home turf, including the highest score in ODI history of 481 runs vs Australia in 2018.
Some more numbers on this:
image credit: scroll.in
This further shows that teams have scored with the highest run-rate in England, in addition to the highest number of centuries scored there since the 2015 WC.
In short, the pitches are tailor-made for this England team as they can score a very big total batting first and are also capable of chasing any target. This has been a key factor in their success.
Eoin Morgan: The Captain
Of course, we can’t forget the contribution of Eoin Morgan as captain, as he led England to their first ever 50-over World Cup Title. He is very calm, composed and isn’t very expressive on the field, which helps his teammates go about their work with confidence and freedom.
Morgan has led the side in 114 games and has won 69 of them with a superb win percentage of 65.42%. He led the team at a time of transition and it’s truly remarkable how he led this team to the World Cup triumph after the group-stage exit in 2015 WC.
Indeed, he is one of the best captains England has ever had.
So with all the points mentioned, we can conclude that there’s a lot of effort behind the success of this English team. They have a director who backs the team. Trevor Bayliss made them “change their attitude”. They build their team around white-ball specialists. The pitches have been made according to their strength, and to go with that, they have Eoin Morgan to lead them.
All these things build an excellent system and it’s no wonder they a successful side.
Thanks for reading!
Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.
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5 New Cricket Records that could happen in Decade 2020-2029 | Cricket Recordsthat Could be Broken | ODI Records | T20 Records | Test Records
It is pretty remarkable to think how much things have changed over the past decade. 2010 began with no ODI double century by a men’s player, only a handful of 400+ scores in ODIs and T20 building up its prowess.
Fast forward 10 years later. Records have tumbled all over the place across formats. Zero double centuries became eight, seven 400+ ODI totals became 20 and some incredible T20 records have been set. So, while there are records that may never be broken, there certainly is the possibility of new records being created in the coming decade.
In this article, we will look at five, spanning across all three formats of the game.
5 new records that could happen in the next decade:
1. Team score of 500+ in ODIs
Fans and pundits were convinced it was only a matter of time before the 500 barrier was broken when England smashed a world-record 481/6 vs Australia in 2018. It was widely thought that the 2019 World Cup would be the time and place, but the bowlers held up quite well, with a number of star performers.
Will we see 500 in the coming decade? Yes, particularly as batsmen continue to play fearlessly thanks to the T20 influence in the ODI format. Pitches are often flat, bats are lighter yet more powerful, and 360-degree strokeplay is the norm. Fasten your seatbelts.
England is home to some big ODI scores. Could 500 happen in England?
2. Team score of 300+ in T20s
Could we see 300 in a T20 game? Yes. There have been 19 250+ scores in T20 cricket (as of April 2020), including scores of 278, scored by Afghanistan and Czech Republic.
With the sheer amount of T20 usually on the cricket calendar, in combination with batting paradises, amazing bats, 360-degree strokeplay and short boundaries, the 300 barrier may very well be broken in the coming years.
Will we see 300 scored by a team in T20s?
3. ODI Triple Century
When 2010 began, no man had ever crossed the 200 mark single-handedly in ODI history. A few, particularly Saeed Anwar and Charles Coventry, came close, but the thought of 200 seemed preposterous.
However, when Sachin Tendulkar became the first man to achieve the feat in 2010, it inspired a revolution. Virender Sehwag was next, followed by Rohit Sharma (who now has three), Chris Gayle, Martin Guptill and Fakhar Zaman.
Going forward, we can expect to see many more double centuries. However, there is a great possibility that a player can achieve 200 with a number of death overs to spare, which can provide the time to give the triple century mark a real go. We have seen ridiculous striking over the past five years, with a top score of 264 (held by Rohit), that could very well translate to the magical 300 figure.
Cricket Records: Rohit Sharma knows how to score big in white-ball cricket.
4. T20 Double Century
In 2017, Rohit Sharma was 118 not out off 42 balls in a T20 vs Sri Lanka, with 7.3 overs remaining. A double century was on the minds of fans and pundits around the globe, until he was dismissed next ball. In 2018, Aaron Finch slammed 172 vs Zimbabwe, which remains the highest individual T20I score in history. In the same year, David Miller smashed the fastest T20I century vs Bangladesh (35 balls), equaling Louis van der Westhuizen (2011) and Rohit Sharma (2017).
When you couple these international feats with some extraordinary hitting in T20 leagues (such as Chris Gayle’s 175* in 2013), we may very well see a player reach the magical 200-mark in a T20. After all, T20 will always remain a batsman’s game.
Cricket Records: A double century was very possible in 2017.
5. Most Test and international centuries by a single player
Sachin Tendulkar, in 2012, became the first cricketer in history to achieve 100 international centuries. His fellow countryman, Virat Kohli, has the best chance of any current player of surpassing that mark.
It is a big call. As of April 2020, Virat Kohli has 70 international centuries to his name (43 in ODIs, 27 in Tests). However, at 31 years of age, Kohli has the drive and determination to play for at least another six or seven years.
Kohli scores an ODI ton once every 5.56 innings. Say he plays 15 innings each year from 2021-2027 (105 innings), and scores centuries at the same rate, Kohli will score another 21 ODI centuries.
This leaves Kohli with 10 centuries to achieve across Tests and T20Is. With 27 Test centuries in 86 matches, including a superb 50-to-100 conversion rate of 55%, it is very likely that another bunch of Test centuries await Kohli.
In terms of Test centuries, Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 51 centuries is a chance of being broken. Virat Kohli (27 centuries at 31 years of age) and the superhuman Steve Smith (26 centuries at 30 years of age) are leading contenders.
Each will need to have a superb run of form in the first half of the decade. Both are capable.
We can revisit this article on December 31st, 2029 to see if these possibilities indeed came true. One thing for sure is that they can stir up a discussion. Do you believe any new records will be created in the coming years?
Thanks for reading!
Also, try your hand at CricBlog’s 21st century ODI quiz, divided in four parts:
