They have played just five ODIs since the 2019 World Cup but the series in South Africa may offer a glimpse at the future

Danyal Rasool and Umar Farooq01-Apr-2021Despite not making it to the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, Pakistan had their moments. They won four games in a row to sign off the tournament and they beat both teams that ended up making it to the final. They lost out on a semi-final spot to New Zealand on net run-rate, thanks to a crushing defeat against West Indies in their first game, a contender for their worst World Cup performance of all time.That could be viewed as a positive tournament for a nation ranked seventh going into it, but the PCB came to a different conclusion, letting go of the coaching staff and replacing the captain. The job was given to Misbah-ul-Haq, his first major coaching role since his international retirement in 2017. But two years on from an ODI tournament which the PCB felt necessitated a change, what do we know about the new man’s plans for that format?Surprisingly little, really, but the blame for that can hardly lie at the head coach’s feet. Pakistan have played a mere five ODIs since Misbah’s appointment, fewer than Papua New Guinea, Oman and Namibia; only Nepal, with four, have played less ODI cricket in that time. Two ODIs against Sri Lanka in 2019 and the three Zimbabwe played in Rawalpindi last year offer the only glimpse into Pakistan’s roadmap for the 2023 World Cup for now.While that might have taught us little, Pakistan are about to head into a series that should offer plenty more insight. The three-match series in Centurion and Johannesburg is the first real test of a Misbah-led ODI side, and the head coach’s first audition to retain that position going into the 2023 World Cup. With much of Pakistan’s focus on T20 cricket over the past year – understandably so, given there are two T20 World Cups before the next ODI World Cup – this format has been something of an afterthought.Related

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But Pakistan’s belief is that the cricket we get to see in the upcoming ODIs should put paid to any ideas that the format is being neglected. Having closely followed the India-England series over the past week, Pakistan feel there are several lessons to be learned, and while England’s generational talents make it difficult for any side to repurpose their template for their own use, expect to see Pakistan try and emulate India’s approach at their best.Pakistan have played safe, perhaps even anodyne, ODI cricket for several years now, and results in major competitions have reflected that. A brilliant, if inexplicable, 2017 Champions Trophy aside, Pakistan’s two most recent World Cup performances have seen them finish fifth (2019) and exit at the quarter-final stage in 2015. The Champions Trophy in 2013 saw them lose all of their group stage games; since the start of 2013, Pakistan have won just 22 of 81 ODIs against Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa – the sort of sides you generally compete against at the back end of big tournaments.That approach, talk from within the camp suggests, might be belatedly shelved, and that the cricket they play in South Africa will reflect that. That means it is likelier to see them get bowled out for 250 in pursuit of totals in the mid-300s, rather than opting for the safety of 280.While a top four of Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan doesn’t necessarily suggest explosiveness, the thinking seems to be that consolidating early on will allow versatile players like Azam and Rizwan to move through the gears in the middle overs, letting Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf and Shadab Khan loose later on.Pakistan need Shadab Khan to rekindle his effectiveness with the ball•Getty ImagesThis would appear to suggest an approach reminiscent of the kind India take, of prioritising wickets in hand over flying starts. Zaman’s contributions up top become essential to any kind of positive start, with an early departure likely to entrench Pakistan into caution.This is where a lower middle order comprising Asif, Shadab and Ashraf begins to look slightly frail; while those players look great walking out in the final 15 overs, their ability to consolidate should the top order fall early is yet to be tested. Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez in the middle have historically provided a buffer, but with Pakistan intent on moving on, this is an area that will need close attention in the run-up to 2023.It would also signal, if indeed Pakistan take this approach, a departure from the style Pakistan favoured in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, where a scratchy 2-1 win did little to suggest tangible progress. In South Africa, conditions might be more favourable to a progressive approach with the bat, especially at the Wanderers and SuperSport Park.While much of the focus when it comes to Pakistan’s quaint approach to ODI cricket has zeroed in on the batting, Pakistan’s bowling is in a transitional, uncertain phase, too. Mohammad Amir is out of the picture, as, most likely, is Wahab Riaz, two of the sides’ spearheads at the World Cup. And while this is an area often deemed to be Pakistan’s strength, the numbers, especially at the death, are concerning.Since the end of the 2015 World Cup, only West Indies, Sri Lanka and England have been more generous in the final ten overs than the 7.47 runs Pakistan allow. Shaheen Afridi aside, none of the quick bowlers have quite nailed that phase of the innings. Hasan Ali, set to play his first ODIs since the World Cup game against India, began his career in the death overs well (his economy rate until the end of 2017 was 5.11) but faded as his overall form did. Managing Pakistan’s resources at the death provides an interesting challenge for fledgling captain Azam.The spin department might also see some turnover as the games progress, but this series might well be a bellwether for the direction Shadab’s ODI career. As his skills with the bat have improved, his struggles with ball in hand – his primary value to the side – have continued to trend in the wrong direction. For obvious reasons, the most useful sample size comes from T20 cricket, but Pakistan will have their head turned by Usman Qadir’s sharp rise in the shortest format, and they may well wonder if he can be pressed into ODI service at some point.With the lack of control the bowling department seems to offer, the absence of Imad Wasim might seem curious, but it appears attitude and disciplinary reasons have taken precedence over cricketing ones. Ditto Haris Sohail, which puts Danish Aziz front and centre at No. 5 in the order.There is enough to suggest though that this is a budding, developing side not a decaying one. This series might be an important pre-credits scene in a captivating coming-of-age story if the ideas behind it come to fruition over the next week, but not all the plot points make complete sense just yet. It might need extensive work from a young cast to sell the idea, because in the world of Pakistan cricket, those behind the script might just as easily be left on the cutting room floor in the big picture.

A look at the teams with the longest, and most imposing, dominant streaks, and a comparison of the best Australia and West Indies teams

Anantha Narayanan26-Jun-2021This is the second part of my two-part essay on rating Test teams. The first part covered Test cricket from 1877 to 1991 – which I divided into five periods. The explanations on the methodology are not repeated here. In this article, I will cover the next two periods, from 1992 to 2021 (including the recently concluded World Test Championship final), and provide details of various related analyses.In this pair of articles, I have analysed and rated teams across 145 years of Test cricket. This is different to the ICC ratings. I consider the results, location, relative team strengths, relative team positions, and the nature of the win/draw/loss in each case. I have also introduced decay in the methodology so that recent matches carry more weight.If you have not read part one yet, it is time read that article first. Otherwise, this article will not make any sense to you.Let us first look at the 15-year period that includes the birth of the current millennium.Anantha NarayananWe saw in the first article that in the team standings as on December 31, 1991, West Indies were on top with 631 TRI points, but Australia had almost drawn level – they were just a point behind. The era of West Indian domination was about to end. Barring a blip during 1994, when Pakistan led the standings, Australia finished on top with 14 first places in this 1992-2006 period, and in four more years in the next one.It was not just that Australia led the table; they did it in style. In the 14 years in which they topped the table, they had an average TRI value of 749. The average of the 14 second-placed teams’ TRI values was 662. This shows that Australia had an average lead of 87 points, or nearly 15%. That is a massive level of domination. If we narrow this down to 2000-2009, this gap is a huge 143 TRI points on average. This was exceeded only by the Australian teams of the 1940s and ’50s. Initially it was Allan Border who led the team in this phase, then Mark Taylor, followed by Steve Waugh.Among the who took Australia to their lofty heights and kept them there is a who’s who of Australian cricket. In no particular order – Taylor, Michael Slater, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Michael Clarke, Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie. Pakistan’s lone success, in 1994, was built around Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. However, the team that made ripples was South Africa, who re-entered the Test scene in 1992 and had a string of second- or third-place finishes from 1995 through 2004. England, who had an average start, ended the period strongly.Anantha NarayananIn the 15 years between 2007 and 2021, three teams dominated. Australia led during the first four years, South Africa topped for three years, and India finished the period well with five consecutive No. 1 placings. England took the top spot once, Australia managed another as well, while New Zealand ended the period with the WTC title and the No. 1 ranking.Ricky Ponting took over as Australia’s captain in 2004 and he was assisted by Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson. Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist left at the beginning of this period. Australia did not feel their absence immediately. But as years passed, their dominance waned. South Africa were the team to beat. Led very well by Graeme Smith, they had Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers and Vernon Philander. They were on top for three years between 2012 and 2014. Australia had a one-year stint at the top in 2015, thanks to the efforts of the likes of Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins.Then India took over and they ruled the roost for the next five years. Led by Virat Kohli, India have had R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, and recently Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah in their ranks. The series win in Australia last season was crucial, as they would have lost the top ranking had they not won there.New Zealand’s away series win in England, just before the WTC final, narrowed the gap with India. Kyle Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham and their world-class pace bowlers provided them a strong base. They followed this with their excellent win in the WTC final and have overtaken India in the ratings. It is clear that New Zealand and India are the two best teams playing now.Anantha NarayananExactly 100 year-end ratings have been calculated in this exercise. Of these, the first 25 belonged to the pre-WWII years, when it was virtually a two-horse race. As such, it is not worthwhile including those years in the summaries. So the table above covers only the years from 1946 to 2021. By 1950, West Indies and South Africa were becoming stronger and Pakistan entered with a bang. Hence one can say that there was strong competition from the end of World War II.In the 75 year-end calculations after World War II, Australia led in 36 – nearly half of all years in this period. West Indies led in 16 year-end tables and shared the lead in one. England led in 11, and India in five. South Africa topped the table in four (of the 58 tables in which they were present) and Pakistan finished with 1.5. New Zealand managed to post one entry with their takeover of the 2021 table (as on June 24).Australia’s domination has been phenomenal. For them, this 75-year period started with Don Bradman and ended with Steven Smith, the top two batters in terms of batting average (with a 1500-run cut-off). I would venture to say that this domination is akin to that of Bradman over other batters. Add to this the fact that Australia have 25 second- and third-place finishes, which means that only 14 times did they drop out of the top three positions.West Indies started becoming a force once the three Ws emerged. They were followed by Garry Sobers, then Clive Lloyd and a galaxy of magnificent pace bowlers. Brian Lara was on the scene towards the end of West Indies’ period of dominance, but unfortunately he had to preside over their subsequent decline. However, the last 20 years do not take anything away from the glittering three decades during which West Indies reached the top 16 (and a half) times. They were second an equal number of times.England were there or thereabouts right through this 75-year period, but they never had a really great sustained run. Possibly their best stretch was between 1968 and 1980, when they led the table seven times. Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Bob Willis, Derek Underwood and Alan Knott formed the core of this team.These trends are mostly mirrored when we look at the leaders at the Test-match level. A total of 2150 Tests have been played from 1946 through the WTC final in 2021. Five teams were rated in all these Tests. Australia led in 1037, just short of 50%. West Indies in around 22%, and South Africa, England and India shared the bulk of the remaining Tests. Pakistan led in 72 tables. New Zealand led in four tables, in 2021: at the end of England’s Test in Chennai this year, after West Indies’ win in Dhaka, and after the two most recent Tests (West Indies vs South Africa, and the WTC final).Australia’s highest TRI value, 919, was reached in February 1951. West Indies reached theirs, 856, on October 15, 1986. England’s peak of 868 points was way back in 1889.Australia have averaged a score of 646 across all the matches they played. England’s average is 541. West Indies, pulled down considerably over the past 25 years, and India, weighed down by those unproductive early decades, now have virtually identical averages. Pakistan and South Africa have performed well overall, crossing 500 TRI points on average.Team Graphs
Presenting all eight teams in one graph would have been very cluttered, so the four best teams in terms of number of year-end top ranks – Australia, West Indies, England and India – are shown in one graph, and the other four in another. In view of the chalk-and-cheese nature of the teams competing and their strengths, the four major teams of the pre-WWII years are shown in one graph, while the 1947-to-2021 period is depicted in two. Only the year-end values are plotted.Anantha NarayananThe first of these graphs portrays the post-World-War scene very nicely. The pre-eminence of Australia immediately after the war, followed by periods of good performance, the slump in the 1980s, and the dominance either side of the turn of the millennium. The gradual rise of West Indies is captured as well, culminating in their glory days in the 1980s and a free fall afterwards. England have had their peaks here and there but no sustained superlative period. India have been the dominant team recently with five successive No. 1 finishes from 2016 through 2020.Anantha NarayananThe second of these graphs is equally illuminating. The rise to lofty heights of South Africa in the early 1950s and then again in the late ’60s, followed by their banishment, and then their return and rise to the top again a few years after the millennium and in the first half of the last decade. Pakistan’s intermittent rise to the top and their recent middling positions are reflected. Also the way New Zealand have moved to the top, and how they were second to West Indies in the 1980s. Finally, Sri Lanka have made some game attempts to move to the top, and achieved good placements in the mid-2000s.Anantha NarayananThe graph for the first period of Test cricket is dominated by England and Australia (note the huge gap between the two sides in the late 1880s, though). The graph also illustrates the rise to the top of Australia after the First World War, their plunge in the 1920s and subsequent sharp rise again.Anantha NarayananThe top TRI values
The 850-mark has been breached 98 times in the history of Test cricket: twice by England in 1889, when they had a run of six wins against Australia; five times by West Indies in 1986; and a whopping 91 times by Australia. The post-war Australians breached the mark 36 times between 1949 and 1952. This included five occasions when they crossed 900 and one of these resulted in the highest TRI ever reached, 919, in February 1951. The other great Australian team achieved the 850-mark no fewer than 55 times between 2003 and 2008. This included two instances when they crossed 900. The highest they reached was 913.The most dominant teams
Now we come to the most important part of this exercise: determining the greatest Test team in history by assessing dominance across long periods.Anantha NarayananThe first table is a strictly defined one. I have looked for team streaks in which the teams exceeded 800 TRI points. I have identified three such streaks. (England are the only other team to have ever crossed 800, and that streak was just three Tests long, so they have been left out of the graph above.) Let us now regard the three dominant streaks individually. Note that if a team had consecutive identical values, only the first occurrence is shown.At the end of the Ashes Test played at Trent Bridge in 1948, Australia reached 846 TRI points. They maintained a level of over 800 TRI points for the next 66 Tests. The streak ended with the drawn Test in Adelaide against South Africa in 1953. A home loss in the next Test took them to 765 TRI points. Their average TRI over this span was an imposing 864. Their high average TRI indicates how far ahead of the others Australia were during this dominant phase. It can be noted that of these 66, 54 values are above 850.West Indies reached 800 during a Test in which they did not play, in 1985. Their TRI value was 801. They stayed above 800 during the next 57 Tests, and averaging 822, and reaching a high of 856 in October 1986. During most of these Tests, New Zealand were in second place, though well over 250 points behind.The third and most impressive of these dominant streaks was the six-year supremacy of Australia between 2002 and 2008. On 28 July 2002, they went past 800 TRI points during a Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and they stayed above 800 for the next 280 Tests. It is a fact that this number is higher than it would have been in previous eras because more Tests are being played these days, but it is still an amazing period of total domination. Australia reached a peak of 913 TRI points in January 2008, and they averaged 850 TRI points during this six-year period. It was the loss in Nagpur during their 2008 tour of India that got them below 800 and broke the streak (though they regained the 800 mark a couple of Tests later). They went past 850 on 142 occasions during that streak.Anantha NarayananThis table is a variant of the graph above it (with a massive basic difference). For each Test for each team, I have looked at every Test played in the period from seven to 12 years before that match and computed the average TRI value. I have then determined the highest TRI average for that team for that Test and selected the three greatest team periods ever on that basis. The lower limit of seven years is to make sure that the period considered is long enough to be of relevance. The upper limit of 12 years is to make sure that the core players are there at either end of each period.Again, there were periods for three teams with TRI averages that exceeded 750 points and have been taken for further consideration. Australia 1, between 1946 and 1953; West Indies between 1983 and 1991; and finally, Australia 2 between 2001 and 2009.The best Test teams ever
The West Indies team from 1983 to 1991 really does not have the numbers to be in contention for the title of the best team ever. There is no doubt that they had a long unbeaten streak, but the many draws, both in Tests and series, worked against them.That leaves us with the two Australian teams. Australia 1 was outstanding, with an average TRI of 828. Australia 2 was equally impressive and secured an even higher average TRI of 842. So, round one to the recent Australian team.However, the overall results favoured the earlier Australian team – 83.8% to 77.8%, a full six points. So, round two to Bradman and Lindsay Hassett’s Australians. Does the fact that the Australia of Waugh and Ponting maintained the high numbers over a much bigger number of matches count? Probably not. The average number of Tests played per year in the 1950s was only around 15-20, against 40-50 in 2005. So that cannot really be a factor. What about the opposition? Australia 1 had England and an emerging West Indies and South Africa to contend with. Australia 2 had England, South Africa, India and Pakistan to contend with. Maybe a slight edge to Australia 2 in terms of competition.Australia 1’s more impressive team performance is enough to offset the slightly lower average TRI. And Australia 2’s higher average TRI and the slightly higher quality of opposition are enough to offset their lower performance percentage.I have to conclude that these two Australia teams were jointly the greatest to ever play Test cricket. Readers might have their preferences and justifications to favour one over the other, but as far as I am concerned, the two cannot be separated. This may not be the American way, in which there has to be a winner. However, this is not a single match. It is a complex collection of myriad factors and I am comfortable placing the two teams on the same pedestal.A few observations
1. The highest ever TRI value reached was 919 by Australia in 1951, as mentioned earlier. The lowest TRI value for a team in top position was 549, for West Indies. All six teams were within 138 points of each other at this point, at the end of the Madras Test of 1982.2. The highest TRI value for a team in second place was reached when the unfortunate South Africa team reached a magnificent total of 747 TRI points at the end of the Multan Test of 2003. South Africa had to contend with the immovable juggernaut of Australia who finished nearly 100 points ahead.3. The biggest margin of difference achieved by a team that finished on top was by the magnificent Australian team led by Bradman in August 1948. Interestingly it was after Bradman’s last Test, when Australia had 844 TRI points and England’s tally was 387. If ever the numbers told a story, it was then, during those late summer days in England.4. On four occasions, two teams finished with equal TRI points. One of these was a year-end rating and has already been covered. The four instances are: The Bombay Test of December 1978 when England and West Indies finished with 625 points. The December 1982 Karachi Test, and the Melbourne Ashes Test that same month, when West Indies and Pakistan finished with 570 points each. And India’s 1992 Test in Zimbabwe, when Australia finished level with West Indies with 643 points. All four Tests feature West Indies. There are 18 instances when the two teams are separated by one point.5. The average of TRI values for the top-placed teams for all 2424 Tests is 718. The average gap to second place is 113.6. The average of top TRI values for the 100 year-end tables is 714. It is amazing how the numbers do seem to gravitate to certain values in a frequency distribution. The average gap to second place is 140. Possibly because the sample size is quite low.7. The highest mean value of a single table was achieved recently at the end of Pakistan’s Test in Harare in May 2021. The mean of the TRI values was a huge 537. The top four teams exceeded 600 points apiece.8. At the other end, after the 1947 Christchurch Test featuring England, Australia’s tally was 774 TRI points, England’s 448 points, and the other teams had points just above 100. The mean was the lowest, a miserable 281.5.9. Coming to standard deviation, the Test with teams bunched closest was the India-England Madras Test of 1982, already featured for the low first-placed score of West Indies. The TRI points for the six teams were 549, 519, 504, 473, 425 and 411. This leads to a very low standard deviation of 48.4 and an unbelievable coefficient of variation of 0.101. This is the lowest CoV among all Tests.10. At the other end of the spectrum, after the Adelaide Ashes Test of 1951, Australia topped with the all-time high TRI of 919. West Indies secured 704, England 340, South Africa 178, India 178, and New Zealand 163. The standard deviation is a huge 292.0 and the CoV a somewhat high 0.701. However, the highest CoV is for the Christchurch Test of 1947. The low mean of 281.5 and a high standard deviation of 251.9 mean that the CoV is a whopping 0.895.

With the IPL set to resume, we look back at five defining moments from the first chunk of the season

Hemant Brar14-Sep-2021Samson refuses a single
Chasing 222 against Punjab Kings, Sanju Samson scored 119 scintillating runs but it was the single he did not take that remains the abiding memory of his innings. With Rajasthan Royals needing 13 from the last over, Arshdeep Singh conceded only two singles from the first three balls. Samson hit the fourth ball for a six to make it five required from two balls, and then drilled the penultimate ball towards long-off. Non-striker Chris Morris, no slouch with bat, charged halfway down the pitch before realising Samson wasn’t interested in the run.That meant Royals needed five off the final ball. Arshdeep bowled it full outside off, almost in the slot but Samson could only slice it into the hands of deep cover.Related

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Jadeja tears apart Harshal
In his first four games in IPL 2021, Harshal Patel had bowled seven overs at the death at an economy rate of 5.85 while picking up nine wickets. Then came the game against Chennai Super Kings. Harshal bowled the 18th over of the innings, conceded only five runs and dismissed Ambati Rayudu. His figures at that stage were 3-0-14-3. Giving him the 20th over was a no-brainer.Ravindra Jadeja, though, had other plans. Harshal tried offcutters, yorkers and a slower bouncer but nothing came out right as Jadeja stood deep in his crease, cleared the front leg and launched everything over midwicket. The first four balls, including a no-ball, were all hit for sixes. The next produced a brace before Jadeja finished it off with another six and a four, making it the joint-most expensive over (37 runs) in the IPL.Shaw’s six fours in an over
While Jadeja’s onslaught against Harshal came in the last over of the innings with the batter well set, Prithvi Shaw did something similar to Shivam Mavi in the first over itself.Kolkata Knight Riders had set Capitals a target of 155. Not a daunting task but Shaw reduced it to a cakewalk just after one over. Mavi’s first ball was a wide down the leg side; each of the next six was dispatched for a four via an array of shots – loft, flick, punch, drive and cut. Shaw didn’t premeditate. All he did was reacted to the ball and hit it either in the gaps or over the infield. He and Dhawan added 132 for the first wicket as Capitals cruised home with seven wickets and 21 balls to spare.Kieron Pollard hammered a 17-ball half-century to pull off an improbable heist against Chennai Super Kings•BCCI/IPLBrar gets Kohli, Maxwell and de Villiers
Halfway into his third IPL season, Harpreet Brar had no wicket to his name. And then, in a single match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he dismissed Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. All in a span of seven balls. Without conceding a run.In Brar’s earlier overs, Kohli had hit his first balls for a six and a four. At the start of his third over, Kohli once again stepped out but this time Brar shortened his length and castled him. On the next ball, he beat Maxwell’s outside edge to hit the off stump. de Villiers prevented the hat-trick but with the first ball of his next over, Brar snared him as well, caught at extra cover by KL Rahul. That all but sealed Kings’ victory.Pollard stuns Chennai Super Kings
Set a target of 219, Mumbai Indians were 81 for 3 in the tenth over when Kieron Pollard came to the crease. The asking rate was already above 13 and soon crossed 15. That’s when Pollard started the boundary-fest. He bludgeoned Jadeja for three sixes in an over and Lungi Ngidi for two before meting out similar treatment to Shardul Thakur.Still, Mumbai needed 16 from the last over, bowled by Ngidi. With Dhawal Kulkarni at the other end, Pollard decided to face all six deliveries. He refused singles on the first and fourth balls while squeezing out two fours in between. With eight needed from two, Ngidi bowled a juicy full toss that Pollard pulled for six. Then he dug out the final ball towards wide mid-on and sprinted back for the second to seal the match and finish unbeaten on 87 off 34 balls.

They did collapse against India but that’s because most of the players in the top six are still getting used to Test cricket

Firdose Moonda28-Dec-20211:07

Bavuma: No excuses, but lack of Tests does have an impact

It looks bad. At 130 runs behind and dismissed for their lowest total at a ground where they have only previously lost to England, it sounds bad. And with two days left to play, the result may end up being bad. But believe it or not, South Africa’s batters weren’t bad in their first innings at SuperSport Park, because India’s attack was good.As they did on their home patch in 2019, India’s seamers demonstrated accuracy, aggression and pace that was far superior to their hosts. South Africa will look back at the first morning and know that is where they made their biggest mistakes. They should have built pressure, attacked the stumps and made India play instead of offering a mish-mash of lengths, mostly outside the off stump. They will also know that since Vernon Philander’s retirement they don’t have someone who can move the ball off the seam as skillfully as Mohammed Shami, and for now, that is the biggest difference.Related

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Shami was unplayable in his first spell, so much so that there was nothing Aiden Markram could do about the delivery that nipped away to beat the outside edge and hit the top of off. Similarly, there were very few other ways Dean Elgar could have approached the ball Jasprit Bumrah bowled that angled across him. If Elgar left it, he may have been out lbw, so he chose to attempt to defend, got an edge and was caught behind. It’s Test cricket and opening batters can expect things like this to happen, sometimes even to both of them in the same innings.You could argue that Keegan Petersen and Rassie van der Dussen’s dismissals involved an element of carelessness because Petersen found himself stuck on the crease and van der Dussen was playing away from his body but those were decisions taken in a cauldron. Petersen is only in his third Test, his captain had been dismissed in the opening over, he made it to lunch and looked as though he had settled but after the interval, made an error of judgment against a fine bowler. Van der Dussen faced 18 balls for his three runs, negotiated the variable bounce, and, the ball before he was dismissed, edged short of second slip, also driving away from the body. He will analyse whether he needs to tighten his defences but will also admit India were relentless, especially with the new ball.We’ve seen that on this surface, it is crucial to open the bowling well. After wasting that opportunity on day one, South Africa were much improved on the third morning with the second new ball. Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi induced 11 false strokes in 7.4 overs today compared with 60 in 90 overs on the first day. With uneven bounce aiding them, they forced an Indian collapse of 7 for 55 in 15.3 overs, against a ball that was only 9.3 overs old when the day started. That should have told them the danger that may face their own line-up, and there’s every chance it did, but what could they do about it? Not much, it seems.Keegan Petersen is bowled by Mohammed Shami•AFP/Getty Images”As batters, we’ve got to front up. We’ve got to back our defence as much as we can and if he bowls a good ball, kudos to him. The one thing we want to cut out is soft dismissals but if a guy is bowling good balls then kudos to him,” Temba Bavuma said.Once the ball had softened and the pitch had hardened, batting became easier and temporarily, it seemed that Bavuma and Quinton de Kock could dig South Africa out of a hole. Bavuma, in particular, did not look like someone who last played a red-ball match in February. He left well and drove crisply and in the end was also done by a Shami delivery that deserved a wicket. Maybe Bavuma should have decided to play inside the line sooner and could have avoided the outside edge but it would be harsh to call his shot selection poor. In fact, the only South African batter who may be guilty of that is de Kock.Ultimately, South Africa’s is a problem of both quality and experience. In a line-up of six specialists, there are only two – Elgar and de Kock – with some record of consistency and one other – Bavuma – who has shown a regular ability to dig in. Markram’s reputation precedes him and his century in Pakistan suggests that he is maturing as a Test player but now, he has to show that at home. Petersen is still finding his feet and it’s too early to know whether he has what it takes for a long career in whites and even van der Dussen, who seems to have been around forever, only has 10 Test caps to his name.It’s tiring reading this (and writing it) but this is still very much a team that’s rebuilding and it’s going to take time. They will probably break more records, but not in a good way, and find themselves in difficult positions and lose more matches.It will sting that this is the among the worst positions South Africa have found themselves in at a place where they seldom lose. But SuperSport Park has also changed a little. It was unexpectedly flat on the first day and then there was significant variable bounce and movement. “On the first day, the wicket was on the slower side. There was more grass on the wicket so the movement wasn’t as exaggerated. Today, where the wicket had a lot of sun, the movement was a bit challenging,” Bavuma confirmed.Dale Steyn, who knows this venue better than most, expects that after the up and down, the pitch will take turn, which probably isn’t what South Africa want to hear given that they will end up batting last. But Bavuma has called on the batters to dig deep, even if it’s in defeat and know that more time in the middle and more matches will eventually make them better. “As batters we are going to have to knuckle down and make it super hard for the Indian bowlers. I don’t want to be accused of making excuses but one of the factors is the lack of match intensity. There’s only so much training you can do. I saw a stat that said we have played 13 Tests over three years and England have played 13 this year. As players there’s nothing we can do and that’s no excuse.”And he made a comparison to England. It’s that bad.

New-age T20 was beating traditional T20 hands down. Until Rahul Tewatia came in and tore the script

Karthik Krishnaswamy09-Apr-20222:18

Ravi Shastri: ‘Rahul Tewatia anticipated what Odean Smith would do’

A curious thing happened off the last ball of Punjab Kings’ innings on Friday. Arshdeep Singh and Rahul Chahar ran two, and then attempted a third run that was absolutely not on. But it was the last ball, so why not look for that extra run even if there’s a 90% chance of a run-out? Simple, but not too many batters and teams actually attempt this. Almost as a reward for their opportunism, Hardik Pandya messed up the run-out at the bowler’s end, treading onto the stumps before he could break the wicket legally.That moment was symbolic of Kings’ approach with the bat throughout this season. If the effort to maximise run-scoring brings a greater risk of losing wickets, so be it.You can quibble with the finer details sometimes. On Friday, they went into the 16th over with their last two recognised batters at the crease, and with one of them, Liam Livingstone, batting on 64 off 26 balls. Rashid Khan was to bowl the 16th over, and most teams would have played his last over out carefully in that situation. Not Kings, and their risk-taking didn’t come off.You could argue that this was not the situation for Livingstone and Shahrukh Khan, both of whom have distinctly better records against pace than spin, to be going after the world’s best white-ball spinner, especially when there were four overs of pace to come. At a granular level, in that over and against that bowler, the merit of this approach was debatable.Zoom out, though, and the same approach brought Kings 112 runs in overs seven to 16 – the third-best middle-overs total of IPL 2022. Kings have two of the six best middle-overs totals of the season so far, the other being 99 during their successful chase of 206 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.In both innings, they lost five wickets in this phase. In both innings, they kept going hard.Teams have traditionally failed to – or opted not to – maximise the middle overs even though this phase makes up half of a T20 innings. There have always been teams that have swum against this tide, and Kings have been that team in this season of the IPL.Rahul Tewatia roars after finishing the game with back-to-back sixes•BCCIAnd they’re not doing it because they want to revolutionise T20. They’re doing it to try and win as many games as possible with the squad they have. Like most other sporting philosophies, theirs occupies some part of the vast middle ground between idealism and pragmatism. Kings bat the way they do not just because they want to, but also, perhaps, because they have to.With the total available talent in the IPL being divided by ten this season rather than eight, nearly every team has had to make some sort of compromise while building their squad. Kings have assembled a line-up of frightening hitting talent, but their bowling attack is among the less likely ones in the league to defend a par total.Kings, therefore, usually shoot for well above par. They were getting there easily for three-fourths of their innings on Friday, then they looked like they’d fall well below it, and then their last-wicket pair improbably took them to 189.It seemed a formidable total through most of the second innings despite Kings only taking their second wicket in the 15th over. Despite Shubman Gill timing the ball like a 14-year-old prodigy batting against his 10-year-old cousins, ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster pegged Gujarat Titans’ likelihood of victory at below 50% for most of their chase.How Gujarat Titans won a high-scoring thriller•ESPNcricinfo LtdAnd as the chase neared its climax, the dangers of the traditional T20 approach became apparent. Titans only scored 87 through the middle overs despite losing just one wicket in that phase. Gill, having reached 78 off 43 balls, scored only 18 runs and hit no boundaries off his last 16 balls. He faced some good defensive bowling in this time, particularly from Arshdeep, but the accumulated fatigue from running 10 twos in the heat and humidity of Mumbai in April may also have contributed to his slowdown.If you belong in the camp that believes the ideal T20 innings is made up of short bursts of hitting from multiple batters rather than being built around one big score, you might have smiled to yourself.The target kept pulling away from Titans’ reach: 37 from 18, 32 from 12, 19 from six. A panicky last-over run-out, and it came down to 18 from five.New-age T20 was beating traditional T20 hands down. Or, more accurately, the team that prioritised hitting over bowling at an auction where demand exceeded supply was beating the team that went the other way.You know what happened next. Fate, and Rahul Tewatia, tore up the script, and this match, billed as a clash of contrasts, got its grandstand finish. One team won and the other lost, but the ideological clash isn’t ending anytime soon.

Managing his own workload, a team in transition, and finding a refreshed ODI strategy are on the list

Alex Malcolm13-Apr-2022Maintain the Test rage on the road
Australia waltzed through the Ashes 4-0 under Justin Langer but their patchy Test form prior to that was part of what made Langer vulnerable to the internal and external criticism that ultimately contributed to his exit. Australia have started brightly under McDonald with a 1-0 away win in Pakistan. It was Australia’s first Test series win in Asia since 2011 and their first away series victory anywhere since 2016. McDonald is keen for this current Test team to be known as Pat Cummins’ team and one that he will simply support. But the strategy that he helped implement paid off in Pakistan, and Australia now have the challenge of replicating it in Sri Lanka in July and India next year if they want to play in the World Test Championship final.Related

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Defend the T20 title
The only thing harder than winning a T20 World Cup is defending it and Australia face the unique challenge of needing to do it just 12 months after last year’s triumph in the UAE. The advantage is that it comes in home conditions. The challenge is that Australia will need to improve again. There are questions surrounding the form of captain Aaron Finch, but McDonald is in no doubt he is the man to lead Australia at the World Cup. The emergence of Josh Inglis in the middle order, while the form of Nathan Ellis and Sean Abbott in Pakistan, as well as the possibility of using Tim David as a lower-order hitter, creates both options and headaches in terms of what is the best team structure and strategy for Australia to win the title in Australia. Preparation may also be an issue given their best side might not play much together ahead of the tournament. But that wasn’t an issue last year.Finding a 50-over formula
ODI cricket was the least prioritised format during Langer’s tenure. Australia struggled in the lead-up to the 2019 ODI World Cup but found a way to be very competitive in the tournament only to be blown away by a far superior England side in the semi-final. From then on it was an afterthought. The ODI team has played well during the pandemic but has largely used second-choice players as Australia’s stars rested for key Test and T20I assignments. But Australia now only have 18 months to prepare for an ODI World Cup in India. They did have an extraordinary ODI series win in India in 2019 courtesy of a magical chase in Mohali. But they have lost four of their last five ODI series there and were bounced out of the 2011 World Cup in the quarter-final. The brand of cricket Australia played in 2019 was behind the times. McDonald and Australia need a refreshed strategy ahead of the 2023 tournament.McDonald has to manage a Test team in transition•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesA team in transition
At the end of the 2023 World Cup, even before that, there could be a big turnover of players in all three forms. Finch and David Warner are unlikely to continue after the 2023 World Cup. Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja will be 35 and 36 respectively at the end of the 2023 Ashes. Matthew Wade could also finish his international career at the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup while a host of other players will be heading towards their mid-30s. McDonald and the selectors will need to manage all of the exits carefully while getting younger players up to international level quickly in order to keep producing results heading into the second half of his four-year contract.Managing the coaching workload
Langer did rest for three series during his four-year tenure, although one, the 2021 T20I tour of New Zealand, only came about because the simultaneous Test tour to South Africa was cancelled. Australia have a relentless schedule coming up over the next 18 months and it will be impossible for McDonald to coach every assignment. He has already put in place a strategy with CA to rest for certain white-ball series in that period and wants to elevate assistants and consultants during that time to increase the depth in Australian coaching. The idea is a good one, the execution is the challenge.Relinquishing the reins and empowering an assistant to take full control is never an easy thing for any coach to do. McDonald has stressed it is possible provided the right personalities work together towards a common goal of making the team better across all forms. In the age of working remotely, it is also possible for coaches to still be of value to the team environment while working from home for short periods, provided the communication lines are open and the leadership structures are clear.

West Indies batters produce fire and fight to capitalise on absence of Anderson and Broad

Cameron Ponsonby09-Mar-2022When Kraigg Brathwaite bats, he does so for a long time and not for a good time. Normally.But on day two in Antigua, he broke character to score a brisk 55 off 70 balls and made clear the West Indies strategy when faced with an England opening attack absent of either James Anderson or Stuart Broad. Whack it.Ahead of the series, both Brathwaite and West Indies head coach Phil Simmons had refused to be drawn on whether they considered it an advantage that neither Broad nor Anderson were lining up against them. That to do so would be “complacent”. We’re focusing on us, not them etc.Related

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But there is a difference between saying and doing. Because West Indies came with a plan. Faced with two opening bowlers burdened with the unknown pressure of leading the attack for the first time in Chris Woakes, and opening the bowling in Tests for the first time in Craig Overton, they put their foot down.”It was pretty much just playing as it came,” Brathwaite said at the close, maintaining the party line. “I obviously got into some good positions and it paid off and we got some early runs, but I wouldn’t say it was a change. It’s a good pitch.””Some of the guys aren’t as experienced as Anderson and stuff but I thought they were decent and we’ve just got to buckle down and fight. Do not underestimate, that’s the key for us.”The first ten overs brought 45 runs and CricViz stats aplenty. Only twice in the last two years have England conceded more. Woakes’ first 20 balls brought 27 runs, the most he’d ever conceded by that stage in an innings (admittedly a small sample size). The 50 arrived in the 11th over, the fourth fastest during Joe Root’s captaincy. It was, by whichever metric you choose, right up among least-threatening new-ball spells England had bowled in the last decade. It was not good.But it would be unfair to say that England’s failings were all of their own doing. Missteps still need to be capitalised on and neither Brathwaite nor his opening partner John Campbell missed a beat in doing so. Brathwaite drove and Campbell slashed, and just when England thought they’d put a lid on proceedings as Jack Leach tied together a maiden or two, Brathwaite launched him for six.You can have all the strategies, spreadsheets, nutritionists and data scientists you want, but when it comes down to it, nothing beats hitting the ball really far as your Plan A.Brathwaite is a man riding high on batting adrenaline. For all the talk of how out-of-character this innings was in terms of his career, it wasn’t in terms of his month. In the lead up to this series, Brathwaite scored a career-best 276 for Barbados against Jamaica, an innings which came at a strike-rate of 67.81.It is a stark change for a man who has often suffered from the same criticism levelled at players such as Dom Sibley and Cheteshwar Pujara, that his slow batting adversely affects his team by putting undue pressure on the batter at the other end. But here, Brathwaite went to a run-a-ball 20, 30 and 40 before bringing up his fastest Test half-century off 62 balls.If Brathwaite set the tone with his fire, his team followed suit with their fight. A collapse from 83 for 0 to 127 for 4 threatened to derail the excellent start West Indies had made, and with the ball beginning to reverse-swing, had either Nkrumah Bonner or former captain Jason Holder fallen and exposed a fragile tail, the day could’ve comfortably belonged to England. As it happened, Bonner and Holder shared a crucial, unbroken 75-run partnership to steer West Indies to 202 for 4 at the close with the game evenly poised.”Holder and Bonner put on a really good partnership,” Brathwaite said. “The England bowlers were in a good spell and you saw the maturity fighting through, especially a period of eight overs where the ball was doing a bit. He’s [Holder] leading from the front and we just have to follow.”

England seam-bowling great knew the time was right to step away

Valkerie Baynes15-Apr-2022In the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup, one passage of play was broadcast on loop, in England at least. It was Anya Shrubsole’s match-winning performance at Lord’s in 2017 as the hosts defeated India in the final to lift the trophy. Upon taking the final wicket – Shrubsole claimed a tournament final record 6 for 46 – she runs down the pitch, arms outstretched and looking skyward in triumph, shouting “yeeeeesssss!” Even to a neutral observer, it doesn’t get old: the exhilaration, the excitement, the undeniable warmth of feeling towards someone who had played a blinder.But, in the aftermath of England’s failed title defence against Australia less than a fortnight ago, another series of images endures. With England nine wickets down and still needing 79, Shrubsole joins centurion Nat Sciver in the middle. When she sends the fourth ball she faces high into the air towards mid-off, Ash Gardner claims a comfortable catch, letting out a jubilant scream at the precise moment you can see – even feel – the hot pinprick of tears appear in Shrubsole’s eyes. By the time the camera pans back, Shrubsole has pulled her helmet so low over her face she has almost achieved her aim of disappearing, although the burning flush of emotion is still visible on what little skin you can see.It was to be her last moment on the world stage that, in her words, had delivered “many ups and downs” in an illustrious 14-year career.On reflection, as she stood there seemingly frozen in time, Australian players haring around on fast-forward to congratulate each other, Shrubsole’s reason for announcing her international retirement on Thursday, sounds apt: “To have been involved in women’s cricket at a time of such growth has been an honour but it has become clear to me that it is moving forward faster than I can keep up with, so it is time for me to step away.”Shrubsole can’t hide her disappointment as Australia claim the World Cup•ICC via Getty ImagesNot that this particular game had got away from her personally. Shrubsole had been the pick of England’s bowlers, taking 3 for 46 against an Australia side led by their indomitable top three with Alyssa Healy’s 170 the highlight. The fact that Shrubsole’s haul was half that of her effort five years prior served as another reminder of the gulf that now exists between Australia and the rest of the world.There were to be more tears as she and Sciver trudged into the comforting arms of their team-mates and, after Shrubsole announced her retirement, the tributes flowed too. Many used the hashtag #ThankYouAnya to express their gratitude on Twitter less than 24 hours before another of England cricket’s great servants, Joe Root, resigned as Test captain.

Congrats on a remarkable career Hoof. It’s been a pleasure sharing a field with you! I’ll miss your boomerangs, your bunts through the covers and your wise words. Good luck with the next chapter! #ThankYouAnya pic.twitter.com/aX7UI3r9MB

— Heather Knight (@Heatherknight55) April 14, 2022

England wicketkeeper reveling in moment after starring in back-to-back Test successes against New Zealand

Vithushan Ehantharajah20-Jun-2022Among the glazed eyes of those packed into Nottingham’s Mega Munch in the early hours of Wednesday, several of whom had secured a stunning victory at Trent Bridge against New Zealand, stood one looking the freshest of the lot.Ben Foakes was propped at the greasy counter, cap on, seemingly with his wits in check while those around him sported tell-tale ruddy cheeks. His aura was as it was at the end of the first and second Tests when he helped England home: calm and unflustered after the chaos. Amid the bombastic exploits this last month, he has been the designated driver.A few days on, Foakes admits to ESPNcricinfo his look was deceiving. “I didn’t feel fresh,” he laughs. “I think it’s the first time I’ve actually been out this year. The next day was a complete write-off.” As for his order, he went healthy (ish). “I didn’t go chips, just a fried chicken burger. It was good, actually. Though I suppose everything at 4am is.”Memories of getting back to the hotel are understandably hazy. But the imprints of a series win, moreover how England chased down 299 in 50 overs on the final day to secure it, will have greater permanency. From the dressing room to the bar and on to late-night kebab shop, many of the chats between players, even members of the public – some of who had been in the stands earlier that day – circled back to the efforts of that day.Related

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There is a tangible sense of fun around the men’s Test side. A renewed freedom under the leadership of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, both in their expression and the fact they were out that late at all. The midnight curfew that had been in place since the end of 2017 momentarily lifted to savour their feat.”Any time there is a Test like that, which is very rare, you can feel it in the stadium and around,” says Foakes. “The atmosphere inside was incredible and you could see that filtering out of the ground. After a tough couple of years [in which England won just one Test in 17], it was a really good buzz in English cricket. With the new era, the way it’s talked about how we are going to play, it’s all blended in as positive vibes.”In the infancy of such upward flux, there is a tendency to laud two wins picked up against the reigning (if slightly weathered) World Test Champions as totems rather than merely early foundations. Cynics might regard a blowout with five Tests still to come this summer, and indeed the final match against New Zealand this Thursday, as a premature celebration. Sure, it’s been fun. But the dry mouth and headaches won’t be far off.Except, for those involved, this feels different. McCullum’s approach may have a whiff of “no tactics, just vibes”. But there is a belief among those who go out there and live it that he is instigating a shift in what English Test cricket should be, how it should feel and who it is for. The best encapsulation came in that final tea break, with 160 runs still to get.”Baz’s team talk at tea – it was like William Wallace!” Foakes says. “After he was done, everyone was desperate to get out there.”The traditional Test approach in that situation would be ‘see how it goes, see how many wickets we’ve got left, then if the situation isn’t there, do we shut up shop?’ He was like, ‘Nah, we’re not doing that. We’re winning this game. If we don’t, so be it – we’ve done it the right way. It doesn’t matter if we don’t win this game.’ And it took the pressure off.”To English cricket’s conservative ears, it is inspirational talk bordering on heresy. The gloom that has encapsulated the Test set-up is because it matter when they don’t win. It is why Joe Root had to step down from the captaincy, even in the form of his life. Why others beyond the field of play have lost their jobs. Why, going into the Test summer, there was such widespread disillusionment with the format in this country. All the more reason, according to Foakes, why such talk needs to be so strong. Any alterations to the fabric of Test cricket require the players to do the sewing.

“I had a few questions and didn’t want to be too indecisive and not know how I am meant to be playing. [McCullum] has been really clear with the doubts I had and it was good for me to be open with him”

“It has changed the way I look at Test cricket,” Foakes says. “With playing for England, there are obviously a lot of pressures, a lot of criticisms and things like that. If you think about that too much, it weighs on you. But over the last two weeks, it’s clear to see the positives and how amazing playing for England can be. Baz and Stokesy, the way they are, promote that.”‘Ground-breaking’ is too big of a word. But when I think about it, my approach to Test cricket has always just been about endurance, mentally slow for a reason, and meant to be calculated. When you play for England, there is another side to it – the entertainment factor.”I guess it’s similar to the New Zealand game a year ago [at Lord’s, where England declined to chase 273 in 75 overs]: we could have gone for the win, but didn’t. For pure entertainment value, within the crowd and at home, even if you lose that game at Trent Bridge, you’re probably doing more for Test cricket. There’s a balance in the game and trying to improve the viewership of it as well.”During the post-tea carnage in Nottingham, when England went from 139 for 4 to 272 for 5 inside 11.3 overs, 93 of those 133 runs from the blade of Jonny Bairstow – the man dismissed, having made 136 – Foakes was in a unique position. He had access to one of the best views in the house in the home dressing room, while burdened with impending responsibility as the next man in. Usually “really nervous” while waiting his turn, he was uncharacteristically at ease. “I usually pop out the back to keep myself busy. I must have gone to do it 10 times but every time there was a six, so I kept coming back to see what had happened.”We needed a lot of runs and it should have been a tight finish. But I was so chilled. When Jonny did get out, I was shocked because I was nestled in watching the game. Everyone during their partnership was like, ‘what the hell is going on?!'”Having snapped out of spectator mode, he went out to the middle and accompanied Stokes to the conclusion. He even had to push the skipper ahead of him, insisting he lead the pair off having finished unbeaten on 75. “I’ve just tapped it around for 12,” was the rebuff when Stokes insisted the pair walk off Trent Bridge together.He had a similar walk at Lord’s the week before, albeit with Root further ahead following his 115 not out to Foakes’ 32. Nevertheless, he was clapped through the Long Room, fulfilling an experience he had always wished for as a kid.That was an overdue home debut, coming as a new era lock rather than a seat-filler as the previous 11 caps abroad had been. His work behind the stumps so far has been as you’d expect from the poster boy of glovemanship. The two finishing cameos speak of assurance, along with 56 in the first innings of the second Test, a welcome third fifty-plus score in his career. His previous one, a half-century against Sri Lanka in November 2018, followed on from a debut knock of 107 the match before.Foakes hugs Ben Stokes after the latter hit the winning runs at Trent Bridge•Getty ImagesAs expected in almost four years since that bright start, form has fluctuated and, in turn, technique tweaked. A first-class average of 24.58 in the 2019 summer elicited a change from a more open stance brought about by adjustments made to county bowlers going wide and moving the ball back into right-handers. His back hip was coming through too much, creating unforced errors against the moving Dukes ball. He has also changed his bats to the shorter blade version used by Gray Nicolls stablemate Ollie Pope.The next thing Foakes wants to get right is his approach. Even in this “express yourself environment”, there is plenty of critical thinking taking place.”In the first Test at Lord’s in the first innings, I ended up playing a crappy shot just because I was a bit in-between. Batting with Jimmy [Anderson] I was thinking, ‘what am I meant to be doing here?’ And I ended up playing a wishy-washy shot to a ball I would have left from Tim Southee.”The issue to overcome, he says, is acquiring the flexibility to be a No. 7 in this XI, straddling the fence between the full-time batters and the tail. The difference between operating as a facilitator or aggressor is just one ball at the other end. For someone accustomed to batting five at Surrey, it is not a natural fit. He has picked McCullum’s brains to untangle his own.”I had a few questions and I didn’t want to be too indecisive and not know how I am meant to be playing. He’s been really clear with the doubts I had and it was good for me to be that open with him. It means I’m going out into in every innings knowing I have backing.”I don’t have a massive power game. But I can use my feet, do different sorts of things to accelerate my scoring without being reckless. Going back to that Southee ball – how do make that a ball I can score off by doing something different? I’ll never do what Rooty did and scoop Southee over my head. I’m never going to try it, but I might be able to do things with my strengths.”It will take time before we can say the McCullum-Stokes axis has reinvigorated English Test cricket, beyond the third Test at Headingley and even this summer. It’s too soon to say they have reinvented the long-form game. They are merely rolling the dice, trying to get some change.Any long-term change requires the likes of Foakes to seize the opportunities to truly reframe England’s psyche. It is a different kind of responsibility, one which will feel heavier once this honeymoon period is over.Right now, though, it feels like a privilege. “I just think it’s a really fun time to be involved,” Foakes beams. “That’s the way I’m looking at it.”